June 13- Tampa Smokers

Well, the time has come. For the worst part of the last 12 years I unfortunately have been a smoker. A smart as I am and with as much knowledge as there is available to show people why smoking is bad, I still kept the habit up. Sadly, it all started because of a girl. When I was 18-years-old I graduated high school from Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Washington and started dating someone who was a year younger than me. Everyone in her family smoked, with the exception of her younger brother and sister who quite possibly picked up the habit once they were old enough. I can still remember the night I started too. We were driving from her house back to mine and she asked if I wanted one. We had been dating for about three months and I had always refused up until that moment. I can’t really give much of a solid reason as to why I say yes, other than with the hopes of getting some action, which is pretty much the only reason why a young kid like myself would do something when a woman asks. But from then, I was hooked.

After we broke up I started buying my own packs. I wasn’t chain smoking or anything, maybe like three-to-four a day. The only person close to me who smoked was my best friend Ronnie Forrest. He and I would always get together in our free time and jam out to Blink-182, our favorite band. On the evening of September 9, 2001 we enjoyed our last cigarette together right before I went home following his going away party as he was set to leave for Navy boot camp on the morning of September 11^th; kind of crazy how that one worked out. For the next few months we chatted when we could. He and I had dreams of hanging out together in San Diego, California, going to school at San Diego State once his papers came in. He finished the top of his graduating class, and with that, he had the option to go wherever he wanted. He of course chose San Diego.

Our meeting and co-habitation would never come to fruition. In the months following his training he was set to deploy for Iraq, to serve in the Persian Gulf as the United States prepared for war. In the last hour before he flight was set to leave to London, England I had an opportunity to talk with him on the government’s dime. He first talked my mom for a solid 30 minutes before she passed it off to me. My mom said that he sounded drunk, which ended up being true once I had the chance to hear his voice. We were both 19-years-old, but with him being in the military he was allowed certain adult privileges. Our conversation fell heavily upon how we were doing and what he had been up to, but it ended with the only time I had ever said “I love you” to any of my friends. I had always been one to bottle up my emotions when it came to those closest to me, but I couldn’t really think of anything else to tell him. It wasn’t meant to be gay or anything of that nature, rather that I had always treated him like a brother. The phone went silent for a minute and he came back with an “I love you” of his own, followed by, “No really Ben, I really mean it and I really appreciate hearing it from you.” We said our goodbyes and he boarded his plane. I then walked outside, lit up a cigarette and cried my eyes out. For some odd reason I felt that was the last time I was ever going to hear from him. As it turned out, I was correct. While Ronnie and his fellow troops had a brief layover in London they were allowed to walk about the city until their plane for Iraq left later that evening. Somewhere on the route back (and I still haven’t gotten a clear answer about this), Ronnie was struck by a train and killed instantly. It would be two weeks before the news got to me. I called his parents’ house after someone I knew had heard about his death, I had to make sure things weren’t being blown out of proportion. Sure enough, my worst thoughts came true. From that moment on, smoking became my only escape.

Years have passed and my daily dosage has increased slightly. I got up to about a half-pack-a-day when I went to Europe in the summer of 2010, but I have yet to exceed that. I never feel good after I smoke either, which is one of the more unusual things that I always notice, yet I still continue to do so. When I took my Major League Baseball road trip this last summer after my time in the MLB Fan Cave I was able to make it to three Tampa Bay Rays games while I was in Florida. Tampa is a haven for smoking, cigars mostly, and Tropicana Field is one if the few places I’ve been equipped with a smoking bar. Little did I know that the smoking bar was for cigar smokers only, something I found to be incredibly funny. But with that, anytime I felt the need to light up during the game I made my way to the deck just outside the smoking bar to get a good puff in while raindrops trickled down on my head.

It was during this trip to Florida that I met the love of my life, my girlfriend Angie Kinderman (@sconnieangie), a soon-to-graduate student at Nova Southeastern University in the physician’s assistant program. In the near 10 months that we’ve been together, and with her extensive medical background, Angie has been asking me to quit for the sake of me being around longer to share time with her. Deep down I want this too, but I could never get myself to break the habit until now.

Angie means the world to me and the last thing I want to do is burn out because of a continuous mistake that I’ve made for nearly half of my life thus far. Losing someone I loved is what really aided the process, but gaining someone I love will help end it. I have many more years of baseball to watch and enjoy with my sweetie. I would much rather do it with a healthy set of vital organs.

I picked this cap up a few weeks ago, and I really lucked out too. I had only seen this cap for sale once on the MLB.com shop Web site and all they had left were 7s and 6 7/8s. I had pretty much given up hope until I decided to peruse the Lids clearance section on their Web site. Sure enough, a few hats in and they hat it… on sale… AND IN MY SIZE NO LESS! I threw that, my Indianapolis Indians cap and an A.J. Pierzynski Chicago White Sox Player-T in my cart and checked out. For those of you who don’t know how hard it was to find, all I can say is that they only made it for one season: 2011. That’s right, and somehow there were still a few lying around the Lids warehouse in Indianapolis waiting for me to find it. Tight!

Now, to clear a few things up and why I spent most of this story thus far talking about smoking... This cap is a re-release of the old Tampa Smokers caps from 1951. The original Smokers were a charter franchise of the Florida State League that started play in 1919. The name reflected the importance of the cigar industry to the Tampa area. These Tampa Smokers moved to the Southeastern League in 1929 and officially ceased operations along with the league after the 1930 season. In 1932, the Smokers played in the short-lived West Coast Baseball League, but disbanded again when the league collapsed after a single season. The name was revived professionally for a final time in 1946, when the Tampa Smokers became a charter member of the Florida International League, a Class C league that was notable for fielding a team in Havana, Cuba. In 1952 this incarnation of the Tampa Smokers became one of the first three racially integrated teams in Florida, fielding black player Claro Duany. These Smokers folded along with the Florida International League after the 1954 season. The importance of the cigar industry to Tampa's economy had waned by the 1950s. When minor league baseball returned to the city in 1957, the new team was called the Tampa Tarpons.

