White Sox: Not allowed on the Field

White Sox Star pitcher Chris Sale is suspended for five games for refusing to wear a throwback uniform on July 23, 2016.

After an argument over the throwback uniforms, Chris Sale was told he had to wear the uniform as it was part of a stadium giveaway.

Chris Sale proceeded to shred most or all of the entire team's uniforms while they were taking batting and infield practice.

I was planning a blog post about a certain Chicago White Sox cap somewhere down the line. 

But after the weekends events, the timing could not be better......

In April of 1976, the White Sox wore this cap on a road trip against Minnesota, Boston, and New York. 

Upon return, the cap would not be worn again as it was banned by the American League because it was deemed " a distraction to hitters."

It should be noted that the White Sox had a record of 3-4 for the seven games that it was used.

This cap is highly sought after by collectors and usually sells in the 500-700$ range.

Anybody want to sell me one? 

The Sox have a very colorful past:

Worn from 1969-70

Red is the on-field from 1971-75

1976-1981

1982-86

1982-86 road cap

I love the Sox  throwback caps and wear them frequently. 

There is no possible way that I can justify Chris Sale's actions.

It appears to me that he wants to be traded and is bitter about  his team friendly contract.

Now, if Chris Sale was a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks..... I could understand it.  :)

Name that Team

One of my favorite parts of collecting baseball caps is acquiring caps that I have never seen before. 

 Give me a last name or a number on the under visor and I like my chances of matching the logo to a team.

However, there are a few in my collection that I have not been able to track down and could use some help with!

Here they are:

                                                                                                        

 

Purchased online, the seller indicated that this cap and the next one were said to be  from the personal collection of Larry Walker. 

I researched Walker's minor league career but could not find any matches.

The New Era tags indicate that the cap was made in the late 70's to 1982

This cap was purchased in conjunction with the above blue and orange cap and has the same tag inside.

Underbrims do not have any names or numbers.  The only clue is the bats on each cap appear to be wooden. 

My best guess is that they are Canadian All-Star teams that Walker played for.

This New Era cap has a tag that indicates early 80's.  It was purchased along with an Oklahoma City '89ers cap from ebay.

  My first thought was Columbus Clippers, but I have never been able to find a photograph to match. 

KM Pro cap with an A's logo.  Minor league?

Pro McAuliffe tag with a leather band. 

#24 on undervisor  along with HONI (last name?)

This cap was purchased from a seller in the Seattle area.

High School?  College?

Not sure if the logo is an "M" or a "W"?

Tim McAuliffe tag

My best guess is Minor league

If you can identify any of these caps your Jedi powers are greater than mine! 

 

Rewind: 1997 in Caps

     In 1997, Bill Clinton was President, the Spice Girls were being blasted on the radio, and taking your girlfriend to see Titanic would get you out of the doghouse.

     All this aside, there were some very interesting caps that were being worn on the field by MLB players.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, these caps profiled here are no longer being worn by MLB players.

     Lets start with the 1997 Boston Red Sox:

Along with the standard Navy Blue, the Sox wore the all-white and solid red as alternates.

These alternate caps would only be worn during the 1997 season.

1997 Cincinnati Reds:

                                                

                    Worn during the 1997 season, these caps had a lifespan of 1993-1998.  A similar version was worn by the Reds in the early 60's and greatly admired by the owner.

 

Reds owner Marge Schott

  

1997 K.C. Royals alternate:

                 Worn from 1995-1999

1997 Anaheim Angels:

In 1997, Walt Disney Corp. would take over.  The result would be a new stadium, name, and uniform and cap design.

                                   

    

         Visor colored periwinkle. While I think these are ridiculous, I find myself wearing it frequently.  Caps would be worn from 1997-2001. 









1997 New York Mets alternate:

The "Ice Cream Man Cap" was only worn during the 1997 season. It was more interesting to me that the blue button on top of the everyday blue Mets cap changed to orange in 1997.

1997  Philadelphia Phillies alternate:

Allegedly developed for the introduction of inter league play, this cap was worn as an alternate from 1997-2007.

1997  Pittsburgh Pirates alternate

 The cap on the left  maybe my favorite cap of the 1997 season, it was never worn on the field by the Pirates! 

I feel it is a great collectible and never pass up the chance to acquire one when I see it.

The cap on the right was the alternate that was worn on field. 

Conflicting reports about if it was a mistake by New Era or that the Pirates changed their mind about the logo color before the season started.

1997  Toronto Blue Jays:

Blue Jays cap, with an alternate blue visor version, which was worn from 1997-2002.

1997 World Series

         In 1997, the Florida Marlins defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. 

         Both teams wore a special patch on the side of their caps.

         This was the first World Series with this feature for the caps that the players would wear.

