Very Superstitious

When you believe in things that you dont understand,

Then you suffer,

Superstition aint

 the way, yeh, yeh.

-Stevie Wonder

Chances are you are a long time or at the very least a returning reader of Pete Chat. I really don't know how many people read this blog because of the blasted and supremely convenient Google Reader. That being said if you do regularly read this you probably know a lot about me, because I tend to write mostly about myself. What you might not know is that I am in fact quite superstitious. And despite the fact that Stevie Wonder does his best to remind us not to be superstitious it ends up happening any way.

Thinking about this, I am unable to identify the exact moment when I started to be superstitious. I can however remember writing for my school newspaper in sixth grade. I was the sports reporter, and it was my job to interview the star athletes of the school. I remember interviewing my friend and athlete extraordinaire Rob (at the time Robbie) Leark. Incidentally even at 11 or 12 Rob was a great athlete. We went on to be teammates in Volleyball during High School.I was the serviceable middle blocker he was our dominant outside hitter. He played college basketball and once picked me off on back to back series on the exact same out pattern to Kenneth Paik in pick up flag football on Thanksgiving 1998.

Anyway I gave Robbie a list of questions to answer about being a great athlete. I think he was playing basketball for Granada at the time. I specifically remember him answering the question that he had no superstitions when it came to sports. So at least as early as 1993 I was aware of superstitions.

I on the other hand have a bunch of them acquired from all sorts of places. Many of them are related to either playing sports or watching sports. When I was in high school any time I served in Volleyball I had to bounce the ball five time before I served and then spin it. Had to, I knew if I didn't it wouldn't go over. When I watch one of my teams play in an important game, I dress for the game. If they are preforming in a manner I am comfortable with, I will most certainly change my clothes to another jersey, hat, t-shirt etc. My family always thought this was crazy. When I was home two weeks ago and the Lakers were playing the Rockets my dad asked if was dressed for the game, I unzipped my sweatshirt to reveal my Kobe Jersey. If the Angels are in a particular need of a win, I wear the championship T-Shirt from 2002, and of course any number of combinations of 49ers regalia. Virtually every sunday I during football season I come home from church and don my 49ers t-shirt.

Most of you probably know how obsessed I am with flag football. When I was in college, I was very cognizant of the clothes I chose to wear to play in and whether or not to wear my head band. For the last three seasons I always wore a Steve Young jersey ( I now have four). If we won the game I kept wearing it ( I did wash it usually) if we lost I would make sure to wear the alternate one. It was the fact that I was throwing interceptions that we were losing it was the jersey that had lost its good karma.If I wore the red Nike head band and we won I would wear it in the next game. If we lost, it was bad luck. I know... crazy.

I love (and I think most guys) to call my shot. That is to say when your team or the team you root for has a game, it feels good to say beforehand, "my team is going to do this and there is nothing you can do about it." However I am extremely superstitious that the universe doesn't like this and thus rarely will I say anything about an up coming series. I just can't take that risk. My optimism is not yet ready to over come my superstition, thus I won't say anything more than I am monitoring the situation. I am cautiously optimistic, and am pleased that a certain person "Did work" in game one.

Whether it is touching the dashboard when I see a burnt out head light, never eating the slice of bread on top of the loaf, or any number of the crazy things I do... I figure why change now. It got me this far. I love to hear about superstitions other people have. Feel free to share yours in the comments.