Friar Friday

Today I'm featuring the alternate cap of the San Diego Padres...and no, those of you have seen Anchor Man, San Diego doesn't translate to a whales...well you know the rest. This is the the cap that the Padres would normally wear while wearing their camouflage alternate uniforms (these are worn on every Sunday home game). The Padres have been around since the start of the 1969 season and have been a member of the National League of Major League Baseball ever since; to further elaborate they play in the Western Division alongside the Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, and Diamondbacks. The Padres had a rough start to their franchise history as they lost 100 or more games 4 out of the first 6 seasons. They have evolved into a more complete club as they have captured N.L. titles in 1984 and 1998 but still have found the W.S. title to be somewhat evasive. Maybe one day I suppose. This cap I picked up at Petco Park the home of the Padres three years ago. It features a forest green brim and crown with an interlocking S and D shaded golden. This cap can be found at MLBshop.com which I'll link below. have a great weekend, and come back tomorrow.  

You can buy this cap here: http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2658485&cp=1452364.1452870

Toight like a Toiger

This fitted is GRRRREEEAT!!! It's the official on field cap of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. The Tigers, Est. 1894, participate in the Central Division of the American League. The Tigers have one of the most prominent pasts in all of baseball with numerous Hall of Famer's on and off the field. Some of the more notable are: Ty Cobb, Sparky Anderson, Jim Bunning, Sam Crawford, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, and Hal Newhouser. The Most famous of the afore mentioned crew, Ty Cobb, had quite the prominent 23 season career while playing at 2121 Trumbull Avenue (Tiger Stadium). While in a uniform from 1905-1928, Cobb racked up 4,189 hits, 1939 RBI and managed to record a career .366 batting average; Arguably one of the best of all time. The Tigers now play their home games at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit where they most recently found themselves in the fall classic in 2006. Although they didn't win, they still have amassed a total of 4 World Series titles, 10 AL Pennants, and 1 Wild Card berth in their history. This cap, which I picked up in Detroit at a game last summer, has a navy blue brim and crown, with an Old English style D on the front. One of the most classic caps in the game that more people should have. Shout out to Matt O'Reilly for being the best torso-backdrop model in the world for this picture.

This fitted can be found here: http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2626714&cp=1452749.709082

Pop-ups from down under

New Era... Australian for baseball. This is the official on field fitted cap of the Australian national baseball team. This team has competed in Olympics and the World Baseball Classic. On a different, yet more specific tangent, their is (believe it or not) an actually league consisting of 6 teams in Australia. The league, named the Australian Baseball League, was founded just last year following the previous installment of the afore mentioned World Baseball Classic. There is talk of potential expansion for further franchises in New Zealand, but that is only in the contemplation stages of planning. The ABL is joint owned with Major League Baseball as a 75% owner, which means you can almost guarantee this project to flourish into something great in the near future being that they have all the funding necessary. This cap, I ordered online on the MLB shop website a few years ago, but can be found elsewhere today. The cap has a forest green brim and crown and has a capital A with 5 stars encircling it much like the Australian flag; The flag is shown on the left side of the cap as well. Some Notable Australian baseball players of note are Grant Balfour of the Tampa Bay Rays, Luke Hughes of the Minnesota Twins, Graeme Lloyd of Yankee's fame, and Ryan Roland-Smith from the Mariners. With the recent founding and essentially limitless money behind the ABL, this country promises to bring more stars into the light and into our teams rosters in years to come. All we have to do now is wait for the time to come. G'day mates!

