Latest Acquisitions (caps)

So yesterday was Valentine's Day. And yes, chocolates were exchanged with the wife etc... but, what made it an over-the-top better than usual Valentine's Day was the shipment I got from www.ecapcity.com  containing two more New Era caps to add to my collection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a New Jersey Devils cap in their original colors, used from 1982-1992, of a hunter-esque green and red. Fans affectionately refer to this color scheme as the Devils' "Christmas colors." Now, I'm not a Devils fan by any stretch, but given their pre-New Jersey history, it is something that I feel compelled to have in my collection. For the record, the colors they've used since 1992 are just a simple black and red. Same logo. Simple and awesome, I have to give them credit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also received a Colorado Rockies cap (my 3rd different one) What makes this one different, is that this one has a blue crown and a red visor. I currently have an all blue and an all red. I just had to have the two-tone. The Rockies were the incarnation of the Devils prior to relocating to New Jersey, and played in Denver from 1976 to 1982, for six awful seasons. I happen to be obsessed with this franchise, as I have collected quite an impressive amount of memorabilia over the years. But most important of them all are my New Era fitteds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This here is my favorite of my Rockies jerseys. It is customized with #9 Wilf Paiement, who was the first player drafted by the Scouts, and did play for most of the Rockies tenure in Denver. This jersey (a CCM, by the way, just like my Canucks jersey) was acquired from www.icejerseys.com  I once wore it to an Anaheim Ducks game, where sitting under the press box, received attention from the Ducks broadcast team. They called down to me to compliment the jersey. That was pretty cool.

So let's complete the puzzle. This franchise actually got its start as the Kansas City Scouts, and played there for two unremarkable seasons, from 1974 to 1976. You're wondering, do I have a Scouts cap? Surely, you jest:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a beauty it is! I love this cap because the logo is so unique. Sad that Kansas City couldn't support a franchise, but without that, there would have been no Colorado Rockies. And though it's sad that the Rockies franchise didn't work out, if that hadn't happened, there would likely be no Colorado Rockies baseball team today, so everything is somehow relative... Wow, how did I get here?

 

So, that does it for the history lesson portion of the post. One last thing, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have a Devils cap which, though not the original colors, was close enough for me to acquire it several years ago. You'll notice the green is quite a bit brighter. Now that I have the actual colors, I don't know what I'll do with it. Check it out:

 

Right. Who am I kidding? It stays in the permanent collection, currently sitting at 293 and counting. When I say permanent collection, these are the caps I display, not a total count of my caps, which has to be over 400. Yipes! Maybe I need help. Is there a New Era Caps Anonymous?

Expansion Sucks

So I'm preparing for a yard sale tomorrow and I came across some old articles of clothing that I suppose would be considered "vintage" these days. Though I'm not selling them, it is sad because I have no prayer of ever fitting in to these. Apparently, when I bought these 15+ years ago, I did not consider (as I do these days) that I would not always weigh 130 lbs. Anyway, I thought I'd share.

This is a California Angels Starter dugout jacket 1) before the Disney-era logo and 2) before the dugout jacket designs got stupid with the lame alternate colored left sleeve. When I bought this jacket, I was actually looking for an XL (I have a Rockies jacket in the same design) but all they had was an L. For some reason I thought that was okay and I bought it. Yeah, well I don't think I've ever worn it. Even though I'll never fit into it, it's just too nice to part with. Sigh...

As you can see by the numerous holes, I literally wore this sweatshirt out. It is actually an XL, but a small XL at best. I wore this every Sunday during football season for probably 10 seasons before it just got too worn out. I did break it out during Super Bowl XL thinking it might bring some good luck. We all know how that turned out. This is an instance where I should have thought ahead and bought two. But in 1993 (when I estimate I purchased this) why would I have thought that I would 1) ever get older, and 2) that the Seahawks would change to their ridiculous colors and logo? Sigh...

However, I did find a sweatshirt that works the opposite way:

This is the original (and superior, in my opinion) logo of the Lake Elsinore Storm, then the class-A California League affiliate of the California Angels. The sweatshirt is rather gaudy and not a style that I would purchase today, but apparently 17 years ago I had the foresight to purchase this in a 2XL. Since it's pretty much been in deep storage for the past decade or more and it's in good shape, I'm going to wash and air dry this sucker, and see how it fits. Perfect excuse to wear my Lake Elsinore Storm caps during the offseason.

