The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-08
BASE BALL SUPERSTITIONS

EaCH nine -
Each Player has H'o'io1 % A'' o"A'
New York Mail and Cypress.
.I met q cross ev.I lculatto negro coming to
the grounds. said a ptttchel OF the New YORK
base ball nine to James .%0trie, the manager, at
the Polo grounds yesterday.
well, what of i'll" asked the manager.
what of it? Great Scott! you don't want to
lose the game? Why, Icant pitch this afternoon
after seeing that cross-eyed Jonah You know
that time We lost in Detroit! Well, just keep it
A. t.; saw a cross eyed mulatto woman Just as
| was leaving the hotel for the grounds. l did
not peach. You know the result. | couldn't
pitch a curve ball. Those eyes would be right
there all the time" The manager let another
pitch.
Are ball players superstitiousN Mail and
Express reporter asked Manager James Mutrie.
We'll, kind O looks So" he replied as he hooked
his crooked little finger in button-hole. 'Y on
| see, have been a ball-player and manager Of
| professionals for fifteen years. and know it will
not do to 60 against their superstitions. Why,
that pitcher would have lost the game dead sure
after he saw that cross eyed negro. Sometimes
! pay three and four dollars to a cross eyed
negro not to come in and look at game. just
let one slip in and it requires only short time
for the players to find it out. Several days ago
it was nip and tuck-no runs for either side
every inning. The short-stop muffed a bail. He
sent for me and said: There is a cross-eyed
negro in the audience, jim If you don't get him
out he'll break us up Sure enough, found one,
and paid him So to leave They knew, too, when
he had gone, and played much better. If the
players meet on their way to the grounds
wagon with lot of empty barrels, they look with
alarm to see whether the heads are up or down.
If up, it is a good sign, and they think they are
sure to win the game. But if the heads are
down, then they feel they Will lose, and do not
feel disappointed if they do. Queer, isn't it! but
for many years the barrels have been omens to
them. In some cities take the players to the
grounds in closed hack, so they can't see cross
eyed negroes and empty barrels. Another sure
sign with them of failure to win that day is to
come up with funeral procession going the same
way. But if the procession meets them crosses
their route, they clap their hands and thank the
omen of good luck"
''Since we have been playing at the Polo
grounds, this season, Buck Ewing, the catcher,
little negro boy. Ewing has him passed IN free
every day, and before the game begins rubs his
hands thoroughly over his head. Ewing rarely
ever begins game unless he has rubbed his
hands over negro's head. Before the game is
called, Ewing looks up in the audience to if
tho negro boy is there. This one we have now is
bright boy One day he failed to appear, and
sent his brother with the following note:
Mister Mutry-I can't git here to-day; this
| will introduce you to my brother who will root
! in my place, as we cannot afford to lose game
| in this stage Of the championship. Yours,
| "ROoTY"
'Rooty's brother VINO had evidently been
coached before he appeared, pulled off his hat
| when Ewing came up and held his head forward
| for the noted catcher to rub lis hands. He did
as we'll as Rooty and yelled for the New York
| nine during the entire game. Now the Nets
| make it point to go in some back alley and find
| negro, and each player in the nine in his turn
rubs his hands over the darkey's head. They
| then give him a free ticket and make him sit in
front row. In Cincinnati, when l managed
the nine just mentioned, the doorkeepers
who were not posted put out our
mascot q negro boy. l heard Of it and
| tn 1C,,Ia i,,
him in reversed seat. The greatest secrecy is
observed in using a mascot If the opposing
| players find it out they counteract the nfence
| by getting hold of him and rubbing their hands
over his head 1t breaks the charm. The other
day Billy Holbert of the Nets, brought Next
can dog ali the way from Chicago to Brooklyn.
He kept the fact very quiet, that he had mas
cot dog with him. His players knew it of course.
Billy said that with that Mexican dog present on
the field he could not lose But he did lose, and
| his excuse was, and good one too, that the dog
| had been tempered with by the oIher
players. Before we found Rooty there
was a little black dog that would run
out from the grand stand and cause tight
| game, but ending in favor of the New York
nine. The little dog came early when the game
opened one day. Bless my picture, it was
! tightener and put us to corkS. The tenth
we won. 1t was such close shave Now we
don't mind having mascot of that kind, but we
prefer that makes us surer Of winning with
out such close work.
Joe Gerhardt our second base always spits
on bat at desperate stage of the game. 1t
gives him wonderful luck. Curious thing about
the players who spit, they are the hardest work
ers. Joe has been a splitter ever since he became
professional, and it has stood him good luck all
the way through. Daniel Leary always says his
prayers before he comes to the ground. If any
of the boys are with him he asks them to kneel
too, and puts up good prayer to win. One day
he prayed, and sooner had the game opened
than he made good hit and got a three Dagger
(+bt w. h,c.A ITa IiaA "a
didn't II You cannot make him believe that
prayer has effect | think it does, because it
! gives him assurance and makes him work like
hornet once managed the New Bedford club.
We had little yellow dog. We always snug
| gled the animal through the seats and
got him ON the edge of the grounds.
We never had better luck 1t was owing
to his color. Dogs with decided colors
such as solid black, white, brown or yellow,
make good mascots. But the spotcolored ones
are classed with the worst Jonahs-cross- eyed
darkeys The little yellow dog was run over
and killed. Our luck deDarted. Did you ever
notice how people when they are travelling
want to get in trains with base ball players?
The reason is that train was never known to
run off with them on board. There is only one
case on record where train ran off with ball
players aboard. Then it is source of great
wondermen IT., why players never die in
from the fact that no man is accepted
as professional player unless he is strong
healthy and active, and has magnificent consti-
tuition. Joe Start and Bob Ferguson have been
playing for quarter of century and are still
good. Another superstition forgot to mention
is that many clubs are averse to having their
pictures taken. Nothing will induce them, be-
cause they think ii is bad luck.
'Some catchers chew certain brands Of to-
bacco while they are playing and now and then
expectorate in their hands.
IF player does not perspire freely when at
work he gets frightened and thinks he will have