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by Randy OoneyMy Nickel’s Worth by Randy Ooney
My Nickel’s Worth by Randy Ooney
Explore
If you are still occasionally watching Twins games on the tube, no doubt you have seen the “Explore Minnesota” commercial. A number of Minnesota men and women display their talents at fishing, skiing, hiking, touting shoreline, and ultimately Joe Mauer prompting everyone to keep their glove near, in an off key melody not heard since Roseanne sang the National Anthem in San Diego. Bowling should be included in Minnesota activities, but unfortunately the spokesperson for our favorite event was Dave Langer and the camera was not able to adjust to objects or persons less than five feet from the floor, so once again in the media, Bowling gets the onus instead of the bonus.
I am munching on a bit of crow this week. In a previous article, I mentioned that Trevor Plouffe’s haircut improved his performance, but not very much. But now, two weeks later, I am surprised that the entire Twins team is not lined up at Rich Latvala’s door to get the Plouffe coif, the touch ‘em all buzz cut. Trevor has put up Hamiltonian numbers over the last two weeks and I ain’t Joshin’. I guess a haircut would fall into the category of superstition, many of which are famous among professional athletes. Wade Boggs used to eat chicken before games, No big deal though, I think all the 60’s and 70’s Minnesota Twins ate chicken also because Calvin Griffith didn’t pay them enough to afford beef or pork. Frank Viola used to have a big plate of spaghetti at Vescio’s on the nights he pitched. It must have worked because he owns a World Series ring and a Cy Young award.
I was never much for bowling superstitions, but I do remember once in the 70’s I fell asleep on the couch and woke up with a painful stiff neck. Too late to get a sub, I showed up for league night. It hurt so bad it slowed me way down, and I shot somewhere near the 680s that night. Keep in mind, 680 in the 1970s was jackpot territory, even if Leo Mann was in your league. Anyway, the neck felt better on its own in a few days, and for the next couple of weeks I tried napping on the couch on bowling days to try to get the pain back, but it never returned. So I just became my normal pain in the neck to my teammates. Superstitions are great folklore, so if any of you out there rub your bowling ball on your cat’s fur, wash your bowling shirt with your underwear, put your wrist brace in the freezer, or whatever, please share it with others on the forum. Maybe if we get enough people that have a walleye filet meal before bowling, or fist bump drock and get your 300 rings tangled, or even if you just have lutefisk and a bottle of Pig’s Eye beer for breakfast, we might get a line or two on the next Explore Minnesota commercial.
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