Baseball Magic: Religion, Magic, and Worldview

What parts of baseball are most likely to result in magical practice? why?

pitching: the pitcher is the player least able to control the outcome of his efforts hitting: full of uncertainty (how the bat will hit the ball, if the fielder will catch it, outside forces affecting the ball, general low success rate of hitting)

According to Gmelch, what is magic and why do we practice it?

practices, notably the use of rituals, taboos, and fetishes, or good luck charms ~ designed to gain control over the supernatural

What is meant by the terms ritual, taboo and fetish?

Ritual: prescribed behaviors in which there is no empirical connection between the means (i.e. tapping home plate three times) and the desired end (i.e. getting a base hit) ~ examples: kissing a necklace, tugging on caps and batting gloves, swinging the bat a prescribed number of times before stepping into the box Taboo: opposite of ritual, things you shouldn't do ~ examples: never stepping on chalk foul lines, avoiding certain foods, mentioning a no-hitter while one is in progress Fetish: charms and material objects believed to embody supernatural power that can aid or protect the owner ~ examples: good luck charms (such as coins, chains, and crucifixes), lucky numbers