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!

June 7- Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Well, tonight’s post will certainly be interesting on account of the fact that the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s uniform database currently isn’t working. Or, in lieu of my post from last night, perhaps their upset with me for mentioning the fact that some of their listing are incorrect and I’m only receiving an error message on my end. If this is the case, this would indeed be a disturbance. But really, what are the odds of that?

I picked this cap up back in the summer of 2010 off of the Lids Web site as really more of an impulse buy. I ran into a similar problem with a nearly identical Tampa Bay Devil Rays cap which I wrote about on January 8th. By this I mean I bought the cap because it looks cool, more important I thought it was a cap the Devil Rays wore within the first few years they were playing ball circa 1998. Well, I was wrong, just like the post from January. I of course haven’t let it get me down, I still dig it. This cap is actually a hybrid of the 2000 and the 2001 caps. How do I know?

From 1998 through the end of the 2000 season all of the Devil Rays caps had black panels and only in two cases, 1998 and 1999-2000, was the bill of the anything but black. The bills for these other caps were purple and only used for their road caps. In 1998 it featured only the Devil Ray as shown here in post from February 28^th, and for the road cap used from 1999-2000 featuring the logo shown on this cap. The Devil Rays didn’t start using all green caps until the 2001 season, which I’ll get to some time down the road.

Because this is a custom cap there unfortunately isn’t much of a history behind it. However, a cap like this gives me free reign to talk about a few unsung heroes of the first few years of Devil Rays baseball. While a lot of names and faces certainly came and went over the first few years, it still gave a couple of guys more than enough time to make a noticeable impact in the league which aided in them getting picked up by other franchises. Or, as in one of the cases below, Tampa gave him a place to go out on a high note.

#2- In the third round of the 1995 amateur draft the Florida Marlins selected Randy Winn out of Santa Clara University and immediately sent him to the minors to play for the Elmira Pioneers, and intermediate-A squad in the New York-Pennsylvania League. For the next two seasons Winn bounced around between advanced-A with the Brevard County Manatees and the Kane County Cougars before moving on to AA with the Portland Sea Dogs through the end of the 1997 season. With two expansion teams ready to roll for the upcoming 1998 season all that was left for them to do was draft a team. Winn was one of the few players in the Marlins system to find his name on the expansion draft eligibility list. With the 58h overall pick the Devil Rays picked up Winn to fill in one of their outfield spots.

On May 11, 1998 Winn made his major League debut with the Devil Rays as a pinch runner for Paul Sorrento in the Devil Rays’ 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. That season Winn played in 109 games, batting .278 with one home run, 17 RBI and 26 stolen bases. In 1999 and 2000 Winn spent only half of his time at the Major League level, while the other half was spent in AAA with the Durham Bulls. Winn had so-so years with the Devil Rays those two years, but did incredibly well during his run with the Bulls. While he was in Durham he never hit below .330, not to mention he hit for 10 home runs and 70 RBI in the 125 games combined over those two seasons. Despite being in such a crummy situation of coming and going Winn proved that all the effort he put into stepping up his game paid off. In 2001 he played in 128 games and boasted a .273 average with six home runs and 50 RBI. In 2002 Winn took off. That year he made his one and only All-Star Game appearance for his 13-year career by hitting .298 with 181 hits, 17 home runs, 75 RBI and 27 stolen bases. Despite all the good he did for the club that season h was traded away to the Seattle Mariners at season’s end.

#3- If there was ever a name that deserved to be on the list of the greatest baseball names of all-time Quinton McCracken certainly needs to be in the Top-10. McCracken was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 25^th round of the 1992 amateur draft out of Duke University. Not a bad year to be enrolled at Duke either, especially considering they had just won their second and arguably best National Championship in basketball.

McCracken played in the outfield for three seasons in Colorado, averaging .291, three home runs and 38 RBI per season in the 274 total games he played. But, despite his services with the Rockies, McCracken’s name ended up on the same list as Winn’s for the expansion draft as he was selected with the fourth overall pick behind Jeff Suppan.

