astrological
To truly size up the 49ers’ locker room chemistry, let’s get
Hey, man, what’s your sign?
If there’s one 49er who might ask, it’s Ahkello Witherspoon, a second-year cornerback and, more pertinent, an Aries. “Ahkello is huge into that,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “He’s talked to me about it. All I know is, I’m a Scorpio, and that’s about it.” Witherspoon brought up his astrology passion when asked this spring how he has meshed with his longtime idol and 49ers newcomer Richard Sherman. “It’s been very natural. I attribute it to him being a fellow Aries,” Witherspoon said. “We understand each other on a different level.”
Andrea Mallis agrees. She is a sports astrologer and runs Virgo in Service Astrological Consulting.
“Same zodiac signs have the ease and unique compatibility of seeing their qualities mirrored back,” Mallis said. “Aries is a cardinal fire sign. They are the pioneers of the zodiac, enthusiastic, exuberant, headstrong, daring, courageous, competitive, forceful, fearless.”
Aries are also plentiful on the Niners, with linebacker Reuben Foster among the eight on the 90-man roster as training camp began.
The most popular zodiac signs: Aquarius (11 players), then Capricorn and Libra with 10 apiece. Coach Kyle Shanahan (Dec. 14) is a Sagittarius, and general manager John Lynch (Sept. 25) is a Libra.
“I’m not a, what do you call it, a horoscopologist?” Witherspoon said.
Actually, that’d be an astrologist. Witherspoon’s day job is a cornerback, one who has spent years studying Sherman, the 49ers’ former rival as a Seahawk. “I looked up to him the way he approached the game with a very intellectual passion,” Witherspoon said.
Did he worship him enough as a Sacramento teenager to have a Sherman poster on his bedroom wall? “No, that’s anti-Aries of me,” Witherspoon replied. “Aries is humble and chill.”
Garoppolo also comes across as chill, even though he is “an intense Scorpio,” as Mallis put it. So is wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, and it’s no surprise they’ve connected sharing the same sign.
“You encourage each other to achieve your dreams, and Jimmy Garoppolo frequently points out new avenues and grander vistas for Marquise Goodwin’s talents and energy,” Mallis said. “Jimmy calls him Quise, and it’s clear they have a special Scorpio telepathy.”
So how will Garoppolo work with new running back Jerick McKinnon, who is one of a teamlow four Taurus?
“Scorpio is an intense fixed water sign, powerful, magnetic, mysterious, complex,” Mallis said of Garoppolo’s zodiac sign. “Opposites attract, and Taurus Jerick McKinnon is a fixed earth sign, persistent, enduring, determined, reliable, productive, and resourceful.”
Garoppolo’s trade became official Oct. 31, a date that falls in the Scorpio cycle, and that wasn’t lost on Mallis, who said: “Transformation is the name of the game for Scorpio, and Jimmy G clearly transformed the 49ers in his 5-0 debut. Game Changer!”