The 2026 MLB season ended just over a week ago, and it already feels like so long ago that it is hard to imagine there being 20 more weeks before I watch a big league game again. Luckily, the MLB app offers plenty of content like highlights and full-game options from the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (LMP), Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) and Arizona Fall League.
Sadly, my hat collection is lacking in the Latin American department, and my Arizona Fall League quota needs attention as well. While I considered pivoting to a Buffalo Bills hat or perhaps one from The Clink Room, today being National Basketball Day seems like the right opportunity to showcase a rather neglected NBA cap of mine for this week's Fresh Fitted Friday post.
For some background, the holiday's date commemorates the birth of Dr. James Naismith (born November 6, 1861), who invented the game of basketball after completing his YMCA physical director training program in Springfield, Massachusetts. The sport was an instant hit with the students and has continued to evolve into the worldwide phenomenon it is today.
I was a Knicks fan before I even knew I wanted to live in New York, and being here when they won their first championship since 1973 was certainly an experience I will never forget. Another New York basketball memory that will always stick with me is when I moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn in 2012 which was the same year the Nets moved there from New Jersey.
I lived a few blocks away from Barclays Center and was fortunate enough to attend one of the eight sold-out performances by Jay-Z—who was an initial investor in the Nets—at the venue before the start of the basketball season. I have to admit I fell prey to the team's stellar marketing campaign, which prompted me to buy two caps in anticipation of that run.
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| The shield design the Nets featured as one of the primary logos in this first release of caps is a reworking of the classic emblem they used from the mid-1990s up until their move to Brooklyn. |
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| The grey undervisor is a perfect match with the black-and-white motif of this cap, which is wildly different from the "City Edition" variant I posted back in 2021. |
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| Please know the irony of a Knicks fan who owns three Nets hats is not lost on me. As a new resident of Brooklyn in 2012, I simply could not resist the "Hello Brooklyn" slogans, as it brought me back to being a young teen romanticising all things New York while listening to the Beastie Boys. |
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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