Radom: On fandom, loss, redemption, and the power of sports: a love story

From SABR member Todd Radom at ToddRadom.com on October 20, 2018:

This is my first Red Sox cap. I got it in 1977, when I was 13 years old, and seriously, it’s a miracle that it survived the ensuing years and all that came with them. 

It is cheaply made, constructed of genuine 100% polyester, imported from Korea. The sides and back are mesh, and the Red Sox’ familiar “B” is glued on, a pale imitation of the club’s authentic headwear decoration.

It bears witness to decades of devoted fandom. The last time that it sat atop my head was at least forty years ago. I had much more hair then. For some forgotten reason I saved it. It moved with me—to college, to my first apartment, to a house, to my current abode.

I grew up in Yonkers, New York—eleven miles due north of Yankee Stadium. My late father was a devout Yankees fan who regaled me with tales of past Bronx Bomber glory. One of my earliest baseball memories involves he and I walking among the fabled Monuments, then located in the field of play, at the old, old, original Yankee Stadium, in the fall of 1973. My formative years as a baseball fan coincided with the resurgence of the Yankee franchise, surrounded by—yes—obnoxious, arrogant, and newly empowered Yankee fans.

Read the full article here: https://www.toddradom.com/blog/2018/10/20/boston-red-sox-caps-logos-world-series-7sc25



Originally published: October 24, 2018. Last Updated: October 24, 2018.