Very Superstitious....
By ThrowsLikeAGirl
One Cards fan on a St. Louis Web forum worries that there is a curse having something to do with Pedro's little friend Nelson - and warns loyal bird watchers to be on the lookout for him in town tonight.
But mostly, Cardinals fans have more confidence than that. These are, for the most part, practical, pragmatic baseball fans — true lovers of the game, who even have a reputation of being unusually welcoming and gracious to the opposing team. (They tend NOT to throw bottles at the players on the field, requiring police in riot gear. Refreshing.) Cards fans are diehards - but without the morose psychological and existential drama that Boston fans live with each day. Perhaps it is because they are the sons and daughters of the 19th century pioneers, an intrepid bunch of souls rallying to cries of "Wagons, Ho!" and off to conquer the wilderness. New Englanders are descended from 17th century Puritans, huddled together for warmth in their insular little villages — known for burning attractive young ladies as "witches" if they provided too much of a distraction to the local youth. No wonder Sox fans are the jumpy types, believers of curses and spells and things that go bump in the night.
Even the coolest, most educated Boston fans — scientist and sociologist alike — have fallen apart. Fingernails are chewed down. People speak in guarded tones. Things are looking good, so the devil himself must be lurking. Knock on something wooden. Garlic may help.
JACKIE MACMULLAN of The Boston Globe is a nervous wreck who doesn't know what to think or to predict. She speaks for many a New England fan in her article today.
— And DENNIS OVERBYE of The New York Times even drags his esoteric quantum wave theories into the mix. At some point science becomes just as unhelpful as religion, if what you're looking for is to be comfortable and sure of something.
After all, the Yankees had that comfortable feeling, and look what happened to them.
So avoid that black cat, not to mention the base line, as if your life depends on it! And wear your lucky underwear.
