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No. 13's aura of poor luck, tragedy, sadness strikes fear into superstitious sports figures
Scott Pitoniak
staff columnist
(October 13, 2006) ? The No. 7 jersey wasn't available during my senior season of high school baseball, so I chose 13, just to be different.
A few of my teammates couldn't believe I would tempt the fates that way. But I told them I didn't believe the number was unlucky. I wound up having a good season, batting .400, and our team reached the sectional finals. Unfortunately, we committed five errors in the championship game and lost.
As I pulled my uniform off a final time, the No. 13 gazed back at me. Strangely, the digits seemed much bigger and bolder than before.
"Maybe there is something to this number," I thought to myself. Just to be on the safe side, I haven't worn it since.
Psychiatrists would say I suffer from triskaidekaphobia ? the fear of the No. 13. I don't know if that's the case, but if it is, I'm hardly alone.
Most high-rise buildings, especially hotels, don't list a 13th floor (they skip from 12 to 14). Many sports teams don't issue No. 13. And Santa Anita Park, a thoroughbred racetrack in California, has stall 12A rather than 13 for its horses.
I bring this up because, just in case you haven't checked your calendar, today is Friday the 13th, supposedly the unluckiest day of the year.
Some people won't go to work today or eat in a restaurant or travel. They suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia (please don't ask me to pronounce it because I had a tough enough time spelling it). It's a $50 word for the fear of Friday the 13th.
I don't believe in it, so I plan on going to work today, traveling and even eating in a restaurant. (But I might carry a four-leaf clover and a rabbit's foot with me just in case.)
The origin for this superstition is fuzzy. Some believe it comes from the Last Supper, in which the 13th apostle betrayed Jesus Christ. It's also supposedly the day in which Eve tempted Adam with the apple; the day Christ was crucified, and the day Noah's Ark set sail.
Triskaidekaphobics are quick to point out that, in tarot, card No. 13 is "death," and that there are 13 steps leading to the gallows for hangings. They'll also tell you it wasn't just a coincidence that the explosion on Apollo 13 ("Houston, we have a problem") occurred on April 13, 1970.
Athletes are among the most superstitious people on the planet, so it's no wonder many have avoided the No. 13 like the plague. But some have chosen to defy the fates and have worn it with distinction.
Dan Marino became the NFL's all-time leading passer wearing 13 (though, some might point to his lack of a Super Bowl title as evidence of the number's bad luck.)
Thirteen didn't stop Wilt Chamberlain from becoming the most dominating scorer and rebounder in basketball history (though, some would say he was overshadowed by Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics dynasty.)
Two of the most cursed No. 13s were Ralph Branca and Maurice Clarett. Branca, the old Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher, delivered arguably the most infamous gopher ball in baseball history ? the "Shot Heard 'Round the World' to Bobby Thomson in the 1951 playoffs.
Clarett's football career and life fell apart after he led Ohio State to the national championship his freshman season.
Interestingly, the latest No. 13 in the spotlight is none other than Alex Rodriguez, the beleaguered New York Yankees slugger. A-Rod switched from No. 3 when he joined the Bronx Bombers three seasons ago because that number had been retired in honor of Yankee immortal Babe Ruth. Though Rodriguez has continued to put up Hall-of-Fame stats for New York, he has been haunted by an inability to deliver in the clutch, especially in October.
Perhaps, he is triskaidekaphobic, and never knew it. Perhaps, all he needs to do is switch numbers instead of teams. I think I might be on to something. I think I'm going to call Joe Torre with my diagnosis. But to be on the safe side, I might wait till tomorrow, the 14th, to make the call.
No. 13's aura of poor luck, tragedy, sadness strikes fear into superstitious sports figures
Scott Pitoniak
staff columnist
(October 13, 2006) ? The No. 7 jersey wasn't available during my senior season of high school baseball, so I chose 13, just to be different.
A few of my teammates couldn't believe I would tempt the fates that way. But I told them I didn't believe the number was unlucky. I wound up having a good season, batting .400, and our team reached the sectional finals. Unfortunately, we committed five errors in the championship game and lost.
As I pulled my uniform off a final time, the No. 13 gazed back at me. Strangely, the digits seemed much bigger and bolder than before.
"Maybe there is something to this number," I thought to myself. Just to be on the safe side, I haven't worn it since.
Psychiatrists would say I suffer from triskaidekaphobia ? the fear of the No. 13. I don't know if that's the case, but if it is, I'm hardly alone.
Most high-rise buildings, especially hotels, don't list a 13th floor (they skip from 12 to 14). Many sports teams don't issue No. 13. And Santa Anita Park, a thoroughbred racetrack in California, has stall 12A rather than 13 for its horses.
I bring this up because, just in case you haven't checked your calendar, today is Friday the 13th, supposedly the unluckiest day of the year.
Some people won't go to work today or eat in a restaurant or travel. They suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia (please don't ask me to pronounce it because I had a tough enough time spelling it). It's a $50 word for the fear of Friday the 13th.
I don't believe in it, so I plan on going to work today, traveling and even eating in a restaurant. (But I might carry a four-leaf clover and a rabbit's foot with me just in case.)
The origin for this superstition is fuzzy. Some believe it comes from the Last Supper, in which the 13th apostle betrayed Jesus Christ. It's also supposedly the day in which Eve tempted Adam with the apple; the day Christ was crucified, and the day Noah's Ark set sail.
Triskaidekaphobics are quick to point out that, in tarot, card No. 13 is "death," and that there are 13 steps leading to the gallows for hangings. They'll also tell you it wasn't just a coincidence that the explosion on Apollo 13 ("Houston, we have a problem") occurred on April 13, 1970.
Athletes are among the most superstitious people on the planet, so it's no wonder many have avoided the No. 13 like the plague. But some have chosen to defy the fates and have worn it with distinction.
Dan Marino became the NFL's all-time leading passer wearing 13 (though, some might point to his lack of a Super Bowl title as evidence of the number's bad luck.)
Thirteen didn't stop Wilt Chamberlain from becoming the most dominating scorer and rebounder in basketball history (though, some would say he was overshadowed by Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics dynasty.)
Two of the most cursed No. 13s were Ralph Branca and Maurice Clarett. Branca, the old Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher, delivered arguably the most infamous gopher ball in baseball history ? the "Shot Heard 'Round the World' to Bobby Thomson in the 1951 playoffs.
Clarett's football career and life fell apart after he led Ohio State to the national championship his freshman season.
Interestingly, the latest No. 13 in the spotlight is none other than Alex Rodriguez, the beleaguered New York Yankees slugger. A-Rod switched from No. 3 when he joined the Bronx Bombers three seasons ago because that number had been retired in honor of Yankee immortal Babe Ruth. Though Rodriguez has continued to put up Hall-of-Fame stats for New York, he has been haunted by an inability to deliver in the clutch, especially in October.
Perhaps, he is triskaidekaphobic, and never knew it. Perhaps, all he needs to do is switch numbers instead of teams. I think I might be on to something. I think I'm going to call Joe Torre with my diagnosis. But to be on the safe side, I might wait till tomorrow, the 14th, to make the call.
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