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2019 All-Star Game San Francisco Giants cap - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

Welcome to the first blog of the 2020 baseball season! There were many bumps on the road up to this point but I’m hopeful the league and its teams continue to be dynamic in solving the new challenges it faces as they arise. There's plenty else to talk about besides this rollout but I'll get to all that after we get through some "story time" on this week's cap.

Last week's 2007 All- Star Game Los Angeles Dodgers cap was the first––and likely last––time I'll post a LA Dodgers hat on this blog but featuring such an adversity-laden combination of a hat was too strong an urge to resist and now to restore harmony, I feel compelled to showcase a SF Giants cap.

To that point, this week's hat is the 2019 variant worn by Will Smith who, as the sole Giants representative in that game, gave up a home-run to Joey Gallo and then got Francisco Lindor to ground out to end the eighth inning. Just one example why 2019 was a terrible year for the Giants. This hat only deserves one star, to be honest.
The guitar on the 2019 patch is a welcomed nod to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland. Also, each cap features a patch matching that team's colorway which is great because now I don't have to have a red or blue patch on my beautiful orange and black cap.

The piping here features just the right combination of subtlety and uniqueness.
One thing I see MLB doing right is creating awareness for social justice causes. I think the Yankees and Nationals joining together in a moving pregame ceremony before Thursday’s season opener at Nationals Park was the right thing to do and was happy to see the Giants and the Dodgers following in those steps as a part of their pregame ceremony.

I am hopeful that these on-field displays continue throughout the season because I believe MLB fans––and sports fans in general––are in need of a serious tune-up in terms of recognizing racism and the steps necessary to overcome it in daily life. 

I've noticed a larger than expected number of hat enthusiasts on social media expressing displeasure over Cleveland's retirement of Chief Wahoo from their marketing materials and memorabilia. To me, that's an abhorrent mindset and one that needs to change immediately.

Despite my affinity for nostalgia, one thing that generates zero empathy from me is holding on to blatantly racist imagery simply because it has been part of a team's identity for over a hundred years. Also, I often hear pro-Wahoo folks saying they "don't see how" the logo is racist and I simply cannot understand how that could make it any less racist.

My advice to those unwilling to adapt is that they stop for a moment to envision what it would feel like for them to know that parts of their culture and heritage are being modified and repurposed by an entire stadium full of people in a mockingly and cosplay-like setting. 

Sports monikers are not supposed to be divisive. They're supposed to bring people together and be based around innocuous elements that are neutral and thus easy to be enjoyed by many. Even if Cleveland's use of "Indians" as their team name was done as a form of tribute––which, for the record it is not––it would still be inappropriate.

The one piece of good news in all of this is that all these hems and haws from those stuck in the past will not last for long as it seems Cleveland is quickly moving toward making decision regarding their team name change. I hope that everyone is as on board with selecting "Cleveland Rockers" as much as I am!

This week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is not going on the Trading Block unless you have a trade that makes sense for both of us. If not, please don't hesitate to reach out if you want any other cap from that list and you are willing to part with any of the hats on my Wish List.

As always, thanks for coming back to read about baseball hat geekery. I've got comments disabled here so if you'd like to discuss a trade or simply just chat about hats, please feel free to connect via the following social sites:



Twitter: @FittedFriday

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