You can find the cap here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Australia-09-WBC-Auth-Game-Cap-6-7-8-/250715070407?pt=US_Baseball_Fan_Shop&hash=item3a5fc85fc7

"Sprey" hits and line drives

The Missoula Osprey are the Advanced Rookie Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks which play in the Pioneer League of A baseball, that play in Missoula, Montana. The Osprey have been connected with the Major Leagues Diamondbacks since the 1996 season. Prior to that they had been affiliated with the San Francisco Giants from 1987-1989 and then co-affiliated from '89 to '96. The team plays their home games at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field which is a 3,500 seat stadium that was built prior to the 2004 season. The largest crowd however was recorded at 4,076 for a game in July of this year against The Great Falls Voyagers. The organization has captured 4 division championships ('98, '99, '06, '09), and 2 league titles ('99, '06). Some Osprey players of note in the past are Lyle Overbay, Jorge De La Rosa, Miguel Montero, Carlos Gonzalez, and Scott Hairston. The fitted shown has a black crown, black brim, and an Osprey Blue O outlined in gold, with an Osprey bird emerging. They are a little known team unless your a baseball junkie like myself, or you live in Montana; They definitely deserve some recognition for one of the cooler logos in baseball though. Check them out here: http://missoula.osprey.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t518 , or find the hat below if you so desire. Enjoy!

The fitted can be found here: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/team1/page.jsp?ymd=20090309&content_id=521191&vkey=team1_t518&fext=.jsp&sid=t518

O Say Can You See?

This cap is the alternate on field hat of the Washington Nationals. The Nats play in the Eastern Division of the National League. Though the teams history in D.C. is relatively short, this franchise has been around for quite some time. The Nationals moved from Montreal at the end of the 2004 season, ending a 35 year history in the city. Professional baseball in Washington is nothing new though; There have been 2 previous installments of teams in the D.C. Metro area. Maybe this will be the team to finally call the city home, and stay for good; Only time will tell. In the teams history, they have only won 1 NL East title, never an NL Pennant and never a World Championship. With up and coming stars such as Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg there future looks brighter than ever. This cap has a blue crown, red brim, and an interlocking D and C inlaid with the pattern of the American Flag. Great looking cap that I don't see a whole lot so go get one!

This cap can be found at: http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3386036&cp=1895815.1902046.1895731

He's smiling 'cuz im baaaaccckkkkk

We're back after midterm week, and happier than ever to do todays post.This is one of my favorite throwback caps in the business, the old school Baltimore Orioles fitted. The Orioles have been around since 1894 and have quite the history. The Original team incarnation eventually became the New York Yankees that we know and love today, but they exist now due to the move from St. Louis of the original Browns franchise. The Orioles have had 2 ball parks in Baltimore, Memorial Stadium, and their current address Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The franchise had managed to somehow win seven American League Pennants, and 3 World Series titles; there last being in 1983. Some of the more notable personalities in Oriole history are: Earl Weaver, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr. Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, and more recent stars such as Miguel Tejada. The cap above, which features a black crown, orange brim, and a smiling oriole with a cap on, I picked up at a shop in the inner harbor in Baltimore a few years back. The team hasn't been good in a while, but with a strong past such as theirs they are sure to make a resurgence in years to come. Due to their nature of an American League Eastern division team like my Bronx Bombers, I cant claim a fan-hood in this club...This ones for the birds as they say. You can find the cap below.

Find this cap and others like it here:  http://shop.mlb.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=1452610

Mile High Club

This is the cap of the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies, as you may or may not know, is the Major League Baseball franchise which was one of two expansion teams in 1993 along with the Florida Marlins. The Rox, as the locals call them, played their first few seasons at Mile High Stadium where the Denver Broncos played their games as well until their own ballpark opened the following year. Coors Field opened to start the '95 season and has been a fan favorite around the league ever since. The park seats 51,262 fans for a full game, and has been host to 3 playoff seasons; 1995, 2007, and 2009. Their most successful season came in 2007 when they reached the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, but fell short in 4 games. In their short history, they have had some big time names wear the purple pinstripes; Players such as Dante Bichette, Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla, Andres Galarraga, Eric Young, and the always popular Todd Helton. This past season, I took a trip to The LoDo area of Denver to take in a few games in the thin air. While enjoying the beautiful park and the even better scenic backdrop of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, I took some time to check out the team store and pick up this fitted. The cap shown has a black crown, a black brim, and an interlocking C and R shaded purple and laced with a silver lining. This cap is not necessarily a classic yet, but it definitely possesses a crisp clean look that fits the bill. This cap can be found at the Lids site, which I'll link below. Great city, great ball park, and a pretty solid cap.

