There are buildings that don?t recognize a 13th floor and there are superstitious people who won?t make important decisions on the 13th. Believe it or not, the dictionary has a term for the fear of the 13th ? triskaidekaphobia.
Friday the 13th has a long history of being a ?bad luck? day. Legend has it that on a Friday the 13th ? specifically, Oct. 13, 1307 ? King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the last Knight Templars to end the Crusades. The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia.
But in Sikhism, the number 13 is special because it means ?tera? in Punjabi or ?yours? as in ?I am yours, O Lord.? At Colgate University, the number 13 is also special. The school was founded by 13 men in 1819 with $13, 13 prayers and 13 articles. The address of the school is No. 13 Oak Drive in Hamilton, New York, and its a-capella singing group is called the Colgate 13.
In sports, some athletes consider No. 13 to be lucky like basketball?s Wilt Chamberlain, football?s Dan Marino and baseball?s Alex Rodriguez who wore it on their jerseys. In Olympic basketball, players who?ve worn No. 13 include Shaquille O?Neal, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and Chris Mullin. Surely, 13 can?t be a bad luck number for those stars.
Manny Pacquiao won his 13th straight fight last Nov. 13 to claim an unprecedented eighth world boxing championship in eight different divisions. It?s no coincidence that the number of letters in Manny Pacquiao is 13.
Englishman Johnny Nelson was knocked down in the ninth round but hung on to pound out a split 12-round decision over Italy?s Vincenzo Cantatore in the 13th defense of his WBO cruiserweight crown in Rome in 2005. Nelson thanked his lucky stars for the victory and never fought again.
?Triskaidekaphobiacs shudder uncontrollably when they consider the monumental statistics compiled by two legends who scoffed at predictions of numerological disaster,? wrote editor Joe Hoppel in ?Best By Numbers.? ?Chamberlain with his stunning 50.4 single-season scoring average, 30.1 career figure, 23,924 rebounds and four MVPs. Marino with his 61,361 passing yards and 420 touchdown throws. Chamberlain?s No. 13 has been retired by the University of Kansas, the Harlem Globetrotters and all three NBA teams for which he played ? the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers.?
Among modern-day sports heroes, Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash wears No. 13 in the NBA.
Here?s an interesting piece of trivia about No. 13 in sports from ?Best By Numbers?: ?When the Chicago Cubs lost their 13th straight game to open the 1997 season, an error helped the New York Mets score the decisive run ? the 13th unearned run given up by the Cubs during the skid and the losing pitcher wore No. 13, Turk Wendell.?
So who?s afraid of No. 13? Certainly, not Manny Pacquiao.
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The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is slated to convene a National Congress in Manila on Nov. 27 but a Board of Governors meeting must precede it to determine the order of business involving 32 provincial football associations.
PFF president Jose Mari Martinez?s fate will be decided during the Congress. Some quarters are pressing for his resignation, pointing to widespread anomalies that are confirmed by an external auditor and serious cases of mismanagement. Martinez? backers, however, insist he?s guilty only of ?honest mistakes,? not of malversation.
?I pray for Mari to step down quietly,? said businessman Henry Tsai who claims to be owed about P1.5 million by the PFF and some P2 million by Martinez. ?I wouldn?t have come out with my side if he didn?t attack me. Mari once bragged that he might lose his shirt but I?ll lose my pants. If he has something against me, let him show the proof. I have proof against him and if he wants to face me in court, I?m prepared. His lawyers are sending feelers for us to meet but what for? For his own sake, he should resign gracefully and avoid embarrassment. If he insists on holding on to the PFF presidency, I?m afraid he won?t be backed up by the Board anymore. He?s been offering all-expenses-paid trips to Qatar to gain the support of certain Board members and Congress representatives but nobody?s for sale.?
Martinez has accused Tsai, a former associate whom he once appointed PFF executive vice president, of absconding with the organization?s funds of about P2.8 million.
Tsai said Martinez should leave the PFF to competent managers. ?I pity Mari,? said Tsai. ?He?s suffered two heart attacks. He?s stressed out. I?m afraid something bad might happen to him because of all his problems. But I?m pissed off by what he?s doing to me. I entered the PFF only after he asked me to help. Now, he?s accusing me of stealing when I brought out my own money to help the PFF. The public has the right to know who?s telling the truth.?
