A Golden Start, During A Golden Anniversary

For the 11th time since 1919, a no hitter has been pitched by a player...with the team on the losing end having scored a run. It's the first time it has happened since the 1993 season, when Houston's Darryl Kile fell victim to the harmless occurrence against the New York Mets. Regardless, it still counts for an official "no no", and will be in the record books forever. Today's pitcher of fate, was the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Ervin Santana. Not only was it a great start for the Angels' right hander, but it was his first win against the Indians in 7 career starts against "The Tribe". He is the third American League player, and all around Major Leaguer to pitch a no-hitter this season; The other two, Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, and Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins. His no hitter, was the ninth in the history of the Angels franchise, and first since 1990 when Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined for the rare feat. The cap he wore during today's game, was identical to the one you see above. This season, for the Angels 50th anniversary, the club is wearing multiple fitted caps spanning 162 games, honoring all the eras of Halo's baseball. The cap above, represents the current era spanning 2002 to now. The fitted hat features the typical Angels red color on brim and crown, and the Angels "A" front and center. The differences are the gold halo encircling the "A", and the 50th anniversary patch located on the side. This cap can be found at any of the normal cap outlets, such as Lids, New Era, MLB, etc. To me, this was a must buy cap, due to the classic look it exhibits. Santana, despite having a sub 4 ERA, now only has 6 wins on the season. Maybe this start can serve as a jump-start to the proverbial heart of the Angels organization. With only 57 games left and a record of 57-48, the Angels are only 2.5 games back of the division leading Rangers. Keep an eye on the Angels come Sunday, to see if they make some moves at the trade deadline. A hitter wouldn't be an awful idea, considering their high RBI man is Torii Hunter with a mere 49.  Until tomorrow, it's been real folks. Enjoy.

3 days in the desert heat, never felt this sweet

Welcome back to the blog everyone, sorry for the absence of late. I come bearing great gifts, pictures of a recent acquisition while in Phoenix, Arizona at the MLB All-Star Break. The three pics you see at the beginning of this post, are shots of the 2011 Diamondbacks All-Star edition 59/50 on field New Era Cap. The brick colored gem you see before you, has been "blinged out" to a certain extent. On the cap bearers left side, the 2011 MLB All-Star game primary logo has been added, in honor of this past Tuesday's All-Star Game played at Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The back of the cap, as seen in the bottom picture, has been adorned with two gold stars in honor of a teams' player being named to an All-Star roster. The cap you see above, is a replica of the ones that Diamondbacks Justin Upton and Miguel Montero wore during the 5-1 N.L. Victory this week. The side patch is nothing new to the All-Star break, as far as New Era caps are concerned, but this does mark the first season in which stars were used. Personally, as a hat connoisseur, I find the gold decorations to be an extremely nice touch to the caps. The stars add a more intimate feel  to the fitted, whereas you can now represent a specific player as opposed to a team as a whole. I felt it was necessary to go with the D-Backs fitted to commemorate the event and my trip, due to the fact that they were the host ball club. The three day period consisted of: The XM Futures Game, which showcases tomorrows stars and perennial Hall-Of-Famers, The Home-Run Derby, which was won by Yankee Robinson Cano, and the A.L. vs. N.L. All-Star Game. All three days were extremely special to me, because I was able to watch some of my favorite athletes compete, and even win certain events. Yankees catching prospect Austin Romine went 2-2 off the bench in the Futures Game, with a RBI. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano was able to capture the Home-Run Derby title, by defeating Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in the final round 12-11. David Robertson made his All-Star Game debut, pitching in the second inning of the ballgame, while fellow teammates Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson made appearances as well. Not being used to the 108 degree temperatures was something that required adaptation in order to deal with, but good baseball and good friends always ease struggles such as that. This was truly a 3 day period which I'll never forget; I have this fitted, and memories to last a lifetime. Until tomorrow, adios readers.