tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10937296414267839272024-03-13T19:20:46.554-07:00Hats and Tats: A LifestyleThis is a daily tally of all the New Era caps I own, wear and pay tribute to the long history of teams and players who have donned the cap before me. Almost every hat I own has a special marking recognizing players, stats or special events within the history and era of the team and style I sport. It's a mix of fun and history as presented through my eyes and mind because I love the game so much, and wish to honor those who have played before as I cheer for those of the present.Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-26056053560085756532015-01-03T01:18:00.001-08:002015-01-03T01:28:43.733-08:00New York Yankees- Derek Jeter Side Patch (2014)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Where did the time go? As crazy as it sounds, it’s been 381
days since my last blog post, and to be honest, I feel like I’ve cheated a lot
of you for it. Over the last year my life took some incredible turns, all of
which were certainly for the better. For starters, I’m back where I belong in Oakland, California.
The last time I had been fortunate enough to call this city (area) home was
when back in 1985 at the ripe age of two-years-old. And as unbelievable as this
may sound, I still remember the mornings waking up to the sound of traffic
rolling by on I-580 and the cool crispness of the air wafting through the open
window of my bedroom. Anytime I came back to visit my grandparents, roll
through on a family vacation or even just drove down on a random weekend while
I was attending the University of Oregon, a feeling of unexplainable joy always
washed over me as if I had just returned home from a long journey. To those of
you who I have become closer friends with over the last year, I am truly
grateful. You have all made Angie and my important decision to truly start our
lives together the best we could have made. And for that, this is probably the
biggest reason why I needed to restart my blog. Thank you.</div>
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As candid as I was throughout the first 225 or so posts
speckled throughout 2013, I feel this is as good of any time to be perfectly
frank and explain why it’s taken me so long to get back to this thing that I
love to do so much. I guess for starters I should point out what I actually
accomplished in 2013 with my blog and the articles I compiled for eDraft
Sports. First the blog. I know I’ve pointed this out in a few of my posts, but
my overall mission was to form a habit of writing every single day. When I had
started my posts they were roughly 2-3 pages long and they primarily comprised
of just the history of the hat and the numbers I marked them up with. As time
wore on I felt more and more comfortable opening up and telling a bit of my own
personal history of my relationship with baseball and the caps and players I
was paying tribute to. As soon as that kicked in my stories became 8-10 page
biopics. Therefore, if you break down he numbers to, let’s say, seven pages per
post times 225 posts you’ll get 1,575 pages. Now, let’s say that the average
book is about 275-300 pages and then divide that into what I wrote and you can
essentially say that I wrote the equivalent of a little over five books. Crazy,
right!? But we’re not done yet. Like I said, I also write for eDraft, which
came out to be 125 articles at roughly 2-3 pages in length. So, do the math
again, three pages times 125 articles equals 375 pages, or another book to
boot. The fact of the matter is that I burned out. I’m willing to bet that I
had written more in that year than in all of my other years combined. As
selfish as it was for me to take a break, I really needed it. </div>
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One thing that I should also point out is that around the
time when I stopped writing a post every single day (June 13, 2013), I had a
bit of an “oh shit!” moment when I realized that I didn’t have neatly enough
hats to complete the year. Even though I was doing my best to increase my
numbers with what little money I had, I knew there wasn’t going to be any
possible way for me to hit that mark unless I elected to start blowing dudes on
the streets of Portland
for the cash. This was not going to be my legacy. Instead, I tried pacing and
spacing my stories out a bit more until life became a bit too crazy and I need
to focus more on the move and finding a stable job. Long story short (too
late), I have three great jobs, two of which are with my favorite baseball team,
the Oakland Athletics, the other is with one of my favorite hat retailers, Hat
Club; and most importantly, I’m in the city I love with all of my friends and
the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. And now, you get to read
more about all the crazy shit that led up to this moment and every adventure
that comes next. Y’all are in for treat.</div>
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It was a bit of a struggle to figure out which hat I was
going to write about, as I obviously have a pretty decent score of stories and
caps to shuffle through now. However, there is one problem that arose a few
months ago which my affect things a bit. The phone that I had won in the MLB Fan
Cave and toured around
the country with, taking every photo over the last two years, died and I can’t
quite figure out how to get the photos off. So, until I can find/hire someone
with the appropriate nerdery levels, we’re all a bit screwed on that one. So, I
decided to roll with one of my most recent cap purchases which also carries
along one of my favorite moments of the 2014 season. At this moment I don’t
even know why I threw in a bit of build up, you obviously knew which cap I was
going to write about based on the photo and title above. Gaaaaahhhhh!!!</div>
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Anyway, back on September 7, 2014 the New York Yankees
debuted this cap during the final day of a three-game series against the
eventual American League champion Kansas City Royals, a contest the team would
lose 0-2 with Jeter going 1-3 with a walk. Not exactly the best of days;
however, the real victory on the day was the cap itself. For those who don’t remember, September 22, 2013 was the
first time a patch commemorating the career of a player had been worn on a New
Era Cap, and that honor was bestowed upon Yankee closer, and future Hall of
Famer, Mariano Rivera. </div>
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Back then the Yankees wore this patch for the final four
games of their home stand against the San Francisco Giants and the Tampa Bay
Rays. Being the ardent oppositionist of side patches (at the time), I declined
to purchase this cap, and believe me, it’s been biting me in the ass ever
since. The one downside of this occasion was that the Yankees never maintained
a lead for Rivera to get one final save with this on his head. Instead, the
Yankees brought him out of the bullpen in the seventh inning of their final
home game (September 26<sup>th</sup>) with one out and let him go 1 1/3 before
Jeter and Andy Pettitte came in to take him out of the game, one the finer
moments in the history of the organization. </div>
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So presumably, not wanting to face
the same issue as with Rivera, the Yankees elected to use the Jeter patch for
their final home games of the season.</div>
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From a business aspect I really can’t blame the Yankees or
New Era for doing this. As simple of a tribute as it is, it’s also an
incredibly ingenious marketing campaign for die hard Yankees fans, cap
collectors or even casual baseball fans. Hell, I broke down and bought it, and
it wasn’t exactly easy. For starters, Hat Club started carrying it in the
middle of September, so I of course requested one for myself and a few of my
co-workers. The one thing I didn’t really expect was that so many of the
customers (non-Yankees fans) would come in asking for one. Being the good guy
that I am I offered the one I had on hold to anyone who came in looking for
that size, something I do for any cap that I put on hold. There are two reasons
that I do this: it’s good for business and it’s the right thing to do, both
have the same end result in that I can easily get another one. What I wasn’t
expecting when I sold it is that I would have to wait an additional two months
for the store to get more in. But, here we are.</div>
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Now, there are two stories that I need to tell with this,
one of which I already did back on June 16, 2014 for eDraft. As much as I feel
it would be more appropriate for my blog to just hammer something out, the
reality is that I am incredibly proud of what I already wrote. I rarely take
pride in my own work, but this once was especially important to me to do a
great job at. The second story is about the marking I put on the cap, something
I will never forget for as long as I continue to follow this amazing game.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> It almost seems
fitting to start with this moment as it took place 25 years and two-and-a-half
weeks ago. It was May 29, 1989; a six-year-old boy from California
watched one of his baseball heroes sobbingly announce his retirement from the
game he loved during a press conference in San Diego. That player was Philadelphia Phillies’ Hall of Fame third
baseman Mike Schmidt, a player who I had grown a great affinity for through my
older brother Adam who had been following and idolizing Schmidt since before I
was born. I didn’t really know it or understand it at the time, but that was the
first moment I can pinpoint when I witnessed one of the game’s greatest players
call it quits. As the years wore on and my love for baseball grew, I saw more
of my heroes (Gary Carter, Eddie Murray, Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor,
etc.) lose the magic they once exemplified as their time to walk away from the
game came to fruition. Looking back on all of those names and dates, it almost
feels like a dream as the majority of these guys had their best years long
before I was old enough to comprehend what I was watching or before I was even
a thought in my parents’ minds. For the time that I was lucky enough to be
given, even to see most of the greats in their broken down years, I am truly
grateful to say that some time somewhere, I saw them play.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1995 was an especially
trying year for baseball fans. An overwhelming majority felt jilted by the
players, owners, the powers that be for Major League Baseball and especially
former executive director of the MLB Player’s Association Donald Fehr after the
player’s strike of 1994 cancelled the remaining two months of that season as
well as the playoffs which potentially could have pitted the lowly and now
defunct Montreal Expos against the New York Yankees for what could have been
longtime Bronx favorite Don Mattingly’s first trip to the postseason. As
disheartening as it was to most fans to finally feel and see the dollar sign
pressed into their faces, there were a few memorable moments to take away from
the ’95 season: Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Yankee legend Lou Gehrig’s consecutive
games played record on September 6<sup>th</sup>, the Atlanta Braves won their
only World Series title with the likes of soon-to-be Hall of Famers Greg
Maddux, Tom Glavine and Chipper Jones, and on May 29<sup>th</sup>, six years to
the date after Schmidt gave his tearful goodbye to the game he loved, a
20-year-old kid from Kalamazoo, Michigan donned the Yankee pinstripes for his
first game in the Majors.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">##Derek Jeter## was
born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey but
was later moved to Michigan where he played his
high school ball at Kalamazoo
Central High
School. Between his sophomore and senior years
Jeter hit .524. During his senior year he clubbed four home runs, drove in 23
runs, swiped 12 bags in 12 attempts and only struck out once. The folks at the University of Michigan didn’t hesitate to offer Jeter
a full ride scholarship. Nor should they have. That season (1992) Jeter went on
to win the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar Athlete, the 1992 High
School Player of the Year Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association,
the 1992 Gatorade High School Player of the Year award, and <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">USA Today</span>'s High School Player of the
Year. The only thing keeping Jeter from moving on to the college ranks was the
lure of making big bucks in the Majors, something two teams, the Yankees and
the Houston Astros, were willing to shell out if they were able to draft and
sign him.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As a scout for the Houston Astros, Hal Newhouser, a Hall of Famer in 1992 and
Michigan
native, evaluated Jeter extensively prior to the 1992 Draft. The Astros held
the first overall pick and Newhouser, convinced that Jeter would anchor a
winning team, lobbied team management to select Jeter. However, the Astros
feared that Jeter would insist on a salary bonus of at least $1 million to
forgo his college scholarship for a professional contract. Consequently, the
Astros passed on him in the draft, instead choosing Cal-State Fullerton
outfielder Phil Nevin, who signed with Houston
for $700,000. Newhouser felt so strongly about Jeter's potential that he quit
his job with the Astros in protest after they ignored his drafting advice. The
Yankees, who selected sixth, also rated Jeter highly. Yankees scout Dick Groch,
assigned to scout in the Midwest, watched Jeter participate in an all-star camp
held at Western Michigan University.
Though Yankees officials were concerned that Jeter would attend college and
forgo the opportunity to sign a professional contract, Groch convinced them to
select him. Regarding the possibility that Jeter would attend Michigan,
Groch said "the only place Derek Jeter's going is to Cooperstown.”
The second through fifth picks were Paul Shuey, B. J. Wallace (who never played
in the majors), Jeffrey Hammonds, and Chad Mottola (125 career MLB
at-bats and over 5,000 at-bats at AAA); those five would combine for a grand
total of 2 All-Star Game appearances (Nevin and Hammonds). The Yankees drafted
Jeter, who chose to turn professional, signing for $800,000. And the rest, as
they say is history. Well, there’s a little more to it than that.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Jeter made his
debut in 1995 he only played in a total of 15 games as an occasional
replacement for Tony Fernandez. Despite hitting .250 (12 hits in 48 at-bats)
and knocking in seven runs, the Yankees left him off of their postseason
roster. The three things to note from the Yankees making the playoffs this year
with their 79-65 record are these: the Yankees were the first American League
team to win a Wild Card spot, this was Mattingly’s first and only trip to the
playoffs and the Yankees upended by the Seattle Mariners in Game Five which is
still considered one of the most memorable playoff games in MLB history. But
what happened for the Yankees after the American League Division Series ended
is truly what makes Jeter… well, Jeter and the Yankees the most hated team in
North American sports.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In 1996 the Yankees
stopped “fooling around” by firing then-manager Buck Showalter and replacing
him with Joe Torre. George “The Boss” Steinbrenner and his General Manager Bob
Watson began making key signings to the likes of eventual Hall of Famer Wade
Boggs and Cecil Fielder, but most important they made sure Jeter stayed up at
the top level. That season Jeter easily won the AL Rookie of the Year Award
with a .314 average, 183 total hits, 78 RBI, 10 home runs and 104 runs scored.
And then of course that was that whole winning the World Series thing, the
team’s first since 1978, but that really wasn’t that big of a deal. What was a
big deal was when Jeter and the Yankees went on to win the Series every year from
1998-2000, becoming the first three-peat champions since the Oakland Athletics (1972-1974). Unfortunately
for Jeter and the Yankees, the new millennium wasn’t as prosperous as the
previous as they would only go on to win one World Series title (2009) in the
three trips they made (2001, 2003 and 2009). Regardless, a five-ringed Jeter in
his 20 years of service is still pretty remarkable, and I haven’t even really
scratched the surface of the individual feats he accomplished.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In 20 seasons,
including his 15 games in 1995, Jeter’s lifetime average currently sits at
.312, which based on the math and at-bats means that the only way he’ll finish
with a sub-.300 average is if he goes hitless in his next 430 at-bats. Do you
have any idea how hard that would be for a player of his caliber? Moving on;
from 2004-2010 Jeter won five Gold Glove Awards. It could have been more had it
not been for the likes of Omar Vizquel owning the 1990s when it came to superb
infield defense. As of now Jeter has been an All-Star 13 times, but it is more
than likely that he will make his 14<sup>th</sup> appearance this next month in
Minnesota. As trivial as the All-Star Game may seem in regard to stats, Jeter
actually has/had a distinctive mark in the record books. Even though the
All-Star Game has been played since the 1933 season, the MVP Award didn’t
become a thing until 1962. Even stranger, until Jeter won the MVP Award at the
2000 All-Star Game behind his three hits and two RBI, no Yankee had won the
award previously. On top of that, no player had won the All-Star Game MVP and
the World Series MVP in the same season until Jeter did it that season, and no
player has done it since. But I think the most remarkable accolade that Jeter
has not yet gotten his mitts on has to be his lack of a season MVP Award, the
closest of which he came in 2006 with a career-high .343 average, 214 total
hits, 118 runs scored, 14 home runs, 39 doubles and 97 RBI. Who did he lose to?
Justin Morneau, by the thinnest of margins (three first place votes). Jeter
also holds the Yankee record for most games played at 2,661 as of June 15,
2014, which is 260 games more than the next closest, Mickey Mantle. </i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You know, in all of
this Jeter talk I feel like I’m forgetting something… Oh yah!.. that whole
3,000-hit thing. I saved this for last on purpose because it carries a lot more
weight than most fans realize. In the history of Major League Baseball there
have been only 28 players of the scores who have played the game to reach this
milestone. Of the 28, only four remain out of the Hall of Fame: Jeter, Peter
Rose (of course), Rafael Palmeiro (a self-inflicted tragedy) and Craig Biggio
(which makes absolutely no sense). Of those 28 players only Boggs and Jeter
have notched their 3,000<sup>th</sup> hit on a home run. Of the 28, I’ve been
lucky enough to watch 12 of them hit number 3,000. Of the 28, Jeter is the only
member of the Yankees to accomplish this feat. This stat in particular is truly
the most mind-boggling especially when you look back on all of the great
hitters who have donned the pinstripes since they were first added to the
uniform in 1912. The next closest Yankee, and when I say this I mean they
played their entire career with the Yankees, is Gehrig at 2,721. Even though
##Ichiro Suzuki## is only 219 hits away from 3,000 himself, his number would
not count in the Yankee record books in the same light of what Jeter has
accomplished and is still adding to.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Despite all of the
awards, the accomplishments and the fruit baskets he’s dished out over the
years, the one thing (maybe two) that comes to mind when one has to think of a
defining moment throughout his career that future generations can get a rough
understanding of his greatness came on the night of October 13, 2001 in the
bottom of the seventh inning of Game Three of the ALDS. At this point I’d
really like to break the fourth wall and establish something that is very
important to what has been read and what will continue to be read: I’m and
Athletics fans, just in case you didn’t know that already. I bring this up
because up until this point I feel I’ve done a fair job of capturing and
presenting an unbiased retrospect on Jeter’s career. Had a Yankee fan written
this, there may be a bit more embellishment. Had a Boston Red Sox fan written
this you’d probably see a lot more blathering; however, the one thing that is
FOR CERTAIN is that with the exception of the Baltimore Orioles, there is not a
single fan base that has a legitimate reason to hate Jeter, let alone the
Yankees, as much as Athletics fans do. Red Sox fans, you have three World
Series title in the last ten years, shut it. Orioles fans, your real beef
should be with Jeffery Maier and the shoddy right field umpiring work of Richie
Garcia. But for this moment, the moment that defines Jeter as “The Captain,”
Athletics fans will always have a sour taste in their mouths. “The flip,” as
it’s come to be known occurred with two outs in the bottom of the seventh
inning with Jeremy Giambi on first base, Terrence Long at bat and the Yankees
holding on to a 1-0 lead which came via solo home run by Jorge Posada in the
top of the fifth inning. The other important thing to know is that the
Athletics were up 2-0 in the best of five series having beaten the Yankees in New York. Anyway, with a
2-2 count Long ripped a sure double down the right field line and Giambi did
what he could to peddle around the bases. Off of a whim, then-third base coach
Ron Washington decided to send Giambi home. Then-right fielder Shane Spencer
tossed the ball from deep-right field into the infield, which barely made it
beyond first base. At some point Jeter took quick note that the ball wasn’t
going to make it home to Posada so he took action into his own hands by running
over to the first base line to retrieve it and flip it to Posada. Giambi, for
whatever reason, opted to keep running as opposed to sliding. In the end,
Posada got the ball from Jeter, made a swipe tag and home plate umpire Kerwin
Danley made the punch out call. Most Athletics fans you talk to are still
convinced Posada didn’t apply the tag. Regardless, the out call was made, the
Yankees won that game 1-0 and eventually came back to win the series in five
games. The aftermath was then made into a book and eventual film called
Moneyball, you may have heard of them. From that moment on, like a lot of my
fellows Athletics fans, I hated Jeter (as a player). </i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As a now employee of
the Athletics I am lucky enough to have access to certain facilities and
section of the Oakland
Coliseum. While I cannot and will not discuss what my actual job is, the one
thing I can tell you is that I found myself face-to-face with Jeter before his
final game in Oakland.
It’s been almost 13 years since that damn play and I have long since gotten
over it, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still think about it. After he took
some swings in the batting cage my co-worker and I were fortunate enough to be
able to say a few words with him before he headed out into the field. The only
thing that I could muster out; really, the only thing that mattered was to tell
him, “thank you for a brilliant career.” In response, he looked me in the eye
with those deep-blue, lady killing eyes, shook my hand and said, “I truly
appreciate that.”</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I can honestly say
that it’s going to be a sad day when the final day comes for Jeter, much like
the highly emotional goodbye that I witnessed of Schmidt’s 25 years ago. There
are very few who have played the game with the determination, leadership and
class that Jeter has displayed for almost a quarter century. In this age of
speculation and vendettas I am truly happy to look back on the 27 years of
being a baseball fan and be able to say, “I saw a legend from beginning to
end.” I can only hope the next generation of fans will be so lucky to say the
same thing. </i></div>
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Clearly there are a few stats that need to be updated: Jeter
ended up playing in his 14<sup>th</sup> All-Star Game, at which he probably
should have won the MVP Award for, his 3,465 career hits are not only still the
most in Yankees history, but he is now sixth all-time for career hits in MLB
history, just 49 away from Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. Realistically, if Jeter
played one more full season he could easily surpass Speaker. Pretty wild to
think about.</div>
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9/25/14: This was a pretty easy decision. Despite all the
accomplishments Jeter racked up throughout his career, his final game at Yankee
Stadium was too amazing of a night to pass up and not say anything about. To be
honest, I really didn’t have any intention of watching the game and I really
can’t think of what I was flipping back-and-forth to in between Jeter’s
at-bats, but what I really remember started when he took the field in the first
inning. </div>
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In some way Jeter had always come off as a bit robotic to
me, in that his mind was always in the game. Whether he made an amazing catch,
turned a great double play or even biffed a ball off of his glove, Jeter went
immediately back into the zone, awaiting the next play. At the moment when all
the fans started chanting his name over and over and over, the reality clearly
set in upon Jeter’s face. You could clearly tell that he was fighting back some
serious emotions, and of course, like with a lot of you, a tear or two welled
up in my eyes. But Jeter, tough as nails, fought through it and put on a
display that truly defined his character.</div>
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Every at-bat the man saw was spectacular, knocking in Brett
Gardner is his first plate appearance of the game to give the Yankees a 1-0
lead over the Orioles, and even the seventh inning bases loaded two-run error
he forced. However, it was his final curtain call in the bottom of the ninth
inning with the game now tied up at five each thanks to David Robertson’s blown
save at the top of the inning which made the baseball world explode. Hell, my
words can’t even do it justice, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AejNA_42RRA">just watch it.</a></div>
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As I mentioned in my eDraft article, it’s kind of weird to
think that this generation and those that follow may never experience a player
of Jeter’s caliber accumulate a Hall of Fame career having played for the same team who drafted them.
Only time and money will tell, I suppose.</div>
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Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-84239644060595461522013-12-17T19:46:00.000-08:002013-12-18T10:53:30.652-08:00August 15- San Francisco Giants<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>This post pertains to the specific date posted above. Enjoy.</i> </div>
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My parents had separated for only a few months when my other
decided to take my brothers Matt and Adam and myself to Livermore, California
to visit our grandmother for a weekend in August in 1989. We had left on Friday
the 11<sup>th</sup>, but we returned to our home in Bakersfield on Wednesday the 16<sup>th</sup>
after missing a few too many days of school. It wasn’t like my mom to have us
miss class, but I think she needed some extra time to spend with our
grandmother to really grasp everything that had come to her and my father
splitting up. From what I can recall the eventual divorce hit my oldest brother
Matt the hardest as he was about to turn 11 in November, and at that age the
sense of “I did something to cause this” was starting to settle into his mind.
My brother Adam, who would be turning 10 the same month, took a protector role
as I was too young to really understand what was going on. As the years pressed
on these roles shifted slightly; Matt hated my mother for almost two decades as
he eventually blamed her for their split, and Adam flip-flopped a bit on things
as he became way more rebellious and sometimes took his frustration out on me.
I merely sat back and observed, occasionally taking the role of the leader as I
became way more methodical about the situation as I got older. As I loom back
on the way things have panned out, it almost feels like a dream. No child
should ever be put in that situation. I fully understand that marriage isn’t a
for sure thing, even in a Mormon household that I grew up in. Everyone will be
changed in some way, but it’s how we react to that adversity is what truly
defines our character. I did my best to rise above the pain and frustration, as
did my brothers, mother and father, but that’s not to say we didn’t slip from
time to time. Today we’re all a bit happier. My mother and father don’t speak
to one another, but my brothers and I don’t hold the grudges against either of
them, nor do we bicker and fight like we used to anymore. I’m not entirely sure
how my brothers got over it, but for me, I was always sought sports for my
comfort.</div>
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1989 was an especially weird year, and the divorce made
things especially odd when the World Series came around that October. Adam and
my father had both grown up huge San Francisco Giants fans while Matt and I
favored the Oakland Athletics. <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-27-oakland-athletics-1989-ws.html">Obviously we all know how that series panned out</a>. Matt and I were more than jubilant while Adam and my dad had the bitter
taste of defeat in their mouth. My mother was indifferent due to her Boston Red
Sox loyalty, but from what I recall, it was the last time I remember us all
being collectively involved and happy in the wake of the madness that would
slowly tear us all apart for the majority of 20 years. </div>
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There’s a reason I brought all of this to the table and most
of it has to do with that weekend in August. While I remember small bits and
pieces of my brothers and me running around the neighborhood of my
grandmother’s house on Drake Way,
I only partially remember my mother crying and her mother trying to console as
I looked on in confusion. As the days passed I did my best to entertain myself
by watching movies and baseball to kind of tune everything out since no one was
making an effort to fill me in on everything that was happening. That weekend
the Athletics had taken two out of three from the California Angels and beat
the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday by the final score of 5-2. As for the Giants,
they had lost two of three from their longtime rival the Los Angeles Dodgers
and had begun a three game series on Tuesday in Montreal against the Expos. The Athletics
game wasn’t on, but the Giants game was being broadcast on KTVU, so my brothers
and I ended up watching it that evening. There’s a reason why I remember all
these little bits and details even though most adults shouldn’t more than 24
years later. This was the night that I, and every Giants and Expos fan who
happened to be watching that game, saw Dave Dravecky pitch for the last time.</div>
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8/15/89: It would be a few years before I fully understood
what I was watching. I had heard the name Dravecky a few times in the three
years that I had been following baseball, but it didn’t really stick until he
took the mound against the Expos. He had started the game for the Giants, only
his second appearance/start of the season after he underwent surgery in October
of 1988, in which doctors removed half of the deltoid muscle in his pitching
arm and froze the humerus bone in an effort to eliminate all of the cancerous
cells that had been spreading throughout his left arm; his pitching arm. He had
returned to the mound after an extensive rehab run in the minors on August 10<sup>th</sup>
against the Cincinnati Reds, a game in which he would thrown eight innings
while only allowing three earned runs on four hits and a walk on the road to
the win. </div>
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Against the Expos Dravecky had started out on fire, throwing a
no-hitter through three innings before giving up a single to <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-6-montreal-expos.html">Andres Galarraga</a>
with one out in the top of the fourth. Dravecky went on to retire the next two
batters. The Giants tacked on a run in the top of the fifth inning to give them
a 1-0 lead. Dravecky had a some trouble in the bottom half of the inning, but
managed to get through it after allowing back-to-back singles by Tim Wallach
and Mike Fitzgerald before retiring the next three batters. Dravecky recalled a
tingling sensation in his arm throughout the inning, but persevered. In the top
of the sixth Will Clark led off with a single before <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-16-san-francisco-giants.html">Matt Williams</a> cranked a
two-run blast off of Bryn Smith to give the Giants a 3-0 lead going into the bottom
of the inning. With a lead in tact and the minimum amount of innings to get a
decision in the books, Dravecky took to the mound to face second baseman
Damaso Garcia. Dravecky’s first pitch was a ball, but his second pitch was
right down Garcia’s wheelhouse as he blasted it to deep left field (3-1
Giants). The next batter was Galarraga. Dravecky started off a little shaky as
his arm was started to bother him more intently. He got Galarraga up to a 2-2
count but eventually beaned him on the sixth pitch. A few Expos fans booed, but
it’s pretty obvious that Dravecky didn’t mean to retaliate over the home run,
especially after getting the next batter to a 2-2 count. With Galarraga on
first base, up to the plate came the ever-dangerous Tim Raines who had gone 0-1
with a walk in his previous two plate appearance. After a brief cool down
Dravecky got into his wind-up and fired a shot that went high and to the left
into the net behind home plate. Before anyone could grasp what had happened,
Dravecky dropped to the ground in writhing pain. The shoulder on his pitching
arm, in the same area where the surgeons had removed the cancerous tumors, had
snapped. It’s not often that one sees a grown man in such pain on live TV, but
the gravity of the situation never leaves your mind. There are a few videos on
the web that show what happened, but I’m not in favor of posting it. Fictional
violence in film is one thing, but showing something horrific happen to another
human being is where I draw the line. The news broke later that night of what
had actually happened, but I didn’t find out until the next day. After a few
more surgeries and staph infection broke out in Dravecky’s arm, he made the
decision to have it amputated. </div>
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I’ve brought this up in a few of my other blog posts, in
that I really didn’t come into my writing skills until I was 13-years-old. The
moment it all became apparent was in Mr. Fowler’s American History class at Fruitvale Jr. High School
in Bakersfield
when we were given a major presentation assignment under the topic of “Triumph
and Tragedy” or “Tragedy and Triumph.” There really was no wrong way of doing
it just as long as the essence of perseverance was conveyed through our report.
I chose Dravecky’s story through his book <u>Comeback</u>. One of the other
reference items I had to aid me in my report was one of my favorite videos that
I miraculously came across on Ebay back in 2008 on VHS called “Champions by the
Bay,” an essential collectors piece for any Giants or Athletics fan. Due to the
fact that the internet was really just getting dropped on the world at the
time, all of my research came from these two resources and a scatter of
magazine and newspaper clippings that I could come across. At the time, I
didn’t know a whole lot about Dravecky other than his years with the Giants,
what I later came to realize is that he was way more of a polarizing in
baseball than most remember.</div>
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Born in Youngstown, Ohio Dravecky attended his hometown college, Youngstown State, where he was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21<sup>st</sup> round of the 1978 amateur draft. He
spent his first three years in the minors with the Class-A Charleston Pirates
(1978) before getting promoted to the AA Buffalo Bisons, where he spent two
seasons (1979-1980) going 6-7 in his first year and 13-7 with a 3.35 ERA in his
second. When 1981 came around he was traded to the San Diego Padres where he
went 15-5 with a 2.67 ERA and 141 strikeouts with the AA Amarillo Gold Sox. It
was in this season that he became a devout Christian. 1982 with the AAA Hawaii
Islanders started off just as prosperous, 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 26 strikeouts
in 16 appearances (15 in relief), when he was called up to the Majors and made
his debut on June 15<sup>th</sup> of that year. From then until the middle of
1987 Dravecky made 199 appearances (119 starts) and finished with a 53-50
record, a 3.12 ERA, 456 strikeouts, one All-Star Game appearance in 1982 and
one appearance in the World Series in 1984 against the Detroit Tigers, which
they lost in five games. Dravecky pitched 10 2/3 innings in the playoff that
season and didn’t allow a single run while striking out 10 batters. </div>
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In the middle of the 1987 season the Padres traded Dravecky
along with Craig Lefferts and Kevin Mitchell to the Giants in exchange for
Chris Brown, Keith Comstock (who will appear in a future post), Mark Davis and
Mark Grant. If you know anything about 1980s baseball, you know that the Giants
totally owned the Padres on this deal. For the rest of the 1987 season Dravecky
went 7-5 in 18 starts with a 3.20 ERA and 78 strikeouts as well as an
appearance in the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis
Cardinals, which they lost in seven games. Dravecky made two starts and went
1-1 despite pitching 15 innings while only allowing one run seven hits and four
walks while striking out 14 batters. Seriously, he was lights out, but the
Giants couldn’t give him any run support after Cardinals’ right fielder Jose
Oquendo lobbed a sacrifice fly in the second inning of Game Six. </div>
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In 1988 Dravecky started off the season well, but was shut
down after his start on May 28<sup>th</sup> when the cancerous desmoid tumor
was discovered. </div>
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He had pitched in seven games, going 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 19
strikeouts. When he made his return at Candlestick Park
on August 10<sup>th</sup> he was met by a standing ovation from the sold out
crowd of 34,810 fans. </div>
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As I mentioned above, he pitched beautifully. His
comeback merited the Hutch Award at the end of the season which is given to the
player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive
desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity. The award
was created in 1965 in honor of Hutchinson, the former MLB pitcher and manager,
who died of lung cancer the previous year. When Dravecky’s pitching career
ended on that unfortunate day on August 15<sup>th</sup>, one detail from that
game ended up being an intriguing moment down the road. Garcia, the player who
had hit the home run off of Dravecky in the top of the sixth inning, saw his
playing career come to an end less than month later in September 12<sup>th</sup>.
The home run he hit would turn out to be the last in his 11-year career. Even
eerier, a year after he retired, Garcia started to have double vision and was
diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. In 1991, Garcia had the tumor removed,
and was told that he only has six months to live. The effects of the tumor left
him with limited speech and certain movement. He recovered enough to throw out
the first pitch of a Toronto Blue Jays playoff game in 1992, the team he had
been with for the majority of his career (1980-1986). His oldest son suffers
from hemophilia which prompted Garcia to run a baseball camp for hemophiliac
children in the Dominican
Republic. As for Dravecky, he found himself
at an unusual crossroad after the additional surgeries, the staph infection and
the eventual amputation of June 18, 1991. After his recovery Dravecky looked at
his life and analyzed his relationship with God and realized that baseball was
merely a stepping stone to reach the next step. He began touring as a motivational
speaker he wrote two books about his battles with cancer and his comeback
attempt: <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Comeback</span></u>,
published in 1990 and written with Tim Stafford, and <i>When You Can't Come
Back</i><u>,</u> co-authored with wife Jan and Ken Gire and published in 1992.
He has also written a Christian motivational book titled <u>Called Up</u> which
was published in 2004. </div>
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I don’t speak much of religion in my posts unless it is
pertinent to the topic at hand. As I mentioned above, and in a few other
instances, I was raised Mormon. Most of what I have done in life may not
reflect that of the typical Latter-Day Saint lifestyle (alcohol consumption,
tattoos, smoking, etc.), but the one thing that has stayed within my life from
those days is my faith in God. I’m a firm believer in the philosophy of “everything
happens for a reason,” but that part that I differ on from most religions is
that I don’t feel that God is necessarily controlling those moments. To me, God
is merely watching over us, working more as a conscience when it comes to
moments of right or wrong and taking the next step. It’s really more of a
comfort, kind of like the way our parents are always by our sides, reminding us
that they gave us the tools to succeed and now it’s up to us to choose the
right path as they look on. Nothing about what I believe is meant to persuade
anyone. You are all free to believe what you want and do what you want, but
this is merely look into how I became the man I am today as I reflect upon the
moments from my childhood that somehow became involved with the day that
Dravecky took the mound for the last time. Much like Dravecky, an injury while
I was playing baseball is inevitably what ended my possible opportunity to play
professional baseball. Obviously mine wasn’t as horrendous, but the end result
was the same: Baseball is merely a platform for us to see what our greater
purpose is. <a href="http://www.cbn.com/tv/1429132315001">For Dravecky, it’s sharing his story and sharing his testimony and relationship with God</a>. For me, it’s sharing stories through my writing and
baseball in the attempt to become a better person and help others along the
way. While my drive isn’t a religiously charged as Dravecky’s, the mission is
still the same.</div>
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Originally I was going to save this post until I could track down a Giants 1989 World Series cap since he was a part of the team that year, but I have something else planned for that. Instead, I chose this cap that the team used as their game cap from 1983 until the end of the 1993 season. Even though there were a lot of stories to tell during that time frame, nothing really embodied the good spirit of those teams quite like Dravecky in the two-and-a-half-years he was on the field. When I laid out my
design plan for my mascot and logos tattoos I did it with the intention that
every single piece had a greater story behind it. For the Giants, I got rather
subtly creative.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jWp82S-0Kg/UrEZumejduI/AAAAAAAADF8/S2T8DTOqGPg/s1600/NL7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jWp82S-0Kg/UrEZumejduI/AAAAAAAADF8/S2T8DTOqGPg/s320/NL7.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Originally I was going to add the old Crazy Crab that
everyone used to hate, and I may still add that down the road, but ultimately I
chose Lou Seal. More specifically, I found a picture of Lou Seal from a kids
MLB coloring book which featured a picture of him giving the thumbs up. Now,
being an Athletics fan I of course had to put my tweak on it by giving it a
thumbs down on top of the old school green underbrim on the cap; however, there
is one aspect that I was very specific about that very few ever notice. If you
look above you’ll notice that Lou Seal isn’t exactly all in frame. Yes, his
legs are being boxed out by Chief Noc-a-Homa below, but the left arm was
purposely covered up/removed as my tribute to Dravecky. Also, and this will
blow your mind even more, if you look at the full tattoo below you’ll see that
the two team mascots to his left (the Reds and Expos) are the last two teams he
faced, and the last two teams he notched wins against as the Giants still won
the game on August 15<sup>th</sup> as they preserved a 3-2 lead to end the
game. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MISNJKn_qEU/UrEZ_QvoQ8I/AAAAAAAADGE/ANlf5IjiYNA/s1600/NL1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MISNJKn_qEU/UrEZ_QvoQ8I/AAAAAAAADGE/ANlf5IjiYNA/s320/NL1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I may not see eye-to-eye with Giants fans most of the time,
but I do respect their history and quite a few of their players. Until the day
comes when I am dispatched from this life, I am happy to have Dravecky always
be a part of it.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-69744466865579817382013-12-16T15:24:00.002-08:002013-12-16T19:14:13.204-08:00August 14- Baltimore Orioles<!--[if !mso]>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I don’t know how to
start this post, so I’m just going to get into it. I’m very lucky and very
happy to be alive and I'm sorry for the families who were affected by the shooting at the Clackamas Town Center Mall. I know the heading date doesn't correspond, but the real time does. Please forgive that error.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GG-9huMZ7gM/Uq-LXVoWWBI/AAAAAAAADE0/MqlCXVPz8s0/s1600/20131216_182104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GG-9huMZ7gM/Uq-LXVoWWBI/AAAAAAAADE0/MqlCXVPz8s0/s320/20131216_182104.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each of my 350 New Era Caps tells a specific story, but only
a small handful of them have become synonymous with specific life-changing moments.
Prior to today I had only worn this cap once on December 12, 2012, even though
I bought it from the Lids in Eugene, Oregon about eight or nine months prior. I
really don’t have a specific reason as the why I never wore it. To be honest,
when you have as many caps as I do, you tend to forget about wearing a lot of
them. This cap in particular carries the story of one of the most intense,
depressing days of my life, and I couldn’t be happier to still be able to tell
the tale. As I look back on the way my day started, I have to attribute this
accessory decision to Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was living at my parents’ house in Portland,
Oregon at the time since my final term at the University of Oregon didn’t start until the first week
of January. Rather than be bored and jobless after the baseball season had
ended, I went back to work at Just Sports (@JustSportsPDX) at the Clackamas
Town Center Mall in southeastern Portland to help out my friend/boss Jason Cobb
(@JasonMCobb) and to put some extra cash into my pocket. This day in particular
I was set to work the closing shift of the higher-volume store downstairs as
Jason used it as one of his days off and I always preferred to close rather
than open since I’m usually livelier in the evening. This day in particular was
especially gloomy and cold, but thankfully not raining. My dog Tuaca, a
Rottweiler, woke me up around 9:30 AM by jumping on the bed to lick my face,
just like she did every morning before the last. My parents had already left for
work, but what I remember most is that my mother didn’t come into my room to
wake me up as she likes to do around 7 AM, well before I have any desire to see
the light of day. With dog slobber running down my face I made my way to the
bathroom to wash up before I headed into the kitchen to destroy a bowl of
Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It was tasty.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still had plenty of time to get ready as the drive to the
mall was only about 40 minutes away (holiday traffic) so I did my usual
Twittering. At this time I was still posting photos from my time in the MLB Fan
Cave and my tour across the country to my Instagram account and for some reason
I had decided to chat about when Jones and then-Oriole Robert Andino had
dropped in to shoot the “Put Some Birds on it” sketch. Andino didn’t say much,
but Jones was certainly the life of the party, all smiles and willing to do
whatever. Due to the fact that nobody in the Fan Cave
was an Orioles fan I opted to rock the home style cap along with a Nike shirt
that my friend Samuel had designed for the occasion. Besides my apparel, Jones
had taken a shine to me because of my MLB tattoos, most notably the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-14-baltimore-orioles.html">Billy Ripken homage</a> and my <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-28-philadelphia-phillies.html">“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” piece</a>. When the time came for
Jones, Andino and the production crew to hit the streets to continue filming,
Jones told me to come along too. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t say or do much while we were out and about except
snap pictures and occasionally swap jokes, but just being there and being
wanted to be there was really all the prize unto itself. Jones and Andino made
me feel appreciated, even if I wasn’t an Orioles fan. I think deep down they
both knew that I didn’t take all of the glitz and glamour serious, and that I
just wanted to have fun. So, when I posted the photos of before…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6pDEYOPe5M/Uq-IxaAE7qI/AAAAAAAADEI/iZ79EwIf4mo/s1600/Galaxy+Note+207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6pDEYOPe5M/Uq-IxaAE7qI/AAAAAAAADEI/iZ79EwIf4mo/s320/Galaxy+Note+207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and after…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dF71PxxPqVQ/Uq-JFS5fVLI/AAAAAAAADEQ/w3oRlzwxjkg/s1600/Galaxy+Note+209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dF71PxxPqVQ/Uq-JFS5fVLI/AAAAAAAADEQ/w3oRlzwxjkg/s320/Galaxy+Note+209.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VfVvqgzkIkg/UMjAUgvWviI/AAAAAAAAAFs/rimGlX-hNcw/s1600/Birds.jpg"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"><br /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And tagged him in them, we had a bit to talk about seven
months removed from that day. To give clarification, the top photo was from the
two of them walking the streets with the big Orioles logo and the bottom one
was a photo I personally wanted to send to my friend Scott Landis
(@ScottCLandis), an actual Orioles fan, for his birthday that was a month away
at the time. Not too long after I posted them Jones hit me up, started
following on Twitter and we gabbed for a bit about Andino going to Seattle to play for the
Mariners. After we wrapped things up I hit the shower, got dressed and picked
out my cap. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite the number of Orioles caps I own I had yet to
dedicate any of my markings from the current caps to anyone except Andino,
which I’ll get into in a later post. With the 2012 to present road cap still
available I marked it up with the two guys who I knew would be superstars in Baltimore when their
careers came to an end..</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eyPmWK4hTtw/Uq-JXlgy-PI/AAAAAAAADEY/OtpvoVhGmJo/s1600/Galaxy+Note+2500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eyPmWK4hTtw/Uq-JXlgy-PI/AAAAAAAADEY/OtpvoVhGmJo/s320/Galaxy+Note+2500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
#10- Adam Jones</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
#13- Manny Machado</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In retrospect I realize how amusing it is for me of all people
to give Machado this accolade, especially after all the guff I got from Orioles
fans all season after I said Josh Donaldson was better, but none of that means
that I don’t think Machado is going to be a star. He most definitely is.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This majority of this<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>portion I
wrote around 2:00 AM on December 13, 2012. I have added a few pieces since.</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I arrived about 15 minutes early and checked my online
activity on my phone at the Starbucks at the southwestern side of the mall, as
that was the best spot for me to get internet access. Before I left my house I
had posted (above) my 4-step New Era photo of me taking off the stickers,
creasing the bill and marking the hat with jersey numbers for one of my newer
Orioles hats. I had gotten a few likes, which I was satisfied with and headed
in a little early to see if any new freight had come in. There had, but only
about 4 new boxes, nothing terrible. I clocked in and dove in to try and get
caught up on the previous freight. We had gotten in a load of NFL, Oregon Ducks
and NBA jersey restock as well as a lot of popular sweatshirts. My co-assistant
manager Clayton and I stuck to the freight whilst the other employees: Adam,
Connor, Justin and Kevin helped the customers. Every now-and-then I popped out
onto the floor to help someone, but for the most part I stuck to getting the
product out. I had quickly knocked out one of the boxes. Since a lot of the
product required sensor tags, I first put out all of the stuff that didn’t need
them: Portland Timbers gear. We had about 5 adult and youth jersey to throw on
our 50% off rounder so I finessed them in, along with about 7 hooded
sweatshirts. I walked back to grab the last two shirts when I heard a loud
bang.</div>
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I have heard in moments like this that time stands still. A
few of the customers around me and I exchanged glances and all had puzzled
looks. Somewhere in a matter of a fraction of a second we all came to the
conclusion, mentally at least, that the sound was probably a large box that had
fallen to the ground and made the commotion. As I turn to hang up the last two
shirts it started… BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!! Having fired off an
array of hand guns, assault rifles and sniper ripples with my stepfather, I
knew what I was hearing. Everyone in the store, roughly 12 people including
myself, had stopped in their tracks. I on the other hand sprinted to the door
to close and lock them. I remember yelling, “Get out!” to everyone as I ran,
but still no one moved. I saw dozens of people running eastward as I got to the
door and told and grabbed as many people as I could into the store before no
one else was within my grasp. I closed the doors, hit the deck and locked the
massive glass doors as quickly as I could. One kid in particular was standing
next to me doing nothing. I yelled, “Get the fuck to the back of the store!” He
froze. I then pushed and yelled at everyone else to go out the back door.
Clayton and the rest of my co-workers to notice and began rushing everyone out.
I had never been in a situation like this before, by a sense of leadership
overcame me. As soon as I saw everyone clear out the back I quickly closed the
door completely and ducked behind the sales counter, waiting to see if anyone
would walk by. After a few moments I walked toward the front to see if there
was anyone else out there. Sure enough there were patrons casually walking
through the mall on their cell phones. I unlocked one of the doors and called
for them to come in. Once they cleared the threshold I locked it again,
explained what had happened and got them out. I then moved back to the counter
area and got on twitter to post that there had been a shooting. I’m still not
sure why, but I momentarily went back about my business as the phone rang from
other stores in our company looking for product. I told them all that there had
been a shooting and their attitude quickly changed, making sure I was OK. I
said yes, asked what they were looking for and gave them an answer. In between
calls I continued to tweet what I was seeing. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Clayton and Adam had started texting me, asking if I was
still inside. I told them yes and that I was waiting. At this time they
informed that the police had arrived and surrounded the building. When I read
that I knew I couldn’t just walk out into safety. Looking the way I do, with my
beard and all, I would be greeted by local law enforcement with all guns on me,
ready to be taken into custody to be questioned. Obviously I had no
involvement, but they don’t know that. I continued to stay behind the counter
and kept tweeting. For some reason I took to trying to be a bit more humorous
for a few. I remembered reading about Brett Lawrie being in a mall when a
shooting had broken out and so I sent out a tweet to the tune of, “I feel a lot
like Brett Lawrie right now.” After that I sent, “I'm glad I have shoes on.
Last thing I need is broken glass and bare feet like John MacLaine,” an obvious
Die Hard reference. Almost immediately after that tweet SWAT had taken siege. I
saw three teams of three stroll by the front of the store, all armed with AR-15
rifles and full body gear. After they passed I hit the floor and crept my way
across to the front to snap some photos. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zNbY3pH0l4/Uq-JsoQotGI/AAAAAAAADEg/8aOuxVAgPLg/s1600/Galaxy+Note+2502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zNbY3pH0l4/Uq-JsoQotGI/AAAAAAAADEg/8aOuxVAgPLg/s320/Galaxy+Note+2502.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pS4K9sniev0/UMjBWsEpm1I/AAAAAAAAAF0/8wMvomhT9P0/s1600/Shooting2.jpg"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"><br /></span></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I finally saw a sheriff’s deputy across the way and signaled
to him that I was trapped inside. He motioned for me to get back, so I did. Ben
Lacy, a producer at KGW in Portland, and fellow Oregon alum, hit me up
on Twitter and asked if they could do a live interview. I sent him a DM with my
number and said yes. Five minutes later I was live on the air, taking the
reporter step by step as to what had happened. A few minutes in, the police had
arrived at the door and motioned for me. The glass isn’t soundproof, so they
told me to unlock the door and be ready to stay low and move out. I had
forgotten my Galaxy Note and jacket, but didn’t care. I wanted to get out. As
soon as I got the green light, I cleared out. I looked back and noticed that
there were six totally officers, all armed to the teeth with .45s, shotguns and
rifles. I booked a sharp right and headed out.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, at the time when I made my exit I thought I had an
officer tailing behind me as an escort. I didn’t. As soon as I cleared the
threshold of the door I was “greeted” by five officers with shotguns and
assault rifles all pointed at me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Get your hands up!” I heard someone yell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I complied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Get on your knees and drop the phone!” I heard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Slowly lay down and cross your legs!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as I did I felt my Orioles hat slip down over my
face, but I remained motionless. The last thing I wanted was a bullet entering
any part of my body. All I could think about was the first two seasons of the
TV show “The Wire” that I had been going through whenever I had free time. More
than likely you can chalk that up to the fact that the show takes place in Baltimore and I happened
to be wearing an Orioles cap. One of the deputies came around and slapped
handcuffs on me, pulled me up and walked me to the left for questioning. I
stood up straight and answered everything he asked: Name, business at the mall,
etc. He then got on his intercom and asked for a description of the suspect,
which luckily I didn’t fit. As I stood there shivering in khaki and pants and a
polo shirt in the cold more people began exiting… all of which glared at me as
they passed as if I was the shooter. I didn’t let it bother me. I turned my
head to the left to get a look at the deputy and listen in on the responses he
was getting. He was almost a foot shorter than me with short grey hair and an
amazing salt and pepper mustache and glasses. He then slipped his business card
into my pocket and told me to call if I had any information to give as he
unlocked the steel bracelets. He pointed me toward the left of the parking lot
and told me to get out that way. I did what he asked and walked away… for a
bit. Around this time I was getting texts and calls from a lot of people making
sure I was safe. Since my Note was still inside the store I couldn’t get on
Twitter to let everyone know I had made it out. I texted everyone I knew who
had Twitter to let them know and to let others know I was fine. Unfortunately,
most of the people that I knew who had large followings on Twitter are all on
the East Coast. Not until the end of the night did it dawn on me that they had
no idea what was going on. Therefore, I got a lot of confused texts back. My
friend Kat in Boston,
who works for NECN, called me up; made sure I was doing fine and asked if I
would do an interview. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kat and I went to the University
of Oregon together and I crashed at
her place in Boston
during my second trip there over the summer during my MLB stadium tour. She is
also one of the few reporters to be on the scene as the bomb went off near the
finish line of the Boston Marathon. I said I’d be more than happy to. As we
chatted on the phone I noticed more people leaving the mall… I then hatched a
plan. I really wanted my Note back so I could get back on Twitter to give
updates so I asked the deputy at the door if he could escort me back to the
store so I could lock it up, which is actually true. He said yes and took me
back. About halfway there he asked another deputy, the one who handcuffed and
questioned me, to take me the rest of the way. He jokingly said yes and
followed me in. I quickly ran in and grabbed my jacket, cigarettes, Note and
locked the door on my way out. It was during this time that I noticed tables,
chairs and product from stores strewn about the walkway of the mall.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mA6B_v7QYeM/Uq-J4_CXmMI/AAAAAAAADEo/-t0tPhCCu20/s1600/Galaxy+Note+2505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mA6B_v7QYeM/Uq-J4_CXmMI/AAAAAAAADEo/-t0tPhCCu20/s320/Galaxy+Note+2505.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a rather eerie feeling, but for some reason I
was still calm. I half sprinted back to the original doorway I had exited the
mall and passed by a girl crying hysterically and talking to two officers as
she had witnessed the shooting. I didn’t gather much as I wanted to get back
outside. Once again, as I cleared the door way the same officer was about to
yell at me to get down, but realized I was the same guy as before. A slight
moment passed and he told me to be on my way. I called Kat back and did the
interview with one of their reports and walked across the road where I knew
there was a Starbucks with Wi-Fi. I sat down and typed away. Giving updates on
Facebook and Twitter what I knew, and what I had overheard. It also gave me
time to call my parents and assure everyone that I was safe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the next hour or so I did interviews with KATU in
Portland, NECN live in air, the Jeff Sammut Show (@JeffSammut590) in Toronto
and even Good Morning America. I posted photos and got hit up by FOX and CNN
for permission to run the photos and do more interviews. It was a weird
feeling. Despite going to the U of O for journalism, I had always wanted to do
sports. This was way more important and I gave my clearance on everything as it
is my responsibility to relay the information. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around 5:45 PM PST, over two hours since the shooting had
started; I finally got in my car and headed home. Mentally I was burnt out and
just wanted to get back into the familiar. Traffic was pretty ridiculous and I
called ahead to my mom to let her know. With nothing but the steering in my
hands and my thoughts, my brain drifted back to when I was 14-years-old, living
in Bakersfield, California. (This part of the story I have
never told anyone) </div>
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I can’t really remember the date, but I do remember it was
spring. I was with a few of my friends at his parents’ house, a few blocks from
Centennial High School where we all attended. We had
been sitting around, watching TV and gabbing about usual high schooler things.
