With June upon us, the next few weeks of baseball promise to be quite intense. It’s a unique tradition in this country!
If you’re not aware (which is hard to believe since it’s practically everywhere), June is recognized as Pride Month. Seriously, have you noticed?
Fun fact: the NFL sports pink gear in October. But right now, it’s June in Major League Baseball. And then there’s the Texas Rangers, who are managing to upset a lot of people by not participating in any Pride-related events.
Instead of showing support, they’ll be hosting a “Faith & Family Night” on June 18th. It’s surprising, really, considering they are often hailed as one of the more traditional American teams.
In contrast, the Los Angeles Dodgers really embrace this month. They’ve made it a point to participate meaningfully every year. Remember a couple of years ago when they honored a controversial group during Pride Month?
This past Friday, the Dodgers might not have gone as far as they have in the past, but they did encourage players to sport their Pride hats during the game against the Angels.
Fans certainly noticed the gesture right away.
Blake Treinen’s Casual Appearance
Honestly, I could keep going on this topic indefinitely. The feedback online is just relentless, and let’s just say, most of it isn’t very kind.
The Dodgers have made this an annual thing now. At this point, I find myself somewhat desensitized to it all. Still, I genuinely hope for the best for this California team.
Speaking of the Dodgers, World Series hero Will Smith recently shared some thoughts on his team’s mindset during a thrilling win over the Blue Jays.
So, is it all a bit excessive? Maybe. Social media posts? Sure, they’re probably acceptable. But asking players to wear specific gear during games? That’s a bit questionable.
There was a memorable moment last year when Clayton Kershaw, while with the team, added a Bible verse to his Pride hat.
That really resonated, didn’t it? Hard to believe that was a year ago!
In a nearly similar instance, reliever Blake Treinen came into the game during the ninth inning, but honestly, it felt like just another regular day at the ballpark.
For the record, Treinen is very open about his faith. Last fall, he paid tribute to another influential figure, and it was just as significant as it sounds.
So, was it a matter of faith influencing his choices, or did he just grab the wrong hat? Who knows?
Nevertheless, Treinen handled the situation well after only one pitch, eventually facing Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the ninth.
Isn’t there something kind of poetic about baseball?
As for the Dodgers’ Pride Night… I’ve become a bit emotionally indifferent to it all by now. At least this year, we didn’t see the same kind of controversy as before.
Still, there’s plenty of June left to navigate.
