I am not sure who invented it...I always blame the '86 Mets, for that was my first glimpse of the phenomenon that is the Rally Cap...What is a Rally Cap, you ask ? That's one right up there...It is a baseball hat worn backwards or inside out, or sideways, or folded and sideways on top of one's head, etc. in order to start a come from behind rally when one's team is losing a game. It's a rather stupid superstition, and I guess it might even be considered a bit arrogant to believe that the way one wears one's cap could influence a baseball game. But there are those people who believe in the power of the rally cap.
I am one of those people. And I have proof it works- The Mets come from behind victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. That's right, I turned my cap around in the 8th, and then turned it inside out in the 9th.
The sky was angry that afternoon, my friends..At least it was here in Florida...It looked absolutely gorgeous out there at Chavez Ravine. I heard the rumbles outside. My Special Lady and my twin daughters and I had been to the pool already, so the rain was of no real concern to us, but it did lend an air of drama to the late afternoon-early evening.
I had the game on the computer during dinner, and I would check periodically, but there was very little change- Dodgers 2, Mets 0. Then the Mets tied it up, but the Dodgers went back ahead on a two run homer by Nomaaaar. Several inventive curses of El Duque later, I realized it was time to break out the Rally Cap.
My blue Mets cap was the closest(the black one was on the bedpost-turned inside out in a vain attempt to induce a rally in one of the Padre games that the Mets were losing when I went to bed.) so I put it on on my head...Backwards, to begin with. I thought about changing my t-shirt( I was wearing my grey N.Y. Mets shirt from the Piazza-era), but the deficit was only two runs, so I thought the cap should be sufficient.
And it was...almost. They did plate a run in the 8th, but they were still down by one, so I decided it was time to turn the cap inside out. I also decided that I should just ignore the game for a bit, and perhaps pay attention to my family.
And what do you know ? It worked !! The next time I checked in, Delgado reached on an infield single. WHAT ? Delgado reached on an infield single ? Tell me that's not the rally cap at work. I left the room again. Come back, Anderson Hernandez, running for Delgado is at second. LoDuca moves him over to third. I left the room again.
When I came back, the run was in. Kemp had dropped Shawn Green's popup. But the rally ended there. It was time for the big guns-Hat inside out AND backwards. I left the room again.
Pedro Feliciano pitched a perfect ninth. Top of the tenth, Rally Cap on backwards and inside out. Milledge singles. Beltran singles. CHIP AMBRES drives in the go-ahead run. Huh ? Chip Ambres ? I missed the big hit. I left after Milledge's hit. It was bath time for the girls.
We bathed the girls and put them to bed, and I was back in time for the bottom of the tenth. I cannot relive it, but Wagner got the job done. Final score 5-4, Metropolitans over the Dodgers.
Thank you, Rally Cap !!
