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| This is the cap that the All Americans team wore during their 1934 Tour of Japan which I'll provide more details about further below. In the meantime, take a moment to appreciate the subtle elegance of this two-toned interlocking logo. |
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| I've had this hat for at least five years and maybe more but you wouldn't know it by looking at the way this beauty has held up all these years. Ebbets is the best when it comes to quality. |
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| Big fan of the green satin under visor which in my opinion looks better an better the more you wear the cap |
As we are about to enter July Fourth Weekend, I am compelled to take inventory of what it means to me to be an American. This past year has been full of national events and experiences that have given me much to consider especially as it pertains to race relations. There's a lot of work ahead for us as a nation but at this point I feel confident that good will overcome evil and hatred.
The pandemic has taught me many things but a big lesson I'm taking away from this is easily people tend to search for someone or something to place blame for circumstances that have negatively impacted them. I'm speaking in general terms here but one example that comes to my mind is the rise of anti-Asian crime in many western countries since March 2020.
I've given this issue much thought and I realize that posting a few photos and some words about a hat with an "East meets West" theme isn't going to solve any deep-rooted problems. I do however hope this week's 1934 "U.S. Tour of Japan" hat reminds us of a time when despite being adversaries on the precipice of war, America and Japan came together for some baseball.
My knowledge of this 12-city barnstorming tour of Japan was admittedly limited before obtaining this hat but once I found about about Moe Berg's espionage tactics during the trip. I can't think of a modern day equivalent in MLB to Berg but then again, if anyone knew of a current or former ballplayer being a spy, then that would mean the player wasn't that great of a spy, wouldn't it?
If you're interested in finding out more about Berg's career as a spy after baseball, I highly recommend checking out the film titled "The Catcher Was a Spy" which was released in 2018. And if you'd like to do some more reading on the 1934 Japan Tour, this article from Sporadically Talbot is one I found to be particularly enjoyable.
Even more importantly though, I urge those seeking an inclusive and equitable understanding of how "Independence Day" doesn't mean the same thing to all folks to learn about the speech by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852 at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, NY. I wasn't aware of this speech until recently and I'm so glad to be able to share this with y'all today.
This week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is not going on the Trading Block however 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:
Instagram: @baseballmilquetoast
Twitter: @FittedFriday
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