What were they thinking???

Don't worry, MLB players will not be wearing these caps next year.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that NOBODY will be wearing these caps next year.

Lids is trying to sell this, whatever it is, as the 

MLB Ultimate Patch Collection Series.

For only 49.95!

I think it should come with a warning like one of those prescription drugs that begins with an "X" or a "Z".

"Wearing this cap may cause dizziness, blindness, hair loss, headache, back ache, ass ache, acid reflux, and vomiting."

Celebs in Caps

Current Houston Texans Defensive End JJ Watt was interviewed at halftime of the Texans vs. Steelers game that aired on NBC on Christmas day.  Watt is currently injured and not playing.

I noticed very quickly that he was wearing an authentic on-field cap of the Corpus Christ Hooks (Alt 1).  The Hooks are Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.  In a well conceived geographical marriage, the Hooks are named for the city's association with fishing.

Did JJ have some other options to chose from to support a local minor league team?

Of course he did.....

He could have easily worn a cap from the San Antonio Missions...

The Missions are currently the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

I prefer the vintage Missions cap (above) and logo to the rebrand that occurred in 2015.  The Missions are aptly named for The Alamo, originally a Spanish mission located in San Antonio.

Don't forget about the Frisco Roughriders!  

The Roughriders are currently the Double-A franchise of the Texas Rangers.  And yes, that is Teddy Roosevelt on the cap.  A tribute to the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish–American War, headed by to-be American President Theodore Roosevelt.

And then there is the Midland Rockhounds.

Midland is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.  A rockhound is well, just that, a geologist or amateur collector of mineral specimens.  I cannot picture JJ Watt is in this cap, it just doesn't work.

This classic Midland Angels cap is a thing of beauty...

There's so much going on here in the logo that it could get its own post.  Think California Angels and their logo with the halo on the state of California...this is a California Angels minor league affiliate at the time this cap was worn on the field.  Simply brilliant.

I have to say that I think JJ made the right choice in going with the Hooks.  He stayed with the Houston brand and family.  But, he had more colorful options to choose from:

 2017 Christmas cap

2017 "Fauxback"  Love how they worked the hook in the logo.  I would have picked this one.

Regular On-field model.

The most interesting item that I learned from this post is JJ was only a two-star recruit out of high school and went to Central Michigan where he played Tight End before transferring to Wisconsin.

Ask the Captain...

Dear Captain:  My wife and I really enjoy having our family over to our house for special occasions and holidays.  This past Thanksgiving, my wife cooked the bird for nearly 35 relatives.  On almost every occasion such as this, I entertain our guests with a tour of my "hatatorium" where I lecture on the various authentic baseball caps in my collection and the logos.  My wife says that I go on too long and people lose interest...but that's not the point.

The reason that I am writing this is because I have noticed that one of my prized caps went missing shortly after the Thanksgiving day visit.  My wife and I were about to create this year's Christmas cards and we wanted to be photographed wearing the Harrisburg Senators "Christmas in July" cap that was worn in the summer of 2017 (designed by Anthony Collicchio).  I had kept this prized cap in  the Minor League section of the "hatatorium", (alphabetized and in chronological order), in it's own display case.

It makes me sick to think that one of my own family members would have taken this cap, but we have no idea what else could have happened to it.  We have asked our children and grandchildren whether they saw anyone removing caps from the display cases, but they say they saw no one.  Nothing else in the hatatorium was disturbed. We are at a loss as to what to do.  Should we cancel our Christmas meal?  Should we ignore this and pick another cap for our Christmas cards?

The Captain's Response:  After considerable thought, you should absolutely send a family Christmas card this year.  Here is what I suggest that you send:

2017 On-Field Cap of the Year

It's that time again.

The Houston Astros have defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. While MLB has given out its various awards to

rookies and managers, I'm awarding my annual "Cap of the Year".

Last year's recipients were the Pittsburgh Pirates (regular on-field) cap and the Tampa Bay Rays (Specialty cap) for their tribute to the victims of the June 12, 2017 shooting at the Pulse nightclub.

And this year's winners are:

For MLB, its New Era's 5950.




Why?

Well, because of the New Era  flag on the side for the first year ever.

This is a polarizing move, similar to that of Colin Kapernick.  Love it or hate it, this is an evolution of the on-field cap equivalent of the 2007 switch from wool to polyester.

In the MLB Specialty Category, the award goes to the 2017 Stars and Stripes Series caps.

I loved the 2008 version (First year of series and was all blue) of Stars and Stripes, but the concept has become stale since then.  This year's version was both refreshing and  patriotic.

