Why I Love Baseball is a nine week series that will be posted on Tuesdays. This week a revealing look at how crazy some baseball fans can be, as I cover jinxes and superstitions.

Now while I know writing this will make some people insane, I assure you somewhere out there, another baseball fan that thinks what I do is nothing out of the ordinary. On a day when the Rays play, I get up and go about life as usual, but as I'm putting deodorant I swipe 10 times under each arm, one for each player in their AL lineup. Depending on the pitcher, I might go 11 for the bullpen.

My hat is also a very superstitious thing to me more so last year than this current season, but still a thing I'm a little bit weird about. When I would watch Rays games last season I would know that the thing to unjinx the Rays was whether or not I was wearing my hat and if I was, in what direction it was facing.

I know, I sound crazy, but you wouldn't believe how many times things worked out when I put my hat in the "correct" position.

That's part of the game though. Baseball is filled with superstition and jinxes. You can debate as I have with my blogmate, Nate as to if they're real or not, it does not matter. If you believe they are real, they are.

If you don't believe me, pay close attention to fielders coming on and off the field. I guarantee there will be at least one player that goes out of his way to make sure that his feet never touch the baseline.

Try and tell a Cubs fan, a Red Sox fan or a Hanshin Tigers fan that curses/jinxes do not exist, chances are you will not get a word in.

It's part of the Baseball's fabric. Superstitions and jinxes add to the lore of the game. They are chronicled in movies and told to us by former players once they retire. My mind again shifts to the movie Bull Durham and this quote, "If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you are!"

From a fan's perspective, being superstitious is something that forms a closer bond with the team. If you think you helped your franchise win or lose the game it's something that adds to the fun of it all, regardless if you believe in them or not. Just make sure you don't take it too far with the absurd things you do to "help" them win.

If you have any strange rituals or superstitions involving baseball, we'd love to know about them. Help prove I'm not insane.