FRIDAY THE 13TH HAS SUPERSTITIOUS SPORTS BETTING FANS KNOCKING ON WOOD

With Friday the 13th on the calendar for both February and March (and, for those of you scoring at home, November, as well) superstitious athletes, sports betting fans and sportsbooks may be knocking on wood for the next couple of months.

Of the three, it's difficult to know which is the most superstitious, though the people who play the game seem hands down the strangest:

● Kevin Rhomberg played but 41 games for the Cleveland Indians in the mid eighties but is best known for his superstition of having to touch anyone who touched him. This personal game of tag earned Rhomberg the nickname "Touch Me, Touch Me." Once, Indian teammate Rick Sutcliffe reached under a bathroom stall to touch Rhomberg's toe. Not knowing who touched him, Rhomberg touched every player and coach in the clubhouse. If a person somehow eluded his touch, Rhomberg would send that person a letter stating, "This constitutes a touch."

● Bruce Gardiner, who played for four NHL teams, including the Ottawa Senators, would dip the blade of his hockey stick in a toilet before each game.

● Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic would always be the second player to get up from his chair on the change-over. Knowing this, opposing players would try to wait-out the superstitious Ivanisevic, usually in vain.

● Jason Terry of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks sleeps in his opponent's uniform shorts the night before each game. If you're wondering how Terry got those shorts, so are we.

● Boxer Kid Chocolate would only fight of the laces of his right boot were tied in front and the laces of his left boot were tied in back.

● Known as "Chicken Man," Major League Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs would eat only poultry before a game. He also took exactly 150 ground balls during infield practice and, before each at-bat, would write the Hebrew word "Chai," which means life, into the dirt of the batter's box.

Gamblers and sports betting fans may not be as weird as professional athletes but they're no more eager to match swords with Lady Luck:

● That foul odor you smell may be a sports bettor wearing the same clothes he's worn since his winning streak began. The dirt is supposed to keep bad luck away. We know it keeps people away.

● Gamblers blow on the dice before rolling them to breathe life back into the cubes; sort of like craps CPR.

● Never gamble in a room with a dog in it.

● If you're on a losing streak, sit on a handkerchief.

● Never sit with your legs crossed; that crosses out your luck.

● The four of clubs is called the "devil's bedstead." If you're dealt it on the first hand, throw away your cards and leave the room because you can't win.

● It is considered bad luck to let anyone place their foot on the rung of your chair.

● Sports betting enthusiasts who wager at a casino often insist on visiting a "lucky" window.

Sportsbooks and their employees may not actually believe that gamblers can benefit from these techniques but when the house's luck runs cold, bet takers aren't immune from trying to change things:

● Pit bosses have been know to change their neckwear, stand on one leg, and switch out dealers, dice or decks to halt a player's winning streak.

Most gamblers and sports betting fans understand that superstition plays no part in whether they win or lose. That said, when Friday the 13th rolls around, don't expect many of those bettors to be overly aggressive in tempting fate.