By Rich Herrera   @rbirich

One of my favorite sports writers Maury Brown and I have been going back and forth on Social Media about the merits of flat bill caps in baseball. While not quite the beef that Taylor Swift has with Katie Perry, it is interesting to watch other people’s idea on how one should wear a baseball cap.  I will tell you that Maury’s article is a must read.  Everyone at the Commissioner’s office in New York should read it and so should you.

The Insane Holy War Over Flat Brims In Major League Baseball

My Take away is, Maury is correct.  A lot of older folks don’t get the fashion or the trends of the time, just like those of generations past who didn’t get that long-haired hippie music of Elvis or The Beatles.  While at the same time, there younger kids today that haven’t learned the real reason why you wear your cap like everyone else.

Why do so many people have a beef with kids who wear flat bill caps?  It’s not a fashion choice that upsets them. It’s a lack of respect for the game of baseball. Yep I said it and I sound like I am 100 years old and the next thing you will expect me to say “In my day we wore our caps like everyone else and we had curved bills”. Guess what?  I am correct, and I will explain why by taking you back to a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles years ago.

George Sherrill pitched for the O’s in 2008 and came into a game versus the Rays at Camden Yards that year.  He was the first person I remember wearing his bill flat in a game. He was flithy that night and pitched very well.  But of all the games I saw that season why do I remember him?  Because of his baseball cap.  Why does that matter? Because it was different, he stood out, and it was individualistic. Is there anything wrong with that, not really. So why do I remember it so vividly? Why was he a trend setter much like Jason Kapono who brought the sweat band back to basketball when he played at UCLA. LaBron probably owes something to Jason for stealing his swag.

Back to baseball. Mike Stanton my partner on MLB Network Radio said something this weekend that stuck with me that really made me think long and hard about the game of baseball.  His comment really struck a nerve with me and tied two stories together.   It really shed a light on baseball’s big debate over flat bill caps. Mike said “Baseball is a game based on negativity”.  He is so spot on.  The best hitters fail 7 out of ten times.  We actually have a spot on the scoreboard where we show how many times a team makes a mistake on defense and your errors hang high above your head like a scarlet letter.

Think about this, baseball is the one game that rubs your nose in your failures. You strike out and you have to take the walk of shame back to your dugout that takes you right in front of your disapproving manager who looks right past you like you don’t exist because you failed him. If you are a pitcher and you give up a home run, you have to stand there and watch the guy who just took you deep, round the bases to cheers.  All you can do, is stand there and wait while he jogs around the diamond in his personal victory over you. If you’re a fielder who has a ball that gets past you, you will be charged with an error.  You have to stand there after your mistake, alone and naked at your position in front of the world while the scorekeeper announces your failure for all to see.

No other sport leaves you alone to wallow in your failure, exposed to the world like baseball. In football, if you get called for offsides, yes the referee calls out your number to the crowd, but while he is singling you out for your mistake, you are safely back in the huddle surrounded by your teammates. If you fumble, or throw a pick they don’t make you stand alone on the 50 yard line for the world to see, you can hide in shame on the sideline.  In basketball miss a three pointer you don’t have to stand there after you miss while people stare at you.  Instead, you run back and play defense and the game goes on.  You don’t even have to raise your hand anymore like you did back in the day, and admit you fouled someone. In hockey if you get called for a penalty; you are taken off the ice and they give you your own special little place to serve your time hidden away from everyone else. No one is made to feel bad in front of everyone, for the world to see, for their mistakes.

That brings us to the story going around social media about James Harrison from the weekend. He came home and found his kids, who he loves dearly, were given a participation trophy for sports. He sent the trophies back saying that the kids needed to earn awards and not be given something just for showing up. I want to give Harrison an award for Father of the Year.  We need more dads like him. Last week, I watched an amazing segment by Bernie Goldberg on HBO’s Real Sports about the trophy culture in America. Do you realize that the trophy culture is a muti-billion dollar industry in our country. That is BILLION with a CAPITAL B. Today we tell all our kids how special they are, how wonderful they are, and that they are all winners no matter what. We have to worry about kids self-esteem and everyone gets a trophy.  We don’t keep score because there are no losers, all of you are winners. No one is ever told they lost and they are not taught how to deal with failure because we are all winners.  You are all special kids, no matter what the happened on the field.  If you want to stand there and look at snapchat during the game that’s ok because you can just do what ever you want to do and we will still cheer for you no matter what.

So what does that have to do with flat billed caps? Baseball is a game predicated on failure. Just when you think you have it mastered and you are bigger than the game, baseball is going to knock you on your ass and humble you. That is why the unwritten rules of baseball don’t allow you to show boat.  You are on top one moment and you’re not the next. Be humble in respect the game because sooner or later the game is going to beat you down.  Sorry kids, that is just the way it is.

