Missives of a Baseball Milquetoast

After  posting to this blog for over a dozen years, I sometimes ask myself if I have run out of ideas to write about or if I am conveniently revisiting themes to the point of there no longer being a point in continuing on. And then there are moments when I consider the significance of those themes and the importance of continually reminding myself of the values that define me. Earlier this week I realized this coming Sunday was the NYC Pride March and instantly thought it would be fitting to feature a Charleston Rainbows hat for this week's Fresh Fitted Friday post. I wanted to know how long it had been since I had last written about the team so I dug through the archives only find  this post from almost exactly ten years ago , which was the first—and most recent—time I had written about the Rainbows. I felt chills reading my thoughts on the Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016, which frankly is a sensation I expect to sense again in ten years when I think back on how the San Fra...

I shared lots of words in last week's impromptu tribute to Willie Mays and the topic for this post is another one that needs discussion as today is the anniversary of the Stonewall riots which began on June 28, 1969. The police brutality inflicted upon the  gay and lesbian community brought national attention on the desperate need to ensure civil rights in the protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In addition to being an important political moment, one of the  cultural effects was those who were marginalized began to openly "come out" regarding their gender identity. I was born a decade after these events began to unfold and feel fortunate to have gotten to know so many lovely gay and lesbian folks growing up which shaped my inclusive nature early on. I was also inspired by queer icons in entertainment such as Elton John and Freddie Mercury however it was John Waters' 1972 film 'Pink Flamingos' that made the greatest impact on me. ...

Longtime readers of the 'Toast (no one really calls it that, except for me just now) are fully aware that getting my hands on a vintage Charleston Rainbows cap has been a top priority of mine. In fact, it was almost a year ago that I was lamenting with friends on Twitter about how this hat was my holy grail and that any leads on finding one would be appreciated. My pleading and research finally paid off when I learned that starting in 2014, the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class-A South Atlantic League have held a yearly Pride Night where the players would wear throwback Rainbows uniforms.  I do have to admit that I'm a bit surprised that this year they changed the night's theme name from Pride Night to Rainbows Night . The team is however once again holding a jersey auction for the jerseys worn that night with the proceeds going to Charleston Pride. I'm sure that the intent of the name change was simply to be clear that they would be honoring the Rainbows rather t...