HIT THE WALL!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
By: Paul Braverman
How One Fan’s Cheer Has Become A Part Of York Revolution Baseball
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
By: Paul Braverman
How One Fan’s Cheer Has Become A Part Of York Revolution Baseball
By now, anyone who frequents Sovereign Bank Stadium is well aware of Don Kain's routine. "Hit The Wall!" is as much a part of baseball in York as "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," hot dogs, or children dressed as fruit running around the base paths. Several times throughout the game, most of Section 5, situated right next to the home dugout, boisterously exclaims the rally cry led by Kain. It was developed by a fan's commitment that is so deep, the starting right fielder lives with him and the same logo on the Revolution's cap can also be found tattooed on his left arm. "As soon as season tickets became available, we took a number," said Kain. Hardly a bandwagon fan, Kain and his wife Chris began supporting the Revolution well before word spread around York County about the fun people were having at the downtown ballpark. In fact, "Hit The Wall" was the result of what Kain heard at a Revolution-Barnstormers game in Lancaster weeks before Sovereign Bank Stadium opened in June of last year. "We were at one of the War of The Roses games in the first half last year, and they have a fan that gets everyone to yell, 'Everyone Hits!' Well, I started yelling that when the Revolution players came to bat. But when we finally had a home game and I was yelling it, a player came up to me and said 'Hey, that's Lancaster's. You need to develop your own thing for us.' " Kain didn't have to look long or far for his inspiration. Sovereign Bank Stadium's Fenway Park-like "Arch Nemeses" in left field measures 37 feet, eight inches, six inches taller than the Boston landmark. "I thought, what's unique about York?....the wall, the tallest wall in all of professional baseball." I just started counting to three and yelling 'Hit The Wall' and everyone else joined in." Kain is often asked why it's "Hit The Wall" instead of "Hit It Over The Wall." While "Hit The Wall" certainly rolls off the tongue more smoothly, the inventor is always ready with a much better and strategically pleasing response. "If you're trying to hit it over the wall, it means you're trying to hit a homerun every time up, which is tough. The way I see it is, if you hit that wall, you're guaranteed at least a single, maybe a double. If we can get a whole bunch of singles and doubles off the wall during a game, we'll probably win. When people ask me, I tell them that, and they usually agree." Once in a while, in jest, a neighboring section will yell "Over The Wall!" back at Section 5 after a "Hit The Wall!" bellow, creating some friendly competition and ribbing amongst patrons. The catch phrase even takes road trips. In Lancaster, "Everyone Hits!" is still exclusive to the Barnstormers, and is usually countered by “Hit The Wall!” from Kain and other Revolution fans making the trip across the Susquehanna, despite Lancaster's relative lack of left field wall prowess. "In Long Island last season we had a group there that yelled it, and (then third base coach) Ryan Minor's head snapped back around so fast, laughed Kain. He might have been confused or surprised, but he knew we were there to root on the Revs. Then at Southern Maryland this year on Memorial Day, we had a group yelling it there. That was a great time as well." The troop even has special "Section 5 Hit The Wall" T-Shirts. "We don't intend to make any money. The shirts are 10 dollars, $7.96 covers the cost of the shirt, and the other $2.04 we donate to the Young Revolution baseball teams, and I have plenty of shirts left,” said Kain. Kain, now retired, has been fond of baseball for a while, and even umpired in the minor leagues. He chose Section 5 because it was close to first bas |
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  The Revolution “Y” Logo, permanently tattooed on Don Kain’s left arm! |
 The “Hit The Wall!” T-Shirt |
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