Now that the 2023 ALCS and NLCS matchups are fully fleshed out, this week's Fresh Fitted Friday post seems like a good time to finally discuss the MLB teams that have had memorable campaigns and have earned the chance to compete in this year's postseason. I'd like to begin by first shouting out the clubs who are not moving forward in the playoffs.
As a San Francisco Giants fan, my Schadenfreude was firing into overdrive as the "looking good on paper while winning 100 regular season games" Los Angeles Dodgers were swept in the NLDS this past Wednesday although I would have taken greater pleasure in that event had it not also meant success for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
To their credit the Dbacks finished the season strong and have not lost a postseason game however they are a division rival so that is the extent to which I will tip my cap. I admittedly enjoy watching Zac Gallen pitch and Ketel Marte was a solid performer on one of my fantasy teams this year but I would prefer that they get sent home by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
The 101-win Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins were the two AL teams that I was actively cheering on in the two Division Series until their elimination came at the hands of the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, respectively. The one bright spot in this is I am looking forward to two former Giants managers battling in the ALCS as they rep their new clubs in Texas.
Dusty Baker—who is in his fourth season managing the Astros—managed the Giants from 1993 through 2002 and led the team to a pennant win that year. Bruce Bochy is in his first year as the Rangers skipper after a brief hiatus from the game on the heels of completing a 13-year tenure managing the Giants which brought three World Series championships to San Francisco.
It is difficult to choose between Dusty and Bochy but going with the latter is my move because those championships were so meaningful. Also, the Rangers should have another chance to win their first World Series. While I am not an "everyone should win" type of fan, it is nice to see a fresh face in the parades on TV, plus Bochy looked good in those three parades with the Giants!
I am sad to say goodbye to the Twins because I had such a great time visiting Target Field in Minneapolis for the first time this year. I hope the team can continue to be postseason contenders in the coming years as I have some good Twins-related caps that I want to feature on the blog and also because those fans truly deserve it.
The fans in Baltimore also got a raw deal however one bright spot is their top affiliate Norfolk Tides winning the International League and Triple-A championships. Because the Tides are my hometown team and today's date is Friday October 13, selecting the "Norfolk Squeezers" identity for this week's post as an "Orange October" celebration of the Tides' historic season.
 |
| Ask anyone who is from or lives in the Hampton Roads area about the Orange Crush and they will definitely have a story or two about the famous regional beverage. My only wish is that they used a black crown on this cap so that the orange in the logo would really pop. |
 |
| The sweatband tag says the cap is from Bangladesh but regardless of that fact, I can feel the hometown love from my people in Virginia Beach when I put this cap on my head. |
 |
| The orange and green batterman gives off University of Miami vibes but this is supposed to be a Virginia cap so I think the next iteration would benefit from two orange-tinged versions: one with a blue crown for the University of Virginia and one with a maroon crown for Virginia Tech. |
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
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
Comments