By Phil Hecken
About two weeks ago, the Godfather of Uni Watch well-respected and never opinionated Rick “Ricko” Pearson approached me with an idea for a weekend post. Here’s what he said:
A fun weekend entry might be to pick a half dozen or so posters you know have an interest (and knowledge) in MLB uni history and ask them to identify—without thinking too much, strictly a knee jerk reaction—their two favorite MLB hats of all time. Pick one from the National League and one from the American League. No “ties”, no “just can’t decide”. One each and that’s it. Let them, briefly, say why.
Then open it up for others to post theirs.
Me, I’d say that first halo Angels (beginning during ’61) and the white piping Cubs (’57 only).
Why? Angels were a new team, the hat logo is elegant, the colors were, by ’61 standards, bright (with the red visor and all; not many teams did such a thing) and the halo was of course unique.
Cubs was part of the whole package of the switch to pins, making the chest logo round, adding white to the hats and more color to the roads.
So I took that sage advice, sent out a few feelers, and got more responses back than I had anticipated. Seems like a lot of you folks have two favorite caps. Some were quite concise in their choices and descriptions … others were a bit more, shall we say, verbose. But there were no parameters and there are no right or wrong answers, and in the end, it’s really just the two cap choices that matter. So, in no particular order, let’s have a look-see at what several of the UWers feel are their personal faves:
Jeremy Brahm: 1995 Seattle Mariners for the AL. For me it is based on the change of ownership from an outsider to an outsider with local ties, plus a team’s first playoff appearance. When you think of a change in ownership and what it can mean to the franchise, the purchase of the Mariners by Nintendo forever changed baseball in Seattle and the Northwest. The northwest forest green (teal) brim, dark blue cap with the silver S and the nautical compass rose showed that the franchise was looking past the days of losing. The empty stadium nights in the Kingdome, good players being traded to better teams, was nearly over, but it took the 1995 Mariners team and fans on a wild ride, from a huge 13 game deficit, to a division lead (which they lost), to the one-game playoff, a comeback on the Yankees in an epic series. It was all there in teal, blue and silver. I like the all dark blue hat, but for me I’ll never forget the teal brims.
As for the NL, the 1981 Expos three panel. I always felt that the Montreal Expos never got the respect that they deserved because they always developed good prospects, too bad they got better elsewhere. The three colored M was so distinct and the matching three panels also made it stand out. At least you always knew, that’s the Expos when you looked at that hat in the French colors for a French speaking city. Sadly, the Expos lost to the Dodgers in the NL championship series or we’d have had our first “international” World Series game.
Brinke “=bg=” Guthrie: Gotta be: 1972-80 Atlanta Braves and 1984 San Diego Padres I chose both because of the contrasting panel in the front. I wore both of these (the Braves was helmet only, no cap) even while I was living in Cincinnati during the Big Red Machine years.
Robert “rpm” Marshall: (who’s obviously averse to capital letters) since this is about professional baseball, i guess i have to take out my favourite hat of all time. i also might be biased about the blood and paint covered 70’s orioles chapeau that i wear in the studio, as well as the one i like even more, so i will take those are out.
i am a big fan of the sans logo soutache caps, so for the american league i would say my favourite is the 1940-45 st louis browns. here is a version i tried to colourize, and i would love it if someone brought that look back. i just love the triple layered soutache, and it would look great using any colours. my only stipulation would be that the soutache absolutely always must drop from the squatchee on all six seems, not 5, it looks just looks ridiculous when it is incomplete.
i was tempted, because of my disdain for capital letters, to go with the bravos of the 70’s. but i decided to go with another soutache cap, and since i love the richness of a deep Burgundy i went with this national league cap. but that’s buck o’neil, he never played in the national league. wrong, the monarchs played in the negro national league, and wore they wore this hat.
Mike “Mike2” Styczen: I’ll play — For the National League — Expos pinwheel. There’s never been another cap like it. And for the American League — Milwaukee Brewers road ball-in-glove. The bright bold colours, yellow panel, and wacky logo. Great idea Phil (and Rick).
Johnny “Johnny F” Flanagan: My man Phil! Thanks for dropping me the email. I think this topic will make a great weekend entry. As you probably remember, I’m a full fledge cap-o-phile and hat collector, so this is right up my alley. I was also worked for Lids/Hatworld Corp. for a few years… which is both a good thing AND a bad thing (have you seen some of the shit on that site lately?!? Good lord!)
My two favorite caps are as follows: AL: 1985 Milwaukee Brewers (Weird that the AL team I picked is NL now… and actually, most of the hats that came to me first, right off the top of my head, were NL). Reason: Well, obviously the “M & B Glove” logo is fantastic. Probably the greatest baseball hat logo of all time. Throw in a yellow front panel, with a blue brim and side panels, and you have an absolutely amazing 80’s-style cap. Blue and yellow works! I own the Mitchell & Ness version, and it looks great.
For the NL: Red/White/Blue Montreal Expos hat (Gary Carter era!). Reason: I love this hat. White front panel, red side panels, blue back panel. Great colors, awesome logo. I wish there was a way we could eliminate the Nationals unis, and get back to the old school Expos look. The all blue Expos hat is really nice (just love that logo), but the tri-color panel design is amazing. I’m sure some people hate my choices … but going with the “classic” Red Sox/Yankees/Cubs just isn’t as fun for me. I guess being a little kid watching baseball in the 80’s has left quite an impression!
Stuart “Stuby” Greenlee: Hey Phil, it’d be my pleasure to contribute. So here we go without too much deliberation. National League: 70s Houston Astros (Early) and late. Orange cap, navy star, white H. Pretty unique when introduced. Closest I ever got to owning one was the helmet giveaway at the Astrodome in ’78. That was a beautiful cap. I don’t think it changed much (maybe a slight shade difference) from the beginning to the end of its run.
American League: Gotta go with the classic English D of the Tigers cap (home). Timeless, yet underappreciated. Take it easy, Stu.
Mike Engle: National League: Houston Astros, end of Astrodome era, all navy with metallic gold star. As a young boy who started watching baseball in the mid ’90s, this is my default mental image of the Astros. It was a NICE look. Navy and metallic gold, so nice together, it’s the only credit I’ll give to Notre Dame (I otherwise HATE Notre Dame sports, though it’s hard to diss the university). And I really liked how the gold star reappeared on the jerseys. Definitely traditional enough (yes, you can make white at home and grey on the road look nice), yet really cool and cutting-edge without trying too hard (for instance, the inaugural Devil Rays tried WAY too hard).
American League: Oakland A’s road hat, as currently worn, yellow logo on all forest hat. I really like the colors, and more than that, I love the way the fancy A is written. Maybe there’s a subliminal memory coming back from my childhood: my parents always wanted me to get A’s in school, while every young boy fantasizes about being a major league ballplayer. I was no exception. I’ll bet that cap was a representation of our dreams, combined.
NOTES: For this exercise, the Astros cap was a MUCH more obvious pick than the A’s. As these ARE knee-jerk reactions, I defaulted to caps I could have seen on TV as a kid. I could have probably come up with an old-school cap as a favorite, but I didn’t think to think about past generations.
(Call Me Mr.) Teebz: The 1901 Baltimore Orioles because they did it with just the “O”. No screwed-up apotrophes. It’s just a simple “O”, and it’s gorgeous.
The 1978 Milwaukee Brewers always rang true for me. I love the ball-in-glove, and the yellow and blue are Yount/Molitor/Seitzer in the Brew Crew’s heyday.
Doug “Kek” Keklak: NL: Black Pirates pillbox — growing up, this was the hat I knew. Yes, my Buccos wore a gold one too, but I was a big fan of the black pants/yellow jersey/black cap of the mix-and-match era sets.
AL: Oakland A’s solid green with yellow A’s — I’ve always liked the A’s color scheme but never cared much for yellow-billed hats (they tend to get dirty from constant handling) so when the A’s started using this hat, I bought myself an adjustable model on the cheap. Although the A’s went with a solid green cap with the A’s in white, I feel the hat is more aesthetically pleasing with the yellow A’s.
Paul “Pretty Boy Paulie” Soto: NL: 1957 Cubs — Elegant & clean design! The white satin stripes just add so much intrigue. Just so classy!
AL: 1975 Orioles — Pinwheel goodness! Awesome colors and you can’t argue with the smilin’ Oriole. Iconic cap, it has so character.
