Cold Pizza, Puppies, Dirty Shirts, and Sex
By Brian Miller
Of the objects in the title, which one of those actually caught your attention to read what’s being written? There is a common theme among them. Cold Pizza, Puppies, Dirty unwashed T-shirts, and yes even sex. Yes, only in sports can sex and puppies be something that is not disgustingly frowned upon when used in the same sentence. It’s called superstition instead.
‘Tis the season for not stepping on a crack, not eating something you haven’t eaten before. Now is the time of year that you put your socks on the same way each week, refuse to wash your lucky T-shirt and pull the wife into the bedroom for a half-time quickie. All with the intention of sending out the vibes to the Miami Dolphins to win.
It’s been a long 5 years since the Phins brought about late season “Phanatasism” in the hopes of turning the wind of luck. From sending the “pick 6” vibe to chanting “here comes a sack”. We all do it. Some eat cold pizza that sits for 4 quarters on a table and gets nibbled so as not to have it gone by the final drive. Some will drink from their beer only when Miami has the ball on offense, some will only smoke when they are on defense, blowing smoke at the opposing QB.
It’s a tradition that for 5 years has been gone, relegated to a shoe box of memories, the TD happy dance, the troll decked in Aqua & Orange. Now it’s back. Fans everywhere are swapping chairs with the changing of a quarter. The list goes on and on.
The question is, what do you do? What are your “superstitious” religious convictions for gameday?
For me, it’s simple. I won’t drink beer anymore during the game as Miami has lost everytime I pop the top. I wear the same T-shirt (bought at WW and worn for the first time AT the stadium…I even rubbed it on the field to get some luck). I refuse phone calls before and during the game and refuse to look at the caller ID in fear that one of my non-sharing superstitious brothers might be foolish enough to call at half-time.
I make my 5 year old son play on the computer upstairs and knowing my wife will not play along with my assumptions at overturning fate, I leave her alone but try and do everything she asks so she doesn’t send out bad juju.
It’s all in effort to win. It’s the idea that somewhere in this grand universe our positive thoughts, our not-so-silly ideas of changing the future with a drink, a wink, a nod, or even a little well time hankie-pankie can affect the outcome of a play, a quarter, a game.
The fans do it, the players do it, coaches deny doing it but they do. Everyone does it, unless of course your Bill Belichick, then you make your own luck…isn’t that right Sony?
So sit back and continue your antics. Don’t change a thing, not a single one. Don’t tempt fate, don’t challenge it. Don’t do anything. Go through your routines then sit back and send it out there, that vibe, that feeling, that voodoo curse.
Tell us yours, but remember, if you can’t talk about it…don’t say anything at all! AND make sure you don’t deviate from it this week! Time to start praying to the “Hall of Fame” God once again!
Oh and I was going to chose “sex” for the themed picture but you know…it is a family site after all…;)