When I sat down to write last week's Joplin Miners post, I had yet not considered how the cap logo's "J" could have been a suitable pre-farewell tribute to Juan Soto and his time ending with the New York Yankees but depending on how you look at things, it could also have been regarded as a plea for him to stay in the Bronx!
Either way, the Soto Sweepstakes ended when news broke this past Sunday night that the star outfielder agreed to some comically large compensation amount by signing with the New York Mets. And this time I will take credit for the tie-in with Soto and the "J" on the logo of this "Fresh Mesh" snapback the Jackson Mets wore from 1979 through 1987.
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| The last Fresh Mesh cap I wrote about was this 1988 Greensboro Hornets post back in April 2021 but both logos are very close in terms of my love for them. |
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| I'm really surprised how clean the sweatband is on this hat which could very well be 40 years old at this point. I am pretty sure it's in even better shape that a few of the new ones that I've bought over the years! |
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| The Fresh Mesh snapback craze might never catch on with the cap collecting community but I'm happy to keep the tradition alive all these years after having come up with the phrase for this cursed 1983 Denver Bears snapback in April 2016. |
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| I shared this image of Ronald MacDonald wearing this week's Jackson Mets logo in my 1991-92 Jackson Generals post in April 2017 and here I am recycling this bit once again all these years later! I also just realized all three posts I mentioned above were from the month of April and am now wondering if I should have waited til April 2025 to post this hat to stay consistent! |
The cap logos that Mets farm clubs wore in the 1980s and 1990s are near and dear to my heart because the Tidewater Tides were my hometown team throughout their entire tenure as the Mets Triple-A affiliate. The 1988-90 Jackson Mets cap is now the top priority in my hunt but I would not turn my nose up at the Columbia Mets or even the Lynchburg Mets.
Lynchburg's last season was in 1984 but for some reason I sense Columbia might be easier to track down even though their time ended six years later after which they became the Capital City Bombers in 1992. There might not be a lot of demand for either logo but I did see a nice Lynchburg retro recently released at the flagship New Era store in Buffalo which is reassuring.
The Buffalo New Era store might have the best shot at reviving some of these esoteric designs that enthusiasts crave so I am hoping they might take a try at recreating this Jackson Mets logo. You can't be certain or surprised by much these days but perhaps the Mets might even be the ones to produce a "J" cap like this to celebrate Juan Soto's arrival to the team.
I had a similar hope the Philadelphia Phillies would bring back the Batavia Clippers cap after they signed Bryce Harper to his record-breaking contract back in 2019. It would also be a great excuse to retro the 1983 Portland Beavers as the lower case "B" is another fitting nod to Bryce!
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| My last "fantasy" pick would be for the Mets to also revive the Little Falls Mets logo to show love to Francisco Lindor who has been the team's shortstop since 2021. |
During my image search for a baseball card to use as an example of the Little Falls Mets logo, I just had to pick the one above which is the first professional baseball card for Kevin Baez who began his professional baseball career with the former New York-Penn League affiliate for the Mets in 1988.
I have fond memories of Baez playing shortstop for the Tides in the early 1990s which is why it is only fitting to select his card to make the connection to Lindor who is signed to the Mets through 2031. Interestingly enough, Tidewater alums Todd Hundley and Anthony Young were also on that 1988 Little Falls Mets team which now only makes me want this hat even more!
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. 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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