The cap can be found here: http://www.lids.com/pid/20076644

IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE! IT'S A...baseball team?

Today's cap post is in honor of the AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, The Las Vegas 51's. The Franchise was founded in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1983 as the Las Vegas Stars. That name stuck around for 17 years until the 2001 season when they decided on a name change to the 51's. The 51's is of course a payment of homage to the area 51 controversial governmental site that may or may not really exist, oh man. So this team, which is bases on a controversial theory which speculators say is an area where alien lifeforms and technology is investigated, is represented by a mascot which shares likeliness to the Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks. As if this whole thing wasn't funny enough, the teams home fitted, shown above, features a blue crown, a blue brim, and an alien head shaded gray with baseball stitching lining the cranium. The 51's play there home games at Cashman Field, which seats just above 9,000 fans. The team has won 8 division titles and 2 league titles in their history, but none since 2002. I picked up this other-worldly fitted at the afore mentioned Cashman Field this past summer on a west coast trip. Overall, I love the cap, enjoy the joking nature of the whole team name, but don't think it will ever help their concentration in pursuit of a title. Good luck 51's and may the force be with you! (Tacky? Sorry bout that)

The cap can be found here: http://lasvegas.51s.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t400 in the team shop area.

True Blue Brew Crew

Todays cap if the alternate and throwback fitted of the Milwaukee Brewers. This cap, along with the corresponding uniforms, was worn from 1978-1993. The franchise we now know as the Milwaukee Brewers first started on the west coast in the state of Washington as the Seattle Pilots. After that venture became an imminent failure, the team moved East to Wisconsin and set up shop in Milwaukee. The town needed a team after the Braves left for Atlanta in 1966, and businessman Allan Bud Selig was more than happy to take a chance on the lowly pilots. The team's new team name was chosen due to the multiple breweries in the area which produced beer such as Miller. The Brewers then moved to the AL East, from the West, and stayed in the AL until 1997 when they moved to the NL Central where they still play today. The Brewers have captured an AL East and a league pennant in 1982, an NL Wild Card Berth in 2008, but have still yet to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a World Series. This cap, which features a blue crown, blue brim, and a glove shaded blue, white, and yellow (which is actually an M on top of a B), I picked up at Miller Park the home of the Brewers last summer on a visit. You can find this cap on the website of the Brewers, or the Lids website which I have linked below. When teams bring back throwback logos and colors, it's sometimes a mistake; this is not one of those cases. The Brewers brought back a true classic, and made the right choice by doing so. check out the link, and go rep a classic!

The fitted can be found here: http://www.lids.com/pid/20076656

Staten Island Wrecking Crew

Todays cap re-cap features the fitted of the Staten Island Yankees. The S.I. Yanks are the short-season A affiliate of the New York Yankees who play in the New York Penn League's McNamara Division. The Staten Island club has been in existence since the 1999 season, and have played in Richmond County Bank Stadium since 2000.  The Yanks have 6 division titles and 5 league titles. Their last championship was in last years season in which they finished 47-29 and were led by manager Josh Paul. Some former S.I. Yanks that have made a name for themselves in the bigs are: Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Coke, and Francisco Cervelli. This cap I picked up at Richmond County Bank Stadium last season, while at a game against the Aberdeen IronBirds. The cap shown has a gray crown, navy blue brim, and a lowercase "y"outlined in white and in navy blue. On the side of the cap the words "Staten Island" are printed. This cap can be found online at the Staten Island Yankees website which I have linked below. NOW GO GET ONE AND REPRESENT!

