Some sports figures find that comfort in superstitions. Some of the routines may sound irrational. Remember that these are highly competitive people whose livelihoods, in some cases, depend on getting any possible edge. Here are 13 examples, listed in no particular order:

Warriors forward Ronny Turiaf - He insists on having the same lunch before every game: penne pasta with marinara sauce, chicken, shrimp and mozzarella cheese. When he's at home, either his mother cooks it or the Warriors get it picked up from a local restaurant. On the road, he begs room service or hotel staff for it.

Stanford softball catcher Rosey Neill - She always puts her uniform on in exactly the same order. She wears the same necklace at every game (this year it's one her brother gave her). When she comes up to hit, she always taps her right foot in the dirt before she gets into the batter's box. "Superstitions are nice, but I don't let them own me," she says. "If I don't get a hit, it's not because I walked into the box the wrong way."

San Jose State basketball coach George Nessman and starting forward C.J. Webster - They have to be the last two people off the bus before a road game. Nutty? Well, the Spartans are enjoying their best season (3-2) on the road in 13 years in the Western Athletic Conference with wins at Fresno State, Hawaii and Louisiana Tech (the Spartans' first in nine visits there). They have won five road games overall this season.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal - He must have exactly two water bottles at courtside. At each changeover, the bottles must be lined up so the labels face the end he is playing. His socks must always be the exact same height. He pulls his headband out of his bag an hour before play but doesn't actually put it on until just before he takes the court. When he serves, he must have three balls before deciding which two to keep. After each point, he wipes his face and left arm with a towel. Asked if he's superstitious, he said, "No. Really, no. I just repeat a lot of things."

PGA Tour player Arron Oberholser - Oberholser, who grew up in San Mateo and attended San Jose State, always marks his ball on the green with a quarter, and that quarter is always heads up with the top of George Washington's head pointing at the hole. He's done it that way at every round of every pro tournament since his minitour days.

Pro surfer Grant Washburn - Neither he nor most any big-wave surfer will state that a paddle-out seems easy. If a surfer says that, the San Francisco resident says, "guys will scatter, afraid they will be sucked into the rocks just for being in the proximity of the careless fool." He adds, "We all have magic boards, lucky leashes and places we avoid for irrational reasons." Out of fear of offending the wrong member of the food chain, he says most surfers "won't think of eating a shark steak. Why risk it, when you can have a turkey burger?" He thinks big-wave surfing "cultivates superstition more than most activities because of the overpowering nature of the game. There is an absence of things to blame or control, like referees or opponents. Usually surfers can only shake a fist at the wind."

The Santa Clara women's volleyball team - Of course, it's "how hard you've worked in practice to prepare yourself that determines how you will play in the game, not whether you are wearing the same socks or hairstyle," says middle blocker Tanya Schmidt. That said, the Broncos have a pregame routine of belting out Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in the team room, she says. "One player would pretend to be Mariah, three would be backup dancers behind her, and the rest of us would act like really excited concert goers, cheering them on."

Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon - He has to drive the exact same route to games, even if he could escape heavier traffic by going another way. He warms up exactly the same way before each match, kissing his glove and then touching the glove to the crossbar and both posts. If the Quakes win, he makes sure to wear the same gloves at the next match. After each win (or tie), he'll eat the same meal at the same restaurant.

Former jockey Ross Allardyce - Now assistant clerk of scales at Golden Gate Fields, he says that when he won a race, he'd always use the same goggles and same rubber bands around his wrists in the next race.

Sharks center Jeremy Roenick - On game day, he has oatmeal and a bagel for breakfast. "That has to happen," he says. He leaves for the rink at the same time (to the minute) and has the same pregame meal: spaghetti with meat sauce and chicken. He takes a nap at precisely 2 p.m. and sets his alarm clock for 3:30. He always gets dressed from right to left and doesn't like anybody touching his sticks on game days. If any part of his routine goes awry, he says, "I try to put something else in that will be good psychologically."

Sharks right wing Mike Grier - He admits to no superstitions whatsoever. According to Roenick, however, he conducts "the most scheduled life of anybody I've ever seen. He gets to the rink at a certain time. He has his Myoplex bar. He always brings his purple Gatorade to the rink; he puts 'Grier' on it so nobody can touch it. He's an absolute robot in his lifestyle."

Golfer Lorena Ochoa - The No. 1 women's player in the world always marks her ball with a coin on the green. Then, when she replaces the coin with the ball, she casually flips the coin into the air and catches it. "When it's too windy, I don't do it," she says. "When I don't have a good coin, I don't do it either. But it's something that helps me be more relaxed and get it going."

Santa Clara softball outfielder Ashley Grove - Before every game, she sleeps with her jersey under her pillow. Before the game, she always listens to Fort Minor's song "Remember the Name" at least once.

Bruce Jenkins and Ron Kroichick contributed to this report. E-mail Tom FitzGerald at tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle