If you played Major League Baseball in the 1970s or ’80s and didn’t fall victim to a Hot Foot, you were either unusually alert or just not well-liked.
The mechanics were simple: tape some form of a pyrotechnic to the back of a teammate’s cleat, light it, sit back, and wait for the realization to hit—usually around the time they noticed smoke rising from their sock. If you timed it right, you could light the foot just as the guy was heading to the plate, adding a whole new meaning to “on fire.”
No one was safe. Superstars, utility infielders, even managers—Tommy Lasorda got hit multiple times, which says a lot about both the prank and Lasorda’s personal awareness levels. Pitchers with too much time on their hands became arson artists, and Bert Blyleven basically turned the dugout into his personal fire lab.
But Hot Foot was just the tip of the prank iceberg. There was:
- Bubble gum in the cap (result: comedy hat tower)
- Shaving cream in the glove (always hits different mid-game)
- Eye black smeared on the phone receiver (for a surprise raccoon makeover)
Baseball has a lot of downtime, and that meant maximum creativity. The dugout was part locker room, part prank warzone. If your cleats weren’t smoking, your cup probably had Tabasco in it.
Today, Hot Foot is basically extinct—another casualty of HD cameras, fire codes, and personal injury lawyers. But in its day, it was a flaming torch of team spirit, lit in the name of laughs, mischief, and just a little bit of second-degree bonding.
Godspeed, Hot Foot. May your tiny flames never be forgotten.