On July 2, 2011 the Rays donned the Smokers uniforms as they took the field against the St. Louis Cardinals as part of their throwback days; however, the Rays made one key alteration in the uniform. This is what the original jersey looks like.

This is what they wore.

Do you see it? Despite the team name and the heritage of the team the Rays and MLB elected to remove the cigar logo from the front of the chest for a “slightly more contemporary version” for today’s crowds. In others words, NO SMOKING! This is a move that MLB pulled off last season as well with the Houston Astros when they wore their Colt .45s jerseys without the guns. It’s a move, in my eyes, which makes no sense as the team name itself signifies these removed objects, but more importantly the entire history and culture behind their names and logos no longer have any relevance. Basically, if you’re going to go old school, be sure to keep it as such. We don’t want another Washington Bullets to the Washington Wizards fiasco on our hands.

When it came to the marking up of the cap there was only one name that came to mind; however, his time with the Smokers was brief, so I needed to expand upon the history a little bit. I think y’all will agree.

#AL- Funny that it came out as “AL,” since it is his first name, but I assure you it’s his first and last initials. Al Lopez was the son of immigrants from Asturias, Spain who went to Cuba, then settled the Spanish-Cuban-Italian immigrant community of Ybor City, Tampa, Florida in the late 1880s. He was born in Ybor City. The cigar industry was most important in Tampa at the time, and Lopez's father, Modesto Lopez, worked in a cigar factory. Lopez visited his father's workplace as a child and "hated" the smell of tobacco that permeated the factory building. "I vowed never to work in one," he said later. Modesto died of throat cancer when Al was a young child. On May 16, 2013, his boyhood home is being moved to 19th Street and 9th Avenue in Tampa, where it will become the Tampa Baseball Museum.

After a boyhood spent playing baseball whenever possible, his professional career began in 1924 at the age of 16, when he quit school and signed on as a catcher with the Class-D Tampa Smokers. His starting salary was $150 per month. While with the Smokers, he impressed pitcher Walter Johnson with his abilities during a winter barnstorming exhibition game and was soon moving up in the minor leagues. He hit .293 in 167 games with the Smokers.

Lopez broke into the major leagues in 1928 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became their starting catcher in 1930. Over a career which ran until 1947, he played for the Dodgers (1928, 1930-1935), Boston Bees (1936-1940), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940-1946) and Cleveland Indians (1947). His best offensive season was 1933, when he hit .301, stole 10 bases, and finished 10th in National League MVP voting. Overall, he compiled modest batting numbers, including 613 runs, 51 home runs, and 652 RBI and a .261 batting average. He was better known for his defense and his ability to handle pitchers, which earned him two trips to the All-Star game and respect around the league. In 1945, he surpassed Gabby Hartnett's major league record for career games as a catcher, and when he retired after the 1947 season, his major league record for games caught stood at 1918. This record was not broken until 1987 by Bob Boone, and the National League record was broken by Gary Carter in 1990.

As the first Tampa native and one of the first Hispanic-Americans to play in the major leagues, Lopez was already well-respected and celebrated in his hometown, especially among the city's Latin community. When he was named manager of the Indians in 1951, Tampa honored him with a parade. Under Lopez, the Indians won over 90 games from 1951 to 1953 but came in second place to the New York Yankees each season. In 1954, the team won a then American League record 111 games to capture the AL pennant but were upset by the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series. In 1955 and 1956, Lopez's squads again finished second to the Yankees. Lopez was "incensed" that Cleveland fans repeatedly booed Indian's third-baseman Al Rosen during the stretch run of 1956 season and felt that team management did not properly support his injured player. Consequently, he resigned at the end of the season, and agreed to manage the White Sox a month later.

Lopez enjoyed similar success in Chicago, as his new team finished in 2nd place to the Yankees in 1957 and 1958. His "Go Go White Sox" team finally broke through and won the American League pennant in 1959. He stayed with the team until 1965, finishing in second place five times and never posting fewer than 82 victories.

When the city of Tampa built a new minor league and spring training ballpark for the White Sox in 1954, it was named Al Lopez Field in his honor. Later in life, Lopez would recall a spring training incident in which an umpire with whom he was arguing threatened to throw him out of a game there. "You can't throw me out of this ballpark," protested Lopez, "This is my ballpark - Al Lopez Field!" The umpire ejected him anyway, causing Lopez to exclaim, "He threw me out of my own ballpark!"

Lopez retired to the White Sox front office after the 1965 season, but returned to manage parts of the 1968 and 1969 seasons after manager Eddie Stanky was fired. When Lopez retired for good due to health concerns in May 1969, his 1,410 wins ranked 11th all-time, and he never had a losing record in 15 seasons as a big league manager. His 1954 Indians and 1959 White Sox were the only non-Yankee clubs to win the AL pennant between 1949 and 1964 inclusive. His 840 wins with the White Sox still rank second in franchise history, behind Jimmy Dykes (899).

Lopez was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 by the Veterans Committee along with Joe Sewell and Amos Rusie. Ernie Banks was the only player that year to be elected in by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Lopez returned to Tampa upon retirement. As the first major league player and manager from the community, he was often mentioned as an inspiration by other baseball figures from the area and was considered one of Tampa's "legends" and most honored citizens.

When aging Al Lopez Field was razed in 1989, Horizon Park, a city park a few blocks north of the old ballpark site, was renamed Al Lopez Park and a statue of him was dedicated there. As a renowned alumnus, the athletic center at Jesuit High School, which is located across the street from Al Lopez Park, was also dedicated to him. And when the Tampa Bay area finally gained its own major league franchise in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Lopez was asked to throw the ceremonial first pitch before their inaugural game.

Lopez died in Tampa at the age of 97 just four days after the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, their first championship in 88 years and their first pennant-winning season since Lopez led them to the World Series in 1959. He had been hospitalized for a heart attack, suffered two days earlier at his son's home. At the time of his death, Lopez was the last living person who had played major league baseball during the 1920s and is the longest-lived member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

#11- Remember that throwback game I mentioned that was played on July 2? Well, if there was a Player of the Game award for that particular game it probably would have gone to then-first baseman Casey Kotchman. The Rays beat the Cardinals that day by the score of 5-1, mostly thank in part to Kotchman’s 2-4 day at the plate including three RBI. The same could be said for outfielder Justin Ruggiano who also went 2-4 with a home run and two RBI. And the came could also be said of Johnny Damon who went 4-4 on the day with all singles and no RBI.

The fact of the matter is that in the case of Damon, singles are only good for strip clubs if there isn’t a return on the scoring. As for Kotchman and Ruggiano… in the bottom of sixth inning the Rays were down 1-0. The bases were loaded for Kotchman as Kyle McKlellan gave him a sweet pitch to hit which he smacked for a base-clearing double. Ruggiano batted next and tagged his fourth home run of the season. Since the score ended 5-1, it’s fair to say that Kotchman’s offensive production is what really turned the tide in the game. And for that, he earned a spot on the Smokers cap. Boom!

April 21- Tampa Bay Rays

Today was a rather frustrating day. My Oakland Athletics unfortunately bit the dust against the Tampa Bay Rays for the third consecutive game at Tropicana Field; but overall, I was just happy to be there with my girlfriend Angie Kinderman (@sconnieangie) sitting by my side. For the first two games we walked hand-in-hand to the stadium from our hotel which sat about a mile or so away. In the seven months we’ve been together I still enjoy every second that I get just milling about, holding her hand and talking about nothingness that only matters to the two of us. As we got to the stadium we toured around the inside, seeing if there was anything of note to stop and look at. I had been to the Trop for a few games the previous season and knew what to expect; however, Angie hadn’t. I’ve always been a fan of getting to the games as the doors open to watch batting practice, but not for the reasons why most fans go. There’s an undying part of me that loves to analyze a team during times of practice. It helps me get a sense of how the tone and team mentality will affect that day’s game. Due to the fact that it was a road series for the A’s we were able to see them at work, forgetting about all of the little exhibits going on around the stadium. Every few minutes or so I asked Angie if she wanted to go check anything out. She kept saying no and that she was enjoying watching me react and talking to her about everything that was going on. Most people I know don’t really care for my in-depth knowledge of the game, but then again, most people I know aren’t exactly baseball fans. Angie is, and I love her deeply for her passion and willingness to learn more about it; however, being a good partner also means sacrificing one’s needs for another, and I didn’t want to neglect her from getting the full experience of the stadium.

One of the key things that any fan should check out is the Rays Touch Tank which sits in center field. I realize that anyone can go to Sea World or any other aquatic park to see the same thing, but there’s just something cool about actually having a display or show in honor of the mascot. While I agree that it would be kind of odd to have a touch tank for another other mascot in the league (Diamondbacks snake pit for example), just try to keep an open mind with this one because how often does one get to see any variety of sting ray in person? Anyway, Angie and I had been talking about it for the first two games, but she didn’t have a problem waiting until the final game of the series to go check it out. Once again, we got there as soon as the gates opened; however, unlike the first two games there was a massive crowd on account that it was a bobblehead day for Rays starting pitcher David Price’s dog Astro. Weird, I know. As we got in there was all ready a bit of a line forming, but it was only a 20 minute wait so no big deal. As we got to the top of the stairs one of the employees for the Rays served as the host and told everybody about the dos and don’ts about touching and feeding the rays. All vital information as to not have your hand gummed off. The host kept asking me if I ever played baseball, to which I said yes, but never professionally; which is true as I played halfway through high school before my accident. After the tutorial we headed in.

Angie had told me she worked with sting rays before, so most of what she should and shouldn’t do was old news to her. As the rays swam by she lowered he hand in to pet them. It was hands down one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen and captured on film.

I realize this is going to get me a stern talking to from her, but I don’t care. In that moment she reminded me of a little kid, full of wonder. I’m pretty sure she felt the same way about me as I try to pet them, and especially after three came surfacing at one time to seemingly bite my hand off. I don’t flinch often (ask David Price), but that time got me. We snapped the photo of me wearing the Rays hat before we bounced and we headed down to our seats to chill out before game time and talk about baseball. No matter how obscure and trivial our little moments and adventures seem, there’s no one I would rather spend my days doing those things with.

I picked this cap up off of the MLB.com Web site a few weeks ago, along with a slew of the 2012 Stars & Stripes caps. I’ve always been a big fan of themed team caps; however, not a lot of teams seem to do them anymore. This one in particular was one that I saw on a few other Web sites for months last season, but I never could bring myself to picking it up even though the color made it look awesome. My biggest complaint was that I thought it was a custom cap at the time. What I later came to realize is that it was the hat they wore it for one game last season on Earth Day; something I’m not sure how the hell I missed considering that I was in the MLB Fan Cave watching the game the day they were wearing it. Which only goes to prove, with as much as I do know about the history and numbers of baseball, there are still a lot of things I don’t know and/or pay close enough attention to. The date I marked on my cap is for that game as a constant reminder; however, there is another important bit of information that I totally screwed up on and wish I had marked on this cap instead.

4/22/12- The Rays are one of the few teams in MLB who celebrates Earth Day regularly. One of the important things they did was unveil the current version of the Rays Touch Tank, hence why I took the photo of me there. In most of the cases of the photos of me wearing the hat I always try to act out a face or pose or be in a location that has to do with the story and markings of or on the hat, just in case I had never clarified that. Anyway, one of the main purposes for the Touch Tank is to create awareness for the Florida Aquarium which is located in Tampa. I point this out because the Rays actually play in St. Petersburg in case you also didn’t know that. The other thing the Rays did for the promotion was for every bat broken during the game the Rays would plant an oyster ball. Now, I’m not sure what an oyster ball is, and every time I looked it up it kept referring me to Rocky Mountain Oysters (cow testicles). So if someone can help me with this one, it would be much appreciated.

Another important thing that should be known about the touch tank is that it also helps raise money for various charities in the Tampa Bay area. Proceeds from the sale of "ray food" (literally food you can buy to feed the rays) goes to the Florida Aquarium and the team's charitable foundation. Additionally, for every ball hit into the tank during a game by a Rays player, the Rays will donate $5,000 to charity with $2,500 going to the Florida Aquarium and $2,500 going to that player's charity of choice. It should be noted that the Rays, in their now 15-year existence have never knocked one in the tank during a game; however… only one time has it ever actually happened by an opposing player.

I must first note that you should scroll back up to look at the picture of Angie that I posted because it actually plays a huge role in the rest of this story. As some of you may know I love to write, but very few people also know that I love to take photos; the weirder and funnier, the better. At times I can actually take amazing photos if I want to, but in most cases I take them as quickly as possible to post as I have always been taught that the “in the moment” photos are key to being a photo journalist. The photo of Angie was taken quickly and she didn’t have a clue until I posted it on Instagram, which I also connect to my Twitter and Facebook account. I use the same user name as my Twitter handle (shakabrodie) and have quite a few MLB players following me (not bragging, it helps the story letting you know). One of my followers is current Chicago Cubs pitcher Edwin Jackson. Jackson and I became chummy when he visited the Fan Cave last season while he was with the Washington Nationals. Once I got an Instagram account (after the Fan Cave) he and I started following each other and occasionally message each other on our photos. The thing about this photo is that he reminded me of this (sorry Edwin!)…

On June 24, 2007 the Los Angeles Dodgers visited Tampa for an interleague series versus the then Devil Rays. With Jackson on the mound for the Devil Rays, Dodgers outfielder Luis Gonzalez tagged the one and only game-time home run into the Touch Tank in the first inning with Rafael Furcal on base and two outs. Here’s a video with a very “X-Files”-esque soundtrack for some strange reason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8-Q0BQrCwU

With that, I probably should have marked my cap up with that date; however, I felt that was more of a Dodgers accomplishment so I nixed it. I still wanted to tell you the story though because it’s one of those weird moments that seems like it occurred more often than it turns out. I also want to apologize to Edwin again based on what my response was to his.

Oh, and because I didn't mention it above, the Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on 4/22/12.

UPDATE

For those of you who may have missed it (myself included), Detroit Tigers third baseman, and reigning American League MVP, Miguel Cabrera socked his 25th home run of the 2013 season off of Jeremy Hellickon at The Trop on 6/30/13. Where did it land? In the Rays Touch Tank. Cabrera became only the second player in MLB history to achieve the feat during a game. Here's the video in case you missed it: Splash!!! The other thing that I need to point out is that Angie, not me, was the first person to point this out. Not really sure how I missed hearing about it; nonetheless, I don't know what I'd do without this wonderful, baseball-loving woman by my side.

UPDATE #2

I can't believe this happened while I was watching it, as opposed to catching a clip of it on YouTube or ESPN, but Rays catcher Jose Lobaton just became: the first Rays player, third person ever, only person to do it in the postseason and the only person to knock a walk-off shot into the Rays tank on 10/7/13 off of Koji Uehara of the Boston Red Sox. Uehara, you know, the guy who had only given up nine earned runs in 75 appearances prior to that moment. Splash!!! Crazy!!!

UPDATE #3

5/27/15: Today I was stuck at work, and unfortunately I missed out on Nelson Cruz becoming the fourth player in MLB history to knock a baseball into the Touch Tank. In typical Cruz fashion, dude pal came up clutch when his team needed a dinger the most. In the top of the ninth inning Rays' reliever Brad Boxberger came in after starter Chris Archer pitched eight innings of spectacular baseball. Boxberger punched out the first two batters (Mike Zunino and Austin Jackson) and then proceeded to walk Seth Smith and Robinson Cano. With two on and two outs, Cruz proceeded to bring the rain to an unsuspecting group of manta rays. Splash!!! The Rays would not have an answer in the bottom of the inning and the Seattle Mariners went on to win 3-0. Easily the best part of that moment was hearing Root Sports Northwest commentator, Aaron Goldsmith, belt out one of the greatest sound bytes of the last decade, "We've got a floater here in Tampa!" Well done Cruz! And well done Aaron.

March 23- Durham Bulls

I think the first time I ever watched “Bull Durham” was around the time I was 12. For years I had shied away from watching it primarily because of the cover. My mom had bought it on VHS around the time I was eight or nine years old. I was curious about it because I had seen “Field of Dreams” and assumed that any baseball movie with Kevin Costner was probably going to be pretty good. At the same time I didn’t like girls, and seeing Susan Sarandon on the cover just didn’t do it for me. I should also point out that seeing Tim Robbins in his underwear and tied up to a bed on the back of the tape jacket didn’t exactly scream “Watch me!!!” So, it sat and collected dust. If I can recall correctly the first time I saw any scenes from it was while it was on during the summer on Comedy Central. There were a few good scenes and a lot of funny lines, but I could also tell that they were edited and censored. I knew that the next time I visited my mom I had to watch it. And the rest is history.

Not only is “Bull Durham” one of the greatest baseball films of all time, but it’s probably one of the Top 3 most quoted. Not a season goes by where I don’t use the term lollygagger. I think the time in my life when this movie held true to its authenticity in the day-to-day routines of professional ball players came in 1999 and 2000 when I was doing my bat boy duties for the Bakersfield Blaze. Whether it was in the clubhouse or on the field at least one of the guys from the team would spout off some sort of reference to the film; most of the time having to do with fungus growing on the floor of the shower and how shower shoes were a necessity. If not that, then it was the unremitting use of the word meat in reference to an up-and-coming pitcher. Yeeeeeep, those were the good old days, but who am I kidding? Those days never really ended for me. Every year I venture out to as many Minor League games I can get it in, and no matter what the level is I can tell who has seen the film and who hasn’t. It’s almost become a right of passage for anyone who decides to cleat up and make a go at it professional.

I think one thing that I’ve found very intriguing about this hat is that it was truly made famous by the film. While the Durham Bulls were a real club as early as 1902, it was the A-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1980-1997 that became iconic because of the film which came out in 1988. This hat was first introduce for the 1986 season, a year before filming began, and it is still used today in the form of a navy blue style for batting practice and a two front white paneled version for home games. Because of the success and nostalgia of the film, any thoughts for changing things up have pretty much gone out the window. As far as any notables from the 1986 squad are concerned, there were a few: Jeff Blauser, Ron Gant, Chris Cron and David Justice. In 1998 the original Bulls were relocated to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and became the Pelicans. The current Bulls squad is a new team that has been the AAA franchise of the Tampa Bay Rays who also come into the league the same year

As far as marking this hat is concerned; there were two numbers I couldn’t pass up.

#8- I read a review once which said that Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Crash Davis was the worst character of all three of his baseball films. That critic can go to hell. Crash Davis could not have been more perfect of a character by any other actor… except maybe Timothy Olyphant if there is a remake, but I hope there isn’t; just throwing that out there. Anyway, Crash was the kind of wily veteran figure that any ball club needs at any level. He knows the game, he knows what kind of talent he’s working with, and most importantly he knows how to get the girl in the end… even if she is sloppy seconds. True story. Aside from calling a good came, Crash can still hit. I mean, the guy held the record for most career Minor League home runs at 247, at which he subsequently retired after his final long fly with the Ashville Tourists near the end of the film. The real record is actually held by Mike Hessman who is currently still playing ball in the Cincinnati Reds organization, but that post is upcoming. Crash knew how to deal with the media; he knew how to handle his pitchers even if that meant giving up a home run or two to get them to focus. Yes, Crash Davis is a true man for all seasons if you will; however, there was one thing in the film that has bothered me for years. This…

As you can see the #20 is affixed to Crash’s catcher helmet; however, he has the #8 on the back of his jersey. One of two things can be taken from this.

1. A blatant continuity error that only some film and hat aficionado like myself would notice.

2. Because it’s A-level ball; the equipment gets recycled year-after-year.

To be honest, I mostly buy into option two, but, I’m still keeping an eye on the situation.

#37- Tim Robbins did a wonderful job at playing the young, but mentally absent phenom Ebby Calvin LaLoosh. I’ve been around a number of guys like him in my lifetime. You know, the guy who KNOWS he’s going to be a star and can bed any woman he pleases. I’m not going to name names, but yaaaaaaaahhhh. At the beginning of the film LaLoosh was a hit or miss kind of pitcher. He struck out as many as he walked, but all the kid needed was a bit of guidance to help correct his wild ways on and off the filed. Enter Crash Davis. Like most relationships the bond that Crash and Nuke shared was tumultuous at first, but as games went by the two become familiar with one another, comfortable. Nuke matured in front of our eyes with additional assistance from Annie Savoy played by Sarandon. Not only was she able to get him to breathe through his eyelids like the lava lizards of the Galapagos (and Fernando Valenzuela), she was also able to help him relax on the field and hone in on his pitches while wearing this…

The one thing that I’ve always found most intriguing about this movie is that while baseball is the overwhelming topic of discussion, the real story that’s going on is a family’s love. Despite the fact that Nuke and Annie were obviously banging each other, what really going on is that Nuke is really trying to get that sort of female attention he never really received in life. Proof of this comes when Nuke introduces Annie to her father when his losing streak comes to an end. While we don’t get to know much about him, it’s pretty obvious that Nuke comes from a one parent home and that his father did the best to raise him with the game of baseball. Crash’s role is the sterner role of the father that Nuke never received. While his actual father obviously supports what Nuke wants to pursue for a career, he doesn’t know how to discipline him on the field. Crash knows how to control him and get him to a Major League caliber level. This is why, in the end, when Nuke finally makes the Show Annie is saddened by the news. Year after year she had a new player to entertain and have fun with, but this is the first time she truly feels lonely after he leaves. Crash and Annie were always flirtatious, but while Crash wanted her to commit to just him, she didn’t know or understand how to do that. Now that Nuke (essentially their kid) is all grown up, they can finally be together.

I may or may not have written a paper on this subject, but that was the Cliff’s Notes version. This film is important to anyone who has ever picked up a ball or merely watched from afar. It’s funny, it’s quirky, it’s romantic, and it’s all the things that make baseball so special.  

March 20- Australia World Baseball Classic

My story starts in New York City on August 22nd in front of the New Era Flagship Store, smoking the last bit of a cigarette. It had been two and a half months since I had been let go from the MLB Fan Cave, yet I was standing across the street from it tapping into their Wi-Fi network as the password was still locked into my phone. It was a little after 10 AM EST and it was the first chance I had to look at what was going on in the social media world; very little from what I can remember. At the moment when I threw my cigarette out Antoine, the store manager, happened to be walking up to pay a visit to the store. We said our hellos, asked how each of us was doing, as it turned out he was just promoted within the company to start to more social media based work. I congratulated him and he told me to keep things positive, that something would come along soon for my future. He then asked if I had seen the new World Baseball Classic hats to which I asked if hey had them in the store. He said yes and I immediately followed him in to take a peek.

They had all of them there, as they had just been released about a day or two prior to my visit. My purpose for my visit actually relied more heavily on a particular Texas Rangers hat that had been discontinued, but which they still had a few left in stock. Needless to say, my 3000 miles journey back was met with equal disappointment on account of them not having my size. However, I did walk out of there with two new hats, but for the life of me I can’t remember which ones I picked up. What I can tell you is that this Australian National Team cap was starring me down the second I walked through the door. I mean, look at it. It’s green and gold and has a big “A” with stars for the logo. Clearly it was fate, and I needed to own that hat… but for some reason, that too also didn’t leave in a nicely packaged New Era bag. That one would have to wait.

Between that day and August 27^th I made my way to Boston, Massachusetts for a third time before moving on to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the next leg of my trip. I got into Pittsburgh on the 25^th and rented a car for the next couple of days. I had been in correspondence with a few good people from the New Era head office in Buffalo, New York about taking a tour and they agreed to let me come by on the 28^th. Buffalo was only three and half hours away from Pittsburgh to the northeast so I figured it was no big deal. Unfortunately, Cleveland, Ohio was also three and a half hours away from Pittsburgh to the northwest and I had to be there on the 27^th for when the Oakland Athletics took on the Cleveland Indians. So in essence Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo made this very nice equilateral triangle. Feeling good, and very well rested, I didn’t see any foreseeable problems with this plan of going from one place to the other. Yaaaaaaahhhhh…

On the morning of the 27^th I left Pittsburgh around 10 o’clock in the morning. The game wasn’t until 7 PM so I figured I would kill time by checking out the sites and the Rock and Roll Museum about a mile away from the stadium. I got into Cleveland around 2 PM in the midst of a vicious storm. For a moment I remember being really angry that the game would be rained out, but I hadn’t gotten any reports to prove this. Starving, I went and got a sandwich at Subway before heading over and killing time at the Rock and Roll Museum. It was pretty awesome. They don’t let you take photos inside, but it was pretty rad nonetheless. Around 3:45 PM the clouds starting moving out and the rain had stopped. A wave of relief washed over me as I headed back to the car to get a spot closer to The Jake (yes, I realize it’s called Progressive Field now). Around 4 PM they opened the gates and let whomever come through. I think I was one of about 20 total people to be there that early. My excuse was that this was going to be the only game I would attend so I had to get in and take as many photos as possible before the game started. After about 30 minutes of walking around, snapping photos I headed down to the right field wall to take a few more. It’s at the time I realized that the A’s were not going to be taking batting practice, but the pitchers were all out on the field doing warm-ups. About halfway down the steps I heard someone yell my name. I looked around and figured there was someone else also named Ben in the area. Nope! Jerry Blevins had spotted me from a solid 60 yards away at which I realized that about 75% of the pitching staff was now waving at me as if they were my parent who had just dropped me off to school. I of course waved back, some greetings were yelled and that was all I really thought of it. About 20 minutes later Blevins, Ryan Cook, Travis Blackley and Sean Doolittle all came over to the bullpen and called me over. One-by-one each of them shook my hand and told me it was a pleasure to meet me. It was kind of an odd feeling at first as it had been quite some time, excluding the Fan Cave, since anyone within the professional sports realm had opened up and talked to me like a normal person. For years I had been on the journalistic side; always asking questions about their job, not really getting to know them on a normal plane as I always smart enough to discern between one atmosphere and the other. But today… today was the day when jobs and titles didn’t matter. Today was the day when grown men forgot about the barrier and took time to be kind, thoughtful to one another.

Flashback: Travis had been following me on Twitter since the day after I Got kicked out of the Fan Cave. Eddie Mata and I were at Chase Field about to catch the New York Mets versus the Philadelphia Phillies when I checked my Twitter account while we were in line for a pastrami sandwich. Several executives and employees of Major League Baseball that day, and every one of them came up to Eddie and me asking why we were there. It was an interesting lesson in how news does not travel well within the confines of the offices of MLB despite the fact that the entire internet knew we had been given the axe. Anyway, I was checking my Twitter activity when I noticed that Travis had started following me on Twitter. I remember thinking, “Bullshiiiiiiiit, this is probably a fake account.” When I saw the little blue checkmark next his name I was honestly taken aback. Not necessarily because he was following me, but mostly because I felt like a jerk for not following him in the first place. Oops!

Back to Reality: So Travis came over and introduced himself to me and thanked me for everything I had done to support the team. I thanked him back to the tune of I think, “thanks for being an all-around badass yourself,” which is totally something that I would say. A few kids came over and asked for autographs and we continued our conversation. I don’t think we talked about baseball at all beyond those first two sentences, which is a habit of mine I developed from all of my time working with the Bakersfield Blaze: if a player wants to talk about their job, or if you’re job is to talk about baseball with said players, do it; if not, talk about something else. This is a philosophy I have maintained for the better part of the last 13 years (damn, has it really been that long?) as well as during my time in the Fan Cave. (Even though it was our “job” to talk about baseball with the players we met, I never did. There are way more important things to talk about than work, and with that, all of the guys opened up to me, and confided in me. I will never violate that trust.) So, we kept our conversation about tattoos. Shocker, right? We chatted for about five minutes and parted ways on a solid note. After all, he actually did have a job to do.

The A’s won the game that night 3-0 behind a marvelous pitching performance from Brett Anderson and a save from Grant Balfour. One thing of note is that this game was certainly not the first, nor the last time I did Balfour Rage on the road, and especially without the accompaniment of music. It was weird to say the least. 

After the game I went out for a few drinks with some of the guys, but that part of the story will have to wait until later. The only part that you need to know is that I had a three and a half hour journey ahead of me back to Pittsburgh, only to have to do the same trip in the morning to Buffalo to be there by 1 PM for my New Era tour. Not the one to drive drunk, I decided to sleep it off in my car until I was good enough to drive back. I still can’t remember why I drove back to Pittsburgh, but I did incredibly fast and early in the morning. I got to the hotel around 9 AM, laid down for 20 minutes, got up, showered and got out the door by 9:30. Somehow I made it to New Era headquarters with 15 minutes to spare. I’m still baffled by that.

Now, back on January 5^th I had actually written about my visit to New Era HQ when I wrote about my Tucson Padres hat. There will come a time when I write about my visit in more detail, but that, and my nights in Cleveland will have to wait until I write about the A’s road hat. This hat, like the Padres hat, was starring me down even harder than when I ran across it at the Flagship Store. Not being the kind of guy who makes the same mistake twice, I of course picked it up without much of a struggle. When I walked out of the shop I checked my phone for the time: 2:45 PM. Jonny Gomes had left me tickets for that night’s game and I had yet another three and a half hour trip ahead of me. While that story will have to wait, what I can tell you is that I immediately marked this guy up and took an immediate photo to post before I headed west back to Cleveland. This one…

I think there will be little to no argument on my markings of choice.

