Her teammates weren't that impressed. She was 40 minutes late to the McQuade Softball Tournament Saturday morning.

But it all made sense when they heard why she was late. It had to do with the hat. The old hat they find so disgusting.

Tardy Falon Smaltz, 25, of Williston, was late because she couldn't find her good-luck hat. The one she has worn for four years of softball games.

The hat once was orange - now it's mainly hard-work sweat rings in faded shades of rust. Like it had been through a couple seasons of "Grapes of Wrath" level field work and then rolled it way around the entire dust bowl.

Smaltz gave up looking. But when she happened to drop by her mom's on the way to the McQuade, there it was, to her great surprise.

Her mom at some point had sneaked off with it in the hope of trying, somehow, some way, to get it clean before the game.

"I saw it sitting on the laundry," Smaltz said. "I grabbed it and ran."

She said she didn't stay to chat with mom. "She was kind of crabby," Smaltz said and laughed.

Hats on, the Smaltz team, out of Williston, won by quite a margin Saturday morn: 15-0.

Many other ballplayers reported to the Tribune Saturday that they also have good luck charms or things they do to try to ensure victory.

However, Smaltz was one of the few women who did. Most were men.

Chris Wahus, 34, of Bismarck, a member of the Wahus Construction team always keep his right rear pocket turned out for good luck. He doesn't remember how that got started.

On the same team, another player always wears "13" for luck, his birthday. Another team member, Richard Long, 56, of Bismarck said he never lets his wife kiss him before a game.

"She's bad luck," he said and laughed. "Have you ever taken her gambling? She's a loser."

His wife, Bonnie Long, made a prediction about the next time her husband's name gets in the Tribune.

"You're going to be writing his obituary next time," she said and smiled, and generated laughter from the nearby team and spectators.

Without a kiss, and with the pocket out and with the 13 shirt, the team beat Mike's Electric Saturday morning, 15-10.

For a Minot team, licking leads to luck, they say. Or sometimes a licking leads to a licking.

Dave Craig, 31, of Minot, on the Landing Team in Division 3-4, said he always licks his batting gloves before he bats, and his teammate, Ryan Hollis, 22, of Minot, always wears purple socks. But spit and purple polish didn't work for their first game. They were at that moment losers. They got licked the first game. But were waiting, ready to lick some more batting gloves, for their second game at noon.

DeAnn Hickle, 24, of Milnor, said she thinks having the tags out on her shirt is bad luck, and made sure her tags were in before playing. Tag, your it. The Ode's Sportman's team won their first game.

Teammates of the Bellerud softball team from Fargo reported that their most superstitious teammate, above all others, would be Tim Houser, 47, of Fargo. After they won Friday, he woke up Saturday morning and announced he was wearing for the next game the same socks on the same feet he wore for the Friday game. It's not known if that raised a stink.

That's one of Houser's many things, his teammates say. Some others: When he drops his bag in the dugout, he won't pick it up. Bad luck. Other teammates have to pick it up for him. Another luck thing: He always has to be the last guy to take batting practice.

Jason Voegel, 19, of Bismarck, looked like he had some unusual ritual, or injury problem, going on. But turns out the white tape on his ears wasn't a unique statement. It was just hiding and securing his earrings - a safety precaution required by tournament rules, he said.

The tournament, expected to attract about 20,000 people to the Bismarck-Mandan area this weekend, continues today, culminating in championship games in both Bismarck and Mandan this afternoon.

Saturday reached its high, 90 degrees, a little before 4 p.m. Wind, 20 to 30 mile gusts, helped make the heat easier to bear.

Today's forecast is expected to be in the upper 80s, the wind slower, at 10 to 20 miles per hour. There is a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms, according to a National Weather Service spokesman.

For a complete schedule of games and locations, visit www.mcquades.com.