The Ideal Cap Company

I have been chasing this cap for far too long...

1983 Portland Beavers

Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies

Juan Samuel, Steve Jeltz, and Larry Anderson played on this team.

Somehow I wandered onto the webpage of the Ideal Cap Company.

Wait...What?  They will make custom caps for you?   Oh My!

Here is what they made for me:

Let me just say that I could not be happier with the shape and  the quality.

The minimum amount for a custom order is seven at a cost of 42 dollars for a plain cap and 49 for a logoed cap.

When I called the company, I spoke directly with the owner, Will, who was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Are you a cap collector?  Only of the Ideal Cap Co.

What are some of your favorite caps that you have created over the years?  The favorite over the past many years is the eight panel short visored cap.  The one that really started this business was the 1926 road Washington Senator's Walter Johnson cap in the HOF.

How do you decide what teams to sell?  We used to sell all the old MLB teams until MLB sent their lawyers after us.  A greater tragedy  to the afficionado than even to us, as no one has picked that up -owing no doubt to the lack of revenue produced.  These days we try to find the off beat, the neglected and the downright historically important styles - adding at least one a month.

Do you wear a baseball cap most days?  If so which ones?  Everyday - mostly the eight  panel, but often the 40's style three" visor traditional cap usually with an offbeat logo.

Do you have a preference in the material of the caps...wool or polyester?  No synthetics.  Wool mostly, but cotton and linen too.

Are you aware that New Era is putting their logo on the left side of the mlb on-field caps this year?  What is your opinion? Despise branding especially in prominent places.

Anything else that you would like to add would be great!  Here's something from the great mystery novel The Talented Mr.Ripley. "He could pull down its visor, down over his whole face when he wanted to nap in his deckchair, or wanted to look as if he were napping. A cap was the most versatile of headgears, he thought, and he wondered why he had never thought of wearing one before? He could look like  a thug,  or a plain American eccentric depending upon how he wore it. Tom amused himself with it in front of the mirror.  He thought he had a dull face.A cap changed all that."

Check out the website here:   The Ideal Cap Company

Unable to find your Holy Grail....give Will a call.

I'm glad I did.

Fun with States and Capitals

While talking about the upcoming MLB season with a friend, his nine year old son stopped me in my tracks.

"Why aren't the teams in the capital of their state?"

I never thought about this.

It's obvious why they are in the big cities...that's where the people are.

But why aren't the biggest metropolitan areas/cities the capital of the state?

Here's the breakdown:

Only seventeen states have their capitals in their largest cities.

And only the Boston Red Sox represent their state's capital.

Six teams choose to represent their state, rather than the city they play home games in:
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
Minnesota Twins
Texas Rangers

Why was I forced to learn the capitals in third grade when it is much more important to learn where the Cubs play?

That's a great place to start...

Why is Springfield the capital of Illinois and not Chicago?

This gets very interesting.  I learned that Illinois has changed its capital three times.

Kaskaskia was the first capital in 1809, moved to Vandalia in 1820.

Springfield became the capital in 1839.

Chicago was not incorporated until 1837 and was not considered because it did not become the center of commerce until the  second Industrial Revolution (1870-1914).

Why isn't Miami the capital of Florida?

Tallahassee was chosen because it was the midpoint between the two largest cities at the time (1824) St. Augustine and Pensacola.

Why Jefferson City and not St. Louis?

St. Louis was the first capital in 1812, then it moved to St. Charles.

When Missouri entered the Union in 1821, Jefferson City was chosen as the capital because it was located in the center of the state.

Albany?  Really?

Because of its location on the Hudson, it was the center of trade in the early days of the United States.  It also didn't hurt that it was the location of our first railroad system. 

New York City was the nation's capital from 1785-89.

Harrisburg over Philadelphia?

Philadelphia was the seat of the state government before it was moved to Lancaster in 1799 and then moved to Harrisburg in 1812 because of the city's important trade location on the Susquehanna river. 

Philadelphia was the nation's capital from 1790-1800.

In my limited surveying for this post, almost all that were asked answered that Baltimore is the capital of Maryland and not Annapolis.  Wrong!

Baltimore was briefly the nation's capital while Philadelphia was under attack from the British (1776).