Find the cap here: http://siyanks.milbstore.com/store.cfm?store_id=94

Le Tigre

Today's fitted is the home cap of the Tigres Del Licey (Licey Tigers). The Tigers play in the Dominican Winter League. The Tigers are arguably the most successful team in the winter league, being that they have captured 22 league championships, and 10 Caribbean World Series titles in their 103 year history. The Tigers play in Estadio Quisqueya, a 16,500 seat stadium which was built in 1955. Some former Tigers include Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria, Mark McGwire, Vladimir Guerrero, and Aramis Ramirez. Since they are a Winter League team, they often attract MLB players to come play and stay in playing form in the off season. The cap shown has a blue crown and brim with a cursive capital L shaded white, with a tiger prowling the letter. A rare cap that i found at Cap City in West New York, New Jersey.

An alternate form of the cap can be found here: http://www.ecapcity.com/licey-tigers-new-era-59fifty-fitted-hats.html

Happy Birthday Jerrell

Todays post is a present for my man Jerrell Ray. Yesterday was Jerrell's birthday, and in honor of him I'm doing a cap representing his favorite team; The Cleveland Indians. The guy on this cap is in representation of the 1989 movie Major League staring Charlie Sheen. The film chronicled an Indians team which lacked talent and struggled through the season, but overcame adversity through unity and determination. Unlike the film, the real Cleveland Indians struggled mightily this season. The Indians, who play in the American League Central Division, finished the season 69-93. The Indians were established in 1894, and have won two World Series titles; 1920 and 1948. Along with those two titles, the tribe has 5 American League Pennants. The Indians play in Progressive Field, a strictly baseball park opened in 1994, which seats 45,199. Some former Indians of note are Lary Doby, Bob Feller, Al Lopez, Tris Speaker, Early Wynn, and more recently Jim Thome. The cap shown, I picked up at pennantrace.com a few months back and might not be available. It's got a navy blue crown and brim with a Cleveland Indians Chief Wahoo face featuring a cap on it with black brim glasses and a skull in the middle. A great cap with a creative design. Happy Birthday Jerrell!

You Dirty Dog

The cap of the day is the home fitted of the Charleston RiverDogs. The RiverDogs are the Class A minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Dogs have been in existence since 1980 when they were known as the Charleston Royals due to their initial affiliation with the (you guessed it) Kansas City Royals. Along with the Royals and Yankees the RiverDogs have been affiliated with the Padres, Rangers, and Devil Rays. The RiverDogs play in Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, South Carolina; a facility built in 1997 which seats 6,000 fans. some notable RiverDogs of past are B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Josh Hamilton, and David Cone. Although the Dogs have never won a league title, they have captured 5 Southern Division titles in the South Atlantic League. The fitted in the picture has a navy blue crown and brim with a golden C with a river dog in the middle holding a baseball bat in his teeth.

The Fitted can be found here: http://riverdogs.milbstore.com/store.cfm?store_id=82 Now go buy one!

Double Play

 I know its a little bit late, but this is the post for Friday. The fitted's you see above are those of the Yomiuri Giants. Yes thats right, 2 caps, a double feature because i'm soo late! The Giants play in Tokyo, Japan in the Tokyo Dome; the Tokyo Dome is an indoor baseball facility which has been open since the 1988 Nippon Professional Baseball league season. The dome seats 55,000 fans for a game and has hosted 9 Japan Series in which the Giants have won 5 championships. The Giants play in the Central Division of the NPB and have been part of the league since 1934. Some former Yomiuri Giants of note are NPB Home Run king Saduhara Oh, Tuffy Rhodes, Jesse Barfield, Former Yankees assistant coach Roy White, and of course former Yankee Hideki Matsui. The Caps featured above have black crowns and brims, and interlocking Y's and G's for Yomiuri Giants. The one on the left is orange outlined in white, and the one on the right is pure white. Both fitteds have green under-brims, always a nice touch. These caps I picked up at a disclosed location, which possessed a limited quantity, so no luck on a link for these. Sorry everyone, see you all tomorrow...

