It's always been a bit of a mystery as to just what exactly makes all the best athletes in the world so good. Let's consider Wayne Gretzky, for example. What is it that made the Great One so great? The obvious answer is his God-given talent, hard work, discipline, and Canada's most famous father, who moulded him into the NHL's all-time leading scorer. But that's not really it. Wayne Gretzky became the player he did for one reason: he always tucked just half of his sweater into his pants when he played. His unwavering commitment to that superstition kept him in the good graces of the sports gods, and for that he was rewarded.
Choose a different sport and a different hero, and you'll see the same thing. Michael Jordan always wore his North Carolina shorts underneath his uniform while revolutionizing the NBA. Tiger Woods always wears red on Sunday when he's closing in on a tournament crown. Barry Bonds always uses the same needle when injecting steroids into his body. Okay, I made up that last one, but you get the idea. Natural talent, practice, and dedication are fine, but the only thing that makes a difference when the game is on the line happens between innings, when you avoid stepping on the baseline.
Baseball is generally considered the most superstitious of any sport, and the voodoo-like nature of the game has produced its share of crazies. There's relief pitcher Turk Wendell, who isn't himself if he doesn't brush his teeth between every inning. Ten-year major leaguer Dick Stuart used to take the wad of gum out of his mouth and throw it across home plate as he stepped in to bat-maybe because Wendell informed him that the gum wasn't sugarless.
But aside from individual routines, it's pretty easy to categorize the meaning and intent behind certain superstitions. Not stepping on the baseline between innings, as well as its sister superstition in tennis where the court lines must be avoided when changing sides, draw their roots from the days of Roman gladiators, who made sure to step into the arena with their right foot. The origin of the expression "put your best foot forward," this ritual is common in soccer as well as rodeo, where it is necessary to put one's right foot into the stirrup first.
