The strange history of baseball’s superstitions: ‘Magic is in the sport’s very structure’

A new book looks at how rituals, charms and curses are central to the identity of America’s pastimeIt’s a Chicago legend, nurtured like a hot dog with everything except ketchup. During the 1945 World Series, local bar owner William Sianis brought his pet goat, Murphy, to a game between the hometown Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Murphy was denied entry, because he smelled. Thus began the Curse of the Billy Goat, doomi…