The hot foot is a
prank where the prankster sets the victim's shoe laces or shoe on fire with a
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
or
lighter.
There are several other versions of the hot foot prank, but all involve using a source of flame near a victim's foot. Other versions of the prank involve using a cigarette on the victim's heel, placing a lit match between two bare toes on the victim, or sticking a book of matches to the victim's shoe with gum and lighting the matches.
The hot foot prank is mentioned in several
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
stories as a prank that players play on one another.
earned the nickname "Frying Dutchman" because of his love of this prank; during Blyleven's time with the
Angels, the fire extinguisher in the
Angel Stadium
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Ange ...
clubhouse featured a sign that said "In case of Blyleven: Pull."
Former relief pitcher and pitching coach
Roger McDowell was also known for the prank. During his time with the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
, he was featured in a segment of the team's
1986 World Series
The 1986 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1986 Major League Baseball season, 1986 season. The 83rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National Lea ...
championship video in which he and teammate
Howard Johnson demonstrate how to do it.
"Hot Foot from 1986 Mets: A Year to Remember"
/ref>
See also
* List of practical joke topics
This is a list of practical joke topics (also known as a prank, gag, jape or shenanigan) which are mischievous tricks or jokes played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.
Pra ...
References
{{reflist
Practical jokes
Fire