Timothy “TimmyB” Brulia: Here’s mine and again STRICTLY off the top of my head ”¦
1. Cincinnati Reds 1961-1966 homes. Yes, the “ice cream” era. These caps stood out so far from all the others. They worked perfectly for me. When they changed to the all red caps in 1967, even though I was just 9 years old, it truly broke my heart. They basically looked just like every other team. Not even the KC A’s white shoe break out could hold it off.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates Mid 1970-1975. This remains my team (gotta give me some cred for sticking with a horrible team). This was a unique cap, apart from the 1971 Padre road caps, the only team to feature a sort of old gold ball cap in MLB history. Easy to draw, and very sleek. Looked really sharp on the first full scale double knit unis in MLB history.
Others”¦Original Expos cap, Pilots, Angels, gray Reds caps (61-66), early Milwaukee Braves caps, Orioles white front caps (c.1975-1988), Red White Sox caps, Mid-50’s Indians caps, Houston Colt .45s caps, Early 20’s Yankee white pinstriped caps, White Philly A’s caps from 20’s & 30’s and I think early 40’s, Browns logoless caps from WW2 era, logoless Cardinals Gashouse Gang caps, Yellow Pirates pillbox caps (1977-1984), Astros original open star caps from early 1990’s. Hope this helps, LI Phil!!
Ryan “Ry Co 40” Connelly: 1979 pirates pill-box WITH the stargell stars! A pretty iconic hat. A championship hat. I was going to go with the yellow, but the black just looks sharp!
And second … a blast from my past… for starters, if you lined up every major league hat (past or present) on a wall and i knew nothing of the game or its history… and you told me to pick out 1 hat… Chief Wahoo it is! might be my favorite logo in all of sports! So much that i love about this hat! I had maybe JUST gotten into watching or following baseball and of course I loved my Pirates … Philly and Mike Schmidt were my #1 favorites though. But then there was this goofy-ass team, with this goofy-ass logo, playing in this old-ass stadium just 2 hours north. My dad drove a truck and delivered food around the tri-state area for work, and I can’t remember if I had asked him, or if he had just bought me an Indians hat because we were talking about them. but there he was one day coming home from work with this indians hat for me. We made the trip up to Cleveland’s old Municipal Stadium a good handful of times, and when me and my family would make the trip up it was always special. baseball with the family! American League! A WHOLE different ballpark! WHOLE different teams/cities! It was like taking a vacation away from home AND the national league, and there he was — no matter how bad the team was, Chief Wahoo always had that smile on his face! It’s funny because it was like perfectly at the time the movie was released. So that just fueled my love for the indian’s hat that much more.
P.S. I remember the logo being much bigger on the hat in the 90’s though.
Jay “Shaftman” Palmer: Hey Phil, This sounds like fun. American League: 1965-1970 California Angels. I’ve always loved details in uniforms that not only were unique, but were there for a purpose. The halo around the top of the Angels caps (which they have had in several incarnations) have always struck me as that type of muti-faceted design (unlike the new Jag uniforms which are “unique” but serve no purpose). And while I loved the ’61 design (like Ricko), I always though about the Angels as a “California” team and not an “LA” one, so my vote goes to the one with the CA instead of LA.
National League: 1962-present (on some days) New York Mets. Yes, it’s seems as if I’m a “homer” but I really do appreciate the muti-faceted design of the Mets blue cap. Like the team itself it was born from the departure of the Dodgers and Giants and the cap was so simply put together but still honors the National League in new york. It is strickly a Dodger cap (minus the white B) with the orange interlocking NY from the Giants. Simple, yes, but it continues the timeline of national league baseball in New York.
Jonathon “WarDamnEagle” Binet: Phil, here are my entries: American League – Toronto Blue Jays ’77-’93 hat / ’08-present alternate. Why? I’m a child of the 80s; that’s when I started playing baseball, collecting baseball cards, following baseball, etc. So I guess I’m influenced by that decade to some degree. I grew up a Braves fan, so I really only followed the National League. There were no AL teams anywhere near where I grew up, either (Alabama). They may as well have been playing in Europe, that’s how far away the AL seemed. Most AL teams sported your basic lettered caps. The few exceptions: Mariners’ trident, Orioles’ cartoon bird/ornithologically correct bird, Brewers’ ball-in-glove, Indians’ Chief Wahoo, and the Blue Jays bird. I guess that Blue Jays hat just stuck out to me because it wasn’t cartoonish or made to be lifelike. It was just this outside-the-box, artsy design. It wasn’t too garish, and the hat logos in those days weren’t as 3-D, so the logo didn’t unnecessarily jump out at you. It was just right. It’s a logo that they were dumb to get away from. It has a strong tradition. I’m glad it’s come back as a home alt cap.
National League – Atlanta Braves ’68-’71 road hat / ’08 road alternate / ’09 road hat Why? I knew the Braves had once worn solid navy hats back in the 60’s. When the team switched to the retro-inspired uniforms in 1987, I was ecstatic. I thought they were the greatest uniforms in baseball (and I still do). But I always wanted them to add the solid navy hat because I thought it would make a great road hat. I really liked the way Cleveland used a red-billed home hat and solid-navy road hat when they switched to a retro-inspired look in 1994. Or how the Cardinals sported a red home hat and navy road hat. I thought the same thing could work for the Braves. I was super-excited when the Braves finally brought the solid navy cap back in 2008 as a road alternate, and as the full-time road hat in 2009. It’s a clean, simple classic design. There is no mistaking what that “A” stands for, much as the Yankees’ “NY” or the Boston “B.”
Larry “Larryb” Bodnovich: AL, I would have the Indians Wahoo cap. Red bill blue cap and wahoo. I thought I read a while back that is was one of baseball’s most popular caps. Being seen or worn everywhere. Political correctness be damned.
And NL. The Cincinnati Reds early 1960’s white cap, red bill, red C and that red piping. As a kid that cap always kind of stood out to me.
So I went with the 2 Ohio teams. I am not a Reds fan. I grew up a Pirates fan and I like them and the Indians.
Lance “Squiddie” Smith: I may have overthought this. National League: St Louis blue and red cap of the 40s and early 50s. It might be sacrilege to choose a Cardinals cap that isn’t all red, but this is one of the best multi-color caps and I’m a big fan of the way they put together the StL. Here’s a painting of Stan Musial wearing it on the cover of Time.
American League: Kansas City green and white cap of about 1963-67. Green and white is the great underused baseball color schemes. Not just for St. Patrick’s Day. Again, the meshing of the K and the C to form a logo that’s both intricate and recognizable. Jim Nash on the cover of Sports Illustrated. (The cap is darker in this photo than the current reproductions.)
And finally, we have this from James “JTH” Huening: There are lots of old designs that I’m really fond of. I’ve got a late-40s St. Louis Browns cap with a white crown, brown brim and orange logo. I also have a 1935 road alt (supposedly) Tigers cap that has a white crown with orange piping and blue brim/logo . Have I ever mentioned that I love the color orange and white baseball caps? Because I do. And the StL and Old English D logos are so great.
Damn, those are both AL teams. I guess I’ll go with the Browns as #1 and give me the Cubs 1914 road caps as my NL team. Why? Because I’m a Cubs fan and that’s the best cap they’ve ever worn.
As for designs I’ve actually seen on the field in my lifetime, my NL choice is the Pirates’ late-’70s pillbox. I have a really tough time deciding between the gold with black trim and the solid-black, though … But since there are no ties, I’ll go with the gold crown model as my favorite. Why do I like these so much? Dunno. I guess it’s a zeitgeist thing. But I’d have to say that it’s attributable to the uniqueness of them, the mid-to-late-’70s bold colors/design, I was just starting to get into baseball, the Stargell Stars, and the fact that the team wearing them was pretty damn good.
My AL choice would have to be the Brewers’ ball-in-glove. Like many people, I just thought it was a really crappy-looking glove with a ball in it until the “hidden” M and B were pointed out to me by my dad. Genius! Well, to a 9-year-old, it was genius. Plus, I loved the colors. Again, a zeitgeist thing.
For current designs, I’d go with the Cardinals’ home cap as my NL best. The colors and logo on the it are just fantastic. And they should wear them on the road. I think this guy might agree.
My AL pick is the White Sox. The stark black-and-white simplicity is offset so well by the “fancy” interlocking Old English S-o-x. Don’t you think so, Ambiorix Burgos?
Well. There you have it. Lots of opinions, lots of caps. And man, LOTS of love for the Brewers’ “Ball in Glove.” Could this be the unofficial offical cap of Uni Watch?
What do you UWers think of our panel’s selections? What are your two favorite caps? Why?
My thanks to everyone who responded to my ‘survey.’ If your comments didn’t appear here, it’s either because you failed to reply to my call or I never sent you one. You know who you are. What’s that? You want my two favorite caps? I hadn’t even thought about it. Maybe by the end of the day I’ll come up with a couple.
