Oct 4, 2006 11:52 am US/Central
Good Question: What Is The Homer Hanky's History?
by Ben Tracy
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
Before the Tomahawk Chop or the Touchdown Towel, there was a much more unassuming white cloth. It is waved in the air not as a sign of surrender, but as a rally call.
Minnesotans know it as the Homer Hanky and it returns each time the Twins are in the playoffs. But what is the hanky's history?
"The Homer Hanky was rolled out in 1987," said Patrick Klinger, who works for the Minnesota Twins.
The hanky was not the Twins' idea.
"It was really the concept of Terrie Robbins at the Star Tribune newspaper," Klinger said.
Robbins now lives in St. Louis, Mo. but back in 1987 she worked in promotions for the paper. When the Twins went to the world series, she wanted the Star Tribune along for the ride, so, the paper printed up thousands of pieces of cloth, dubbed it the "Homer Hanky" and gave most of them away.
It earned the Star Tribune untold goodwill from Twins fans and sold more newspapers.
"Fans across the country were introduced to the Minnesota Twins and the Metrodome when they saw a sea of white," said Klinger.
By 1991, the Twins were back in the series and wanted a cut of the hanky action. The newspaper cried foul, so the Twins started printing their own hanky and called it the "Rally Rag". Fortunately the two sides eventually struck a deal and have since been cloth collaborators.
"It really created a phenomenon and a lot of teams have been doing it ever since," said Klinger.
So where did the tradition of waving cloths come from? An online encyclopedia said a color commentator for the Pittsburgh Steelers started the whole thing in 1975. He urged fans to wave a yellow dish towel during a playoff game.
It became known as the "Terrible Towel" and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.
Fans can get a Homer Hanky at the following locations:
• Twins Pro Shops in Roseville, Apple Valley or Minnetonka
• Twins box office at the Metrodome
• Mail or phone orders 612-33-TWINS or 1-800-33-TWINS.
• Star Tribune lobby in Minneapolis
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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