Practice — and superstition — makes perfect

It seems the words routine and superstition blend together for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

While the players have a set pre- and post-game timetable — whether or not they label all game-day routines as superstitions — it’s clear they have their own internal rules that must be followed.

For pitcher James Bradwell, though he believes he doesn’t have any crazy pre-game rituals that need to be upheld, he knows what works and sticks to it.

“I will always put my right sock on before my left, right cleat on before my left,” the North Vancouver product said, having only started these routines after joining the Fish.

And while the handstands and cartwheels on the field may not be a daily game occurrence, it’s clear he likes to stay loose prior to each game.

Bradwell also has a go-to playlist that helps with his game face — an all around shuffle of The Beatles’ greatest hits.

“Hey Jude would be number one,” Bradwell said.

Between innings the hurler reaches for his tried and true piece of gum, the iconic Hubba Bubba. To add to the superstition, he needs a new piece of gum every inning he pitches, resetting for the next three outs.

“That was something that I picked up two years ago. (I) was throwing the ball really well. I was chewing a lot of gum. Naturally, I put those two things together,” he explained. “(But) once the game’s over, the superstitions are over.

“I’m honestly trying to get away from it. I don’t want to feel like I have to put in a new piece of gum to be a good pitcher because I know that’s just crazy to think that you would need something like that to do your job.

“But it’s a long season,” he joked.

Meanwhile, fellow righty Kevin Vaupel always sticks to his game plan with routine stretching and card games, as well as music to get him game ready, but doesn’t necessarily have unique gimmicks.

“I know the team likes to keep it real loose, trying to have certain routines that we live in,” Vaupel said, often choosing to spend his pre-game time with the team rather than alone in silence.

Playing a game of Pluck, Blackjack or Poker (without the monetary incentive) helps distract Vaupel from any upcoming stress.

“I’m a big believer (that) if you have a set routine, you can deviate from it. It might not work one time and you kind of hit the panic button, but I just like to just be prepared,” he said.

But much like Bradwell, once the game is over there is no point living in the past.

“As soon as the game’s over, I like to wash it away. I don’t dread too much on good or bad starts,” Vaupel explained.

No one owns their own quirks in the bullpen like Arij Fransen. The Dutchman makes sure he always has Welch’s fruit snacks so he never feels hungry. Fransen also has a specific way he sets down his gear.

“I always put my glove down and I put my hat on top. Then grab one cup of water, drink that. And then, with two outs, I put my hat back on,” Fransen explained.

The pitcher shared that one year he had a superstition that he needed to match the colour of his underwear to the colour of the jersey — but was glad to grow out of that one.

On the other side of home plate, catcher Kevin Garcia has had the same game-day routine since college.

“I got to get my mom and dad’s blessing before every game,” Garcia said, either fitting in a video call, text message or audio recording.

“I try to look at my phone before the game, but if not, I know that even if I don’t look at it, it’s there.”

Garcia also makes sure to always fit in a prayer, either before or after the anthem. Once in position, he draws a symbol in the sand which coincidentally is a fish — a representation for his faith that luckily lines up with his team.

Post-game Garcia finds the time to call his wife, whether to do a debrief or simply say goodnight, as well as a quick message to his parents.

“Just making sure that I get my routine and making sure that I stick to what I believe is going to work for me,” he added.

grace.penner@winnipegfreepress.com