This and That: We all know the AFL will be rocking the throwbacks this coming season. The 1963 Oakland Raiders are one such team. In a feat of detective work that would make Ricko proud, this article debunks the “1963” claim. … Here’s some more on da Raidah’s throwbacks … “Manny got busted for what?” … Look at this face — you wouldn’t want to take a club to that would you? Of course not. But the Canadians, upset by an EU decision to ban seal products, have proposed that Canadian athletes wear uniforms made of seal pelts at the 2010 Winter Olympics — shockingly, Games organizers have rejected the idea. … Lets go, while we’re young! … Following up on that AFL throwback theme, the Kansas City Chiefs are throwing back to the The 1962 Dallas Texans. Here’s a closer look at that. … Manram’s old high school uses a fairly familiar logo — I smell a lawsuit … And the Bills will also be throwing back four times this coming season. … *Note to hurdles organizers: fix drainage* … Are you patriotic? Do you respect the uniform? … Oh snap! … You guys all follow the USL right? The Portland Timbers and SolarWorld, one of the largest solar energy companies in the world, announced today a new multi-year partnership that will feature SolarWorld as the official jersey sponsor for the Timbers U-23s, the organization’s new development team. But you probably knew that already … Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame … Speaking of sports nobody cares about, the Bay Area’s pro female soccer team cut ticket prices by 25 percent for the remainder of the season, in response to no one showing up for the games. … Are those color-coordinated headphones, Kobe? … Man — this is just wrong. “The 9- and 10-year-olds didn’t have uniforms. The California company parents paid to make the uniforms never delivered and never returned the money.” … Ah but don’t despair, because there’s good news following bad news when it comes to unis … HAHAHAHA — dude, you’re wearing a Louis Vuitton man purse — you wuss … Bit of sad news yesterday, when the baseball world lost Joltin’ Joe’s brother, the Little Professor … And the Sawks remembered him before the game … Got Milk? — SI features Danica in this article where we find out just why “I definitely would like the milk at the end of the month,”, among other things … Even when you overslide the base and get tagged out, Stirrups>Pajamas … You’ve probably already seen the Super Bowl & Pro Bowl logos, but just in case you didn’t, here’s the story … Someone help me out here: Is this the first time this season the Twins are wearing this uni? … Still more soccer news: Lawsuit accuses Rowdies of trademark infringement … Somebody robbed the Glendale train and they made off with the ‘Yotes — maybe … What’s better than free cable? this … It’s that time of the month year again … Welcome to the bigs, kid … and finally … that’s no bull.
Enjoy your Saturday folks.
The Jays’ original cap (and current alternate), it had the bird looking stylish but still “anatomically correct” and the Maple Leaf, which I am proud to see again on the uniforms of the Jays, in patch form. Canadian and proud! For the National League, I would have to go with the current Cardinals’ cap. It is simple, but with that intricate STL logo. You know the Red Birds are on the field when you see that, it is iconic.
P.S. I am glad the Olympic Committee turned down the seal sins, but I am pissed at the EU. Europe can start world wars, colonization and genocide, but they are too good to wear aquatic mammals?
I love the Colt .45s hat.
Also the 70s As coaches hat, the white hat with the green A’s and green bill.
2 favorite caps?
the 1994 Road Pittsburgh Pirates (gray)…the one I have Paul posted (it has the Phillies logo on the inside)…I’ve been wearing Pirates hats most of my life and I love the gray w/black brim and the Pirate’s P outlined with yellow on the gray hat…took a while to find it again, but happy to see these are out there again!
American Leauge: Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1995 Road W/BLACK BRIM) ….it’s my pick, and I love this hat…I don’t know why, I guess since no one else had this hat…wore one all the way up to ’99 when I lost it at a concert…nearly 6 years later, outside of Yankee stadium, I found a vendor selling old New Era hats for 5 bucks, and found another one…
My best of the rest…
1) 70s-80s Twins
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2) 60s Senators
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3) The aforementioned Expos pinwheel
4) ’69 Seattle Pilots
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5) ’93 Marlins teal (I hated it at the time)
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BTW, I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?
[quote]I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
joe jackson & pete rose busts
/did the d-rays have a cap in 95? since they didn’t begin play until 1998 (i know the d-bags had merch before they actually played,) but did the d-rays?
I thought that the logo on the Expos hats also represented the owner’s initials (Charles M. Bronfman).
My favorites were the Giants of 1949-1957 (the Mets have a lousy imitation logo) and the Dodgers of 1938-50.
Pity how the logos for the imitation St. Louis caps (both leagues) are so poorly done.
Can’t tell if the “drainage” line was sarcasm or not (I realize that this usually means it is, but that photo is from a steeplechase somewhere in the world of track & field. The water jump is, um, link.
70’s atlanta braves with the litte a. Their jerseys were so cool then too.
70’s Orioles with the little dude swingin with white panel front.
That era had the best unis!
[quote comment=”328513″][quote]I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
joe jackson & pete rose busts
/did the d-rays have a cap in 95? since they didn’t begin play until 1998 (i know the d-bags had merch before they actually played,) but did the d-rays?[/quote]
In the words of Billy Ray Valentine…Thanks, you’ve been very hepful.
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I think this cap addresses many likes…
– lowercase lettering
– off color brim
– and odd-ball graphic
– remembrance of a HOF’er wearing it
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[quote comment=”328510″]I love the Colt .45s hat.
Also the 70s As coaches hat, the white hat with the green A’s and green bill.[/quote]
AGREED !
.45’s – link
A’s – link
[quote comment=”328513″][quote]I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
joe jackson & pete rose busts
/did the d-rays have a cap in 95? since they didn’t begin play until 1998 (i know the d-bags had merch before they actually played,) but did the d-rays?[/quote]
Yes the D-Rays did have merch before they played. I had a few shirts and a hat.
I forgot to mention my favorite “guilty pleasure” hat.
the late 80/early 90s Mariners hat with the pitchfork inside the star. But not the blue one, the one with the white front panel
[quote comment=”328518″]I think this cap addresses many likes…
– lowercase lettering
– off color brim
– and odd-ball graphic
– remembrance of a HOF’er wearing it
link
HOF’er in cap – link
I must say that I am shocked, shocked at the love shown the Pirates pillbox hats! Those abominations needed to be tossed into the bonfire along with the Broncos vertical stripped socks.
Growing up in the ‘Burgh here in the 70’s, the mustard hat would be my preference.
I’m also not a fan of the panel hats of the 70s and 80s. All of those Braves, Brewers, Blue Jays, Padres, Orioles, White Sox hats need to be tossed in said bonfire as well!
Is it me, or are the more interesting hats in the American League? The ’61 Angels, the way underated ’71 Angels with the small a and cockeyed halo, The Orioles birds (sans panels ‘natch), most of the White Sox hats with the exception of ’75 through the 80s, ’47 Tribe (or anything with Chief Wahoo), Kansas City A’s during the interlocking KC era, ’63 Senators (the original curly W), and even the Twins TC hats (though it drives me nuts that the font doesn’t match the uniforms).
As far as the National League, BLUE Cardinals hats (the red STL really pops), Reds 61-66, Cubs 1914.
Being a Texas 70’s-80,s kid I always liked the Rangers cap from those days. Im pretty sure this is the same one Klinger wore in M*A*S*H.
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And the Astros cap at the end of the tequila sunrise days
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I’m not sure what you mean by the Twins jersey comment at the end of the article. They have worn those multiple times. Perhaps you got the wrong picture or something. I mean they are wearing throwbacks from the 1982 (the first season in the Metrodome) on Saturdays I believe.
wow, can’t anyone answer a question in a sentence or two. These weekend posts are so long and laborious to get through.
Agree with Squiddie on the mid-60s A’s caps FTW in the AL. Honorable mention to the Tigers.
NL: much as it pains me to say it, for the cap ONLY, the LA Dodgers. Sweet monogram.
Liking the Cleveland Wahoo has little to do with the concept of politics or correctness. If you don’t understand it, than you are bereft of that ability & can not be taught it. The team nickname is antiquated & as wrong as the shameful name of the NFL DC franchise, in the US Capital, no less.
One is the equivalent of depicting a “Sambo” face, the other, the N-word. It’s just extremely ignorant, insensitive & poor taste. Awareness is not politics, it’s intelligence.
“Even when you overslide the base and get tagged out, Stirrups>Pajamas”
Saw the game last night — nice, although he wears the pants a little too high. Now someone needs to teach him the proper way to fit / break-in / wear a ballcap (sorry, no pics).
[quote comment=”328524″]Being a Texas 70’s-80,s kid I always liked the Rangers cap from those days. Im pretty sure this is the same one Klinger wore in M*A*S*H.
link
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And the Astros cap at the end of the tequila sunrise days
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I assumed it was a Toledo Mud Hens hat, since he would also wear the jersey.
