The Story Behind the Blue Rangers Ball Cap

Greetings, baseball nerds! If you've read my numerous stories about the Texas Rangers, you know that I've been a die-hard fan of theirs since I was a teenager. However, in case you didn't know that before, stick around because I have an interesting story to share with everyone about an accessory that stuck with me for years. More on that later.

I've had my royal blue Texas Rangers cap for several years. It's unclear what year I exactly bought it, but it got me through the good and difficult times in my life. For instance, in 2018, I was homeless and jobless for six months. For the majority of those nights, I would sleep outside. It was due to the fact that I had a distrust of homeless shelters. Just to remind everyone that I was going through mental health issues at the time. I rarely trusted anyone and didn't want to be in the same building with complete strangers I didn't know. Eventually, things got better for me and started a new job. Not only that, but a place to call home.

No matter what I was going through, I had my ball cap with me at all times. I would wear it on occasion, from running errands to commuting to and from work. Yes, it's old, but I have no plans of parting ways with it anytime soon. Besides, it was my first Rangers hat. I've since bought different Rangers hats, which I'll profile in a future story.

Now for the good part. To the readers who are new to Vocal, the other part of this story is one I'll never get tired of telling. The night of November 1, 2023 will always be a moment that I'll remember forever as a Rangers fan. It was also known as the night of Game 5 of the World Series. My beloved Rangers were going against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers had a three games to one advantage lead over the D-Backs. Hours before watching this game, one of my coworkers asked me if I wanted to come to his house to watch the game. I politely declined the invite, because I wanted to record a potential reaction video. So, I hurried home as fast as I could to watch the game. I wore my aforementioned ball cap and a white t-shirt. The Rangers were a victory away from winning their first ever World Series title and I was nervous that they would break the hearts of Rangers fans yet again. I said again, because back in 2011, they were one out away from winning it all against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of the Fall Classic at home. The Cardinals would go on to win the World Series in a crucial Game 7. Rangers fans like myself never got over one of the biggest collapses in the MLB Postseason. They didn't want it brought up in conversations. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Getting back to the 2023 World Series Game 5. I was on my feet and nervously pacing. In one inning, Nathan Eovaldi, who was the starting pitcher for that game, was in a bases loaded jam. I said to myself, "Please don't give up a grand slam and get us out of this jam." Eovaldi eventually got out that bases loaded jam and I was relieved. Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth inning: Josh Sborz was on the mound to close out the game and securing a World Series title for the Rangers. The Rangers had a 5-0 lead, so with two outs for the D-Backs, I pulled out my phone and started recording the final moments. Once Sborz got that final out, I jumped up and down screaming with excitement. After Sborz recorded that final strikeout, he slammed his glove to the ground with glee and the rest of the team rushed on to the field. It was the glove slam seen around the world. I'll never forget the following words that Joe Davis said when Sborz got that final out:

"It's happened! The Texas Rangers win the World Series!"

12 years after being denied of a World Series title, my team has finally won it all. I thought I was dreaming, but no, it was real and it was goodbye heartbreak. I posted my reaction video on my social media pages. It's still up if you would like to watch it. As for seeing my team win their first ever World Series title, the third time was the charm. I was in shock and cried for over an hour. Happy tears, of course. I'd never thought I would never see my own team do the impossible. The excitement that I felt that November night was compared to seeing Chicago Cubs fans reacting to their team winning a World Series title for the first time in 108 years back in 2016. Prior to that win, the Cubs had the longest championship drought in MLB history.

The pic that you see above was exactly what I wore the night the Rangers finally won a World Series title. It'll stick with me for the rest of my life. I predict more World Series titles for the Rangers down the road. Winning championships are everything in Texas and nothing less. Don't mean to brag, but the Rangers has and will always run Texas. Those cheats from Houston will never hold a candle to us. Our fanbase can outnumber theirs. I had to take a huge jab at our rivals just for the hell of it. Will the Astros' dynasty fall apart? In the words of Alex Bregman, "I guess we'll never know."