#54- Travis is hands down one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met, and more importantly, one of the greatest guys I can consider a confidant throughout this whole life changing experience from 2012. I remember watching his early days with the Seattle Mariners back in 2004 at Safeco Field. Unfortunately both games I happened to attend were both games against the A’s. All I’ll say is that neither of them ended well, but I could tell by the amount of games he was getting, as well as how far apart they were, that he definitely had the stuff for a decent career. The biggest problem was that the Mariners didn’t know how to utilize him. A shoulder injury kept him out for the 2005 season, as well as the World Baseball Classic that season in 2006. Travis again resurfaced for two games in 2007 with the San Francisco Giants before bouncing around over the next four years including his 2009 WBC campaign in which he earned a no decision against Cuba, as well as spending the Australian summer of 2010 (December-March) playing for the Melbourne Aces and 2011 with the KIA Tigers in the Korean League. On February 16, 2012 Travis was signed to a Minor League deal by the San Francisco Giants which was picked up and allowed him to make four appearances after May 1. I remember his first outing well because Ashley Chavez and I talked about how much of a badass he is throughout his first game back. On May 13^th he was designated for assignment… only to have the A’s claim him off of waivers two days later.

This was the moment when I knew that all the great things he was capable of as pitcher would come to light. I realize it’s kind of BS to just say that now, but you should go back and look at my tweets from then if you don’t believe me. As expected, Travis zoned in. During his time with the Giants he had pitched five innings and gave up five earned runs giving him a 9.00 ERA. During his time with the A’s, Travis went 102 2/3 innings in 24 games earning 44 runs to give him a 3.86 ERA. For a guy who most critics left for dead, that’s beyond incredible. The two games I will remember most from Travis came one week apart, both of which were against the Texas Rangers.

The A’s had been slowly chipping away at the AL West division lead for the last two months and this was the time when the A’s were ready to swoop in a steal it out from underneath them. On September 27^th Travis got tagged for five runs in the first inning and the A’s lost the game 9-7. I’ll never forget walking back to the hotel and seeing the apology letter that Travis had posted on his Twitter account after the guy. I DMed him some words of encouragement and he thanked me, but in all seriousness, what the hell did I know about being in that position? I was supposed to fly back to Oregon and drive down for the game on September 1, but was too sick to make the drive. Instead, I watched the A’s clinch a playoff spot from home, crying like a little girl. Not one to wimp out, I rested, woke up early the next morning and bought a few boxes of Voodoo Doughnuts before I raced down to Oakland for the that night’s game. I knew in advance that Travis was pitching that night and my main priority was to get him one of the actual voodoo doll doughnuts to him before he took the field. I got to Oakland a little bit after the gates had opened and bolted down to the field. Lucky for me, AJ Griffin was walking around talking on his phone on the field. I flagged him down and handed both of the boxes I had in my hands. His response was, “of course you give the fat kid the doughnuts.”

I didn’t see Travis before the game, but all I could think was that if he was lights out tonight, he definitely crushed the doughnut. Sure enough, he dominated; to the tune of six innings with one earned run, two walks, three hits and five strikeouts. The A’s won the game and Travis received the W. It wasn’t until the next day when the A’s won their final game that I was able to talk to Travis about the doughnut. When we came out of the clubhouse and into the parking lot he gave me a big hug. His first words were, “I crushed that doughnut 15 minutes before I took the mound.”

That moment meant a lot, mostly for a random bit of kindness he had given me in the middle of September. After my tour of the Midwest I had gotten back to Oregon feeling more exhausted than usual. I was supposed to drive to Anaheim the next morning to catch the A’s play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim the following day, but I was way too sick to make it, so I tweeted to let everyone know. Travis was the first person to hit me up and offered to feed me Thera-Flu if I made it down. Sadly I didn’t, but it was a gesture that went a long way.

#50- I remember sitting in a chair in the Fan Cave, watching a game versus the Kansas City Royals on April 9 when I was first introduced to Balfour Rage. I was completely mesmerized, but laughing my ass off at the same time as the Right Field Bleacher Crew was going absolutely berserk with “One” by Metallica playing the background. It was at that moment, and Bacon Tuesday the following day, that I knew I wanted to be at the Coliseum as soon as I possibly could. Balfour had done well for the A’s in 2011, but served primarily as a late innings relief pitcher that season. Prior to his time in the green and gold he had modest success with the Minnesota Twins from 2001-2004, but didn’t get a lot of innings. In 2005 he was sidelined due to injury, but came back with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 before getting DFAed in July, only to then be dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Seth McClung. He would finish the season out in the bullpen. In 2008 he was DFAed by the Rays after Spring Training, but was called up in May during a series against the Chicago White Sox. He earned a save on 31 May against the White Sox, retiring Brian Anderson to end the game in a Rays 2-0 win. In a series sweep against the Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field, he was credited with two of the three wins - the first on 16 June, relieving Scott Kazmir with the score 1–1 and bases loaded, pitching 1 1/3 perfect innings in a 3–2 win; the second on 18 June, entering the game trailing 1–2, and pitching 1 2/3 innings, recording three strikeouts, in a game the Rays won 8–3. For the rest of season, Balfour was lights out going 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA and as he and the Rays made the World Series for the first time the franchise’s history.

Balfour hung with the Rays until the end of the 2010 season. In 2011 he signed with the A’s and pitched well his first season going 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA. One thing that needs to be pointed out, that very few people know outside of the Coliseum, is that Balfour Rage made its first appearance during that season by Will MacNeil (@RFWill149). Here’s the proof… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIKWfJ22icI&list=UUQtwMGoIXlkY-wLnTUhXvXg&index=24  While it is true that a little bit of it was to do with Balfour’s behavior on the mound to psyche himself up, almost all of it has to do with randomness off the top of Will’s head. And look what it’s become. Glorious!!!

As I mentioned above my Balfour Rage moment was not the first such incident, nor was it the last. I did many of times in the Fan Cave, as well as on the road in Seattle, but the best night came on September 25 against the Rangers in Arlington. Like a lot of road games I had attended I went with someone I had been in regular correspondence with on Twitter. For this game I went with Mike Gonzalez (@TheTxGonzo). 

We hit it off pretty well, smack talking in person and on Twitter the whole game, even made it on CSN Bay Area late in the game…

Like all the road games I had gone to I broke out the Bernie Lean to massive confusion from the crowd. For Balfour Rage, most people had thought I was insane. I gave Mike my phone to take pictures while every starred on.