[quote comment=”328528″]Liking the Cleveland Wahoo has little to do with the concept of politics or correctness. If you don’t understand it, than you are bereft of that ability & can not be taught it. The team nickname is antiquated & as wrong as the shameful name of the NFL DC franchise, in the US Capital, no less.
One is the equivalent of depicting a “Sambo” face, the other, the N-word. It’s just extremely ignorant, insensitive & poor taste. Awareness is not politics, it’s intelligence.[/quote]
I think the Indians’ logo is ugly, as was the predecessor worn in the 1948 World Series. Both are degrading. I don’t feel that way about the Indian representations on the uniforms of the Boston Braves, Chicago Blackhawks or Washington Redskins.
FYI – Article correction (CBS4\’s): Superbowl 41 will be at Landshark Stadium (phins to the left?).
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nevermind it expires by then…
NL: the original Expos cap. The first one that I remember having as a kid back in ’77. Also like the Pirates “Stargell Stars” and the Reds basic red with the wishbone C.
AL: the Mariners all-blue with the trident-in-star logo. Also like the Orioles cap from the same era with the white front, black on the sides and the smiling “Camp Happy Bird” logo on the front.
[quote comment=”328513″][quote]I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
joe jackson & pete rose busts
/did the d-rays have a cap in 95? since they didn’t begin play until 1998 (i know the d-bags had merch before they actually played,) but did the d-rays?[/quote]
I remember I had gotten this hat (D-Rays) @ the hall of fame in fall 95…but yes, I remember most people had the Purple Diamond Backs hat (the “A”) something like this, but all purple
link
and I hate the D-Backs so I got one I knew no one would have…or still does….or ever did….but I love it!!
great to see the love for the Brewers ball and glove.
i was shocked to see this debate on its current alternate use raging on the local brewers blog:
link
i’ve always liked the 80s phillies caps. the ball in P if you will.
An ironic aspect to the Indians logo is that it was initially developed by Bill Veeck, who, on his autobiography, said that one of his ambitions was to go to law school and work towards advancing the civil rights of American Indians. And he wrote this in 1962…
hat talk! love it …
as for the NL, i am a born and bred cincinnatian – so i have to go with the hat the big red machine wore, the 1975 reds cap: link
on to the AL, can i use this helmet? link
if not, i’ll go with the 1976 minnesota twins home hat: link loved the wishbone C with the T and the red, white, and blue colors
i am surprised the twins hat didn’t come up in any of the favorites, unless i missed it
try this link for the helmet … link
My personal Top 5 are:
1. Red Sox- Had a fancy-B since ’33 with only slight changes (the current alt hats are the worst hats worn by the Sox in their history)
2. Pilots- It was just so unique plus my dad wore this hat when he played high school ball
3. Boston Braves (1946-52)- I just like the simplicity of the design
4. Cardinals (1940-55)- My love for this one comes from Strategic Air Command starring James Stewart as a SAC pilot who played for the Cardinals and wore this cap while flying
5. Astros (1971-82)- I owned this hat and everybody ripped on it, but it was from the ’70s and that was just the way it was, gaudy was great
A couple links were missing from the last couple paragraphs of my lil’ write-up. Shoulda looked like this:
[quote]For current designs, I’d go with the Cardinals’ home cap as my NL best. The colors and logo on the it are just fantastic. And they should wear them on the road. I think link might agree.
My AL pick is the White Sox. The stark black-and-white simplicity is offset so well by the “fancy” interlocking Old English S-o-x. Don’t you think so, link[/quote]
Indians fan, but hate the logo. I wear the alternate caps.
Still about the only person here who can’t stand the Brewers’ “ball in glove.” Yeah, I get it’s the initials; but it’s still a 3-fingered glove; and that bugs me for some reason.
Faves:AL: Williams-era Red Sox; NL: Giants (NY or SF). Classic look.
[quote comment=”328530″]
I assumed it was a Toledo Mud Hens hat, since he would also wear the jersey.[/quote]
Plus M*A*S*H was set in the 1950s, long before the Rangers existed.
gotta go st. louis (red cap) in the NL and oakland A’s (green cap/yellow bill).
[quote comment=”328515″]Can’t tell if the “drainage” line was sarcasm or not (I realize that this usually means it is, but that photo is from a steeplechase somewhere in the world of track & field. The water jump is, um, link.[/quote]
Definitely steeplechase.
Some great favourite caps – I was worried going with a couple 1970s designs I’d be the outlier amongst a bunch of traditionalists but I’m gratified that I’m not alone in loving the Expos pinwheel in particular.
[quote comment=”328526″]wow, can’t anyone answer a question in a sentence or two. These weekend posts are so long and laborious to get through.[/quote]
I believe I did. :o)
I have the Twins wearing the white home jerseys with sleeves on 4/15, 4/17, 4/27, and 4/29. With Friday’s win this makes their record 3-2.
They’ve been wearing the blues, vests and throwbacks a lot this year.
[quote comment=”328531″][quote comment=”328528″]Liking the Cleveland Wahoo has little to do with the concept of politics or correctness. If you don’t understand it, than you are bereft of that ability & can not be taught it. The team nickname is antiquated & as wrong as the shameful name of the NFL DC franchise, in the US Capital, no less.
One is the equivalent of depicting a “Sambo” face, the other, the N-word. It’s just extremely ignorant, insensitive & poor taste. Awareness is not politics, it’s intelligence.[/quote]
I think the Indians’ logo is ugly, as was the predecessor worn in the 1948 World Series. Both are degrading. I don’t feel that way about the Indian representations on the uniforms of the Boston Braves, Chicago Blackhawks or Washington Redskins.[/quote]
So if Wahoo were less cartoonish, it would be ok?
AL: Orioles with the happy bird and white front. As a little kid I thought the Orioles were the good guys and all the other teams were the bad guys. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to play for the bad guys. Kinda like the Autobots vs the Decepticons.
NL: Expos tri-color. I started collecting baseball cards in ’87 and living in an AL town, this was the first time I actually saw some NL uniforms. The Expos always jumped out at me as being the most unique.
[quote comment=”328550″][quote comment=”328531″][quote comment=”328528″]Liking the Cleveland Wahoo has little to do with the concept of politics or correctness. If you don’t understand it, than you are bereft of that ability & can not be taught it. The team nickname is antiquated & as wrong as the shameful name of the NFL DC franchise, in the US Capital, no less.
One is the equivalent of depicting a “Sambo” face, the other, the N-word. It’s just extremely ignorant, insensitive & poor taste. Awareness is not politics, it’s intelligence.[/quote]
I think the Indians’ logo is ugly, as was the predecessor worn in the 1948 World Series. Both are degrading. I don’t feel that way about the Indian representations on the uniforms of the Boston Braves, Chicago Blackhawks or Washington Redskins.[/quote]
So if Wahoo were less cartoonish, it would be ok?[/quote]
Possibly.
[quote comment=”328544″]Indians fan, but hate the logo. I wear the alternate caps.
Still about the only person here who can’t stand the Brewers’ “ball in glove.” Yeah, I get it’s the initials; but it’s still a 3-fingered glove; and that bugs me for some reason.
Faves:AL: Williams-era Red Sox; NL: Giants (NY or SF). Classic look.[/quote]
Does Mickey Mouse and Homer Simpson bug you too? They only have three fingers. It’s a classic cartoon tradition. IMHO, the ball-and-glove is cartoony as well, and works fine in that regard.
-Greenie
[quote comment=”328530″][quote comment=”328524″]Being a Texas 70’s-80,s kid I always liked the Rangers cap from those days. Im pretty sure this is the same one Klinger wore in M*A*S*H.
link
link
And the Astros cap at the end of the tequila sunrise days
link
I assumed it was a Toledo Mud Hens hat, since he would also wear the jersey.[/quote]
Yes technically a Mudhens hat but it was a Rangers hat in every way
I love
the 1975 Red Sox cap
the 1969 Seattle Pilots cap
the 1917 White Sox cap
if I’m not mistaken, those headphones for kobe were allstar game gifts via colorware here’s some pics of others
link
link
link
AL: Twins original all-navy with red & white interlocking T & C
link
NL: Astros all-navy with orange star and white block H
link
Yeah, I’ll be the first to navy’s staid & boring (& maybe overused), but I like how these caps look. (That was today’s question, right?)
Make that ‘I’ll be the first to SAY’…
[quote comment=”328526″]wow, can’t anyone answer a question in a sentence or two. These weekend posts are so long and laborious to get through.[/quote]
Since I’m partially responsible for this, please accept my apology. I’m sorry to have taken up your valuable time. I’m sure if I’d opted for brevity, you’d have cured cancer this morning.
