The Clackamas print., April 13, 2011, Page 7, Image 7

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Clackamas Print 7
Superstition plays
big part in sports
By John Howard
Associate Sports Editor
.3.____
John Howard Clackamas Print
Hood Community College baseball player places a good luck
it on top of the visitor’s dugout at Clackamas Community
je’s baseball field on April 12.
around so that the ‘game day’ side shows.” ’
Superstitious behavior isn’t just made of
random acts. There are patterns and connec­
Since the dawn of athletic competitions, tions to be found, something that psychologists
there has always been an intangible factor that and sports fanatics alike find fascinating.
athletes see as necessary in order to succeed:
“Aspects of baseball where players have the
luck. Superstitions in sports are something that least amount of control, and succeed the least,
nearly every athlete and coach will admit to is where research has found the most supersti­
participating in, no matter what sport they play tions,” said Eric Lewis, chair of the social sci­
or at what level they compete.
ences and psychology professor at Clackamas.
“These shoes right here? I love these shoes,”
“Players field the ball successfully over 95,
said Clif Wegner, who coaches men’s basket­ percent of the time, depending on the posi­
ball at Clackamas Community College. “In tion played, and there are few players who
2007, we got on a streak, and we won 21 games have superstitions with their glove or fielding.
to close* the season, and I was wearing these However, a ‘good’ batter will fail roughly 70
shoes. I wore these for 21 games in a row just percent of the time. In this area of baseball,
because I didn’t want to change them. I think where control and success are fleeting and
there’s some magic in them.”
often come in spurts, superstitions are ram­
Wegner said that while he was superstitious, pant,” he said.
it was mostly just for fun. He also said that hi?
Lewis, a self-proclaimed sports nut, said
habits are exemplary of many players on his that the superstition, while it wouldn’t directly
team, saying that some had a lucky t-shirt or affect the outcome of the game, can often act as
lucky shorts they wear under the uniform, and a placebo and boost the confidence of the ath­
others had special rituals they performed before lete, therefore raising the possibility of a good
games.
game for the player or coach.
Wearing lucky shorts isn’t something local
“People like predictability, controlling their
to the college. Michael Jordan, the hall of fame own destiny and tucking themselves in at
NBA player who many claim is the great­ night believing the world makes sense,” said
est basketball player ever to set foot on the Lewis. “In areas of life where random, unpre­
court, was said to wear his University of North dictable or unwanted things can occur, people
Carolina shorts underneath his Chicago Bulls are more prone to develop superstitions.”
uniform.
“These superstitions help an individual feel
Perhaps the most superstitious of all sports a sense of predictability and control over
is baseball. Players such as Wade Boggs, third important and otherwise random events. Most
baseman for the Boston Red Sox, would write superstitions not only help with predictability
in the dirt before each at bat, and became and the illusion of control, but also as a way to
known as the “Chicken Man” because of his bring about good, or wanted, fortune.”
obsession with eating poultry before each
In the end, the fans often get more enjoy­
game. Turk Wendell would chew four sticks ment out of superstitions than the players. To
of licorice while on the pitcher’s mound and the athletes themselves, their practices are a
would sprint to the dugout after each inning to routine that gets them to feel comfortable, but
brush his teeth.
to those looking on, it’s an exciting pattern,
“I drink chocolate milk before every baseball much like LeBron James’ powder toss before
game,” said freshman shortstop Tyler Arnold, each game. For some it has meaning and for
“and I have a baseball at home that says ‘game others it’s simply fun, but for most it’s just
day’ on one side. Every game day I turn it sports.
ill Court Press: Blazers, Hawks
oking for championships
Robert Morrison
Sports Editor
ast term at Clackamas
./Community College
we brought home a
i of championships and
glad to call our wres-
am the National Junior
:e Xthletic Association
ions. It seems like the
I bug is going around
Hand, too, because both
«land Trail Blazers and
’J Winterhawks have
ither in the playoffs or
ig a spot.
! Blazers have had a
*11 of injuries, drama and
»munication. The team
> lows with the surgery
«1 Brandon Roy and its
*ith the all-star play of
ta Aldridge.
tars near the trade dead-
'•1 that the Blazers could
< the team didn’t move
taai players like many,
included, thought they
They did deal for multi-
"I 'player Gerald Wallace,
though. Wallace came over from
the Charlotte Bobcats in a deal
that included fan favorite Joel
Przybilla.
The Blazers went on a win
streak after the deadline that
helped make a serious push
towards the playoffs. On April
6 the Blazers lost in surprising
fashion against the Golden State
Warriors 108-87. The Blazers
would have something to cheer
about after the loss because my
hometown Sacramento Kings
went on the beat the Houston
Rockets 104-101.
The Rockets were fight­
ing for a playoff spot as well,
but with their loss the Blazers
clinched a spot for the third
year in a row. The Blazers have
been fighting for the sixth seed
for the playoffs to try and avoid
playing the LA Lakers in the
first round, because they haven’t
had the best of luck against the
Lakers in the playoffs in recent
years. Tickets for the Blazers
playoffs game go on sale April
15 at noon.
The Winterhawks have been
playing another outstanding sea­
son. llie team finished the sea­
son with a 50-19-0-3 record. The
record gave them the WHL U.S.
Division championship.
Portland got a nice seed
in the playoffs for the WHL
Championship and they started
off hot, beating Everett 4-0 in
their playoff opener in Portland
on March 26. Portland went on to
knock Everett out of the playoffs
by beating them in four straight
games. During those games the
Winterhawks outscored Everett
in goals 22-8. Two of the games
were at home and two of them
on the road, showing the team
can win anywhere.
On April 12 the team played
host to Kelowna at the Rose
Garden Arena but fell in the first
game by a score of 5-1. They
were able to tie the series at
one game apiece with a 6-3 win
the next day on the road. The
Hawks have a chance to pull to
a series lead when they play host
to Kelowna on April 15 at 7 p.m.
With all of these playoffs
in full swing and spring sports
underway at CCC, sports fans
should have more than enough
excitement to keep them busy all
season long.
Blazers playoff
tickets go on sale
April 15 at noon.
On April 15 at 7 p.m.
the Winterhaks play
Kelowna.
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