The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : MLB Won't Let Nats Honor Navy Seals

Text Size

The Spectacle Blog

MLB Won't Let Nats Honor Navy Seals

By Aaron Goldstein on 8.19.11 @ 9:09AM

This makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

Major League Baseball would not approve the Washington Nationals request to honor the Navy SEALs killed in Afghanistan earlier this month. The Nats had planned to wear Navy SEAL caps during Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. While MLB had granted permission to the Nationals to wear the hats during batting practice they drew the line at players actually wearing the caps during the game itself.

Pat Carney, a spokesperson for MLB, told Washington Post reporter Dan Steinberg, "We reserve hats for national tributes, where every club is wearing them on the same day. But we're happy to work with clubs on alternatives."

Nonsense.

Following the September 11th attacks, both the New York Yankees and New York Mets, wore FDNY, NYPD and PAPD caps during games.

MLB's decision seems even more peculiar when you consider that they permitted the Nationals to don Virginia Tech caps following the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007. Indeed, MLB also granted permission to then Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Joe Saunders, a Virginia Tech alum, to wear a Virginia Tech cap in a start he made against the Seattle Mariners a few days later.

MLB did the right thing in letting the Washington Nationals honor the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. So why won't MLB do the right thing in letting the Washington Nationals honor the Navy SEALs who died protecting this country?

View all comments (14) | Leave a comment

albert constantine jr.| 8.19.11 @ 9:34AM

I also believe the Padres have had a series of camouflage uniforms they wear regularly in support of the armed forces. Perhaps the Nats need to go all in, beyond just the hat.

Steve A| 8.19.11 @ 9:41AM

Albert. those camo unis were really cool. They should go all the way with it though. camo hat, pants, shoes. That would be bad a##.

Steve A| 8.19.11 @ 9:36AM

Aaron, I love baseball & I love Navy Seals who shoot & kill bad guys but I think the 2 should stay separate. I think MLB should be consistent & not allow amy modification of the hat emblem for any occassion. Arm patch, sure, I suppose so, but even then you are opening a can of worms. Next thing you know, they will be getting sued for not endorsing some wacko movement with a patch.

PCC| 8.19.11 @ 9:58AM

I agree, Steve.

SpiralArchitect| 8.19.11 @ 11:51AM

Yes, let's envision the Liberal ass patch. - heh

reb| 8.21.11 @ 5:16PM

I'll bet you agree PCC. Seeing that you don't have the juevos to identify yourself I'm sure you are too cowardly to have ever served in the military, thus you have no respect for them.

reb| 8.21.11 @ 5:19PM

So, Steve, you think we should all stand by and let the military do their job without our support and letting them know you "love" them. Bad things happen when "good" men do nothing. Shame on you. We don't need your kind of "love" in this country.

Dan Martin| 8.19.11 @ 11:17AM

If MLB could negotiate an acceptable cut from the sale of Navy Seal hats, each league would have a
"Navy Seal night." Their lawyers are probably on it, but these things take time.

Occam's Tool| 8.19.11 @ 11:29AM

Lawyers, guns, and money arrangements have not been finished. Sheesh.

Bob K.| 8.19.11 @ 11:38AM

"Baseball, Chevrolet and Apple Pie"

Baseball has sold out. Chevrolet is owned by the government. Apple pies from apples not grown in the USA are sold in all our great food chains thanks to the "globalization" of our economy.

Our country is now almost completely pussified!

SpiralArchitect| 8.19.11 @ 11:59AM

Free Market works just fine, if it is truly free. I buy Washington grown apples en masseevery week from CostCo.

SpiralArchitect| 8.19.11 @ 11:49AM

Sensible only if they said they would honor all service members ( or deceased ). To select one group or incident is crass IMO.

This not being the case, well... Hockey starts soon :)

All American American| 8.19.11 @ 1:04PM

If it was a black transgendered questioning GBLT man who was killed by a bunch of redneck whites then by all means MLB would have the players in drag and hot pink shorts. But hats for Navy SEALs? Naaaaah!