A shot of rum, a boa constrictor and an African voodoo doll named Joe-boo may be a bit of an exaggeration, but to Pedro Cerrano, superstitions were a religion in the 1989 film "Major League."

Athletic superstitions and pre-game protocol rule the sporting world. From rally caps to unwashed jock straps, athletes go to outrageous lengths to ensure good luck and victory. At any level, pre- and post-game rituals can be as important as one's performance in the game itself. It is the unfounded fear of forgetting these tasks that causes both professionals and amateurs alike to rely on superstitions throughout their playing careers and beyond, some making it a downright obsession.

Some are disturbing, disgusting and startling, but to Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, routine was an obsession. Call it OCD or whatever you will; Boggs had what some would call a pre-game ceremonial odyssey. Consisting of the same pre-game meal that earned him the nickname "Chicken Man," Boggs took the same amount of balls for warmups and began warming up at the exact same minute past the hour for the 2,240 Major League games in which he appeared. Nevermind the fact he carved the Hebrew word "chai" into the batters' box before each plate appearance.

Sure, there are universally fabled superstitions. Some, like never messing up baselines, draining your last shot in warmups and, of course, never speaking of that no-hitter while a pitcher still has the mound are common. But some athletes are absolutely captivated by the possibility of bad luck.

For instance, other notables include Michael Jordan and Mark McGwire. During his time in Chicago, Jordan always wore his blue Tarheel shorts under his Bulls uniform.

Looking at a grimier superstition, Mark McGwire consistently wore the same cup from his high school playing days. Subsequently, the same cup was later stolen, forcing him to find other means of protection. What's more disgusting, the cup itself, or the fact that someone once coveted it?

How about examining this on more of a micro level? Surely student athletes at Drake can't compete with the outrageous activities the professionals above pulled off? Wrong! Is there a reason why so many superstitions deal with athletes' drawers? (For those not up with the times, that equates to underwear.)

Look no farther than the women's soccer team to find an example of this. Sinead Brown (J3) offered up a little pre-game ritual that's not exactly repulsive, but kind of shocking in that I'm not really sure how an individual could come up with it.

"I like to wear underwear that I would normally wear during a certain day of the week," she said. "If there's a game on Sunday, usually Monday's underwear selection is a good fit for the day's game."

Maybe I don't understand this because I'm a guy, but do all women have underwear selected for certain days of the week? I'm lucky if I have clean underwear for all the days of the week.

Moving away from the briefs, other Drake athletes use ritualistic body art to inspire them in intercollegiate competition. Men's soccer player Keith Gorczyca (B3) tattoos himself before every game with inspiring mnemonic devices he focuses on during matches.

"Examples I've used in the past include P.S. for 'play simple,' G.B.G.H. for 'go big or go home' and F.C. for 'f--- Creighton,'" he said. "It's not really superstitious, but it's a pre-game ritual."

While I find Brown's to be disturbing and Gorzcyca's to be somewhat hateful, others display some instances of normalcy. Relays participant Ashley Anklam (AS4) has an array of different superstitions and steps she goes through before running seemingly endless distances.

"Right before the race, I make a cross over over my chest," she said. "I have to tie my shoes exactly the same way, too. First, I make a double knot then tie the ends over that double knot. Then, I make a second double knot on top of the first knots. I also wear exactly the same warm-up suit before every event."

It must be hell to untie those things at the conclusion of a race. But when you're the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Year in cross country, you can pretty much do whatever you want, say whatever you want and tie your boots however you want.

How about some of my own personal superstitions? I can honestly say I set my phone alarm every night at least five times. In my mind, the first four times don't get the job done. This stems from second semester freshman year when I was late to multiple finals because of an alarm malfunction.

Be it here, there or anywhere, superstitions are sometimes bigger than the game itself. What would have happened if Boggs missed a pre-game meal? What if he took 149 ground balls instead of the 150 he took before every game? What if Brown selected Tuesday's undergarments instead of Monday's? These decisions can affect entire seasons, if not entire lives.