(Editor's note: Tulane senior guard Grace Daley will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more information on the Green Wave, visit Tulane's official athletic site.)

Jan. 28, 2000

	Daley

Greetings Green Wave fans. I have to sincerely apologize for not writing a new diary entry for so long. Last time you heard from me we were 14-0. We're 16-2 right now and the Green Wave is still on the verge of becoming a tsunami!

I won't go into detail about our losses or give you 20,000 reasons why they shouldn't have happened (although I have about that many). Instead, I'm just going to write about something that really broke through the surface after we lost those games: superstitions.

I think it's safe to say that we're all guilty of having strange rituals or beliefs that our fates are determined by something other than Divine Intervention. I'm a firm believer in Divine Intervention -- anyone that banks 3-pointers ought to be! -- but even that includes some superstition on our team.

We pray before every game, and every player has to stand in the same place and next to the same person every game. No one would dare break that cycle because we've won 16 games. Now, if we would have lost 16 games, I would recommend not only holding hands in a circle and praying, but I'd say let go of the hands and get down on your knees and maybe even call in a preacher!

Superstitions and weird rituals are really prevalent in the sports arena, and I think everyone involved in the game (both directly and indirectly) is guilty -- although some to lesser degrees. Not everyone wears the same socks and underwear (hopefully they wash them at least), eats the same meal and does the same pregame routine before EVERY game.

	THE FULL DOSE OF DIARIES
	Notre Dame's Ruth Riley: No pressure
	UCLA's Maylana Martin: Road warriors
	Stanford's Carolyn Moos: Forward progress
	Jackie Stiles of SMS: Road rules
	Oregon's Shaquala Williams: On the way to L.A.

I remember two years ago when Janell Burse, our 6-foot-5 center, cooked a pregame meal of catfish and macaroni for half of the team before we played LSU. We got pounded, and to this day Janell has never made another pregame meal of catfish and macaroni for herself or anyone else. Oh, and we haven't lost to LSU since then, either!

To be honest, I'm just as guilty when it comes to superstitions. I hold myself completely responsible for the Lakers' (95-91) loss to the Blazers (on Jan. 22). Sophomore guard Salome Hector and I were watching the game while on a road trip. The Lakers were up by 17 in the 4th quarter -- thanks to my persistent commentary and coaching, of course! Well, halfway through the fourth quarter, Salome got this crazy idea that she may be making the Blazers nervous, so as long as she was watching they weren't going to win. Now at the same time, I knew that Kobe, Glen and Shaq needed me to watch to pull it off.

Nevertheless, I gave in and let her change the channel. Ten minutes later when she FINALLY turned it back, momentum had seriously shifted! Kobe had fouled out, Glen was getting guarded like white on Rice (pardon the pun) and got his 3-pointer packed, and Shaq was their go-to man when they were down by three! I should have never let her change the channel!

It was funny -- the same kind of thing happened after our team lost. Our trainer, Greg Sonnenfeld, took some of the flack for the loss, dismissing it on account of the fact that he wore the wrong tie. Greg, if you're reading this, thanks a lot pal!

After the loss, one of my teammates said she should have worn her hair in braids instead of a ponytail. Another one of my teammates, Kiki Cizmar, was sidelined with an injury. We playfully put the loss on her because by breaking the usual lineup order in warm-ups she obviously must have altered our fates. As for me, I'm never wearing the same socks or undergarments (besides my uniform and shoes of course) in a game again!

We all have our special routines and rituals that we think can either catastrophically or gloriously alter our fates if we do them or don't do them. I know I get caught up in the craziness myself sometimes, but with me, victory and defeat, it all comes down to this: "Do what you can and God will do what you can't."

Alrighty -- we've got a game today and it's time for me to go to shoot around. Have a great day (knock on wood). I'll catch you on the rebound!

TTFN! Ta ta for now,

Grace