What Are Your Chiefs Superstitions?
Many people are superstitious for various reasons but it is a practice that is particularly prevalent in sports.
You see it all over the place from both players and fans. There is the playoff beard, the rally cap, not mentioning a pitchers ongoing no hitter. The list goes on and on.
Fans do similar things. I wore my white Matt Cassel jersey to the Monday Night Magic game last season at Arrowhead Stadium. In the parking lot, I bought an American flag pin from a guy who said he was selling then to benefit veterans. I don’t know if that was true or not but I was in a good mood and I bought one anyway. I pinned it on my jersey.
On the way into the stadium, my buddy and I (also named Patrick Allen, think about THAT) ran into Dante Hall.
“Mr. Hall,” said Patrick. (Not me, the other guy).
Dante turned and smiled and shook our hands. I asked him if he was suiting up tonight and told him we needed a big return to get the win. He laughed and said he hadn’t trained in a while so he didn’t know if he’d be able to help.
“We’re having some good luck tonight,” I thought as we went through the gate and I place my ticket stub in my wallet.
We got toured around the new Arrowhead and marveled at all the new additions. We watched one of my favorite all-time Chiefs plays, the TD pass from Mark Bradley to Tyler Thigpen, on the Chiefs Timeline video screen. We got up to our seats on the club level and ran into a couple of the team’s cheerleaders. Patrick posed with them for a picture, a shit-eating grin spread wide across his face.
We proceeded down to the field to watch warmups. Patrick was probably the only guy in the entire stadium wearing a custom ordered #2 Dustin Colquitt jersey. (Hey, he was out best player for a couple of years) Suddenly, I spotted Dustin signing autographs for some fans.
“You HAVE to get him to sign your jersey I said. Patrick squeezed between some fans.
“Dustin, can you please sign my Colquitt jersey,” he yelled.
I saw Colquitt double take, look up at Patrick’s #2 jersey, smile and raise his pen.
We took our seats and I filmed one of the most earth-shattering game intros I will probably ever see. It was my first game at Arrowhead. I didn’t think it could possibly get any better.
Then Dexter McCluster returned that punt. I remember Patrick initially groaned when Dex fielded the punt deep in Chiefs territory but his groan quickly became a cheer as McCluster shredded through the San Diego special teams unit for a score. The place went nuts.
“He looked like Dante,” I yelled. “Just like Dante!”
After the Chiefs won the game with a nerve racking goal line stand, I knew that everything about that night was special. Thus when I returned home to NYC, I suddenly became very superstitious.
“I’m wearing this Matt Cassel jersey for every game until we lose,” I told an eye-rolling Ms. AA.
“And I’m leaving this ticket stub in my pocket, too!”
“Now if I can just get Dante Hall…”
Was it silly? Sure. But don’t tell me it didn’t work. The Chiefs went 3-0 and their fast start ended up being one of the big reasons they won the AFC West.
When they lost to the Colts, the spell was broken and I removed the ticket from my wallet, and switched to my vintage Marcus Allen jersey.
On this very superstitious day, Friday the 13th, I thought it would be fun to hear what your Chiefs superstitious are. Do you have the same tailgating ritual each Sunday? Do you wear a special outfit? Our own Big Matt, to this very day, is still wearing the same underwear he had on the last time the Chiefs won a playoff game. He was a bit younger back then so I want you to think about the sacrifice it takes to wear a pair of child’s size Spider Man underwear for that long.
Let’s hear it Addicts! What are your Chiefs superstitious?