New Era Alphabet Challenge - A

So just to do something different I've decided that I'm going to wear a different New Era cap every day (that I'm able) featuring a different letter of the alphabet starting with A. No reason for it. It just gives me a reason to examine the different caps that I have and challenge myself to choose one to represent each letter. Some will be easy, others will be difficult, but I'm going to be keeping a record of each choice I make here. Hopefully one per day. We'll see how it goes.

Of course, if anyone wants to make a comment or critique, I encourage that, as I'm always interested in hearing what other cap aficionados think. Comment here or on my Twitter @interstate19.

Anyway, on with the show...

We begin with the letter A:

California Angels (1972-89) The cap that started it all...

This one was a no-brainer. I grew up a California Angels fan, and this is a remake of the first fitted New Era cap I ever acquired. My father bought this for me on my birthday in 1989 and so it's a cap with tremendous significance to me. We attended a game on that day at Anaheim Stadium and he told me to buy whatever I wanted. I got this cap and an authentic Angels Rawlings jersey which is now waaaaay too small for me. Oh, I wish I had been thinking a quarter century in the future when I bought it.

Basically, this is logo of my youth. My fondest memories growing up an Angels fan are tied to this logo. The ballgames I attended with my father. Knowing every detail about the rosters, stats and standings.

Waiting after games and trolling for autographs. Great memories. Dozens of stories there alone. Getting yelled at by Reggie Jackson. Getting a phantom Dan Quisenberry* autograph. Rod Carew (who was one cool dude!) My dad getting Glenn Hoffman's autograph thinking he was with the Angels when he was with Boston. Bob Boone (cool guy) Tim Foli (a-hole) and of course, Brian Downing, who is my all time favorite Angels player.

Being 11 and getting involved in a "bullshit" chant with 60,000 fans because Reggie Jackson was ejected after fighting the Royals' Frank White. Doug DeCinces hitting two home runs and being robbed of a third. Tony Armas "walk off" home run in 1989.

Being an inch in front of my television in 1986 when the Angels were one strike away from heading to the World Series... I could go on... 

This one is so important to me, I actually reserve a special place for that original cap.

24 years old. A size too small.

A simple letter A with a halo. I always appreciated the Angels returning to that logo (as currently used) but for me, this one stands out as the best of all of their logos. I'll never understand why in 1990 they went from this A to the nasty "fat A." I hated that.

Incidentally, has any team ever used as many logos (or names) as the Angels have in their 50 years? Ha!

Just for full disclosure, here are some of the other letter A caps that I passed over:

 

So agree or disagree, fire away!

*yes, Quisenberry was with the Royals, but he was my very favorite non-Angels player in the 80s. Loved his style. Approached him for his autograph, but I didn't have a pen so he grabbed the hat off my head and pretended to sign it, put it back on my head and walked off. It was awesome. RIP