In my entire life the closest I've ever come to the religion of Santeria is the Sublime song of the same name. I always thought that it was just some sort of crazy religion in which they sacrifice animals and voodoo.
However, there are many Major League baseball players who practice the religion, including Ozzie Guillen and Jose Contreras.
On a shelf in the office of Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen, mixed in among the family photos, the Roberto Clemente bobblehead and the Napoleon Dynamite figurine, are four small but intimidating religious icons.
"If you see my saints, you'll be like 'Golly, they're ugly,' " Guillen had said before inviting a visitor to come in. "They've got blood. They've got feathers. You go to the Catholic church, the [saints] have got real nice clothes.
"My religion, you see a lot of different things you never see."
Guillen's religion is Santeria, a largely misunderstood Afro-Cuba spiritual tradition that incorporates the worship of orisha — multidimensional beings who represent the forces of nature — with beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantu people of Africa and elements of Roman Catholicism. And Guillen, born in Venezuela, is one of a growing number of Latin American players, managers and coaches who are followers of the faith.
Joining Guillen and Contreras in their faith are Miguel Cabrera, Francisco Rodriguez, the Reds' Alex Gonzalez, and even the Cubs Ronny Cedeno.
These are just some of the players that are willing to admit it. Many more follow the religion but don't talk about it publicly due to the stigma that surrounds it in the United States.
"It's like the forbidden fruit," said one player. "It's something personal. It's something you don't talk about."
Santeria roughly translates to "the way of the saints" and followers pray to specific saints who represent all different facets of life.
And it should be noted that while animal sacrifice and voodoo were a part of the religion's foundation, it's not exactly a prevalant practice right now. Though if the White Sox keep playing the way they're playing right now, I wouldn't be shocked to see Ozzie sacrificing a chicken in the dugout.
All in all, it's a pretty interesting article, and if you got some time you probably want to check it out.
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