Superstitions run deep in sports, sailing and the theater. Break a slump. Break a champagne bottle. Break a leg. Doff your cap to the gods or break your dreams.
And everything comes to a head today, Friday the 13th.
Comedian Mitch Hedberg once pointed out the absurd reality of No. 13 superstitions. “My hotel doesn’t have a 13th floor because of superstition, but people on the 14th floor, you know what floor you’re really on.”
The name for No. 13 phobias is triskaidekaphobia. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia.
Eerie.
In sports, a select few have transcended the No. 13. Wilt Chamberlain wore No. 13 and he set multiple NBA scoring records. Big Red Machine mainstay Dave Concepcion, a nine-time all-star shortstop for the Reds, blazed a trail for Venezuelan players.
But then there’s Dan Marino, a Hall of Fame quarterback with the No. 13 & who never won a Super Bowl. Wanna guess what number pitcher Ralph Branca was wearing for the Brooklyn Dodgers when he surrendered the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” to the New York Giants’ Bobby Thomson? A hint: it was a prime number between 12 and 14.
Don’t tell any of this to the Rockies or Nuggets, who both play today on the road.
The Nuggets are 8-5 in their past 13 games. And they are peaking at the right time. The only thing that can stop them against the Hornets tonight is the date.
Fortunately, neither the Nuggets nor the Rockies will dress a player wearing No. 13.
And the Rockies (4-5) have been dipped in luck this season. With heavy snow expected today in Colorado, the Rockies begin a three-game stand in Arizona – away from the storms.
Still, Saturday can’t come quick enough.
WEAK IN REVIEW
Chicago for sale! The Cubs opened their home season this week with a series against the Astros at Wrigley Field, the second-oldest ballpark in baseball since it opened in 1914. But for the first time, an advertisement marred the ivy-covered outfield wall at Wrigley after the team sold the rights to an apparel company. And across town at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox will play most of their night games at 7:11 p.m., after selling that right to the 7-Eleven convenience store chain.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE …
Former Broncos coach Dan Reeves had not been involved with college football since his playing days at South Carolina – until recently. Reeves, who has 23 years of NFL coaching experience, was hired by Georgia State University as a consultant to figure out if the downtown Atlanta school could handle a football program. And he did not nix the idea of one day coaching the team. “I think that’s down the road,” he said.
THE COUCH
ON: Prime time for a Nuggets resurgence. Winners of seven straight games, including quality victories over five playoff contenders, the Nugs look to make it Nos. 8 and 9 when they take on the Hornets tonight in Oklahoma City and the Grizzlies on Saturday in Memphis. Both games air at 6 p.m. on Altitude. And, for added intrigue, the Nuggets would extend a franchise record for road wins, currently at 20 games.
OFF: The 39th Spring Splash at Winter Park on Sunday is the oldest race of its kind, organizers say. Skiers and riders negotiate an obstacle course down the mountain, then finish by skimming across an icy pond. Like most fun things, it sounds kind of stupid when you read about it. But seeing it, or experiencing it, is a different story. Check winterparkresort.com for more information.
AROUND THE STATE
Just three teams notched victories on Major League Soccer’s opening weekend. The Rapids, who defeated D.C. United 2-1 last weekend to christen its Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, will face one of the other teams atop the standings with three points, the Chicago Fire, on Sunday, 6 p.m., in Commerce City. The Fire, 1-0 winners over the New England Revolution, carries a paltry 2-7-3 record in games at Colorado. The Rapids’ Herculez Gomez and Roberto Brown were nominated for the MLS goal of the week award after tallying scores against United.
