Saying "No-No" Is A No-No

I'm not overly superstitious by nature. I'll admit this display becomes more prevalent during sporting activities - playing or spectating. It's not so much that I truly believe wearing a certain item of clothing or performing a series of rituals before an action actually affects the outcome. It's just that by doing those things, I may positively affect the outcome; but if I don't do those things, I'll definitely affect the outcome in the negative.

I think most men think like this.

In 1999, I bought a new UT polo shirt in mid-November. The first time I wore it, Texas lost the game to A&M 20-16. I've since worn it several times, to varying degrees of success. I've worn it watching Texas beat Nebraska (I kept it on while I played the bongos, though), Michigan, Ohio State, OU, and USC - and 6 years in a row the day after Thanksgiving. I think the curse is lifted, but don't think I don't remember that dang A&M game every time I see it hanging in the closet.

When Larry and I played golf last month, he got a golf cart key that would fit any cart in the lot; we picked one at random, loaded up our clubs, and got settled in. As he was ready to take off to the first tee box, he noticed we were in cart #70. He just had to switch carts to the next one over because he was Class of '71 at A&M.

Superstitions. Go figure.

Now that you've survived that, I'm still running plays in my head from the baseball game I watched last night. It was perhaps the best regular season game I've seen in several years. It had everything I enjoy in a game. Good pitching. Good hitting. And a little nod from the Baseball Gods.

As the box score doesn't fit in this format, you'll just have to believe me.

Randy Johnson took the mound for the Yankees. He's having a sub-par year and watching him struggle this year can be frustrating.

However, he had his stuff last night. He took a perfect game through the 3rd inning; he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning.

After the end of each inning, he'd walk back into the dugout, place his glove on the same spot on the shelf, place his hat on top of his glove, and then place his chewing gum on the button of the cap. The same gum, the same routine.

He sat alone in the dugout or disappeared to the clubhouse between innings.

Superstitions. Go figure.

In the meantime, the Yankees bats and gloves were on fire. Two of the new Yankees got their first homeruns in pinstripes. Jeter (again) made the difficult look easy. Reminds me of something Mays used to say - a good players makes difficult plays look easy and the easy plays look difficult.

After the 6th inning, it was wheels off for Johnson; somebody must have told him he was throwing a no-hitter - or thrown his gum away. After giving up a hit (I'm a horrible lip-reader and even I understood what he said), he walked a batter, and gave up more hits than a BP pitcher.

While I flipped the channel to watch a recorded Boy Meets Grill from last week, the ChiSox scored 6 quick runs.

I turned the channel back as Rivera was finishing up the 8th inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Mariano put the tying run on base by hitting him. I don't think I've ever seen Rivera hit somebody before. A two-out single put the tying run 90 feet away. The game ended the way it should - one of the best hitters in the league (Thome) going against the best reliever in the league, while the best player in MLB (Jeter) got the final assist of the game.

All I needed was the apple pie.