Actually, my apology is directed toward the entire human race.
The 1951 St. Louis Browns cap with the orange bill and letters popping against the brown caps.
And add me to the Houston Colts .45s fans. I love that the minor league teams included the .22s.
[quote comment=”328560″]The 1951 St. Louis Browns cap with the orange bill and letters popping against the brown caps.
And add me to the Houston Colts .45s fans. I love that the minor league teams included the .22s.[/quote]
If they had a Canadian minor league team, would they have been the 9mms?
[quote comment=”328528″]Liking the Cleveland Wahoo has little to do with the concept of politics or correctness. If you don’t understand it, than you are bereft of that ability & can not be taught it. The team nickname is antiquated & as wrong as the shameful name of the NFL DC franchise, in the US Capital, no less.
One is the equivalent of depicting a “Sambo” face, the other, the N-word. It’s just extremely ignorant, insensitive & poor taste. Awareness is not politics, it’s intelligence.[/quote]
I grew up in Cleveland and have been an Indians fan my whole life, but have never worn a Wahoo cap because it is so offensive. Thank goodness for alternate caps. On the plus side, this did spark my interest in uni history at a very early age as I tried to find a mid 70s Indians hat with the red C on it.
Here’s a link to a video done by the Cincy Enquirer about rubbing the mud on baseballs prior to use. Mostly common knowledge, but a funny story about Roy Oswalt and Jeff Bagwell in there.
link
i love the gold/navy astros hats…truly underrated uni set, the classiest they’ve ever had…
and i have to go with the 90’s tigers alt with the orange bill and the tiger coming out of the D
(how do i post a link again?)
link
I gotta say the St. Louis Browns cap from circa 1909-11 was outstanding…and even though I’m not a Brewers fan, I actually own a 1982 cap (a real one, bought in the 1980’s).
There are a lot of great choices of lids out there…so I’ll add my faves as well:
1 (tie) – 1946 Red Sox. The origin of the species. The modern cap doesn’t exist without it. The felt logo only adds to a classic cap.
1 (tie) – 1969 Seattle Pilots. The only big-league cap to have a decoration on the bill (the “scrambled eggs” detail).
3 – 1963 Washington Senators. The original “curly W”. And the soutache seam stripes are a nice touch.
4 – 1931 Red Sox. The origin of the “hanging sox”. You’d have to wait until 1999 to see the iconic socks on a game cap again (in the unused TATC cap).
5 – 1994 Philadelphia Phillies (alt). Yes, I’m referring to the bad-luck blue one. Bought one just before my senior year of high school ended and wore it exactly a month before I grew out of it. Haven’t been able to find another one like it since (there were two versions, one with a thin “P” and one with a thick “P”; I had the thin one).
Does anyone know of any Dom Dimaggio related uni-tribute by the Red Sox, e.g. black armband?
Now link is just sad.
phil, you are right, that brewer cap is the baseball hat of uw, because it is the most clever in design. i didn’t pick it, because i also like the design element of the soustache, but it is just as solid as they come even in a disco era panel. i would imagine if we did this for hockey sweaters the whalers would have the best, you might personally like others, but you have to give design credit where design credit is due.
___________
dave murphy, i forgot to comment until after the opening last night, but if you check in today, i loved your work yesterday. clean, tight, outstanding. and the person who commented that you could have just baught them, he clearly does not get it.
_________
anybody want to umpire 7 softball games for me today? i swear these adults do not act like children, you will have a blast. no? didn’t think so.
Oooh! Oooh! I wanna play too!!
Favorite caps:
1. (AL) 1966-’74 Baltimore Orioles (black with orange brim and orange cartoon bird). Because this was the first team I ever fell in love with (Brooks, Frank, Boog, Blade, etc.), and I’m actually not a big fan of the pinwheel.
2. (NL) 1971 Houston Astros (orange with navy star and white “H”). I guess they wore a version of this both home and away through ’79 (and at home through ’82), but those ’71 unis (orange trim, pre-sansabelt) may be my all-time favorite MLB unis. Strangely, however, I’m not really a ‘Stros fan….
[quote comment=”328569″]phil, you are right, that brewer cap is the baseball hat of uw, because it is the most clever in design. i didn’t pick it, because i also like the design element of the soustache, but it is just as solid as they come even in a disco era panel. i would imagine if we did this for hockey sweaters the whalers would have the best, you might personally like others, but you have to give design credit where design credit is due.
___________
dave murphy, i forgot to comment until after the opening last night, but if you check in today, i loved your work yesterday. clean, tight, outstanding. and the person who commented that you could have just bought them, he clearly does not get it.
_________
anybody want to umpire 7 softball games for me today? i swear these adults do not act like children, you will have a blast. no? didn’t think so.[/quote]
baught? sorry, typo, bought. i hate when that happens.
[quote comment=”328554″][quote comment=”328530″][quote comment=”328524″]Being a Texas 70’s-80,s kid I always liked the Rangers cap from those days. Im pretty sure this is the same one Klinger wore in M*A*S*H.
link
link
And the Astros cap at the end of the tequila sunrise days
link
I assumed it was a Toledo Mud Hens hat, since he would also wear the jersey.[/quote]
Yes technically a Mudhens hat but it was a Rangers hat in every way[/quote]
Well, no. The rangers didn’t exist. It was a Mudhens cap, and the texas cap that came later looked like the mudhens cap.
Also, the mudhens hat does not have the outline the texas cap does. It’s just a plain white T.
Sorry, but it makes no sense in any way to think of that as a texas cap.
Late 70’s pitchfork Mariners. Simple and beautiful. First hat I ever owned even though I was bred a Yankees fan.
link
This one:
link
“If your comments didn’t appear here, it’s either because you failed to reply to my call or I never sent you one OR I ignored your reply sent on May 1st.” Thanks Phil.
Anyhow, my selections are from my youth. All are a little “gimmicky” but hey, that’s what 7-year-olds like.
NL: link. Brown & gold were pretty “way out” colors for baseball and this has a lot of both.
AL: I must be permitted to have a tie, because I really can’t pick. link & link. Unlike Rick, I go for the “CA” over the “LA” with the Angels. Both with cool trimming (halos, golden leaves) make it just too tough to pick just one!
This was fun to see others tastes in caps.For the most part I agree with others choices. Timmy B also picked Reds early 1960’s cap. As I said when I was younger that one just stood out above most.
Some of the others I liked are the Orioles and The Expos, Brewers that have been mentioned.
And nice to see some old school caps like St Louis Browns and even very early Baltimore.
Interesting tha i did not see anybody choose the famous Yankee hat. Not saying it is one of my favorites but the fact that in case I missed it, that nobody chose it.
Another cap I liked in AL was Detroits classice D. I prefer it in orange but the white D is still a classic.
Favorite National League cap: 1973-79 San Diego Padres. A great color scheme & my favorite, unique curved front panel that minimized the bright yellow greatly as opposed to the two-front panel trucker style.
Favorite American League cap: 1976-81 Chicago White Sox. 3 white block futurized letters going straight across light up brightly against the dark navy cap, and the white button on top really pops.
[quote comment=”328512″]My best of the rest…
1) 70s-80s Twins
link
2) 60s Senators
link
3) The aforementioned Expos pinwheel
4) ’69 Seattle Pilots
link
5) ’93 Marlins teal (I hated it at the time)
link
BTW, I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
When I was there recently, they were constructing a Hank Aaron exhibit
[quote comment=”328513″][quote]I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
joe jackson & pete rose busts
/did the d-rays have a cap in 95? since they didn’t begin play until 1998 (i know the d-bags had merch before they actually played,) but did the d-rays?[/quote]
The DR’s actually had a cap ready for 1995.
link
This was supposed to be the primary cap logo. Then they started to back-pedalinggg. link
I can’t quite remember but I don’t think the original cap ever may the field.
Hey, does anybody know who (and why) was without a number and nameplate today for West Ham United against Liverpool? Some defender…
[quote comment=”328580″][quote comment=”328512″]My best of the rest…
1) 70s-80s Twins
link
2) 60s Senators
link
3) The aforementioned Expos pinwheel
4) ’69 Seattle Pilots
link
5) ’93 Marlins teal (I hated it at the time)
link
BTW, I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
When I was there recently, they were constructing a Hank Aaron exhibit[/quote]
Funny thing about the Pilots cap in this display (I assume it’s from the HOF). I’m pretty sure it’s a replica by Roman Pro made in the early 80’s (they managed to keep the blue stitches off the gold leaf on the original). I guess the whole concept of the Hall getting their hands on just about everything is a recent phenomenon.
