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In 2017, the Miami Hurricanes introduced us to the Turnover Chain that spawned a slew of imitators in the college football world and beyond thanks to teams who also unveiled similar rewards that were handed out after a clutch play.
The ‘Canes may have retired that particular piece of bling as the program gears up to enter a new era, but it’s left a lasting legacy in the form of some other celebratory traditions that are still going strong to this day.
The Baltimore Orioles may have been a little bit late to the party when they adopted the Home Run Chain that players earned the right to wear after going deep in 2022, but it was still pretty hard to hate on the piece of hardware that appeared to help spark an offensive boom last season.
However, I can confidently say that has absolutely nothing on a new tradition that recently made its grand debut.
On Monday, the Orioles hosted the Athletics at Camden Yards in a contest that ended with the home team walking away with a 5-1 victory to improve to 5-5 on the season.
First baseman Ryan Mountcastle opened up the scoring for Baltimore with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, and he got the chance to hydrate after rounding the bases thanks to the Home Run “Beer” Funnel he was presented with after returning to the dugout before taking a knee and chugging the contents.
Come for the home run, stay for the celly. pic.twitter.com/WVtTCQYzRy
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 10, 2023
I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until someone with way too much time on their hands pens an unnecessarily long column about the Orioles setting a bad example for young fans by incorporating a beer bong in home run celebrations, but I’m not going to be the person responsible for that Cold Take.
Long live the Home Run Funnel.