Let’s go back to George Sherrill when I first saw him pitch for the O’s in 2008. He stood out.  He was different, and I noticed him because he wore his hat differently than everyone else. In baseball we have uniforms and rules about how the uniform is worn. If you wear your socks high, wear a big chain around your neck, have long hair you stick out like a sore thumb.  That is ok in everyday life.  In our society we cherish being unique without any worries of being ostracized or ridiculed for standing out. In baseball you can be unique like Bryce Harper and be your own person. You will be known for what you do on the field, as well as what you do off the field.  But it’s a double-edged sword, because when things don’t go your way, calling attention to yourself by being an individual can bring even more unwanted attention your way when things go south on you.

Did you see that guy make an error at second base?  The guy with the mohawk. How could he mess up such an easy play?  Who does he think he is?  Maybe instead of getting a mohawk he should take more infield practice!!  Hey Fernando Rodney, instead of worrying about your cap being tilted to the side maybe you ought to be thinking about throwing strikes, what do you think pal? If you call attention to yourself by wearing your cap differently than everyone else, people will know who you are and since baseball has so many times you fail that’s not always a good thing.

If you think you don’t have to wear your cap like everyone else, maybe you think you are bigger than the game?  Are you too good to wear it like everyone else?  Well guess what buddy, go ahead showboat, flip your bat after a homer and show up the pitcher.  Hit a 500 foot bomb and Cadillac around the bases so everyone can see you.   You know what buddy, your time is coming and when it does how are you going to like it when someone does that to you, makes you look bad?   Sooner or later it’s going to happen guaranteed. When it happens, for your sake, I hope the guy that takes you deep, doesn’t disrespect you the way you dissed me.  That is what it means to be a professional ballplayer. If you don’t respect the game, the game (other players) will never respect you.

That’s why Yasil Puig gets so much grief from his teammates. He is not a bad guy, but his show boating will rub some the wrong way.  One more note, remember baseball also has an unwritten rule of revenge and getting even because it’s all about respect.  If you rub someone’s nose in it, they will get back at you someday.   Hit a homer and make the pitchers mistake even bigger by flipping your bat and doing cartwheels around the bases, next time you’re up against him your going to get drilled in the ribs or even worse for the team, your teammate will pay the price for your arrogance.

Now how does all this tie into Maury’s article? One of his points is that baseball is in trouble because it is not connecting with today’s kids, the way it has in generations past. He is 100% right and flat bill caps are a perfect example. Flat bill caps worn by many kids today as a point of personal style. Dad wears it with a bend, I am not going to because I am special and want to stand out and be different. Kids today have never been told they are wrong.  Never told they are a loser and don’t know how to handle failure. We don’t keep score in some places in youth sports. Some school don’t even give grades anymore, because we don’t want to hurt kid’s self-esteem.

Maybe the reason baseball is having a hard time attracting today’s youth is that the game is based in failure and our society has shielded our kids from having to face disappointment and failure.  They have no way of coping with being told they are not special. They are not told they have to wear their uniform like everyone else, because no one if bigger than the team.  Your mom and dad might love you no matter what , but on this team you struck out three times in a row, so your hitting last, until you start playing letter.  You are not special, your not better then everyone else on this team.  We are only as good as our weakest link, and that link is you!  So stop thinking your so special, wear your cap like everyone else and work harder if you want to succeed.

When I worked for the Tampa Bay Rays, our farm director told me he wanted out minor leaguers to struggle and fail in the minors. I thought he was crazy, until he explained that everyone is going to fail at some point in life.  He explained that he would rather them learn how to overcome failure in Bakersfield playing in the Cal League in front of 50 people than, having to figure it out in front of 50,000 people at Yankee Stadium.

So if today’s kids want to stand out and be individuals, that’s fine as long as they know that one day they will face tough times and things will go against them.  If they don’t have the skills to overcome a setback, what happens when they get in the real world where we keep score?  Will they know how get up off the ground and dust themselves off and get back in the fight?

Did they shy away from baseball as a kid, because it was too hard?  Did they dislike it because it was hard for them because they failed a lot and didn’t succeed right away?  Did they learn how to handle striking out and walking back wearing your failure on their sleeves?   Did they not play baseball because it went against everything they are taught by our society that your special, your an individual and can be as unique as you want? I don’t want to wear my cap like everyone else on my team because I am special.

Were they taught the game is old fashion because  they don’t let you do an end zone dance or stand and pose after a great play?  Instead they were told we all have to act the same and look the same, because we are not individuals, we are a team.  Why would I want that?  I want to stand out because I have been told I am special.  I  have won all these trophies along that way and that shows me that I can do what ever I want because I am successful and that includes wearing a flat bill cap so be it because I can.

To bad these kids will never hear anyone yell “Hey instead of worrying about your flat bill cap and looking cool, maybe you ought to put in the hard work that it takes to succeed and take more batting practice!”

No one person is bigger then the game and you better learn how to respect it, because just like in life, if you don’t, it is always going to come back and knock you on your can.  While your down there fix your cap!