Around 4:30 his older brother walked into the house and sat down with us. As he
sat down he pulled out a bad of marijuana and his .45 from the waistband of the
back of his pants. What I didn’t know and everyone else did was that he was a
drug dealer. At that time I really didn’t like guns too much so I sat away from
everyone else as they talked about it and wanted to see it. After about five
minutes of that nonsense I had to pee so I got up and went down the hall and
around a left turn corner to go. I finished, washed my hands and walked out. As
I was about to bank right back into their living room the gun fired. I didn’t
realize it at first until I turned my head to the right and noticed the gun
pointing at my face. I then turned me head quickly left and noticed a bullet
hole in the wall. The bullet had whizzed about 7 inches from my face and by the
grace of God had missed. Everyone in the living room froze, except for my friend’s
brother who quickly snatched the gun out of the hand of the kid who had fired
it. Despite the clip being out of the gun, my friend’s brother forgot to take
the one in the chamber out before he handed it off to let the younglings play
with it. The last thing I remember was yelling at everyone, crying and running
home. I didn’t tell my parents and I stopped talking to the kid who had pulled
the trigger for years. That, realistically, is the closest I had ever come to
dying as a result of gun-related means. </div>
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Throughout my day I had been calm and collective. The
shooting at the mall took place about 200 yards away from me, yet I still went
into protective mode over everyone else. Perhaps the trauma from my youth made
me less scared? I’ll never really know. After seeing my parents, having dinner
with them and watching “North by Northwest” with them, the gravity of today’s
events didn’t hit me until they went to bed. </div>
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What happened when I was a kid was in isolated incident, but
what happened today took place on a much larger scale. Three people are dead,
including the shooter. Thousands of people will be affected by this for the
rest of their lives. As terrible as things got, I am forever grateful that I
was there to have a clear head and to help people get to safety. Hero is a word
I’ve heard a few times since. Thrown around casually as we do with our sports
icons, but I certainly don’t feel like one. I just did what needed to be done.
I can only hope that others do the same in a similar situation. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back to today</i></b></div>
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Over the last year I have spoken to a few people about it,
but for the most part I don’t really bring it up unless somebody else does. In
the time shortly after that night our country was dealt with another vicious
blow as 26 kids and a teacher were gunned down in a similar fashion at Sandy Hook Elementary School
in Newtown, Connecticut. Dealing with the death of
adults via shooting has been something I’ve been able to deal with; however,
the death of kids, in any fashion, is an unfortunate blight that is truly hard
to shake. The one thing from that day that I haven’t been able to shake is the
information that came to light when my co-worker/friend Adam Weaver and I went
back to work to clean up the store right before the mall re-opened their doors,
we had in fact met the shooter a few days prior. </div>
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Adam was the one who had helped and rung him up for a
Pittsburgh Pirates Cooperstown Collection New Era Cap, but the three us, along
with his friend he had with him, all chatted it out for a bit afterward. Nothing
from that moment would have indicated that he would come back and do the
horrible thing that he did. But then again, what really are the warning signs
for these kinds of things? I’m not going to spin this into a philosophical
piece, but I do want to conclude by saying that every person I’ve met in my
life, even for just five seconds, has some bearing on my shaping of who I am
today. The same can really be said for all of us. Over the last year I had my
ups and downs, but the most significant of downs came as my time in the Fan Cave
came to an end and the way my relationships with those I worked with crumbled
in the months to follow. Lindsay Guentzel, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-26-milwaukeeatlanta-braves.html">Ricky Mast</a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/july-24-atlanta-braves.html">Shaun Kippins</a> were
the only three from my time to contact me after the shooting and Mike O’Hara
and Ryan Wagner from the first season were on top of things with me as the
information unfolded. As for the rest, nothing.</div>
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A lot of my turmoil between the rest of the group I had
covered back on my <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/09/july-16-2013-national-league-all-star.html">July 16th post about the National League All-Star cap</a> and how things went sour during the 2012 All-Star Game. One thing I may
have left out in that was how, even in my later apologies, I had tried to get a
hold of Ricardo Marquez as soon as I got home that night, but didn’t receive a
reply. I’m not trying to make him look like a jerk, nor anybody else, but in
the weeks that followed the shooting I really felt wrongfully neglected by the
group even though I was doing my damndest to patch things up. To each their
own, I suppose. </div>
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What I want to leave you all with is some insight. It’s very
unhealthy to bottle things up. This is something I’ve learned and continue to
learn when I write these blog posts. Not everyone will be your friend, but it’s
almost important to put forth a good effort and let others know that you’ll be
there for them. Who knows what kind of tragedies can be prevented down the
road, but even if they can’t be prevented, at least you’ll have a clear
conscience on knowing that you did everything you could. This could go for
anyone really. It doesn’t matter how big or small or close the person is to
you, resolving your issues, helping out others and showing someone that you
care goes a lot farther than anyone can think. Not a day goes by that I wish I
didn’t do more or could take back all the harsh things that happened between
the people I care about and myself. For the rest of my life I’ll be living with
these things, and for the rest of my life this hat will be a symbol to remind
me of how to make it better.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-44637125056679432892013-12-13T01:04:00.000-08:002013-12-13T01:04:00.824-08:00August 13- Canada World Baseball Classic<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve been to Canada
three times in my life. The first time was when I was 19-years-old. My
girlfriend at the time and I traveled north to Vancouver, B.C. for a weekend of boozery and
gambling. What ended up happening is that I became violently ill after the
first night, but still partied through the pain. When we got back to Vancouver,
Washington I dropped by the doctors office to see what was wrong with me after
my fever of 104 degrees wouldn’t go away and because I was actually pissing
orange. At first my doctor thought I had contracted hepatitis, but I lucked out
and only had a wicked case of mononucleosis. </div>
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The second time I ventured up was in during late August of
2009 when my then-girlfriend took a job teaching German at an immersion school
in Anchorage, Alaska. She didn’t have a lot of stuff to
move, but we managed to get it all into her Ford Focus and drive all the way
from Eugene, Oregon to her new place. It took us four
days and close to 3,000 miles to make it through some of the mostly uninhabited,
yet strangely beautiful country that I never in my life imagined that I would
have ever visited. It took me four-and-a-half hours to fly back to Portland and she promptly
broke up with me less than three weeks later. Needless to say, my experiences
with Canada
were not exactly the most riveting. </div>
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My last trip came in late July of 2012 when I flew into Toronto to meet up with my friend, and fellow MLB Fan
Cave hopeful Dave Barclay
(@DaveBarc). I stayed with him and his wife Krista for about six days and took
in four Toronto Blue Jays games, two against my Oakland Athletics and two
against my friend, and another Fan Cave hopeful Jay Tuohey’s (@TheRoar_24)
Detroit Tigers before I headed east to Montreal to visit my good friend Dave
Kaufman (@TheKaufmanShow) for a week. In short, it was one of the greatest
experiences of my life. </div>
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My time in Toronto
felt like it flew by way faster than it did. The first leg of my journey
started at the airport when I was almost not allowed into the country. Due to
the fact that I was staying for such a long period of time, leaving the country
by car with Dave and looking the way I do made a few people in customs a bit
suspicious of my trip. It wasn’t until I fibbed a little bit and said that I
worked for Major League Baseball that they started to come around and
understand what I was doing. Due to the fact that the Expos no longer play in Montreal it caused a bit
of red flag. I had to explain to them that I was writing a book on Olympic
Stadium and the culture of baseball in Eastern Canada before they finally
understood my purpose for being their. After an hour-and-a-half delay I
received my stamp and approval and I made my way to baggage claim and then on
out to Dave’s car as we had to then haul ass to the Rogers Centre for that
night’s game against the Athletics. Thank God we made it too, as that was the
game when Josh Reddick pulled off the Spiderman catch to rob Travis Snyder of a
home run and the Blue Jays suffered their biggest home loss (0-16) in franchise
history. I was left grinning…</div>
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Dave had a bit of sad face.</div>
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The next game I went to solo, but met up with a fellow
Athletics fan from Canada named Brad Baker (@Beleaf33).</div>
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We both managed to score tickets right behind the visiting
(Athletics) dugout, but our seats were a ways apart. Oddly enough, a few of the
Blue Jays fans in the surrounding seats pointed out that there were two empty
seats together and invited us to sit together, because Canadians are too damn
nice! I met up with <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/july-31-tampa-bay-devil-rays.html">Jonny Gomes</a> before the game started and a few of the other
players were shocked to not only see me outside of Oakland, but in another country. </div>
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I explained
to them that I had it planned out in advance all around catching the last two
games of the series which helped their morale quite a bit. As everyone took
their place on the field I headed back to my seat where I was stopped by two of
the ushers asking me if I was the guy from the Fan Cave.
I smiled and said yes and we chatted for a bit about it. To be honest, most of
my time in Toronto
at Rogers Centre was met with people stopping to take photos with me and to ask
about my experience. I don’t say any of this to brag, I honestly am humbled by
all of it and was very appreciative of everyone who paid attention to what I
had done and all the support they had and still give me. When I got back to my
seat it was time for the National Anthems. Because we were in Canada they started with the Star-Spangled
Banner, which the singer flew through because, well… it’s Canada. I sang
along with it as I usually do and gave a sporting cheer afterward. Then, it was
time for Oh Canada.
I know this sounds weird coming from someone from the United States, but I actually really enjoy Canada’s
anthem. I love it even more because everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, sings along
with it. There’s no shame in not singing your anthem, but it’s kind of telling
how a culture is based on how many people are involved with something that
seems insignificant. And to be honest, I sang along too. I’ve sung for all of
my life, believe it or not, and Oh Canada is one of those songs that
has a wonderful harmony and movement that is almost irresistible to resist
singing to. More important, it’s truly inspiring. Don’t believe me, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j5ucKaBtR4">check out this video from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011</a>. Chilling.</div>
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One point from this game that I’ll never forget is when I
was standing in line for a beer and I met up with one of my now friends Seth
Ehrenberg (@SethE19) for the first time. Seth is a marketing rep for New Era
and one of the biggest reasons why I’ve developed such a close bond with the
company, let alone had the chance to visit their headquarters in Buffalo, New York
twice. After our chance meeting I ran into another friend, Jeff Sammut
(@JeffSammut590), who is one of the regular sports talk guys on 590 Sportsnet
in Toronto who has had me on his show numerous times as a baseball
correspondent over the last year. Unfortunately, the Athletics were only able to take two out
of the three games in that series, and after the loss in the final game I took
to the streets of Toronto
with a few random fans I met at the game and got absolutely plastered. Luckily
I was able to sober up to meet up with Dave and his friend Matt to help make one of his Fan Cave
correspondent videos he had been working on before and after his run. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVtMDG_B6OE&feature=c4-overview&list=UUS5s1I1uQK_yQaM6hWUPRDQ">Here it is if you want to check it out</a>. It’s pretty funny, except for me.</div>
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The rest of my time was filled with swapping stories with
Dave and his wife, checking out a modernized Shakespeare in the Park production
of “A Midsummer Night’s Tale” along with Jay before we all headed out to the
Tigers/Blue Jays game the next day. I had also happened to catch the first game
of the series with a few friends I had made while I was in New York, Kenneth Tan (@ktan09) and Eric
Hartman (@EricHartman). </div>
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<b>Eric, Kenneth, Me</b> </div>
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I also ran into a few others I met through Twitter,
Steven P (@stevenact4) and another dude whose name escapes me at the moment. </div>
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A few things I do remember from my time with Kenneth and
Eric is that we got thoroughly hammered, saw Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder
hit back-to-back home runs for only the second time that season, Eric won a gift card to Boston Pizza during the game and was shown on the Jumbotron</div>
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and I lost my
only source of spending (my debit card) at said Boston Pizza after the game.
Luckily I found it two days later. As for the game with Dave, Jay and Jay’s
dad, shenanigans definitely ensued. </div>
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On my final day in the big city before catching the train to
Montreal, Dave
invited Jay over so that he and I could be guests on his MLB podcast that he
does with his friend Paul Frank (@pwgfrank) called Sunday Afternoon Baseball
with Paul & Dave (@SABwithPaulDave). </div>
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<b>Paul, Me, Dave</b></div>
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Bias aside, it’s one of the best,
funniest baseball podcasts available which takes place during every Sunday Blue
Jays game and features scores of guests all impersonated perfectly by Paul. I
highly recommend it. As soon as we wrapped things up we all said our goodbyes
and Jay and I caught the bus to the train station so he could bid me a fond
farewell… and also because his hotel was right across the street from the
station. Our adventure would continue in a month when I headed to Detroit, but I’ll save
those stories for later posts. For now, I was on my way to Montreal.</div>
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The train took about four hours to get there, but I was
beyond stoked to finally land in a city that I had been wanting to visit since
I was kid. Granted, I wanted to see the Expos play, but with that no longer and
option I was equally satisfied with being able to spend time with my friend
Dave Kaufman on his home turf. And Dave, being the gracious host that he is,
kicked things off by taking me to a local pub called Grumpy’s for a few rounds
and some pub trivia hosted by his good friend Amy Luft (@amyluft). Normally I’m
really good at bar trivia; however, I felt an immediate bias due to the fact
that at least two of the rounds focused heavily on landmarks and history around
Montreal. I
call those rounds my “Ryan Leaf moment.” Other than that, I held my own as Buck
Rodgers judged me from above. </div>
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Dave took me all over the city and introduced me to a
culinary staple of Quebec
culture known as poutine at one of the more famous spots called La Banquise. If
you don’t know, it’s basically french fries with brown gravy and cheese curds.
You can also add various meats like bacon to it like we both did, but I could
only woof down about half of mine before the richness of it. One thing that I
will never forget about La Banquise in the three trips that we made there
(twice whilst intoxicated) is that I was absolutely infatuated with one of the
waitresses working there. I don’t speak French, so I was pretty much dead in
the water from the start, but she easily could have been a model for Suicide
Girls. I am much happier in my current relationship, but this story would have
less accurate if I left this detail out. As far as other culinary delights are
concerned, the best part of the trip came when Dave took me to Schwartz’s for a
smoked meat sandwich which can only be perfectly paired with a black cherry
soda. Needless to say, I still have wet dreams about this sandwich.</div>
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Dave and I had become acquainted back in February of 2012
when he first had me as a guest on his weekly radio show The Kaufman Show on
TSN 990 in Montreal.
During my time in the Fan Cave I became his weekly correspondent after we
finally met in person when he had paid a visit to New York to catch Bruce Springsteen in
concert, a detail that will be brought up again in a not-too-distant post. Our
mutual love and sadness for the Expos is what brought us together in the first
place and it is definitely what motivated me to go up and visit him. </div>
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It took a few days, but we finally made it out to the Big O
sometime around midnight on a week night. I wasn’t in any kind of rush, it’s
not like it was going anywhere…</div>
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Sort of. I found this chunk lying on the ground and
definitely held onto it. I had never felt compelled to ever want a piece of a
stadium, but I knew this one would carry a lot of significance based on the
fact that I never had a chance to see the Expos play inside. Most of our
experience that night I wrote about on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-16-montreal-expos.html">February 16th for my Gary Carter tribute piece</a>, but what I may have left out is that in that moment, as
an Expos fan, I was happiest. I had never grown up or had other friends who
were Expos fans, nor could they have ever understood the loss of that team
quite like Dave had. Being with someone who had gone through it all could have
only been rivaled by the final Expos game played in the Big O on September 29,
2004 which ironically occurred against the Florida Marlins. Just listening to
Dave’s stories about the 1994 season, Vladimir Guerrero’s bid for 40 home runs
and 40 stolen bases and the moments he shared with his friends and family, good
or bad, was all I needed.</div>
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One thing that Dave surprised me with (twice) was entrance
and media passes to OSHEAGA, a three-day music festival that took place in Montreal. Dave had
mentioned it in passing well before I got there, but I didn’t really understand
how big of a deal it was until I saw the lineup: Snoop Dogg (his second
appearance as Snoop Lion), The Black Keys, the Arkells, Garbage, Fun., Bloc
Party, Justice, The Shins and a hell of a lot more. Like I said, three days. </div>
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Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of going to live shows, mostly for he sake
of price gouging and so many people “all up in your business;” however, since
this was an outdoor event it made things way more tolerable, plus with
backstage passes food and drinks are like half the price. I got thoroughly
bombed on Day 2. </div>
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One of the other really cool aspects of being up in Canada during
this time period was because the Olympics had just kicked off. Having been in
the US
for every Olympics it was interesting to get a different take on the summer
games in a different country. And yes, even in Canada things are vastly different.
See, during the winter games the Canadians obviously own the US when it
comes to medals, but during the summer it’s the other way around. So when the
Canadians win anything (mostly bronze) it’s a huge deal. I found it to be way
more fulfilling than all the years of watching in the US and how it’s
almost a failure if we don’t win gold in a particular event. Not to mention,
having the pleasure of Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole as the lead anchors is hands
down better than anything that the States could have put together. You can
blame Dick Ebersol on the one.</div>
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Toward the end of our time together Dave and I took a
leisure day and drove south down to the States to take in something that I had
never had a chance to experience: the National Baseball Hall of Fame &
Museum in Cooperstown, New York. </div>
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We combed every inch of the three
story building and even met up with one of the museum’s historians to set up a
possible second so that we could go through the archives to check out all the
Expos stuff that wasn’t on display. That meeting altogether was interesting
because it ended with him saying that I should submit photos of my tattoos to
get added to the collection. It’s been a year-and-a-half and I still haven’t
done it. Not because I don’t want to, but because it’s not finished. After our
tour we took to the street to do some shopping. I of course bought a few hats
at one of my favorite shops I routinely purchase from online, Mickey’s Place.</div>
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All in all, we had a great time. There are very few people
in my life who I could have shared that experience with on the same level, and
Dave is certainly one of those people. </div>
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The last days I was able to enjoy in Montreal ended on the best note possible. I
made my last in studio appearance on The Kaufman Show along with Nick Dika
(@NickDika), the bass player for The Arkells and Brad Ferguson (@LeftOffBase),
a tour manager and sound engineer who I befriended through Dave and Nick. Brad
I wrote about in my <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-24-buffalo-bisons.html">Buffalo Bisons post on June 24<sup>th</sup></a> as we happened
to be at the same game while I was on my New Era trip. </div>
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<b>Me, Dave, Brad, Nick</b></div>
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The reason why the four
of us were together that night was because we were heading the US the next day
to catch the Texas Rangers play the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, which turned
out to be Nick’s and my first Fenway experience. So, like the responsible
people that we are, we hit a bar and got thoroughly toasty on my final night in
Canada.</div>
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As luck would have it my friend Tarn MacArthur, a graduate
student at the University of Oregon from Montreal,
happened to be visiting home on the same night.</div>
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Seriously, I couldn’t have had a better experience.</div>
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We packed up Dave’s car the next morning and drove over to
his mother’s place to borrow her SUV for the trip. Dave and Nick were the only
two driving back into Canada
as Brad was catching a flight out of Boston and
I was meeting up with my good friend Neil Beschle at Fenway to which I would be
crashing with him in Worchester,
Massachusetts for the next week.
When we got to Dave’s mom’s place I helped load all of our belongings into the
back while Dave talked to his mom and gave her his car keys for the duration.
Before we left his mom made mention to one of us forgetting a sleeping bag;
however, none of us actually had a sleeping bag so we dismissed it. Little did
I know, this moment would come to bite me in the ass hard. But… that story will
wait for another post.</div>
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Based on my previous two trips to Canada, this particular trip was
obviously a million times better. But on a grand scale of life accomplishments,
this trip ranks in the top-10. I’ve always done what I could to get out and
explore the world and all the people that I met along the way to make it
possible are the sole reason why my time up north was so praiseworthy. Canada has
produced some fine people, and Dave and Dave are certainly two of the best I
have the honor of calling my friends.</div>
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On an additional note, as long as I can make it, Dave
Kaufman scored me a ticket to the second game of the Blue Jays versus the New
York Mets exhibition games at Olympic Stadium. I can finally now make that
dream of seeing big league baseball at the Big O a reality. Thank you so much
Dave.</div>
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And now, the hat…</div>
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This cap has been a fixture of the Canadian World Baseball
Classic Team since the first tournament in 2006. I had been meaning to pick it
up for a number of years, but kept letting it slide until my trip to Buffalo. Derick Chartrand
(@lekid26), is one of the #CrewEra13 members who was invited to Buffalo as part of the
New Era Fan Appreciation event. Derick is from Montreal and had never left the country, let
alone flown on an airplane until that trip. A fellow die-hard Expos fan, we
became friends very fast, much like the rest of the group with one another, but
with Derick we had a little bit tighter of a bond because of the Expos fanship. </div>
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When the time came for us to go on a shopping spree in the Flagship Store I
found myself a little befuddled on what caps to get with so many options to
choose from. Naturally, Derick suggested the Canadian WBC cap. I didn’t have a
good reason not to get it, so… I locked it up, and have very happy with the
decision since. All that was left to do was come up with some numbers.</div>
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4- Pete Orr was born in Richmond Hill,
Ontario, attended high school Newmarket
and has the distinction of being the only player to appear on the roster for
all three times Canada
has played in the WBC. Orr attended Galveston Community College in Galveston,
Texas and was a 39th round draft pick of the Rangers in 1998 (1187th overall),
spending one year there before signing with the Atlanta Braves on July 3, 1999.</div>
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Orr spent his first professional season with Short-Season Jamestown
Jammers of the New York-Penn League in 2000, hitting .242 with two homers, 15
RBIs and 40 runs scored in 69 games. He hit .233 with four homers, 23 RBIs and
38 runs scored in 92 games with the Advanced-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina
League in 2001. In 2002 he spent most of the season with the Double-A Greenville
Braves of the Southern League, hitting .249 with two homers, 36 RBIs and 36
runs scored in 89 games. He also hit .392 with eight RBIs in 17 games with Myrtle Beach. Orr spent
the 2003 season with AA Greenville, batting .226 with two homers and 31 RBIs in
98 games. He was named a Southern League Baseball America AA All-Star. He
established career highs in average, .320, hits, 147, doubles, 16, triples, 10,
stolen bases, 24 and runs scored 69. His .320 batting average and 24 stolen
bases led the AAA Richmond Braves in 2004. He was selected to play in the International
League All-Star game. He was named International League April Player of the
Month, posting a .381 batting average with four doubles, one triple and five
RBIs. He ranked fifth in the IL and fourth among Braves Minor Leaguers in
average, tied second in the IL and led Braves Minor Leaguers in triples, tied
for sixth in the IL and led Braves Minor Leaguers in hits and tied for seventh
among Braves Minor Leaguers in stolen bases. Orr won the Bill Lucas Award as
the player who best represents the Braves organization on and off the field by
the 400 Club. He was also part of Team Canada who finished in fourth place
at the 2004 Summer Olympics.</div>
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Orr made his Major League debut for the Braves on April 5, 2005.
He proved to be a versatile player, playing second base, third base, and
various outfield positions during the 2005 season. Orr was optioned to AAA Richmond
on July 5, 2007, when the Braves called up Jo-Jo Reyes from Triple-A Richmond
to make his Major League debut. He was brought up again on August 27. He was
designated for assignment by the Braves on November 20, 2007, and was released
on November 28, 2007.</div>
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In December 2007, Orr signed a minor league contract with
the Washington Nationals and on June 21, 2008, his contract was selected by the
Nationals along with right-handed pitcher Steven Shell. On October 30, 2008,
Orr rejected his assignment to AAA and became a free agent. However, he
returned to the team two weeks later, signing a minor league deal, playing with
the Syracuse Chiefs in the International League, with a chance to earn a spot
on the team in the spring. </div>
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On November 11, 2010, Orr signed with the Philadelphia
Phillies. During spring training play, he led the major leagues in triples,
with 5, subsequently becoming a member of the team's Opening Day roster. After
spending the 2011 season with both the Phillies and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs,
their AAA affiliate, he became a free agent on October 18. On November 3, Orr
re-signed a minor league contract with the Phillies, receiving an invite to
spring training. He was again included on the team's Opening Day roster at the
onset of the 2012 season. </div>
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11- Arguably one of the greatest names in baseball history,
Stubby Clapp is a hitting coach with the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays and is a
former player who was a member of the 2006 and 2009 WBC teams and the 2004
Olympic team. He played for 11 years, most notably within the St. Louis
Cardinals organization, including a brief stint in the Majors with the
Cardinals. In his native Canada,
he is best remembered for his performance at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, where he slapped a bases-loaded single in the
11th inning to beat a more experienced U.S.
team and put Canada
in the semifinals. Canada
eventually won bronze medal. Clapp graduated from Texas Tech University, where he played for the Red
Raiders baseball team. He still holds (or shares) the Red Raiders' records for
triples in a season (eight), runs in game (five, three times), strikeouts in a
game (four) and walks in a season (66), both set during the 1996 season. He was
drafted by the Cardinals in the 36th round (1,058th overall) of 1996 amateur
entry draft. In 1998, when playing for the AA Arkansas Travelers he led the
league with 86 walks and 139 games played. He remains popular among Travelers
fans to this day.</div>
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In 2000, he led the AAA Memphis Redbirds with 138 hits, 89
runs, 80 walks, eight triples, and six sacrifice hits. He became a popular
figure in the City of Memphis
during his four-year stint (1999-2002). He was often referred to as the
"Mayor of Memphis." During the 2002 season, the 5-foot-8 Clapp was
featured on a growth chart for kids, sponsored by a Memphis-area medical group.
In 2009, he was named one of the Memphis
"Athletes of the Decade." In 2010, the club had "Ode to Clapping
Night," which included giving away Clapp bobbleheads. In 911 minor league
games, Clapp had a .270 batting average, 48 home runs, 50 triples, 196 doubles,
365 RBI, and 83 steals. Clapp also pitched in three games. In 2.1 innings,
Clapp has given up two hits and no earned runs.</div>
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His Major League career only lasted 23 games for the
Cardinals in 2001 in which he hit right at the Mendoza line (.200) with five hits total, two
of which were doubles and he only batted in one run. On April 21, 2007, Clapp's
jersey #10 was the first number ever retired by the Redbirds. This is
commemorated by a painted "10" on the wall above the Redbirds'
bullpen at AutoZone
Park. He is second
all-time for the Memphis Redbirds for games played (425) and hits (418).</div>
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Clapp began his coaching career as a hitting coach for the Lexington
Legends, the Houston Astros Class-A team in the South Atlantic League. He came
out of retirement to represent Canada
at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In November 2010, Clapp became the hitting coach
for the Corpus Christi Hooks, Houston's AA
affiliate and then managed the Tri-City ValleyCats, another Class-A affiliate
of the Astros, during the 2011 and 2012 seasons before taking his current
position in Dunedin
in January of 2013.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ond5T6Mwu_s/UqrM-SgCvZI/AAAAAAAADDw/bIpk2hvJZFw/s1600/StairsBlack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ond5T6Mwu_s/UqrM-SgCvZI/AAAAAAAADDw/bIpk2hvJZFw/s1600/StairsBlack.jpg" /></a></div>
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12- If I had to make an assertion on who the greatest
Canadian baseball player of all-time is, you better believe that 10 times out
of 10 I’m rolling with Matt Stairs.</div>
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Growing up in Fredericton,
New Brunswick, Stairs showed athletic
ability at an early age, playing Beaver League baseball a year before his age
eligibility and excelling in hockey. After playing Bantam & Midget
baseball, at age 16 and 17, he played for the local Marysville Royals of the New
Brunswick Senior Baseball League and was voted "Rookie of The Year"
in 1984 and the league's Most Valuable Player in 1985. He was also named Nova
Scotia Senior Baseball League MVP in 1987 and '88 while playing for the
Fredericton Schooners. He attended the National Baseball Institute (NBI) in Vancouver, British Columbia
for one year and played for Canada
at the 1987 World Amateur Championships in Italy where he was named to the
"World All-Star" team. In 1988, he joined the Canadian Junior
National team after graduating from Fredericton
High School. From there
he went on to play for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in
Seoul, South Korea. On January 17, 1989,
Stairs was signed as an international free agent by the Expos.</div>
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Stairs, in all fairness, was a bit of a journeyman. In fact,
he holds the record for most teams played for as a position player at 12, but
technically 13 as he played for the Expos and the Nationals at different stages
of his career. Octavio Dotel holds the record for pitchers at 13 as well. For
19 seasons Stairs “turned many cloaks” with the Expos (1992-1993), Chunichi
Dragons of the Japanese League (1994), Red Sox (1995), Athletics (1996-2000),
Chicago Cubs (2001), Milwaukee Brewers (2002), Pittsburgh Pirates (2003),
Kansas City Royals (2004-2006), Rangers (2006), Tigers (2006), Blue Jays
(2007-2008), Phillies (2008-2009), San Diego Padres (2010) and the Nationals
(2011). </div>
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I’ll be honest, I don’t remember too much from his time with
the Expos as I was nine and 10-years-old, but I’ll never forget him crushing
dingers with the Athletics. His longest stint with any team happened to come in
Oakland when he
played in 632 games in five seasons. He hit .268 with 122 home runs and 385
RBI. Tow of those seasons (1998 and 1999) featured him hitting 26 home runs and
106 RBI and 38 home runs with 102 RBI respectively. Both the top home runs and
RBI totals are career highs. Stairs finished 17<sup>th</sup> overall for the
American League MVP in 1999. In his July 5, 1996 debut with Oakland, Stairs tied a major league record
with six runs batted in during one inning. That first inning performance
included a grand slam and a two-run single. This was subsequently broken by
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-17-st-louis-cardinals.html">Fernando Tatis on April 23, 1999</a>. The only reason why Stairs never stayed with
the Athletics is due to cost-cutting. I know, nothing about that is surprising.
What is fortunate for Stairs is that he eventually bounced around to a team at
the most ideal time, the Phillies in 2008 when they won the World Series. It
would be the only time that Stairs would get a ring let alone be on a team in
the World Series.</div>
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When he retired in 2011 he had a .263 average, 265 home runs
and 897 RBI and a World Series and the record for most pinch hit home runs (23)
to his name. He was also a member of the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic
team, one of only a small handful of guys to be on multiple teams on top of
having played in the Olympics in 1988. Noted baseball analysts Bill James and Joe
Posnanski have theorized that Stairs is probably a far more talented hitter
than his career stats suggest. Stairs didn't have 500 plate appearances until
age 29, at which point he recorded 100 RBI seasons and an adjusted OPS of over
130 two years in a row- and never saw 500 at-bats again. James contends,
"You put him in the right park, right position early in his career ...
he's going to hit a LOT of bombs."
Possibly, Posnanski contends, enough to be have been worthy of Hall of Fame
consideration.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-54435834633339923152013-11-19T23:04:00.002-08:002013-11-19T23:11:15.297-08:00August 12- Toronto Blue Jays<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I86c8Fgrago/UoxXesWB_QI/AAAAAAAAC-0/mqgSUiD9mqU/s1600/20130821_032711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I86c8Fgrago/UoxXesWB_QI/AAAAAAAAC-0/mqgSUiD9mqU/s320/20130821_032711.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I think the first thing that I need to point out is that
it’s obviously not August 12, 2013. I’m not even sure why I’ve continued to
keep up with the charade that I’ll be able to get back on pace of doing one
blog post per day. When I started this mission back on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-1-philadelphia-athletics.html">January 1<sup>st</sup></a>
it seemed like it was going to be an easy thing to do. After all, the first
month-and-a-half consisted of posts that were barely two pages long. Don’t get
me wrong, I love researching, learning, writing and educating, and I am not
throwing in the towel anytime soon. I didn’t feel I was doing you (the reader)
or myself any favors by half-assing my posts. I’ve always been more of the
longwinded type of writer, cramming in as much information that can possibly be
conceived for the sake of not leaving anyone in the dark on even the smallest
detail. My journalism professors at the University of Oregon
can back me up in that assertion too. </div>
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When I started expanding my stories, adding in my personal
details and stopped worrying about if it was too long I started to notice that
I was enjoying myself more and connecting with a larger audience. What I didn’t
expect was that after four-and-a-half months of doing that every single day I
would break physically and mentally. I can pinpoint the exact moment too, it
was right after I post my <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-15-fort-wayne-wizards.html">June 15<sup>th</sup> story about LaTroy Hawkins</a> that
I quickly started to unravel. My follow-up post was a <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-16-san-francisco-giants.html">San Francisco Giants post on June 16th for Father’s Day</a>, a story that dealt with the hardships
my dad and I went through for well over a decade, my bouts with depression and
thoughts of suicide and then the resolution of the two of us patching things up
in the summer of 2012. The hard part wasn’t really writing it as much as it was
the personal struggle of whether or not I should post it. After all, something
that raw could potentially be a red flag for employers. But, like a lot of my
posts after the middle of February, it was met with a lot of positive feedback,
the kind of stuff that motivates me to keep going and keep improving upon what
I do. </div>
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I don’t feel that I’ve thank you all enough for taking the
time to read these posts that I care about so much. Even though I’m well over
100 days behind, I will be surpassing 100,000 total views on my blog within the
next two days. I find that kind of funny because I thought writing every single
day was going to be the key to achieving anything close to that. Turns out that
re-posting at the right times was a huge factor, but also spacing things out,
allowing people to fully-appreciate each post instead of cramming them down
your throats every single day. It’s all a learning process I suppose. Most
importantly though in the thanking department, I haven’t thanked you all enough
for the experiences that you’ve shared with me. I love sharing New Era Cap
stories, baseball stories and just stories about life with all of you. I’ve
always been kind of a social butterfly, but I don’t really know how to show it
sometimes. I love to laugh and joke, but sometimes I don’t know how to share my
feelings unless I write it out. All of your relatable stories and appreciation
for what I do is the best reward I take from my blog. Without all of you, this
would be nothing. From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for sharing this
journey with me. I promise to quit being a blubbery bitch now. </div>
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One person who has been a wonderful treat to meet and get to
know is my friend and fellow <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-24-buffalo-bisons.html">#CrewEra13 New Era</a> enthusiast and die hard Toronto
Blue Jays fan Andrew Mitchell-Baker (@AMitchell_416). </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GZEnoGNZtZw/UoxYEuXfxPI/AAAAAAAAC-8/O5yK8JLKxg4/s1600/283751_10151461745538063_1490346585_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GZEnoGNZtZw/UoxYEuXfxPI/AAAAAAAAC-8/O5yK8JLKxg4/s320/283751_10151461745538063_1490346585_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Andrew was born and raised in Toronto and has been an avid visitor of the
Sky Dome/Rogers Centre since he was old enough to walk. He’s one of the few
people I had the luxury of meeting during my trip to New Ere headquarters in Buffalo, New York.
Like the rest of the gang, we met in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at,
but we didn’t really hit off until we took the first leg of our trip to Niagara Falls. Andrew had
been to the falls before, but only on the Canadian side, so it was a pretty
cool new adventure for him. One of the first comments that Andrew bestowed upon
me was that I look a lot like RA Dickey, something that I will leave up to
y’all to decide with the photo above and below as your frame of reference. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oKIfktjTaOw/UoxYL4BRxHI/AAAAAAAAC_E/FgToHU4p9s8/s1600/532705_397881710243474_1785503889_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oKIfktjTaOw/UoxYL4BRxHI/AAAAAAAAC_E/FgToHU4p9s8/s320/532705_397881710243474_1785503889_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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He is also not the first, nor the last person to make this
assertion. On the inverse though, I said he looks a lot like Tim Duncan. You be
the judge.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oEK33-2Y98k/UoxYTCJd9XI/AAAAAAAAC_M/_oXgrRZUG44/s1600/1010287_10100375225063167_2050971594_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oEK33-2Y98k/UoxYTCJd9XI/AAAAAAAAC_M/_oXgrRZUG44/s320/1010287_10100375225063167_2050971594_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As we toured around the Falls we swapped stories about how
we came up with our respective baseball teams. His story was a little bit more
intriguing as he was there in the early days of the Sky Dome and was going to
games during the Blue Jays’ most dominant years. I was six-years-old when <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-27-oakland-athletics-1989-ws.html">the Oakland Athletics won the World Series in 1989</a>, but I was living four hours
away in Bakersfield
when it happened. Andrew was getting introduced to the game in full on the back
of the back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993. From there, it was a
birthright. For the past 15 seasons he’s been in house for every season opener
and almost every series against the New York Yankees because, well… everyone
has an enemy. His shining moment at a game came on June 2, 2001 when Chris
Carpenter; yes, THE Chris Carpenter, gave up an absolute muderstroke to Manny
Ramirez that hit the wall at the top of the upper deck. Oh, and when I say
upper deck, I mean upper deck. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ilKxKJSa0">Watch this</a>. Just to give you a little
perspective of how far away that is, here…</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-li5-R1UA1j8/UoxY2lnPtJI/AAAAAAAAC_U/NtOEebzdtPk/s1600/Galaxy+Note+963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-li5-R1UA1j8/UoxY2lnPtJI/AAAAAAAAC_U/NtOEebzdtPk/s320/Galaxy+Note+963.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Deeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!</b></div>
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I’ve been to four games at the now-named Rogers Centre, but
I know I’ll be back for more, shooting the breeze with my friend, and sipping
on only the finest Alexander Keith’s they have to offer.</div>
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Today marks a crazy day in Major League Baseball history as
one year ago today one of the biggest trades in the history of the game was
finalized between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Miami Marlins. The deal
technically took place on November 13, 2012, but it took until November 19<sup>th</sup>
for MLB commissioner Bud Selig to approve it. The deal consisted of the Blue
Jays acquiring <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-30-dominican-republic-world.html">shortstop Jose Reyes</a>, pitchers Mark Buehrle and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-4-miami-marlins.html">Josh Johnson</a>,
catcher John Buck, and infielder/outfielder Emilio Bonifacio from the Marlins
in exchange for shortstop Yunel Escobar, pitcher Henderson Alvarez, catcher Jeff
Mathis and four minor-league prospects including <span class="bold_text xx_large_text" itemprop="name">Adeiny Hechavarria</span>. Cash was also sent to the Jays in the
trade. Well, as you all know, the Blue Jays weren’t done yet. On November 16,
2012, they signed outfielder Melky Cabrera to a two-year, $16 million deal. On
November 20, 2012, it was announced that the Blue Jays had re-hired <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/july-25-toronto-blue-jays.html">former manager John Gibbons</a> for the same position signing him to a two-year deal after
the team had sent then-manager John Farrell to the Boston Red Sox along with
pitcher David Carpenter for infielder Mike Aviles. Finally, on December 17<sup>th</sup>
the Blue Jays acquired the 2012 National League Cy Young Award winner R.A.
Dickey in a trade with the New York Mets that sent prospects Travis d'Arnaud,
Noah Syndergaard, minor leaguer Wuilmer Becrra and catcher John Buck to New York. Toronto also received
catcher Josh Thole and minor league catcher Mike Nickeas in the trade. As part
of the transaction, the Blue Jays signed Dickey to an extension worth a total
of $29 million over 3 years with a $12 million fourth year option. In short,
things went batshit insane in Toronto
in a very short period of time. The crazy part in all of this is that I had
predicted it seven moths earlier.</div>
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Ok, maybe I didn’t predict the exact specifics of the deal,
but the exchange between the two parties was on the money. See, back in the
early days of my MLB Fan Cavery I had been involved in a discussion about where
the league was going over the next two-to-three years. This of course was right
after the Marlins had “spent” a boatload of cash on new talent, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-29-chicago-white-sox.html">Ozzie Guillen as the manager</a> and was getting ready to open the door to their new stadium in
the heart of Little Havana. One of two things were going to happen in 2012: the
Marlins were going be incredibly successful OR they were going to fall apart;
and not just fall apart, but have one of the worst meltdowns in MLB history.
During the interview process in Arizona for
the Fan Cave a question about the Marlins had
come up from one of the executives as they were curious how I thought they
would finish. My close-to-exact words were, “Based on the history of the
Marlins I can totally see them making a solid World Series run because every
time they reload their roster they’ve won the World Series (<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-23-florida-marlins.html">1997</a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-17-florida-marlins.html">2003</a>).
But, if they don’t even make the playoffs this year, expect the team to abandon
ship and deal as many players as they can to one team who needs the talent and
has the money to afford the contracts; someone like the Blue Jays.” I know, it
all sounds like bullshit in retrospect, but I have yet to lie to any of you in
these posts, and I sure as hell am not about to start. The reality in all of
this is that it was a lot easier to predict than you might imagine. </div>
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The Blue Jays haven’t made the playoffs since they last held
the Commissioner’s Trophy above their heads at the end of their second World
Series victory in a row in 1993. 18 years, the second longest drought next to
the Pittsburgh
Pirates who finally broke their streak after 20 years in 2013. The Blue Jays
may not have the biggest payroll in MLB, but they do have quite a bit to spend,
especially when you have to consider that they play in the American League
Eastern Division with the Red Sox and New York Yankees. With the emergence of
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-13-toronto-blue-jays.html">Jose Bautista,</a> Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie, the Blue Jays were on the cusp
of being able to assemble a star-studded team that would finally revive the
glory days of the early 1990s. The only thing that had been missing was they
key person to make such a deal a reality….</div>
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AA: Alex Anthopoulos, a native of Montreal, Quebec
who is fluently bilingual in English and French, became interested in baseball
in the early 1990s after seeing the Montreal Expos play at Olympic Stadium. He
attended McMaster University in Hamilton,
Ontario where he studied
economics. After his father's passing, he realized that he wanted to do
something that he loved for a living. He proceeded to call several Major League
organizations, looking for a foot in the door. His chance came when he got a
direct line to the Expos GM Jim Beattie's office in Florida. He offered to work for free doing
something he loved, and he was given his chance. He worked in the media
relations department with the Expos, and moved to their scouting department in
2001. In 2003, when the Expos' days in Montreal
were numbered, he accepted a lower-paying job with Toronto
in order to remain in Canada.
The job was as the scouting coordinator. </div>
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Anthopoulos quickly climbed the ladder. By the end of 2005
he was promoted to the position of assistant General Manager by then GM J.P.
Ricciardi, which was then complimented with the title of Vice-President of
Baseball Operations following the 2006 season. In 2004 he was a major reason
why the Greek National baseball team was assembled for the Olympics which took
place in Athens, Greece. For three years Anthopoulos
waited in the wings, keeping an eye on how to conduct himself with the hope
that he would move all the way to the top, either with the Blue Jays or another
team who showed interest. When October 3, 2009 came rolling around Anthopoulos
found himself in an interesting position as his mentor, Ricciardi, was fired
after the team went 75-87 in <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-19-toronto-blue-jays.html">former World Series-winning manager Cito Gaston</a>'s
first full year back as the manager. Anthopoulos was promoted to General
Manager, and got to work immediately.</div>
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On December 15, 2009 <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-2-toronto-blue-jays.html">Roy Halladay was traded from the Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies</a> for minor league prospects Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle
Drabek, and Michael Taylor. Hell of a way to break into the new role. Needless
to say, Blue Jays fans were pissed, but Anthopoulos was just getting started.
Soon afterwards, he sent Michael Taylor to the Athletics for <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-19-quad-city-river-bandits.html">Brett Wallace</a>, and
in July 2010, traded Wallace to the Houston Astros for center field
prospect Anthony “Space” Gose. On December 22, 2009, Anthopoulos traded
reliever Brandon League and minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez to acquire <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-13-seattle-mariners.html">Brandon Morrow from the Seattle Mariners</a>. The move brought in a little bit of faith,
but the reality was that the team was now down their ace and closer. On July
14, 2010 Anthopoulos made a deal with the Atlanta Braves to acquire Yunel Escobar,
and Jo-Jo Reyes in exchange for Alex Gonzalez, and two minor league prospects: Tim
Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky. The end result, the Blue Jays went 85-77 in
what would be Gaston’s final year as manager. Bautista launched a
franchise-record 54 home runs, Encarnacion was looking solid and he pitching
was coming around. Things were certainly looking bright, but once again,
Anthopoulos wasn’t done yet.</div>
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On January 21, 2011, Anthopoulos completed a blockbuster
trade, shipping another longtime face of the Blue Jays franchise Vernon Wells
and the remaining $86 million over the next four years to the Los Angeles
Angels for slugging catcher Mike Napoli and veteran outfielder Juan Rivera. He
then sent Napoli to the Texas Rangers for
pitcher Frank Francisco and Rivera to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash
considerations. On July 28, 2011, Anthopoulos made two successive trades to
acquire center fielder Colby Rasmus from the St. Louis Cardinals. In the first,
the Blue Jays traded pitching prospect Zach Stewart and veteran reliever Jason
Frasor to the Chicago White Sox for <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-26-chicago-cubs.html">starting pitcher Edwin Jackson</a> and
infielder Mark Teahen. Jackson
was then traded with relief pitchers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel,
outfielder Corey Patterson, and cash or three players to be named later to the
Cardinals for Rasmus and relief pitchers Brian Tallet, P.J. Walters and Trever
Miller. This of course all went down in the-manager/current Red Sox manager
Farrell’s first season at the helm. Oh, but Anthopoulos still had one more major
deal to make. On August 23, 2011, Anthopoulos traded infielders <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-29-arizona-diamondbacks.html">Aaron Hill</a> and John
McDonald to the Arizona Diamondbacks for second baseman Kelly Johnson. Even
with all of these players getting swapped the Blue Jays finished 81-81. Before
the 2012 Major League Baseball season, he was known to make trades in order to
acquire supplemental draft picks. The most prominent example was when he
acquired Miguel Olivo, a Type B free agent, and declined his club option the
next day making Olivo a free agent. The Blue Jays gained a supplemental
first-round draft pick when Olivo signed with the Mariners. </div>
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With Anthopoulos, the wheels were always turning. His days
with the Expos taught him how to be sharp as the team was slowly being picked
apart and eventually relocated. Anthopoulos loved the Expos, and vowed to bring
a winning team back to Canada.
In 2012 the Blue Jays went 73-89, their worst finish since Ricciardi’s final
season in 2009. With his back against the way, so to speak, Anthopoulos took
the call from the Marlins, talked to the higher ups and approved the
blockbuster trade on November 13, 2012 (finalized on November 19).</div>
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Now, some of you may still be a bit confused as to how I
could possibly know these two parties, of all the other teams in the league,
could make that deal happen. It all lies within the Expos, the team Loria had
first bought a 24% stake in back in 1999 until becoming the principle owner
prior to 2002, right before he sold the team to MLB. So, for those of you
playing at home, Anthopoulos worked for Loria for 2 ½ seasons. I’m not sure how
strong their relationship is, but in the baseball world relationships like that
are deep. Based on their history and Anthopoulos’s willingness to make the Blue
Jays a winner, it was the only deal that ever made sense if it were to happen.
Needless to say, when it did, I felt like a God damn genius… but I still don’t
have a job working for ESPN or MLB. Drat!</div>
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’13: I had marked up the cap the day the deal was finalized
and couldn’t think of anything better to capture the craziness that was my
prediction and the season to come for the restored faithful Blue Jays fans.
This cap especially is a memento of where the Blue Jays and their fans have
gone in the last 19 years, a fixed mistake that never should have been altered
in the first place. When this cap was introduced in 2012 it brought back a lot
of warm feelings for die hard Blue Jays fans like Andrew and my other good
friend and 2012 Fan
Cave hopeful Dave
Barclay. As Dave said, “It was like starting over again, getting back to the
winning ways of the former Jays. Would you like a hot dog?” Those were his exact
words. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e4jIsBH5_bk/UoxcMhH6DkI/AAAAAAAAC_g/HqTECdUxpvI/s1600/Galaxy+Note+964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e4jIsBH5_bk/UoxcMhH6DkI/AAAAAAAAC_g/HqTECdUxpvI/s320/Galaxy+Note+964.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I still have quite a few Blue Jays posts to go, and if you
learn anything from these posts, as I always mention in the Blue Jays posts, if
you’re a team on the bottom and y’all decide to change the uniforms, be sure to
expect good things. When you’re on top, expect some dark years. The Blue Jays
finished the 2013 with a record of 74-88, only a one win improvement. Perhaps
good things will be in store for Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays in 2014.
Hopefully. </div>
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As for the Marlins, they made out like bandits, but not because they made a ton of money on the deal. They only finished seven games worse than they did in 2012, but they got stellar showing from the players that the Blue Jays had dealt them. <span class="bold_text xx_large_text" itemprop="name">Hechavarria played in 148 games, hitting .227 with three home runs and 42 RBI and boasts a dandy glove. As for Alvarez, he went 5-6 with a 3.59 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 17 starts. He also had one shutout and one complete game, which both came on the final day of the season when he no-hit the Detroit Tigers. I don't want to elaborate too much on that story though. Patience. </span></div>
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Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-13415047963690988302013-11-13T20:24:00.000-08:002013-11-13T20:24:11.576-08:00August 11- New York Mets<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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The New York Mets have been an on-going joke in the New York metropolitan
area as well as on social media for the better part of the last 20 years or so.
It’s come in the form of subway signs</div>
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television shows</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YnYZG5SI4eQ/UoRJYwaVkXI/AAAAAAAAC88/zkf5F8cxhL0/s1600/Stewie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YnYZG5SI4eQ/UoRJYwaVkXI/AAAAAAAAC88/zkf5F8cxhL0/s200/Stewie.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7KKOpaLYZ_U/UoRJcL9sh2I/AAAAAAAAC9E/JkOuDtdhS-k/s1600/Leela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7KKOpaLYZ_U/UoRJcL9sh2I/AAAAAAAAC9E/JkOuDtdhS-k/s200/Leela.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5QTGR0v70IM/UoRJgi76iPI/AAAAAAAAC9M/9KCZ7NOgt0g/s1600/Apu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5QTGR0v70IM/UoRJgi76iPI/AAAAAAAAC9M/9KCZ7NOgt0g/s200/Apu.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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and even if the form of logos created by the team which
resemble that of Domino’s Pizza.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlUd9K9jgLA/UoRJvVOaPjI/AAAAAAAAC9U/j1-gAbKd6Ns/s1600/Citi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlUd9K9jgLA/UoRJvVOaPjI/AAAAAAAAC9U/j1-gAbKd6Ns/s1600/Citi.jpg" /></a></div>
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Nonetheless, a lot of it comes in the form of good fun while
other times it appears to be a cyclical internal habit by the Mets themselves.
One moment in particular <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-4-new-york-mets.html">I wrote about on May 4th with now infamous “ice cream” uniforms</a>. At the end of the day though, the Mets should be given a
lot more credit. After all, they did win two World Series titles in 1969 and
1986 and they’ve also drafted, brought up, traded for and signed a lot of
talent over the years.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K1rjhR4WwJk/UoRJ433njaI/AAAAAAAAC9c/IVW3ERsbHZQ/s1600/Mtes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K1rjhR4WwJk/UoRJ433njaI/AAAAAAAAC9c/IVW3ERsbHZQ/s1600/Mtes.jpg" /></a></div>
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And of course there’s also that time Bobby Bonilla became
the smartest man to ever sign a Major League contract.</div>
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I for one will admit that I haven’t been the most pleasant
person to critique the Mets and financial decisions, but I assure you that none
of it is done with malice as the intent. The Mets will always have a soft spot
in my heart because of Gary Carter and their title run in 1986, my first
conscious memory of watching a Major League Baseball game on television. For
me, it’s hard to watch a team with so much money and talent come up short every
year, even if it is a New York
team. Hell, for the last 20 years of my life I’ve had to deal with heartbreak
coming from a team who has no money and a vast crop of talent every season,
only to see it broken down and rebuilt year after year. That team of course is
the Oakland Athletics. The Mets are different though. There are elements of
their decisions that are reminiscent of the Athletics teams of the late 1980s
and early 1990s in that they have a lot of money, but work with a lot of
homegrown talent on top of a few key signings. Unfortunately for the Mets, most
of their signings haven’t really panned out. But there is a more specific
reason why the current Mets team reminds me so much my beloved A’s teams, their
general manager Sandy Alderson. Only time will tell if Alderson can right the
slowly sinking ship in Flushing, but his first
few major moves are definitely an indication that he’s in it to win.</div>
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One deal in particular that is a reflection of the Mets’ willingness
to win took place on December 5, 2012 when the team re-signed their 2001 draft
pick and multiple All-Star spot-winning third baseman David Wright for an
additional eight years on top of his then-current contract. The most
interesting aspect of this announcement, for me at least, came during the
winter meetings when the Mets took the opportunity to unveil their new All-Star
Game uniform patches, a few new
jerseys and lastly, this cap.</div>
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When I first saw it I didn’t now what to make of it. I
either had missed the formal announcement and the unveiling of the cap or the
Mets didn’t say anything at all as Wright sat up on the stage to field
questions while it sat on his head. The 2013 batting practice cap photos hadn’t
been released yet so I just assumed that’s what he was wearing. Not at all. The
new Mets hat that Wright was sporting is in fact the Sunday/special event
alternate cap that the team has been rocking all season long, and to be honest,
I actually dig it.</div>
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I was super bummed that the Mets decided to retire <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-7-new-york-mets.html">their road cap at the end of the 2011 season</a>, but they certainly made a strong effort
to make up for it with this cap. The color combo is kind of interesting as it
has the same appearance as the Citi Field logo up above, but that’s not exactly
a bad thing. Orange
is an odd color to work with, especially when it comes to the bill, but it
works swimmingly against the royal blue crown. Also, the addition of the orange
over the white on the “NY” logo helps keep the focus off of one specific area. Even
though it didn’t get much play in 2013 it was still one of the better additions
for any team over the last six or seven years. </div>
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I’ve written many times about how uniform changes can make
or break a team and unfortunately for the Mets this was one of those times
where it broke them. They finished with the same record as they did in 2012
under Terry Collins (74-88), but they got a lot of performances out of Wright
and a few other up-and-coming stars. I did my best not to pick favorites, but
the obvious choices were right in everyone’s face. </div>
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#5- Wright was born in Norfolk,
Virginia and raised in Chesapeake
where he attended school at Hickory
High School and worked
extensively with Coach Gregory Friedman of Bellmore JFK. Wright was the 2001
Gatorade Virginia High School Player of the Year and earned All-State honors in
1999, 2000 and 2001. He was also named Virginia All-State Player of the Year in
2001. Over his four-year career at Hickory,
Wright hit .438 with 13 home runs and 90 RBIs. Upon graduation Wright planned
to attend Georgia Tech and major in engineering, but the opportunity to make
the pros stepped into the light.</div>
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Wright was chosen 38<sup>th</sup> overall by the Mets in the
2001 amateur draft during the supplemental round as compensation for the Mets'
loss of Mike Hampton to the Colorado Rockies in free agency. Wright was
selected after future teammate Aaron Heilman who had been selected with the 18<sup>th</sup>
overall pick. Wright progressed steadily in his first three years of minor
league play, winning the Sterling award for
best player on the class A St. Lucie Mets in 2003. In 2004, he quickly rose
from the AA Binghamton Mets, to the AAA Norfolk Tides, to the Majors when he
made his short-awaited debut on July 21<sup>st</sup>.</div>
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I’m still not sure why, but Wright somehow managed to not
even receive a vote for the 2004 National League Rookie of the Year Award
despite hitting .293, 14 home runs and 40 RBI in 69 games. Granted, the winner,
Jason Bay, did have a great season for the
Pittsburgh Pirates, but he also played in 120 games. Either way, over the next
six years Wright flourished. He made the All-Star team five years in a row from
2005-2010, won back-to-back Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards in 2007 and
2008 and finished in the top-10 for the NL MVP three years in a row from
2006-2008. </div>
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Wright had a bit of a down year in 2011, mostly due to
injury, but bounced back in 2012 with a sixth place finish for the NL MVP and
another nod to the All-Star team. For his career Wright has a .301 average and
could potentially be a member of the 3,000 hit club if he’s able to grind out a
few 200+ hit seasons along the way. The most impressive thing about Wright is
that he holds the franchise record for 11 offensive categories in only 10
seasons of work including hits (1558), runs (853), doubles (345), RBI (876),
walks (671) and sacrifice flies (60). He is also a substantially wealthy
individual, most of which didn’t come on the baseball field. See, back in 2007
Wright became a spokesman for Vitamin Water which was a product of the Queens, New York based company
Glaceau. Rather than receive one paycheck, Wright negotiated a 0.5% ownership
of the company. It may not seem like much until Coca-Cola bought Glaceau for
$4.1 billion. Athletic AND business savvy!</div>
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#28- Just like Wright, Daniel Murphy is a homegrown talent
who was plucked from the swamps of Jacksonville
University in Florida in the 13<sup>th</sup> round of the 2006
amateur draft. Murphy’s time in the minors only lasted two years, the first of
which was spent in St. Lucie where hit .285 with 11 home runs and 78 RBI in 135
games in 2007. The following season Murphy played at all three levels but made
a jump to the Majors on August 2<sup>nd</sup> after an injury to Marlon
Anderson made room for him as the most viable replacement. In his first major
league at-bat, against three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt, Murphy hit a single.
Later in the same game, he made a difficult catch against the left field wall,
throwing out Hunter Pence at second base for a double play to end the inning.
As of August 9, 2008, Murphy was only the 5th Mets rookie to record 10 hits in
his first 20 at-bats. Murphy hit his first home run in the bottom of the 6th
inning against the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium on August 9. According to
Major League Baseball rules, players are no longer considered a rookie if they
have had more than 130 at-bats in a single season.
Murphy had 131 at-bats for the Mets during the 2008 season, thus making 2008
his rookie season by a single at-bat. He finished the season batting .313, with
2 home runs and 17 RBI.</div>
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Murphy, a natural third baseman, moved around in the field,
getting a few starts in left field and other in the infield. Since 2009 Murphy
has been a regular fixture in the Mets lineup with the exception of 2010 when
he missed the entire season due to a MCL tear while trying to turn a double
play during a rehab game with the then-AAA affiliate the Buffalo Bisons. Murphy
had hurt his knee during a Spring Training game. In 2011 Murphy’s season ended
after 109 games after injuring the same MCL that had been repaired. In 2012 he
came back at full-strength as the full-time second baseman. His .290 career
average is one of the best on the team over the last few years including his
2011 campaign in which he was hitting .320 before his injury. </div>
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While I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Wright during my
time in the MLB Fan Cave
(missed it by two days), I was able to meet and have a few words with Murphy.
That day in particular was kind of interesting because Murphy inadvertently
violated one of the biggest rules of the Fan Cave:
no clothing items from any of the other professional leagues allowed…
ESPECIALLY THE NFL.</div>
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Even though I knew it would cause beef with the executives I
just had to snap a photo, which I was told to never post on social media. In
the mean time, one of the interns was sent downstairs immediately to grab a
jersey for Murphy out of the “supply closet,” a room full of MLB gear including
hats, shirts, autographed baseball and other cool trinkets. </div>
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After that, the
mood was a bit more relaxed. Murphy kicked it on the couch for a social media
interview while we all waited for our second special guest, Arsenio Hall.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7Ump3_xSXQ/UoRLugjsgqI/AAAAAAAAC-A/vMrpzxZ8Bhs/s1600/Galaxy+Note+283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7Ump3_xSXQ/UoRLugjsgqI/AAAAAAAAC-A/vMrpzxZ8Bhs/s320/Galaxy+Note+283.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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If there’s anyone who I have ever met that wasn’t built with
an off switch, it’s definitely Arsenio, and I don’t mean that as an insult.
With every question asked him he had a fantastic joke. He was genuine and
polite with everyone who came up to talk to him, but he was honest and humble
anytime someone asked him about coming up in the comedy game. The concept that
the production crew had brought the two of them in for was a fishbowl Q&A,
where basically there was a fishbowl filled with strip of paper with questions
on them that the two asked one another. The responses were pretty natural,
which made for a good segment. Unfortunately most of the best footage was left
on the cutting room floor due to language and subject matter. Does that
surprise you?</div>
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Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-11699454085765358772013-11-11T17:57:00.001-08:002013-11-11T22:17:29.759-08:00August 10- Philadelphia Phillies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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From <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-10.html">May 10<sup>th</sup> </a>to May 30th I cataloged and wrote
about all of the 2012 Major League Baseball Stars and Stripes New Era caps I
was able to get my hands on in honor of the men and women who served their
country in the United States
military and the ties they have to each team I wrote about. Unfortunately I
wasn’t able to find all 30 teams, but I did promise to continue on as I was
able to track down each of the remaining teams. Lucky for me, a few of the
teams were issued multiple caps which all corresponded with how many game caps
each team used on the field. This would explain why I wrote two posts on the
Oakland Athletics on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-21-oakland-athletics.html">May 21<sup>st</sup></a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/06/may-30-oakland-athletics.html">May 30<sup>th</sup></a>. Nonetheless,
my original plan was to buy all of them because I loved the concept so much;
however, with time being a years removed from when they were worn I’ll be lucky
if I’m able to find the remaining teams. As it stands I have nine teams left to
go: San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas
Rangers, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels and the
Chicago White Sox. There’s no telling when or if I’ll be able to find them, but
the hunt and the stories that follow will be more than worth it.</div>
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You can go ahead and file this story under one of the more
unusual, yet tragic stories that I have written about. Unusual in the sense
that one man’s life path had so many close calls, but tragic because so many
lives were lost along the way. Some of you may know this story, but I assure
you I will do my best not to screw it up. I have my good friend Jason Cobb
(@JasonMCobb) to thank for bringing it to my attention as my mind was really
more focused on finding this Philadelphia Phillies cap as opposed to any good
stories surrounding it. It was near the end of May when it was brought to my
attention, right around the time when I was wrapping up on my Memorial Day
posts. Jason had asked when teams I had upcoming as he is an avid reader of my
blog. I rattled off the few caps I had and he asked if I had ever heard of Jack
“Lucky” Lohrke. The name rung a bell, but I could put my finger on why. He then
asked if I had a Phillies cap on order to which I said no. “That’s too bad,” he
said. “If you get one you have to do a story on this guy,” he followed. I was
intrigued. Jason has always been good about dropping some serious baseball
knowledge on me and he would be the only person I’d humbly admit to knowing way
more about the game than me. It was kind of a slow day at work so I was able to
get a pretty thorough story before I went home and conducted my own
investigation.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbkkzFRyslk/UoGFQgqUIJI/AAAAAAAAC7M/SzS3koT3338/s1600/200px-Jack_Lohrke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbkkzFRyslk/UoGFQgqUIJI/AAAAAAAAC7M/SzS3koT3338/s1600/200px-Jack_Lohrke.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>.190/0/1- </b>Jack Wayne Lohrke was born Feb. 25, 1924, in Los Angeles, the second
of three sons of John and Marguerite Lohrke. His father was employed by Fluor
Corp, a global engineering and construction firm. Jack attended South Gate High School in LA where he dominated on
the school’s baseball team. By the time he graduated (1942) he was playing
semi-pro ball. His first minor league team was the Padres, but he played only
seven games for them before joining a minor-league team in Twin Falls, Idaho,
the Cowboys, a then-affiliate of the New York Yankees in the Pioneer Baseball
League. He was named Twin Falls'
most valuable player during his first year and met his future wife, Marie, who
was the sister of another player. But, like a lot of his colleagues, when the
time came to serve their country, Lohrke was not one to hesitate as he enlisted
with the National Guard. Lohrke would soon find himself within the company of
the 35th Infantry Division.</div>
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Lohrke was sent to train in San Luis Obispo, California.
One day while riding on a train through California
to ship off to war, the train Lohrke was on jumped off the tracks, killing
three people around him while many more were severely burned by steaming water
that rushed through the train car. Lohrke walked away without a scratch like
Bruce Willis in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unbreakable.</i> As a
member of the 35th Infantry Division, he fought in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and the Battle
of the Bulge, one of the costliest of human lives. On four separate occasions
solders on both sides of him were killed in combat, yet he emerged unscathed.
In 1945 Lohrke had fulfilled his duties and he was sent back to the States.
Lohrke's good fortune continued when he returned to the US. A colonel
had bumped him at the last moment from the passenger list of a military
transport plane that was scheduled to fly from Camp Kilmer,
New Jersey to his home in Los Angeles. Less than an hour after the
plane took off it crashed in Ohio,
killing everyone on board.</div>
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After the war, and following his transition back to civilian
life, Lohrke resumed his baseball career. The summer of 1946 found him playing
for the Class B Spokane Indians of the Western International League. On June
24, 1946, Lohrke was a passenger on the team bus carrying the team as it
traveled toward Bremerton, Washington, to begin a road trip. At the
time, Lohrke was the team's third baseman and was batting .345 in 229 at bats.
His performance had earned him a promotion to the AAA Pacific Coast League's San
Diego Padres but the team was unable to contact him as he was in transit
between cities. The Indians’ business manager contacted the police along the
route and asked that they relay the message to Lohrke, which they did when the
team stopped for dinner. Lohrke, under orders to report immediately to the
Padres, removed his gear from the bus, said goodbye to his teammates, and
hitched rides back to Spokane.
Later that evening, the team bus broke through a guard rail on a mountain pass,
plunged down a hill, and crashed. Of the 15 players on it, nine were killed,
including player/manager Mel Cole. The six survivors were badly injured.</div>
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"When the bus took off . . . I bummed a ride back to Spokane," Lohrke said in a 1990 interview with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Times.</i>. "When I got there I found
out both of my roommates had been killed." Although he was accustomed to
being lucky, Lohrke said, war had conditioned him to deal with disaster.
"Having been in combat, what's going to shock you?" Lohrke said in
1990. "I'm a fatalist. I believe the old song, that whatever will be will
be."</div>
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<i>From the time he joined the Padres after the accident,
Lohrke was called, for obvious reasons, "Lucky"-Lucky Lohrke, the
ballplayer who got off the bus in the nick of time, the soldier bumped from the
plane that crashed. The name stuck. Who else, after all, had more right to be
called Lucky? He's in the Baseball Encyclopedia that way: Lucky Lohrke. An
amiable man, he lived with the nickname, but he never liked it, never wanted to
be reminded of how close he had come to riding that bus into oblivion. But what
could he do about it? </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">–<i>Sports
Illustrated </i>1994</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Lohrke played for
seven years in the Majors, five of which came with the New York Giants from
1947-1951. From 1952-1953 he played in 37 games over two years with the
Phillies, amassing a .190 average zero home runs and only one run batted-in.
Lohrke’s time with the Giants was definitely more worthy of note (.244/22/95),
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-17-san-francisco-giants.html">but I already wrote about them</a>.</span></div>
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After retiring from baseball in 1958, Lohrke worked in security
for the Lockheed Missile and Space Co. in Sunnyvale, California and a few other
companies all while living in San Jose. In April of 2009 Lohrke passed away,
two days after suffering a stroke at the age of 85. Any bit of the legacy that
he left behind is carried out in the few interviews he game to whomever came
calling. Most notably, he lived and died by a quote he told <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sports Illustrated</i> in 1994 for a story
headlined: "O Lucky Man" about the nickname he had bestowed upon him.
He was known to have an aversion to storytelling or bragging about anything
from his past. "My father didn't want heroes in our family."
"When you're the age I was back then, you haven't got a worry in the
world. You're playing ball because you want to play-and they're giving you
money to do it. And then...well, sometimes those names spring back at me. I'll
tell you this: Nobody outside of baseball calls me Lucky Lohrke these days. I
may have been lucky, but the name is Jack. Jack Lohrke."</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-79769943984648085592013-11-11T17:28:00.000-08:002013-11-12T16:24:47.706-08:00August 9- Seattle Pilots<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I realize that today’s
actual date is November 12<sup>th</sup>, so just humor me when you read it.
I’ll make more sense if you actually think it’s August 9<sup>th</sup>.</i></div>
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There was one game that stood as “the one game I NEEDED to
attend in 2012,” but an unfortunate series of events thwarted my efforts. Today
the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-2-seattle-mariners.html">Seattle Mariners</a> played host to the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-5-milwaukee-brewers.html">Milwaukee Brewers</a>, a game that most
casual baseball fans would chalk up as “another interleague matchup,” but to
the borderline psychotic fans like myself, it’s a “Haley’s Comet” of matchups.
See, interleague first started in 1997 as a method to not only make the game
more entertaining, but it also gave fans a chance to check out teams who they
would not normally see at their local Major League stadium, unless of course
you lived in Los Angeles, New
York, the Bay Area or Chicago.
At that time the Brewers were still members of the American League and played
the Mariners at least six times a season; typically one three-game series at
home and the other on the road since they were in different divisions. Well,
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/11/august-7-milwaukee-brewers.html">all of that changed at the end of the ’97 season as I cataloged in my Brewers post from two days ago</a>. So, with the Brewers now members of the National League
their impending visit to Seattle
was bound to happen somewhere down the road. What few realized is that
“somewhere down the road” turned out to be 16 years later. </div>
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Back in 2002 my best friend Sam Spencer and I had talked
about this chance meeting while we were sitting in the first base side seats of
Safeco Field watching my Oakland Athletics beating the piss out of his
Mariners. One thing that never felt right to us was that with every interleague
matchup each team had their “rivalry” team. The Athletics have the San
Francisco Giants (Battle of the Bay), the Los Angeles Dodgers have the Los
Angeles Angels (Freeway Series), the Kansas Coty Royals have the St. Louis
Cardinals (I-70 Series), but there are even seemingly odd matchups like the
Pittsburgh Pirates versus the Detroit Tigers (dates back to 1909) and the
Boston Red Sox versus the Atlanta Braves which makes sense because they both
started in Boston. However, the rivalry teams for both the Mariners and Brewers
have huge question marks over them. Yes, I understand that the Brewers and
Minnesota Twins are rivals, but their series name (I-94 Series) is what they
call their matchups with the Chicago Cubs. As for the Mariners, I understand
that they share their stadium in Peoria,
Arizona with the San Diego Padres
and that they both play on the West Coast, but they are the furthest away from
one another. How do you call that a rivalry? Sam and I were both intent on the
Mariners and Brewers being a legitimate rival for the same reason that the
Braves and Red Sox were rivals, except for the fact that the Mariners and
Brewers are way more connected than any other rivalry. And of course, Bud Selig is involved.</div>
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<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html">Back on June 21st I laid out the specifics as to how the Brewers became a team</a> so I will give you the Cliff’s Notes version in
just a moment. First I have to talk about the team that started it all, the
Seattle Pilots. Actually, it started with the Athletics. Charlie O. Finley, the
former owner of the Kansas City/<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/09/july-11-oakland-athletics.html">Oakland Athletics</a> had originally bough the team
in 1960 under the guise that he wanted to keep the team in Kansas City. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he
had been shopping the team around almost immediately after signing the team
into his control. Finley had been pressing the city to build him a new baseball
stadium, but when the voters finally agreed and a bond measure was put in
place, it was too late. Finley and the Athletics were gone. Former Missouri
Senator Stuart Symington caused a massive uproar and threatened legal action
against Major League Baseball, challenging the antitrust exemption after the AL teams and their
presidents Joe Cronin formerly approved Finley’s move of the team. The timing
truly couldn’t have been any better/worse, depending on how you look it at,
because MLB was in the market to expand the game in order to preserve baseball
as the “national pastime” as the National Football League was starting to take
over the public interest in 1967. Needing to add two teams to each league in
spread out portions of the country, MLB added the Montreal Expos and Padres to
the NL and for sure the Royals to the AL to appease Symington and the state of
Missouri. The only question left was who the other team was going to be in the AL.</div>
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By the 1960s, with Seattle's
population growing, the city became the largest to host a Pacific Coast League
team, the Seattle Rainiers. The league's stature also declined with the move of
the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles and the New
York Giants to San Francisco,
which caused those cities' PCL teams to fold. In 1964, the city purchased Sick's
Stadium for $1.1 million. In 1965, the Rainiers
were sold to the Los Angeles Angels, who renamed it the <i>Seattle Angels</i>.
The city made several attempts to lure a Major League Baseball team. In 1964, William
R. Daley visited the city when searching for a new home for the Cleveland
Indians. He was unimpressed with the stadium, citing it as the primary reason
to terminate his quest to move his team. Finley also found the stadium
inadequate during a 1967 visit, and so rejected Seattle as a potential target for moving the
Athletics. Because of this, the city instead tried to lobby for an expansion
franchise at the 1967 owner's meetings in Chicago.
The delegation also had support from two Congressmen, Henry M. Jackson and Warren
Magnuson, the latter of whom was the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee,
a committee which has "jurisdiction over the Major League’s business
activities".<sup> </sup>Coupled with Symington's threats related to the
move of the Athletics, the political influence swayed the AL owners. However, they were reluctant to
expand in 1969 without a Seattle
stadium bond issue. The Seattle delegation assured the owners that Sick's
Stadium could be renovated in five months to fulfill the minimum requirements
until a new stadium was built; with this, the owners agreed to a 1969
expansion, and approved the team in Seattle along with Kansas City. In December
1967 at the Winter Meetings in Mexico
City, the franchise was officially awarded to Pacific
Northwest Sports, which received $5.5 million in funding from Daley, who thus
had 47% ownership of the venture.<sup> </sup>Other owners included Max and Dewey
Soriano. The award was contingent on renovation of Sick's Stadium to increase
its seating capacity from 11,000 to 30,000 by the start of the 1969 season.<sup>
</sup>The Sorianos persuaded notable athletes to advocate for the $40 million King County
stadium bond issue, including baseball players Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski,
Joe DiMaggio, and football player Y. A. Tittle; the bond issue was approved by
62.3% of the electorate. The "Pilots" name originates from the
owner's part-time job as a harbor pilot and the city's association with the
airplane industry.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The front man for the franchise ownership, Pacific Northwest
Sports, Inc. (PNSI), was Dewey Soriano, a former Rainiers
pitcher and general manager and former president of the PCL. In an ominous sign
of things to come, Soriano had to ask Daley to underwrite much of the purchase
price. In return, Soriano sold Daley 47% of the stock, the largest stake in the
club. He became chairman of the board while Soriano served as president. However,
a couple of factors were beyond the Pilots' control. They were originally not
set to start play until 1971 along with the Royals. The date was moved up to 1969
under pressure from Symington who wanted the teams playing as soon as possible.
Because the AL
didn’t want just one team to enter the league, causing an odd balance, the
Pilots were forced to start way ahead of schedule. Also, the Pilots had to pay
the PCL $1 million to compensate for the loss of one of its most successful
franchises. After King
County voters approved a
bond for a domed stadium (what would become the Kingdome) in 1968, the Pilots
were officially born.<sup> </sup>California Angels executive Marvin Milkes was
hired as general manager, and Joe Schultz, coach of the NL Champion Cardinals,
became manager. With the front office, a stadium in the process of being
refurbished and a brand new stadium in the future, the Pilots were finally
starting to look like a professional ball club.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Schultz and Milkes both optimistically stated that they thought
Pilots could finish third in the newly formed, six-team AL West. However, to
the surprise of almost no one outside Seattle,
the Pilots experienced the typical struggles of a first-year expansion team.
They won their very first game, and then their home opener three days later,
but only won five more times in the first month. Nevertheless, the Pilots
managed to stay in reasonable striking distance of .500. The Pilots were only 6
games back of the division lead as late as June 28. But a disastrous 9–20 July
(and an even worse 6-22 August) ended even a faint hope of any kind of
contention, though they were still in third place as late as August. The team
finished the season in last place in the AL West with a record of 64-98, 33
games out of first. However, the team's poor play was the least of its
troubles. The most obvious problem was Sick's Stadium. The longtime home of the
Rainiers, it had once been considered one of
the best ballparks in minor league baseball; by the 1960s, however, it was
considered far behind the times. While a condition of MLB awarding the Pilots
to Seattle was
that Sick's had to be expanded to 30,000 seats, only 19,500 seats were ready by
Opening Day because of numerous delays.<sup> </sup>The scoreboard was not even
ready until the night before the season opener. By June there were finally
25,000 seats in place. Water pressure was almost nonexistent after the seventh
inning, especially with crowds above 8,000. Attendance was poor (678,000) and
the Pilots lost hundreds of thousand of dollars in their first season. The
team's new stadium was slated to be built at the Seattle Center,
but a petition by stadium opponents ground the project to a halt.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
By the end of the season, the Pilots were gasping. However,
Daley refused to put up more financing. It was obvious that they would not
survive long enough to move into their new park without new ownership.<sup> </sup>It
was also obvious that such a move would have to happen quickly, as Sick’s'
Stadium was inadequate even for temporary use. During the offseason, Soriano
made contact with car salesman and former Milwaukee Braves minority owner Bud
Selig, who was leading the effort to bring major league baseball back to Milwaukee. They met in
secret for over a month after the end of the season, and during Game 1 of the 1969
World Series, Soriano agreed to sell the Pilots to Selig for $10.8 million.
Selig would then move the team to Milwaukee.
The remaining owners of the Pilots turned it down in the face of pressure from Washington State's two senators, Warren Magnuson
and Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson, as well as state attorney general Slade
Gorton. Local theater chain owner Fred Danz came forward in October 1969 with a
$10 million deal, but it fizzled when the Bank of California called in a $4
million loan it had made to Soriano and Daley to finance the purchase of the
franchise. In January 1970, Westin Hotels head Eddie Carlson put together a
nonprofit group to buy the team. However, the owners rejected the idea almost
out of hand since it would have devalued the other clubs' worth. A slightly
modified deal came one vote short of approval.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
After a winter and spring full of court action, the Pilots
reported for spring training under new manager Dave Bristol, unsure of where
they would play. The owners had given tentative approval to the Milwaukee group, but the state of Washington got an injunction on March 16 to
stop the deal. PNSI immediately filed for bankruptcy, a move intended to forestall
post-sale legal action. At the bankruptcy hearing a week later, Milkes
testified there was not enough money to pay the coaches, players, and office
staff. Had Milkes been more than 10 days late in paying the players, they would
have all become free agents and left Seattle without a team for the 1970
season. With this in mind, Federal Bankruptcy Referee Sidney Volinn declared
the Pilots bankrupt on April 2, five days before Opening Day, clearing the way
for them to move to Milwaukee.
The team's equipment had been sitting in Provo, Utah (possibly with Alan Stanwyck’s parents) with the
drivers awaiting word on whether to drive toward Seattle
or Milwaukee.
The move came so late that Selig had to scrap his initial plans to change the
team's colors to navy and red in honor of the minor-league Brewers of his
youth. Instead, the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-21-milwaukee-brewers.html">Brewers were stuck using old Pilots' uniforms</a>, with the
team name replaced. One legacy of the Brewers' roots in Seattle is that to this day, their colors are
still blue and gold, although the shades have been darker since 2000.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, much like what happened with the Royals at the end of
the 1967 season, MLB found themselves in hot water again after allowing the
Pilots to be relocated after Selig’s purchase. The City of Seattle,
King County,
and the state of Washington (represented by
then-State Attorney General and later U.S. Senator Slade Gorton) sued the AL for breach of
contract. Confident that MLB would return to Seattle
within a few years, King
County built the
multi-purpose Kingdome, which would become home to the NFL's expansion Seattle
Seahawks in 1976 and the eventual co-habitation for the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-4-seattle-mariners.html">Mariners when they were introduced in 1977</a>. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
In short (way beyond that), it would be way more fitting if
the Mariners and Brewers were actually rivals. But getting back to the matter
tat hand, today is the day I should have been at Safeco Field for the historic
return, but unfortunately not having a car, money or any of the other creature
comforts that would have facilitated that dream. It’s very rare that a moment
like this comes along. By that I mean having knowledge of a special event, as
opposed to it happening by chance. I didn’t cry or anything, but it was
certainly a huge disappointment. I was looking forward to wearing this cap to
the game, the one symbol that connects both teams to the one that fizzled out
before it could take off. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cap until itself was truly historic as it was the first
to feature graphics on the bill as opposed to just within the confines of the
front panels. Even though it was only around for one season and one Turn Back
the Clock Night on July 9, 2006, this cap is still as popular because of its
exclusiveness and short lifespan. One thing that should be noted is that the typeface for the “S” was taken from the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/08/february-3-seattle-turks.html">Seattle Turks whom I wrote about on July 3rd</a>. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for the marks, you’d be surprised what I can pull based
on a team that was around for one season.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0AwZU7hSXQ/UoLF-bD9LTI/AAAAAAAAC8c/n_SK1gNuVcA/s1600/20131112_190422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0AwZU7hSXQ/UoLF-bD9LTI/AAAAAAAAC8c/n_SK1gNuVcA/s320/20131112_190422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#12- Of all the players to find themselves on the Pilots,
Tommy Davis holds the most unfortunate story. See, back in 1956 Davis was singed by the
Brooklyn Dodgers, the year after they won their first World Series title in
franchise history. Davis bummed around the
minors for a bit which included a new team every year as the Dodgers were in
the process of relocating to Los
Angeles. The move to LA also meant that the team
needed minor league facilities closer to Dodgers in case you were wondering
what that entailed. On September 22, 1959 Davis
made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter. Luckily for Davis he was brought back full-time in 1960
where he would hit .276 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 110 games. His effort
was good enough to warrant him a fifth place finish for the NL Rookie of the
Year. 1961 was a so-so season, but 1962 and 1963 were hands down the best of
his career, and no I’m not just saying that. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1962 Davis
hit .346, the best in the league. He also happened to lead the league in hits
(230) and RBI (153), but he only knocked 27 pitches over the wall because some
clown named Willie Mays hit 49 that season. But even with his incredible
numbers, Davis
still only finished third for the NL MVP behind Mays and his teammate Maury
Wills who finished the season with a .299 average, six home runs and 48 RBI.
Oh! And 104 stolen bases. You might be thinking that Wills also cleaned up in
run. He did, with 130; however, that was only 10 more than Davis. Davis
should have been the outright MVP that season. The same thing happened the following
year when Davis
once again won the batting title behind his .326 average, but that year he
finished in eighth place for the award. Davis
did make the All-Star team both seasons and won his only World Series ring of
his career in 1963, but still, he deserved a lot more credit than he got then,
AND for the rest of his career.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Davis
had a mediocre (by his standards) season in 1964, was hurt in 1965 and picked
things back up in 1966. At the end of the 1966 season Davis found himself on 10 different teams in
10 years. Crazy, right!? He was dealt to the New York Mets first for the 1967
season, then to the Chicago White Sox for 1968 only to be thrown into the list
of names for the expansion draft where he was selected by the Pilots with the
16<sup>th</sup> overall pick. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JTzZlR8y6BA/UoK-VpefTxI/AAAAAAAAC70/QtVR_VBU8_M/s1600/TommyDavis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JTzZlR8y6BA/UoK-VpefTxI/AAAAAAAAC70/QtVR_VBU8_M/s1600/TommyDavis.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Davis
was a solid choice. His .271 average was the best amongst anyone who played in
over 100 games for the Pilots, but he was dealt to the Houston Astros around
the trade deadline. Davis
played for seven more seasons and ended his career with a .294 average and
2,121 hits having played in an era that especially favored pitchers. Borderline
Hall of Famer for sure, but never got beyond one vote as he received 1.8% in
1982.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eW9BvdndkcI/UoK-cFyjnRI/AAAAAAAAC78/eOWnB3MKd9w/s1600/Segui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eW9BvdndkcI/UoK-cFyjnRI/AAAAAAAAC78/eOWnB3MKd9w/s1600/Segui.jpg" /></a></div>
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#24- Born and raised in Holguin, Cuba,
Diego Segui holds the unique distinction of having pitched for both of
Seattle's major league baseball teams, the Pilots and the Mariners, in the
first game ever played by each franchise (earning a save for the Pilots in
1969, and absorbing the opening-day loss for the Mariners in 1977). Segui played
for 15 seasons; his time with the Pilots came after his seventh year in the
league as a member of the Athletics as he found his name of the expansion draft
list. Segui was picked 14<sup>th</sup> overall. His most productive season came
in 1969, for the Pilots, when he posted a career-high in wins, with 12, and 12
saves, against only 6 losses. Segui was also the only pitcher to start at least
eight games and finish with a record above .500. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the season, his teammates voted
him the Pilots' Most Valuable Player. </div>
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His final season was in 1977 as a member of the Mariners. Segui
was the starting pitcher in the Mariners' inaugural game in 1977, earning him
the nickname "the Ancient Mariner." Although he set a Mariner record
against the Boston Red Sox with 10 strikeouts early in the season, he failed to
get a win. After compiling a 0–7 record with a 5.69 ERA, he was released at the
end of the season. He continued pitching in the Mexican League for another 10
years, tossing a no-hitter for the Cordoba Coffee Growers in 1978. His son
David played in the Majors as well from 1990-2004, playing with seven different
teams <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/11/august-8-seattle-mariners.html">including the Mariners</a>.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KIpUOh1Q5so/UoLGQ_q6iWI/AAAAAAAAC8k/WSc7kem1byo/s1600/20131112_190404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KIpUOh1Q5so/UoLGQ_q6iWI/AAAAAAAAC8k/WSc7kem1byo/s320/20131112_190404.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#50- Clearly the most notable name of the bunch, Jim Bouton
was a well-known relief pitcher and World Series champion with the New York
Yankees in 1962. He was also one of the most consistently used pitchers in the
league when he was a starter in his first few years before his arm began to
wear down. In 1965, an arm injury slowed his fastball and ended his status as a
pitching phenomenon. Relegated mostly to bullpen duty, Bouton began to throw
the knuckleball again, in an effort to lengthen his career. By 1968, Bouton was
a reliever for the minor league Seattle Angels.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
In October 1968, he joined a committee of American sportsmen
who traveled to the 1968 Summer Olympics, in Mexico City,
to protest the involvement of apartheid South Africa. Around the same time,
sportswriter Leonard Shecter, who had befriended Bouton during his time with
the Yankees, approached him with the idea of writing and publishing a
season-long diary. Bouton, who had taken some notes during the 1968 season
after having a similar idea, readily agreed. This was by no means the first
baseball diary. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jim Brosnan had written two such books,
about his 1959 and 1961 seasons, called <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Long Season</span></u> and <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Pennant Race</span></u> respectively. Those books were much more open
than the typical G-rated and ghost-written athletes' "diaries", a
literary technique dating at least as far back as Christy Mathewson. Brosnan
had also encountered some resistance. Joe Garagiola made a point in his own
autobiography, <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Baseball Is a Funny
Game</span></u>, to criticize Brosnan for writing them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MujN8regp2I/UoK-h9rPGZI/AAAAAAAAC8E/0b7-XbmvLg4/s1600/Jim+Bouton+Pilots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MujN8regp2I/UoK-h9rPGZI/AAAAAAAAC8E/0b7-XbmvLg4/s320/Jim+Bouton+Pilots.JPG" width="250" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bouton chronicled his 1969 season with a frank, insider's
look at a professional sports team, eventually naming his book <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four</span></u>. The backdrop for the
book was the Pilots' one and only operating season, though Bouton was traded to
the Astros late in the season. Unlike previous sports publications, <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four</span></u> named names and
described a side of baseball that was previously unseen. Bouton did this by
writing about the way a professional baseball team actually interacts; not only
the heroic game-winning home runs, but also the petty jealousies (of which
Bouton had a special knowledge), the obscene jokes, the drunken tomcatting of
the players, and the routine drug use, including by Bouton himself. Upon its
publication, baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn called <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four</span></u> "detrimental to baseball," and tried to
force Bouton to sign a statement saying that the book was completely fictional.
Bouton, however, refused to deny any of <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four</span></u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">‘s </span>revelations.
Many of Bouton's teammates never forgave him for publicly airing what he had
learned in private about their flaws and foibles. The book made Bouton
unpopular with many players, coaches, and officials on other teams as well, as
they felt he had betrayed the long-standing rule: "What you see here, what
you say here, what you do here, let it stay here." Although his comments
on Mickey Mantle's lifestyle and excesses make up only a few pages of the text,
it was those very revelations that spawned most of the book's notoriety, and
provoked Bouton's eventual blacklisting from baseball. Oddly, what was
forgotten in the furor is that Bouton mostly wrote of Mantle in almost
reverential tones. One of the book's seminal moments occurs when Bouton
describes his first win as a Yankee: when he entered the clubhouse, he found
Mantle laying a "red carpet" of towels leading directly to his locker
in Bouton's honor.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bouton retired midway through the 1970 season after the
Astros sent him down to the minor leagues. He immediately became a local sports
anchor for New York
station WABC-TV, as part of <i>Eyewitness News</i>; he later held the same job
for WCBS-TV. Bouton also became an actor, playing the part of "Terry
Lennox" in Robert Altman's <i>The Long Goodbye</i> (1973), plus the lead
role of "Jim Barton" in the 1976 CBS television series <i>Ball Four</i>,
which was loosely adapted from the book and was canceled after five episodes.
Decades later, Bouton would also have a brief one-line cameo as a pitching
coach in the James L. Brooks film <i>How Do You Know</i>. By the mid-1970s, a
cult audience saw the book <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball
Four</span></u> as a candid and comic portrayal of the ups and downs of
baseball life. Bouton went on the college lecture circuit, delivering humorous
talks on his experiences.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bouton launched his comeback bid with the Portland Mavericks
of the Class-A Northwest League in 1975, compiling a 5-1 record.<sup> </sup>He
skipped the 1976 season to work on the TV series, but he returned to the
diamond in 1977 when Bill Veeck signed him to a minor league contract with the White
Sox. Bouton was winless for a White Sox farm club; a stint in the Mexican
League and a return to Portland
followed. In 1978, Ted Turner signed Bouton to a contract with the Braves.
After a successful season with the Savannah Braves of the AA Southern League,
he was called up to join Atlanta's
rotation in September, and compiled a 1-3 record in five starts. His winding
return to the majors was chronicled in a book by sportswriter Terry Pluto, <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Greatest Summer</span></u><i>.</i>
Bouton also detailed his comeback in a 10th anniversary re-release of his first
book, titled <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four Plus Ball
Five</span></u>, as well as adding a <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball
Six</span></u>, updating the stories of the players in <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four</span></u>, for the 20th
anniversary edition. All were included (in 2000) as <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four: The Final Pitch</span></u>, along with a new coda that
detailed the death of his daughter and his reconciliation with the Yankees. After
his return to the majors, Bouton continued to pitch at the semi-pro level for a
Bergen County, New Jersey team called the Emerson-Westwood Merchants, among
other teams in the Metropolitan Baseball League in northern New
Jersey, while living in Teaneck,
New Jersey. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once his baseball career ended a second time, Bouton became
one of the inventors of "Big League Chew," a shredded bubblegum
designed to resemble chewing tobacco and sold in a tobacco-like pouch. He also
co-authored <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Strike Zone</span></u>
(a baseball novel) and edited an anthology about managers, entitled <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I Managed Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad</span></u>.<u>
</u>His most recent book is <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Foul
Ball</span></u> (published 2003), a non-fiction account of his unsuccessful
attempt to save Wahconah Park, a historic minor league baseball stadium in Pittsfield,
Massachusetts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although Bouton had never been officially declared <i>persona
non grata</i> by the Yankees or any other team as a result of <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ball Four</span></u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">’s</span> revelations, he was excluded from most baseball-related
functions, including Old-Timers' Games. It was rumored that Mantle himself had
told the Yankees that he would never attend an Old-Timers' Game to which Bouton
was invited (a charge Mantle subsequently denied, especially during a lengthy
answering-machine message to Bouton after Mantle's son Billy had died of cancer
in 1994. Mantle was acknowledging a condolence card Bouton had sent). Things
changed in June 1998, when Bouton's oldest son Michael wrote an eloquent Father's
Day open letter to the Yankees which was published in the <i>New York Times</i>,
in which Michael described the agony of his father following the August 1997
death of Michael's sister Laurie at age 31. By juxtaposing the story of Yogi
Berra's self-imposed exile with that of his father's <i>de facto</i>
banishment, Michael created a scenario where not only were the Yankees placed
under public pressure to invite his father back, but the article paved the road
to reconciliation between Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Berra. In July
1998, Bouton, sporting his familiar number 56, received a standing ovation when
he took the mound at Yankee Stadium. He has since become a regular fixture at
Yankees Old-Timers' Games.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I read <u>Ball Four</u> for the first time around the age of
14 and once again during my time in New York
while I was a member of the MLB
Fan Cave,
but never in between. Both times I felt a sense of duty surging through me. The
first time it was after really understanding my gift of writing. Everything I
wrote I wanted to mimic the same honest and tone that Bouton displayed during
his time with the Yankees and eventually the Pilots and Astros. When I read it
again in New York
it motivated me to speak from the heart and not hold anything back in my
day-to-day experiences, something that inevitably turned around and bit me in
the ass on multiple occasions with the powers that be. In any event, I didn’t
care. There’s a part of my banishment from the Fan Cave
that came as a result of not knowing when I should have kept my mouth shut.
While some would ponder of it for the rest of their days, wishing they had done
things different, I take the exact opposite approach. I take solace in what I
did. The Fan Cave wasn’t just supposed to be about the nine of us that were
brought on to watch all the games and interact with the guests, it was about
swapping stories and sharing the experience with anyone who is a fan of the
game, a reality that no one else past or present seems to understand with the
exception of season one Cave Dweller Mike O’Hara. Without Bouton, I doubt I
would be the writer, let alone the person that I am today.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-69477510599297129282013-11-08T16:19:00.000-08:002013-11-08T16:19:03.676-08:00August 8- Seattle Mariners<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Back on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-4-seattle-mariners.html">March 4th I tackled the original trident cap</a> that the Seattle Mariners wore from 1977-1980, but I purposely left out one
particular detail as it pertains to the cap that I’m writing about today. The <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game</span>
was the 50th playing of the midsummer classic between the All-Star of the American
League and National League and it took place at the four-year-old Kingdome in Seattle, Washington.
The game is perhaps most remembered for the play of Dave Parker in the
outfield, as he had two assists on putouts at third base and at the plate. With
Parker receiving the MVP award for this game, and teammate Willie Stargell
winning the NL MVP, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP, all four possible MVP
awards for the season were won by members of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The game
was also notable for the play of Lee Mazzilli, the lone representative from the
then-lowly New York Mets, providing the 7-6 margin of victory. In his only All
Star appearance, Mazzilli tied the game in the eighth inning with a pinch hit home
run off of Jim Kern of the Texas Rangers, and then put the NL ahead for good in
the ninth, drawing a bases-loaded walk against Ron Guidry of the New York
Yankees. This would be the only time the Kingdome would host the All-Star Game.
When it returned to <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/july-26-seattle-mariners.html">Seattle for a second time in 2001</a>, the Mariners had moved to their new home at Safeco
Field. The other important detail from this game is that the Mariners
inadvertently created one of the most iconic logos in All-Star Game history which
they would ultimately don as the primary logo for their caps and uniforms.</div>
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Since the All-Star Game was first played in Chicago at Comiskey Field in 1933 it had
become customary for the host team to come up with some sort of a cool logo
when advertising for the game. You’re probably thinking that my math is off
based in the year of the first game played and how the 50<sup>th</sup> game
took place in 1979. Well, from 1959-1961 the All-Star Game was played twice per
year, typically one in June and the other in July. In 1961, the final
double-dip, the second game, hosted at Fenway Park,
ended in a tie. Now where have we seen that happen?</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5F9NIsiwUcw/Un18bNtR0VI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/4Jn93uy5BRg/s1600/bud_selig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5F9NIsiwUcw/Un18bNtR0VI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/4Jn93uy5BRg/s320/bud_selig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that the logos
created are usually only meant for their one-time use at the All-Star Game;
however, the Mariners and their fans took quite a liking to the logo they had
created for their midsummer classic and decided to make it their official logo
for their game caps from 1981 through 1986. With the exception of a few of the
teams who incorporated the cap logo into their All-Star Game logos, the
Mariners are the only team to do it the other way around.</div>
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One of the unfortunate things about this cap is that not a
whole lot happened for the Mariners while they wore it with the exception of
the players strike which took place in 1981. I don’t know how many times I’ve
said it or listed it, but changing uniforms does have a tendency to bring
success for a lot of teams, but when it doesn’t, all Hell breaks loose. Besides
the strike, this bit of bad fortune befell upon the Mariners: On April 25,
1981, Mariners' manager Maury Wills advised the Kingdome groundskeepers to
enlarge the batter's box by a foot. A's manager Billy Martin noticed. Martin
showed umpire Bill Kunkel that the batter's box was seven feet long instead of
six feet. Martin felt that batters being able to move up a foot in the box
could cut at pitches before a curveball broke. Wills was suspended for two
games and fined $500.<sup> </sup>In May, while in Arlington, Texas
to play the Texas Rangers, the Mariners' uniforms were stolen. </div>
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On May 28th, this happened...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CbiJ-Tg9Vao/Un19M9UumJI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/iUG1Zhrk1OU/s1600/randle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CbiJ-Tg9Vao/Un19M9UumJI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/iUG1Zhrk1OU/s1600/randle2.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the sixth inning, Amos Otis of the Kansas City Royals topped a ball down the third-base line.
Lenny Randle, the Seattle third baseman, charged the ball, fell on his
stomach and appeared to blow the ball into foul territory. Larry McCoy,
the home plate umpire, ruled the ball foul, but manager Jim Frey
protested. After a discussion, the umpires awarded Otis first base,
ruling Randle had illegally altered the course of the ball. Two days later in a game against the Rangers, the Mariners wore their batting practice jerseys, Milwaukee
Brewers' caps, and Rangers' batting helmets. The Mariners purchased the Brewers
caps at the Rangers' souvenir-stand; the Rangers did not offer Seattle caps for sale.</div>
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The only other notable moment came in 1985. On July 9<sup>th</sup>,
in a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Mariners at Seattle, Jays catcher Buck Martinez executed
a double play by tagging out two runners at home plate. In the third inning, Phil
Bradley was on second when Gorman Thomas singled. Bradley was tagged out at
home, on a throw from Jesse Barfield to Buck Martinez. There was a collision
between Bradley and Martinez; Martinez broke his ankle. Martinez was sitting on the ground in agony
and threw the ball to third base in an attempt to tag out Gorman Thomas. The
throw went into left field and Thomas ran towards home plate. Toronto
left fielder George Bell threw the ball back to Martinez. He was still seated on the ground
in pain but was able to tag Gorman Thomas for the second out. </div>
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Despite having stars such as Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord
Perry (nicknamed the "Ancient Mariner"), 1984 AL Rookie of the Year Alvin
Davis, two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner Harold Reynolds,
three-time American League strikeout leader Mark Langston, and shortstop and
team captain Spike Owen on their rosters, the Mariners teams of the entirety of
the 1980s were characterized by perennial non-achievement, gaining a reputation
for poor performances, low attendance, and losing records. Moreover, the team's
ownership again changed hands after the 1988 season, as then-owner George
Argyros sold the club to a group headed by communications magnate Jeff Smulyan.
However, the 1989 rookie season of center fielder <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-31-seattle-mariners.html">Ken Griffey, Jr.</a>, acquired
with the first overall pick of the 1987 amateur draft, gave fans hope that a
change of fortunes might be on the horizon. </div>
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The Mariners since wore the caps for their Turn Back the
Clock nights on June 25, 2010 against the Milwaukee Brewers and July 1, 2011
against the San Diego Padres. With all that in mind, it made my markings a bit
of a challenge, but I’m pretty happy with my selections and their place in
Mariners’ history.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQmY-icyV_o/Un1-mzzw8LI/AAAAAAAAC60/cvD5GivYGvw/s1600/20131107_130933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQmY-icyV_o/Un1-mzzw8LI/AAAAAAAAC60/cvD5GivYGvw/s320/20131107_130933.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#12- Born and raised in San Diego,
California Mark Langston was a second round draft pick by the Mariners out of San Jose State in the 1981 amateur draft. From
then until the end of the 1983 season he came up through the ranks of the
Mariners’ minor league system, but bypassed AAA altogether when he made is MLB
debut on April y, 1984. His most notable season in the minors came in 1982 when
he was with the Class-A Bakersfield Mariners and went 12-7 with a 2.54 ERA and
161 strikeouts in 177 1/3 innings.</div>
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Langston served as the team’s ace his rookie season, going
17-10 with a 3.04 ERA and a league-leading 202 strikeouts. He ended up
finishing in second place for the AL Rookie of the Year Award thanks in part by
his jerk of a teammate Alvin Davis who had a great offensive showing. Either
way, the important thing to note from the two finishing one-two for the Rookie
of the Year Award is that they both beat out <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-21-minnesota-twins.html">Kirby Puckett</a> and Roger Clemens.
1982 proved to be a pretty rough sophomore season for Langston, but he picked
his game back up in 1983 when he led the league in strikeouts again with 245.
Unfortunately he also led the league in earned runs with 129 as well. Yikes!</div>
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In 1987, of course the first year not wearing this cap,
Langston had his best year in Seattle,
going 19-13 with a 3.84 ERA and once again leading the league in strikeouts
with 262. He also made his first All-Star Game appearance and won the first of
his back-to-back Gold Gloves. Langston would win seven for his career. But not
to sell him short, Langston also finished fifth for the AL Cy Young Award, the
highest finish he garner for his career. </div>
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Langston went 15-11 with 235 strikeouts in 1988, but got off
to a mediocre 4-5 start in 1989 when he found himself on the trading block in
July where he was sent to the Montreal Expos along with Mike Campbell for Gene
Harris, Brian Holman and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-31-seattle-mariners.html">Randy Johnson</a>. Langston pitched for 10 more seasons,
eight of which came with the California Angels from 1990-1997 when they changed
their name to the Anaheim Angels. In 1998 he was a member of the NL
pennant-winning San Diego Padres. Noted for his pickoff move to first base, his
91 career pickoffs were, at the time of his retirement, the most in baseball
history. Today, he has the fourth-most pickoffs in baseball history, behind
only Kenny Rogers, Terry Mulholland and Andy Pettitte, all of them also
left-handed pitchers. Currently, Langston serves as a radio color commentator
for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during Angels home games. Starting in
2013, Langston does radio color commentary for all games and is also a co-host
of the Angels post-game call-in show <i>Angel Talk</i> on radio station KLAA.
He also appeared as himself in an episode of “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sg9lt7qcN1M/Un1-VCZooFI/AAAAAAAAC6k/HcryOu2qnXo/s1600/Bradley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sg9lt7qcN1M/Un1-VCZooFI/AAAAAAAAC6k/HcryOu2qnXo/s1600/Bradley.jpg" /></a></div>
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#29- Speaking of players most of you have probably never
heard of, Phil Bradley is arguably one of the greatest hitters in the history
of the Mariners’ organization. Bradley played high school baseball in Macomb, Illinois
for the Macomb High Bombers. Due to his success there, the Macomb High School
baseball field was later dedicated in his name.<sup> </sup>Also a talented
football player, he played college football at the University
of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri
and was their starting quarterback from 1978 through 1980. One of the most
decorated athletes in Mizzou history, Bradley lettered in football from
1977-81, and in baseball in 1979-81. Bradley quarterbacked the Tigers to three
bowl games. He was a three-time Big Eight Conference "Offensive Player of
the Year" and set the conference total offense record at 6,459 yards which
stood for 10 years. In baseball, he starred as an outfielder on Mizzou teams
that won the Big Eight championship in 1980, and went to the NCAA Tournament in
1980 and 1981.</div>
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Bradley was selected in the third round of the 1981 amateur
draft by the Mariners and made his Major League debut on September 2, 1983, as
a pinch hitter against the New York Yankees. Bradley became Seattle's regular left fielder in 1984,
batting .301 in 124 games. In 1985 he hit .300 with career-highs in home runs
(26) and RBI (880 in 159 games and was selected to the AL All-Star team. He
also finished 16<sup>th</sup> for the AL MVP that season. On April 29, 1986,
Bradley was Roger Clemens' 20th and final strikeout as the pitcher set a major
league record for strikeouts in a game.<sup> </sup>In December of 1987, the
Mariners traded Bradley and Tim Fortugno to the Philadelphia Phillies in
exchange for Mike Jackson, Glenn Wilson, and minor leaguer Dave Brundage. </div>
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Bradley hit a respectable .264 in his only season with the
Phillies. Almost one year to the day since arriving from the Mariners, the
Phillies, desperately in need of pitching help, dealt Bradley to the Baltimore
Orioles for Gordon Dillard and Ken Howell. Back in the more familiar AL, Bradley's batting average rose to .277 in his first
season in Baltimore.
In mid-season 1990, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Ron Kittle. His
final major league appearance came on September 29, 1990, as he drew two walks
and scored a run in a 5-2 White Sox win over the Seattle Mariners. For the
Mariners Bradley his .301 lifetime with 52 home runs, 234 RBI and even stole
107 bases.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-46717016313443825142013-11-08T13:54:00.000-08:002013-11-09T17:41:33.214-08:00August 7- Milwaukee Brewers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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If you can’t tell by the expression on my face in the
picture above, my head is getting squeezed by the 7 1/8 Milwaukee Brewers cap
barely gripping the top of my skull. Someone (@NotYasielPuig) had pointed out a
few months ago that I am one of the most awkward people to ever pose in front
of a camera based on the intro photos that I have at the top of each post. I’ll
be the first to admit that’s true; however, in most cases there is a reason for
these this. Photos are a vital piece to a story, especially when the subject
matter is completely non-fictional. Fictional stories don’t necessarily need
photos because the entire fantasy of what you’re reading is all based on how
your imagination works. When something is based on factual evidence it’s
usually a smart move to throw a few pictures in to give the reader a frame of
reference. After all, what good would it be for me to talk cap baseball caps
when you don’t know what they look like? As far as my facial expressions go, I
do my best to prepare the reader for the journey they’re about to embark upon.
Sometimes the story is happy, sometimes they’re depressing and sometimes it’s
me going on a rant. Other times I try to incorporate something in the
background to set the mood, kind of like when I spent late night hours in bed
trying to hammer a post out. No matter the case there is always a method to my
madness at play, and today is one of those posts where it all comes into play.</div>
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I should probably start by saying that, unless you’re a New
Era cap collector or a Brewers fan, you might not remember this cap. It’s ok,
not very many people in Milwaukee
even remember this cap existing, but even crazier is that it’s next to
impossible to track down. Much like the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-9-milwaukee-brewers.html">Brewers cap I wrote about on April 9<sup>th</sup></a>,
it falls under the category of “What the f--- were they thinking?” but not
because of the uniforms. To be honest, I actually really like this cap. I just
hate the history surrounding it. See, back in 1994 is when it all started when
the Brewers introduced <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-9-milwaukee-brewers.html">these uniforms</a>…</div>
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Bring an end to arguably <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-26-milwaukee-brewers.html">one of the greatest uniform sets and caps</a> in Major League Baseball history. But that’s not all. 1994 was the
year that MLB decided to expand their playoff format by adding the Wild Card
series to the mix. Some of you are probably thinking, “Now Ben, the Wild Card
wasn’t added until 1995.” This is true; however, it was supposed to be used in
1994 but the players strike kind of put a halt on things until the end of April
the following year. In order to make the Wild Card system work MLB broke up the
original two divisions (East and West) and added a third (Central) to each
side, moving the Brewers out of the East and into the Central and in turn
giving the West four teams each between the American and National Leagues.
Originally this should not have worked out, but luckily the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-23-florida-marlins.html">Florida Marlins</a> and
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-2-colorado-rockies.html">Colorado Rockies</a> were added in 1993 to balance the leagues out. So, everything
is perfect, right? Nope! MLB had other plans which entailed even more expansion
despite the fact that the strike was still in effect in March of 1995. Back
then two new franchises (<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/09/july-13-arizona-diamondbacks.html">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-28-tampa-bay-devil-rays.html">Tampa Bay Devil Rays</a>) were
awarded by MLB to begin play in 1998. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It
was decided to add one new team to each league. At the time, however, MLB did
not want to have an odd number of teams per league because they would either
have to give teams many more off-days than in the past, or interleague play
would have to be extended year-round, or both (14 years later however, another
realignment would <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">cause</span> there
to be an odd number of teams in each league with year round interleague play).
In order for MLB officials to continue the existing schedule, where teams play
almost every day and where interleague play is limited to a few days per year,
both leagues would need to carry an even number of teams. The decision was made
to have one existing club switch leagues.</i> This is the moment when MLB went
full-retard. The problem that MLB had put them selves in was as a result of
their poor planning when they allowed the Marlins and Rockies
into the Majors in an attempt to even everything out. The real problem of their
addition of the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays is that they made the mistake of
adding one too many teams to the wrong division (Devil Rays to the AL East.)
How did this happen? MLB made the mistake of keeping the Detroit Tigers in the
AL East when the new divisions were set up in 1994. So now there were going to
be 15 teams in each league with the NL having five teams per division while in
the AL there
was one division with four teams and another with six. </div>
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It’s funny to look at all of this now because even a group
of third graders could have figured out the problem much faster than the owners
and executives were able to. In my opinion (which would have been the correct
move) MLB should have moved the Kansas City Royals out of their new place in
the AL Central and BACK to the AL West where they have had all of their success
including a World Series title in 1985. This move would have given each
division five teams apiece and an even 15 teams per league. Yes, I understand
that MLB was afraid of an odd number of teams in each league; however, look at
what we’re dealing with today and how long it took for everyone to realize that
15 teams per league in even divisions is actually a blessing. More important,
the shit that actually went down would have never put a dent in baseball’s
legacy: REALIGNMENT.</div>
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That’s right; one team had to be moved from one league to
another to form a balance, something that had NEVER occurred in MLB history.
Teams had obviously moved from state-to-state or city-to-city, but nothing like
this. The realignment was widely considered to have great financial benefit to
the club moving; however, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest,
Commissioner (then-Brewers owner) Bud Selig decided another team should have
the first chance to switch leagues. The Royals were asked first, but they
decided against it. The choice then fell to the Brewers, who, on November 6,
1997, elected to move to the NL Central Division. At the same time, the Tigers
agreed to move from the AL East to the AL Central (to replace Milwaukee). The Devil Rays joined the AL East
and the Diamondbacks joined the NL West. Had the Brewers elected not to move to
the NL, the Minnesota Twins would have been offered the opportunity next. Even
reading my own words absolutely blows my mind that this happened. But what does
any of this have to do with the cap? Well…</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">’97</b>: The Brewers
got a lot of flack for the uniforms they introduced in 1994 and wore through
the end of the 1996 season. So they decided to correct their mistake and come
up with something more appealing to the fans. In the offseason the Brewers
introduced these uniforms to be worn for the 1997 season.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0EZzs0r3eI/Un1a3Slcc7I/AAAAAAAAC5c/-l9-EyKVV-w/s1600/al_1997_milwaukee.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0EZzs0r3eI/Un1a3Slcc7I/AAAAAAAAC5c/-l9-EyKVV-w/s320/al_1997_milwaukee.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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From then until the end of the 1999 season the Brewers wore
this cap for all of their home game and a similar model with a gold “M” (which
I can’t find for sale anywhere) for all of their road games. It is still the
only time in MLB history that a cap/uniform has been used in multiple leagues. The
cap on my head was purchased while the team was still a member of the AL and in my mind the team will always be an AL team. When time came
for realignment once again at the end of the 2012 season MLB could have done
the smart thing and looked at my original proposal by moving the Royals to the
AL West and moving the Brewers back to the AL Central to even things out, but
they once again decided that going full-retard was the most fiscally sound
option by moving the Houston Astros to the AL West. Because trying to fix the past is just silly and make too many people happy.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0G07c_2r0hQ/Un1ZRuEOmjI/AAAAAAAAC4s/6apfCGs4waA/s1600/20131107_130538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0G07c_2r0hQ/Un1ZRuEOmjI/AAAAAAAAC4s/6apfCGs4waA/s320/20131107_130538.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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These are obviously not new stories. I’ve touched base on a
few of these issues before, but they still drive me crazy. How it’s possible
for an old man like Selig to take “something he loves” (baseball) and
completely blow it off kilter and be satisfied with himself is beyond me. It’s
shit like this why I made the conscious decision to have Bernie Brewer added to
the AL side
of my body. I figured one baseball-loving person had to have some sense.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mmldn8OblOU/Un1ZkryJ4gI/AAAAAAAAC40/OanK6HtylzY/s1600/AL2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mmldn8OblOU/Un1ZkryJ4gI/AAAAAAAAC40/OanK6HtylzY/s320/AL2.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
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As to who the girl is, that’s a gem for another post.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8s1TekO6Rg/Un1ZtzSbddI/AAAAAAAAC48/PRmkpem348c/s1600/AL9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8s1TekO6Rg/Un1ZtzSbddI/AAAAAAAAC48/PRmkpem348c/s320/AL9.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uIOQDHglnmk/Un1dWjXDgPI/AAAAAAAAC5w/TO7EPNyw2SY/s1600/20131108_164737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uIOQDHglnmk/Un1dWjXDgPI/AAAAAAAAC5w/TO7EPNyw2SY/s320/20131108_164737.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#5: If there was ever a player over the last 25 years or so
who made a quiet, yet definite impact for the throughout his entire career, it
has to be Geoff Jenkins. Jenkins was a three-sport varsity athlete at Cordova High School
in Rancho Cucamonga, California, but elected to pursue baseball
full-time after receiving a scholarship from USC. From 1993-1995 he played ball
for the Trojans. In his final season, he batted .399 with 78 RBI and a .748 slugging
percentage in 70 games, also scoring 75 runs to tie the school record held by Rich
Dauer and Mark McGwire; his 23 home runs and 193 total bases ranked second in
school history behind McGwire's 1984 totals of 32 and 216. He led the Trojans
to the College World Series, where they reached the championship game; Jenkins
was named to the all-CWS team, and also earned team co-MVP honors and was named
a consensus All-American. In 1996, the year of the CWS' 50th tournament,
Jenkins was named to the all-decade team for the 1990s. He finished his USC
career with a .369 batting average, 45 home runs (second only to McGwire's 54),
a .652 slugging percentage, 180 runs, and school records for runs batted in
(175) and total bases (444). Yah, he was kind of a big deal, but he fell to the
Brewers in the ninth round of the 1995 amateur draft and didn’t make his MLB
debut until 1998.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-txNwNMMBOuQ/Un1Z0tPl3lI/AAAAAAAAC5E/RKuNIiHKnuI/s1600/1999+Pacific+Invincible+%2379+Geoff+Jenkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-txNwNMMBOuQ/Un1Z0tPl3lI/AAAAAAAAC5E/RKuNIiHKnuI/s320/1999+Pacific+Invincible+%2379+Geoff+Jenkins.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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<b>Not pictured- Brett Favre</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Jenkins played 10 years with the Brewers at the MLB level
and was consistently the team’s best player. Twice he led the team in batting
average, the first of which came in 1999 when he hit .313 with 21 home runs and
82 RBI. In 2000, he was the Brewers' team MVP. He led the Brewers in batting
average (.303) and home runs (34). His 2002 season was cut short when on June
17 in a game against the Astros he suffered a horrific-looking dislocated ankle
when sliding into third base feet first during a game. He was safe on the play.
He was selected to the NL All-Star team in 2003 via the MLB's All-Star Final
Vote contest where a player is selected from both leagues by fans to join their
respective team after the initial roster is announced.</div>
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Jenkins hit a bit streak of offensive woes starting in the
2006 season and was eventually replaced in his spot in the outfield for Corey
Hart. At the end of the 2007 season Jenkins was not re-signed, thus ending his
Brewer career with a .275 average, 221 home runs and 733 RBI. But, his baseball
career wasn’t over. On December 20, 2007, he signed a two-year, $13 million
deal with a vesting option for 2010 with the Philadelphia Phillies.<sup> </sup>Jenkins
returned to Miller Park in a Phillies uniform on April 23, 2008, to a crowd of
just over 30,000. He was welcomed back with a tribute video, highlighting his
ten-year career with the Brewers, and the standing ovation that followed. He
received a second ovation while leading off the second inning. Philadelphia would go on to lose the game,
5-4. He went 0 for 3, with a walk and a stolen base. In the postseason, his
only hit came on a leadoff double in the bottom of the 6th in Game 5 of the
World Series. His hit set the tone for the finale of the World Series as the
Phillies won the World Series and earned Jenkins his first World Series ring of
his 10 year career. The Phillies ultimately released him at the end of Spring
Training in 2009 and in July he was signed by the Brewers on a one-day contract
so he could officially retire with the team.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0FFi30b3uE/Un1aHB9Fw6I/AAAAAAAAC5M/WfHgKx4bZok/s1600/jeromy+burnitz+milwaukee+brewers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0FFi30b3uE/Un1aHB9Fw6I/AAAAAAAAC5M/WfHgKx4bZok/s320/jeromy+burnitz+milwaukee+brewers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#20: Jeromy Burnitz played his collegiate ball at Oklahoma State University
and played minor league ball with the Welsh Waves and the Buffalo Bisons. He
batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He first came up with the New York Mets and
exhibited both power and speed, but was traded by them to the Cleveland
Indians. Burnitz never really cracked the Cleveland
lineup and it was only after his trade to Milwaukee
in 1996 that he emerged as an everyday player.</div>
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From 1996-2001 Burnitz was an absolute stud for the Brewers.
In his first full season, 1997, Burnitz hit .281 with 27 home runs, 85 RBI and
even stole 20 bases. His efforts gave him a top-30 finish for the AL MVP. The
next season he hit a modest .263 but pounded a career-high 38 home runs and a
career-high 125 RBI which ultimately improved his stock with a top-20 finish
for the NL MVP. Clearly hitting in the NL improved his power game in just one
season. In 1999 he made his first All-Star Game and even started in place of
the injured <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-1-san-diego-padres.html">Tony Gwynn</a>, thus becoming the first Brewer to start an All-Star
Game since <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-26-milwaukee-brewers.html">Paul Molitor</a>. In the six years he played in Milwaukee he hit .258 with 165 home runs and
525 RBI.</div>
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Burnitz played until the end of the 2006 season with the
Mets for a second time (2002-2003), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2003), the Rockies (2004), the Chicago Cubs (2005) and then finally
with Pittsburgh Pirates (2006).</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-36593648038806803922013-11-06T21:03:00.000-08:002013-11-06T21:03:40.245-08:00August 6- Boston Red Sox<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-omJrGHYWdpI/Unse7JzfcpI/AAAAAAAAC4c/Qw8ruVCDk2Q/s1600/20131106_235534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-omJrGHYWdpI/Unse7JzfcpI/AAAAAAAAC4c/Qw8ruVCDk2Q/s320/20131106_235534.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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To get a full understanding of how important this cap and
its marking are, I have to flashback 18 years to when I was a sixth grader in
Mrs. Costello’s class at Discovery Elementary School in Bakersfield,
California. Prior to my 12<sup>th</sup> birthday in February of 1995 my
collection of sports memorabilia was actually pretty pathetic. Outside of
collecting baseball cards since 1987, I really didn’t have anything as far as
professional team hats or shirts to gallivant around town in. I kept things
pretty simple, sporting brands like Stussy and a lot of graphic t-shirts with
likes of Bart Simpson or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles affixed to the front.
Back then my interest were starting to evolve as well due to the fact that the
Major League Baseball season was a bit of a question mark as the labor negotiations
were still taking place. Since it was winter, I did what any other kid my age
would have done; watch more basketball.</div>
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Around the time I started getting into baseball (October
1986) I had begun to develop a bit of a kinship for basketball. Who could blame
me? The baseball season had just ended with the New York Mets defeating the
Boston Red Sox in the World Series and my tiny little brain was starting to
become interested in things other than Sesame Street and Marvel super heroes.
But unlike most fans whose love for the game starts at the professional level,
mine began in college. More specifically, it started with Reggie Miller and the
UCLA Bruins. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OTLuW1Oo4hE/UnsRouet7mI/AAAAAAAAC2Q/C4fOcPDZ8Lo/s1600/Reggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OTLuW1Oo4hE/UnsRouet7mI/AAAAAAAAC2Q/C4fOcPDZ8Lo/s320/Reggie.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
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Reggie hadn’t become the trash-talking, heart-breaking,
three-point assassin we all know him as today. Back then he was just a scoring
machine with the most dominant college basketball program in the history of the
NCAA. When it came time for him to move to the next level and enter the NBA
Draft in 1987, my allegiance to Reggie continued as the Indiana Pacers drafted
him with the 11<sup>th</sup> overall pick. From then on my time was perfectly
divided baseball and basketball started and ended at the opposite ends of one
another, thus creating a perfect balance in my sports-loving life. Baseball was
still #1 in my eyes, but like I mentioned above, it took a back seat for a bit
after the players strike of 1994. With the rest of the season cancelled,
including the postseason, my interest went back to the hardwood, and the timing
couldn’t have been better. Reggie and the Pacers were having a great year, UCLA
was having a great year and on March 18<sup>th</sup> a press release was sent
out by Michael Jordan with only two words attached to it, “I’m back.” Not only
was Jordan
back, but the competitive fire throughout the National Basketball Association
was back, and it just so happened that his first game donning the 345 would
take place against my Pacers at Market Square Arena. Jordan scored 19, Reggie scored 28.
A little over two weeks later the UCLA Bruins captured their 11<sup>th</sup>
NCAA title, the first without John Wooden at the helm. Even though the MLB
season was just about to get underway after a new collective bargaining
agreement had been put in place, my mind was too far gone. Basketball had me
right where they wanted me. It even teased me in May when Reggie went off for 8
points in 8.9 seconds during a playoff game against the New York Knicks. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IIUp8OkqfdM/UnsT9ijYXcI/AAAAAAAAC2k/NvJlLNfrPs4/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IIUp8OkqfdM/UnsT9ijYXcI/AAAAAAAAC2k/NvJlLNfrPs4/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></div>
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But
alas, the Pacers were eventually knocked out of the playoffs and I sought
comfort again in the national game. But before I did, I picked up the first of
many relics in my sports memorabilia collection, a Grant Hill rookie jersey.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlKoJOrTe84/UnsRzQPqSUI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/0z4PrmhyNSs/s1600/miwjGwIPK8yGgMlQGq7vPtA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlKoJOrTe84/UnsRzQPqSUI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/0z4PrmhyNSs/s1600/miwjGwIPK8yGgMlQGq7vPtA.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now, I realize that last sentence makes absolutely no sense
to the rest of the story, but I assure you it will. See, one day I was out
shopping with my parents at Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield and I decided to go browsing on
my own, starting with my favorite store in the mall called Jerry’s Dugout. I
had about $50 on me at the time and I was definitely in the market for a
jersey. Unfortunately for me, they didn’t have any Reggie jerseys so I went
with the next best thing, the co-Rookie of the Year from that season. Due to
the fact that Champion NBA jerseys back then cost $40 apiece, it took me
another three months to finally get the money together to finally add Reggie to
my collection… after I picked up Anfernee Hardaway and Jason Kidd first. Oops!
But in all fairness to Hill, I had idolized him and Christian Laettner during
their days at Duke, so I was more than happy to make him my “first round draft
pick of sorts” when it came to my inevitable jersey-buying habit, but what I
wasn’t expecting is how that jersey putting me on the right path for the rest
of my life.</div>
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Three years would pass and my baseball love had been fully
restored thanks to some kid from Whittier,
California, but I’ll get to that
in a moment. My jersey collection had gotten pretty respectable when I entered
my sophomore year of high school, the same year in which I had started to
realize that my love of writing about sports was overtaking my love of playing
them. The varsity basketball coach at my high school wasn’t my biggest
supporter despite thee fact that I was clearly one of the better players in the
school, but <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-16-san-francisco-giants.html">my personal struggles at home between my father and me </a>had spilled
over onto the court. As much as I take responsibility for not seeking help to
handle my grief, the coach was also responsible for never giving me a chance by
labeling me a hot head, rather than actually figure out what the problem was.
Without the school team to play on during the winter, I spent a lot of time
just watching games, analyzing them and bettering my writing talent as I write
for the school newspaper. Mr. Anderson, the teacher in charge on the production
of the paper, had begun letting me write my own sports opinion columns which
ended up being the first real incarnation of what I’m doing today. I was never
hateful in my rants, but I definitely gave perspectives on athletes and their
on-court/off-court habits that most 15-year-olds weren’t really expected to touch
in a high school newspaper. One article in particular centered around fighting
on the playing field/court and the influences the athletes in question have on
the kids who watch and idolize them. For a 15-year-old to take on this subject
it’s kind of humorous because “what does a kid really know about psychology,
let alone what a professional athlete’s opinion on the matter would be?” Rather
than staring at a wall to solve this question, I hit the road with my father to
Indianapolis as
he had gotten tickets for two Pacers games on back-to-back nights against the
Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets for my upcoming 16<sup>th</sup> birthday.
While most kids waltzed down to court level to try and get autographs from the
players, I asked questions. Based on the time of the pre-game shoot around the
Pistons took the court first and very few people were around to get autographs.
As Hill wrapped up his session I asked if he would mind giving me three minutes
to answer a few questions for thee article I was writing for my school paper.
As I write this it all sounds so dumb, but in reality I admire the balls the
younger version of me had. Not only did he give my five minutes to talk, he got
Laettner to sit down as well and Hill ended up signing that first jersey I ever
purchased as it I happened to have it in my backpack. My only regret from that
moment was that I didn’t have my Laettner jersey on me, a thought that didn’t
click in until my dad and I got back to Bakersfield.
After my sit down with those two I headed over to the Pacers’ side and was
given the same courtesy my point guard and former-Georgia Tech star Travis
Best. I didn’t have any credentials, but that really didn’t seem to matter. All
three of them get hounded by the press before and after every game and I highly
doubt that very many kids had ever bothered to take on such an adult task. It
may not seem like much, but that was the moment when I knew I had a gift. I’m
still not sure if it is necessarily a gift for writing, but I most certainly
have a talent for getting the interview, no matter how big or how small the
story is. This takes me to the summer of 2000…</div>
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I was 17-years-old, working two jobs in between my junior
and senior year of high school. My main job was that I was in my send year as
the bat boy for the advanced-A Bakersfield Blaze, but my other job was as an
umpire and scorekeeper for the youth baseball league run by the North of the
River Recreation Department. This was the third year in which I held these
positions, and they were definitely some of the most fun/rewarding jobs I’ve
ever held. Three days a week I worked anywhere between two and three games,
alternating my duties with whomever my partner was. On an especially hot day in
June I had brought along a new all-baseball shopping magazine that my father
had come across. Most of jersey ordering had come via catalog shopping, and
since I had moved into collecting New Era caps two years prior, my dad thought
I would enjoy it. He was right. In between games and whenever I had free time I
coveted that magazine like as if I had boosted my mom’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Victoria’s Secret</i> catalog. I wanted everything, but I was also a
realist about what I would continue to wear as I got older. Of all the wares
available with a phone call and a credit card the first, and only thing I
bought was a home Red Sox jersey. The one thing I should point out with this
purchase is that it was the first MLB-related jersey and/or shirt I ever
purchased. This is an important detail because I was born and raised an Oakland
Athletics fan. To be honest, I did have every Athletics jersey circled, but
this jersey popped out. In fact, I still own it and wear it today.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LK3TWAZVgAI/UnsUzQnWbvI/AAAAAAAAC2s/l6WIHkxFajI/s1600/553150_10150954727747786_1619461824_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LK3TWAZVgAI/UnsUzQnWbvI/AAAAAAAAC2s/l6WIHkxFajI/s320/553150_10150954727747786_1619461824_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I really don’t have much of a reason as to why I didn’t buy
anything else from that magazine. I had the money to do it. I guess I just forgot.
The one item I did have queued up and ready to go was the Red Sox cap that’s
sitting on top of my head above. It would be 13 more years before I finally
found and added this cap to my collection. I guess now is the time to explain
why I took you on this journey.</div>
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The NBA, more specifically, Reggie Miller had taken the
front seat in my love affair with sports, but baseball was certain on the wane.
The Athletics were at a low point as then-manager Tony LaRussa had jumped ship
along with pitching coach Dave Duncan to the St. Louis Cardinals, my most-hated
team. I needed something good to help get me back into the game. That something
came in the form of an up-and-coming rookie shortstop in 1996 by the name of
Nomar Garciaparra. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2Y8CaBl_-8/UnsWAWbpATI/AAAAAAAAC24/2mLAGj2tILE/s1600/Nom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2Y8CaBl_-8/UnsWAWbpATI/AAAAAAAAC24/2mLAGj2tILE/s1600/Nom.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b>Glamour shots!!!</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Nomar grew up, as I mentioned above, in Whittier,
California roughly 130 miles south of Bakersfield. His name
first came to my attention in the early 1990s when he was originally drafted by
the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 1991 amateur draft, but he
elected to go to college at Georgia Tech, the same place as <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-24-boston-red-sox.html">future Red Sox teammate Jason Varitek</a> and Travis Best, despite the fact that he had been
offered a full-ride scholarship to UCLA as well. Nomar’s star took off
immediately. In 1992 he was a member of the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/08/july-4-usa-olympicworld-baseball-classic.html">USA Olympic Baseball Team</a> in Barcelona, Spain.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wfl2DnUuz0w/UnsWlpjSdPI/AAAAAAAAC3A/Iawum-G0Aic/s1600/nomar-garciaparra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wfl2DnUuz0w/UnsWlpjSdPI/AAAAAAAAC3A/Iawum-G0Aic/s1600/nomar-garciaparra.jpg" /></a></div>
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He even walked on as a kicker for the football team for a brief period of time in 1993,
but 1994 proved to be the biggest year for the Yellow Jackets as they reached
the College World Series title game, losing to the University of Oklahoma
13-5. Nomar and Varitek had done almost everything together; they played on the
Olympic team together, in the Cape Cod League during the 1993 offseason
together and they were both drafted in the first round one pick apart from one
another (Nomar at 12<sup>th</sup> and Varitek at 14<sup>th</sup>). The only
difference was that Varitek had graduated while Nomar left at the end of his
junior year as the $895,000 signing bonus offered to him by the Red Sox was too
hard to turn down. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUmdm2oknKE/UnsXBj5mXtI/AAAAAAAAC3I/8W1L7kasUJ0/s1600/nomar-autograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUmdm2oknKE/UnsXBj5mXtI/AAAAAAAAC3I/8W1L7kasUJ0/s320/nomar-autograph.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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I did what I could to follow Nomar through the ranks of the
minor league system, but it was next to impossible without the aid of the
internet; funny how times have changed. Nomar took to the professional game
like a duck to water, lighting it up on both sides of the ball in two-and-a-half
seasons. With September call-ups just around the corner and Nomar hitting .343
with the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, he was brought up a few days early and made his
debut on August 31<sup>st</sup> as the Red Sox were in the midst of a battle
for the American league Wild Card spot. As fate would have it Nomar’s first
game came against my Athletics in which he went 0-1 as a pinch hitter for
then-second baseman Jeff Frye. But the next day Nomar was penciled in as the
starting shortstop which turned out to be a controversial move for then-manager
Kevin Kennedy as John Valentin had been serving as the team’s full-time
shortstop since 1992 and especially after his top-10 finish in the AL MVP vote
the previous season. Nonetheless, Kennedy gave Nomar the field and made
Valentin the designated hitter. Valentin went 1-5 with a RBI triple in the
three spot while Nomar went 3-5 with a solo home run, two runs and scored and
two RBI. It wasn’t long before the Fenway Faithful took a shine to the kid with
the funny name.</div>
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Due to the fact that my mother has been a life-long Red Sox
fan I found my affinity for Nomar to be an easy transition. Everything about
the way he moved on the field, adjusted his batting gloves in between pitches
and the way he conducted himself in public and with the media personified
everything that was good and just about the game. Anytime the Red Sox games
were broadcasted, I watched. Anytime they played the Athletics I did my best to
make it up north for a game or two in the series. Every so often a special
player comes into the league who makes it next to impossible to not root for,
even New York Yankees fans have to admit this. He is the sole reason why I made
that Red Sox jersey my first purchase. He is the reason why I searched so hard
for this cap.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cZBzKMexGVs/UnsXSqnZAZI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/38XJljRwRB0/s1600/1188443547_404f51141e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cZBzKMexGVs/UnsXSqnZAZI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/38XJljRwRB0/s320/1188443547_404f51141e.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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Unless you were a fan of the Red Sox in 1999 or an avid cap
collector like myself, you probably don’t remember seeing these on the field.
This was one of two alternate caps worn that season, the other having all-white
panels, a navy blue bill and a red “B” logo. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TDfUaiLNEzs/UnsXYbYZ_DI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/HUSNF0QPdpU/s1600/2cf5zjb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TDfUaiLNEzs/UnsXYbYZ_DI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/HUSNF0QPdpU/s320/2cf5zjb.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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Not only is it incredibly hard to
find one for sale, it’s twice as hard to find any history about it. Based on
what I’ve been able to uncover the few Web sites and dealers who are selling
this cap have it labeled as either the “1999 alternate” or the “1999-2000 alt”
as shown by the sticker still affixed to the cap.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5YqRC9kc2yE/UnseX2JXmcI/AAAAAAAAC4U/Zetym9mAcEk/s1600/20131106_233942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5YqRC9kc2yE/UnseX2JXmcI/AAAAAAAAC4U/Zetym9mAcEk/s320/20131106_233942.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What I’ve been able to find is that the Red Sox only used it
for a handful of games, but not in 1999. This bit I found courtesy of
Uni-Watch; however, according to the write-up by Paul Lukas in 2007, the Red
Sox never wore it again after 1997. So why does everyone believe it was used in
1999 and 2000? Well, back in 1999 New Era introduced the mesh batting practice
caps. The first edition was used in 1999 and 2000 and featured the same color
combination as the 1997 alternate cap.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsCA4-em6ec/UnsXjECL1GI/AAAAAAAAC3g/d7XBshB4beo/s1600/nomarcloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsCA4-em6ec/UnsXjECL1GI/AAAAAAAAC3g/d7XBshB4beo/s1600/nomarcloseup.jpg" /></a></div>
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What I find truly astonishing and coincidental is that
Nomar’s three best years came in 1997, 1999 and 2000.</div>
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In 1997, Nomar’s first full season, he played in 153 games
and took the Rookie of the Year honors, made his first All-Star Game
appearance, won his first Silver Slugger Award and finished eighth for the AL
MVP by hitting .306 with league-highs in hits (209) and triples (11) as well as
30 home runs, 98 RBI and 22 stolen bases. In 1999 and 2000 he made the All-Star
team, but more importantly he won back-to-back batting titles, going .357 and
.372 respectively. He also finished in the top-10 for the AL MVP in those
seasons as well. Nomar played nine amazing seasons in Boston. He hit .323 with 178 home runs and
690 RBI, but sadly never won a Gold Glove thanks to Omar Vizquel (1993-2001),
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-3-texas-rangers.html">Alex Rodriguez</a> (2002-2003) and some clown named <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-1-new-york-yankees.html">Derek Jeter</a> (2004-2006). On
July 31, 2004 Nomar was traded to the Chicago Cubs as part of a four-team deal
which brought Orlando Cabrera and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/08/july-4-usa-olympicworld-baseball-classic.html">Doug Mientkiewicz</a> to Boston. When the deal was made every joyous
feeling I ever had for the Red Sox was turned to anger. Nomar was the face of
the franchise, the guy whose name was shouted by Jimmy Fallon every weekend on
Saturday Night Live (NO-MAH!!!). Even though he had taken the field for the Sox
that season, Nomar was not on the field when it counted, hoisting the
Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of the World Series. I was happy that Nomar
got a ring the following season, but everything about the rest of his career
felt out of place. </div>
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From 2005-2009 Nomar battled with injuries, but made his
sixth, and final All-Star Game appearance in 2006 as well as a 13<sup>th</sup>
place finished for the National League MVP in his first of three years with the
Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2009 he signed a contract for one season with my
Athletics and I was fortunate enough to catch him in two games at the Coliseum,
both of which happened to come in early April against the Red Sox. Nomar was
granted free agency at the end of the season He signed a one-day contract in
2010 with the Red Sox, only to be able to officially retire as a member of the
Red Sox.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAXgUndRTzg/UnsYXkNPDXI/AAAAAAAAC3s/rKvI6tDo6z8/s1600/nomar-retirement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAXgUndRTzg/UnsYXkNPDXI/AAAAAAAAC3s/rKvI6tDo6z8/s320/nomar-retirement.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lqsdD4ORRLs/UnsYiNGb13I/AAAAAAAAC30/M_dCOz8OW_0/s1600/bbtn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lqsdD4ORRLs/UnsYiNGb13I/AAAAAAAAC30/M_dCOz8OW_0/s1600/bbtn.jpg" /></a></div>
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While I identify completely with all the players who have
ever donned the green and gold for the Athletics, I have, and will always have
a spot in my heart for Nomar. Even though I played second base for all of my
life, I played it with the same intensity and guile as the man who wore #5 for
the Sox. I certainly wasn’t as fidgety at the plate, but I still swung the bat
as if I was catching a glimpse of the Green Monster out of the corner of my
left eye. Despite the fact that I never played ball beyond high school, one of
my dreams was to one day shake hands and meet the man who restored my love in
baseball. On May 8, 2012, my dream came true.</div>
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I was a little over a month into my time at the MLB Fan
Cave when we got the word
that a few of the members of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baseball
Tonight</i> crew were going to be stopping by. It was already a jam packed day
as David Price, Sean Rodriguez and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-16-bakersfield-blaze.html">James Shields</a> from the Tampa Bay Rays were
slated to stop by in the morning, but I’ll get to that story in another post.
What I wasn’t expecting in between meeting both crews was that I was going to
be taken down to the basement to be interrogated for an incident that had broken
out between Cardinals’ representative Kyle Thompson and me from a few days
before. It was by far one of the most humiliating experiences of my life as I
was put into a corner by the executives despite the fact that our issue had
already been resolved internally. For some reason “someone” had decided to rat
me out for that and a bevy of other things that weren’t true. Nonetheless, when
I went back upstairs to meet our guests I wasn’t exactly in the right state of
mind. All I could think about was that I was going to be asked to pack up my
things and go home. That moment wouldn’t come for a few more weeks. I did what
I could to prepare myself. I had packed my Nomar player-T that I’ve had since I
was 18-years-old and my home Athletics cap as Pedro Gomez, Mark Mulder and
Nomar were the three that were stopping by. As they walked up to the front door
I froze. My stomach started churning and I did whatever I could to keep from
breaking down. This moment was way too important for me to let my emotions get
the better of me.</div>
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The other eight Cave Dwellers and a few of the executives
were the first to greet them. I hung back for a little bit, waiting to find the
perfect time to step in and transition my emotion into something more positive.
It took<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a little bit, but Mulder and
Nomar spotted me in front of the Cave Monster (the 15 TV display) and struck up
a conversation based on the shirt and hat combination I was wearing. Nomar was
pretty stoked that I was rocking his shirt, but Mulder was a little confused
about why I was wearing an Athletics cap with it. I explained to him that I was
first, and foremost an Athletics fan and that I wore because of the years that
he spent with the team. I also made sure to mention that Nomar spent 2009 with
the club without trying to sound like a jerk. He chuckled and then the two
asked me about what it’s like being a Cave Dweller. I don’t remember the exact
wording my Mulder, but somehow the topic of tattoos was brought up. It was
intended to be a joke, like in the sense that he said, “Well at least you don’t
have any tattoos” for my team. I turned my head to Nomar and then back and
said, “I actually do have an A’s tattoo.” He responded, “Really?” I then looked
back at Nomar and said, “I actually have a Red Sox tattoo as well.” “Yeah
right,” joked Nomar. I then came back with, “No seriously, I honestly have
every MLB team tattooed on my body.” Mulder and Nomar looked at one another,
both with “yeah right” expressions on their face before Mulder said, “You have
to prove this.” As I was propping my shirt up to show off the AL side one of the public relations
executives, Jeff Heckelman, grabbed Gomez and said, “Pedro, you have to see
this.” And then this happened…</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zh97Bl2wFB4/UnsYu8Lt4jI/AAAAAAAAC38/dOpXQiyyR_0/s1600/542068_401835336514778_1460915083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zh97Bl2wFB4/UnsYu8Lt4jI/AAAAAAAAC38/dOpXQiyyR_0/s320/542068_401835336514778_1460915083_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There’s a reason why the expression ‘”a picture says a
thousand words” exists, and this is one of those photos that brings me the most
joy from my time in New York.
All the troubles from before their arrival vanished, and I was finally myself
again. One thing I did take away from this photo is that I had let myself go
health-wise and cut out a lot of the junk food I had been chowing down on
during my days of sitting around and watching baseball for 12-14 hours a day. I
was stoked that all three were cool about the ink work, as that is something
that also makes me a little bit nervous before I show it off to anyone who
actually has a job in baseball. </div>
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The rest of the time they were there they spent answering a
few questions for the Facebook page, shooting a few segments for that night’s
show and Nomar even gave Yankees fan Eddie Mata a few pointers on how to
accurately capture his approach to the plate. It was during this time that one
of the members of the Fan Cave production crew, a Red Sox fan named Brad, came
up to me and asked me how I was handling all of this. By “all of this” he meant
the visit by Nomar. At the time I didn’t realize how loud I was talking, but
one of the producers from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baseball
Tonight</i> overheard what I said, “This is unreal. Nomar is one of the
top-three guys within baseball I have ever wanted to meet. It’s a crazy dream
that has come true.” Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the producer
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baseball Tonight</i>, but he pulled
me aside and asked if he could interview me for the show. Naturally, I was all
about it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxnhFSXvt6c&noredirect=1">Here’s the interview</a>.</div>
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Not too long after we wrapped up it was time for them to go.
I made sure to stop and thank each person for their time, not really expecting
to run into any of them ever again, unless I somehow got a job with ESPN. As it
turned out, I ran into Gomez two more times before the end of the season during
my cross-country baseball road trip. As for Mulder and Nomar, I wished them
both best, but for Nomar I put a little bit more emphasis on how much of an
honor it was to meet him. Like my moment in the seats of Market Square Arena
with Hill and Laettner, the few moments I was able to spend talking baseball
with Nomar was a crowning achievement in my journey to break in as a
professional sports writer. No matter what meets me on my path of success, I
can always check that one off of my list.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-avrZtqD-hiA/UnseGPwrYPI/AAAAAAAAC4M/wPuUMvtjr78/s1600/20131106_234459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-avrZtqD-hiA/UnseGPwrYPI/AAAAAAAAC4M/wPuUMvtjr78/s320/20131106_234459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.357/.372</b>- When
it came to marking this cap up I couldn’t think anything more fitting than the
two averages that Nomar posted in 1999 and 2000 when he won his batting crowns.
Had I not spent so much time on the build up to the conclusion I probably would
have given love to Pedro Martinez for his back-to-back AL Cy Young Award wins
in the same years, but those are the breaks. Perhaps if I’m able to track down
the actual mesh batting practice cap I’ll be able to out it together. Until
then, it’s on to the next post.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-5022203419729598852013-10-30T23:28:00.001-07:002013-10-30T23:28:31.639-07:00August 5- St. Louis Cardinals<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This post is kind of
an interesting follow up to my Baltimore
Orioles post on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/august-4-baltimore-orioles.html">Rafael Palmeiro</a>’s Hall of Fame career from yesterday. By the time you’re done reading this you’ll understand what I mean.</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sXS0UOy9OU/UnH38k2ueaI/AAAAAAAAC1o/3BSd0qO6Pmw/s1600/20131031_022206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sXS0UOy9OU/UnH38k2ueaI/AAAAAAAAC1o/3BSd0qO6Pmw/s320/20131031_022206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I first came across this cap in Buffalo, New York
during the New Era Fan Appreciation (<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-23-jacksonville-expos.html">CrewEra13</a>) event back on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-24-buffalo-bisons.html">June 24<sup>th</sup></a>.
When the time came to go on our totally bitchin’ shopping spree I saw this
sitting underneath an old school Kansas City Athletics cap and made no mention
that I even noticed. Why? Because I had no idea what it was. Upon first glance
I could tell it was a St. Louis Cardinals cap of some variety, but outside of
that I couldn’t pinpoint a timeframe. This became especially frustrating
because I couldn’t get my phone to work in order to look it up to see if it was
worth scooping up. So, without any real knowledge behind it, I let it sip
through my fingers. When we got to the marketing part of the tour and we were
shown the bevy of Turn Back the Clock caps New Era had in store for the season,
that’s when everything had come into the light. However, still knowing what I
did then, I still let it go. </div>
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It was kind of a weird move on my part for a few reasons, most
of which had to do with the fact that I rarely ever let a Turn Back the Clock
cap go unpurchased. But the one real oddity of this trip/moment was that at the
time I only owned four total Cardinals caps, all of which I have written about
(<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-25-st-louis-cardinals.html">January 25<sup>th</sup></a>, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-1-st-louis-cardinals.html">May 1<sup>st</sup></a>, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-19-st-louis-cardinals.html">May 19<sup>th</sup></a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-17-st-louis-cardinals.html">June 17<sup>th</sup></a>).
There is still one more cap the team currently wears that I still need to
purchase, but there really is no rush in scooping that one up. As far as their
Cooperstown Collection and Turn Back the Clock caps are concerned; yes, I
really should have been more aggressive about things. Thankfully, I lucked out.
