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Rituals and superstitions part of baseball

TORONTO - It may not involve a black cat or walking under a ladder, but the game of baseball has a long-standing history of superstition.

Some players refuse to wash their clothes or shower after winning a game or to not talk about a no-hitter while a game is progress — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Connecticut psychologist Stuart Vyse, author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition, said personal rituals will continue as long as baseball is being played.

“One of the characteristics in baseball that makes it a hotbed for superstition is there is a lot of waiting time.