The MLB regular season will start soon, which means a slew of new merchandise and hats are being released. That includes a line of New Era caps, which, for a couple of teams, have already been removed from their fan shops amid some potentially vulgar appearances.

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Major League Baseball’s latest attempt at a stylish cap release quickly turned into an embarrassment. New Era’s “MLB Overlap” collection, which aimed to put a fresh spin on team branding, instead led to widespread mockery and controversy.