I found this one on Hat Club while they were running a sale and made sure to
out it at the top of my checkout list… but not before I did a background check.</div>
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Like a lot of caps from the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century, the Cardinals “technically” only used this cap for two seasons;
however, the years in which they used it (1903 and 1906) were not the specific
year in which the Cardinals were celebrating. See, back on May 5<sup>th</sup>
of this year the Cardinals were playing on the road against their National
League Central rival the Milwaukee Brewers when the whole Turn Back the Clock
motif was presented. The timeframe that was selected was 1913, which played
more heavily as a tribute to the Brewers than it ever did to the Cardinals as
explained here…</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back in 1902 the
original American League Milwaukee Brewers moved
to St. Louis where they were known as the St. Louis Browns until
1953. With the absence of Major League Baseball in town, Milwaukee entered a new team that adopted the
Brewers name into the minor league American Association. That minor league
franchise lasted 50 years as an affiliate of the Browns, Chicago White Sox and
Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Boston Braves. Its first American Association
championship came in 1913. And that's the reason 1913 is being celebrated
today.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Braves'
association with Milwaukee led to the demise of
the American Association Brewers in 1954 when the parent club moved from Boston to Milwaukee.
That relationship, however, would only last a little more than a decade as the
major league club moved to Atlanta
in time for the 1966 season. The American Association Brewers were moved to Toledo where they became
known as the Mud Hens. While Milwaukee
doesn't have any Major League Baseball championships to celebrate, the 1913
Cardinals hadn't yet begun their National League best run of 11 World Series
wins by that point in franchise history.</i></div>
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So in some crazy way, the Brewers were trolling the
Cardinals if you really break down the where each team was on a success scale
back in 1913. Clever! But, what does that have to do with this hat? Well, as I
mentioned above the Cardinals only used variations of this cap twice back in
1903…</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVE2fuVFjsU/UnH1o6YgV5I/AAAAAAAAC08/gceuRu6tk28/s1600/1903car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVE2fuVFjsU/UnH1o6YgV5I/AAAAAAAAC08/gceuRu6tk28/s1600/1903car.jpg" /></a></div>
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And 1906 (right)…</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HW03bEaQjR4/UnH1yqqFJaI/AAAAAAAAC1E/ktfnd2wJgTA/s1600/nl_1906_stlouis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HW03bEaQjR4/UnH1yqqFJaI/AAAAAAAAC1E/ktfnd2wJgTA/s320/nl_1906_stlouis.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Both of them featured the same style “STL” logo on the front
of the cap, but only the 1906 version comes the closest to the Turn Back the
Clock cap of 2013. So what exactly were the Cardinals wearing back in 1913?
These…</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JmMfVQ_wYqg/UnH2Ph7WmYI/AAAAAAAAC1U/oS_E52cMP2Y/s1600/nl_1913_stlouis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JmMfVQ_wYqg/UnH2Ph7WmYI/AAAAAAAAC1U/oS_E52cMP2Y/s320/nl_1913_stlouis.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Like a lot of the Turn Back the Clock caps that I’ve written
about already, the logo on the modern cap is a new edition. Most of the caps
back in the old days really didn’t feature any kind of logo or anything too
flashy, that’s what the uniform was for. Some teams brandished across the
chest, but most stuck to sleeve patches and an occasional patch over the heart.
The 2013 Cardinals Turn Back the Clock uniforms were spot on, but I can only
speculate as to why New Era elected to go with a different cap other than the
pinstripe model shown above. My theory, because it looks cooler.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2na41W5qyoY/UnH2GWC-UwI/AAAAAAAAC1M/FHqBuFIqCXA/s1600/31798891-reuters_2013-05-05t202222z_2016673245_nocid_rtrmadp_3_mlb-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2na41W5qyoY/UnH2GWC-UwI/AAAAAAAAC1M/FHqBuFIqCXA/s320/31798891-reuters_2013-05-05t202222z_2016673245_nocid_rtrmadp_3_mlb-s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The logo on the sleeves of the road uniform had a pretty
good run as they were used from 1909 through the end of the 1917 season.</div>
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Now, due to the fact that this cap was technically only
used for the one game on May 5<sup>th</sup> I suppose I should mark it up with
something having to do with that game. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig had great
offensive nights and starting pitcher Jaime Garcia pitched eight strong innings
while only allowing one run on eight hits and one walk. But, in keeping with
the theme of the uniforms and tribute, I decided to go with something a little
more historic. Rather, something that very few people outside of historians
have ever really bothered to take a look at. For this, I had to go back to the
origin of this cap in 1903.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKYHyYko0PU/UnH4R77m0rI/AAAAAAAAC1w/U3506J2bMhg/s1600/20131031_022054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKYHyYko0PU/UnH4R77m0rI/AAAAAAAAC1w/U3506J2bMhg/s320/20131031_022054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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PD: Contrary to my last name, Christensen (it’s Danish), I
have a lot of Irish blood running through my veins which I inherited from my
mother’s side of the family. The first tattoo I ever got marked the occasion.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gf8U78Z-R5M/UnH4gUj7elI/AAAAAAAAC14/u5eOqLfUjh4/s1600/20131031_020706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gf8U78Z-R5M/UnH4gUj7elI/AAAAAAAAC14/u5eOqLfUjh4/s320/20131031_020706.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My heritage though, goes beyond the traditional stereotype
of drinking whiskey, eating potatoes and continually living with mistakes of
the past. I for one am proud of my heritage and conduct research regularly on
the men and women whose footsteps I have followed. This is the story of
arguably the greatest Irish-born baseball player/mind to ever take the field.</div>
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It’s not secret that Irish players have come and gone
throughout the ranks of Major League Baseball, some of the earliest players of
the games weren’t too far removed from the boat that they had stepped off of
when they picked up a bat and glove. Throughout the 144-year history of the
league there have been 47 players and two additional managers to take the field
who were born in Ireland.
The last of which was born in 1945, Joe Clearly. Prior to that, the last
Ireland-born player was in 1916. Since the 1960s the concept of foreign-born
players started very small and has quickly worked its way into a regular part
of the game. Countries like Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have
farm systems and plenty of talent ready to burst onto the Major League scene;
however, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the league today who was
originally born in a 150-mile circumference of the country that gave birth to
the game we’ve come to know and love.</div>
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Back in the late 1800s the United States had just gotten
finished the last war on home soil and all walks of life were taking a shine to
this new game that was spreading throughout the East Coast like a wildfire.
Despite claims that the Irish were blackballed from most jobs and contributions
to the “American Way,”
history has proven time and time again that the motto “Irish Need Not Apply” is
merely a work of fiction. With that in mind, some of the greatest players early
in baseball history were from the Emerald Isles. One of the first 46 born
before 1917 played 17 seasons from 1890-1907 and was a player/manager for 11 of
those years. His name was Patsy Donovan.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcfTQeJuYtg/UnH2YoeVGnI/AAAAAAAAC1c/3bYkjcgnLDY/s1600/PD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcfTQeJuYtg/UnH2YoeVGnI/AAAAAAAAC1c/3bYkjcgnLDY/s1600/PD.jpg" /></a></div>
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Born in Queenstown, County Cork,
Donovan established himself as the most successful Irish-born major leaguer. He
broke into organized baseball in 1886 with the Lawrence, Massachusetts
team in the New England League. In 1888 and 1889, Donovan played outfield for
the London Tecumsehs of the International Association at Tecumseh Park (today's
Labatt Park) in London, Ontario, Canada, where, in his first season in 1888, he
led the league in batting with a .359 batting average (according to the Donovan
family Web site; however, the London Tecumsehs' official scorer C.J. Moorehead,
in a 1903 copy of <i>The London Advertiser</i>, cited Donovan's 1888 batting
average as .398), had 201 hits, scored 103 runs and stole 80 bases. His second
season with the Tecumsehs was less successful due to a leg injury.</div>
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In 1890 he made his Major League debut in the National
League with the Boston Beaneaters, and moved to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in
midseason; it would be the only time in his career that he played for a league
champion. In 1891 he played in the American Association (AA) for the Louisville
Colonels and Washington Statesmen; he then returned to the NL in 1892, first
with the Senators (the former Statesmen, who had joined the NL in a league
merger) before going to the Pittsburgh Pirates for most of the year. Donovan
starred with the Pirates from 1893 through 1899, notching six consecutive
seasons batting .300 and serving as player/manager in 1897 and 1899. The team
was sold late in 1899, during a time when the league was contracting from
twelve teams to eight; new owner Barney Dreyfuss brought in Fred Clarke to be
manager, with Donovan being sent to the Cardinals. He played for St. Louis from 1900–1903,
sharing the league lead in stolen bases (45) in his first season, also managing
the team in his last three seasons with them. By the end of the 1903 season he
ranked among the NL's top ten career leaders in hits and at bats, though he
would drop from among the leaders before his playing career ended. His 64
career double plays in the NL ranked one behind Jimmy Ryan's league record. He
then served as player/manager for the American League's Washington Senators in
1904, his last season as a regular.</div>
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In 1903, he broke Sam Thompson's major league record of 1401
games in right field; Willie Keeler passed him in 1906, before Donovan played
his last several games and retired with a total of 1620. In 1906, he became
manager of the Brooklyn Superbas, and made his last few playing appearances
that year, along with one more game at the end of the 1907 season. In a
17-season playing career, Donovan had 2246 hits, 1318 runs, 16 home runs and
736 RBI in 1821 games, along with 207 doubles and 75 triples. Donovan collected
302 stolen bases from 1890 to 1897 and 216 more after the statistic was revised
to its modern definition in 1898. He batted .300 lifetime and set a major
league record for career games in right field, as well as retiring among the
career leaders in total games (fifth, 1813), assists (ninth, 264) and double
plays (fifth, 69) as an outfielder. </div>
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Donovan joined the Boston Red Sox as a scout in 1909, and
managed the team in 1910 and 1911. As a major league manager, he compiled a
684-879 record (.438) in 11 seasons. He was also instrumental in bringing Babe
Ruth to the Sox in 1914 through his acquaintance with one of the Xaverian
Brothers who coached Ruth at a Baltimore
orphans' home. Later he went to the International League, where he led Buffalo to pennants in 1915 and 1916, and also managed Jersey City in 1921–22
and 1925–26. He finished out his career coaching High School baseball at Phillips Academy
in Andover,
where he coached the future 41st President, George H.W. Bush. Crazy!</div>
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Donovan died at the age of 88 in Lawrence,
Massachusetts on Christmas Day 1953, and is
interred at St. Mary
Cemetery in Lawrence.
Despite his accomplishments throughout the history of the league, let alone the
game, he is not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Based on the time frame
in which he played, his accomplishments should have gotten him in. He was a
hell of a hitter, almost average by the standard of those days, but his is
still one of the greatest defensive players to ever take the field. And yet,
men who played less years and accomplished less than he did have found their
way into the Hall by the Veteran’s Committee. None of it makes much sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-9163797173426540262013-10-29T00:02:00.000-07:002013-10-29T00:02:35.792-07:00August 4- Baltimore Orioles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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There’s a particular topic that I was bound to write about
for one of my New Era Cap posts and it definitely appears that today is the
day. The topic: performance enhancing drugs. For those of you who don’t know, <a href="http://edraft.com/mlb/news/peds-stronger-faster-and-not-our-problem/">I actually tackled this subject in a rather thorough manner</a> back in July for one
of the Web sites I write for, eDraft Sports. In it I detailed the history of
steroids, the political links, where PEDs are today and pretty much why Major
League Baseball turning a blind eye got us to where we are today. My overall
opinion on the matter is that I frankly don’t care if anyone is taking anything
to help their game, but I’ll go into more detail on that throughout this piece.
Sadly though, most people do care, the most important of which are the baseball
writers who have affiliation with the Baseball Writers Association of America
(BBWAA). </div>
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Since I was a kid, first honing my writing chops, I had
always dreamed of being a member of this exclusive club of writers. Why? Because
these are the folks that determine who is to be awarded the cache of
season-based accomplishments (Cy Young, MVP, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year), but more
important, this is the group who determines who gets into the National Baseball
Hall of Fame. As an avid fan of the game some of the best conversations
(arguments) I’ve had with other writers and fans is who should have gotten into
the Hall of Fame, who is the best Hall of Famer, who should get in of the folks
still eligible, etc. Of course in all of this mess the question of “should
anyone for the 1990s on (steroid era) even be considered?” is always a favorite
of mine when mixed with a fresh pizza and about a bakers dozen of beers… per
person in the discussion. The best part of these moments always comes up about
six to eight beers in when the discussion has somehow become a pissing contest
and a bevy name-calling has entered the mix along with the occasional sack tap.
In the end, no one really wins. All levels of emotion and opinion have been
thrown onto the table and all parties involved have either strengthened their
original viewpoint or, in some cases, had light shed on a perspective they may
nit have though about before. While I don’t doubt that members of the BBWAA
have found themselves in similar situations, in my personal dealings I have yet
to walk away with the feeling of being above anyone and their stance. Based on
what I have witnessed for quite a while on Twitter, I don’t feel that any
member of the BBWAA (who use Twitter) can say the same thing. </div>
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I will be the first to admit that I’m not the greatest
writer in the world, nor will I probably ever be. I am more than skilled in the
art of being able to string words together to form sentences which inevitably
form sentences displaying my views, opinions and sides of the story, but I’m
certainly not the greatest at it. Do it I do it with a little more heart than
others, perhaps. At the end of the day I can walk away after putting down the
pen or closing my laptop and feel good about what I crafted because I am a man
of convictions and I stand by my principles. Can my opinion be swayed or
altered, of course, I am human. Free thought is one of many traits that
separate us from other members of the animal kingdom, just as accountability
and reason are as well. By now you’re all probably wondering what any of this
has to do with this Baltimore Orioles cap on my head. Well, it has everything
to do with it.</div>
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Back in December of 2011 my cap collection was respectable,
but still significantly small. I think I was sitting on roughly 18 hats, which
is a slight fraction of the roughly 330 I have in my possession today. Yah, two
years goes by pretty fast. Anyway, I was visiting my best friend/high school
girlfriend Laurin Mitchell in San Luis Obispo, California along with my good
friend/college roommate Jared Clark in the days leading up to the 2012 Rose
Bowl which featured the Wisconsin Badgers and the Oregon Ducks. We hadn’t seen
Laurin since the middle of June when the three of us all took in an Oakland
Athletics game at the Coliseum when they played the Kansas City Royals. During
one of our days of drinking and touring around SLO we happened to walk past a
sports store called The Sports Forum which inevitably peaked my interest as
they quite possibly could have had a few caps that I wanted to add to my
collection. What I didn’t know at the time was that every baseball item in
their store was 40% off for the end of the season closeout special. The only
reason I ended up finding out about the sale was because Jared and I went to Pismo Beach
on our final day at the coast where one of the store’s other locations are. I
of course broke the bank buying hats then, but the location in SLO had a lot
more that I really wanted to get my hands on. The one hat that they did have,
which happened to be 50% off was this Orioles cap as they were discontinuing it
for the 2012 season. Just so you know, this particular cap was used from
2009-2011 for both home and road games, and no, I’m not mistaken when I say
this. The Orioles had quite a few caps that featured an oriole that looks
similar to this, but I assure you, they’re not the same. For this cap the
oriole’s head is lower and the appearance of any kind of a neck is nearly
non-existent. The placement of the feet is also another indicator as this logo
features the curdled up toes. From 1989-2008 the Orioles went through three
previous changes to the logo, all of which I will write about in the future
just as soon as I can track any of them down. I have a few leads, but they are
incredibly hard (expensive) to find. Getting back to the story, The Sports
Forum in SLO happened to have one left in my size so of course I had no
objection to paying $17.50 plus an 8.25% sales tax to purchase it. Boom! This
cap, for some crazy reason, became one of my favorite caps to wear. I’ve always
enjoyed the paring of black and orange, but my loyalty to the Athletics always
steered me away from wearing a San Francisco Giants cap. Even though it’s one
of the newer caps used by the Orioles, there’s something about the design of
the logo that gives it an old-timey kind of feel that I wish was incorporated
into more caps.</div>
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When I marked this cap, pretty much a few days after I
purchased it, I already had firm intentions of what was to be showing, which
ultimately leads me back to my rant at the beginning of this piece. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OBErEqNH-w/Um9decrFwnI/AAAAAAAAC0k/y0-y0IaC1Jk/s1600/20131029_024951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OBErEqNH-w/Um9decrFwnI/AAAAAAAAC0k/y0-y0IaC1Jk/s320/20131029_024951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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3020/569: If these numbers are unfamiliar to you, don’t
worry; it’s only the fourth time in Major League Baseball history they’ve been
paired together. These are the hits (3020) and home runs (569) that Rafael
Palmeiro tallied throughout his 20-years career. I’m sure by now everything is
starting to make a little bit more sense. Rather than just dive in it’s
probably best to start back at the beginning. Back before everything went
straight to Hell.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4YH4cEIA04/Um9aMnBIBvI/AAAAAAAAC0E/BX6ZwnqbBHE/s1600/Palmerio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4YH4cEIA04/Um9aMnBIBvI/AAAAAAAAC0E/BX6ZwnqbBHE/s1600/Palmerio.jpg" /></a></div>
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Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba, but is not considered a defector due to
the age in which he came over the United States, and the label is
only used for those who leave willingly due to political-based reasons. His
family moved to Miami, Florida where he was raised and graduated from Miami
Jackson High School and was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of
the 1982 draft, but he didn’t sign. Instead, Palmieiro enrolled at Mississippi State University,
where he played college baseball for the MSU Bulldogs in the Southeastern
Conference. He is the only SEC player to have ever won the triple crown. On
June 11, 1985, Palmeiro signed with the Chicago Cubs as the 22nd pick in the
1st round of the 1985 draft, the year after <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/july-26-seattle-mariners.html">Seattle Mariners star Jamie Moyer</a>.</div>
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Palmeiro debuted on September 8, 1986 in a game between the Cubs
and Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field as a left fielder. During his tenure
with the Cubs, he normally played left field, though occasionally he would play
other outfield positions or first base. Palmeiro was the runner up to <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-1-san-diego-padres.html">National League batting champion Tony Gwynn</a> in 1988 with a .307 batting average, only
six points below Gwynn's. He also made his first of four All-Star Game
appearances in his career. After the 1988 season, Paleiro was traded by the
Cubs to the Texas Rangers along with Moyer and Drew Hall in exchange for Mitch
Williams, Paul Kilgus, Steve Wilson, Curtis Wilkerson, Luis Benitez, and Pablo
Delgado.</div>
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Upon moving to the American League, Palmieiro was primarily used
as a first baseman or designated hitter. Palmeiro blossomed as a hitter while
with the Rangers, leading the league in hits in 1990 and doubles in 1991, the
same year in which he made his second All-Star Game appearance. Palmeiro would
stay with the Rangers until the end of the 1993 season, his first of two stints
with the team. During his time he finished in the top-20 three times for the AL
MVP (1990, 1991 and 1993). He also had time to star in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MWLREF0dLc">this priceless Coca-Cola advertisement</a>. After he was granted free agency in 1993 he signed with the
Orioles for his first of two stints in Baltimore.
From 1994-1998 he proved to be one of the team’s most consistent power hitters.
Prior to the 1995 season, he had hit more than 30 home runs only once (37 in
1993). Starting in 1995, Palmeiro began a streak of 38+ home run years that
continued through the 2003 season. He hit 373 home runs during this nine-season
span, while also driving in over 100 runs in each of these seasons. However,
Palmeiro never led the league in home runs, and is history's most prolific home
run hitter to have never won the home run crown. Palmeiro finished in the
top-18 for the AL MVP every year he was with the Orioles, locking up his third
All-Star Game appearance as well as two consecutive Gold Gloves at first base
in 1997 and 1998. Despite the numbers he was banging out, he was once again
allowed free agency and was signed by the Rangers.</div>
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In 1999 Palmeiro posted the best season of his career: he
hit a career-high .324, career-high 47 home runs, career-high 148 RBI,
career-high 1.050 on-base plus slugging percentage, won his third-straight Gold
Glove, his second consecutive Silver Slugger Awards, fourth and final All-Star
Game appearance and finished in fifth place for the AL MVP as <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-25-texas-rangers.html">his teammate Ivan Rodriguez</a> took home the prize. Palmeiro’s averaged dipped a bit through the end
of his time with the Rangers, but his home runs and RBI production hardly
slowed down. On May 11, 2003, his final year with the Rangers, Palmeiro hit his
500th home run off David Elder in a game against the Cleveland Indians,
becoming only the 19<sup>th</sup> player in MLB history to do so at the time.
The feat came roughly a month after Sammy Sosa knocked his 500<sup>th</sup>
home run of his career with the Cubs.</div>
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Granted free agency once again, Palmeiro signed again with
the Orioles and posted decent numbers in 2004, .258/23/88. The most important
thing to take from that season is that he was only 78 hits away from 3,000 for
his career at the age of 40. Palmeiro had a rough 2005 season, but still got
the job done. On July 15<sup>th</sup> my best friend Samuel Spencer sent me a
text around 6:30 PM saying that he was at that night’s Mariners game in which
they were facing off against the Orioles. The significance of this night is
that Palmeiro was sitting on 2,999 hits and Joel Pińeiro was on the mound for
the Mariners. For those who remember Pińeiro’s time with the Mariners in 2005,
history was pretty much guaranteed to happen. After walking in his first at-bat
and grounding out in his second, Palmeiro walked up to the plate for his third
at-bat in the fifth inning. With third baseman Melvin Mora on second base,
Palmeiro clubbed a screamer down the left field line, scoring Mora and logging
the 3,000<sup>th</sup> hit of his career. I was watching the game from home on
Fox Sports Northwest and Samuel made sure to take plenty of photos as the
Safeco Field crowd gave him a standing ovation. With a quick swing of the bat
Palmeiro joined Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Eddie Murray as the only players in
MLB history to record 3,000 hits and 500 home runs for their career. No matter
what the rest of Palmeiro’s career had in store for him, there was no doubt
that he was a lock for the Hall of Fame. Well…</div>
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Back on March 17, 2005, Palmeiro appeared at a Congressional
hearing about steroids in baseball and, while under oath, denied ever using
steroids and stated, "Let me start by telling you this: I have never used
steroids, period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that.
Never." <a href="http://www.spike.com/video-clips/1462jy/palmeiros-denial">Here’s the full video in case you forgot</a>. The main reason why
Palmeiro was put in front of Congress in the first place was because former
Rangers teammate José Canseco identified Palmiero as a fellow steroid user in
his 2005 book, <i>Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How
Baseball Got Big</i>, and claimed he personally injected Palmeiro with
steroids. Needless to say, Palmeiro was a bit vehement about the situation and
willingly denied any wrongdoing. </div>
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After Palmeiro recorded his 3,000<sup>th</sup> hit things
went back to normal... for two weeks later. On August 1, 2005, Palmeiro was
suspended for ten days after testing positive for a steroid. The <i>Washington
Post</i> reported that the steroid detected in Palmeiro's system was a
"serious" one. According to <i>The New York Times</i>, Palmeiro
tested positive for the potent anabolic steroid stanozolol. In a public
statement, Palmeiro disclosed that an appeal of the suspension had already been
denied. He released a statement saying, "I have never intentionally used
steroids. Never. Ever. Period. Ultimately, although I never intentionally put a
banned substance into my body, the independent arbitrator ruled that I had to
be suspended under the terms of the program." According to Palmeiro, all
of his previous tests over the two years including the 2003 sealed test were
negative, and a test he took just three weeks after his positive test was also
negative. While a representative from MLB couldn’t confirm or deny Palmeiro’s
words, it’s a bit surprising that they didn’t, especially since they were
“doing their damnedest” to clean the game up. The House Government Reform
Committee would not seek perjury charges against Palmeiro, although they were
not clearing him. </div>
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Palmeiro returned to Camden Yards following his 10-day
suspension; that’s right, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">10-day
suspension</b> on August 11, 2005, although he did not play in the lineup until
August 14. Coincidentally, this was the date that had been planned as
"Rafael Palmeiro Appreciation Day" in celebration of his 500-home
run, 3,000-hit milestone. It was canceled after Palmeiro’s suspension. <i>The
Baltimore Sun</i> reported that Palmeiro never offered an explanation for his
positive test to the MLB arbitration panel, which ran contrary to his public
statements. ESPN later reported that Palmeiro implicated Miguel Tejada to
baseball's arbitration panel, suggesting a supplement provided to him by Tejada
was responsible for his positive test. This supplement was supposedly vitamin B<sub>12</sub>,
though it could have been tainted. Tejada and two unnamed teammates provided B<sub>12</sub>
samples to the panel, which did not contain stanozolol. However, the committee
did say they found "substantial inconsistencies between Mr. Tejada's
accounts and the accounts of players A and B." Tejada, who said he
received shipments of B<sub>12</sub> from the Dominican Republic, was later implicated
for steroid use in the Mitchell Report. </div>
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Palmeiro continues to strongly deny ever having used
steroids intentionally, telling <i>The Baltimore Sun</i> in June 2006,
"Yes sir, that's what happened. It's not a story; it's the reality of what
happened", and "I said what I said before Congress because I meant
every word of it." Palmeiro passed a polygraph test in which he was not
asked if he ever used steroids, but in which he did state that he unknowingly
ingested them via a B<sub>12</sub> injection. A 2005 <i>New York Times</i>
article expressed one writer's belief that Palmeiro’s story could perhaps be
the truth.<sup> </sup></div>
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In December 2007, Palmeiro was included in the Mitchell
Report in which it was alleged that he used performance-enhancing drugs during
his career. The report did not provide any new evidence and only recapped
allegations made by José Canseco, Palmeiro’s appearance before Congress, and
his subsequent failed drug test. The report also details a conversation Larry
Bigbie alleges he had with Palmeiro where he claims "Palmeiro asked him
about his source of steroids and human growth hormone (the source was Kirk
Radomski) and how the substances made him feel." Bigbie also stated that
"Palmeiro denied in those conversations that he had ever used performance
enhancing substances himself."</div>
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Palmeiro finished out the 2005 season, filed for free agency
for the final time and was never signed again. The cloud of suspicion, the
failed drug test and the fact that he was about to turn 41-years-old proved to
be too much for teams to roll the dice to sign him. With his career now over he
went back to his family in Texas
and loved out the rest of his days, waiting the five-year window until he would
become eligible for the Hall of Fame. Palmeiro played in 2,831 major league
games, the most by any player who never played in the World Series. When 2011
came around, the first year of his Hall of Fame eligibility, his numbers
signified a slam dunk for a first ballot entrance; however, the BBWAA felt the
exact opposite. Needing at least 75% of the vote to get in, Palmeiro received a
shocking 11.0% of the vote. In case you forgot, Palmeiro is one of four guys to
get at least 3,000 hits and crush at least 500 home runs. The other three guys
were already in the Hall of Fame. And yet, Palmeiro received a massive slap in
the face. In 2012 his vote went up to 12.6% and then took a drop to 8.8% this
last January. If the number dips below 5%, he will no longer be eligible. </div>
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Palmeiro played 19 seasons without any bit of speculation of
being on PEDs. Hell, the man even starred in a series of commercials for
Viagra; however, after achieving baseball immortality, Palmeiro’s star took an
immediate tumble to Earth. The last two months of Palmeiro’s career was the
only time in which he had been called a cheater. The last two months. Really
think about that. A kid could have been born, graduated from high school and
been in the middle of their second year of college before a problem arose. I
fully understand that going before Congress, wagging his finger and ardently
denying being on the juice really didn’t help his cause when he failed his drug
test, but how can a group of people become some cynical after such a long
period of time without any issue. Palmeiro had already locked his Hall of Fame
career up and had never failed a drug test, nor did he ever fail another one
after the incident occurred after he served one of the shortest suspensions in
MLB history, just to show you how much of a non-issue the incident was to an
unprepared MLB. </div>
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I realize that “rules are rules,” but one cannot be so
dismissive as to completely wipe away the career of one of the greatest players
in the history of the game after a small mistake near the end of it. Yes, the
anabolic steroid (stanozolol) was banned under the MLB’s drug policy, bust it
was also one that easy to snuff out. Palmeiro never struck me as a careless
guy, not to mention, how is it that he can go 19 ½ years of taking an
easily-detected substance without getting pinched especially after having taken
multiple drug test in the past, all of which came up clean? Logic has been lost
in crucifixion that has become Palmeiro’s career, a truly sad one at that. </div>
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I can only hope that some time down the road the BBWAA will
come to their senses and have a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">12 Angry
Men</i>-style discussion over this case. There are way too many holes to simply
ignore. Palmeiro is a Hall of Famer in my eyes, the numbers and the talent
surely proves that he is worthy. As for the players on PEDs as a whole, I
really don’t care. The evolution of what a person can take has changed so
dramatically over the years that until everything is banned, there is no
sure-fire way of saying who is breaking the rules and who isn’t. As for my role in this and my dream of joining the BBWAA, if it happens, it happens. If it does, I can only hope that I can bring a fresh perspective to the discussion, and not just wave the privilege around like some cool kids club membership. I'm looking at you Jon Heyman!!!</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-56336222994811642472013-10-21T11:04:00.001-07:002013-10-21T11:04:09.701-07:00August 3- Washington Nationals<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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When it comes to being a collector nothing really beats the
feeling of a good score. The definition of “score” is not just any object;
rather, it’s something that tugs at the heartstrings a bit. It’s something that
will always display more value emotionally than monetarily. In my years of
collecting New Era Caps I’ve had many scores. A few of them I’ve already
written about (<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-5-tucson-padres.html">Tucson Padres</a>, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-23-jacksonville-expos.html">Jacksonville Expos</a> and the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/10/july-27-oakland-athletics.html">Oakland Athletics</a>) and
quite a few of them I have been saving for special occasions. When it comes
down to it, I could realistically argue that every single one of my caps has
been a wonderful score. I think I’ve proved that over the last seven months
with all of these posts, but the ones that have been discontinued, the ones that
I’ve had to search high and low for and the ones that makes other collectors or
even just fans of the team swoon are hands down my favorite of them all. As
crazy as it may sound, especially for as new as the Washington Nationals are,
this is one of those caps.</div>
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It hasn’t even been 10 years since the Montreal Expos packed
up shop and relocated to Washington, D.C., but the Nationals have gone through
six on-field caps and they are currently on their fourth batting practice cap.
This really wouldn't be that big of a deal had it not been for the fact that the
Expos only had two on-field caps in their 35-year existence, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-16-montreal-expos.html">one of which I’ve already written about</a>, and yet somehow I’ve already knocked out four of the
Nationals caps (February 8, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-13-washington-nationals.html">March 13th</a>, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-17-washington-nationals.html">April 17th</a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-27-washington-nationals.html">June 27th</a>). Well, here’s
number five. This is one that I had completely forgotten about until I randomly
came across it on Ebay back in December of 2012. Like most days when I get
bored I combed through every inch of Ebay using the most random of search criteria
in the hopes that a lister would misspell a word or put in a lack of a
description so that other hat enthusiasts would pass over rare gems and not
drive the bidding price up. Not only did the lister of this “DC” cap spell
Nationals “Natonals,” but they also started the bid at $4.99 with a $6.00
shipping cost. I threw in a bid of $11.27 a week before it expired and waited.
When you wait for something special like this it feels like a month, especially
when it comes down to the final minute of bidding. For all of you who are not
savvy on Ebay, the last minute of an auction is a cyber-death match as all the
other collectors come out of the woodwork and throw down bids at the only time
that really matters. Somehow I escaped this process and made off with the cap
for $10.99 including shipping. Hazah!!! </div>
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I know it doesn’t seem like much, but this cap has been
extinct since the end of the 2008 season. It made its debut in 2006 and was
paired with the alternate red “DC” jerseys the Nationals typically wore on Sundays.
The cap itself was retired but the “DC” was tweaked with an added stars and
stripes motif from 2009-2010. After that, the “DC” was fazed out of the
Nationals uniform sets altogether. Pretty depressing when you think about it. </div>
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It bums me out way more than it should when hats vanish into
legend like this cap. I realize that I sound a little overdramatic when I say
that, but if you sincerely feel that way you have clearly missed the point of
all of these posts. Every one of these caps tells a story about the players,
the team and especially the fans who wear them. These aren’t just clothing
accessories or sun shields; they’re relics of baseball history that can evoke a
sense of camaraderie or rivalry in the minds of those who pass by. As much as
much collecting New Era caps may seem like a “gotta catch ‘em all” game of
Pokémon, the reality is that I care about preserving history in my own way.
It’s nothing different than someone who collects coins, stamps or even vintage
porn magazines; there’s a bond that forged ethereally and the thrill of the
hunt or the telling of the stories will always keep us going… well, except for
the porn magazine collection. I don’t know of many people who would have crowd
pleasing stories about that. So with that I of course dropped some pretty
recognizable numbers on this cap, both of which played key roles in the
history/time frame of this cap. Enjoy!</div>
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#12- Soriano began his professional baseball career in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, training at
their Carp Academy for Dominican players. In 1997,
he was promoted to the varsity team, and, wearing number 74, he appeared in
nine games, batting .118 (2 for 17) with two walks. Soriano disliked the
intense Japanese practice schedule (shocker), and the Carp denied him a salary
increase from $45,000 to $180,000 per year. Like Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu,
who had previously left Japan
to play in the United States,
Soriano hired Don Nomura to help his situation. After first attempting to void
Soriano's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) contract by unsuccessfully arguing
that the player was legally a minor when he signed it, Nomura advised him, like
Nomo, to retire from NPB and pursue a career in Major League Baseball. This
prompted Carp executives to file an injunction against Soriano, and to send
letters to MLB teams demanding that they cease all negotiations with him. After
the Nomo case, NPB officials had amended the Working Agreement without
consulting any MLB officials in an attempt to prevent the situation from
recurring. Since MLB had not agreed to any changes to the agreement, MLB
Commissioner Bud Selig declared that MLB would recognize Soriano as a free
agent on July 13, 1998, and the Carp backed down. </div>
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I’m going to skip Soriano’s first run with the New York
Yankees and time with the Texas Rangers and move right into the Nationals. On
December 7, 2005, Soriano was traded to the Nationals in exchange for Brad
Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge, and minor league pitcher <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-2-detroit-tigers.html">Armando Galarraga</a>. On
February 10, 2006, Soriano set a record for the highest salary ever awarded in arbitration,
receiving $10 million, even though he lost his request of $12 million. The
previous high had been set in 2001 by Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves when
he earned $8.2 million. The Nationals offered Soriano a five-year, $50-million
extension, but Soriano rejected the offer. Soriano and his agent Diego Bentz
instead opted to open contract negotiations during the off-season, so that he
would become a free agent.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bjXcAaKqXTU/UmVqAuGFUqI/AAAAAAAACzc/WS8XLZpEv0M/s1600/2006-07-19-soriano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bjXcAaKqXTU/UmVqAuGFUqI/AAAAAAAACzc/WS8XLZpEv0M/s1600/2006-07-19-soriano.jpg" /></a></div>
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On March 20, 2006, Nationals manager Frank Robinson inserted
Soriano in the lineup as the left fielder. Soriano, who since 2001 had played
exclusively at second base, refused to take the field, and the Nationals
organization threatened him with disqualification, which would have meant
forfeiture of his salary, and he would not have received credit for service
time in fulfillment of the obligations of his contract. With his contract's
service terms officially still unfulfilled, he would then have been ineligible
for free agency at season's end. Two days later, Soriano relented and played in
left field for the Nationals in their exhibition game against the St. Louis
Cardinals. Robinson indicated that he considered Soriano's move to left field
to be permanent and would not consider moving Soriano back to second base at
any point during the season. In his comments following that game, Soriano
indicated that he would accept his new position without further argument. As
the season got underway, however, Soriano began to enjoy his new position, and
by the All-Star break, he led the league in outfield assists and became one of
the few players ever to start the All-Star game at two different positions.
Soriano set a new career high in walks with 67 (previously 38). He also reached
a career high in home runs with 46 (previously 39). On August 25, a week after
reaching 30–30, he became the fastest man in baseball history to reach 200 home
runs and 200 stolen bases, reaching the mark in 929 games (breaking the
previous record of 1,053 games held by Eric Davis). </div>
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In September, he completed his 20th outfield assist,
becoming the only player in baseball history with 40 home runs, 40 stolen
bases, and 20 assists. On September 16, 2006, Soriano stole second base in the
first inning to become the fourth player to join the 40–40 club, after José
Canseco, Barry Bonds, and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-3-texas-rangers.html">Alex Rodriguez</a>. Six days later he became the first
player to reach 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 40 doubles in one season.</div>
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Soriano only played one season with the Nationals, his best
on a whole scale throughout his time playing in the National League. Soriano is
a seven-time All-Star, all of which came consecutively from 2002-2008. He is
also a four-time Silver Slugger winner and a two-time World Series Champion
(1999 and 2000). Five times in his career Soriano has finished in the top-20
for the MVP award for either league with his best finish coming in third place
in 2002 with the Yankees.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SDu4DJrb6Ro/UmVqMA967CI/AAAAAAAACzk/KFIFc2IIIxo/s1600/Ryan+Zimmerman+DL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SDu4DJrb6Ro/UmVqMA967CI/AAAAAAAACzk/KFIFc2IIIxo/s320/Ryan+Zimmerman+DL.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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#11- If there was ever a face of the franchise for the
Nationals; it’s hard to look beyond third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman
grew up in Washington, North
Carolina and played his college ball at the University of Virginia
where he was an All-American and made First Team All-Athletic Cost Conference.
He also started at third base for the 2004 <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/08/july-4-usa-olympicworld-baseball-classic.html">USA Baseball National Team</a> that won
the gold medal in the FISU II World University Baseball Championship where he
was also named the 2004 Dick Case (real name) Athlete of the Year by USA
Baseball. </div>
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Zimmerman was drafted in the first round as the fourth
overall pick by the Nationals in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. After
being signed on the day he was drafted, he was sent to the Savannah Sand Gnats,
the Nationals' minor league A-level affiliate and then quickly moved up to the Harrisburg
Senators, the AA affiliate. Zimmerman was called up to the majors when rosters
expanded in September 2005, and shared third base duties with <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-21-colorado-rockies.html">Vinny Castilla</a>,
taking over the position on a more permanent basis between the time the Nationals
were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and the end of the
season. In his first major league at bat at RFK Stadium he muscled a double to
right center. Over the course of 20 games, he posted a .397 batting average, 10
doubles, and six RBI in 58 at-bats. He was the only member of the 2005 team to
hit over .300 in at least 50 at-bats all while wearing #25. He remained with
the Major League club to start the 2006 campaign, taking over third base duties
from Castilla, who was traded to the San Diego Padres. Prior to 2006 Spring
Training, Zimmerman changed his jersey number from #25 (2005) to #11, his
former college number.</div>
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Zimmerman started his first full-season with a bang in 2006,
hitting .287 with 20 home runs and 110 RBI. He probably would have won the
Rookie of the Year Award that year had Hanley Ramirez not stolen 51 bases and
scored 119 runs for the Florida Marlins. Nonetheless, Zimmerman pressed on with
his career and has only taken a brief injury timeout in 2008 and 2011 where he
still played in at least 101 games in each of those seasons and at least 142
games in the other six.</div>
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Zimmerman has only made one All-Star Game appearance (2009)
in his nine-year career, the same year that he won his only Gold Glove Award
thus far and his first of two Silver Slugger Awards. He’s a fan-favorite, a walk-off
artist and a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award winner (2012). The man is Nationals
baseball.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-58403495020047501472013-10-17T23:25:00.002-07:002013-10-18T11:33:40.349-07:00August 2- Montreal Expos<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5KQWDK3h2Q4/UmDT11i_b6I/AAAAAAAACy8/Xw1vam2Drn0/s1600/20131018_021715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5KQWDK3h2Q4/UmDT11i_b6I/AAAAAAAACy8/Xw1vam2Drn0/s320/20131018_021715.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It’s been a while since I’ve done a post on the Montreal
Expos. Unfortunately, there is a good reason for that. In the 35-year history
of Expos baseball the team only wore four caps: two of them served as the
team’s every day game caps, one was <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-6-montreal-expos.html">their batting practice cap</a> and the other is
one they wore for a short period of time when they played their home games in
San Juan, Puerto Rico when they were looking to relocate in 2003. The latter
cap is one that I have been trying to track down for quite some time. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91iBig2RE2U/UmDRbcXmgkI/AAAAAAAACyc/sGIkHWfN0ZM/s1600/AybCYboCAAAFqgk.jpg+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91iBig2RE2U/UmDRbcXmgkI/AAAAAAAACyc/sGIkHWfN0ZM/s320/AybCYboCAAAFqgk.jpg+large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The funny thing about this photo is that my friend John
Beare (@Interstate19) is the only person I know of to own this cap. Not to
mention this photo (his) is the only one I have been able to find on the
internet. </div>
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The reason I bring all of this up is because there are too
many great stories about the Expos organization that really need to be told,
even ones that may seem insignificant to the most casual of baseball fans. So,
I decided to stray wayward from one of my rules, I decided to buy an Expos
Cooperstown Collection cap from Lids that truly defies the concept of being a
Cooperstown Collection cap. Back on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-16-montreal-expos.html">February 16<sup>th</sup></a> I wrote about the
true Cooperstown Expos cap, the one they wore from 1969-1991 which looks almost
identical to this with the exception that blue panels stretching around on
either side of the front white panels are red. </div>
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With this cap I had debated on writing about Dennis “El
Presidente” Martinez,
most of which revolved around to 100 wins he had as an Expo which put him in
the rare club of one of nine players in Major League Baseball history to win at
least 100 games in both the American League and the National League. The other
hot topic of course is the fact he is the only person in Expos history to throw
a perfect game. Yah, you could debate that the Washington Nationals are still
technically the Expos, at which I would retort with, “Go to Montreal and state your case with any
still-heartbroken fan and see where that gets you.” On a personal note, the
crazy thing about the perfect game, which I recently found out about, is that
my childhood friend Bryan Gildner’s brother Joel was at that game with his
father at Dodger Stadium on July 28, 1991. Since Joel now lives in Austin, Texas
and because I had already marked up this cap, I decided to postpone that story
for a while, at least until another awesome custom Expos cap comes into my
possession. Hopefully soon.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o2XnNO8CRPA/UmDUC5ZqF1I/AAAAAAAACzE/E62Hd1oYtfI/s1600/20131018_021840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o2XnNO8CRPA/UmDUC5ZqF1I/AAAAAAAACzE/E62Hd1oYtfI/s320/20131018_021840.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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6/5/86: I came across this date accidentally and am forever
grateful that I did. Like with a lot of my other posts which rely heavily upon
a specific date in a team’s history I found this on one of the random “This
Date in Baseball” Web sites that I sift through regularly. The story really
starts back in the 1940s at the time when The United States of America and Canada had
entered into World War II. Major League Baseball players were lining up at the
local enlistment offices in droves, ready to do what they could to help out
with the war effort. With most of the notable names overseas the owners did
their best to capitalize on making money by still promoting baseball by any
means necessary. By any means necessary this of course also meant that they
didn’t hesitate to organize an all-female baseball league. It was called the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and it lasted 12 years from
1943-1954. For five seasons one of the best players in the league’s history was
a woman named <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Helen Callaghan Candaele
St. Aubin from Vancouver, British Columbia who went by the shortened
name Helen Callaghan. </span> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SmjU3CnHgSQ/UmDRrn3uDSI/AAAAAAAACyk/fUQpD8rjSR0/s1600/aloto_card.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SmjU3CnHgSQ/UmDRrn3uDSI/AAAAAAAACyk/fUQpD8rjSR0/s320/aloto_card.jpeg" width="221" /></a></div>
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As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes
Callaghan hit .287 in 111 games, for second in the league. She also finished
third in total bases, hits, runs and stolen bases (112), while tying for third
in home runs. The Millerettes could not compete attendance-wise with the Minneapolis
Millers, so the team moved in 1945, becoming the Fort Wayne Daisies. That year
Callaghan had her best season, batting .299 to lead the AAGPBL. (The league
average was .198 that year.) She tied for the league lead in homers (three),
led in total bases (156), was second in steals (92), first in hits (122),
second in runs (77) and first in doubles (17). Callaghan was often called the
"Ted Williams of women's baseball". The league was not yet giving out
Player of the Year or All-Star honors, but it is clear she was a candidate for
both. Ft. Wayne finished second and advanced to
the championship, but fell four games to one despite a .400 mark from the
younger Callaghan. Callaghan slipped drastically in 1946, hitting just .213,
even though league averages rose about 10 points. She still tied for third in
steals with 114. After missing the 1947 season due to illness, she returned for
part of 1948 after getting married and having her first child. However, that
year she hit just .191 as a bench player. She finished her career with Kenosha in 1949 as <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Helen Candaele</span>, bouncing back to a
.251 mark, tied for seventh in the league. She was ninth in total bases (113),
eighth in steals (65), sixth in doubles and tied for eighth in triples. In a
five season career, Callaghan was a .257 hitter (355-for-1382) with seven home
runs and 85 run batted in 388 games, including 354 stolen bases, 249 runs, 35
doubles, 15 triples and 221 walks while striking out 161 times. Her on-base
percentage was approximately .359, while she slugged .319.</div>
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The now Candaele gave birth to five sons. Her son Kelly
produced a short documentary back in 1987 for PBS entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A League of Their Own</i>, which covered the history of the AAGPBL. The
documentary inspired director Penny Marshal to make a film with the same name
in 1992. One of Candaele’s other sons, Casey, decided to follow in his mother’s
footsteps and make it big in professional baseball. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slKkH_bXm3g/UmDR1nl_sMI/AAAAAAAACys/nOtjHboFqso/s1600/casey_candaele_autograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slKkH_bXm3g/UmDR1nl_sMI/AAAAAAAACys/nOtjHboFqso/s1600/casey_candaele_autograph.jpg" /></a></div>
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Casey was born on January 12, 1951 and was raised in Lompoc, California which
is northeast of Santa Barbara.
He attended the University
of Arizona and was even a
part of the 1980 College World Series team which also featured Craig Lefferts,
Dwight Taylor and the tournaments Most Outstanding Player <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-24-boston-red-sox.html">Terry Francona</a>.
Candaele went undrafted but the Expos offered to sign him as a free agent in
August of 1982 which he happily signed. From 1983 through 1985 Candaele worked
his way up the minor league chain starting with the Class-A West Palm Beach
Expos to the AA Memphis Chicks in his first season, the AA <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-23-jacksonville-expos.html">Jacksonville Suns</a> in
1984 until finally landing with the AAA Indianapolis in 1985. Candaele’s
numbers were pretty decent during his ascent; however, due to the fact that he
was a second baseman, shortstop and outfielder, the Expos didn’t have room for
him on the roster as the likes of Vance Law, Hubie Brooks,
Tim Raines and future Hall of Famer Andre Dawson stood in his path. The only way
that Candaele was going to make it to the Majors was if someone got hurt or he
had the best season of his career to motivate general management to call him
up. Well…</div>
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When 1986 rolled around Candaele got off to a blazing start
at the plate. He was hitting over .300 and showing strong discipline at the
plate with very few strikeouts and a decent amount of walks. When June rolled
around the front office couldn’t ignore his progress and made the call for him
to pack up and head to the show. On June 5, 1986 Candaele was put in to pinch
hit for Dan Schatzeder, thus making him the first and only mother/son
combination to play at the top level professionally. Candaele promptly struck
out to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Charles Hudson, but it was still a pivotal
moment in baseball history.</div>
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Candaele spent 30 games with the Expos that year before
getting sent back down. He resurfaced the following season hitting .272 with
122 hits and 23 RBI while only striking out 28 times in 138 games. He finished
in fourth place for the Rookie of the Year Award that season. Candaele played
for seven more years at the Major League level; one more season with the Expos,
five with Houston Astros and two with the Cleveland Indians despite his final
season coming in 1997. He spent quite a bit of time in the minors. Nonetheless,
Candaele will forever be etched into the baseball history books.</div>
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#44- Carl Morton was born in Kansas City,
Missouri on January 18, 1944 and grew up in West
Tulsa, where he played baseball on the same Webster High School
team as future major-leaguer Rich Calmus. He went to college at the University
of Tulsa before moving on to the University of Oklahoma where he continued his
baseball dreams as an outfielder for the Sooners under head coach Jack Baer. In
1964 Morton was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Braves who wanted to
convert the outfielder into a pitcher. From 1965-1968 the Braves kept him in
their minor league system where he showed signs of promise. His best season
came in 1968 as a member of the AA Shreveport Braves where he went 13-5 with a
2.72 ERA and 130 strikeouts; however, the Braves didn’t have enough faith to
hang onto him as the first leg of the 1968 Expansion Draft on October 14<sup>th</sup>.
See, back in 1968 the Expansion Draft was broken up into two legs; the first
was for the Expos and the San Diego Padres in which they could only pilfer
through National League roster to build their teams. The second leg was held on
October 15<sup>th</sup> between the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots
in which the two could only raid American League teams. Fun fact about that
draft is that only one future Hall of Famer was in the mix, Hoyt Wilhelm.