The detail on the inside and underbrim of this year's version was exemplary.  USA made versions were very hard to find, but low crown models were readily available

Runner up in this category goes to..

 Baltimore Orioles for their "All Maryland Day" cap worn on May 20, 2017.  USA models were impossible to find, but I thought the concept was great.

As for the Minor League Regular Rotation Cap of the Year, the winner is:

Scranton/Wilkes- Barre Railriders "Baby Bombers" cap. 

Why the "Baby Bombers?"  This cap was wildly popular because of Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, and Gary Sanchez all helping the parent club New York Yankees in the 2016 season after they spent most of the season at Triple "A" SWB.  The "Baby Bombers" was worn on every Sunday home game for the 2017 season.

As for MILB Specialty Cap Category:

The winner is the Corpus Christ Hooks.

Worn on May25-27 by the Corpus Christi Hooks to celebrate Day of the Dead.

The Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muerta, typically falls on October 31 and November 2.

I want to point out that I had no difficulty finding a USA made model of this cap.

Notice the traditional "CC" logo on the forehead?


Runners up in the MILB Specialty category:

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Fauxback.

I have to give a lot of credit to the IronPigs for this cap.

Based upon the 1976 Season when the Phillies won one hundred games for the first time ever, the story behind this fauxback is that the Pigs "fed" the Phillies success in 1976.

And the Harrisburg Senators for their Christmas in July promotion that included this awesome cap.

If you haven't noticed, the Senators have a Director of Merchandise (Ann Marie) who really understands the importance of putting a quality product in the hands of the customers.

Ann Marie spends a lot of time talking to the fanatics and asking for their input.  If I was awarding a merchandise director of the year, she would win hands down.

The idea and design for the "Christmas in July" cap came from Anthony Collicchio.  Great idea!

MLB Umpire Caps

The MLB umpire in the picture on the left is Marty Foster.  He is irrelevant to this post, but his cap is not.  The only reason he is used in this post is because of the cap that he is wearing.

This cap has been appearing on ebay recently and has been selling in the 200-300$ range.

Why?

I wanted to know myself.  I do own one..but never understood the history behind it until I did the research for this post.

This cap is unique because it was only worn by MLB umpires for the 2000 regular season only.

I have watched numerous youtube  videos of the 2000 NL and AL playoffs and World Series...and this cap is never worn.

Why 2000 only?

Here is what I found out from some internet research:

In 1999,the Major League Umpires Association had a mass strike in which 68 MLB umpires resigned in an attempt to force negotiations in a labor dispute.

MLB accepted some of the resignations and hired new replacements, thus breaking the union.

The Major League Umpires Association was decertified and the World Umpires Association was formed (WUA).

The tags on this cap clearly indicate that the cap was made from 1999-2004.

It's hard to see, but the leather band is a staple of umpire caps and was not used for MLB player caps since the 1980's

As for the post-season in 2000, every picture and video that I have seen, has the MLB umpires wearing this logo:

If you have one of the MLB Umpire caps from the 2000 season, hold onto it.  It's a rare collectible.

If you are inclined to sell it, bidding should start at a minimum of 300 dollars.

Ebbets Field Flannels, Lids, Ideal Cap Company... this cap would sell.. I've done the work for you.

If you are going to sell it, don't be a jackass and use the same pictures from the same person who sold it to you!

ask the captain 4

Question
I have been dating my girlfriend for two years and ended the relationship after realizing that despite our fondness for each other, we would just not be able to reside together.

Towards the end of our relationship, I gave her father a rare Phillies baseball cap, which she never gave to her father. 

After the breakup, I asked for the cap back, and she declined, saying that I had broken her heart.  In the meantime, I asked three or four female friends whether they thought it was OK to ask for the cap back and whether they thought she should return it.  All said yes.

Having had some unexpected expenses-mother's day caps, new minor league promo caps, and a new tattoo,- as well as my ex now dating my roommate- I emailed her and asked for the cap back.

Once again, her response was that I had broken her heart and her response was that she was not going to return the cap.

Is it acceptable to ask for and expect the cap to be returned?


The Captain's response

Proper etiquette holds that it is proper to return the cap after the relationship ends, since she had not yet given it to her father. 

However, this situation seems beyond the realm of etiquette and there are clearly some very hurt feelings here.  Your ex is holding on to resentment even tighter than she is holding on to the cap.

You have a couple of options when it comes to having the cap returned.  You might have a mutual friend serve as a mediator.  Would she listen to xclickx, Paul, or el gmac?

If this option does not get the cap returned, it's time to move on-with or without the cap.  It's unfortunate that things ended acrimoniously, but it would have been far worse to marry the wrong person!