Wilson Baseball Caps

     Wilson Sporting Goods continues to sell sporting equipment for baseball, basketball, football, golf, badminton, soccer, racquetball, and tennis.

     They do not supply baseball caps to MLB clubs......anymore.

     However, during the 1950's and 60's they were "the" supplier to MLB teams.

     To me, Wilson baseball caps are my favorite of all time for two reasons:

1.   Wilson caps made in the 1960's  are stamped with a code that will tell you when it was made

2.   The visor will never crack because it has a rubber insert. 

     Other  manufacturers usually have a cardboard insert that will crack over time.

    
     How do you crack the code?

Here is a reference guide for those who want to figure out the date of manufacture:

     The first letter of the sequence is always the last number in the year of manufacture

A=8
B=9
C=0
D=1
E=2
F=3
G=4
H=5
J=6
K=7

    That is not a typo, for some reason the letter "I" was skipped.


The second letter of the sequence tells you the month the cap was manufactured:

Z=January
Y=February
X=March
W=April
V=May
U=June
T=July
S=August
R=September
Q=October
P=November
O=December


The third letter of the sequence is always a "C" which represents......cap.



     Here are some of my Wilson Caps:

  

    On the inside of this Washington Senators cap, a "JWC" is stamped on the white cloth band which indicates it was manufactured 1966 in the month of April.

    I call this cap my "expansion Senators cap", as the original Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 (to become the Minnesota Twins). 

   The "expansion Senators" began  in D.C. in 1961 and remained until 1971 when they would move to  become the Texas Rangers in 1972.

     On the inside of this Milwaukee Braves cap, "FTC" is stamped on a white cloth band.  This indicates that the cap was manufactured in 1963 in the month of  July.

    The Milwaukee Braves were a major league team from 1953-1965, in 1966 the franchise moved to Atlanta and became the Atlanta Braves.

     This Atlanta Braves cap has a "JRC" stamped on the inside, indicating that it was manufactured in 1966 in the month of September.

Here is a list of teams that used Wilson as their official supplier according to ProSportscollectors.com:

Chicago Cubs  1918 (Wilson's 1st team contract)  40's, 50's, 60's, until 1972

Chicago White Sox  1950's, 60's, until 1972

Cincinnati   1940's, 50's and 60's

Cleveland   1940's, 50's, 60's, until 1972

Milwaukee Braves  1950's and 60's

Atlanta    1974-76

Baltimore  1958, 60's, until 1974

Boston Braves  1947-52

Brooklyn Dodgers  1951

Detroit   1942-59

K.C. Athletics    1955-65

K.C. Royals   1969-74

Milwaukee Braves  1953-65

Minnesota Twins   1961-62  and 63-72

N.Y.  Giants   1947-48

Phillies    1948-69,  1970-87

Padres   1969-70

Seattle Pilots  1969

Texas Rangers   1972-73

Wash  Senators   1938-47,  1948-51

Expansion Senators   1963-71

The inkblot test with baseball caps

     In 1921 a psychiatrist from Switzerland, Hermann Rorschach, developed a personality test.

     The concept was to show the participants ambiguous inkblots and evaluate their responses.  I'm going to change the experiment
.
     Instead of showing inkblots, I'm going to use baseball caps.

     The first participant will be?   Since my wife refused..... it will be me.  My responses are the first words that come to my mind when I see the cap and logo.


#1                                                                                
                                                                                     

My response:    Orioles     Highlanders     New York City Yankees

Explanation: Many years ago on a tour of Camden Yards, I learned that the Yankees were not a charter member of the American League (1901). 

     They began as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901 and the franchise moved to New York in 1903 and were known as the New York Highlanders.

They were renamed Yankees in 1912.

I think of New York City Yankees when I see this cap as a result of my trip to Cuba in 2009. 

     On this trip, I took a dozen or so caps of the Phillies, Nationals, and Yankees as gifts for my host families. 

When I let someone pick one of the caps, they would pick the "NewYork City Yankees." 

#2

My response:   Walgreens     Expos      Puerto Rico

Explanation:   The comparison to the Walgreens logo is simply too obvious.  Can you spot the difference? 

It is ever so subtle.  When I wear this cap and am asked if I am from D.C. or a Nationals fan, I like to reply with, "No I'm not, I work at Walgreens." 

I think of the Montreal Expos because they are the original franchise (born in 1969) that relocated and became the Nationals in 2005. 

Puerto Rico? I always think of this as the Expos played twenty-two home games there during the 2003 season.

#3

                                                                                

              

My response:   Fired!     Tony the Tiger       AJD

Explanation:   In 1988, the Baltimore Orioles started the season with an 0-21 record before winning their first game. 

     I will never forget reading star player Fred Lynn's post game rant that went something like this:

  "Look at that stupid bird that we wear, nobody can take you seriously with that on your head." 

     The Orioles would finish the year at 54-107 and Cal Ripken Sr. was fired during the year. 

