Thursday, May 21, 2009

Question of the Week

Dennis, Englewood, CO
Subj: Hats off to you
What’s the history of the rally cap?

The rally cap made its first appearance during the 1942 baseball season when fans of the Detroit Tigers started turning their caps inside out to help inspire their team to a come-from-behind victory. They believed that by sacrificing their personal dignity the Gods would take mercy upon their team and grant them an extra burst of luck. The unusual – and highly irrational - practice quickly spread from fans of the Tigers to the Tigers themselves and within a matter of three years baseball players across America had adopted the superstition as their own. In fact, the tradition is now so ubiquitous that it has even been adopted by the NHL, where players have been known to wear “rally helmets” on the bench. The practice was invented by Boston Bruins center Marc Savard who created the fashion trend during his time with the lowly Atlanta Thrashers. "It's like baseball when a team is down in the eighth inning," the free-spirited Savard explains. "Whatever. It's a team thing. It keeps the team closer together."