Ever heard of an "étendard sanglant"? Seems some French baseball players take it really seriously, check link 1. Found "fanyon" too but usually more related to rugby. Second link though relates baseball and fanion this way: "fanion (surveyor's small flag)", which seems to me something else, but then I never understood baseball...My version:
"Ils n'ont jamais été les favoris pour lever l'étandard"
hope it helps, au revoir :)