Holy Relics

This might turn into a bit of a rant, so bear with me.

I was looking at pictures of my family's vacation last summer, and I came upon the lovely one you see on the right.
Yeah. That's a bloody sock.
Why, you may ask, does my family vacation pictures include a bloody sock?
To me, this is unfathomable. But, as my brother patiently explained when I stood beside him in the Baseball Hall of Fame, this is a very special bloody sock. Indeed, this was the very same sock that Curt Shilling, the Boston Red Sox starting pitcher, wore on the day in 2004 that he pitched the game that allowed the Red Sox to enter the World Series, which they won, breaking the legendary "Babe Ruth Curse" that had prevented them winning a World Series for many years. Curt Shilling had pitched this whole monumental game despite a badly injured, bleeding ankle, and the sock had been put in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a memento to his perseverance.
I was unimpressed.

Am I the only one who thinks that this practice of regarding sports objects as if they are something special is a little... well.... weird?
Curt Shilling's sock wasn't the only thing in the Hall of Fame. There were many other "relics," such as David Ortiz's bat and seats from the old Yankee stadium and a whole lot of other things I can't remember.

You know how some churches have, like, a lock of hair from some saint?  Well, the Baseball Hall of Fame couldn't help reminding me of that. Lock of hair, bloody sock-- you can see the connection. And some baseball fans talk about their favorite players as if they were saints, e.g. "Did you see that amazing home run Big Papi hit? He's so awesome!" or "Roy Halladay just pitched a no-hitter! He's so awesome!"
And at the Hall of Fame "Whoa! Hannah, come see! This is David Ortiz's hat! He actually wore this! And come watch this awesome video detailing every World Series since the very first one!"

Thank you for sticking with me through this ramble. All of that was just to say: Baseball fans are just a little, um, crazy.

Now if you'll exuse me, I have to go hide from the majority of my family.

                                                                                         ~Hannah