Latest Acquisitions (jerseys)

I don't purchase jerseys like I used to. I've maybe acquired 3 or 4 jerseys (baseball, hockey) in the past two years. When I do get one, it is one I really want. Today, I received this one (a late Christmas present from my wife):

A vintage Vancouver Canucks jersey made by CCM. I've coveted one of these for years. I had a Canucks throwback many years ago, but it was made by a different manufacturer and was more cottony and didn't fit as well. In my opinion, nobody makes better jerseys than CCM, and since Reebok is making the authentics, I love getting these throwbacks. CCM jerseys are just so much more comfortable to me. But I digress... this jersey is gorgeous. There were a lot of players whose names I could have had put on the jersey, but Markus Naslund was an outstanding player, and the fact that he wore (and recently had retired by the Canucks) the number 19 made it a no-brainer.






Two weeks ago I acquired this jersey:

A minor league Modesto A's jersey probably worn in the late 1990s or early 2000s. I've never been a fan of the Oakland A's, but this jersey was a steal at $15 on eBay. I have a Kansas City Athletics cap in the same colors that I could wear this with if I wanted to. Nobody would know. And yes, that it was the number 19 made it so much sweeter.

I'll have to explain my obsession with the number 19 someday. It's an interesting story. Okay, it's not really interesting, but I'll explain it someday anyway.

The Canucks jersey was purchased from www.icejerseys.com based out of Canada. I've purchased numerous jerseys from them over the years. The best place to go to get the real thing.

Let The Rebuilding Begin

 In a move that is sure to be the first of many, the Ottawa Senators have begun to dismantle, and are going into rebuilding mode. This morning, my beloved Senators traded Mike Fisher to Nashville for draft picks. I've been anticipating moves like these for weeks, and when rumors started to surface that Mike Fisher was a candidate to be moved I was really upset because next to captain Daniel Alfredsson, Fisher has been the consummate Senator. Most beloved by fans and the community. The move to Nashville makes sense if for any reason, because his wife is country music superstar Carrie Underwood. I suppose as the season slides toward the playoffs, I will have to shift my loyalties toward the Predators. I have nothing against this team, and much like when I rooted for the Boston Celtics to see Kevin Garnett get a ring, I will do the same for Mike Fisher. Best of luck to him and Carrie.

Latest Acquisitions

There is no feeling in the world like coming home to a UPS delivered package containing one (or more) newly acquired New Era caps. So yesterday was particularly thrilling when I came home to find a package with my latest purchase. This, on top of the the two caps I received last week. Here they are:

California Angels (1972-1989) New Era Cooperstown Collection

This is the cap I've been waiting YEARS for. I have nearly 400 fitted caps, and this is a replica of the first one I ever purchased. (yes, I still have the original, but it's too small) For years, the only CC cap New Era produced was the Angels logo depicting the fatter "A" worn between 1990 and 1992. So thanks to a blog I've been following ballcapblog.blogspot.com/ I discovered that this cap is being produced. A bit of searching and it is now a part of my collection. I will explain in more detail at a later date, but I grew up a fan of the California Angels, and I do still root for them as my #2 team. This cap represents the team I loved during my formative years. I attended many games at Anaheim Stadium with my father. Such fantastic memories. I actually had to buy two of them just so I have a backup.

Seattle Mariners (1981-1986) New Era Cooperstown Collection

Of all of the Mariners logos that the team has been through since the early 80s, this one was always my favorite. It's probably just a nostalgia thing, but I had always told myself that if I ever found a New Era version of this cap I would buy it. Fortunately, the place I purchased the Angels cap had this cap available as well.

Texas Rangers (1972-1985) New Era Cooperstown Collection

Again, I went with a cap that was being worn when I began following baseball. Weird that I own and actually wear caps of teams which are division rivals of teams I like? Perhaps, but that's not necessarily what collecting is about, in my view. This is just a classy, nice and simple logo for a cap. Dare I say, vintage? Either way, I'm happy.

So there they are, my latest acquisitions.

All three caps purchased from www.mickeysplace.com/ An awesome site, especially if you're looking for a wide selection of Cooperstown Collection caps. What would you expect? They are located in Cooperstown, NY.