My interpretation is different. The logo in the right upper corner of the painting is the modern day “Sox” logo, but the Baby Jesus’s cap has a “C”. Sox caps have had “Sox” on them since 1912. From 1901-11 the team logo was a “C”: https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/1456/Chicago_White_Stockings/
So why might the artist Reynerio Tamayo have wanted to sport this logo on Baby Jesus’s cap? Politics, of course! In 1906, the government of the first Cuban president collapsed when he rigged an election to stay in power and the liberal candidate and his followers mounted a revolt (Wow, sound familiar?). Teddy Roosevelt stepped in to prevent civil war and established a provisional government that lasted until 1909, when a new election was fairly held and a new liberal government was formed.
The painting’s La Cachita (the affectionate name of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre) was made the patroness of Cuba in 1916, during the new government, and she wants to help Abreu swing his bat faster against today’s 100 MPH fastballs (which surprises her so!). But Baby Jesus, with his 1906 cap, is orating: “Hey, José, bless you, but don’t ever forget why you defected from Cuba to come to the USA--for freedom and free agency! America helped Cuba get a legit government at its beginning, and America helped you get PAID for being a great baseball player, just like Cespedes and Puig before you. Honor your homeland and your adopted land, give ten percent to the Church, and don’t forget José de la Caridad Méndez.”
During the 1906-9 US occupation of Cuba, there was international baseball. The Afro-Cuban pitcher José de la Caridad Méndez faced the visiting Cincinnati Reds in December 1908. In a three-game exhibition series, he pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings, including a five-hit shutout in the last game!
But maybe C was meant to stand for Cuba rather than Chicago? A thought, especially since red is the color of the Cuban national team hat.
Comment from reader Michael:
My interpretation is different. The logo in the right upper corner of the painting is the modern day “Sox” logo, but the Baby Jesus’s cap has a “C”. Sox caps have had “Sox” on them since 1912. From 1901-11 the team logo was a “C”: https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/1456/Chicago_White_Stockings/
The “C” that Baby Jesus’s cap most resembles is the Sox logo of 1906-7: https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/view/7149/Chicago_White_Sox/1906/Primary_Logo
So why might the artist Reynerio Tamayo have wanted to sport this logo on Baby Jesus’s cap? Politics, of course! In 1906, the government of the first Cuban president collapsed when he rigged an election to stay in power and the liberal candidate and his followers mounted a revolt (Wow, sound familiar?). Teddy Roosevelt stepped in to prevent civil war and established a provisional government that lasted until 1909, when a new election was fairly held and a new liberal government was formed.
The painting’s La Cachita (the affectionate name of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre) was made the patroness of Cuba in 1916, during the new government, and she wants to help Abreu swing his bat faster against today’s 100 MPH fastballs (which surprises her so!). But Baby Jesus, with his 1906 cap, is orating: “Hey, José, bless you, but don’t ever forget why you defected from Cuba to come to the USA--for freedom and free agency! America helped Cuba get a legit government at its beginning, and America helped you get PAID for being a great baseball player, just like Cespedes and Puig before you. Honor your homeland and your adopted land, give ten percent to the Church, and don’t forget José de la Caridad Méndez.”
During the 1906-9 US occupation of Cuba, there was international baseball. The Afro-Cuban pitcher José de la Caridad Méndez faced the visiting Cincinnati Reds in December 1908. In a three-game exhibition series, he pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings, including a five-hit shutout in the last game!