Arizona Diamondbacks Tip Their Hats

Major League Baseball recently announced changes to the batting practice hats for each of the 30 teams. This is always good news especially for dedicated fans. It gives you a perfect excuse to go out and buy a new team hat.

I am not someone who has a single baseball hat. I collect hats like many fans collect bobble head dolls. Well to be honest, it is a lot worse than that. I only have about 50 bobble head dolls but according to my wife I have over a hundred Diamondbacks hats.

At first I challenged her accounting methods but as she started naming off all of the various Diamondbacks hats that I have I realized she might be more accurate than I would care to admit. I tried to stop her recounting the various hats that I had in my possession. She just kept going sounding more and more like Forrest Gump’s army friend Bubba as he described that various ways you can cook shrimp.

I have to ask a huge favor; please don’t tell my wife I just compared her to Bubba Blue on Forrest Gump. Life is hard enough at my house without adding to my problem by suggesting similarities between her and a large mentally challenged soldier from Alabama.

Given my wife’s sudden fascination with counting hats I have had to curtail buying any more hats, at least until I can find a better hiding place to put the old ones. I was therefore excited to hear that Major League Baseball was introducing new hats.

Clearly my wife could not possibly complain about me getting a new batting practice hat. After all, how embarrassed would she be to be seen with me wearing last season’s hat? I’m no follower of fashion but I do know it is a sin to wear white shoes after Labor Day and you never wear last season’s hats.

I should first explain the concept of the batting practice hat. I know you were thinking that the name of the product was pretty self explanatory. But the same could be said for the infield fly rule and I challenge anyone to explain the nuances of that rule to a non-baseball fan. Eyes immediately glaze over.

The batting practice hat is indeed worn by players during batting practice before every game. That is not its only use though. The batting practice hat is also worn throughout Spring Training as the game hat during games as well as during pregame batting practice.

I guess we should probably be grateful that Major League Baseball did not call it the Batting Practice and Spring Training Hat Worn By All Players and Coaches. Whew, that is almost as long and convoluted as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The previous version of the Diamondbacks Batting Practice Hat was black with Sedona Red and Sonoran Sand accents on the sides. The front had the Diamondbacks “D” logo in Sedona Red outlined in Sonoran Sand. It was a pretty cool hat.

The new Diamondbacks Batting Practice Hat is a solid Sedona Red cap. There is a black stripe that runs from the top down the two front panels and down across the brim. The logo is a black Diamondbacks “D” snake logo outlined in Sonoran Sand.

I have to be honest; I was a little underwhelmed at the sight of the new hat. The old design had more style. Looking over the batting practice hats of the other 29 teams I was likewise less than impressed. One thing that caught my eye is that the New York Yankees actually have two batting practice hats.

They have one for taking batting practice at home and another for taking batting practice on the road. I’m not quite sure I understand why they get to be “special” and have two hats. I guess when you have the highest payroll in baseball you can justify anything including two batting practice hats.

Even though I liked the old Diamondbacks hat better, that will not prevent me from exercising my right to buy a new hat and justify it as being a loyal Diamondbacks fan. Surely my wife can understand that, can’t she?