Twin Killing

Tonight, the Minnesota Twins lost their second game of the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees. The Series will head back to New York for game 3 of the series on Saturday. In mourning of their World Series hopes for yet another year, let me give you guys a little history lesson. The Twins are a member  of the American League Central, which they have won six times. The Twins have also won 6 American league Pennants, and have won the World Series in three of those seasons. The Twins have been in Minnesota since the 1961 season, and have played in three separate ball parks; Metropolitan Stadium, then the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and now at Target Field just down the street. Some notable Twins legends are Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, and even Walter Johnson when the team was based in Washington, D.C. and known as the Senators. The cap in the picture, which I found in The Mall of America last summer, has a red crown, navy blue brim, and In interlocking T and C for twin cities (Minnesota and St. Paul) respectively in blue and white. This cap, along with other twins caps, can be found on the Twins shop web site which I've linked below. Good Try Minnesota, get you 9 iron out, Tee Time is at 8:45 Sunday morning.

The cap can be found at: http://shop.mlb.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=709223&cp=1452357.1452811

That's One Sick Doc...

WOW! Tell me you guys were watching that! Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies has just pitched a no hitter in the first game of the NLDS. That's only the second time this has ever happened, the last being the New York Yankees' Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series. In honor of this great accomplishment, todays fitted will be the fitted of the Philadelphia Phillies. The franchise which was founded in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers are one of the longest tenured members of Major League Baseball. The Quakers soon became the Phillies and wasted no time constructing a strong and proud history. They have won 10 National League Eastern Division Titles, 7 National League Pennants, and 2 World Championship Titles. The Phillies currently play in Citizens Bank Park, a 43,647 seat stadium in Philadelphia which has been open since the 2004 stadium. Some former Phillie greats are Richie Ashburn, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, and Jim Thome who will surely be inducted into the hall of fame after his career. The cap above has a red crown, red brim, and a cursive capital P to represent Philadelphia.  This is a clean and classic fitted that I love which I picked up on my trip to Philly for a game earlier this season.

You can find your own Phillies cap just like the one pictured above here: http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2626734&cp=1452850.707602

Baby Bombers

Todays hat is the fitted of the Trenton Thunder of Minor League Baseball. The Thunder, who are the double A affiliate of the New York Yankees, play in the Eastern League. Before the franchise was affiliated with the Bronx Bombers, the team was previously associated with the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the Chicago White Sox. The team has been known as the Trenton Thunder since their first season in New Jersey in 1993. Prior to that the team was known as the London Tigers. The Thunder play in Mercer County Waterfront Park, which is a baseball only facility in Trenton, New Jersey that seats 6,341 fans. The Thunder have 7 division titles, and have won the league title twice; once in 2007 and again in 2008. Some notable former Thunder players are: Nomar Garciaparra, Carl Pavano, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Brett Gardner. The fitted in the picture has a navy blue crown, a silver brim, and a muscular blue cloud-man wielding a lightning bolt for a baseball bat. Frankly it's a fitted that I love and wish I saw more of, SO GO BUY ONE!

You can find the fitted here: http://www.trentonthunder.com/ and then go to the Company Store on the left side.

Back On Top

Todays post is dedicated to the National League West Champions for the 2010 season, The San Francisco Giants. This is the first time the Giants have won their division since way back in the 2003 season. This is the seventh time Los Gigantes have won their division since the creation of the three divisions in the American and the National League. The Giants now begin the journey to the 2 successive peaks on the post-season odyssey as they attempt to capture their twenty-first National League pennant and their sixth world series championship. Now for a little history; The franchise which was originally known as the The New York Gothams in 1883, became the Giants two seasons later, and then subsequently moved to San Francisco in 1957 ripping the hearts out of thousands of fans in the tri-state area. After playing a few seasons at Seal's Stadium, the Giants began a near 40 year tenure at Candlestick Park in the San Francisco Bay area. Following their first 4 decades on the West Coast, the Giants began play in what is now known as AT&T Park in the 2000 season. The Black and Orange made it all the way to the World Series in the parks third season on a wild card berth, but fell short to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Giants have a long list of famous alumni such as: Willie McCovey, Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Mel Ott, Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda, and of course the somewhat frowned upon home run king Barry Bonds. The fitted pictured, I picked up on a trip to San Fran a few years back when i went to see the afore mentioned AT&T Park. The Fitted is the primary official on field cap of the Giants which has a black crown and brim with the interlocking S and F in Giant Orange representing San Francisco. Another classic cap which is easily attainable, and will always look crisp on your dome.

