Rally Caps

The first time I ever used a rally cap was my first year of baseball. We were playing the orioles in the playoffs and were down three runs. My teammates who had played one year more than me told me flip my baseball cap inside out then put it on my head. They called it a rally cap and it helped bring good luck to the team to score more runs. They also have rally monkeys which are long armed skinny stuffed monkey’s usually dressed in your team uniform which hang on the dugout for good luck and help to score more runs.

Informant: Troy Winkenhower was my informant for this piece of folklore regarding baseball. He is eleven years old and is an intense baseball player. He is from the Los Angeles area.

Analysis: Baseball is a sport that is very old and has so much history. For that reason the game shares superstations and folklore for the people who play the sport. The rally cap is a common thing scene in little leagues around the country. Kids reverse their hat for luck to bring in more runs scored for their team. The idea of flipping your hat inside out seems like it may be a way for kids to focus on the game instead of messing around in the dugout. You don’t really see rally caps in the major leagues so I think this folk is more specific to younger generations of baseball.