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Baseball Superstition
Baseball is a sport with a long history of superstition. From the Curse of the Bambino to some players' refusal to wash their clothes or bodies after a win, superstition is present in all parts of baseball. Many baseball players — batters, pitchers, and fielders alike — perform elaborate, repetitive routines prior to pitches and at bats due to superstition. The desire to keep a number they have been successful with is strong in baseball. In fact, anything that happens prior to something good or bad in baseball can give birth to a new superstition. Some of the more common superstitions include purposely stepping on or avoiding stepping on the foul line when taking the field, and not talking about a no-hitter or perfect game while it is in progress — a superstition that also holds for fans and announcers. Others include routines such as eating only chicken before a game like Wade Boggs, pitcher Justin Verlander eating three crunchy taco supremes (no tomato), a che ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Witt Jr
Robert Andrew Witt Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Royals selected him second overall in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, 2019 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut in 2022. In 2024, Witt was named to his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All-Star Game and earned both his first Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award. Internationally, Witt United States national baseball team, represents the United States. Witt is the only shortstop in MLB history to have achieved two 30–30 club, 30–30 seasons (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases), having done so in 2023 and 2024. Amateur career Witt attended Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. As a junior in 2018, he batted .446 with 10 home runs. That summer, he won the High School Home Run Derby at Nationals Park. Later that summer, he played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slurpee
Slurpee is the brand name for carbonated slushies sold by 7-Eleven and its subsidiaries A-Plus, Speedway, & Stripes Convenience Stores. The brand originated in 1966 when 7-Eleven made a licensing deal with The Icee Company to sell slushies in 7-Eleven stores. History Omar Knedlik invented machines to make frozen beverages in the late 1950s. The idea for a slushed ice drink came when Knedlik's soda fountain broke down, forcing him to put his sodas in a freezer to stay cool, which caused them to become slushy. The result was popular with customers, which gave him the idea to make a machine to help make a "slushy" from carbonated beverages. When it became popular, Knedlik hired an artist named Ruth E. Taylor to create a name and a logo for his invention. She created the Icee name and designed the original logo, which is still used today. Early prototypes for the machine made use of an automobile air conditioning unit. After a successful trial of Icee machines in 100 store ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milwaukee Brewers Reverse World Series Curse
The Milwaukee Brewers Reverse World Series Curse (or Brewers World Series Curse) is a seemingly baseball-related superstition that saw every team the Milwaukee Brewers lost to in the postseason would at least make it to the World Series. The curse technically ended with the New York Mets, who beat the Brewers in the 2024 Wild Card round, were themselves defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 NLCS, thus not qualifying for the World Series; however, Milwaukee still has not won a World Series. Background In their first season in Milwaukee, the Braves finished and drew a then-NL record The success of the team was noted by many owners. Not coincidentally, the Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Giants all relocated over the next five years. As the 1950s progressed, the reinvigorated Braves became increasingly competitive. Sluggers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron drove the offense (they would hit a combined 1,226 home runs as Braves, wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koufax Curse
In Major League Baseball, the Koufax Curse refers the theory that a Jewish player who plays on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, is doomed to play badly that day. The namesake of the curse comes from Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax who famously sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series to mark Yom Kippur. The term was coined by writer Armin Rosen during the 2019 Major League Baseball postseason, after three Jewish players–Joc Pederson, Alex Bregman, and Max Fried–opted to play on Yom Kippur only for their teams to lose. Though Koufax was not the first player to sit out the Jewish holiday, with Hank Greenberg doing so before Koufax, his example remains the most famous due to it occurring in the World Series rather than the regular season. Professor Howard Wasserman, a professor and baseball enthusiast, wrote in the National Journal, the official publication of the Society for American Baseball Research, detailing 18 pitchers and 18 position players who were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ex-Cubs Factor
The Ex-Cubs Factor (or Ex-Cub Factor) is a seemingly spurious correlation that was seen as essentially a corollary to the Curse of the Billy Goat. Widely published in the 1990s, the hypothesis asserted that since the appearance by the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series, any baseball team headed into the World Series with three or more former Cubs on its roster has "a critical mass of Cubness" and a strong likelihood of failure. Ex-Cubs Factor hypothesis The theory was developed in October 15, 1981 by Ron Berler, a freelance journalist and Cubs fan. Berler posited in an article that "it is utterly impossible for a team with three or more ex-Cubs to win the series." Berler based this on a pattern that he observed in the post-1945 era; 1945 being the last time the Chicago Cubs made it to a World Series until 2016. Berler cited many examples of teams with three or more ex-Cubs on their teams that reached the World Series and lost: including the 1958 Milwaukee Braves, the 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curse Of Coogan's Bluff
The Curse of Coogan's Bluff (also known as the Curse of Eddie Grant) (1958–2010) was a baseball-related superstition that allegedly prevented the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball franchise from winning the World Series following the club's move from New York City to San Francisco after the conclusion of the 1957 season. The curse began when upset Giants fans in the New York metropolitan area placed a hex on the relocated franchise. The curse proved true in the World Series of 1962, 1989, and 2002. It ended when the Giants won the 2010 World Series in their fourth World Series appearance since the move to San Francisco. Background and origin of the curse Although the actual curse began in 1958, the story goes back to 1918 when Eddie Grant was killed while fighting in World War I. The team honored him with a commemorative plaque on the center field wall at the Polo Grounds (which was located on a piece of land in New York called "Coogan's Bluff," so named for its owne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curse Of The Colonel