Anyway, Morton was selected by the Expos with the 45<sup>th</sup> overall pick.</div>
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Without much of a farm system established, the Expos threw
Morton out to the wolves on April 11, 1969 where he only lasted eight games
before getting hurt. That year he went 0-3 with a 4.60 ERA and 16 strikeouts in
five starts. With a taste of the Major Leagues out of the way, Morton was
determined to do better the next season when he got back to 100%. Not only did
he do that, Morton was phenomenal in 1970. In 37 stars, 43 games overall,
Morton went 18-11 with a 3.60 ERA and 154 strikeouts. He unfortunately walked a
league-high 154 batters, but it didn’t matter. Morton was voted as the NL
Rookie of the Year and even finished ninth for the NL Cy Young and 27<sup>th</sup>
for the NL MVP. While the rest of his career never quite matched the gusto of
his 1970 season, Morton went on to play two more seasons for the Expos before
getting traded to the Braves for Pat Jarvis before the 1973 season. </div>
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Morton played four decent years with the Braves, finishing
with 15 or more wins in his first three years, but he only won four games in
1976. As a result of his falloff year the Braves traded him to the Texas
Rangers along with Roger Moret for former-AL MVP Jeff Burroughs. Morton, sadly,
never pitched in the Majors again, and only spent one last season in the minors
before hanging it up for good at the age of 33. </div>
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With his playing career over Morton moved back to Tulsa. On the morning of
April 12, 1983 Morton went out for a jog and when he arrived at the home of his
parents he suffered a heart attack in their driveway and was pronounced dead
shortly thereafter. He was 39-years-old. One of the more tragic realities that
came from Morton’s death involved another death less than a year before his
passing. On August 2, 1979 New York Yankees former AL MVP and beloved catcher
Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash. Back in 1970 Munson had also won
the Rookie of the Year honors in the AL.
It is the only time in baseball history that two Rookie of the Year winners
from the same year would come to premature endings.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-44255859182894361862013-10-17T00:20:00.001-07:002013-10-17T00:20:32.876-07:00August 1- Minnesota Twins<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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One would think of all the hats in my collection this would
have been one of the easier ones to track down. Nope! If my memory serves me
correct it took me about three years of combing various Web sites, Ebay and
Lids locations in order to find an authentic one. Now, over my ridiculously
exhaustive search I did come across a few “Genuine Merchandise” versions
(replicas), but this bad boy was a diamond in the rough that I somehow found at
the Lids in Union Square
in downtown Manhattan.
Clearly all of the best caps are displayed there because I definitely picked up
some gems every time I went there.</div>
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It was a bit of mystery to me as to why this cap would have
been so hard to track down, but then again, I can be pretty picky at times. I
for one have always preferred the Major League Baseball logo on the back of the
hat, a token which was only added to caps starting in 1993. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S0iRk06aej8/Ul-PqsF68xI/AAAAAAAACyM/4p8Q089_PII/s1600/20131017_030305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S0iRk06aej8/Ul-PqsF68xI/AAAAAAAACyM/4p8Q089_PII/s320/20131017_030305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As in the case of
this cap the logo wasn’t added until 2009 when the Minnesota Twins wore it as a
home alternate cap. The Twins first used this for all of their home games from
1976-1986 where it and the all-navy “TC” cap that I wrote about on February 15<sup>th</sup>
were replaced with the “M” logo cap that I wrote about on January 21<sup>st</sup>.
The move proved to be one of those rare uniform changes that brings immediate
success as the Twins hoisted their first World Series championship since 1924
when they were still the Washington Senators. </div>
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In my research I found a bit of a conflicting story about
its first use. The vintage MLB clothing company Brand ’47 has the year 1973
marked on most of its franchise caps, as did a few other Web sites. The only
problem with this is that in almost every photo I found, whether it was
baseball cards, game photos or even the team photo, this cap wasn’t used. No,
the first arrival of this cap via photo didn’t arrive until 1976 as I
previously mentioned as shown in the photo below.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVUDQ254s-w/Ul-Nok-8WzI/AAAAAAAACxs/rFOTBki67AI/s1600/1976-Twins-team-picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVUDQ254s-w/Ul-Nok-8WzI/AAAAAAAACxs/rFOTBki67AI/s320/1976-Twins-team-picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, I can see where in a black and white photo one might
not be able to tell; however, it’s easy to notice how the shade of the cap
matches with the “TWINS” emblem across the chest, which was red at the time and
contradicts the navy blue shirts of the trainers and equipment managers. This
trait becomes even clearly in the team photo from 2009.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RIO1dFHGIAk/Ul-N-hf6bhI/AAAAAAAACx0/RRo04oWj7YA/s1600/2009-Minnesota-Twins-Team-Photo-with-names-72-dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RIO1dFHGIAk/Ul-N-hf6bhI/AAAAAAAACx0/RRo04oWj7YA/s320/2009-Minnesota-Twins-Team-Photo-with-names-72-dpi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Like I said, I looked deep into most photo archives and couldn’t
find anything until I came across the Web site <a href="http://twinstrivia.com/year-by-year/">http://twinstrivia.com/year-by-year/</a> where they have
all the team photos dating back to 1961, their first year as the Twins. Check
the link if you don’t believe me as the team also wore the red caps from
1977-1982 and 1984-1986. I could be wrong about 1983, as it might also have to
do with the lighting and it being in black and white, but it looks like a few
guys are wearing red and other navy blue. Either way, red was the home color
that year.</div>
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Keeping in the theme of the red cap I have elected to mark
it up with numbers and a date from the original time from of when this cap was
used. Nothing personal against the 2009 team who won their division on an
extended day of the season (game 163) against the Detroit Tigers, but there’s
just too much good stuff that happened within the other 11 years to pass up.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5o1CbJWU1Gc/Ul-PapwH-aI/AAAAAAAACyE/uJBmYyhm8gc/s1600/20131017_030237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5o1CbJWU1Gc/Ul-PapwH-aI/AAAAAAAACyE/uJBmYyhm8gc/s320/20131017_030237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Muf1TJ9Tlqs/Ul-JzjANdvI/AAAAAAAACxQ/pLOhz7XIeEE/s1600/HrbekKent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Muf1TJ9Tlqs/Ul-JzjANdvI/AAAAAAAACxQ/pLOhz7XIeEE/s320/HrbekKent.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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#14- To those familiar with the Twins legacy, this is an
easy number to remember. But for those who only know about Hall of Fame
legacies, this is a name you should learn. Ken Hrbek, a product of Bloomington, Minneapolis,
was drafted in the 17<sup>th</sup> round of the 1978 draft. The interesting
part about the timing is that, as a first baseman, he had some pretty big shoes
to fill as <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-15-minnesota-twins.html">Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew</a> were the only names were noting to
have played the position in the team’s history. Carew was traded before the
1979 season, so Hrbek was one of two possible candidates being groomed for the
position. Hrbek made his major league debut on August 24, 1981 at Yankee
Stadium, hitting a game-winning home run in the 12th inning off New York reliever, and
future Twin, George Frazier.</div>
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After his cup of coffee at the end of the '81 season, Hrbek
would make the team out of spring training and come into his own in 1982,
playing well for Twins manager Billy Gardner. That season Hrbek would etch his
name into the Twins’ legacy as he finished the year with a .301 average, 23
home runs and 92 RBI. As great as his accomplishment were during his rookie
season, he still only managed to finish in second place for the Rookie of the
Year award one step ahead of <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-28-tampa-bay-devil-rays.html">Wade Boggs</a> and one spot behind some washout named
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-30-baltimore-orioles.html">Cal Ripken, Jr.</a> Not sure what happened to either of those guys. Hrbek also
locked up a trip to the All-Star Game that year, the only appearance of his
career.</div>
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1983 proved to be a stellar sophomore season for Hrbek, but
it was in 1984 that he had the best of his career. In ’84 Hrbek finished the
year with a career-high .311 average, 27 home runs, a career-high 174 hits and
a career-high 107 RBI. Somehow Hrbek didn’t gain an invitation to the All-Star
Game, not to mention he once again finished as the second fiddle when it came
to the American League MVP vote. That year Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Willie
Hernandez won the MVP as well as the Cy Young Awards outright. The Tigers ended
up winning the World Series that year as well.</div>
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Hrbek started and finished his 14-year career right where he
started, in his home state in front of the people who had cheered him on since
his high school days. The most notable contribution Hrbek gave back to the
Twins fins were the two World Series Championships they won in 1987 and 1991.
One the first run Hrbek finished the season with a career-high 34 home runs,
but his most memorable came during Game 6 when he hit a grand slam off of St.
Louis Cardinals reliever Ken Dayley, which shifted the momentum in favor of Minnesota who would win
the Series in seven games. In 1991 Hrbek’s bat isn’t what most remember from
that World Series run, rather the now infamous first base clash he had with
Atlanta Braves’ left fielder Ron Gant in Game 2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VKXIdYHkj4">Here’s the play if you don’t remember</a>. Hrbek was a hero in Minnesota and
public enemy number one in Atlanta.
The Twins would win the Series again in seven games thanks to great pitching
from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-22-detroit-tigers.html">Jack Morris</a> and clutch hitting from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-21-minnesota-twins.html">Kirby Puckett</a>. Hrbek was one of seven
Twins to be part of both World Series teams. The other six were Puckett, Randy
Bush, Greg Gagne, Al Newman, Gene Larkin and Dan Gladden.</div>
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Frequently injured (though seldom seriously), Hrbek retired
after the players strike in 1994, citing his nagging injury problems and desire
to spend more time with his wife and daughter. Kent Hrbek's number 14 was
retired by the Twins in 1995, becoming at the time only the fourth (along with <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-15-minnesota-twins.html">Killebrew, Carew</a>, and Tony Oliva) in franchise history. Hrbek was also
inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also one of few
players then (which is even rarer today) who played out his entire career with
only one team.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7JYYh4YUycc/Ul-J6l0vjRI/AAAAAAAACxY/FbCZUUYOUuU/s1600/bert-blyleven-twins-1987-topps-mustache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7JYYh4YUycc/Ul-J6l0vjRI/AAAAAAAACxY/FbCZUUYOUuU/s1600/bert-blyleven-twins-1987-topps-mustache.jpg" /></a></div>
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#28- It’s a rare quality for anyone to have a professional
baseball career for more than seven years, but Bert Blyleven was able to hang
onto a playing career for 22-strong. Born in the Netherlands, but raised in Garden
Grove, California, his father moved the family to Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada
when Blyleven was two years old, and then to Southern California when he was
age 5. He became interested in baseball as a young boy watching Sandy Koufax
pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers and listening to Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett
announce the Dodgers' radio broadcasts. Blyleven was quoted as saying, “My dad
built me a mound in the backyard with a canvas backdrop over our horseshoe
pits, and I would go back there and just throw and throw and throw until I developed
it, and it became my curveball. And I could throw it over at any time, any
count.” Blyleven starred on the Santiago
High School baseball
team, also running cross country to build up his stamina and leg strength. He
was drafted straight out of high school by the Twins in the third round in 1969,
where after only 21 minor league starts he found himself called up to the
Majors at age 19 on June 2, 1970. In his first season, his sharp curveball
helped him to ten victories and he was named AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year by <i>The
Sporting News</i>.</div>
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For six-and-a-half years Blyleven was the ace the Twins
needed; however, he was blamed by the fans for the team’s failures. Blyleven
won at least 15 games every season from 1971-1975; unfortunately, he also lost
at least 15 games every season from 1971-1974. What’s even more unusual is that
Blyleven never posted an ERA above 3.00 from 1971 until the moment he was
traded to the Texas Rangers in the middle of the 1976 season. In 1973 Blyleven
went 20-17 with a 2.52 ERA, 258 strikeouts and nine shutouts. The wins, ERA,
strikeouts and shutouts were all career bests, but they were only good enough
to give Blyleven his first All-Star Game appearance, a seventh place finish for
the AL Cy Young and a 26<sup>th</sup> place finish for the MVP. Yah, times were
pretty crazy back in the 70s.</div>
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After Blyleven was traded to the Rangers in ’76. He pitched
well with the Rangers, having a 2.76 ERA in his first season and throwing a no-hitter
against the California Angels on September 22, 1977, just two weeks after being
sidelined with a groin injury. His 2.74 career ERA with the Rangers remains the
best in team history. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates the following
year as part of a four-team trade which is way to long to list the ins and
outs. In short, Blyleven won his first World Series ring with the Buccos in
1979 behind a 12-5 record and a 3.60 ERA in 37 games started. Once again, the
70s were crazy time. At the end of the 1980 season Blyleven was traded again to
the Cleveland Indians where he would have a stellar third place finish for the
Cy Young in 1984 and an equally as noble 1985 season where he was traded back
to the Twins and still finished with his second, and final All-Star Game
appearance and another third place Cy Young finish behind a league-leading 206
strikeouts, league-leading 24 complete games, league-leading five shutouts and
a league-leading 293 2/3 innings pitched. If you’ll learn anything by the end
of this post it’s that pitchers these days have it pretty easy.</div>
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Blyleven would play three more years with the Twins all the
way until the end of the 1987 season where he would earn his second World
Series ring. At the end of the 1988 season, his worst statistical season, he
was granted free agency by the Twins and was almost immediately picked up by
the Angels. In his first year in Anaheim Blyleven had a bounce-back season
going 17-5 with a 2.73 ERA, a league-leading five shutouts and 131 strikeouts.
Blyleven finished the season in 13<sup>th</sup> place for the AL MVP and fourth
place for the Cy Young. Blyleven would play two more seasons with the Angels
before hanging it up at the end of the 1992 season. </div>
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After his first year of eligibility in 1998, Blyleven was
widely considered to be the best eligible pitcher not yet in the Baseball Hall
of Fame. According to Matt Welch of <i>Reason Magazine</i>, "there had
long been a strong case that the Dutch-born curveballista was the most
deserving player on the outside of Cooperstown
looking in." Still, it was not until his 14th year of eligibility in 2011
that he was elected, with 79.7% of the vote. He currently ranks 5th all-time in
Strikeouts, 9th all-time in Shutouts, and 27th all-time in Wins. At the time of
his election he was the only eligible member of the 3000 strikeout club, and
the only person with 50 or more shutouts, not in the Hall of Fame.</div>
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Blyleven received only 17.55% of the vote for Hall of Fame
admission in 1998 (first year of eligibility), and his vote total dropped to
14.1% the following year. No player who had debuted on the ballot since 1970
had a vote total that low and later won election to the Hall. However, <i>ESPN.com</i>
columnist Jayson Stark stated that "no player has ever — and again, that
word is 'ever' — had his Hall of Fame candidacy helped more by the sabermetrics
boom than Blyleven." Specifically, according to Welch, "the president
and chief investment officer of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel in Long Beach, California,
a guy by the name of Rich Lederer, began spending some of his off-hours writing
analysis on the Interwebs about Blyleven's overlooked case."<sup> </sup>Blyleven
was finally inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 after receiving 79.7% of the
vote on his 14th attempt. "It’s been 14 years of praying and waiting,” he
said. "I thank the baseball writers of America for; I’m going to say,
finally getting it right."
Blyleven was the first Dutch-born player inducted, and his Hall of Fame plaque
depicts him with a Twins cap.</div>
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In 1996, Blyleven became a color commentator for the Twins.
Blyleven's commentary is occasionally risqué for a baseball broadcast, but
provides interesting and friendly conversation between him and play-by-play
announcer Dick Bremer. One of his trademarks is circling fans with the telestrator
on screen. Fans, both at home and at road games, carry signs to the games
saying "Circle me Bert." This has led to a fundraising campaign with
the Parkinson's Foundation and a sponsorship with the Minnesota Lottery.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ALQaopLUKNo/Ul-OZnhaUuI/AAAAAAAACx8/wUfxb9LVrNk/s1600/20131017_030252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ALQaopLUKNo/Ul-OZnhaUuI/AAAAAAAACx8/wUfxb9LVrNk/s320/20131017_030252.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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8/1/86: This is one of the more fascinating days in Twins
history for a number of reasons. The Twins were at home hosting my beloved
Oakland Athletics as the Twins were holding their 25<sup>th</sup> Anniversary
celebration. That’s one reason. Blyleven was on the mound with 2,992 strikeouts
under his belt, facing one of the better power hitting teams of that 1980s. In
front of a crowd of a little more than 14,000 people Blyleven struck out Mike
Davis for his 3,000 career strikeout and still had time to drop seven more
batters on his way to a career-high 15 strikeouts in one game. Not to mention,
Blyleven also got the complete game. Now, what would a game be without a little
bit of offense? In order of his five at-bats Puckett hit a triple in his first,
flew out in his second, hit a ground rule double in his third, a single in his
fourth and a home run in his final at-bat to become the seventh player in Twins
history to hit for the cycle.</div>
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What’s even crazier about this date, August 1<sup>st</sup>,
is that it also marks another unusual time in Minnesota history. In 2007 the I-35W
Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis.
Due to how many people were at the game the Twins elected to play the game that
night against the Kansas City Royals, but postponed the game the following
night. What I wouldn’t find out until six years later is that my girlfriend,
Angie, was in Minneapolis, visiting friends from
Wisconsin,
and happened to still be in town for when the Twins played the Indians two days
later.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-17494779594427585632013-10-14T12:01:00.001-07:002013-10-14T23:54:40.925-07:00July 31- Tampa Bay Devil Rays<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I had a lot of illusions going into the 2012 Major League
Baseball season, especially considering how naïve I was thinking that my MLB Fan
Cave experience was going
to be all gumdrops and puppy dogs. While there were certainly a lot of moments
of positivity from my experience, it was certainly met with a lot of
heartbreak. I’ve focused a few of my prior New Era Cap posts on the darker
sides of my experience and I assure you that this is not going to be another
one, but there is one moment in particular that I need to get off of my chest,
man up and admit to as it plays heavily with the story.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashback</i></b></div>
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It was March 29<sup>th</sup>, the second game of Opening Day
Series in Tokyo, Japan between the Seattle Mariners and my Oakland Athletics.
The first game of the series didn’t exactly go as I wanted I it to, but things
were certainly starting to look optimistic. In the bottom of the seventh inning
the Athletics were down 0-1, but the bats were finally coming to life as Yoenis
Cespedes clubbed a two-run shot to give the Athletics a 2-1 lead which was then
followed by a solo home run by Josh Reddick immediately after. With a solid
lead I was feeling a bit more at ease about things, well… until Jonny Gomes
came up for his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jonny had
struck out twice and flew out in his third at-bat, so I wasn’t really expecting
much from him. In fact, I even turned around and said, “Here comes another
strikeout to Tyler Hissey, the man who runs all the social media content for
the Fan Cave. We talked for a quick moment about
this as he was a bigger fan of the deal the Athletics had made to bring him in
than I was. Of course, I was basing a lot of my knowledge about him off of his
time with the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals. Just as I said, “Yah,
just not sure he was a good pick-up,” Jonny crushed the deepest home run of the
series into left-centerfield. As stoked as I was to take the trip down the Home
Run Slide for the third time in the early hours of the morning, I couldn’t help
by look back at Tyler
with a facial expression saying, “Yup! I screwed up on that one.” I’ll never
forgive myself for that moment of ignorance. I’ve never been the kind of guy to
look at a person’s negative qualities on the ball field as opposed to focusing
on the things I know they’re more than capable of. Thus, the theme of the 2012
season; rather, the theme of my baseball fandom was established right then and
there.</div>
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Jonny was born and raised in Petaluma,
California, about an hour outside of San Francisco. His
parents divorced when he was a toddler. His father was around, but not engaged.
His mother raised him and his <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-16-bakersfield-blaze.html">older brother Joey, who I wrote about on January 16th</a>, on a home health-care worker’s salary. Times were so tough
that he and Joey used to scavenge camp sites to retrieve beer and soda cans to
recycle them for any cash they could. When it came to baseball, their mother
was the biggest supporter, giving them the choice of basic needs like
electricity or new baseball cleats. In almost every case the boys chose
baseball. After all, candles work just as well, and when you have something to
help keep you motivated in succeeding at life, that will always trump. Most of
the Gomes’ lives were spent moving from house to house, sometimes staying with
friends or their mother’s patients when they were evicted for not being able to
pay rent, something Jonny never forgot. </div>
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He attended Casa Grande High School
in Petaluma and
quickly became one of the standouts on the team, right behind his best friend
16-year-old Adam Westcott. On May 23<sup>rd</sup>, 1997 Westcott and Jonny, as
sophomores, were playing for the Sonoma County League Championship. With the
score tied in the top of fifth inning with the bases loaded (Jonny on third)
and two outs, Westcott came to the plate. As Jonny described in an interview
for <a href="http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6478335">ESPN’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E:60</i></a>, “Adam’s up. Best
player, best hitter, the game is on the line, what’s going to happen? It was
like a movie, all you have to do is press play.” With the swing of the bat Westcott
lobbed a single into shallow left-centerfield which allowed Gomes and the
runner on second to score. The championship was theirs. </div>
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The next night the two boys went out with a few female
friends joyriding. Both of them wanted the back passenger seat and ultimately
decided to leave it on a coin flip to see who would be riding on the window,
and who would be stuck in the middle. Westcott won the toss. That night on a
usually deserted stretch of road know as “the roller coaster,” the teens almost
hit head on with a car coming in the opposite direction, in an attempt not to
hit one another the driver swerved and lost control of the car on a gravel bed
on the side of the road. Due to their speed the car juked ferociously into a
telephone pole. Most of the passengers walked away with a few scrapes and
bruises, Westcott took the full force of the impact. He died two days later. To
honor his friend Jonny got his first tattoo, Westcott’s initials (APW) wrapped
in barbed wire.</div>
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After graduating from high school in 1999, Jonny attended Santa Rosa Junior College where he continued to
play ball. His hard work and dedication to his craft paid off as he was
selected in the 18<sup>th</sup> round of the 2001 amateur draft by the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays. From 2001-2004 Jonny moved through the minor league ranks, even
making a stop in my old home town of Bakersfield,
California
for a full season with Joey in 2002. Jonny played in 135 games that season in
heat that is borderline the closest one can ever come to playing in the first
ring of Hell. He crushed 30 home runs for the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-16-bakersfield-blaze.html">Bakersfield Blaze</a> that season and
hit .276. On Christmas Eve of that year Gomes experienced persistent chest
pains, which he was originally going to try and sleep off. Instead, he checked
himself into the hospital. A cardiologist charged a deliberator just in case
and explained to Jonny that he was suffering a heart attack, an anteroseptal
myocardial infarction (widow-maker) to be more specific. As a result of the
heart attack, the Rays' team doctor had to keep nitroglycerin pills on-hand in
case Gomes suffered a second heart attack.</div>
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In 2003 and 2004 Gomes got called up for a total of 13 games,
but spent the majority of his time in AAA with the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-23-durham-bulls.html">Durham Bulls</a> routinely
hitting dingers. In 2005 Gomes was finally called up for his longest stretch
and played in 101 games that season, the highlight of which took place on July
30, 2005. This cap was only used for that one season as an alternate style, mostly Sundays. The July 30th game happened to fall on a Saturday. Close enough.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7/30/2005</b>: The
Devil Rays were hosting the Kansas City Royals that day with future American
League Cy Young-winner Zack Greinke on the mound. Gomes was already having an
exception July, the kind that any rookie would love to build a career on. In
Gomes’s first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, he went down on three
straight pitches, Greinke’s first strikeout of the game. This would be the last
time Gomes didn’t make contact with the ball. When Gomes’s came up in the
bottom of the third inning he worked a 2-2 count on Greinke. When Greinke threw
the hanging slider, Gomes turned on it, knocking it into the far corner of the
left-centerfield stands at Tropicana Field. In his next at-bat, same results. For
his fourth, and final at-bat of the game the Royals put in reliever Mike
MacDougal and; sure enough, it was gone. Gomes had become the first player in
franchise history to log three home runs in one game. The rest of the season
went pretty well for Gomes. He finished with a .282 average, 21 home runs and
54 RBI which was good enough for a third place finish for the AL Rookie of the
Year Award. </div>
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Jonny’s career became a bit odd after that as he and Devil
Rays/Rays battled over what his role would be with the club. Gomes was
immediate fan favorite, he hustled every game and always came to the defense of
his teammates; however, his playing time diminished as players like Carl
Crawford and Ben Zobrist were called up. He was sent up and down from AAA
numerous times, but could never string enough hits together to keep face and
stay up in The Show. At the end of the 2008 season Gomes and the Rays parted
ways. He was immediately picked up by the Reds on a minor league contract, was
cut after spring training, but stuck in AAA with the Louisville Bats where he
was called up in May. Jonny spent three years with the Reds. During his time he
had another three-home run game on August 13, 2009, the first two of which came
off of former Nationals’ pitcher, my friend Colin Balester. Gomes also played
148 games in 2010, the most in a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>season
of his career, but he was also one of the lowest paid players at $800,000. I
know that seems like a lot in terms of baseball dollars, but reflect that upon
his skill level and the road he took to get there. In the middle of the 2011
season the Reds traded Gomes to the Nationals where he hit .204 with eight home
runs and 12 RBI in 43 games. At the end of the season he was granted free
agency where a hopefully Billy Beane was waiting with a $1 million contract.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back to reality</i></b></div>
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Sorry, had a lot that I needed to cram in about the man
before I could continue, it’ll all make sense in the end. In the month after I
was eliminated from the Fan
Cave I had two choices:</div>
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1. Wallow in my misery and not watch baseball.</div>
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2. Get my ass on the road and watch as much baseball as I
possibly could.</div>
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Needles to say, option two was way more satisfying. The
first leg of my tour took me to Seattle
to meet up with my friend, and Mariners fan Tommy Bentley (@RealTomBentley). </div>
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He
allowed me to crash with him for a few days so I took care of all the tickets
and beer (fair trade). On the first game of the series we each grabbed a beer
and crushed them during batting practice, then we headed over to the Athletics’
side dugout for batting practice so we could grab a few pictures. A few of the
guys were stretching, a few were in the cage, but the one thing I wasn’t
expecting, nor was I paying attention to, was Jonny walking over to me. “Hey!”
he said. “What the hell are you doing here?” Not ay any point in time before
this moment had I ever met Jonny, nor did I have any clue that he knew who I
was, but for the next few minutes we talked about why I wasn’t in the Fan Cave
anymore, how my time was and what I was up to now. He didn’t have to do it, I
certainly wasn’t expecting it, but I was truly appreciative of the fact that he
took the time to get to know me as I was the Athletics representative in the Fan Cave.
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The next day Tommy and I kept to the beer chug and batting
practice routine, and sure enough Jonny came back over to shoot the breeze
until it was his time in the cage. The thing that I never took into
consideration that he finally mentioned was that he became genuinely interested
in me because of the articles that Yahoo!, Deadspin and NBC Sports had written,
as well as the MLB Tickets commercial I was featured in. If you haven’t
noticed, Jonny has a lot of ink, and much like myself, people with ink
generally like to talk to other people with ink. At the time I hadn’t planned
on sticking around for the last game of the series, but I did mention that he
would probably see me in Oakland.
We shook hands and he went back to practice, but only after making a pit stop
behind the cage<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to play catch with one
of his friend’s kids.</div>
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When we met up in Oakland
it came on the afternoon when the Athletics had invited me to throw out first
pitch, July 18, 2012. I wrote about this portion <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-1-oakland-athletics.html">back on April 1<sup>st</sup></a>,
so I’ll try to keep in succinct. I was actually the second person who was going
to be throwing out the first pitch. Roberta Gonzalez, a local Emmy Award-winning news
broadcaster, was the first to go. She was way more nervous than I was,
mostly because she would be throwing to Josh Reddick, her favorite player. She
asked me if I wouldn’t mind warming up with her, I obliged needing the practice
myself. What I wasn’t expecting was having to do three interviews with a few
people on the field before my throw; thus, I wasn’t able to get loose. Jonny then spotted me, came over and chatted it up with me while the first lady
took the mound. We both watched in awe as she threw a laser right down Broadway
into Reddick’s glove. Jonny then turned to me, nudged my arm and said, “Well…
don’t fuck it up.” Truly inspiring.</div>
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We saw each other again in Toronto when the Athletics took on the Blue
Jays, you may remember this series as the time that Reddick did his Spider-man
impersonation and the A’s dealt the Jays their worst home defeat in the
franchise’s history, 16-0. I was only able to make it to the second game (the
16-0 game) and the final game of the series which the Athletics ended up losing
despite home runs from Reddick and Brandon Inge. Prior to the game Jonny had
spotted me as my seats were right behind the dugout, so we chatted it up again.
It was at this point I had asked him about his version of “The Shark” he had
been doing which I wrote about in <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-24-buffalo-bisons.html">my post from June 24<sup>th</sup></a>. For him it
was called the Mahi-Mahi, and it was something that he and Kurt Suzuki were
doing. Even with that, I still needed a photo.</div>
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I touched on quite a bit of this in my post on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-20-australia-world-baseball.html">Travis Blackley and the Australia World Baseball Classic cap</a>, but I left a bit out.
Prior to the first game in Cleveland
against the Indians almost all of the pitchers had spotted me and came over to
say hello and thank you for being so supportive of the team. There was a rain
that had pounded down throughout the day which was looking like it might
postpone the game so batting practice was canceled. But, as luck would have it,
everything cleared up and the game was on. My tickets were a few rows behind
the Athletics dugout and I really had nothing to do before the game so I kicked
it in my seat. Shortly thereafter Jonny and the gang emerged from the dugout
for warm-ups and stretching. At one point Jonny and I locked eyes and I gave
him one of my “wink and finger point” hellos, he then became very animated and
summoned me over to the rail. “Dude! I’m so glad you’re here, “ he said.
“There’s someone here you have to meet.” He then walked with me headed toward
home plate and called out to a dude named JJ. Like Jonny is Seattle, I wasn’t expecting JJ to know who I
was. Jonny gave us a quick introduction before he headed back to the field, and
I immediately knew this was somebody I needed to get to know.</div>
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JJ, a die-hard Reds fan, is a tattoo artist in Cincinnati at Doll Star
Tattoo. Jonny and JJ had become acquainted during his time with the Reds and
built a string relationship from it. In fact, most of Jonny’s ink that has
been featured was done by JJ, including Jonny’s
American History tribute piece on his leg. JJ was even featured in the <a href="http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6478335"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E:60</i> piece</a>. JJ knew who I was because </div>
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1. He’s a tattoo artist.</div>
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2. He’s a baseball fan.</div>
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In my travels I soon found out that reason number one was
way more prevalent as tattoo artists love to talk and show off their creations.
Anyway, JJ and I kicked it together and watched the game. Jonny unfortunately
didn’t get any playing time that night, or throughout the series. The conversation
started out about the Fan
Cave, but it then led
into all of the work that he had done on Jonny as well as a anti-Chicago Cubs
piece he was doing for a Milwaukee Brewers fans which featured Bernie Brewer
with an assault rifle blowing the Cub away. And people think my tattoos are
weird. </div>
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We grabbed some beers, some hot dogs and I also grabbed a cup of this
buffalo chicken macaroni n’ cheese which was legendary. The Athletics won the
game 3-0, which made for their third straight win. There wasn’t a very big
crowd at The Jake that night, but there was a father and son who were sitting
right behind us that we talked to occasionally throughout the game. The kid was
about nine or 10 and kept hollering for a ball in between innings. I was a bit
surprised that he never got one, seeing as there weren’t that many kids around,
but I assured him that he would get one by the end of the game. When that time
came he was a bit bummed out, so I reached into my backpack and pulled one out
for him. For some reason Ryan Cook developed a tendency to throw baseballs at
me anytime we met up, I’ll go into more detail in a future post about that, so
I had one on me to give to anybody who wanted one. JJ and I thought this kid
had been super cool so I was more than happy to give it to him. </div>
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JJ and I swapped numbers and said he would hit me when the
two of them headed out. What they and I weren’t expecting was that in the hour
between when the game ended and when I ran into them I was going to be four
beers and a shot it. Long story short, I ran into a few of the TV crew for the
Athletics who I had met randomly up in Toronto
as well. So, we caught up. When I met up with JJ and Jonny they were only about
two beers in, which was totally fine with me as I needed to stop or I would be
sleeping in my car as I had to drive back to Pittsburgh that night only to have
to drive to Buffalo, New York the next morning for a visit to New Era
Headquarters only to then drive back to Cleveland for the next game and finally
drive back to Pittsburgh again. Yah… so I enjoyed another beer on the next
round, of course! Jonny and JJ had been talking about a design for another
tattoo that Jonny was going to get at which I asked if I could sit in on it. I
think it was the alcohol that gave me the courage to ask. Both of them were
totally cool with it and said that they would be doing it the next day. In the
meantime, since the bar was pretty dead we just chilled and engaged in
conversation with the waitress which somehow broke out into a discussion about
a party that she was going to head to where a “Jungle Juice-type” concoction
was going to be served, except she didn’t call it Jungle Juice, but all three
of us called it that. For the life of me, I can remember every detail of that
conversation, venue, etc, but I can’t remember what she called it. No matter.
It was late and they needed to rest so we parted ways until the next day. At
this point I was sobering up significantly and felt that I needed to get something
greasy in my belly. What I wasn’t expecting was to run into the TV crew again
which of course ended with more beer and eventually some pizza. Needless to
say, it was a miserable drive to Pittsburgh and Buffalo when I woke up in
my car the next morning.</div>
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Jonny had left tickets for me at Will Call for the next
game, and I was still in a bit of a cloudy mood after somehow making it to New
Era in Buffalo
10 minutes before my meeting. Not wanting to let those tickets go to waste, as
well not wanting to leave Cleveland
without saying good-bye to everyone, I forged ahead and drove the two
and-a-half hours to the game and kicked it with JJ. The A’s won 7-0 despite
being struck out 16 times by Indians pitchers. This only aided my theory on
strikeouts: Strikeouts don’t matter as long as they’re not all consecutive. 27
outs will happen, as long as you’re able to put runs on the board and get the
win it shouldn’t matter how they occur. </div>
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I had to go run and meet up with a friend before the game
ended so I regrouped with JJ and Jonny after the game. The hotel was only a few
blocks away so Jonny elected to walk back with the two of us with a sack of Bud
Lights rather than take the team bus. When we arrived JJ had the valet bring
his truck up so we could get his tattoo gun and other supplies out of the back.
Right at about the time the valet returned, the A’s team bus arrived. For some
reason the feeling of “I want to be anywhere but here” washed over me. It’s not
that I was nervous about being there or anything, I just felt out of place,
like I was intruding. I had touched on this in my Blackely piece in that I’ve
always done my best to not violate the line between the fans and the players.
Tonight, I was clearly pole vaulting over it. JJ had his hands full with his
equipment so I brought up the chair. Based on the time it took us to get
everything I thought all of the players would have been up the elevator by the
time we strolled inside. Nope! We caught the next elevator with winning pitcher
Tommy Milone, Derek Norris, Coco Crisp and Evan Scribner. Norris elected to
stand at the back of the elevator with his face against the wall; it was hard
not to laugh. What I also didn’t know about this hotel was that the elevator
only takes you to the sixth floor. From there you have to take another elevator
to get to the floor that your room is on. Sooooooo… when we got to the sixth
floor the entire team was milling about, waiting for their next elevators. That
feeling of not wanting to be there grew stronger. I did my best to keep my eyes
on the prize and not acknowledge anyone’s presence when JJ and I both heard
Josh Donaldson yell, “Hey! Aren’t you that guy from the Fan Cave!?”
I slowly turned my head, smiled and said, “Yah!” To which he responded,
“Sick!!!” That was the extent of any conversation I had with anyone in that
room. It took one more elevator with Chris Carter, Milone and Scribner and a
walk to JJ’s room before I could let out my laughter from Donaldson’s reaction.
“Sick!” has thus been incorporated into every conversation JJ and I have had
since that night. </div>
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A few minutes after we got in the room Jonny rolled in with
the bag of Bud Lights and passed them around before turning on he TV to MLB
Network. We all chatted for a bit while JJ set up his machines, I did what I
could to make myself useful. The commercial I was in for MLB Tickets came on at
which Jonny, with a swig of beer in his mouth, pointed at it, swallowed and
said, “This is how all of us first found out who your were.” Pro ball players
watch MLB Network as often, if not more often than the fans do, and the first
time most of them saw the ad was in the clubhouse of the Coliseum when someone
noticed that hat I was wearing, the tattoos and yelled out, “I saw that dude in
Deadspin!” This then evolved into “Fan
Cave guy” after everyone
finally saw me in person on July 18<sup>th</sup> (redundant, I know). Regardless, it was still a
weird feeling. Jonny then put all of the beers in the fridge and called room
service to bring us up a few more. For some reason I asked him, “What about all
the beers in the fridge?” To which he responded, “What happens when we run out
of those?” You really can’t argue with that logic. It was in this time that I got
to know him a little bit better. I asked him about his time in Bakersfield, to which he told me the story
about the new guys and the bridge that I mention in my <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-13-milwaukee-braves.html">Hank Aaron piece from April 13th</a>. He also told me about how Dusty Baker looks out for
every one of his players and that Jayson Werth is one of the smartest, most
dedicated players in the game; so much to the point where Werth has used his
own money to help make that a winning ball club. He then had to take time out
to give his wife and kids a call back home. Everything I ever felt that I
needed to know about the guy had occurred within a 24-hour time frame: He’s
loyal to his team, his family, his friends and especially his country after he
showed off his “Tribute to the USA”
tattoo that JJ had done for him. Tonight they were working on a piece for the
inside of his right arm above the elbow of a heart with the date of his wedding
inside. </div>
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Seriously. How could you not love this guy?</div>
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About an hour in I realized what time it was and also
remembered that I had to drive back to Pittsburgh
as to drop off my rental car and catch my train to Detroit the next morning. I said my
good-byes, thanked both JJ and Jonny for their time and walked back to my car.
I grabbed some food, took a light snooze and hit the road. I never saw the
finished piece, as something as personal as that really isn’t my place to be
nosey. When I rolled to Cincinnati
in the middle of September JJ was unfortunately too busy to make it, but he was
still able to pull some strings and get me a ticket for the game. One of these
days I’ll get back and pay him back for that.
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As for Jonny, I’ve only seen him once since that night;
October 3, 2012, right after the A’s beat the Texas Rangers on the last day of
the season to win the AL West Division crown. One of the guys from the TV crew,
the ones I met up with in Toronto and Cleveland, had hooked me
up with a media pass for that game. I’ll save most of the details for a later
post, but I hung around until Jonny came out so I could tell him congratulations
in person. We hugged it out, bro-style, and wished each other well. He had his
family with him and plenty of celebrating to do, so I didn’t want to slow him
down on that front.</div>
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I was both sad and happy for him when the offseason came
around. The A’s had offered him a nice one-year deal, but the Boston red Sox
upped the ante and gave him a two-year $10 million deal. For a guy who made
roughly $1 million per year on one-year contracts, not to mention having gone
through all the experiences that life had thrown at him, I didn’t once question
why he signed that deal. The man has literally given his heart, and almost died
in the process because of it, to play this game. He has always been at the
forefront of local charities in and around the Bay Area, and wherever he has
played professionally. He was the biggest supporter and mascot for the Petaluma baseball team
who almost won the Little League World Series. While it’s a bummer that we
couldn’t have his presence in the A’s clubhouse anymore, we all couldn’t be
happier for him that he has moved on to greener pastures and still gives his
all for the team, the fans and the city he plays in. </div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-74111486194204258472013-10-10T01:07:00.002-07:002013-10-10T01:43:44.977-07:00July 30- Oakland Athletics<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is one of the few
articles I’m writing in which I’m writing in real time as opposed to the date
that I am specifically writing for. I realize how far behind I am in these
posts, a little more than 70 days if my count is correct, but this is an
important post that lies heavily upon the game that’s about to take place, Game
5 of the American League Division Series.</i><br />
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There comes a time when the people play the game transcend
themselves into something beyond what takes place on the field. Some guys do it
more publicly, others in private. No matter what the motivator is the important
thing to remember is that they are putting in the effort as often as they can.
That’s what I see when I look at this cap. When New Era released the 2013
Memorial Day cap I immediately fell in love with them. If you recall my posts
back in May I was a huge fan of the 2012 models witch only featured the digital
camouflage on the logo, leaving the panel the exact colors of what the teams
normally wear on the field. Prior to that all the caps were red, white and blue
and featured some variety of the Stars and Stripes despite the fact that the
colors may not have corresponded with the teams’ uniforms. Thus, the 2012 did a
better job of that; however, like in years passed each hat used was worn on
both Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, another thing I really didn’t mind.
In 2013 New Era introduced caps specifically for each holiday. The Oakland
Athletics Fourth of July cap is one I currently have waiting in the wings to
write about as the approach that New Era took was original and fascinating. In
the case of this cap, the Memorial Day cap, I love the approach with the
all-digital camouflage panels; however, I’m a little confused about the color
choice for the “A’s” logo. For the Fourth of July caps New Era went back to the
Stars and Stripes motif, but they made the panels for each teams’ cap in the
color which corresponded to where each team was playing: grey for the road,
white for home and even a Canada Day cap specifically for the Toronto Blue
Jays. The reason I bring this point up is because the Athletics played their
Memorial Day game at the Coliseum against the San Francisco Giants; however,
the “A’s” logo is in yellow which has been the traditional color scheme for the
road cap. I know this is something that very few people think about, but for
some reason it jumped out at me. I assure you that it isn’t a complaint; in
fact, the color scheme actually works better for the cap and perhaps the
traditional white “A’s” logo would have been lost within the rest of the cap.
My only point of reference I have with this comes with my post from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-30-texas-rangers.html">June 30th about the misprinted Texas Rangers caps</a> in which the “T” logo was done in white
as opposed to the red as it was intended. </div>
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The one constant in all of these caps is that the proceeds
benefit Welcome Back Veterans, a program to help returning veterans get
treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome as well as to create awareness for
others who may not understand it. To date Welcome Back Veterans has raised over
$17 million to make a difference in the lives of our courageous veterans and
their families. While they may not seem like much, these caps are a great way
to show your support as well as a way to give back to the brave men and women
who serve their country to provide stability for our freedom and ways of life.
As a cap collector I’m proud to add it to my collection. As a baseball fan I’m
proud to wear it to show support for the game. As a citizen of the United States of America
I’m proud to support those who serve. </div>
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I’ll do my best not to butcher this portion of the post as
there is a lot of history behind it. Like my Memorial Day posts back in May I
did my best o focus on how the military played a part in the history of each
team. In a few cases I hit the nail on the head, while in others I focused more
on people who served but were still living which really wasn’t the way I should
have approached it if I were staying true to the holiday and its meaning.
Rather, in most cases I treated it more like a Veteran’s Day piece. I don’t
regret those decisions for the sake of their importance and the importance that
the men and women I shared stories for still deserve the recognition they may
never have gotten as quite a few of my stories dated back to World War I. Since
I only own two of the three caps from last season I made sure to do a write-up
on each, which I did on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-21-oakland-athletics.html">May 21<sup>st</sup></a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/06/may-30-oakland-athletics.html">May 30<sup>th</sup></a>. When it
comes to this cap I’m focusing more on the veterans’ side of things so please
don’t call me out for it as I’m well aware of what I am doing. So, without
further ado, the story.<br />
</div>
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#62- If there was one player on this current Athletics team
who I feel truly exemplifies what it means to be an Oakland Athletic as well as
a great human being, I would have to nominate relief pitcher Sean Doolittle. In
the last two years I’ve run into Doolittle four times, in every case he’s
popped The Shark before he says hello. I realize that’s a personal thing to me,
but the action goes a long way when it comes to character. We all know him as
the jokester of the team, follow his Twitter account and you’ll see what I’m
talking about. His comedy skills cover a wide range of topics, even his tweets
about the Athletics always hit home as he comes off as a real fan of the game,
but more important the teams and the fans who support them. His signature right
arm extension and curl under the chin before he throws has become a phenomenon
with fans called “Doolittling.” It’s much like “Tebowing,” except it’s awesome.
I for one call it “What I do Every Night and Day When I Sleep,” but I’m a rare
case. Seriously, I actually make that same motion in my sleep. See…</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-di_WsUuekHY/UlZgFkDTZUI/AAAAAAAACuU/2CdeysSY9_4/s1600/MeDoo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-di_WsUuekHY/UlZgFkDTZUI/AAAAAAAACuU/2CdeysSY9_4/s200/MeDoo2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UU9Q5qyLoVY/UlZgLbH7W8I/AAAAAAAACuc/rDTNo5dvu_0/s1600/MeDoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UU9Q5qyLoVY/UlZgLbH7W8I/AAAAAAAACuc/rDTNo5dvu_0/s200/MeDoo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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His bushy red beard has become a near iconic representation
of the team itself; scrappy, rugged, but 100% Green Collar Baseball. He gets
fired up when he comes off the mound after a great inning and cracks jokes
amongst his teammates when he’s sitting in the bullpen or chillin’ in the
dugout. But the one thing that many tend to forget about is that he’s a fan
just like every one of us. Not necessarily a fan of the game, but a fan of the
team that suits up and takes the field for. He has been since he was old enough
to pick up a ball, much like the rest of us, while he was living in the Bay Area when his family was stationed nearby.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRIX-2XAjKw/UlZfVzkQP0I/AAAAAAAACuI/ZOmWU1OgD2w/s1600/DoolittleRage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRIX-2XAjKw/UlZfVzkQP0I/AAAAAAAACuI/ZOmWU1OgD2w/s320/DoolittleRage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Sorry for stealing this.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<div style="text-align: left;">
During this time of his life his family had season tickets to the Athletics before moving on to Tabernacle Township/Medford, New Jersey where he went to school at Shawnee High School before attending the University of Virginia.</div>
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I bring all of this up for a bevy of reasons, the first of
which has to do with the amount of grief I’ve seen him get, direct or not, on
social media. People make mistakes. It’s not our job to point them out,
complain about them or rub in the person’s face. Yes, we all have the right to
do so, but there is a fine line between being a fan and being a jerk. When I
see Athletics fans blast him or any other player it upsets me. How can anyone
call themselves a fan if that’s what you’re going to do to your own guy? I
guess it’s one thing if a particular player is vocal about not wanting to be on
the team and that he “plays for himself,” but all I need to do is direct you
back to the picture above, mostly the kid on the left who is cheering on the
team he loves much in the same way that we do. I don’t think he would do the
same.</div>
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Like all of my other Memorial Day posts there is some
connection that I try to keep with the team and the holiday. In the other posts
I listed each teams’ record on Memorial Day; however, I have already done that
in a previous post for the Athletics; instead, it just so happens that
Doolittle came into the game played on this year’s Memorial Day, May 27<sup>th</sup>.
Doolittle pitched two shutdown innings, taking over for starter Dan Straily who
had gone a solid six, only allowing one run to the Giants. Doolittle pitched
perfectly, literally, striking out two and not allowing a single base-runner as
he locked up his ninth hold on the season. Grant Balfour came in for the ninth
inning and closed the door for his 11<sup>th</sup> save on the year.</div>
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When I originally bought this cap I had no idea what I was
going to do with it, from a writing perspective. I had already touched most of
the military/Memorial Day history with the other two posts, but with this I had
found myself in a bit of a jam. That is, until I caught a commercial on Fox
Sports 1 right before Angie and I left to run errands. I tried to find the
video online with no success, so hopefully a few of you have seen it by now.
The commercial starts with Doolittle walking out from around a corner saying
something to the tune of, “Hi, I’m Sean Doolittle, pitcher for the Oakland
Athletics.” To be honest, which I saw this I almost laughed out loud as, for
some reason which lies more heavily on his Twitter account and the station it
was on, I thought something funny was about to happen. Nope! Instead, Doolittle
was doing a public service announcement for the United Service Automobile
Association (USAA), the service that provides insurance and benefits to
veterans and their families. In the commercial Doolittle talked about his
father and stepmother, both of whom are veterans. His father is retired Air
Force and teaches ROTC back in his home state of New Jersey while his
stepmother is still active duty Air National Guard stationed at McGuire Air
Force Base in New Jersey. This was the point where I started to get a rough
idea of where I wanted to take this piece. </div>
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I conducted quite a bit of research and came across <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/sean-doolittle-gets-lesson-gen-james-doolittle">an article written and published by the Associated Press</a> from late August, right
around the time when I moved to Florida.
In it, a writer followed Doolittle to the USS Hornet, a decommissioned US Navy
aircraft carrier that was converted into a National Historic Landmark in 1998
where it has serves as a museum open to the public in Alameda, California.
