With his fourth straight cap tip ending a potential game-changing rally, Adam Dunn maintained his the league lead in the category by a wide margin, surpassing the century mark. Teammates quickly rose to Dunn’s defense, well aware that the team as a whole is on a record pace for the little known statistic.
“I know we’re seeing a lot of rookie pitchers who just got out of Single-A ball and they’re shutting us down pretty good, but some days you just have to tip your cap and move on,” said team captain Paul Konerko. “Adam takes the right approach when tipping his cap to the opponent, grabbing the bill firmly, lifting his cap off his head with a little nod. He’s a pro’s pro and he’s helped all of us get better at it.”
Baseball’s unwritten rules forbid excessive showmanship when Cap Tipping.
“When you tip your cap, you do it right or you sit on the bench,” said manager Ozzie Guillen. “It’s not a cap toss or a cap kick. We work on it from day one of Spring Training because it’s a huge part of our offense and if you not doing it right, Kenny can find a lot of other guys who are just as good at cap-tipping. We pay Adam a lot of money to set an example.”
The hard-working Dunn has been known to work on his tip in between at bats, which usually end in strikeouts.
“I go down into the cage and take three big empty swings off the machine, which has a pretty darn good fastball,” he said. “The coaches have been helping me decide which hand to use when I tip the cap, little stuff like that. I just want it to come naturally.”
