Strange Magic: Superstition and the Houston Astros

Sep 19, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; MLB umpire Joe West (22) smiles between innings of the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Friday the 13th! It’s a time-honored tradition to celebrate superstitions on this date (unless you suffer with Triskaidekaphobia). And what better way to amuse ourselves than with superstition and baseball – a combo that goes hand-in-hand.

Baseball is a funny sport, especially when it comes to superstition. It can range from the relatively mundane to the absolutely bizarre. Truthfully, you’d expect professional athletes to be a little quirky when their high salaries rest on their on field success. Anything they can do to get a mental edge for themselves, or to psyche their opponents out, is generally justified.

From lengthy and absurd pre-pitch routines like Nomar Garciaparra, to eating chicken before every game like Wade Boggs, or to leaping over base paths and chewing licorice between innings like Turk Wendell, we come to love- or be frustrated by- the oddities they embrace.

Here are a few good luck/bad luck practices that go with the territory:

1. The first rule about a perfect game or no-hitter is that you don’t talk about it. Ever. Just sit back and shut up and let the guy pitch.
2. The rally cap – fans and players alike wear their head gear sideways or inside out, or any way but right-side out with the brim facing forward in order to get their team to come back from a late inning deficit.
3. It is bad luck to lend your bat to another player.
4. It is good luck to spit on your palms before picking up a bat.
5. There are many ways to bust a slump (ask Jason Giambi) – including sleeping with a bat.

The Houston Astros are no strangers to superstitious happenings. Here’s a look at some of the strangest, funniest, wackiest events to happen to or performed by some of the guys to don the orange and blue. They’re divided into three categories: That’s Interesting, That’s a Bit Strange, and Are You Kidding Me?!

Next: That's Interesting

Aug 16, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; General view of the exterior of NRG Stadium (left) and Houston Astrodome before the NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons against the Houston Texans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Astrodome – this tale sounds like an oft-repeated urban legend. It’s fun nonetheless. According to some people, the Astrodome may have been built on Native American burial grounds. From The Pecan Park Eagle blog:

The belief behind this one is that the Astrodome was built on land that once served as a Karankawa or Comanche Indian Burial Ground. I remember discussing this theory with former Astros pitcher Vern Ruble back in the early 1980s, when we were all still recovering from that tough loss in the NLCS to the Phillies at the “Dome. Vern had not heard the legend previously, but his eyes lit up when I told him about it. “That’s it,” Ruhle exclaimed, “That’s got to be it! Otherwise, there is no other good way to explain how we lost to the Phillies in 1980!”

One Twitter account called “Amazing True Facts” still circulated the Native American burial ground story as recently as 2012.

From a myth, to a real occurrence, here’s a true tidbit from an Astros game in 1982:

Nolan Ryan and the Houston Astros had just been stomped in their season opener to the St. Louis Cardinals, 14-3. About an hour after the game was over, a black cat appeared from the direction of the Cardinals dugout, strode across the field, and walked across the path to the Houston batter’s box. It was obviously too late to affect the team at that point, but it makes one wonder what kind of voodoo was going on when The Ryan Express gets tagged for six runs (including one homerun) over three innings.

Perhaps the feline was one of the feral cats that roamed the grounds of the Astrodome in order to keep rodents away.

Next: That's A Bit Strange

Jul 30, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Former Boston Red Sox pitcher

acknowledges the fans during pre-game ceremonies prior to a game against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Clemens – The Rocket is a Texas baseball deity. He is a Longhorn legend who proved his stuff over 24 Major League Seasons. Two-time World Series Champion, 7-time Cy Young Award Winner. And those three seasons in Houston were a magical time for Astros fans as the team reached new heights. Of course you’d expect a man like this to have some peculiarities, right?

Everyone knows that he would rub his head and then rub the Babe Ruth plaque outside of Yankee Stadium, and that his four boys all have names that start with K (K= strikeout in baseball). But this takes things to a whole different level:

During his time with the New York Yankees, the seven time Cy Young Award winner had a trainer put liniment on his testicles after stepping out of the hot tub before pitching. Clemens snorted like a bull afterwards, and that’s when you knew he was ready to go. There’s no word on if he did that in Houston, but why stop in New York City?

Moises Alou – Alou was a really good player throughout his career in the Major Leagues. He even hit .355 with 30 HRs for the Astros in 2000, one of his best seasons.

One of the things he was known for was that he did not wear batting gloves. He must be a tough guy, so that doesn’t seem too strange, does it? How about this: he toughened up his hands by urinating on them.

Alou says the secret to hitting without batting gloves is to harden your hands and prevent calluses. One of his methods might win someone the prize money on the TV show, “Fear Factor.” He urinates on his hands. That’s the honest truth. Alou said he isn’t sure where he learned this distasteful folk medicine, but it wasn’t from his famous father. And it works for Moises.

Remember that the next time you’re in line for autograph.

Next: Beware!

Aug 3, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; A view of the Houston Astros logo during the game between the Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park. The Astros defeated the Blue Jays 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

So there you go, folks! A few tales that encompass common superstitions, to guys who ignore them, to stories that you have to read twice because they’re so unbelievable.

So now you must run! Hide! Watch out for black cats and broken mirrors, and be sure to avoid walking under ladders! Do not step on a crack or you’ll break your mama’s back! And watch out for guys in hockey masks wielding machetes (FYI- always be wary of them, not just today).

Tell us, Astros fans: what are your favorite (the strangest) baseball superstitions?

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