Doolittle’s visit came at his own inquiry which started as a photo of a patch
from the Doolittle Raiders. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwCLqWbokwk/UlZe4J012LI/AAAAAAAACuA/QhAHYYPdZwM/s1600/DoolittlePatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwCLqWbokwk/UlZe4J012LI/AAAAAAAACuA/QhAHYYPdZwM/s1600/DoolittlePatch.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Forever Into Danger</b> </div>
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The patch set Doolittle on a quest of his lineage
as the man behind the Raiders was Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle of
the US Army Air Forces who planned and led the first air raid bombing of the Japanese Home
Islands on April 18, 1942, six months
after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid was
not necessarily intended to win the war, but to boost morale throughout the country
in stir up more support for the cause. They succeeded. Because of the surname
Sean wanted to better understand the connection to see if there was any
relation, especially considering that he comes from a military family. After
many twists and turns it was determined that the late General was in fact
Sean’s seventh cousin. On his cleats and under the bill of his cap Sean has a
written tribute General Doolittle and the Doolittle Raiders, not necessarily
because of the family ties, but for everything they did for their country.</div>
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Doolittle's contributions to the military have been
widespread. This season he was one of the finalists for the Branch Rickey Award
which is <span class="st">given annually to an individual in Major League
Baseball in recognition of his exceptional community service. Doolittle has
meets with veterans at the VA Hospital in Palo
Alto and has invited them to games on numerous
occasions, speaking with them in the dugout before home games. In August he
went to Walter Reed in Washington, D.C. to meet with veterans and wounded warriors when the
Athletics visited Baltimore
to play the Orioles. He </span>and his teammates started “A’s Relief” this
season to honor local heroes from the Bay Area who are Good Samaritans and
providing relief. The Reliever-of-the-Month receives four game tickets, food
vouchers, onfield recognition and a chance to watch batting practice with the
bullpen staff. The heroes also receive a donation to the charity of their
choice. He also supports Freedom Alliance, an educational and charitable organization
that honors service members and their families.</div>
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I know I haven’t talked much about baseball in this post, or
really much about his playing career even though he has a truly extraordinary
story of how he got the Majors, but that’s the story that everybody seems to
know now. Everything I wrote above wasn’t exactly new information, but I felt
that it was the right story to tell under the theme of this cap. I guess the
thing that I mostly wanted to do with this piece was share a bit more humanity
rather than just focus on his job. That is the part that I think a lot of
people tend to not separate when talking about Doolittle the person, or any
other player for that matter. Sometimes, and coming from me I know how ironic
this is, there’s just more to life than baseball.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-7916245802509072013-10-08T20:19:00.000-07:002013-10-09T14:33:55.465-07:00July 29- Houston Astros<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dd4L84Mu2jY/UlXLX59fEmI/AAAAAAAACtc/KUbmH5I_3Zc/s1600/20131009_172509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dd4L84Mu2jY/UlXLX59fEmI/AAAAAAAACtc/KUbmH5I_3Zc/s320/20131009_172509.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The 1994 Major League Baseball season was an odd year for
more than just the players’ strike that took effect on August 12<sup>th</sup>.
Several teams like the Montreal Expos had dug themselves out of the cellar and
were on their way to potentially winning their first World Series title in the
franchise’s history. <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-1-san-diego-padres.html">Tony Gwynn</a> was batting .394, becoming the first person
since Ted Williams in 1941 to potentially hit for .400 or better in a season.
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-12-arizona-diamondbacks.html">Matt Williams</a> was rapidly approaching the 62 home run mark for the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-16-san-francisco-giants.html">San Francisco Giants</a> as he already had a league-leading 43 on the season at the time. But
most important, 11 teams introduced, changed or added new pieces to their
uniforms/caps which were already boosting merchandise sales. Those teams were:
the Giants (jersey), Oakland Athletics (hats/jerseys), Chicago Cubs (hat),
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-6-texas-rangers.html">Texas Rangers</a> (hats/uniforms), <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-27-detroit-tigers.html">Detroit Tigers</a> (hat), <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-31-seattle-mariners.html">Seattle Mariners</a>
(hats/uniforms), <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-9-milwaukee-brewers.html">Milwaukee Brewers</a> (hats/uniforms), Philadelphia Phillies
(hat), Cleveland Indians (jersey), Toronto Blue Jays (jersey) and the Houston
Astros (above- hats/uniforms). So, for the season to come to just an abrupt end
was especially peculiar as there really wasn’t any kind of a warning sign,
besides players wanting more money, to see it coming. And without a doubt one of
the biggest companies potentially affecting by the strike was New Era. </div>
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The strike left a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of the
fans and sales for anything took a bit of a dive. Hat culture was seemingly in
its prime, but clearly not as much as it is in today’s times. Back then if you
wore a cap it was no doubt a baseball cap, and the important thing to remember
about baseball caps is that if you were wearing a fitted one, it was a New Era
cap. New Era had won the MLB manufacturing contract prior to the 1993 season,
making them the only company to design, produce and sell every Major League
cap. So, when 1994 came around and eight new teams introduced new caps, things
got a little bit crazy when the business of baseball came to a standstill.
That’s not to say that people didn’t still buy caps, but the sheer volume
wasn’t as high as it could have been. It’s funny to look back on all of it now
because, as a cap collector, I know how hard it is to find a lot of the caps
that were introduced that season. Of the eight teams listed above I have been
able to track down and buy seven of them (including this one obviously), the
only one that still remains a challenge is the alternate Phillies cap that I
mentioned in a previous post from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-28-philadelphia-phillies.html">March 28<sup>th</sup></a>.</div>
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Anyway, I’ve strayed slightly off topic. The Astros, besides
the Brewers, had the most dramatic change of all. Rather than change maybe just
the hat or something about the logo like a lot of teams do, they overhauled
everything. They went from this…</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbeYUceO2FE/UlXIPh9k-zI/AAAAAAAACtE/k_62PUUspoY/s1600/nl_1993_houston_01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbeYUceO2FE/UlXIPh9k-zI/AAAAAAAACtE/k_62PUUspoY/s1600/nl_1993_houston_01.jpeg" /></a></div>
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To this.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yjeiO-Ur3dE/UlXIUCafVlI/AAAAAAAACtM/a7FnKnNUq_g/s1600/nl_1994_houston_01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yjeiO-Ur3dE/UlXIUCafVlI/AAAAAAAACtM/a7FnKnNUq_g/s1600/nl_1994_houston_01.jpeg" /></a></div>
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And, unlike most teams, it proved to be a little bit of a
game changer when it came to the success of the team. </div>
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At the end of the 1993 season then-Astros owner John
McMullen sold the team to Drayton McLane, Jr. after McMullen’s attempts to move
the team to Washington, D.C. were shot down by the other National
League owners. McMullen was no impressed with low attendances even after the
Astrodome had been completely renovated for the benefit of the Houston Oilers
whom they shared the facility with. In McLane’s case, the timing couldn’t have
been any better as Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell were on the verge of having
breakout careers. Coinciding with the change in ownership, the team switched
uniforms and team colors after the 1993 season in order to go for a new, more
serious image. The team's trademark rainbow uniforms were retired, and the
team's colors changed to midnight blue and metallic gold. The
"Astros" font on the team logo was changed to a more aggressive one,
and the team's traditional star logo was changed to a stylized,
"flying" star with an open left end. It marked the first time since
the team's inception that orange was not part of the team's colors. Despite
general agreement that the rainbow uniforms, which most identified with the
team, had become tired (and looked too much like a minor league team according
to the new owners), the new uniforms and caps were never especially popular
with many Astros fans. This cap in particular was the least popular of the
three that were brought out, but this one was worn for the most games as it
served as the game cap from 1994-1999. </div>
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The Astros faired pretty well under this cap including three
straight National League Central Division titles under Larry Dierker after the
team fired then-manager Terry Collins following the 1996 season when the team
went 82-80, his only winning season. Dierker’s second season (1998) was met
with the team’s best regular season record of 102-60, the only time the team
has ever hit triple digits in wins; however, Dierker and the Astros never made
it beyond the first round of the playoffs during his tenure. </div>
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On of the problems that has come up with writing these posts
is not having enough material or even cramming too much material into one post.
I’ve been doing my best to find a balance and if there is clearly one post that
I have written that could have been a lot more it has to be my post on the
Astros from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-19-houston-astros.html">January 19<sup>th</sup></a>. With one cap I wrote about three of the
most notable players in the team’s history and I honestly feel like I didn’t do
it justice. I could have gone with different players, possibly even written
about Biggio and Bagwell with this cap, but that was my mistake. I didn’t
really know that my blog would evolve into something so big so quickly, so I
apologize to you, the readers and especially the Astros fans who don’t get a
lot of credit anyway. So, without further ado, I think my marking selection for
this cap is more than worthy.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z79xhGNp7BY/UlXLo3qzCcI/AAAAAAAACtg/Gx1WVaTFIBo/s1600/20131009_172248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z79xhGNp7BY/UlXLo3qzCcI/AAAAAAAACtg/Gx1WVaTFIBo/s320/20131009_172248.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#12/20/’98- It’s funny how certainly numbers follow a player
throughout their career and no one knows more about this than Ricky Gutierrez.
A native of Miami, Florida,
Gutierrez was the 28<sup>th</sup> overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles back in
1988 out of American Senior High School in Hialeah. For five years he worked his way
through the Orioles’ minor league system and was even traded to the San Diego
Padres as a Player to be Named Later in 1992. On April 13, 1993 Gutierrez made
his Major League debut batting .251 with 110 hits, 76 runs scored, five
triples, five home runs and 26 RBI which were good enough for an 11<sup>th</sup>
place finish for the NL Rookie of the Year. Even though baseball had been shut
down Gutierrez still found himself getting traded to the Astros in a
blockbuster 11-player deal which also sent Derek Bell and Craig Shipley to Houston while the Padres
received Steve Finley and future NL MVP Ken Caminiti as the centerpieces. For
five years Gutierrez would play in Houston,
the longest stint of his career, while wearing the #12. His stats weren’t
really that impressive: .266 average, seven home runs, 13 triples and 132 RBI,
but it’s the two moments in 1998 (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">’98</b>)
that involve the number <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">20</b> that are
most identified with his career. </div>
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May 6, 1998- Gutierrez was batting in the seven-hole when
the Astros were playing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Rookie sensation
Kerry Wood took the mound for the Cubs, making his fifth start of his Major
League career. Wood had gotten the first five outs by the way of the strikeout
and got the last out of the second inning on a flyball to centerfield by Dave
Clark. When Gutierrez came up to bat to lead off the third inning Wood worked
the count in his favor getting Gutierrez to a 1-2 count after four pitches. On
the fifth pitch, a fastball down the pike, Gutierrez smacked a hotshot grounder
in between Kevin Orie (third base) and Jeff Blauser (shortstop) for the first
hit of the game for the Astros. That early into the game very few had any
comprehension of what was about to happen, not even my friend and Oakland
Athletics 2013 MLB Fan Cave Top-30 representative, who happened to be at the
game. Wood would go on to strikeout 15 more Astros while only allowing one more
base-runner for throughout the rest of the game, a hit by pitch to Biggio. 20
times the Astros had fallen victim to the K, tying the regulation game record
set by Roger Clemens twice in 1986 and 1996 while with the Boston Red Sox.
Gutierrez was the only person able to slap wood on any of Wood’s pitches and
could have easily have been victim number six.</div>
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June 28, 1998-
The Astros were on the road in Cleveland
at Jacobs Field, squaring off against the Indians in the second year of
Interleague. Gutierrez squared off against pitcher Bartolo Colon to open the
top of the eighth inning. Colon's
first two pitches were strikes, but over the next 17, Gutierrez took three
balls and hit 14 fouls. With the 20th pitch of the at bat, Gutierrez struck
out. This single match up accounted for 18% of the pitches that Colon threw in
the game and it went down as the modern-day MLB record for seeing the most
pitches (20) in a single at-bat.</div>
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The most interesting thing about Gutierrez’s career is that
it improved significantly after the 1998 season as he joined both teams which
helped make him a trivia answer for years to come. He signed with Cubs after
the 1999 season and played in 125 and 147 games respectively in his two years
there, batting .284 with 21 home runs and 122 RBI. He played two years with the
Indians in 2002 and 2003, but got hurt throughout his second year despite
hitting .275 in his first year. In 2004 the Indians sent Gutierrez to the New
York Mets as part of a conditional deal, was later released to be picked up be
the Cubs who then dealt him to the Boston Red Sox. This would turn out to be
Gutierrez’s final season in the Majors, but at least it came with a World
Series ring at the end. </div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-84557948429156178012013-10-08T20:18:00.000-07:002013-10-09T18:02:01.489-07:00July 28- California Angels<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>Most of time when I go into writing these posts I never do
it with the thought in the back of my head saying, “Boy, the fans are really
going to hate me for this one” until today. No, it won’t be that bad, but I
guess that all really depends on perspective really.</i></div>
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I bought this cap on a random afternoon in New
York City at the Lids nearest Madison
Square Garden
as the other Cave Dwellers and I had some free time in between games at the MLB Fan
Cave. I think it had been
about two or three days since I had last bought a cap so I made sure to go to
the one place where I saw a lot of Cooperstown Collection models as to appease
my fix. I had spotted this California Angels cap during one of my previous
visits and declined on buying it as I couldn’t recall if the Angels had worn
this cap with the red bill. For some reason something seemed off about it so I
figure I would wait until I did more research. Instead, I picked up the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-19-tampa-bay-devil-rays.html">Tampa Bay Devil Rays </a>cap. Boy, was that dumb of me. Anyway, when I finally was able
to get back to computer at the Fan
Cave I looked up the
dates and photos to make sure it was all up to snuff. Sure enough, it wasn't. The halo on this cap is red, unlike real one which featured a silver halo. That small difference aside, I sucked it up and held onto it. As far as the real one is concerned<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu7o5jYQXa8/UlX8fBcojsI/AAAAAAAACtw/a_CgvL-5N4U/s1600/HACCCALH96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu7o5jYQXa8/UlX8fBcojsI/AAAAAAAACtw/a_CgvL-5N4U/s320/HACCCALH96.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
the Angels wore it for all of their home games from 1993-1996 during their last
four years of being known as the California Angels as the name was changed to
the Anaheim Angels in 1997. So, when the time came to get back to the Lids to
retrieve my prize I took the N train to Union Square, blasting Journey’s
“Separate Ways” and fist-pumping the entire time. Apparently New Yorkers are
not too savvy on this practice as I was getting bewildered looks from the other
passengers. Their loss. When I got to street level I was “rewarded” with an
off-Broadway production of “Man Yelling at Woman Trying to Collect Change with
a Kid Under Her Arm.” The reviews were mixed as West Coast critics are not used
to this sort of abuse. I guess that happens when you don’t fist-pump to
Journey. The next two blocks consisted of at least three people trying to pawn
their rap/hip-hop CDs off to me and some guy yelling about the end of the world
while wearing a pair of old school roller skates. The only thing I kept
thinking in my head was something that fellow Cave Dweller Shaun Kippins had
said a few days prior when one of our late night drivers asked how his day was
going. To really understand the context of this you need to go back to the
Atlanta Braves post from a few days ago, more specifically about the “Mr.
Belvedere” section. When Shaun was asked that question, without skipping a beat
he replied, “F---in’ New York”
and sat quietly in the corner of the backseat until we got home. This became
the official response to anything we ever saw “out of the ordinary” which in
turn was merely everyday life in New
York City. So yah, nothing really interesting happened
when I actually purchased the cap, but everything that went on around me was
certainly a gas.</div>
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Moving on… Of all the things that piss me off the most about
this cap is that it has become iconic with the God awful remake/revision of the
1951 classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angels in the Outfield</i>
(1994). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7DYNVYgeO_U/UlWa0oAgkAI/AAAAAAAACr8/zecSv-uqKgo/s1600/70aebce336354a8510d7c8b4734d96ae4e4c75d5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7DYNVYgeO_U/UlWa0oAgkAI/AAAAAAAACr8/zecSv-uqKgo/s320/70aebce336354a8510d7c8b4734d96ae4e4c75d5.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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I know a lot of you have seen it; Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s dad is a
deadbeat who will only claim him out of foster care if the Angels win the
pennant. So, JGL prays, gets a little help from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-19-american-league.html">Christopher Lloyd</a> and some
actual angels and the Danny Glover-run bunch of misfits featuring Tony Danza as
their ace start winning games and eventually win the pennant thanks in part
arm-flapping. Awful. In fact, some other notable faces got their big breaks in this movie.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99G3bfrkRqY/UlWbTuKQujI/AAAAAAAACsE/rEMr07jnBXU/s1600/MM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99G3bfrkRqY/UlWbTuKQujI/AAAAAAAACsE/rEMr07jnBXU/s320/MM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>This was actually shot AFTER they slept with the director.</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qUJyDB8CiQk/UlWbgsOWVfI/AAAAAAAACsM/Fe106deb1ls/s1600/brodangel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qUJyDB8CiQk/UlWbgsOWVfI/AAAAAAAACsM/Fe106deb1ls/s320/brodangel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b> </b> <b>Oscar winner.</b></div>
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</div>
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What makes this even more infuriating is that almost the
entire movie was filmed at Oakland Alameda County Coliseum before Mt. Davis
was erected, thus blocking out the Oakland
hills in the back ground. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iyzwbdh1ooI/UlWcIlU9MZI/AAAAAAAACsY/be5BVioI-Cg/s1600/Coli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iyzwbdh1ooI/UlWcIlU9MZI/AAAAAAAACsY/be5BVioI-Cg/s320/Coli.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So in a sense, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angels
in the Outfield</i> has become a historical relic for Oakland Athletics fans who want to see
how beautiful the Coliseum used to be, all while sitting through American
League Western Division propaganda. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 1993-1996 timeframe in Angel history (in real life) was
an especially trying time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For most of
the 1990s, the Angels played sub-.500 baseball, due in no small part to the
confusion which reigned at the top. Gene Autry, though holding a controlling
interest in the Angels, was in control in name only due to poor health in his
advanced years. Autry’s wife Jackie, 20 years his junior, at times seemed to be
the decision-maker, and at other times The Walt Disney Company, then a minority
owner, seemed to be in charge. On May 21, 1992, an Angels' team bus traveling
from New York to Baltimore crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Twelve members of the team ensemble were injured, including manager Buck Rodgers,
who was hospitalized and missed the next three months of the season.<sup> </sup>In
1993, the Angels had a new spring training camp in Tempe,
Arizona after 31 previous seasons in Palm
Springs Stadium in Palm Springs,
an idea Autry developed from the days when he stayed in his desert resort home.
The Angels hoped a new facility would rejuvenate and improve the roster in the
long run. The 1993 and 1994 seasons proved to be worse for the Angels than the
previous three, particularly since the 1994 season ended in a baseball player
strike that kept Angel fans waiting even longer for the team's fate to change.
In 1995, the Angels suffered the worst collapse in franchise history. In first
place in the AL West by 11 games in August, the team again lost key personnel
(particularly shortstop Gary DiSarcina) and went on an extended slide during
the final stretch run. By season's end, they were in a first-place tie with the
surging Seattle Mariners, prompting a one-game playoff for the division title.
The Mariners, managed by Lou Piniella and led by pitching ace <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-31-seattle-mariners.html">Randy Johnson</a>,
laid a 9–1 drubbing on the Angels in the playoff game, clinching the AL West
championship and forcing the Angels and their fans to endure yet another season
of heartbreak and bitter disappointment. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The heartbreak of the collapse became even worse for loyal
LA-area sports fans as the Los Angeles Rams decided to vacate “The Big A” and
head to greener pastures in St. Louis, Missouri of all places in 1995 where
they would eventually regroup and restructure their team and go on to win Super
Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans. But, it all gets crazier. Disney
effectively took control of the Angels in 1996, when it was able to gain enough
support on the board to hire Tony Tavares as team president. Gene Autry,
however, remained as chairman until his death in 1998. In 1999, Tavares hired Bill
Stoneman as team general manager, under whose watch the Angels eventually won
their first World Series Championship. Although Disney did not technically
acquire a controlling interest in the team until after Autry's death, for all
practical purposes it ran the team (the Autry loyalists on the board acted as
"silent partners") through its Anaheim Sports subsidiary, which also
owned the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at the time. Disney, of course, had been a catalyst for the development
of and population growth in Orange County, having opened its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim in 1955. Autry
had named Walt Disney himself to the Angels' board in 1960; Mr. Disney served
on the board until his death in 1966, and had been one of the proponents of the
team's move to Orange
County in 1965-66. In
1997, negotiations between the Angels and the city of Anaheim for renovation of Anaheim Stadium
ended with an agreement to rehabilitate and downsize the facility into a
baseball-only stadium once more. One condition of the stadium agreement was
that the Angels could sell naming rights to the renovated stadium, so long as
the new name was one "containing Anaheim therein." Anaheim Stadium was
almost immediately renamed <i>Edison International Field of Anaheim</i>, though
it was almost always referred to as simply <i>Edison Field</i>. Sportscasters
also referred to the stadium at the time as <i>The Big Ed</i>, with a few
others continuing to use the <i>Big A</i> nickname and, at times, <i>Anaheim
Stadium</i>. Another condition of the stadium renovation agreement was that the
team name itself be one "containing Anaheim
therein." The emerging Disney ownership was itself in the process of
renovating and upgrading its aging Disneyland
park. Disney hoped to market Anaheim as a
"destination city", much the same way it had done with Orlando, Florida,
where Walt Disney World was located. Accordingly, the team changed its name
again, to the <b><i>Anaheim Angels</i></b> on November 19, 1996. Thus, the California
Angels were no more.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While the Angels did go on to win the World Series in 2002,
the business end of getting to that place is by far one of the dumbest trails
to victory in Major League history, and really the heart and soul of what made
the Angels so unique was butchered repackaged and fed to us in the campiest way
possible, the Disney way. Think I’m crazy for thinking this, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-8-anaheim-angels.html">click this link</a>
and I guarantee that ALL Angels fans will agree with me just based on the first
photo.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MIPZ8JWHx8M/UlWgFOO1rxI/AAAAAAAACss/S92aNTDBseE/s1600/20131009_142136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MIPZ8JWHx8M/UlWgFOO1rxI/AAAAAAAACss/S92aNTDBseE/s320/20131009_142136.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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#31- If there was one player who I would say deserved a
World Series ring the most out of anybody who ever suited up for the Angels,
besides Autry, it would have to be the longest-tenured pitcher to ever play for
the Angels and my personal favorite to suit up for them, Chuck Finley. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UwGgbXyJh08/UlWYx_C9UeI/AAAAAAAACrk/Npg6NSPfgCw/s1600/Galaxy+Note+785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UwGgbXyJh08/UlWYx_C9UeI/AAAAAAAACrk/Npg6NSPfgCw/s200/Galaxy+Note+785.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DmiA4u0oP4/UlWYha_u08I/AAAAAAAACrc/W0qpTFEyM_8/s1600/Galaxy+Note+790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DmiA4u0oP4/UlWYha_u08I/AAAAAAAACrc/W0qpTFEyM_8/s200/Galaxy+Note+790.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>And a little <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-3.html">Jim Fregosi</a> love</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Finley’s time with the Angels began in 1985 when he was
selected with the fourth overall pick in the MLB secondary draft. He would only
spend that season in the minors before making his Major League debut on May 29,
1986 against the Detroit Tigers in a one inning relief appearance in which he
got shelled. Finley’s role as a starter didn’t develop until 1988 when he was
thrown into the lions den for 31 games, compiling a 9-15 record with a 4.17 ERA
and 111 strikeouts. His numbers weren’t exactly top tier; however, they were
respectable for it being his first full season as a starter.</div>
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From 1989-1999 Finley dominated, with the exception of the
1992 season when he went 7-12, but still maintained a 3.96 ERA. Every other
year, double-digits in wins and only one other losing season (besides 1992) in
1996 where he went 15-16 with a 4.16 ERA. Finley made four All-Star appearances
during his time in California/Anaheim (1989, 1990, 1995 and 1996) and an
additional one during his first year with the Cleveland Indians in 2000. Finely
only registered for the AL Cy Young one year when he finished in seventh place
with an 18-9 record, a 2.40 ERA and 177 strikeouts, which was way too low in
comparison to the other names ahead of him on the list and their stats. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Of all the things that Finely is most known for (on the
field), his deadly split-finger is one that tops the list, mostly because of
the one stat that he holds that no other pitcher necessarily wants to break.
Finely holds the record for most four-strikeout innings in Major League history
with A.J. Burnett right on his heels. The split-finger is such a wild pitch to
catch and it becomes even more erratic if it hits the ground before landing in
the catcher’s glove. But, even with that, Finley still holds the majority of
Angel pitching records. He is the Angels all-time career leader in wins (165),
innings pitched (2,675), games started (379) and is second in strikeouts
(2,151) <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-27-houston-astros.html">behind some one trick pony named Nolan Ryan</a>. </div>
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<br /></div>
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#44- If there was one moment that served as a broken record
in the MLB Fan Cave
out of Ricardo Marquez’s mouth, it would have to be his love of Chili Davis.
Not only that, the one thing that he would always talk about, which ended up
being a trivia question at the 2013 Fan Cave Top-30 trivia competition is his
ERA: 0.00. Yes, Davis
threw two innings of shutout baseball and even hit a dude in the process. All
of this information I knew about before he brought it up, but I was also aware
of the fact that Davis could hit the ball incredibly well, something that
Ricardo seemed to forget at times. But, in keeping with his favorite story I
humored him in asking if he knew who his only hit by pitch was against,
thinking he might actually know it. He didn’t. This always bothered me about
Ricardo way more than it should, but I think mostly because he held on to one
stat about a guy and didn’t know much else about him despite saying that his is
his favorite player. Stranger shit has happened, I guess. And the answer of who
Davis plunked,
your favorite and mine, Jose Canseco. But, where Ricardo stops, I take over.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One thing I will give credit for is that he does know that Davis is one of four guys to be born in Jamaica to play
at the Major League level. In fact, he was the first. Drafted in the 11<sup>th</sup>
round of the 1977 draft by the San Francisco Giants, Davis made his MLB debut on April 10, 1981
and only played in eight games. In his first full season he hit .261 with 19
home runs and 76 RBI which was only good enough for a fourth place finish for
Rookie of the Year. Yah, that talent pool was that good. Davis would go on to make two All-Star Game
appearances with the Giants in 1984 and 1986 before he became a free agent at
the end of the 1987 season. Without hesitation, the Angels picked him up and
signed him to a deal.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From 1988-1990 Davis hit .268 with 55 home runs and 241 RBI,
he would end up finishing 25<sup>th</sup> for the AL MVP in 1989, but was
granted free agency following the 1990 season where he was signed by the Minnesota
Twins for the 1991 campaign which got him his first and only World Series ring
as a player. He hit two home runs in that series against the Atlanta Braves. He
also finished in 14<sup>th</sup> place for the AL MVP that season with a .277
average, 29 dingers and 93 RBI. When Davis
was once again given free agency at the end of the 1992 season the Angels
swooped in again. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1FT6vTH3M0o/UlWZtwKhFlI/AAAAAAAACrw/lFdRbVZskcw/s1600/Chili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1FT6vTH3M0o/UlWZtwKhFlI/AAAAAAAACrw/lFdRbVZskcw/s320/Chili.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Davis’
second run with the Angels ran the entire duration of this cap, 1993-1996. Even
though the Angels were not exactly a success story, Davis
made the most of his time in Anaheim.
His best season came during the strike-shortened 1994 season in which he hit
.311 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI despite only playing in 108 games. Davis made his only
All-Star Game appearance with the Angels that year and finished 22<sup>nd</sup>
for the AL MVP. Davis
hit .279, 156 homers and knocked in 618 runs in his career with the Angels and has
been serving as the batting coach for the Athletics since 2012. Davis’ results as a coach
have been swift and strong. The Athletics as a team have improved their batting
average, going from .244 in 2011 to .238 in 2012 up to .254 in 2013. As for
their home run production, 114 in 2011 to 195 in 2012 and 186 in 2013. Suffice
to say, the man can teach hitting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EmV9RnU1gB0/UlWgu4HE82I/AAAAAAAACs0/h5Pi-87pJOI/s1600/Galaxy+Note+652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EmV9RnU1gB0/UlWgu4HE82I/AAAAAAAACs0/h5Pi-87pJOI/s320/Galaxy+Note+652.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-21440530007899400442013-10-04T11:37:00.001-07:002013-10-04T11:37:06.438-07:00July 27- Oakland Athletics<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unlike a lot of my
other posts, this one I have to jump forward to the date that I’m actually
posting the story as opposed to when the story takes place. It sounds
confusing, but you’ll get where I’m going as you read on. I promise.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3djNsuFFF4/Uk8JvUXISaI/AAAAAAAACpY/0_jbyWMw_LM/s1600/20131004_142558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3djNsuFFF4/Uk8JvUXISaI/AAAAAAAACpY/0_jbyWMw_LM/s320/20131004_142558.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This story starts back in Buffalo, New York
back on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-24-buffalo-bisons.html">June 24<sup>th</sup> on Day 2 of the #CrewEra13’s</a> trip to New Era
headquarters. On of the highlights of our trip came during one of the focus
group sessions when we were given a sneak peak on some of the Turn Back the
Clock caps they were introducing for the 2013 season. One or two of the ones
they had shown had already been worn; however, there were still about 10 more
that hadn’t. The feeling that we all shared was the closest to getting presents
from Santa Claus on Christmas. I could see one cap of a Kelley green variety
deep inside the box and my mouth began to salivate more and more as one of the
members of the marketing team drew closer to it. In a heartbeat, the moment
this cap hit the table shifted my attitude shifted from curiosity to lust. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXl-2K7Fc6c/Uk8J7rtAWGI/AAAAAAAACpg/wwDgTxZ7h8Q/s1600/20130624_131527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXl-2K7Fc6c/Uk8J7rtAWGI/AAAAAAAACpg/wwDgTxZ7h8Q/s320/20130624_131527.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know I’m talking about a hat, but this is a thing of
beauty. The design team at New Era did a fantastic job bringing this baby back
to life, but with a modern touch. From 1968-1969 the newly located Oakland
Athletics wore this cap for all of their home and away games. The only
difference between then and now is that the logo on the cap back then was a bit
skinnier…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBQYOtwL5ls/Uk8I8NjUTHI/AAAAAAAACpQ/x7i3PjZbjUE/s1600/Reggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBQYOtwL5ls/Uk8I8NjUTHI/AAAAAAAACpQ/x7i3PjZbjUE/s1600/Reggie.jpg" /></a></div>
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Another cool thing about this time period is that the
players and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-2-oakland-athletics.html">managers wore different colored hats</a>, one of the only times in
Major League history in which such a uniform difference occurred in the modern
era.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But getting back to Buffalo,
I didn’t care how much it was going to cost, I wanted this hat. The unfortunate
part is that they didn’t have it for sale down in the Flagship Store; otherwise
I would have made it my first purchase. Instead, I just took pictures with my
new friend and reluctantly slid it down the table for the other guys to take a
peek at. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMULz6SUmlA/Uk8KDTSLCZI/AAAAAAAACpo/E-2q0AXh3V4/s1600/20130624_131614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMULz6SUmlA/Uk8KDTSLCZI/AAAAAAAACpo/E-2q0AXh3V4/s320/20130624_131614.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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At the time I didn’t know what we were allowed to post on social media
so I kept most of these photos a secret until after the game in which the A’s
wore these caps were played (July 27th). Well, not too long after we got back
from Buffalo one of the premier New Era Cap selling Web sites, Hat Club, posted
them up. I was broke at the time with a paycheck coming in three short days. I
also owed fellow #CrewEra13 member Chris Cornolo (@ccornolo) the cap after he
had purchased and shipped out a Milwaukee Brewers cap I had been trying to
track down. So, when the time came and I got the money into my bank account I
went straight to the Hat Club site to make my purchase, or so I thought. Turns
out this cap was a little bit more popular than anyone expected as EVERY 1969
A’s on the site had been sold. I was befuddled. I searched around on other
sites keeping up the hope that I would be able to find it somewhere, if not
just for Chris since he wears a size 8. No dice. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weeks would go by before the caps appeared on another site,
Lids and New Era. But like the previous time I didn’t have any money to
purchase Chris’s size 8. And once again, as soon as I got the money into my
account, they were gone. My frustration was near a boiling point if for no
reason other than I just hate being in debt to people. Money-related matters is
a much easier thing to be in debt to a person about as money is everywhere, but
a specialty item? Good luck. I was fortunate to come across one on the
MLB.com/Shop site in Chris’s size, but it’s on a 2-4 week backorder. Well,
getting it order is better than anything I suppose. As for myself, I didn’t
really matter as much. I held faith that more would be released down the road,
but I also knew that I could pick an original one up off of one of my favorite
Web sites if I wanted to. It was in this moment of acceptance that I got an
email from Erin, our New Era host, saying that she had a gift for me and needed
to know where to send it. This was in the middle of August, right around the
time that I was packing up my stuff to move to Florida to be with Angie, so I gave her the
address there. Erin said no problem and sent
it out. She never told me what it was, just that it was a sample cap that
happened to be lying around and she thought I might like it. </div>
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The day after I arrived in Florida there was a knock at the door in the
early hours (11 AM). Angie had already gone to her rotation at the hospital so
I was left to myself to look presentable and see what the commotion was about.
As I opened the door a man in FedEx uniform asked if I was Benjamin and handed
a small box over. All the sleepiness was washed out of my body by the surge of
adrenaline that now coursed through my veins as I feverishly signed for the
package, closed the door and sought out a knife to open it. As soon as I
removed the tape and pulled back the flaps I achieved the biggest “hat boner”
(yup, just made that up) of my life. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not only was it the 1969 A’s cap, but it was the same one
that I had fallen in love with back in Buffalo.
You know that old expression “If you love something, let it go; if it comes
back to you, it was mean to be?” Well… <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">:)</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When coming up with marks for this cap I decided to stick
within the parameters of when it was used. Since this cap was specifically made
for the “Turn Back the Clock Night” on July 27<sup>th</sup> I made sure to
highlight those who truly shined, as opposed to going back in time an writing
about the older generation who wore the original cap. Those guys/moments I
intend to write about when I get the original cap.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuPf9dCnuAM/Uk8KPHeo7DI/AAAAAAAACpw/AB2llNE2aK4/s1600/20131004_142615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuPf9dCnuAM/Uk8KPHeo7DI/AAAAAAAACpw/AB2llNE2aK4/s320/20131004_142615.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
#36- Some people are meant to have mediocre careers, others become
superstars, some fade into obscurity and then there are some who come through
in the clutch. Derek Norris’s career has been too short to really establish
which type he will become; however, one thing that has been a constant is that
the man knows how to play in front of a nationally televised audience.</div>
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Norris was originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in
the fourth round of the 2007 amateur draft out of Goddard
High School in Goddard, Kansas.
From 2007-2011 Norris climbed through the ranks of the Nationals minor league
system, playing his best ball with the Class-A Hagerstown Suns of the South
Atlantic League. A catcher, Norris had a hit of a challenge in front of him
with the likes of Ivan Rodriguez and Wilson Ramos ahead of him in The Show, but
his fortune changed two days before Christmas in 2011 as he, AJ Cole, Brad
Peacock and Tommy Milone were dealt to the A’s for Gio Gonzalez and Robert
Gilliam. Norris started out in AAA with the Sacramento River Cats, but
impressed everyone enough to get called up to the Majors as veteran catcher
Kurt Suzuki wasn’t displaying the hitter power he had in previous seasons. When
Suzuki was finally dealt to the Nationals on August 3<sup>rd</sup>, Norris
became the team’s full-time catcher. </div>
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There are times when Norris really shines offensively, while
in other moments it’s his ability to gun would be base-stealing jabronies out
with ease that show off his talent. Either way, he has become a pivotal member
of the American League West Champion A’s system. But hey, I was talking about
being clutch a little bit ago, so let’s just stick to that. Someone I regularly
talk to on Twitter, a San Francisco Giants fan named Joseph Canino
(@CiNDER_JOE), had asked me after the “Turn Back the Clock” game about Norris’s
numbers during nationally televised games. So, as soon as I got home and onto
my computer I took to the stat sheets. The numbers were surprising to say the
least: in six regular season nationally televised games in which he has played
in he is batting .352 with three home runs, a double and six RBI. That’s pretty
damn impressive, especially since on July 27<sup>th</sup> his one an only
at-bat was a pinch hit home run which ended up being the difference maker in
the game. Clutch!!!</div>
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57: The man to get the start for the A’s on July 27<sup>th</sup>
just so happened to be the man who traveled to the West Cost with Norris in the
Nationals trade, Tommy “Machine Gun” Milone. Milone was drafted by the
Nationals in the 10<sup>th</sup> round of the 2008 amateur draft out of USC. He
made five starts for the Nationals in 2011, going 1-0 with a 3.81 ERA and 15
strikeouts in 26 inning of work. But, as business goes, Milone and the gang
were sent to Oakland
with little-to-no expectations on the season other than to be an arm. Not being
one to lay by the roadside, Milone displayed a strong presence on the mound in
2012, going 13-10 with a 3.74 ERA and 137 strikeouts. He also had one of the
strongest outings of the American League Division Series in Game 2 against the
Detroit Tigers. He pitched six solid innings, only allowing one earned run off
of five hits while still striking out six. </div>
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Milone has been up-and-down in 2013, but he will still
remain as a key component to success if the A’s wish to finally get that World
Series trophy that has eluded them since the start of the 1990 season. Milone’s
strongest start of the 2013 season did in fact come on July 27<sup>th</sup>
against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as Milone tossed seven innings of
four hit, one earned run ball, while still striking out six. The Athletics won
3-1 and the day ended with the A’s maintaining a five-game lead in the AL West.</div>
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Oh! And these were the uniforms they wore in the game. F---ing Amazin' A's!!!</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--7BHjdJmiPA/Uk8KuCBn67I/AAAAAAAACp4/hfRY0M4u5fk/s1600/163494723BM_Angels_Athletics0010-670x531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--7BHjdJmiPA/Uk8KuCBn67I/AAAAAAAACp4/hfRY0M4u5fk/s320/163494723BM_Angels_Athletics0010-670x531.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-3691405374888040692013-10-04T11:21:00.000-07:002013-11-08T15:59:46.520-08:00July 26- Seattle Mariners<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11g6mlFzNSk/UlCkWcMDnEI/AAAAAAAACqE/xuZHfA91Nww/s1600/20131004_122254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11g6mlFzNSk/UlCkWcMDnEI/AAAAAAAACqE/xuZHfA91Nww/s320/20131004_122254.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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2001 was an incredibly difficult year to be living in the Pacific Northwest as an Oakland Athletics fan, but
somehow I managed. I was just at the tail end of my senior year at Columbia River High School
in Vancouver, Washington and working at Just Sports (@JustSportsPDX)
when it all began. First off, some of you may have heard of Columbia
River recently, especially if you’re a big sports fan. Here’s a
link to explain why. Yup, that was my high school, but that’s beside the point.
No, my issues started in late November of 2000 when the Seattle Mariners
purchased the contract of <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-2-seattle-mariners.html">Ichiro Suzuki</a> from the Orix Blue Wave of the Pacific
League in Japan, sending Mariners fans into a feeding frenzy as they all needed
to have a piece of the Ichiro sensation. As you could imagine, most of my days
were filled with selling nothing but Mariners gear. On the outside this was
good; more money for the store meant more money to pay my wage as more hours
were available. However, on the inside I was a pot of hot water about to boil
over. The Mariners had only been successful one year in my life, 1995,
something that I covered in two posts on <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-31-seattle-mariners.html">January 31<sup>st</sup></a> and <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-27-seattle-mariners.html">May 27<sup>th</sup></a>.
My Athletics had edged the Mariners by half a game in 2000 and all I wanted to
do was rub it in the faces of the people who I felt were jumping onto the
bandwagon of one of the biggest sporting fads of the last decade. After all, I
grew up in Southern California when Hideo Nomo was brought over to the United States
by the Los Angeles Dodgers and I also saw his career go from instant Hall of
Famer to role player in a very short time. I thought the 2001 Mariners
were going to be the 1995 Dodgers all over again. Boy, was I wrong.</div>
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Things immediately started off the exact opposite of how I
thought they would. Within the first nine games of the season the Athletics and
Mariners played each other six times with the Athletics biting it hard to the
tune of 1-5. To make matters worse the Mariners finished the first month of the
season with a 20-5 record while my Athletics finished 8-17. Needless to say,
panic had set in. And of course to make matters worse, the store was doing so
well in selling Mariners gear that we opened a separate kiosk at the opposite
end of the mall which only carried Mariners gear. Guess who got stuck working
at most of the time, yours truly. The Baseball Gods sung their praises and
boasted the Mariners into the limelight, something that most had felt would
take years to recover after the loss of Ken Griffey, Jr. Nope! It only took one
full season with out him to reach a higher plateau than anyone could have
imagined. From May 23<sup>rd</sup> through June 8<sup>th</sup> the Mariners
went on a 15-game winning streak, a feat that would be bested by my Athletics
the following season with a hard 20. But none of that mattered. Once the
Mariners lost a game, two games in a row if a team was lucky, they would start
another streak right back up. </div>
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The worst moments of the season (for the Mariners) came on
August 5<sup>th</sup> and September 20<sup>th</sup> through September 23<sup>rd</sup>.
August 5<sup>th</sup>, as some of you may remember, is a game that is routinely
played on ESPN Classic, is probably the worst result in Mariners history and is
by far one of the greatest games in Major League Baseball history. This is the
night when the Mariners got out to a 12-0 lead against the Cleveland Indians at
Jacobs Field and ended up losing in the 11<sup>th</sup> inning by the score of
15-14 thanks in part to a miraculous comeback in the seventh through ninth
innings and a walk-off RBI single by Jolbert Cabrera. As for the games in
September, those four games account for the longest losing streak the Mariners
suffered the entire season, three of which came at the hands of the Athletics,
which ended up being key victories as the Athletics managed to finish the
season with 102 wins and 60 losses despite the absolutely horrific start. The
Mariners, on the other hand, tied the Major League record with 116 wins which
was originally set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs. Most of the Mariners season
consisted of one to two run victories; however, you can’t help by look back on
these five games and easily say that any one of them could have, should have
been a victory for the Mariners, especially their game against the Indians. To
make matters worse, the Mariners were only able to notch one victory against
the defending World Series champion New York Yankees in the American League
Championship Series. And like the 1906 Cubs, the Mariners ended their season
with a record, but not a championship trophy.</div>
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For 10 of the last 12 years I held the piece of history
above the heads of every Mariners fan I know. After all, until the Anaheim
Angels won the World Series in 2002 the Athletics owned the American League
West, except for 1985 when the Kansas City Royals were still in division. But
the more I look at things, the more I notice how many empty seats are in Safeco
Field for every game, the more I see how the team has gone through seven
managers after Lou Pinella and the more I see homegrown talent traded away for
overhyped multi-millionaires, it all makes me realize how important a World
Series title would have been for that team, the fans and the city. Who knows
how different things would be? Lou Pinella might have just stepped down two to
three years ago, Pat Gillick would still be putting World Series-caliber teams
together and even Portland, Oregon might still have a AAA baseball team if not
a Major League team in the works. People outside of the sport realm don’t
really understand how a championship can change the economy of a city or its
surrounding area, but I sure as shit do. </div>
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It’s sad. My selfishness and spoils got the better of me I
guess. I’m not at all taking the blame for what happened, but it’s all so clear
now how rivalries should never be taken to intense depths. Wins and losses come
and go, but sometimes, the grand scheme of things, the thing that will hurt
your pride the most is the most beneficial for you in the end. If the Mariners
winning the World Series that year helped keep the interest and support in Portland, I would have
been comfortable with that in a heartbeat. But, it didn’t. And like Mariners
fans of today, all I can do is look back on the season that once was.</div>
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This cap is an interesting relic from the 2001 season. Most
of you have probably seen it, but very few probably remember that it was only
used for 14 games, only on Sunday home games throughout the 2001 season. The
Mariners went 11-3 under this cap, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays on May 6<sup>th</sup>
(11-3), the Indians on August 26<sup>th</sup> (4-3) and the Texas Rangers on
October 7<sup>th</sup>, the last day of the regular season by the score of 4-3.
Like I said earlier, a lot of one to two-run games. The silver material used
for the bill is a metallic-looking thread which had only been used one other
time on a baseball cap by the Houston Astros, a post I’ll get to in the not too
distant future. The compass logo was first introduced in 1993 and has been a
fixture on all the Mariners caps as it normally sits in the center of the “S”
on the home and road caps. This particular cap for the first to use it as a
primary cap logo and was subsequently used for all/most of the batting practice
caps after the 2001 season.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7pjzMyXwgM/UlCknXPzyfI/AAAAAAAACqM/MNe7ngNuDY8/s1600/20131004_122343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7pjzMyXwgM/UlCknXPzyfI/AAAAAAAACqM/MNe7ngNuDY8/s320/20131004_122343.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#48- One of the most important figures for the 2001 team is
somebody who has gotten very little credit over the last decade for his
service, Paul Abbott. Abbott was a third round draft pick by the Minnesota
Twins in the 1985 Draft out of Sunny Hills High School
in Fullerton, California. He didn’t play a major role for
them, but he was still a 3-1 winning relief pitcher for the Twins on the 1991
team which earned him his only World Series ring of his 11-year career. At the
end if the 1993 season he was released by the Twins and signed by the Indians
where made five stars, none of which were great, and was released at the end of
the season. From then until January of 1997 he bounced between the Royals, Cubs
and San Diego Padres, but never made it beyond the minors until the Mariners
decided to give him a shot. Abbott had a decent 1998 and 1999 season with the
Mariners, but still found himself getting released and re-signed by the
Mariners twice during that time period. Finally in 2000 then-manager Pinella
put Abbott in a starting role where he started 27, pitched in 35 and went 9-7
on the season with a 4.22 ERA and 100 strikeouts, the highest of his career.
With a savvy, reliable veteran arm in tact, Abbott remained one of Pinella’s
five starters going into the 2001 season.</div>
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Abbott was given the fourth spot behind Freddy Garcia, Aaron
Sele and equally if not more grizzled veteran Jamie Moyer. The Mariners and
their fans figured Abbott was nothing more than a 33-year-old arm to throw the
ball until they got something better, they were wrong. Despite carrying a 4.25
ERA throughout the season, Abbott managed to score the best win percentages in
the franchise’s history, 81%. Abbott mustered everything he had that season and
posted a record of 17-4, as well as a new career-high in strikeouts with 118.
All of this came in 27 starts once again. He wasn’t at all in the running for
any awards like his teammates were, nor did he make the All-Star team that
year, nor any year of his career. </div>
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Abbott pitched one more season with the Mariners, the worst
of his tenure, and he was released at the end of the season. Abbott was picked
up by the Arizona Diamondbacks soon after and traded to the Royals in August of
2003 where he would make his only MLB appearances of that season. He was then
signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in late 2003, made a few appearances in
2004, was released shortly after and picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies
before the season ended. After that his MLB career was over.</div>
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#50- Jamie Moyer is hands down one of the greatest human
being to every put on a Mariners uniform, let alone any MLB uniform. Moyer has
received numerous awards for philanthropy and community service, including the
2003 Roberto Clemente Award, the 2003 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, the 2003 Hutch
Award, and the 2004 Branch Rickey Award, and there was even this one time he
almost fell of the second tier of Century Link Field while he was waiving the
12<sup>th</sup> Man flag during a Seattle Seahawks playoff game against the
Washington Redskins because he was so fired up. But, the one thing most people
will remember him for is that he is one of only 29 players in baseball history
to have appeared in Major League games in four decades.</div>
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Moyer’s career began when he was drafted in the sixth round
of the 1984 amateur draft by the Cubs out of St. Joseph’s
University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. To put things into
a wild perspective, he was drafted the year before Rafael Palmiero (also
drafted by the Cubs) and made his MLB debut on June 16, 1986, two months before
Palmiero. From 1986-1996 Moyer had modest success, but jumped around to a lot
of teams until ending up on the Mariners via trade by the Boston Red Sox for
Darren Bragg. In Seattle
he started 11 games and went 6–2. His record of 13–3 led the majors in winning
percentage at .813. </div>
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In 1997, Moyer was fifth in the AL with 17 wins. His 17–5 record gave him
the second-highest winning percentage (.773) in the league. Moyer made his
first postseason start against his former club Baltimore, but was forced out
with a strained elbow in the fifth inning. In 1998, Moyer went 15–9 with a 3.53
ERA. He was third in innings pitched with 234.1. He registered his 100th career
win against the Indians on August 27, as well as his 1000th career strikeout
with a sixth inning strikeout of David Bell. He was named Seattle's
Pitcher of the Year by the Seattle
chapter of the BBWAA. He walked two or fewer batters in 29 of his 32 starts. He
ranked fourth in the American League averaging just 1.9 walks per nine innings.
Moyer was also third among the league in innings pitched and seventh winning
percentage. He matched his career-best seven-game winning streak from May 11 to
July 7. He started the Inaugural Game at Safeco Field on July 15 against the San
Diego Padres, throwing a called strike to San Diego's
Quilvio Veras for the first pitch and getting a no-decision in Seattle's 3–2 loss after leaving with a 2–1
lead after eight innings. He defeated Baltimore
for the ninth straight time on July 31; he did not lose to the Orioles in the
1990s. Moyer's only loss at Safeco came on August 5 against the Yankees. He
recorded three complete games in the final month of the season, tossing
back-to-back complete games on September 14 and 19. His 2.30 ERA after the
All-Star break was the second-lowest among AL starters, behind only Pedro Martínez with
his 2.01 ERA. He pitched 4 complete games for the second straight season, tying
his career best. In 1999, Moyer went 14–8 with a 3.87 ERA and was voted to <i>The
Sporting News</i> AL All-Star team. He again won the Seattle Pitcher of the
Year award and finished sixth for the AL Cy Young award.</div>
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2000 saw Moyer rebound from an early shoulder injury to
tally 13 wins, giving him at least 13 in each of his past five seasons. He made
his first Opening Day start for Seattle,
but lost to the Boston Red Sox 2–0 on April 4. His shoulder problems led his ERA
to balloon to 5.49. A knee injury suffered on the last pitch of a simulated
game caused him to miss Seattle's trip to the ALCS against the eventual World
Series champion New York Yankees. Moyer lost five consecutive starts from
August 4–24. He allowed a career-high and a club-record 11 earned runs in a
19–3 loss on August 9 against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed 11 runs, 6
earned, in a 14–4 loss on August 14 against the Detroit Tigers, joining the Astros'
José Lima as the first two pitchers since 1950 to allow ten or more runs in
consecutive starts. Moyer allowed a career-high seven walks in a no-decision on
August 29 against the Yankees. The Mariners' 7–2 win on September 9 against the
Minnesota Twins snapped a six-game losing streak. Moyer lasted just one and
two-thirds innings in his final start, getting a no-decision September 28
against the Rangers. Moyer suffered a hairline fracture of left kneecap while
pitching a simulated game on October 7.</div>
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In 2001 Moyer rebounded hard, winning 20 games, ranked tied
for second in the AL, and his 3.43 ERA was
sixth in the AL.
