Panda-monium

My eldest niece has worked as a teacher on the SF Peninsula. She found the cutest Panda hat to wear on the site Etsy because she likes Panda bears. But she's not a fan of baseball, even of the World Champion Giants just up a ways from wear she resides.

She's told us of wearing her Panda hat and how it automatically generated responses from her students like: "Pablo!" and "Go Giants!" And she used to wonder to herself: "Why are people calling me Pablo?" and "Why do people think I'm a Giants fan?"

And for those of you also in need of an explanation, there is a very popular player on the San Francisco Giants named Pablo Sandovol. At some point in his young baseball career, his teammate Barry Zito dubbed him the 'Kung Fu Panda,' which is an on-the-nose nickname for Pablo - he does resemble the movie character Kung Fu Panda. And being the perfect nickname for him, it stuck. Now fans from all over wear Panda hats in support of Pablo.

My niece's hat is different, more delicate looking than the popular hats/plush pets that fans wear at the ballpark, but in Giants territory it still evokes the same reaction. After learning about the Kung Fu Panda of the Giants, at least my niece now knows why she gets the reactions she does!