Pat In The Hat: A Hostage Situation

I'm holding Tyler's hat hostage till I get my sweet thermal back!
So I go to these Tyler Hamilton Foundation events to help raise money. Sometimes we get a couple of pieces of clothing embroidered with the foundation logo on it to wear at the event. For this trip, we were to each get a warm-up suit to keep us warm at the summit of Mt. Washington, a tee shirt and a thermal zip t-neck...easily the coolest piece in the bunch. Since my stuff was waiting for me in Boulder, CO to be picked up the previous weekend where my flight and trip were canceled, Tyler flew out with it in his luggage. (I know you are thinking, "What a nice guy"). But WAIT...not so fast.
You see, Tyler has such an incredible reputation for being such a giving person, and he is. I have stood with him at the top of some climb in some nasty rainstorms, shivering uncontrollably right alongside of him, and he will insist that you wear his jacket. I have watched him give his jacket to someone in those conditions more than once, and it never ceases to inspire me. He is a rare person like that, and I wish to be known for the same.
Sometimes though, it can go too far. Not in some crazy, weird, "Here, wear my shorts and I will ride naked" kind of way, Nope. When he gets in this giving mood, and he has run out of his stuff to give, he starts giving out other peoples stuff. His wife Haven can attest to this. Ty recently gave me one of "His" shirts, when it was really Haven's. (I secretly gave it back to her upon hearing the story that it was hers to begin with). The next day, I caught him trying to give it to somebody else. It's funny, he thinks just because it has his name on it, it's his to give. (And really, it is his to give...I'm just saying...there is a line...and he crosses it.)
Tyler and I are the same size. He will attest that he has bigger gunz than me, but that is HIGHLY debatable. He decided that he would poach my clothes earmarked for me. I managed to get the sweat suit, but not the sweet T-Neck. Apparently, he had already stole Haven's too. To me, this means war. "Game on" I say...
So on Saturday, after the race, we were sitting in the summit house on Mt. Washington waiting for the rest of the racers to finish up before we could drive down. I noticed Ty had left his backpack, his helmet with his shorts and jersey, and his beloved Red Sox hat. The one he was given when he threw out the first pitch of one of their games after winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics. I throw the stuff in the van and head down the hill...thinking nothing of it at the time. It was not until we had said our goodbyes on Sunday and started driving to the airport that I realized what the gross wet thing that was hitting my massive calves was. It was his helmet with the wet jersey and shorts...and...HIS BO SOX HAT!!!
I whip out the Treo, snap off a picture and text him on his phone, informing him I am holding his hat hostage until my ransome demands are met, I want my T-Neck!!!

His response was, "Eff-You, I want my hat back now!!!" (Clearly, I am on to something here...)
To where I shot back, "Don't Eff with Pat-In-The-Hat...Your hat is coming with me."
So the banter goes back and forth for a while, and then the idea was thrown around that I should make a sign and take a picture of random people holding the sign, flaunting the hostage.
Quickly the plan was assembled as we approached the toll booth on Interstate 93 near Manchester, NH. Our first model...

the toll collector.

Upon sending this...silence...to which finally he finally responded with, "Anchor ate your thermal."

So, I still have his hat, as promised, and a lot of "Ransom" shots have been taken. They are as follows...

PK is in on the Situation...and it has driven him to drink. He HATES the BO SOX, but could use a painting cap for his new pad.

Just give me my Thermal and nobody will lose their pants over this

Your hat is very happy here...

Don't mess with S/Him

Paul is ecstatic about your generosity.

Kit doesn't like that hat, but is thankful, none-the-less

Gary Likes the hat, and actually looks good in it, unlike you....

Give me back my Thermal, or I'm gonna open this can of "Whoop Ass"

So, what I'm trying to say Ty, is Thanks, Thanks for the cool hat. We all LOVE it.

I expect to see my T-Neck in the mail soon.