The first few moments were in absolute silence, but then, for some reason, the guy running the music at the Ballpark in Arlington kicked on “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns n’ Roses. I looked like less of a weirdo, but barely. Balfour closed it out and Mike and I went out for beers. What we didn’t know is that the bar we were invited to was also the bar the players went to after the game. Coincidentally, the only member of the A’s to roll in was Balfour. Not to drink, but to hang out with a few of his friends who had come in from Sydney, Australia. Mike and I on the other hand, knock a few mugs back. At the end of the night Balfour spotted me and yelled across the bar, “What do you want mate!?” At first I shook him off, having all ready had too much, but then I came to my senses and yelled whiskey. Unfortunately, my request was too late as the bar tender had stopped serving. Nonetheless, Balfour came over and chatted it up with us for a bit at which I showed him the photos from the night. He got a good laugh out of it and thanked me for being there to support him and the guys.

Balfour never got an opportunity to play for Team Australia in the WBC in 2009 because of his contract with the Rays nor this season due to injury, but he still deserves the credit for being one hell of a badass for his country.

The last thing I need to comment on is how big Balfour Rage became throughout the season. It came up at #37 on the MLB Network's Best Fan Moments of 2012. I'm just happy that I could have been a part of it throughout the year. Tip of the cap to you Will!

 

February 21- Montgomery Biscuits

It’s not often that complain about starting trends, but with this one I had a little bit of beef. When I started my hat quest back in late 2010 I made sure pick this little guy up first. The Montgomery Biscuits, an AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, came to be at the start of the 2004 season. This particular hat is not of the original specifications. This style is the alternate hat which was released at the start of the 2009 season; however, it is a re-release of the original road cap which was used from 2004-2008 and featured a much lighter shade of blue for the panels. Not light blue, but a darker shade of royal. This one is actually navy blue. Getting back to trend setting though, I used to wear this cap most Thursday and Sunday nights when I bartended at Max’s Tavern in Eugene, Oregon. Much in the same light of people asking about my beard or calling me Brian Wilson, younger guys would always ask me about this hat: What it is, where I got it, etc. As my collection started to build I took this cap out of the rotation as to not overindulge. It was also around this time in May of 2011 that I started noticing this hat on the heads of random customers I had met over the last few months. Needless to say, I was a bit dumbfounded.

If you don’t follow me on Instagram (you should first off) then you probably would know anything about my large assortment of Champion brand NBA jerseys. I’ve been collecting those since I scooped up a rookie Grant Hill Detroit Pistons back in 1995 when I was 12-years-old. From 1995-2000 I practically wore those jerseys every day of my life. 

It became such a regular occurrence that my friends began calling me by whomever’s last name was printed on my back. It was around 2000 that I started noticing another trend within the music world, most specifically in the rap/hip-hop genre. More and more old school NBA jerseys began popping up in music videos, much to my chagrin. While I am totally aware that some white kid from Bakersfield, California more than likely didn’t start that trend, it became a bit of a nuisance when others, who didn’t know me personally, began assuming that I was copying their trend. Many arguments were had, and rather than continue to try to defend myself on a daily basis, I moved on and created a new style.

Going back to May of 2011, all of those feelings I had when I was younger came rushing back as I did not want to be labeled as one of those guys biting another persons’ style, despite the fact that I may have actually created the trend. As time pressed on and my candidacy for the MLB Fan Cave became a reality, I stopped thinking about that issue as much since I was now in front of a national audience.

During my campaign on up through my last day in the Fan Cave I was known as: the New Era guy, the hats guy, the tattoo guy OR the Hats and Tats guy. It was a very interesting distinction as I had never really gotten much of a coin like that since my jersey days, but then again it probably also helped that I used my #HatsandTats hashtag so regularly that my friend Brad Jeffers had come up with back in February of 2012. Either way, it became more of a point of pride. I became an inadvertent spokesperson for New Era, letting people know where to get the hats I had and the meanings behind each of the numbers written on the panels. You know, kind of like what I’ve been doing for the last 52 days. But hey, if I can help sell a few more hats for the guys who make them as a result of this blog, I’m totally cool with that. I just hope I can educate at the same time.

Sorry for the long tangent, back to the hat! In 2006 and 2007 the Biscuits won their division, as well as the Southern League title in both of those years. What was even more surprising is that they did it without the help of ANY future MLB stars. Well, unless you consider Reid Brignac, Justin Ruggiano, Elliot Johnson, Andy Sonnanstine, Jeff Nieman, John Jaso and Evan Longoria stars. Kidding of course.

Since this particular cap did not feature any of those players, I was lucky enough to find a stellar amount of talent since 2008 to mark this bad boy up with.

#15- It’s kind of ridiculous (in a good way) how amazing the general management and scouting crew for the Rays are. Take this guy for example; an original 18^th round pick by the Cleveland Indians in 2005 and later 10^th round pick by the Rays in 2006 who went .316/8/45 and stole 37 bases as a leadoff hitter in 100 games in 2009. That year he won the Southern League MVP without much competition and was the third Biscuits player to do so in a six year time frame. With the loss of B.J. Upton to the Atlanta Braves, there is no doubt that DESMOND JENNINGS will be one of the new leaders and faces of the franchise for years to come.

#18- In 2009 this cat made 11 appearances for the Biscuits, going 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 62 strikeouts. Pretty amazing considering that he averaged just shy of 10 (9.8) strikeouts per nine innings. He made his MLB debut in 2010 and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2011. Not too bad for a fourth round pick in 2005. Well done Jeremy “Hell Boy” Hellickson.

#36- In 2011 this kid drubbed all of Hellickson’s numbers. In 18 games he went 8-3 with a 2.20 ERA and a team leading 131 strikeouts. That’s roughly 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He made his debut in 2011, primarily as a reliever, and was projected to be the Rookie of the Year in 2012. He put up noble numbers: 11-11 with a 3.81 ERA and 175 strikeouts. There is no doubt that Matt Moore has a bright future ahead of him in the Show.