  The cartoon bird logo was fired after the year.  He would not return on any cap until 2012. 

The cartoon bird logo was created in 1965 by  a Hollywood based animation studio named Quartet Films.

 Quartet Films was very successful in their more recent television campaign where they created and launched Tony the Tiger to sell cereal.

In 1976, a little know cap company (AJD) would be the official supplier for the Orioles. 

This would be AJD's only MLB customer.  Their version of the logo is very distinctive.

 

#4

                                                                                   

My Response:   Dr. Dre      Skeletor       Chicago politics

This cap debuted in 1990 for the Sox and took off in popularity because of  Dr. Dre.  I wore this cap during the early 90's because it was such an upgrade from this:

White Sox on-field cap from 1987-89

As for the Skeletor reference?  Doesn't anyone else see the hanging bones that are used to spell out Sox?

Chicago Politics?

I will not say if I like or dislike him because I don't want some viewers to stop reading my blog!


If you would like to take the Ball cap personality test, send me an email!  This could be good....

The Most American of Holidays

     For me, there is no better holiday than the 4th of July.  When I was much younger,  it meant a neighborhood picnic that lasted all day. 

     Adults would join in the wiffle ball games,  hot dogs and marshmallows were roasted on an open fire, and fireworks marked the conclusion of a wonderful day.
  
      Now that I am older, and no longer live in "Mayberry", I enjoy some new July 4th traditions. 

     My wife, mother-in-law (I have the world's best), and I will usually watch a documentary about  The Declaration of Independence or the feature film Gettysburg. 

"Another season in the sun"

       Young or old and regardless of where I have lived, the 4th of July Major League Baseball games have an identity all their own. 

       It's kind of the most important game of the season after opening day and the playoffs.  Baseball, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet.

        In 2008, New Era designed special edition caps for the players that are only worn on July 4th and are known as Stars and Stripes caps.

       This article will document the years and the different styles. 

       I reached out to Jim Wannemacher, Senior Brand Historian at  New Era, for some information.

2016 New Era Stars and Stripes Cap (St. Louis)

       I learned that  New Era's designers, not MLB Properties, design the caps that the players wear on the field for the 4th of July. 

       For 2016, the focus was  to amp up the design of the Stars and Stripes program by bringing in the star pattern.

      MLB Properties is then consulted for their input and approval.

     A  lot of research is conducted on what is trending in the fashion and design world.

     New Era typically has  two or three very different takes on one possibility or idea.

     Through a group review session, makes tweaks based on many different perimeters. From there they develop a product with a hope that everyone will like.

2008

      In 2008, every team wore a navy blue cap with stars and stripes inside the logo.

      I tried to feature some of the harder to find teams and especially the Blue Jays (notice the inside of their logo?) and the Indians.

      I find myself staring at the Indians cap wondering if it is appropriate or symbolic in some way.  I have seen the Indians cap sell for more than a hundred dollars multiple times. 

    
Most importantly to me, the 2008 S&S caps were made in the USA.

2009

      In 2009, both leagues wore an all red cap, with the stars and stripes inside the logo.  Toronto and Cleveland  continues to be highly sought after by collectors. 

     This version was made in the USA, had a white cloth sweatband, and a blue undervisor.  The Indians cap usually sells for around a hundred on Ebay.

2010   

        

            In 2010, New Era decided to go with an all white cap for both leagues. These are probably my least favorite of all time, but I understand the red, blue, white theme.

         I will never wear an all white cap because they get dirty too easily, but there is something more disturbing. 

As soon as I tried one of these on, the crown was ridiculously high and I knew that they were made in China.   ** There was some USA production. 

           Any New Era cap made in China is not wearable (to me and many nerds like me) because of the high crown. 

          And it bothers me that the 4th of July caps are made in China when New Era has factories in the USA.

    2011

      2011 brought a bi panel cap to the fold, but  retail caps continued to be made in China with some USA production.

      Notice that Toronto has the Canadian flag on the inside of the logo.  From left to right:  Pirates, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Mets.

  2012

                                                          

           In 2012, New Era used the regular edition of the on-field cap but raised the logo and inserted "digital" camouflage. 

          Oh yeah, caps  for retail were made in China.

                                                                                2013

 New Era brings the Diamond Era line to Stars and stripes.  Road teams had a grey crown while home teams had white.

 The brim varies between blue or red.  Black undervisor and made in the USA of imported fabric.

                                 2014

     The Diamond Era line continues and every team has their logo over a single star.

     I was very happy with the grey undervisor and the wearable crown that was made in the USA!  I really like these models.

           

     


                                  2015



Diamond Era with a grey undervisor. Teams were either red or blue but all had a US flag in the background.

Is it just me or does the flag resemble the New Era logo.....hmmm?  Made in the China for retai