Playing in a career-high 155 games, McCracken had his best-ever season, batting .292 with 7 home runs, 59 RBI, and was named the Devil Rays first-ever most valuable player. After playing only 40 games in 1999, because of a torn ACL he suffered after getting his foot caught in the padding on the wall during an attempted catch at Tropicana Field, he spent most of 2000 in the minors with AAA Durham. The Devil Rays released him on November 27, 2000, and he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on December 22, he was released in spring training. On April 13, 2001, McCracken signed with the Minnesota Twins. He again spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he batted .338 for Edmonton.

#33- The number is pretty obvious, but the how he got there and the results of him leaving are merely small chapters in the Major League Baseball career of Jose Canseco. Despite a great 1998 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays where he hit 46 home runs and stole 29 bases, the most since the 40 he stole in 1988, he was signed by the Devil Rays right before the 1999 season. That year he hit .279 with 34 home runs and 95 RBI in only 114 games. He made his sixth and final All-Star Game appearance that year, but had his seasoned shortened due to intense back pain he was suffering. Nonetheless, he still had one hell of a “quiet” year.

In 2000 Canseco got off to a poor start. He was batting .257 with two home runs which led the Devil Rays to waiving him after 61 games that year. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees in August 2000, which caught many, including Yankee manager Joe Torre off guard, as the Yankees had four other players who fulfilled a similar role to Canseco. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made the claim to prevent the Blue Jays, who were in a close race with the Yankees, from acquiring Canseco. He made one appearance in the 2000 World Series against the New York Mets and earned his second World Series ring when they defeated the Mets in five games. Despite this achievement Canseco later called his Yankees tenure "the worst time of [his] life" due to receiving limited playing time.

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.

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.

January 8- Tampa Bay Devil Rays

My internal research skills let me down when I had purchased this hat. By that I mean I picked this hat up under the impression that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had actually used this hat on the field for at least a season. Sadly, this was not the case.

The reality is that this hat is a combination of a few different styles of Devil Rays hats used from their sophomore season in 1999 through the end of the 2005 season. The first clue is the logo of the upward angled Devil Ray and “TB.” This particular logo was used from 1999-2000, and only used on the all-black home cap and a purple-billed road cap. The green bill wasn’t introduced until the 2005 season as the alternate hat, along with a completely different logo featuring the leveled out “TB” and Devil Ray logo. (I’ll be posting that hat in the future. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed after making these discoveries, but… it’s still a pretty sweet hat so I decided to have a little bit of fun with marking it.

I went through all the rosters dating back to their inaugural year in 1998 and came up with a few names and numbers. There were a few games, but a lot of the guys I pulled were worthy of being on a game style cap: Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Randy Winn, Aubrey Huff, Greg Vaughn, etc. But then again, there were two names/numbers that popped out...

#13- Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “13? Isn’t that Carl Crawford?” It sure is, but there was another guy who wore it for one year during the 2000 season… Ozzie Guillen. That’s right, the former Rookie of the Year from 1985, long time White Sox shortstop and manager of the 2005 White Sox squad spent his final 63 games as a player with the Devil Rays. And yes, 63 games, which is 43 games less than Felix Martinez. Who is Felix Martinez you ask? Exactly.

#35, in some ways, is a bit more obscure, but not for those who pay attention to top prospects. In 2007 the Devil Rays brought up a young, talented and very troubled outfielder by the name of Elijah Dukes. He only played 52 games for the Rays, but hit a home run in his first major league at-bat off of Carl Pavano in the 5^th inning. He went on to hit his second career home run the following game. Dukes was then traded to the Nationals at the end of the season where he managed two more years as his bat went cold and knee problems hampered him. The end of the 2009 season was the last time Dukes appeared in a major league game.

Like with all of my hats, the small numbers I throw on all have interesting stories behind them. It all really depends on whether or not you want to take the time to do the research.