Throughout my life, I’ve been a person of habit. Some call me superstitious, but I prefer to be called “creature of habit.” I did it (still do) while teaching as I prepare(d) my day, as I ran my classroom, and as I stayed the course of preparing students to make being the best person they could be, their top priority, even before being the best student, or eventually becoming the best (enter any job, career, or profession), athlete, musician, singer, or anything else they could become.
I truly believed, and always will, that, as I did and still do what I did/do, that twenty years ahead of their time in school, or sport, or activity, no one would remember, as much, what kind of student they were, but they’d know what kind of person they became. I tried to stick to that philosophy, and use the methodology I thought would instill idea that in them throughout their lives.
I was fortunate to have been able to officiate for many years and tried to officiate in ways that would inject a feeling that officials, authority figures, adults, teachers, or parents, could never cost athletes/students/children a game, job, or an unwanted consequence that might come their way. These were things within their own control, as with everything, we do in life, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
I was privileged to have been able to coach sports I love (baseball, softball, football), that presented challenges to players, opportunities that sometimes elated, frustrated, disappointed them, but the philosophy stayed the course for me. The methods might be tweaked situation to situation, but I always wanted them to know they needed to control what they could control (attitude, hustle maximum effort) and make others talk about those things years from their playing/school days, rather than grades, stats, wins/losses, and/or championships.
While doing these things, we tried to be as consistent as possible. We tried making practices similar as much as possible, talk about what was not done as well as could have been done, how to make adjustments, then focus on what was done well and build on that. Coaching/teaching presented some, what some may call, quirks along the way that might be misconstrued as being superstitious.
As a baseball and softball coach, there were times I met with players in the middle of the diamond/circle to discuss strategy, remind players of what bunt defense to use, or who covers what base, etc. In all my years of those coaching situations, I avoided stepping on the foul lines while making those mound visits.
I also had a thing about making sure, after a win, to keep things as they were during that game. That included not washing my uniform, remembering what sock was on what foot, how I dressed with regard of the order of donning my clothes items, things like that. I also tried to wear exactly what I wore that last game, no matter what the weather for the upcoming game.
As stated, I’m a creature of habit. If something worked I tried keeping things the same way. I also do it watching my favorite sports’ teams, and this brings us to the Playoff Peanut.
In 1997, I attended an MLB ALCS Championship game in Cleveland featuring the then, Indians, against Baltimore. Pregame, I bought a bag of peanuts. Hating to hold the bag, I emptied it into my right jacket pocket and began noshing on them as the game progressed.
Mike Mussina pitched for the O’s and he had the Indians Number. The excitement (nervousness) caused me to eat my peanuts faster and by the 3rd inning my pocket was empty. In the 7th inning, the Indians still weren’t doing much, my hands got cold, so I put them in my pocket where I felt something in the right one. It was a lone peanut I missed while snacking. I found the peanut useful in easing nervousness as I just kept it spinning in my fingertips as the game progressed. The Indians tied the game, it went into extra innings where Cleveland won it on a botched squeeze bunt play. That peanut was then named, and the Playoff Peanut was born. The Indians went on to win the ALCS and head to the World Series where the peanut accompanied me, nestled in my right pocket. They lost the series in the 10th inning of Game 7, but I kept the peanut as a souvenir of that experience. It’s labeled and displayed in our living room sports museum where it still sits today, except when the Indians, now Guardians, make the playoffs. Those times, it takes its rightful place in my right pocket and helps me expend any nervous energy of what’s happening in the game/series. It was especially useful on its 25th Birthday during this year’s AL Wild Card Series, when the “Guardiac Kids” clinched that series in the 15th inning on a walk-off homerun by Oscar, AKA “SpongeBob SquarePants” Gonzalez.
The peanut’s not a sure thing, but there’ve been many exciting sports moments that it and I have enjoyed together. No, I’m not superstitious, I just believe if something good happens while you’re doing something, why not keep doing it? Oh yeah, it’s fun too. So, if you drop by the house sometime, make sure you ask to see the Playoff Peanut Display.
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The Story of the Playoff Peanut | News, Sports, Jobs - Jamestown Post Journal
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