Your Friday Moment of Zen, Friday the 13th Edition

The Playoff Beard/Pink Tie Combo is Epic. Kudos to Chara

Today is Friday the 13th, which is a superstitious day for some and a complete joke to others.  If you have friggatriskaidekaphobia, that means that you have a fear of Friday the 13th.  While superstitions are a little stupid and silly, professional athletes might be the most superstitious people on the planet. Here are a few of my favorite sports superstitions:


The Playoff Beard

Gross

Playoff beards started in the 1980s with the New York Islanders (yes, the Isles used to make the playoffs way back when!) After the Islanders won the Stanley Cup that year, many teams started catching on to the playoff beard superstition.  The beard growing also spread to NCAA and even high-school level hockey.  Today playoff beards have spread to most mainstream sports. Football, soccer, tennis and even basketball players have all grown beards with hopes of winning championships.  I guess I'm forced to thank New York for this one.  Some playoff beards are weak (see Sidney Crosby) but others are absolutely epic.  


Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx

Several star athletes have suffered misfortunes after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine since its inaugural edition in 1954. Milwaukee Braves third baseman, Eddie Matthews, was featured on the first edition and suffered a bad hand injury shortly after.  The injury kept him out of play for a week or so, but since then the curse has claimed many victims.  Remember when Tom Brady tore his ACL and MCL in the season opening game in 2008?  He had previously appeared on the "Season Preview" issue in September.  He missed the rest of the season.  Another notable jinx was Lindsey Vonn's shin injury weeks after appearing on the Winter Olympics cover of Sports Illustrated in 2010.  Despite the shin injury, she won a gold and bronze medal.  People have tried to beat the curse, like the New York Yankees.  Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite all appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  Everyone except for Jeter suffered from injuries in a week or so after the cover was released.  If you want a complete list click here. 


Superstitious Rituals
Think back to the days when Nomar Garciaparra was one of the best in the league.  Remember his ritual?  Adjust the red arm band on his right arm, tap home plate with his bat, then quickly touch the helmet, touch the bat, then touch the helmet.  Next comes the synchronized glove pulling and cleat digging.  While balancing his bat on his shoulder, he yanks his batting glove with his left hand, then his right hand crosses over his left and tugs on the left hand glove.  He would repeat this at least up to four times. This is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of sports rituals.  Rituals may include pre-game meals (like Brian Urlacher only eating two chocolate chip cookies before each game) or routines for putting equipment on.  Some rather silly and funny rituals include NHL star Alex Ovechkin's need to have sex before every and after every game, Jacksonville Jaguars' John Henderson demanding his trainers to slap him as hard as they can and Celtics shooting guard, Jason Terry, wearing the opponents shorts to sleep the night before a game.  There a few really strange ones, and most professional athletes have one, or two, or a few…

Forgive me, I couldn't find a clear video of Nomar anyone on the internet.  This is a pretty funny video about NHL stars and their superstitions though! Enjoy.

Terry-ific! The Celtics Sign Jason Terry

The Boston Celtics have signed Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry on a three-year contract.  The Celtics will be using their $5M mid-level exception to sign the 34 year old, and Terry will earn a little more than $15M in his tenure with them.

There are a few things to say about this move.  The first is that the return of Ray Allen is looking more and more unlikely.  It has been reported by multiple sources that Allen is exploring options with the Miami Heat (WHY RAY!? WHY!?), and the Los Angeles Clippers and will visit each team at the end of this week. 

Makes me sick…

Jason Terry is a 2011 NBA Champion with the Mavericks and brings veteran leadership and grit to the Celtics.  He is also a former Sixth Man of the Year (2009) and fourth on the NBA’s all-time list for 3 pointers-made. In his illustrious career, Terry has averaged 16.1 points per game and is a 38% 3-point shooter.  Last season, Terry averaged 15.1 points and 3.6 assists per game, along with 37.8% shooting from 3-point range.

Terry is a guy who will go out and give you his best every night.  He’s a competitor who wants to win.  After a disappointing first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavericks organization made no attempt to sign Terry to a contract extension.  He was pretty upset, understandably so, because he was a key player in the 2011 Mavericks championship and was essentially snubbed by Mavs owner Mark Cuban. 

This probably marks the end of the Ray Allen era in Boston, but I’m happy Celts GM Danny Ainge went out and acquired a guy like Terry.  Terry will succeed in Boston and will be a key player in the Celtics season next year.  The guy can go big when he’s feeling it, and when you have Kevin Garnett on the floor with you its hard not to feel intense.