The fitted can be found here: http://shop.mlb.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=705091&cp=1452365.1452880

Light and Flaky

Just as I did when I first saw the logo on this cap, you might be asking yourself "what the hell is that?" The answer to that fine question is it's a biscuit. A biscuit from Alabama to be precise. The Montgomery Biscuits are the Double A affiliate of Major League Baseballs' Tampa Bay Rays. The Biscuits organization has been affiliated with the Rays since the 1999 season. Prior to 2004, they were known as the Orlando Rays. The Biscuits play there home games at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium, completed prior to the 2004 season, which seats a capacity crowd of 4,500 fans. Some former Biscuits of the buttermilk variety are current Rays David Price, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, James Shields, and former Rays player Scott Kazmir. The Biscuits are a young team with an already rich history, winning league and division titles in 2006 and 2007 seasons, with a more than certain bright future to come. The fitted displayed has a royal blue crown and a school bus yellow brim. On the crown there is a caricature of a buttermilk biscuit known as "Monty", with eyes, arms, legs, and a slab of butter in its mouth. I picked this one up at the 2008 MLB All Star Game Fan Fest in New York, but you can find you own at the link posted below which will take you to the Biscuits Shop. Yet another hat that looks great, and will catch people staring for sure.

Find the fitted, and others from the team here: http://biscuits.what-if.com/caps-c-4.html?zenid=6su1fk9j8dsfe77i0adcec4al4

Konichiwa Bitches!

The cap of the day is a variation of The Nippon Professional Baseball leagues Yokohama BayStars. My moneys on the probability that you have no idea what I'm talking about; let me explain: Their are 12 professional baseball teams in Japan, one of the more popular teams is the afore mentioned BayStars. The BayStars play in the Central League of NPB and call Yokohama, Kanagawa home. The Baystars play their home games at, you guessed it, Yokohama Stadium and have won two Japan League Series titles. Some former BayStars of note are Takashi Saito, Tomo Ohka, and former Montreal Expos outfielder Terrmel Sledge. The cap shown has a black crown and brim, with the BayStars B centered in front colored orange; Green underbrim as well keepin it old school. Don't think this one will be found anywhere on sale in the continental U.S. so no luck on a link today.

Deadly Venom

This fitted is somewhat of a throwback. The team you know, the colors you may not. The Arizona Diamondbacks have been a Major League Baseball franchise since the 1998 season in which MLB expanded the number of franchises from 28 to 30. Also included in this expansion was the Tampa Bay team we now know as the Rays. The Diamondbacks, whose color scheme is now recognized as red, black, sand, and white, originally wore uniforms composed of purple, copper, and turquoise such as in the cap shown. The new franchise, who play their home games at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. made it to the World Series, and even beat the New York Yankees in only their fourth season. The cap shown has a purple crown and brim, featuring a letter A designed to appear like the skin of the diamondback snake and is shaded turquoise, copper, and black.  After the brief period of success, they regressed significantly resulting in a need for change following the 2006 season. Starting in April 2007 the franchise began sporting the Red, black, sand, and white. I picked up this cap at Cap City in West New York, New Jersey as well as a few of my others. The link to find it is posted below. Some former D-Backs include Luis Gonzalez, Tony Womack, Randy Johnson, and Curt Schilling.

You can find this cap here: http://www.ecapcity.com/arizona-diamondbacks-5950-new-era-fitted-hats.html , if its not available slither on over to Google and search for it.