The Curse of the Colonel (, ) is a Japanese urban legend that holds that the ghost of the KFC founder, Colonel Sanders, placed a curse on the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. The curse was said to be placed on the team because of the Colonel's anger over treatment of one of his store-front statues, which was thrown into the Dōtonbori River by Hanshin fans before their team's 1985 Central League pennant. As is common with sports curses, the Curse of the Colonel was used to explain the team's failures in subsequent years. Some fans believed the team would never win another Japan Series until the statue was recovered. They appeared in the Japan Series three more times and lost in 2003, 2005 and 2014 before winning in 2023. Comparisons are often made between the Hanshin Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, who were said to be under the Curse of the Bambino until they won the World Series in 2004. The Curse of the Colonel has also been used as a bogeyman threat to those who would divulge th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curse Of Rocky Colavito
The Curse of Rocky Colavito is a phenomenon that supposedly prevents the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB) from winning, be it the World Series, the American League (AL) pennant, reaching postseason play, or even getting into a pennant race. Its origin is traced back to the unpopular trade of right fielder Rocky Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn in 1960. It was not claimed that Colavito placed the curse, and he has denied doing so. It is one of several curses believed to have stricken the city of Cleveland's major sports franchises for decades. The Guardians, then known as the Cleveland Indians, played in the World Series in 1995, 1997, and 2016, but lost all three to the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, and Chicago Cubs, respectively. Cleveland has not won a World Series since 1948. Origins On April 17, 1960, the then-Cleveland Indians traded Rocky Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn. This trade was unique because Colavito was 1959 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curse Of The Black Sox
The Curse of the Black Sox (also known as the Curse of Shoeless Joe) (1919–2005) was a superstition or "scapegoat" cited as one reason for the failure of the Chicago White Sox to win the World Series from until . As with other supposed baseball curses, such as the crosstown Chicago Cubs' Curse of the Billy Goat (1945–2016), or the Boston Red Sox' Curse of the Bambino (1918–2004), these "curses" have been publicized by the popular media over the course of time. The curse: 1920–1958 The White Sox were dealt a severe blow in 1919 by the Black Sox scandal, when Comiskey suspended the seven alleged conspirators still on the roster late in the 1920 season (ringleader Chick Gandil only played semipro ball that year). Conventional wisdom has it that the Sox were headed for another pennant and championship and that the suspensions knocked them out of the race. In reality, the last game for the "Eight Men Out" was September 27, just three games from the end of their season. At ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curse Of The Billy Goat
The Curse of the Billy Goat was a sports curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in 1945, by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis. The curse lasted 71 years, from 1945 to 2016. During Game 4 of the 1945 World Series at Wrigley Field, Sianis's pet goat, named Murphy, was bothering other fans, and so the pair were asked to leave the stadium. Outraged, Sianis allegedly declared, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more", which had been interpreted to mean that the Cubs would never win another National League (NL) pennant, at least for the remainder of Sianis's life. The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series to the Detroit Tigers, and did not win a pennant or World Series championship again until 2016. The Cubs had last won the World Series in 1908. After the incident with Sianis and Murphy, the Cubs did not play in the World Series for the next 71 years until, on the 46th anniversary of William Sianis's death, the "curse" was broken ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slump (sports)
In the realm of sports, a slump is an extended period of poor performance exhibited by a player or team, often characterized by a lack of production compared to their usual standards. Slumps exist in various sports and at all different levels of competition. They are typically characterized by a loss streak, or reduced consistency, though the term is often misused when referring to the natural decline in a player's production at the end of their career. The causes of slumps can vary greatly, though they are generally brought on by physical factors like fatigue and injury, or psychological factors like burnout, pressure, and loss of confidence. Slumps can affect athletes of any skill level, and even some of the greatest athletes of all time have gone through periods of prolonged slumps. Overcoming a slump can often require a combination of technical and psychological adjustments as well as an increase in the athlete's mental fortitude. While slumps can frustrate players and fans, espe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amby McConnell
Ambrose Moses McConnell (April 29, 1883 – May 20, 1942) was an American baseball second baseman who played four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Midget" due to his stature, he played for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox from 1908 to 1911. He batted left-handed but threw right-handed. McConnell played minor league baseball for three different teams until August 1907, when he signed for the Boston Red Sox. After making his debut the following season and spending three seasons with the Red Sox, McConnell was traded in the middle of the 1910 season to the Chicago White Sox, where he spent the next two years of his career before playing his last game on October 8, 1911. He died on May 20, 1942, in Utica, New York. McConnell is most famous for hitting into the first unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball history on July 19, 1909. Personal life McConnell was born on April 29, 1883. He grew up in North Pownal, Vermont, and began his baseball career ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
