i’m not one for sports superstitions. when joe told me how he and a college roommate spent an entire baseball game sitting indian-style on the floor because they thought getting up would cause the braves to lose, i laughed. when he put his baseball hat on inside out and wore it as a rally cap at another game, i rolled my eyes.

after monday night, i’m starting to become a believer in superstitions. it was a chilly night at turner field, and our section in the outfield was packed. fans pulled their jacket collars up over their necks, hunched in their seats and huddled under thick blankets as we watched as the braves and pirates battled it out during the home opener. the score fluctuated back and forth, but in the 9th inning, the pirates broke out of the tie and scored five runs, bringing the score to 9-4. by the bottom of the 9th, the stadium emptied as most of the fans left, sure that the braves couldn’t come back.

but that was when the braves started to come to life. and that was when we started to rally. my section began to do the tomahawk chop non-stop. i found that when we did it, the braves threw more strikes and got more hits. the chops and cheers continued as the team came back to tie the score again 9-9.

two scoreless innings passed, and in the 12th inning around midnight, the pirates’ xavier nady hit a 3-run homer off braves reliever blaine boyer. at that point i think we were all tired and again down because we had fallen behind. more fans left. i was ready to go home. but, when the braves came back up to bat, one of the guys in our section said, “come on guys, it’s time to put our rally hats back on.”

another replied, “i never took mine off.”

and despite the late hour and being down by three runs, we jumped to our feet. we cheered. we did the tomahawk chop. and when jeff francoeur hit a home run and mark kotsay hit a double to knock in a second run, we high-fived and hugged each other. there was still a chance.

and then the game ended with one catch of a fly ball. and just as quickly, we quietly gathered up our belongings and left the stadium. some say it was “an opener to forget“. i see it as a game that will always stand out in my mind. yes, it was disappointing to lose the home opener and start the season with an 0-2 record, but it was the hard core cheering, the rally caps and the superstitions, and the devoted few who stayed no matter the hour or the score that made it great. that’s what baseball is all about.