I am not sure if I have mentioned this enough before but a big reason why I have this blog is to perform a sort of weekly check-in with myself and baseball. Writing and baseball have been grounding forces in my life so it only makes sense for me to use these posts as a way to connect all of my random thoughts with the game and the hats I wear everyday.
My first hat-related posts here were mostly part of a spurt in output during August 2011, followed by a short hiatus until my 1992 Seattle Mariners cap post from August 2013. From that point until now I've strived to be consistent in my write-ups with the goal of attracting and retaining a good amount of eyeballs as well as for that trend to continue!
It's no coincidence that 2013 has great significance for me as that was the year I met my now-wife, who is ever-supportive of my writing. She lets me know when my collecting gets out of hand but also entertains frequent quips such as "ain't it neat I brought up the 1992 Mariners hat right before Seattle is about to host the All-Star Game for the first time since 2001?"
I think we can all let out a collective "that's nice" in honor of Seattle getting the nod so soon again but it's also important to note the teams who have experienced longer droughts such as the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles (who hosted in 1990, 1991 and 1993, respectively) and are overdue to host once again in my opinion.
2013 was also the last season a New York team hosted the Mid-Summer Classic. The various activities taking place around the city leading up to the All-Star Game at CitiField were lots of fun and I look forward to experiencing that again when the festivities return to Yankee Stadium someday, which should only be after the Cubs, Blue Jays and Orioles fans get their turn!
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| This logo does a great job of representing the first initial in my name in addition to showcasing my preference for the National League as well as my love for New York City. It doesn't cheer too emphatically for the Mets, despite the design clearly being Mets-centric. |
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| The breathability of these caps that were used for pre-game workouts and events such as the All-Star Game's Home Run Derby is due to a high-performance/super-wicking/ultra-absorbent/mega-cooling material that first appeared when the Diamond Era caps debuted in 2013. |
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| The flat visors of these caps were a welcome change compared to the pre-bent brims of New Era's 39Thirty caps that were ever-prominent before 2013 although the material is more pliable than the on-field 5950 caps which are more sturdy overall. |
I'm not an expert on the marketing terminology of these caps but I know that the materials used on the batting practice caps stayed consistent between the Diamond Era's debut in 2013 through 2017 (as seen in my Augusta GreenJackets BP cap) but then radically changed with the the ProLight caps from 2018 and then back to the "HexTech" materials in 2019.
I remember being rubbed the wrong way upon my first glance of the ProLight caps but I am sure if I found a Chicago White Sox or Colorado Rockies version at some ridiculously low price, I would have no choice but to at least give it a try right? I guess all this wicking talk settles it: I'm a batting practice cap guy now, guys!
I think as someone who produces a great amount of sweat during the summer here in New York City, I should probably wear the batting practice caps more often during these warm months and I think this week's post is going to be the inspiration for me to seek some out.
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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