Rally cap
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Rally Cap is a baseball cap worn while inside-out or in another unconventional manner by players or fans, in order to will a team into a come-from-behind rally late in the game. The Rally Cap is primarily a baseball superstition.
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[edit] History
The first appearance of the Rally Cap was during the 1942 baseball season, when fans of the Detroit Tigers, while in attendance at Tiger Stadium, occasionally would wear their baseball caps inside-out as a makeshift talisman to generate a come-from-behind victory in the late innings of a baseball game. The superstition spread from the fans to the Tigers players themselves, and rose to national awareness during the 1945 World Series when the Detroit Tigers were playing the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers were tied in Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2. In the 6th inning of that game, the radio announcer mentioned certain members of the Tigers in the dugout wearing their caps inside out. Subsequently, in that inning of that game, the Tigers scored 4 runs after a ball rolled between the legs of Chicago first baseman Phil Cavarretta. The Tigers then went on to win the game 8-4. The historic rally led to a Game 7 win, allegedly with the prominent assistance of their "Rally Caps" allowing them to become the 1945 World Series Champions.
The Rally Cap subsequently was adopted by baseball fans internationally, being used to give their team a little extra mojo and come from behind.
The Rally Cap was later seen and made popular to this day in 1986 when the New York Mets wore them in their come from behind World Series victory over the Boston Red Sox.
[edit] Details
The belief behind the rally cap is generally to sacrifice a small amount of one's dignity in exchange for a little luck for one's team. It is widely understood that the baseball cap must be one depicting the logo of the team in order to be used as a Rally Cap.
[edit] Use in the NHL
The "Rally Cap" has also been used recently in the National Hockey League in shootout situations. Instead of a traditional cap, however, hockey players will place their helmets on their heads backwards. Marc Savard, during his stay with the Atlanta Thrashers, is the originator of this tradition.[1]