Nats vs Giants 1924, Nice dugout shot from Shorpy
link
Now wait, the caption said Nats vs Giants. Were they not the Senators then? Didnt the Pirates play the Senators around that year for World Series? Maybe 1925?
Since M*A*S*H* ran longer than the Korean War, it played a little bit fast and loose with the time line. However, the Mud Hens had left Toledo in the summer of 1952.
Just before the truce, they were replaced with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1953 who became the Glass Sox or Sox.
The Toledo PBS channel has a documentary on the Mud Hens you can watch at
link
One of their experts points out that they’re the only professional men’s team with a feminine mascot.
Favorite mlb hats are White D (like people said its a classic, but i cant stand it in orange) then the Twins TC hat, in both all blue and red with blue brim.
That being said, my all time favorite hat is the old Rochester Red Wings FC hat(fc = flour/flower city, both wordings check up). Being from rochester but being out of state now, i love representing the home town.
link
then their old logo on the all black cap that they used to wear in bp a few years ago, cant find the cap but here it is in an all red version
link
[quote comment=”328585″]Now wait, the caption said Nats vs Giants. Were they not the Senators then? Didnt the Pirates play the Senators around that year for World Series? Maybe 1925?[/quote]
They were in sort of a gray area between the two names until Calvin took over in 1959.
Washington lost to Pittsburgh in seven in 1925.
link
What is that little kid # 29 doing by Nick Mangold and the girls in Titans outfits. The girls are bigger than him.
Saw this while looking at the Raiders links.
[quote comment=”328588″][quote comment=”328585″]Now wait, the caption said Nats vs Giants. Were they not the Senators then? Didnt the Pirates play the Senators around that year for World Series? Maybe 1925?[/quote]
They were in sort of a gray area between the two names until Calvin took over in 1959.
Washington lost to Pittsburgh in seven in 1925.[/quote]
I was not aware of that. Even in the comments for that Shorpy picture they were talking about the name Nationals or Senators. I glanced quickly at some after I posted my above question.
And after I thought about it I did recall the Pirates beat the Senators in 1925. When I was a kid my dad bought an Album with Bob Prince narrating it. It had sound bites and history of the past. So while I was more sure of the Yankees 4 game sweep in 1927. It later hit me about 1925.
Ahh that was a fun to listen to album. It was after the 60 World Series. I probably have it someplace but it may be scratchy and who has a needle and player of record albums now?
Does anyone have any links to a photo gallery from the Turn Ahead the Clock night back in 1999?
Any subtle reason why the Brewers cap is the biggest in the features picture?
I think it was the 1980s when I bought a couple jerseys that were sold at ball parks. I remember buying the colorful Astros,Cardinals. Indians and Pirates. Again those are something I would have to dig out.
Anybody else buy those? I do not think they were all that expensive.
[quote comment=”328514″]I thought that the logo on the Expos hats also represented the owner’s initials (Charles M. Bronfman).
My favorites were the Giants of 1949-1957 (the Mets have a lousy imitation logo) and the Dodgers of 1938-50.
Pity how the logos for the imitation St. Louis caps (both leagues) are so poorly done.[/quote]
The Expos logo actually incorporated “e-l-b” for “expos le baseball.” Most people just see the overall “M” for Montreal.
[quote comment=”328591″]Does anyone have any links to a photo gallery from the Turn Ahead the Clock night back in 1999?[/quote]
link
link
HAHA I forgot all about those.YIKES
All-time favorite hat — fell in love with it (and the white version was good too) — they didn’t wear it long enough (only two years):
link
Loved the orange jerseys too. Orange and black are not my favorite colors, but I’m surprised no one put the New York Baseball Giants’ cap on the list. What a classic (the darker version of the Mets’ great caps).
Hey Phil, Thanks for letting me participate in today’s blog entry!
[quote comment=”328553″][quote comment=”328544″]Indians fan, but hate the logo. I wear the alternate caps.
Still about the only person here who can’t stand the Brewers’ “ball in glove.” Yeah, I get it’s the initials; but it’s still a 3-fingered glove; and that bugs me for some reason.
Faves:AL: Williams-era Red Sox; NL: Giants (NY or SF). Classic look.[/quote]
Does Mickey Mouse and Homer Simpson bug you too? They only have three fingers. It’s a classic cartoon tradition. IMHO, the ball-and-glove is cartoony as well, and works fine in that regard.
-Greenie[/quote]
Not only that, but once upon a time, the link was commonplace.
[quote comment=”328586″]Since M*A*S*H* ran longer than the Korean War, it played a little bit fast and loose with the time line. However, the Mud Hens had left Toledo in the summer of 1952.
Just before the truce, they were replaced with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1953 who became the Glass Sox or Sox.
The Toledo PBS channel has a documentary on the Mud Hens you can watch at
link
One of their experts points out that they’re the only professional men’s team with a feminine mascot.[/quote]
That expert might want to check the facts. As is the case with the Delaware blue hen, “mud hen” doesn’t necessarily refer to a female bird. It’s just a nickname for the American coot. A male coot is not called a “mud cock.”
1. JTH, great line to the douche complaining about the length of the post!
2. I see the Pirates wore the black alts today rather than the usual Friday. Went to ESPN.com to see a gallery and this was explained as the Mets went with their blacks last night. I guess the home team has preference when it comes to alts and can override another squad. That makes sense, more sense than the disaster that would be two teams in black jerseys.
As for the Pirates, I’d bring the red vests back if it got them back a win. Well, not really, but it looks like the wheels are falling off the wagon, yet again.
3. Props to Larry Bodnovich. I wasn’t able to view most of yesterday’s entry until today because Picasa is blocked at my work and I didn’t use a computer last night at all. FANTASTIC stuff.
[quote comment=”328580″][quote comment=”328512″]My best of the rest…
1) 70s-80s Twins
link
2) 60s Senators
link
3) The aforementioned Expos pinwheel
4) ’69 Seattle Pilots
link
5) ’93 Marlins teal (I hated it at the time)
link
BTW, I will probably get a chance to go to the Baseball HOF today. Are there any absolutely “must see” exhibits?[/quote]
When I was there recently, they were constructing a Hank Aaron exhibit[/quote]
Well, I did get to go to the HOF today. The Hank Aaron exhibit is open and they have the entire uni he was wearing for 715.
I really had no sense going in of the size of the place and it was actually smaller than I thought it would be. I was able to go through the whole museum twice in about 5 hours.
One thing that struck me was the polyester caps from the 70s. They the orange Astro cap (my NL favorite) worn by Nolan for his 5th no-no in ’81 and the yellow pillbox Pirate cap worn by Chuck Tanner for his 1000th career victory, I believe, and they were both polyester. How many teams went in that direction?
Overall, just an awesome day.
Phil – Great idea today. I’d like to see some sort of history on helmets (which would be relatively short). Helmets don’t always match the caps. My all-time favorite helmet was the Twins’ tri-color (which didn’t match the home or road caps).
link
Interesting note on the Expos:
Their original helmet was all-blue even though the cap was tri-color. In 1977 they switched to a matching tri-color helmet. Then sometime in the late 1980s or early l990s they switched the caps and helmets back to the original blue helmet.
[quote comment=”328599″]JTH, great line to the douche complaining about the length of the post!
[/quote]
Thanks. It just kills me the way, every weekend, someone’s gotta gripe that there’s TOO MUCH. As if they’re forced to read it.
The Orioles never featured the bat swinging bird on a hat. Maybe sold them in the souvenir shop.
NL – Agreeing with many lovers of the orange Astro’s from the 70s. StL in red would be choice 1A.
AL- Red late 60’s Senators, followed closely by the original Oriole cartoon bird (66-74)and the Californa Halo hats from the mid-late 60’s.
The beauty of MLB baseball caps is that so many are iconic – Yanks, Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals, Dodgers,Giants,Cubs etc.
Newer generation iconic hats – Royals, A’s, Braves, Twins
Teams that “get it” – current Rays, Mariners come to mind.
Defunct icons – Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Giants
All clean, distinctive designs – and fans of all ages can wear them and immediately identify with the team. Usually for under 20 bucks….
I can’t argue the California Angels halo cap, but I’m thinking about the Reds gray road cap from ’57 to the early ’60s…
[quote comment=”328605″]I can’t argue the California Angels halo cap, but I’m thinking about the Reds gray road cap from ’57 to the early ’60s…[/quote]
Agreed.
