I could have told you that Aubrey Huff was going to break out of his slump. I benched him on my fantasy team this week.
Those who play in gung ho competitive leagues or in the more casual settings that I prefer harbor voodoo beliefs that our maneuvers on the fantasy diamond have an impact on the real game.
If I pick up a free agent and he pulls a hamstring, I’m partly responsible. If I gamble in the draft on a highly touted rookie (Brandon Belt, I’m talking about you), his ticket back to AAA is almost certainly punched.
Huff, who has struggled at the plate (not to mention in the outfield) this season for the Giants, hit a home run in the 10th inning to give San Francisco a much needed road victory tonight over the New York Mets.
In reality, my sitting him down in a fantasy baseball game had about as much to do with the outcome as did the Man on the Moon.
But part of baseball’s charm is its superstitions: stepping over the foul line, not shaving on game day, the chicken diets and other rituals It’s only (super)natural that we fans get in on the act.
The Ball Caps Blog 
Ha! Too funny. That’s why I can’t do fantasy baseball anymore. It will drive you crazy.
My own Fantasy Baseball superstition is that whenever I trade or release a pitcher, he is as likely as not to throw a no-hitter soon afterward. So far, this has happened to me three times since 1993. Chris Bosio did it exactly 18 years ago yesterday, after I had released him. Derek Lowe did it several years ago the week after I traded him away. And Liriano did it last night, about five days after I released him. In all these years of Fantasy Baseball, I’ve never once had one of my pitchers throw a no-hitter for me. Go figure.
Cheers, Bill
Next time you get ready to cut a pitcher, Bill, let me know!