Royals get old-timey with tip o’ the hat

(AP) — Nobody seems to know when the tradition of doffing a hat began, though most historians date the practice to the days when bowlers and boaters were in vogue.
Nobody seems to know when the Royals picked up the tradition, either.
At some point this season, though, Kansas City players started tipping their caps whenever an outfielder made a spectacular catch, or shortstop Alcides Escobar and second baseman Omar Infante turned a difficult double play, or third baseman Mike Moustakas snagged a hard line drive.
It was a modest acknowledgment, almost a throwback to another era. But it quickly caught on, becoming one of the iconic images of the Royals’ run to the World Series.
“I think it started about halfway through the year,” said left fielder Alex Gordon, whose jarring catch at the wall in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series not only left him bruised and battered, but also got him a stadium full of hat tips.
While Gordon can’t recall for certain, he thinks that starting pitcher James Shields was the first to do it. It makes sense, too, given how the staff ace has been so instrumental the past two years in turning a losing clubhouse culture into a winning one.
Shields has paid tribute from the mound, and teammates have followed his lead.
“The whole dugout does it now. It’s pretty cool,” Gordon said. “I know it means a lot to the pitchers every time we make a good play, so it’s kind of their way of showing it.”