[quote]/did the d-rays have a cap in 95? since they didn’t begin play until 1998 (i know the d-bags had merch before they actually played,) but did the d-rays? [/quote]
Paul’s nightmare: link
link
BTW…I want one of those shirts, but I want it to say:
I’M CALLING IT THE SUNCOAST DOME
or
I’M CALLING IT THE THUNDERDOME
I’m suprised there’s not more love for my favorite cap of all-time, the classic Milwaukee Braves cap. To me, this thing just sings baseball. link
[quote comment=”328593″]The Expos logo actually incorporated “e-l-b” for “expos le baseball.” Most people just see the overall “M” for Montreal.[/quote]
There’s no “L” in there – for one thing, “expos le baseball” makes no grammatical sense. I always thought it was an E, an M (the overall shape), and a B, which stands for “Expos (or Equipe?) de Montreal Baseball.”
[quote comment=”328609″]I’m suprised there’s not more love for my favorite cap of all-time, the classic Milwaukee Braves cap. To me, this thing just sings baseball. link[/quote]
Beau, I was going to mention that as one of my other NL choices. I agree with you on that classic Milwaukee Braves hat. Even though a small part of me. The Buckeye fan inside me makes me not crazy about any capitol M. That cap is a good one.
And Kek glad you enjoyed my grabs from yesterday. The 1960′ Pirates album was fun to do.
[quote comment=”328604″]The Orioles never featured the bat swinging bird on a hat. Maybe sold them in the souvenir shop.
NL – Agreeing with many lovers of the orange Astro’s from the 70s. StL in red would be choice 1A.
AL- Red late 60’s Senators, followed closely by the original Oriole cartoon bird (66-74)and the Californa Halo hats from the mid-late 60’s.[/quote]
I agree – LOVED those ’69 Senator caps (and uniforms): simple, elegant, classy. Showing my age, no doubt, but most of my faves are from that same late ’60s-early ’70s period, which is when I “came of age” (?) as a fan.
And I hate all these BP hats, or whatever they are, with the curved stripes above the ears. Just, y’know, thought I’d put that out there.
[quote comment=”328597″][quote comment=”328553″][quote comment=”328544″]Indians fan, but hate the logo. I wear the alternate caps.
Still about the only person here who can’t stand the Brewers’ “ball in glove.” Yeah, I get it’s the initials; but it’s still a 3-fingered glove; and that bugs me for some reason.
Faves:AL: Williams-era Red Sox; NL: Giants (NY or SF). Classic look.[/quote]
Does Mickey Mouse and Homer Simpson bug you too? They only have three fingers. It’s a classic cartoon tradition. IMHO, the ball-and-glove is cartoony as well, and works fine in that regard.
-Greenie[/quote]
Not only that, but once upon a time, the link was commonplace.[/quote]
Like I said, I guess it’s just me. And Homer rules.
My faves are: AL: Red Sox 1975-78. I guess its because I’m a huge Sawx fan, and the Fisk homer in the ’75 World Series is my favorite baseball moment ever.
NL: Brewers alternate 2007(?)-present. I don’t know the exact date that the Brew Crew started their Sunday throwback thing, but I like the all blue ball-in-glove MB logo. I would’ve chosen the 70’s one, but that would be to AL teams and I don’t like the yellow front panel.
[quote comment=”328562″][quote comment=”328528″]Liking the Cleveland Wahoo has little to do with the concept of politics or correctness. If you don’t understand it, than you are bereft of that ability & can not be taught it. The team nickname is antiquated & as wrong as the shameful name of the NFL DC franchise, in the US Capital, no less.
One is the equivalent of depicting a “Sambo” face, the other, the N-word. It’s just extremely ignorant, insensitive & poor taste. Awareness is not politics, it’s intelli fan my whole life, but have never worn a Wahoo cap because it is so offensive. Thank goodness for alternate caps. On the plus side, this did spark my interest in uni history at a very early age as I tried to find a mid 70s Indians hat with the red C on it.[/quote]
The Cleveland Spiders team name was changed to Indians in honor of a very good Native American player, Louis Sockalexis, who died young. What’s the problem with that, pray tell?
The Indians always seemed to have great hats – still do, alt included even though there is no point to anything alt except $$$. As a kid I liked the crooked C of the 70’s but looking back I think there is some very nice class to this early 80’s plain old C with the red bill.
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well…back from a long trek “out east”…aka the summer abode…a horrible wonderful place where the interwebs do not exist…for now…
coupla things…one thanks to everyone who participated, either via email and/or in the comments — to larry w…i am SO SORRY if i neglected to include your comments … i thought i flagged everyone who replied, but if i left you off, mea culpa…big time
to the dude who complained about the length of todays post, you may get your wish tomorrow — it may just be an ‘open thread’ — i got a LOT of shit to deal with tonight, and im absolutely exhausted, having spent 5 hours in the car AND opened up the house, waiting an extra two hours for the cable guy (who did NOT have a modem for me, after all was said and done; wifi isn’t happening, and 56.6k dialup is unacceptable, plus i haven’t had a dialup account in years, so it’s not really an option), plus hauling deck furniture, vacuuming, putting away mothballs, mowing the lawn etc… but we’ll see
as far as my two favorite caps…i did give it some thought (probably too much thought), and i gotta go with the 1917 brooklyn robins for my NL, and the 1931 chisox road
robins cuz im a homer and it’s just a cool lookin cap and the sox cuz it’s not the reds or the cards or the phils, but it is a sweet red, and i love that particular sox logo
Raiders throwbacks don’t make much sense- they’re wearing the same outfit since the early 60’s, save the decal is all black, and the numbers on the white jerseys are black, not silver. It’s the same basic boring combo. Wait, it’s Al Davis, never mind. Say Al, how’s that Commitment to Excellence going this decade?
I am just appalled that I wasn’t invited to be a part of this panel. And by appalled, I mean whatever the opposite of appalled is.
Steve’s Baseball Pages has a bunch of new great photos posted over the past couple of days. Relevant because a few of the caps mentioned today as favorites are represented.
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The first two from today are kind of a “spot the differences” thing.
[quote comment=”328617″]well…back from a long trek “out east”…aka the summer abode…a horrible wonderful place where the interwebs do not exist…for now…
coupla things…one thanks to everyone who participated, either via email and/or in the comments — to larry w…i am SO SORRY if i neglected to include your comments … i thought i flagged everyone who replied, but if i left you off, mea culpa…big time
to the dude who complained about the length of todays post, you may get your wish tomorrow — it may just be an ‘open thread’ — i got a LOT of shit to deal with tonight, and im absolutely exhausted, having spent 5 hours in the car AND opened up the house, waiting an extra two hours for the cable guy (who did NOT have a modem for me, after all was said and done; wifi isn’t happening, and 56.6k dialup is unacceptable, plus i haven’t had a dialup account in years, so it’s not really an option), plus hauling deck furniture, vacuuming, putting away mothballs, mowing the lawn etc… but we’ll see
as far as my two favorite caps…i did give it some thought (probably too much thought), and i gotta go with the link for my NL, and the link
robins cuz im a homer and it’s just a cool lookin cap and the sox cuz it’s not the reds or the cards or the phils, but it is a sweet red, and i love that particular sox logo[/quote]
Speaking of “long trek;” STAR TREK really is a wild ride. Great uni on Uhura, too.
I guess I didn’t pick an AL cap. I suppose it would be the logoless Browns caps from the 40s. Brown-orange-brown soutache (I didn’t even know that word until last year – you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!) stripes on a gray/white cap with a brown bill. Wore this cap in their lone WS in 1944. A nice clean look.
to the dude who complained about the length of todays post, you may get your wish tomorrow – it may just be an ‘open thread’
$10 bucks someone complains that you’re lazy
[quote comment=”328622″]I guess I didn’t pick an AL cap. I suppose it would be the logoless Browns caps from the 40s. Brown-orange-brown soutache (I didn’t even know that word until last year – you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!) stripes on a gray/white cap with a brown bill. Wore this cap in their lone WS in 1944. A nice clean look.[/quote]
that’s a great cap timmy — and i loved that uni too
St Louis Browns no logo cap
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And I too like that look.
[quote comment=”328572″][quote comment=”328554″][quote comment=”328530″][quote comment=”328524″]Being a Texas 70’s-80,s kid I always liked the Rangers cap from those days. Im pretty sure this is the same one Klinger wore in M*A*S*H.
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And the Astros cap at the end of the tequila sunrise days
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I assumed it was a Toledo Mud Hens hat, since he would also wear the jersey.[/quote]
Yes technically a Mudhens hat but it was a Rangers hat in every way[/quote]
Well, no. The rangers didn’t exist. It was a Mudhens cap, and the texas cap that came later looked like the mudhens cap.
Also, the mudhens hat does not have the outline the texas cap does. It’s just a plain white T.
Sorry, but it makes no sense in any way to think of that as a texas cap.[/quote]
I guess all the reruns I saw of M*A*S*H reminded me so much of the Rangers it made it to be one in my head.
