Baseball Superstitious Habits

Nationality: American
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
Performance Date: April 15, 2017
Primary Language: English

Baseball is an uncertain game, and can change in an instant, so I asked my informant, a long time player, if he had any particular routines that he has never broken, and what this does.

RC: “I don’t know, each time I hit, I go out and readjust each batting glove once, then I hit the plate twice; I do this in-between each pitch. It’s a repeated habit and you don’t want to get out of that habit. If, not, it would get you out of your rythum and get out of your head.”

Me: Do you or anyone ever change these habits?

RC: “Often people change if they want to get out of a funk. So if you are in a slump, and you go pants up all the time or pants down all the time, and if you go into a slump sometimes you change to see if can get you out of a slump, same goes for batting gloves or no batting gloves or pulling out the pocket of your pants. Stuff like that, small changes that can change your entire mind and pull you out of a funk.”

Analysis:

Sports, especially baseball are full of small superstitions such as these. This is most likely because the game is so uncertain, and often out of a single player’s hand, that they will do anything that will boost their luck. Luck is often the center of such superstitions, they will do anything to get luck and avoid poor luck. The game can change in an instant and to players the difference is in the details such as pants or gloves. Because the game is so based on repetitions and routine, any small change is highly noticeable to the player, which is why change to “get out of a funk” is so impactful on their mindset. Knowing that there is a change, and something may come of it, affects a player’s whole mindset. Additionally these routines are assurance that I can play good  in this game despite anything else because before when I have done this, I have done well. There is also comfort in routine and in such a high stress games, these little routines and habits are a comfort to the player.

 

Sauerbraten – A Christmas Tradition

Nationality: American
Age: 49
Occupation: Accountant
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
Performance Date: April 14. 2017
Primary Language: English

My informant is my mother, remembering a Christmas tradition that has been passed down generations.

“As far  back as I remember every Christmas night family dinner was sauerbraten. Sauerbraten is a German meal. It is a roast beef with sweet gravy mashed potatoes and usually carrots. Part of my family is German.
Every year we had to help my mom make the meal. The meat would be marinated two days before Christmas. The marinade is what makes the gravy gravy is the best part. We would only have this meal once a year on Christmas day which would make it special.  So special that when I had my own family we would have the same meal sauerbraten Christmas Day.. so special that my three siblings would have have the same Sauerbraten Christmas day meal.  The meal would be something we could talk about even though we all left lived in different states. All of us being careful to make double the gravy because the gravy is the best part.”

Analysis:

This tradition is a part of keeping the identity of family alive by performing this tradition and sharing it with her family. The recipe had been passed down from generation and is a German tradition to have at Christmas time. Performing this tradition is part of keeping in touch with German past and the traditions that stayed over time. It is important to the performers because of performing it among family and at such a specific and important time of year. Meals are a very common tradition to pass down and recipes even more so. This particular recipe had been amended and changed over the decades by many hands, as each sibling has a photocopy of a handwritten recipe card.

“Kill ’em with Kindness”

Nationality: American
Age: 49
Occupation: Accountant
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
Performance Date: April 14, 2017
Primary Language: English

I asked my informant if she knew any proverbs and “kill ’em with kindness” came up as she is a mother of two and tells this to her kids when they encounter bullies or rudeness.

Me: What do you mean when you say “kill ’em with kindness” and when do you use it?

CC: When my kids are bullied or encounter mean or rude people and are angry and either want to retaliate or give up, I tell them to kill ’em with kindness. The mean people of the world, just be nice to them, and they can’t bother you, you don’t stoop to their level. It’s always the best way to deal with mean people.

Me: Where did you learn this?

CC: From my own mother I suppose? I grew up Catholic, and this isn’t strictly a Catholic saying, but it goes along with the values of kindness and turning the other cheek. It’s a good way to live by, being kind and not reciprocating rudeness.

Analysis:

This is a proverb coming from a suburban Catholic family, specifically from  a mother. It means as she says to not reciprocate rudeness, but to treat the rude people with kindness instead and the situation will get better and not elevate like it would if rudeness was reciprocated with rudeness. It also goes along with teaching kids not to react and retaliate, but to be kind. It may be a modern, colloquial iteration of some Proverbs from the Bible.

Annotation: This proverb has some similar iterations in Proverbs of King James Bible.

Prov 25:21, 22: If your enemy is hungry, give him food; if 
he is thirsty, give him water.  When you do this, he will feel 
ashamed of hating you and the Lord will reward your compassion.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass”

Nationality: American
Age: 49
Occupation: Phoenix, Arizona
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
Performance Date: April 14, 2017
Primary Language: English

My informant is my mother, who has heard my father spout says and folk speech all their married life. My father is prone to using such phrases in everyday conversations. Here is an example she gives when I asked if she knew any folk sayings.

“Your father says “I don’t give a rat’s ass” all the time, usually when you are complaining to him about something, he’ll say it and you will know the argument is pointless because he doesn’t care about the circumstances or what you are saying, he’s just going to continue on what he is doing because he thinks it doesn’t apply to them. Like if you were to complain about . . . say doing a chore or homework or something and give him some excuses he would say he doesn’t give a rat’s ass and tell you to go do whatever it is anyway”

Analysis:

This basically means that the person who uses this folk speech doesn’t care about the circumstances whatsoever, even to the extent of a rat’s ass. No one cares much about rats in fact most people hate them, and their “ass” is even more insignificant than the whole rat, thus creating the effect of making an allusion to the least most desirable thing imaginable. Thus if the circumstance is cared about less than a rat’s ass, then they really do not care. It is usually used amongst friends or family as it is quite explicit and either in joking or a serious argument.

“Suck eggs on them”

Nationality: American
Age: 49
Occupation: Accountant
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
Performance Date: April 14, 2017
Primary Language: English

My informant is my mother, who has heard my father spout says and folk speech all their married life. I’ve grown up hearing them myself. My father is prone to using such phrases in everyday conversations. Here is an example.

“Well your father says suck eggs all the time. I don’t know what it means or where he got it from. It means buzz off in a not so nice way. Or “suck eggs on them” like they don’t matter or screw them. If you are complaining about something someone did, he’ll say “well suck eggs on them”.

Analysis:

This is an example of a folk speech, a folk saying with a connotative meaning. It comes from the idea that one looks very silly sucking on an egg and therefore saying one should “suck eggs” is a kind of a curse, like screw them. It means that the person who is complaining is the “good” party while the person being told to suck eggs is the “bad”. It was originally an English saying, meaning something similar. It is used as a derogatory term, a curse, but usually not in the presence of the person the curse is directed towards. It is usually between a person telling another of something another did and that second person agreeing with the first on the irritating qualities or action of that person.