Annapolis also became the nation's capital towards the end of the revolutionary war 1873-74.

Sleepless in....Olympia?

Why Olympia?  The internet tells me it was selected mainly because it was at the center of the more populated western half of the state.

No, it's not Detroit, it's Lansing for Michigan.

Well, it was Detroit at first but relocated to Lansing in 1847 to develop the state's western portion.

I'm too old to site my sources, all info was gained from Google searches. 

Buyer Beware!!! NY Mets

I found this cap on Ebay listed as a 1976 Mets Pillbox cap.

Before I even looked at the button or the tags, the logo didn't look correct.

The button is the key to identifying a true 1976 pillbox cap from the retail versions that New Era made in the early 80's.

The 1976 caps have a smaller button when compared to 80's retail versions.

Not only does this cap have the 80's larger button but it is also the wrong color!

The Mets 1976 pillbox has a blue button.

A 1976 cap will not have the batterman logo on the inside.

Uh oh.....strike two for this cap.

Does the seller know that this is not a 1976 cap?

I would say that he or she does not.

I believe that they would not list a picture of the tag if they did.

But it is far too easy for a seller to remove the tag to deceive a buyer.

Always look at the button!!

 



Sports Specialties Tag Chart

Sports Specialties caps don't get the respect they deserve. 

Easily recognizable by their shortened brim, they were worn regularly in the 1980's. 

Here's a chart to identify the year as well as what MLB teams were using them on the field.

Please let me know of any corrections or adjustments that may need to be added.

Year	Tag	Teams Used
1984		Athletics, Giants, and Mariners
1985		Athletics, Giants, Mariners Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Reds, and Tigers
1986		Athletics, Giants, Mariners, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Red Sox,  Reds, and Tigers
1987		Athletics, Giants,  Padres, Rangers, Reds,  Red Sox and Tigers
1988		Athletics, Cubs, Giants, Rangers, Reds, and Red Sox
1989		Athletics, Cubs, Giants, Rangers,  Reds, and Red Sox
1990		Athletics, Cubs, Giants, and Red Sox
1991		Athletics, Cubs, Giants, Padres, Red Sox, and  Royals
1992		Giants, Padres, and Phillies
1993
1994	s
1995

Ray Kroc

Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in The Founder.

My wife will rarely agree to go to a movie.

I was thrilled when she agreed to see The Founder.

I was disappointed that the movie did not touch upon Ray Kroc's years as owner of the San Diego Padres.

I was even more disappointed with what I learned about Ray Kroc.

What did I know about Ray before I saw this movie?

On April 9, 1974, in his first year as owner of the team, and after the first home game of the season, Ray usurped the public address system and berated his San Diego Padres before the Padres batted in the 9th inning.

  Here are a few of his comments:

"Ladies and Gentleman, I suffer with you."

"The bad news is that this is the saddest ballplaying I have ever seen."

The fans erupted with cheers....the players, well, not so much.

Which leads me to this cap which I picked up many years ago....

1982 Padres give away to celebrate Ray's 80th birthday.

I rarely buy a snapback cap, but after I learned about the tirade in 1974 I couldn't pass it up.

Check out the movie, you will like it.

Baby Bombers

I attended my first fan fest on January 28th of this year (Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders).  It was lots of fun and my wife and I will be returning next year.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the new  cap logo which will be worn on  Sunday only.

While hundreds of fans clapped, my wife and I looked at each other and frowned.

The first word that comes to mind when I see this logo is.....silly.

Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I'm old school, but I have not desire to purchase or wear the "Baby Bombers" cap.

My favorite caps always involve the minor league affiliate incorporating the parent team's logo into their own.

1992 Reading Phillies cap worn by Mike Lieberthal

1994 Elmira Marlins of the Short Season -A New York Penn League

This cap maybe my favorite MILB cap of all time.

When I see a MILB cap, I want it to be able to identify the parent affiliation.

Late 80's Utica Blue Sox cap....parent team?

The White Sox cap from 1987-1990.

My guess is that the "Baby Bombers" cap will be wildly popular with young kids and will probably even be a national seller.

New Era has ruined the MLB on-field by putting the flag on the side of the cap.

Brandiose is turning MILB caps into cartoons.

I am not interested in either.