The Brewers had “vote Brewers” in their colored chalk tonight versus the Cubs. I saw it just to the left of 3rd base, in the dirt area. I am going to try and find a picture of it though.
And I think it was 2006 that the Brewers started using their 80’s uniforms as throwbacks. It started out as “Retro Sundays”, but now it is “Retro Fridays”. I was at the game on June 18, 2006 when Carlos Lee hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Indians on Father’s Day. That was a Sunday, and that was the first and only year they did that promotion on a Sunday, so that must be when they started using them.
I may be wrong on this, but I am pretty sure the throwback craze started in 2005 when Miller Park offered fans a free t-shirt when they came through the gates. They had a choice of the standard logo, and ball-in-glove logo shirt. The retro shirt scored a 70-30 split as far as popularity on what fans chose at the gate, so the management started ushering that logo back in. Plus the 25th anniversary of the Crew winning the AL Championship was fast coming. I remember the summer after my Freshman year in college (2003) I not find a ball-in-glove shirt almost anywhere in Wisconsin. I even had a hard time finding one in Milwaukee. Now, they are everywhere.
My favorite NL hat is from my favorite team: the Marlins black hat.
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Favorite AL would be that 95 Mariners too, as Jeremy picked first. I have both, but need replacements.
If I could add the minor leagues too, I’d pick the amazing alien of the Las Vegas 51s. Not too fond of the purple, but the logo is my favorite.
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the Chief WaHoo on the current unis is way too small! (they down sized it a couple of years ago) It just does not look like a major league cap.
Why is that every time anyone references the 1914 Cubs hat they have to use the retarded looking bear from New Era and not the crisp, pristine looking bear — the way it’s meant to be portrayed — by American Needle?
AL – 1926 Philly A’s — White crown, Dark Blue Bill and piping, with Elephant sillouette.
NL – 1938 Brooklyn Dodgers — White crown, Dark Blue Bill and piping, with “B” in same Dark Blue.
NL – close second – 1950’s Stan Musial St. Louis Cards cap with Navy Blue crown, Red bill, Red “ST.L”. Is there ANY sane reason in the world why that is not their current road cap?
wow i cant believe so many people that picked a braves hat picked the lowercase a over the 68ish era thats the road hat now. i first saw it on an old baseball card like 10 years ago, and i am in love with it. but there are some GREAT caps here, great idea ricko!
As for the Brewers throwback craze, this really got started in 2005 when suddenly the team was selling a lot of ball and glove logo material and handing it out as well. It seemed to be creating a lot of demand for this uniform to return and team owner Mark Attanasio revealed they were considering bringing it back full time. In the end they brought it back as a Sunday alternate in 2006. In 2007 they changed it to a Friday alternate. They also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the with 1982 with a free bobblehead promotion every week, so the throwbacks were getting a lot of promotion. The Friday alternates continued in 2008. This year, however, I don’t believe the ball and glove unis have been worn yet. I know they haven’t worn them in two Friday home games I saw. They may be scaling the promotion back a little bit. Does anyone have more info?
American League: Kansas City ’62 road caps. This is the first cap I recall seeing, and loved it. Kudos to the white on green, but this was just striking. link
National League: Brooklyn Dodgers. How could you not like it? link But as for current franchise, I’d have to agree with the original Astros cap. Even though I’m not an Astros fan, my sister was. This was clean, simple and sharp. link
[quote comment=”328610″][quote comment=”328593″]The Expos logo actually incorporated “e-l-b” for “expos le baseball.” Most people just see the overall “M” for Montreal.[/quote]
There’s no “L” in there – for one thing, “expos le baseball” makes no grammatical sense. I always thought it was an E, an M (the overall shape), and a B, which stands for “Expos (or Equipe?) de Montreal Baseball.”[/quote]
Look again – red e, white l, blue b. Oui, c’est Expos Le Basebol.
[quote comment=”328639″]American League: Kansas City ’62 road caps. This is the first cap I recall seeing, and loved it. Kudos to the white on green, but this was just striking. link
National League: Brooklyn Dodgers. How could you not like it? link But as for current franchise, I’d have to agree with the original Astros cap. Even though I’m not an Astros fan, my sister was. This was clean, simple and sharp. link
If I may comment on my comment: I absolutely love the current Royals caps. While I was first a K.C. A’s fan, when Charlie Finley moved them out of Municipal Stadium, I said never more. Despite living forever with bad teams, you could see greatness coming. That Kansas City couldn’t enjoy the teams that would become was just shameful. When the Royals came, they were everything Charlie Finley was not. The uniforms were classy instead of gaudy, black shoes instead of white. The look extended to the sleek KC logo on the Royals cap. link I was so disappointed when the Royals temporarily adopted the vest look, because it smacked of the old K.C. A’s. Still, the ’62 road cap was cool.
Now, about the ‘Stros cap. Even with the tequilla stripes, the simple block serif H and star kept the uniform grounded. Simple was good. That said, Houston would be well advised to go back to the shooting star uniform. While I was never an Astros fan, that was a good look.
1962 Cleveland Indians with Chief Wahoo inside the C anda the current Phillies standard cap, love that blue button on top.
[quote comment=”328653″][quote comment=”328610″][quote comment=”328593″]
Look again – red e, white l, blue b. Oui, c’est Expos Le Basebol.[/quote]
Looks more like e – j – b to me, but I guess le baseball makes marginally more sense than any speculations my ignorance can conceive. Anyway, the Expos pinwheel has long been my favorite, for reasons I’ve never bothered to investigate, but seem amply elucidated above.
These are good lists and make for great reading, but I was disappointed to see the M’s trident mentioned only in passing.
A newbie to this board, I had never seen some of these hats, (most of them I had), and in general These posts reflected a strong appreciation for a contrasting panel on the front, an affinity I share and something which seems virtually extinct now.
sorry I know you said to close your tags and in my ignorance, i totally failed.
Wont happen again
Some great choices here- caps are a great topic for endless debate and illustrations. Paul- I hope you’ll consider revisiting and tweaking this topic from time to time. Perhaps whenever you’re going out of town or are in a bind for quick new material you can pull out a new installment of “Tip ‘o’ the Cap” or “Top of the Morning TO YOU!!” or whatever you want to call it… It’s a bottomless mine for discussion that combines uni-watching, sports history and team logos & trends all-in-one.
To revisit a few- thanks to Ricko and Paul Soto for pointing out the ’57 Cubs cap- a great example of a classic design that is actually accentuated with addtional detail. Now, if they would only sell a Franchise verison…. And to those picking the Pirates’ pillbox- I have a newfound respect for this cap, although I still can’t see anyone pulling it off today (off the field, anyway)…
And oh boy- can I go grad-school here for a moment? No? Oh fine, just skip ahead. For JTH Huening, I agree that the Brewers’ ‘MB’ logo cap is a classic, and might very well represent the MLB zeitgeist of the ’80s. But could the ‘MB’ glove also possibly represent the best Gestalt logo in MLB history? (Another potenital rival would be the Expos'”M”- I still can’t be sure that’s not also supposed to spell out a word or be a cryptic message of Quebecois nationalism or whatever…)
In any case, again, great post! Perhaps a spinoff of the “Hats Off!” series could include iconic headwear of coaches and players on and off the sidelines. Just think- Woody and Lombardi are only the starting point! Then on to cutoff sweatshirts and “Zubaz Of The Stars”!!!
Late to the party, and being a “hat guy”, kinda disappointed I didn’t get an email.
NL – Reds cap from the late 60s, 70s & 80s. Big Red Machine. My favorite player, Johnny Bench, wore it. Simplicity at its finest.
AL – Brewers from the late 70s. The “mb” glove logo is just fantastic.
[quote comment=”328653″][quote comment=”328610″][quote comment=”328593″]The Expos logo actually incorporated “e-l-b” for “expos le baseball.” Most people just see the overall “M” for Montreal.[/quote]
There’s no “L” in there – for one thing, “expos le baseball” makes no grammatical sense. I always thought it was an E, an M (the overall shape), and a B, which stands for “Expos (or Equipe?) de Montreal Baseball.”[/quote]
Look again – red e, white l, blue b. Oui, c’est Expos Le Basebol.[/quote]
Um, non. Une autre fois, “Expos le Basebol” (? interesting spelling too) is ungrammatical: “Expos the Baseball”? And I realize relying on Wikipedia is dangerous, but the entry on the team says “Logo Design: A stylized “M” for Montreal, containing a red “e” for Expos, and a blue “b” for baseball” and cites the team’s 1997 media guide as the source of this info. link
Its a steeplechase, you dope. There is supposed to be water there!