He earned his 150th career win against the Rangers on September 24. He became
only the second Mariner in history to win 20 games on October 5, former
teammate Randy Johnson being the other. Moyer went 3–0 with a 1.89 ERA in the postseason.
He won Games 2 and 5 for the Mariners against the Indians and also carried Game
3 against the New York Yankees before Seattle
lost in Game 5. Moyer would finish in fourth place for the AL Cy Young that
season.</div>
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Moyer continued to thrive with a successful campaign in 2003
wile becoming the first player 40 years or older to win at least 20 games. He
went 21-7 that season and posted a career-low 3.27 ERA and 129 strikeouts. He
was selected to the first and only All-Star Game of his career and finished
fifth for the AL Cy Young that season. It would be the last time he would be on
a Cy Young finishing ballot. </div>
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Moyer’s career with the Mariners came to a sad end on August
19, 2006 when he was traded to the Phillies for minor league pitchers Andrew
Barb and Andrew Baldwin. The only important thing to take of note from this
time period is that Moyer earned the elusive World Series ring in 2008 as the
Phillies won for the first time since 1980. Most important about this is that
Moyer was able to win it in his home city. </div>
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His career continued on until the end of the 2012 season. He
is the oldest pitcher to record a win on April 17<sup>th</sup> against the
Padres as a member of the Colorado Rockies. He would subsequently break that
record on May 16<sup>th</sup> against the Diamondbacks which would ultimately be
the final victory of his career. </div>
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Moyer brought me many years of absolute frustration as an
Athletics fan, but in the end, I had the utmost respect for him. The one thing
that I think really personified his career was a commercial the Mariners put
together in 2006 about him which, in my opinion, is still <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fVdETLnA9E">one of the greatest team commercials ever released</a>. </div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-31428077944463318622013-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:002013-10-07T10:06:01.262-07:00July 25- Toronto Blue Jays<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve been trying to come up with something clever tow rite
about in regard to this Toronto Blue Jays cap, but I’m having difficulty coming
up with anything. If you recall in any of my past Blue Jays posts, there has
been a close fellowship of major events which go hand-in-hand in the event of
the Jays changing their uniforms. It happened in the years to follow the second
consecutive World Series in 1993 and amidst controversy. If there is one thing
that I have been able to conclude in all of my research, whether positive or
negative, it’s that the Blue Jays, in spit of their two World Series titles,
are one of the most baffling teams ever run in Major League history. </div>
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A lot of it you could say started toward <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-19-toronto-blue-jays.html">the tail end of the 1997</a> season when then-general manager Gord Ash thought it would be a great idea
to fire beloved manager Cito Gaston five games prior to the end of that season.
Gaston was the manager for both World Series titles and wasn’t even allowed the
courtesy to finish out the end of the season. Well, as luck would have it, the
Blue Jays came crawling back half-way into the 2008 season to replace a manager
who seemed to have lost touch with players. That manager, current Jays manager
John Gibbons. Like I said, baffling. One of the more notable moments that can
throughout the short-lived history of this particular road cap had to do with
the stadium they’ve been playing in since the 1989 season, SkyDome. Actually, I
need to mention a few things about this cap before I roll into bits about
SkyDome. </div>
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At the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-2-toronto-blue-jays.html">end of the 2003 season</a>, the Blue Jays decided to
make uniform changes/additions for the fifth time in their then-26-year
history. Rather than making a slight tweak with the typeface or even the logo
like in years passed, the Jays decided to go “bat shit insane” with this
process and completely change EVERYTHING. I’m honestly not trying to make fun
of the team or the designers, but someone needs to tell me how you can from
this</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SatKNkQMJAY/UlLk3J6CXBI/AAAAAAAACqc/4fDKxYz4C38/s1600/al_2003_toronto_01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SatKNkQMJAY/UlLk3J6CXBI/AAAAAAAACqc/4fDKxYz4C38/s1600/al_2003_toronto_01.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-13-toronto-blue-jays.html">To this </a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rINwFS9XGzQ/UlLk-rRZM5I/AAAAAAAACqk/AXHbtvei7DE/s1600/al_2004_toronto_01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rINwFS9XGzQ/UlLk-rRZM5I/AAAAAAAACqk/AXHbtvei7DE/s1600/al_2004_toronto_01.jpeg" /></a></div>
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between seasons and assume everything is going to
be just fine. As much as this seems like more of a proposal than reality, I’m
afraid to say that it all went down. From 2004-2011 the Blur Jays donned these
uniforms; however, this particular cap (the grey) was only used for home games
from 2004-2005 and has since become a sought after collectors item for Jays
fans and cap enthusiasts. Or so I’m told. I picked mine up at the Lids in Eugene, Oregon rather
easily, but I guess they’re hard to come by in Canada? Once again, I need
confirmation of that. </div>
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Anyway, one of the key moments in Jays history that went
down under this cap came on February 2, 2005 when Ted Rogers, president and CEO
of Rogers Communications, purchased SkyDome and switched it up to Rogers Centre
at the cost of $25 million, roughly 4% of what it cost to build the joint. Talk
about a steal. Rogers
also refurbished a lot of the stadium, put in a new jumbo screen television in
centerfield, replaced the original AstroTurf with FieldTurf and increased the
team payroll. They also made Rogers Centre the first smoke-free building in Canada in April
of 2006. The jury is still out on that one. Either way, Rogers was making an effort to improve things
on and off the field, but the whole uniform thing is still one of the more
confusing choices for any team throughout Major League history.</div>
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I had a doozy of a time trying to come up with anything of
note in regard to stats, players and moments that I wanted to capture with this
cap so I rolled the dice with two guys who had similar, yet opposite
experiences playing in Toronto.
If you’re a Jays fan you’re totally going to understand where I’m coming from
with these two guys. Enjoy!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wq6nEFuGPkQ/UlLndK_cEjI/AAAAAAAACqw/3fo1bCxRx74/s1600/Frank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wq6nEFuGPkQ/UlLndK_cEjI/AAAAAAAACqw/3fo1bCxRx74/s1600/Frank.jpg" /></a></div>
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#27- Frank Catalanotto began his professional baseball
career in 1992 when the Detroit Tigers—who first noticed him while scouting
higher-profile players at a Smithtown East baseball game in 1991—drafted him in
the tenth round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft. Primarily a second
baseman in the minors, he made his major league debut at second base on
September 3, 1997. While in Detroit,
Catalanotto battled injuries and a lack of playing time, and never recorded a
season of 300 at-bats for the Tigers. Then-Detroit GM Randy Smith chose not to
protect Catalanotto in the 1996 Rule 5 draft, and he was selected by the Oakland
Athletics, spending spring training with them. Catalanotto did not make the
Athletics squad and was returned to the Tigers for the 1997 season.</div>
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On November 2, 1999, Catalanotto was part of an eight player
trade between the Tigers and the Texas Rangers. In the deal, he was dealt to
Texas along with pitchers Francisco Cordero and Justin Thompson, catcher Bill
Hasselman, and a minor leaguer for slugging outfield star Juan González,
catcher Gregg Zaun (I can hear Jays fans groaning), and pitcher Danny Patterson.
Catalanotto made a splash to start to his Rangers career, collecting ten hits
and three walks in 13 consecutive plate appearances from April 21 to May 18, 2000.
This streak stands as the Rangers franchise record for consecutive appearances
reaching base. He also tied the club's record for hits in a single game (five)
on May 17. After another season plagued by injuries in 2000, Catalanotto
finally burst onto the scene in 2001 when he finished fifth in the AL in batting average
(.330), and recorded a .431 batting average in August. He also logged a number
of innings in the outfield, a position he had fielded for only one inning
before 2001. Catalanotto battled injuries again in 2002, and the Rangers
declined to offer him a contract at season’s end.</div>
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This of course allowed the Blue Jays to swoop in and sign
him three days after Christmas in 2002 for four years and roughly $10 million.
From 2003-2006 Catalanotto was a pretty solid bat in the Blue Jays lineup,
while only missing a little more than half of the games in 2004 (I blame the
hat). Of his accomplishments in Toronto: On May 1, 2004, against the Chicago
White Sox, he set the Blue Jays record for hits in a game, going 6 for 6 in the
second game of a double-header. Catalanotto was named AL player of the week after hitting .500 in
the last week of the 2005 season helping him finish with an average of .301. He
also won the AL
player of the week on July 25, 2005. Catalanotto batted .299 with 29 home runs
and 200 RBI during his Blue Jays tenure, but he was not re-signed by the Jays
following the 2004 season. Instead, the Rangers bought him back… for twice as
much money. On a whole though, Catalanotto’s career was never as good as it was
when he was playing for the Jays.</div>
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Despite being born in the United States Catalanotto's Italian heritage made him eligible to play for the Italian National Team at the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMvrPscpRIA/UlLnh4BT-1I/AAAAAAAACq4/uCojTe_L3Lw/s1600/Shea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMvrPscpRIA/UlLnh4BT-1I/AAAAAAAACq4/uCojTe_L3Lw/s1600/Shea.jpg" /></a></div>
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#29- This guy will always have a special place in my heart.
Shea Hillenbrand was a 10<sup>th</sup> round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox
during the 1996 amateur draft out of Mesa
Community College in Mesa, Arizona.
For five years he fought it out in the minor leagues before making his debut on
April 2, 2001 (Opening Day) as the Red Sox starting third baseman. Hillenbrand
hit .263 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI and would have finished in the top-five
for American League Rookie of the Year honors if Ichiro Suzuki wasn’t, you
know, so damn talented that same year. Hillenbrand’s second season was equally,
if not more productive. He hit .293 with 18 home runs and 83 RBI, earning him
his first All-Star selection of his career. In 2003 Hillenbrand’s numbers
continued to rise. He was batting .303 with three homers and 38 RBI, but after
49 games the Red Sox elected to trade him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for… wait
for it… Byung Hyun-Kim. The reason for the move was because newly acquired
general manager Theo Epstein had signed Bill Mueller in the offseason and felt
that he would make for a more productive everyday third baseman. As fate would
have it, Epstein ended up being correct as Mueller won the AL batting title
that season (.326), but he also took an ear and face full from Hillenbrand not
too long after the deal was made. And by “not too long after” I mean within two
minutes.</div>
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As fate would have it Hillenbrand had the best season of his
career up to that point as he hit .310 with 15 home runs and 80 RBI for the
Diamondbacks in 2004, but the Red Sox obviously went on to win their first
World Series title in 86 years without him. In January of 2005 the Diamondbacks
traded Hillenbrand to the Blue Jays for pitcher Adam Peterson. Now, back in the
AL East, Hillenbrand dedicated his time to sticking it to the team who got rid
of him every chance he could. That season he hit .291 with 18 home runs and 82
RBI, one of those home runs and five RBI came against the Sox in which he hit
.313 against his former club. Naturally, Hillenbrand made his second and final
All-Star Game appearance of his career as he also led the Blue Jays in hits with
173 that season. This would end up being the last truly notable season of
Hillenbrand’s career as a rift between him, Gibbons and the Jays was about to
explode.</div>
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On July 19, 2006, Hillenbrand criticized the Blue Jays
organization for failing to congratulate him on his recent adoption of a baby
girl and not playing him upon his return. He was also disgruntled about sharing
first base duties with Lyle
Overbay and third base
duties with Troy Glaus while being made to play as a designated hitter.<sup> </sup>Hillenbrand
refused to sit with his team in the dugout during that night's game. After the
game, an argument in the clubhouse took place between Hillenbrand and Gibbons
over Hillenbrand allegedly writing defamatory comments about the team on the
clubhouse billboard ("This is a sinking ship" and "Play for
yourself") after batting practice. This led to a confrontation between
Hillenbrand and Gibbons. He was designated for assignment that same evening,
with the club citing irreconcilable differences. Two days later, Hillenbrand
was traded to the San Francisco Giants with reliever Vinnie Chulk in exchange
for Giants reliever Jeremy Accardo. He later admitted to writing the comments
on the board.</div>
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Hillenbrand signed a one year contract with the Angels on
December 26, 2006. On June 27, 2007, he was designated for assignment a day
after being quoted as saying, "If I'm not going to play here, give me
enough respect to trade me or get rid of me."<sup> </sup>On July 9, 2007,
having been replaced by the emergence of Reggie Willits and first baseman Casey
Kotchman, Hillenbrand was waived by the Angels. He signed a minor league
contract with the San Diego Padres on July 27, 2007. He spent 12 days with the
Padres' Class-AAA affiliate, the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-6-portland-beavers.html">Portland Beavers</a>, before being released on
August 8, 2007. He hit .147 during that span. He signed a minor league contract
with the Los Angeles Dodgers two days later on August 10, 2007. He was called
up to the Major Leagues three days later on August 13. He hit his only home run
with the Dodgers on August 29 off Luis Ayala of the Washington Nationals. In
2008, Hillenbrand went unsigned by any major league organization, only being
contacted by the San Francisco Giants during the off season. On July 2, 2008,
the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League announced that they had
signed Hillenbrand to be their starting third baseman. Hillenbrand played in 36
games for the Revolution hitting .340 with two home runs and 25 RBIs before his
season was ended by a hamstring injury. Hillenbrand and his wife Jessica have
three adopted children, Austin, Dakota, and Noah. They reside in the off season
on a ranch in Chandler, Arizona where they run a foundation called
Against All Odds. The foundation rescues and rehabilitates animals and allows
underprivileged inner-city kids to visit and interact with the animals.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-53536054427267958582013-10-02T14:09:00.000-07:002013-10-02T14:36:09.419-07:00July 24- Atlanta Braves<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I realize that this is
a bit late, but according to my post date, July 24<sup>th</sup>, it’s right on
time. Happy birthday to my friend and fellow MLB Fan Cave Dweller Shaun Kippins!</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2IrcHR2JjQ/UkyDKx4EucI/AAAAAAAACnc/u6Xl5nkU94c/s1600/20131002_162245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2IrcHR2JjQ/UkyDKx4EucI/AAAAAAAACnc/u6Xl5nkU94c/s320/20131002_162245.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Of all the caps the Atlanta Braves currently have in their
wardrobe, this one has to be my favorite. I realize that there is a great deal
of kinship that follows the <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-15-atlanta-braves.html">classic red-billed caps</a> the Braves have been
rocking since 1987; however, very few newer Braves fans are aware of the fact
that this all-navy blue cap is a throwback to the old days when the Braves were
still getting their footing in Atlanta. While the Braves’ first season in Atlanta took place in
1966, the team first introduced the well-known red-billed cap through the end
of the 1967 season. That season proved to be their first losing season since
1952. Like a lot of teams, even simple uniform changes can prove to be a morale
booster. It sounds weird, but it has been a successful transition multiple
times in the past. The best, most recent example of this came in 2008 when the
<a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-28-tampa-bay-devil-rays.html">Tampa Bay Devil Rays</a> dropped the “Devil” and changed their team colors to
become the Rays. They ended up making it to the World Series, losing to the
Philadelphia Phillies in five games. From 1968 through the end of the 1971
season the Braves fared decent success, only having one sub-.500 season in 1970
and one incredible season in 1969 where they went 93-69 in which they lost to
the New York
“Miracle” Mets in the National League Championship Series under then-manager
Lum Harris. The current Braves organization brought it back in 2009 to serve as
the team’s road cap and it too has brought moderate success in the form of two
postseason appearances, but two first round exists under both Bobby Cox and
Fredi Gonzalez. </div>
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This is one of the many caps I ended up picking up at the
New Era Flagship Store that sat across the street from the MLB Fan Cave, but not necessarily because I
needed it for my collection. From day one when I started this blog I’ve talked
about my personal experiences with these caps and the impact that the history
behind them has had on me. Only once have I strayed off course to talk about
two people who have had a profound impact on me, and coincidentally it came
with <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-26-milwaukeeatlanta-braves.html">another Braves post on June 26th</a>. This is another one of those
posts about fellow Fan Cave Dweller Sha<sup></sup>un Kippins (@Skippins).</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uaaDXJBmHzg/UkyDaWffYcI/AAAAAAAACnk/Xx-7QnSWjiw/s1600/20131002_162328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uaaDXJBmHzg/UkyDaWffYcI/AAAAAAAACnk/Xx-7QnSWjiw/s320/20131002_162328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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SK- I first found out about
Shaun during the Top-50 campaign for the Fan Cave
when I watched his audition video on the Fan Cave Web site. I needed to get a
better understanding of who my competition was going to be so I figured, “What
the hell?” The thing I liked most about Shaun’s video is that it was a lot like
mine, straight to the point. He talked about himself, the history of the game
and the impact it had on him, most specifically about Hank Aaron and the
Braves. Shaun grew up in upstate New
York and began his fellowship with the Braves
organization the same way a lot of kids did back in the day, on TBS: The
Superstation. Shaun could have gone with his home state heroes, the New York
Yankees and Mets, but the glory years of Javy Lopez, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz,
Greg Maddux, Sid Bream, Otis Nixon, David Justice and Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff
were too much to resist. I didn’t hear much of Shaun during the publicity
portion of the Top-50 push, but I was happy to see him in Phoenix, Arizona
as we had both moved on to the Top-30.</div>
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The one thing I can say about the competition, let alone
people running the show, is that it wasn’t diversely strong. Yah there were a
few female competitors and employees, but only three African-Americans (one
employee), two Mexican and one Asian contestant. The other black competitor was
my friend <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/08/july-2-los-angeles-dodgers.html">Nick Hamilton, the Los Angeles Dodgers representative</a>. Out of the
entire whole of people present, I felt this to be a bit weird, but tried not to
think about it too much. Shaun and I met around the pool in the mid afternoon
when everyone was still getting settled. He struck me as a shy at first, but as
I got to know him a bit more throughout the auditions, I was dead wrong.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpuujEcFzkU/UkyJc-XSXwI/AAAAAAAACoM/mJGRZSJeg6s/s1600/DSCF3009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpuujEcFzkU/UkyJc-XSXwI/AAAAAAAACoM/mJGRZSJeg6s/s320/DSCF3009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shaun attended Marist
College in Poughkeepsie, New York
along with 2012 Top-30 hopeful/2013 Cave Dweller Travis Miller, although the
two didn’t know each other during their time there. Most of the time that I was
around Shaun came at the hotel when we had breaks as we were always in separate
groups during the challenges. The only time we ever competed against one
another was during the “MLB IQ” challenge hosted by Matt Vasgersian and Eric
Byrnes. And if you want to see how it all went down, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb25x-D21aw">here’s the video</a>. Shaun
was on Team Triple Threat and I was on the aptly named Uni-Lovers as Vasgersian
had called me Unabomber numerous times. Due to the fact that we had three
members on our teams each, our teams were the last to go against one another in
the first round. While the video is cut up in kind of a weird way the one thing
I can say is that it was pretty much a dog fight between Shaun and Jay Tuohey
(@TheRoar_24) versus Dave Barclay (@DaveBarc) and myself. The question about
how many postseason games took place in 2011 was literally the last question
asked and served as the tiebreaker. We had guessed 37 while Team Triple Threat
had guessed 36. Not exactly the way I wanted to win the first round, but we
pulled it off and ended up winning the whole thing. The one thing I did learn
from that experience is that Shaun’s knowledge was much deeper than most had
originally given him credit for.</div>
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In the two days that we were in Arizona I only saw Shaun without this Braves
cap once, but it wasn’t at any point when I was around. I only found out about
it a few days after I had gotten back home to Eugene, Oregon.
Most of you who are reading this may or may not remember who Shaun is; however, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6O4NGDqaQ">you will after you see this video</a>. Shaun was the "unlucky" person selected to be the
prank victim of Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in probably one of
the most simplistic, yet clever pranks I’ve seen pulled in quite some time.
Everyone played their parts to perfection, especially Shaun who was the
unfortunate victim. </div>
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When the time came to head to New York I was pleased with most of the
selections they made for the Top-nine, and Shaun’s name definitely came up on
the good list. The only part that I was a bit confused about was why they had
chosen two Braves fans in the top-nine, but after having gotten to know both Shaun
and Ricky Mast (@RickyMast) in Arizona it totally made sense. Unfortunately for
some of the other Top-50, Top-30 and random followers, they didn’t agree. I’m
not going to call out names, but one of the biggest reasons why I disassociated
myself with a lot of people before and after the Fan Cave
was because of their feelings on Shaun and his skin color. A lot felt that his
presence was based on the executives trying to find a cultural balance, a point
that I didn’t agree with at all nor did I even want to hear coming out of the
mouths of people who I called “friends.” <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-13-milwaukee-braves.html">Back on April 13<sup>th</sup></a> I had
written about my views on skin color during Hank Aaron’s early years in
baseball, and if there’s one thing I hate seeing or hearing about it's racism... unless it's a really good joke, I'll be honest about that, but it's still wrong.</div>
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Shaun and I shared an apartment together along with Phillies
Cave Dweller Gordon Mack, but none of it came down to our choice. By this I
mean that all of the apartments available were first come first serve and the
three of us were the odd ones out as the other six had chosen to take the solo
apartments and pair the three of us up. It was kind of a dick move, but I got
over it in about 15 seconds. Every morning Shaun and I alternated on waking the
other person up as we were always staying up late and needed to get up early in
order to give ourselves enough time to shower and head down to the Fan Cave for
filming. We had cable in the apartment so Shaun and I would occasionally watch
“Mad Men” and “Shameless” as they were both shows that he enjoyed but I had
never watched. We talked about the journalism industry a lot as we were both
seeking work within our respective fields; him on the production, video side
and me on the written side. Shaun also had a bevvy of hats with him, almost all of which were Braves, but most of the time he rocked this cap.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiXugQHk3HU/UkyJr9l7XcI/AAAAAAAACoY/gdcIAPH9B-U/s1600/SkipsontheDanceFloor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiXugQHk3HU/UkyJr9l7XcI/AAAAAAAACoY/gdcIAPH9B-U/s320/SkipsontheDanceFloor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When we had our first day meeting at the Office of
the Commissioner of Major League Baseball I did my best to make him laugh as
there was a photographer trying to catch candid shots of us smiling and Shaun
was having a difficult time of making it “look real,” That into itself made me
crack up, but the best way I knew to make Shaun laugh was to call him a “broke
ass Juan Pierre-looking motherf---er.” Everyone within in earshot of that
comment had dying and Shaun was doing his best to hold his head up straight as
he was about to fall over with laughter. It sounds gay, but I wish I had a copy
of that photo. It was an awesome moment, especially after we hugged it out.
Yah, kind of gay.</div>
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Other moments came and went, but we always did our best to
make the other person laugh. One moment in particular came when we had been
driven home after a late night and I was left in the front seat to sign for the
voucher. Our driver had a thick mustache and Shaun, as he exited the car, made
sure to say, “Thanks for the lift Mr. Belvedere,” which sent me into a fit of
hysterics as I tried to sign my name. That’s still one of the funniest things
anyone has ever done. Shaun, the person who I thought was extremely polite and
shy was pulling a rouse on all of us, in a good way.</div>
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During the first week of the 2012 regular season I found
myself at a going away party for one of the graphic artists of the Fan Cave as
I was invited by her and later forced to go by one of the security guards after
the first big party the Fan
Cave had hosted. What I
wasn’t expecting when I got there were three of the top level executives to be
there as well. I think I touched on all of this is an earlier post, can’t
remember which one though. Anyway, they were all a bit sauced but happy to see
me and bought me a few rounds. Throughout the night they asked me questions
about each of the other Cave Dwellers. When it came to Shaun they seemed to
listen a bit more intently, as if I had some deep insight to him. All I said is
that he is “purposefully” quiet, and by far the funniest person in the group.
Nothing more really needed to be said beyond that. Shaun, as I learned, will
open himself up when he needs to, something I found out in the weirdest ways a
few weeks before I got eliminated.</div>
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One thing that only a select group of people were fortunate enough to witness came when Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy visited the Fan Cave. The sketch that we ended up filming was a form of speed dating in which we quickly jumped in, asked Lucroy a question and then bolted. This concept has been since used multiple times without much success. The sad part of this experience is that Shaun's an my portions ended up on the cutting room floor as they didn't air it until we had both been eliminated. I won't go into detail about my run until a later post, but what Shaun did halted production for a solid three minutes afterward. I don't remember what Shaun's question was going to be, but we he had cooked up in his head was that he was going to knock over the Lucroy bobblehead sitting in front of him and ask the question police interrogation -style. When Shaun stepped up to the table he stared Lucroy down and knocked it over. When Shaun had intended was that the bobblehead would just tip over; instead, the bobblehead took a tumble off the table and down to the floor, breaking the right hand off. Shaun then went into panic mode, picked up the bobblehead, took a step to leave, forgot that he left the hand, picked that up, placed it on the table next to the bobblehead and split. Three minutes of laughter erupted throughout the basement where we were filming. It was like watching a live action cartoon, and Shaun played it out to perfection. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to.</div>
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I didn’t sleep much while I was in New York, but every few days or so I
dedicated my time to trying to get a full nights rest, even for just one night.
This night in particular happened to be when a few of the others decided to go
out and close a few of the bars down. At some point somebody had texted me, but
I slept right through it. Some time a little after four in the morning I heard
the front door open, foot steps, my light switch turn on and then I received a
flying elbow drop from Shaun to really wake me up. I’m not one to get upset
about these sorts of things, and in this case I was startled and laughing at
the same time. Shaun kept going over and over about how I should have gone out
with everyone and that they had “the best time.” I couldn’t muddle any words
out, I couldn’t stop laughing. I don’t remember how we transitioned but it soon
became “drunken confession” time. Nothing bad came out, but hearing Shaun tell
me how good of a friend I’ve been, how I’ve always supported him and his work
really clung to my heart. He then said he might barf, but I made sure to help
him get into bed to prevent it. I slept pretty well the rest of the night. The
next day though, Shaun was still in a bit of a haze, but at least we had a long
break in between games so he good take a nap.</div>
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My version of the “drunken confession” came with the same
consequences of elbow drops and late night wakeups, but the message was the
same. I never forged a stronger bond with anyone in New York other than Shaun. He was and still
is the only person who has been straight with me, has had my back and never
judged me when things got crazy after my exile. I let him borrow my Jeff
Francoeur Braves jersey when he came to the Fan Cave<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r781rYqvpBk/UkyRvVr_tDI/AAAAAAAACpA/LRlsaNtQCfw/s1600/Galaxy+Note+341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r781rYqvpBk/UkyRvVr_tDI/AAAAAAAACpA/LRlsaNtQCfw/s320/Galaxy+Note+341.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
and he was always the one
who would crank his ITunes up when we got home, blasting some Talking Heads,
Grateful Dead, Phish or The Band. It was Shaun who inspired me to get this cap.
I wish I had more friends like him in my life.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CM-tmPsAlf8/UkyIyfniDnI/AAAAAAAACn8/sDZkNTr29RE/s1600/Dusty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CM-tmPsAlf8/UkyIyfniDnI/AAAAAAAACn8/sDZkNTr29RE/s320/Dusty.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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#12- Most people know Dusty Baker because of his managerial
stints with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, but few
remember how accomplished he was as a player from 1968-1986. Baker was drafted
in the 26<sup>th</sup> round of the 1967 draft by the Braves out of American River
College in Sacramento, California
and made his MLB debut on September 7, 1968. From then until the end of the
1971 season Baker bounced back and forth from the Majors to the minors with the
AAA Richmond Braves. In 1972 he received his first full-time spot in the lineup
playing centerfield where he went on to hit .321 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI,
good enough for a 22<sup>nd</sup> place finish for the NL MVP. Baker played
with the Braves until the end of the 1975 season, batting .278 with 77 home
runs and 324 RBI during his tenure before being traded to the Dodgers at the
end of the season.</div>
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In LA Baker continued to play stellar defense and he
received the name “Bakersfield”
after the oil town which say 95 miles north and is also the place I spent most
of my childhood. From 1976-1983 Baker made two All-Star Game appearances (1981
and 1982), won a Gold Glove in 1981, won two Silver Slugger Awards (1980 and
1981), finished in the top-seven twice for the NL MVP (1980 and 1981) and won
one World Series title in 1981. </div>
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In 1984 he was signed by the Giants and played with them for
one season before getting traded to the Oakland Athletics for his final two
seasons as a player. For his career Baker hit .278, hit 242 home runs and
knocked in 1013 RBI. His first year as a manager in the Majors came in 1993
after then-Giants manager Roger Craig (not the football player) stepped down.
Baker has only been to the World Series once as a manager in 2002 with the
Giants, losing to the Los Angeles Angels in seven games. As of now he has a
career 840-715 record. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0ltZ2iN0Oc/UkyI2tzqbwI/AAAAAAAACoE/HVR56aTSA-4/s1600/Niekro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0ltZ2iN0Oc/UkyI2tzqbwI/AAAAAAAACoE/HVR56aTSA-4/s320/Niekro.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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#35- Signed by scout Bill Maughn in 1958 for a mere $250,
Phil Niekro pitched for 20 seasons (1964-1983 and 1987) for the Braves (two of
those seasons when the team was still in Milwaukee).
He was popular in the city of Atlanta for
remaining loyal to a team that often had a losing record, as well as for his
contributions to Atlanta
charities. On August 5, 1973, Niekro threw a no-hitter against the San Diego
Padres; the no-hitter was the first for the Braves after moving to Atlanta. He was often the
only star on the Braves teams. In 1979, for example, Niekro tied his brother
for the league lead with 21 wins while playing for a team that only won 66. During
his tenure in Atlanta, Niekro was selected for five All-Star Teams (1969, 1975,
1978, 1982 and 1984 with the Yankees), won five Gold Gloves (1978-1980 and
1982-1983), led the league in victories twice (1974 and 1979) and ERA once
(1967 with a 1.87) despite being a knuckleballer. </div>
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Niekro was also a key to the only two division titles Atlanta won before 1991.
In 1969, he had a 23–13 season with a 2.56 ERA and finished second in Cy Young
balloting to Mets sensation Tom Seaver. In the final days of the season, Niekro
started three of seven games, going 3-0 as the Braves won the division. He lost
his only appearance in the NLCS, as Atlanta
was swept by the Mets. In 1982, at the age of 43, Niekro led the Braves'
pitching staff with a 17–4 season. On October 1st, with the Braves clinging to
a one-game lead over the Dodgers, Niekro beat the Padres almost single-handedly
by throwing a complete game shutout and hitting a two run home run. Niekro
started Game One of the subsequent NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals and
pitched well, but the game was called on account of rain just before it became
official. He pitched six innings of Game Two and left with a 3–2 lead. However,
the Cardinals scored 2 late runs after Niekro left the game and would
eventually sweep the series.</div>
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The Braves released Niekro after the 1983 season and he
signed with the Yankees and went on to win 16 games and make the last of his
five All-Star appearances. It was while pitching for the Yankees that Niekro
gained entry into the 300 win club with a shutout win over the Toronto Blue
Jays on October 6, 1985. At 46 years, 188 days, Niekro became the oldest
pitcher to pitch a shutout in the major leagues; this record stood for nearly
25 years before Jamie Moyer (47 years, 170 days) bested the feat in May 2010;
for Niekro, this complete-game shutout would be his 300th win. He did not throw
his trademark knuckleball until the final hitter, <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/09/july-17-texas-rangers.html">former American League MVP Jeff Burroughs</a>. Prior to facing Burroughs, Niekro's teammate and brother Joe visited
the mound in the role of "substitute pitching coach" and jokingly
suggested that an intentional walk was in order. Instead, Niekro struck
Burroughs out to end the game.</div>
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After two seasons in New
York, Niekro pitched for the Cleveland Indians and
the Blue Jays in 1986 and 1987. The Blue Jays released him after he pitched
ineffectively, and the Braves brought him back for one last start to wrap up
his career late in the 1987 season. At the age of 48, Niekro was the oldest
player in major league history to play regularly until Julio Franco, and his 24
seasons in the major leagues without a World Series appearance is a major
league record. His total of 5,404⅓ innings pitched is the most by any pitcher
in the post-1920 live-ball era. He only appeared in the postseason twice,
making a playoff start in 1969 and again in 1982, both for Braves teams that
would go on to lose the series. </div>
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In 1997 the Baseball Writers Association of America Niekro
into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with a 80.34% vote on his fifth ballot.
In 1984, when Niekro’s first stint with the Braves came to an end, they retired
his #35, which of course was worn again when he returned during the 1987
season. Niekro is also the 1979 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award recipient as well as
the 1980 Roberto Clemente Award winner, both of which were for philanthropic
work on and off the baseball field.</div>
Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1093729641426783927.post-16071110920655810082013-10-01T17:18:00.004-07:002013-10-01T17:18:58.403-07:00July 23- Eugene Emeralds<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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If you’ve been keeping up with these blog posts I merely
need to refer you to my Eugene Emeralds post from <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-7-eugene-emeralds.html">March 7<sup>th</sup></a> to have
an understand of how this story began. Due to the fact that I was living and
working in Portland, Oregon
from October through the first week of January I had missed the Emeralds’ new
logo/merchandise release party in Eugene
on account of me having to work. I remember making some comment about “how I
wish I was there” when the next thing I know I had a DM from whomever was
running the Twitter account that day; I’m pretty positive it was General
Manager Allan Benavides. Anyway, it was a reply to my comment which basically
said that they wanted to know my hat size so that they could put aside and hook
me up with one of their new caps. I wasn’t really sure to what I owed the
pleasure, but I’ve also never turned down a free New Era Cap so I made sure to
note when I would be back in Eugene
for winter term.</div>
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When I finally had a free moment to get down to the office
of the Emeralds I made sure to give plenty of notice, not to mention I made
sure to get directions because I had no idea where I was going. Everyone in the
office was especially friendly and excited to meet me, which I totally wasn’t
expecting, and everyone had questions about my season-long Major League
Baseball stadium tour and my time in the MLB Fan Cave. All of them had been supporters of
my time which is what had started the vested interest in getting out to the
games upon my expulsion. Besides the alternate Emeralds cap, Allan also hooked
me up with an Emeralds pint glass which I ended up leaving in Eugene with my roommate Reed. Totally
unintentional. One-by-one I shook hands and thanked everyone for their kindness
for not only the hat and glass, but for taking good care of me when I was able
to get out for Emeralds games at the start of the 2012 season. Near the end of
my visit the subject of my tattoos was finally brought up and, like always, I
showed no hesitation in showing them off. This was the lead-in Director of
Corporate Events Tyler Tostenson needed to ask, “Have you thought about getting
Sluggo tattooed on you?” For those who don’t know, Sluggo is the big neon green
bear mascot for the Emeralds. In fact, the person who had been inside the
outfit, who was also the man in the suit for Puddles, the University
of Oregon Duck mascot, happened to be
standing next to me as I answered Tyler
question. My response, “To be honest, I have been mulling it over. The only
problem is that it doesn’t fit with the theme of MLB logos and mascots so I
would have to think of a location of where to place it.” But in short, yes, I
was deeply considering it. I said my goodbyes and thank yous once again and
headed back to campus to get some writing done. What I wasn’t expecting was to
get a call from my tattoo artist a little less than a week later.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashback</i></b></div>
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Felix “The Tat” Epperson and I have known each other since
April of 2011, but the first time we met was on September 6, 2008. I wasn’t at
all surprised that he didn’t remember me as the situation that put in the same
room together involved my girlfriend at the time getting her first tattoo done
by him at Black Lotus Tattoo in Eugene,
the same shop where he works today. The only reason why I remember the date so
well is because I was originally going to go to the Oregon
versus Utah State football game that morning, but
put it off to be there while the work was getting done. Also, I had to work at
the Hilton that morning from 5 AM to 10:30 AM, which led to me falling asleep
in the waiting chair while she was getting tattooed which then led to one of
our first arguments in our relationship. I should also point out that I paid
the $250 for the tattoo as a birthday present for her. God, I’m such an
asshole! Moving on; when the time came for me to finally commit to getting my
two-sided MLB showcase tattoo he was the first person who came into my head.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. My good friend Nick Porter, who did both of
the tattoos on the outsides of my forearms (the quote and the lumberjack/shark)
had recommended Reed, my future roommate, to do it as he was a big baseball fan
and would probably better understand a lot of the concepts I was throwing out.
Not having a problem with that bit of honesty, I hit Reed up and emailed him
everything I wanted to do. Originally I wanted only a few of the mascots and I
wanted to put it on my left arm as a half-sleeve, something that he quickly
shot down because I didn’t have enough canvass to work with. During the time
when I mulled over what he his comments I came down with a near fatal case of
“what the f--- is wrong with me?” I phrase it like that because I had strep
throat, my kidneys were shutting down, I was dehydrated and a staph infection
had broken out underneath my belly button which then spread to my neck and both
of the tattoos I mentioned above as I had just gotten them done about two weeks
prior. In short, I looked like hell. I wrote a much longer piece about this in
my other blog, so I’m trying to keep this short. Here’s the link to it if you
ever want to read the full detailed account of what went down. What I will tell
you is that when I was lying on the hospital bed all I could think about was
baseball and how happy it made me. It in these fleeting moments that I came up with
the placement and design concept for what I eventually got tattooed on me. </div>
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Once I recovered I emailed Reed with a new plan and ideas
which was eventually shot down a few weeks later for two reasons: 1. Reed was
pretty booked up. 2. A lot of what I was asking for was a bit too confusing.
The latter part made a lot of sense because trying to relay what I wanted via
email was not an easy concept for anyone to understand. Had I gone in person to
discuss it with him, things might have been different, but because I was
itching to get this started, I moved on. It’s something I still feel bad about
because there were a few other artists in the shop who would have loved to do
an extravagant piece like this, but I didn’t think about that. For some reason
the first thing that popped into my head was to go to another shop; which is
how I ended up at Black Lotus on a Sunday evening about five minutes before
they closed.</div>
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Felix happened to be the only person left in the shop when I
cracked open the door and walked inside. Hey greeted me and politely told me
that they were just closing up. I told him I didn’t have a problem with that
and that I was merely there to get a recommendation on an artist. He told me he
might be able to help, so I asked him if he was a baseball fan. He quickly
responded with, “totally.” It’s kind of a useless question for an artist, I
suppose, but my focus was on making sure that he or someone else would have an
understanding of what I was after. I then rattled off the concept I was going
for and that I would be coming back with a ton of notes, etc., etc. Felix was
hardly miffed by what I was saying and told me to come back with photos, notes
and anything else he needed to get a sketch up. </div>
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For a week I toiled. Searching everywhere for pictures of
mascots dating back to the 1960s, collecting important historical stories that
could be told through cartoonish shapes that wouldn’t mind carving into my body
for the rest of my life. At the end of my research campaign I had about 15
total pages worth of material to hand over. All of which he assembled perfectly
in two pieces on the first take. To make a long story short it took roughly six
sessions of four to four-and-a-half hours per session to get the first wave
done.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MF3RkTc7ulE/UktiTvN-SdI/AAAAAAAAClc/wGeQ7_FI44Y/s1600/384323_10150610177517786_1099439338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MF3RkTc7ulE/UktiTvN-SdI/AAAAAAAAClc/wGeQ7_FI44Y/s320/384323_10150610177517786_1099439338_n.jpg" width="168" /> </a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J16CK-POyf8/UktiZ233sAI/AAAAAAAAClk/Cy754ADXIy0/s1600/381614_10150610181197786_412154314_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J16CK-POyf8/UktiZ233sAI/AAAAAAAAClk/Cy754ADXIy0/s320/381614_10150610181197786_412154314_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Since then we’ve spent another four sessions of four hours
each adding more including additional mascots, my Major League Baseball heart
piece and the totally badass bowtie right below my neck. 52 hours worth of
bloodless, sweat, a few tears and hard earned dollars later my canvas has become
a remarkable tribute to the game I love… and we still have a lot more work to
go.</div>
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Over time Felix and my friendship built and I even went out
to take a few photos of him carving pools during the mornings when the weather
was fair in Eugene
before he had to go to work and I had to go to class.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejFVDvMXjxA/UktiiGLpE3I/AAAAAAAACls/k6uYWsEdXXU/s1600/378917_10150589424407786_923844606_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejFVDvMXjxA/UktiiGLpE3I/AAAAAAAACls/k6uYWsEdXXU/s320/378917_10150589424407786_923844606_n.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kzROP7rNoxg/UktimAwpAPI/AAAAAAAACl0/8M4N0lFeO70/s1600/390895_10150589425792786_1694040240_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kzROP7rNoxg/UktimAwpAPI/AAAAAAAACl0/8M4N0lFeO70/s320/390895_10150589425792786_1694040240_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Without him I wouldn’t be where I am today. It’s kind of
crazy to think that tattoos helped me achieve some sort of position of
providence, and for that, I will always be in his debt.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Back to reality</i></b></div>
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I was working in the library on the campus of the University of Oregon when I got a message over
Facebook from Felix. Apparently Tyler
had hit him up and presented a promotional idea that the Emeralds were curious
if he wanted to take part of called “Bats and Tats” Night (clever). The
promotion in a nutshell was discounted tickets for anyone who came with a
tattoo as well as a tattoo competition for local artists on who could come up
with the best Emeralds-themed tattoo. Based on everything we had collaborated on
together it was a no-brainer for Felix. I of course said yes as well. Felix and
I had all ready had an appointment set up near the end of January (the bowtie
tattoo) and we decided to mull over some ideas when I dropped by. </div>
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The only problem that arose with this promotion, in my head
at least, was trying to figure out a way to add original elements to an
incredibly clever, but brand new logo. When Felix and I talked it over during
my ink session I still couldn’t come up with anything. Of the three logos that
the team had affixed to their hats, two of them were ones that I wasn’t
considering. <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/08/july-6-eugene-emeralds.html">This one</a>. <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-7-eugene-emeralds.html">And this one</a>. Nothing personal against them, I just felt
like we could do more with a different design. After the session wrapped up I
told him I would do some research and try to find something that we would both
like, because; after all, the other part of this assignment was to get Felix as
much business as possible, something I have been very dedicated to since I was
first getting interviewed for the MLB Fan Cave.</div>
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The promotion wasn’t slated until July 23<sup>rd</sup> so I
had a bit of time to finish up my last term of school, fly out to Florida to
visit Angie as well as have some time with her in Portland as well. Before I
graduated for the U of O I had pieced together a design concept based on two
photos I had come across on the internet. The first part was the alternate logo
which, at the time, was not featured on any of the team’s hats. </div>
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This, of all of them, is hands down my favorite based on the
historical context behind it. The Emeralds are a short season-A affiliate of
the San Diego Padres and the company that designed their new logos, Brandiose,
took a classic Padres concept and perfected it.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8PdHnzu3vw/UktkMRlGTlI/AAAAAAAACmA/jQzBFDzxNe0/s1600/9187_eugene_emeralds-alternate-2013.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8PdHnzu3vw/UktkMRlGTlI/AAAAAAAACmA/jQzBFDzxNe0/s320/9187_eugene_emeralds-alternate-2013.jpeg" width="316" /></a></div>
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The second part was that I wanted to somehow incorporate
Sluggo into the design as well. So, I did the best, funniest thing possible and
made Sluggo the tree in which Sasquatch is swinging.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fQuGGG4pdn4/UktkSlPzXyI/AAAAAAAACmI/tzw2-nxuJkE/s1600/swinging-friar-comparison1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fQuGGG4pdn4/UktkSlPzXyI/AAAAAAAACmI/tzw2-nxuJkE/s320/swinging-friar-comparison1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In all of my hat-related exploits I came across a cap on the
Hat Club Web site which happened to feature the Swingin’ Sasquatch logo with an
original color scheme to back it up, this one. With little hesitation I scooped
up and kept it away from being worn until the big day. Meanwhile, Angie ended
up paying me a visit in the middle of June before she headed to Wisconsin to see her
family. Angie had never seen me get a tattoo so I made sure to hold out on the
piece until she arrived to sit next me. Tyler
dropped by Black lotus to get some video and some photos together for the event
and was blown away by what we had come up with. He had also mentioned that he
saw the logo on the hat on the Hat Club Web site, but I made no mention as to
whether or not I had seen it, even though it was kicking it on a shelf in my
closet. It didn’t take us too long to get it done (roughly two hours), but it was
finished, and set to be fully-healed by the time July 23<sup>rd</sup> came
rolling around.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk9WUcn6q2s/Uktkb6_qQUI/AAAAAAAACmQ/F4KU7K33WyA/s1600/instaImage_16.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk9WUcn6q2s/Uktkb6_qQUI/AAAAAAAACmQ/F4KU7K33WyA/s320/instaImage_16.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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7/23/13: Due to the fact that I didn’t have a car I ended up
footing the bill for gas to get my friend Sean Davis to roll down to Eugene
from Portland with me for the game. Felix had an extra ticket for me to use and
couldn’t think of anyone better to spend the game with than one of my really
good friends. Felix greeted us near the first plate entrance and we hugged it
out. The tattoo had healed perfectly, I made sure to give it a good shave and
the weather was spectacular. Felix had ended up snagging a suite, as did the
other tattoo parlors involved in the contest. All that was really left to do
was see how many people would come out for the event.</div>
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Tyler
greeted a little ways up the stairs and noticed that I was rocking the Emeralds
hat he had talked about back at Black Lotus. He also asked for a peek at the
finished product which I had no problems with. “That’s sick!” he exclaimed, a
pretty common response I’ve gotten from everybody. Tyler had to bounce, as he was still
coordinating a few things, but Felix, Sean and I headed up to the suite to meet
up with Felix’s friends and family.</div>
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One of the really cool perks of the night was that all of
the artists were called down to the field to throw out the ceremonial first
pitch. Felix got the honor of going first and lobbed one up and across the
plate.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec0GjSo6Yss/Uktkk4LJoQI/AAAAAAAACmY/9XjBpeIm-yA/s1600/20130723_185541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec0GjSo6Yss/Uktkk4LJoQI/AAAAAAAACmY/9XjBpeIm-yA/s320/20130723_185541.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Contrary to the arch of the ball in the photo, he was the
only one to find the strike zone. Another thing to point out with this is that,
like myself, Felix plays baseball/softball regularly. Throwing out a first
pitch without warming up is not a picnic in the park. Trust me; <a href="http://hatsandtats.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-1-oakland-athletics.html">check this out</a>
if you don’t believe me.</div>
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With food and beers in hand we all settled out on the patio
to watch the game. The Emeralds were hosting the Boise Hawks which was cool
because the Chicago Cubs’ 2013 first round pick (second overall) Kris Bryant
had just signed his contract and was making his professional debut for that
game.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UBtKIgbpOqM/Uktkr7eEYJI/AAAAAAAACmg/pqQaSreijoQ/s1600/20130723_191137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UBtKIgbpOqM/Uktkr7eEYJI/AAAAAAAACmg/pqQaSreijoQ/s320/20130723_191137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the other side of the plate, the Padres’ first round pick
(13<sup>th</sup> overall) Hunter Renfroe had already been digging it out for
the Emeralds in the outfield, so it all made for a rather compelling game.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLTBme_vevI/UktkzBVHCfI/AAAAAAAACmo/VaRyg2BoDAI/s1600/20130723_192302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gLTBme_vevI/UktkzBVHCfI/AAAAAAAACmo/VaRyg2BoDAI/s320/20130723_192302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As the game went on the Emeralds showed the photos and
videos for all the artists, tattoos and canvases who were in the running for
the Best Emeralds Tattoo. Of all the ones shown Felix and I had the only one
that looked spot on to what the actual logo looks like, while the other artists
took to their own creative devices. Fans voted on Facebook for the winner, in
which we finished in second place by the time everything sorted out at the end
of the week. Winning wasn’t really the objective as much as it was about more
business for Felix. </div>
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One thing that I definitely have to tip my cap to is the
Emeralds’ front office for putting this night together. PK Park was borderline
sold out, and the crowd was definitely into the game. Sluggo came up and paid
us a visit</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKlc5hmZyB0/UktlBZyFdMI/AAAAAAAACmw/JRqMpMfUEaU/s1600/20130723_210948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKlc5hmZyB0/UktlBZyFdMI/AAAAAAAACmw/JRqMpMfUEaU/s320/20130723_210948.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIc1X2j2BBo/UktlPUoPvNI/AAAAAAAACm4/dZiCfd2Zrzk/s1600/20130723_211551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIc1X2j2BBo/UktlPUoPvNI/AAAAAAAACm4/dZiCfd2Zrzk/s320/20130723_211551.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And Felix and I toasted our accomplishments. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nOJ3Dus6Dac/Uktl93ZlclI/AAAAAAAACnA/5-u_G6SFuYM/s1600/20130723_210602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nOJ3Dus6Dac/Uktl93ZlclI/AAAAAAAACnA/5-u_G6SFuYM/s320/20130723_210602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sadly the Emeralds lost 0-6, but the loss certainly didn’t
spoil an amazing night.</div>
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Shakabrodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05099861377676726653noreply@blogger.com0