New Era Alphabet Challenge - E

Today's cap representing E could be split into three different blog posts. Interesting considering this isn't a standout classic logo like some of the others have been. In fact, it's a somewhat obscure short season minor league cap. It just happens to have one of the coolest and creative logos to come out in quite a few years.

So without further adieu...

Turning the Seattle Mariners classic trident logo 90 degrees. Ahhh... clever.

The road cap of the Seattle Mariners short season-A Northwest League affiliate Everett Aquasox. Purple and aqua never looked so good together. And as for that logo? It's so simple, just a twist on the throwback Mariners trident logo. How did nobody think of this before? It's perfectly genius!

This leads me to something which I will only briefly touch on. This logo was the work of a design firm then known as Plan B Branding, now known as Brandiose. Those with whom I've had more in depth discussions about logos know how I feel about Brandiose. They've done some great work, as evidenced here as well as the now defunct Casper Ghosts, Tulsa Drillers etc. But the work they've done lately, in my opinion, has been an exercise in how gaudy and tacky can one make a team's identity. Clearly, they are doing something right because by and large, people are clamoring for their business, and the sales of rebranded merchandise seems to be doing very well for the teams who do utilize their services. I just look at minor league logos in particular in terms of longevity. And none of the recent rebranding efforts I've seen have that future classic quality. They are very flashy, but I just don't think 20 years from now someone is going to look at a piece of asparagus on a cap and go oh yeah, love that Ports cap. That's not to say I don't respect the work they do, some of it is fantastic, but there's a reason why the E representative is the Everett trident E and not the Eugene Emeralds Sasquatch footprint E. I just don't like the look of it. My hope is that this recent trend of over the top jersey colors and cap logos ends quickly. People shouldn't have to look at the cap I'm wearing and go "what the heck is that?" A team's logo is its identity. It should to an extent represent the story of that team. It should not, however, have to literally tell a story.

Just my two cents.

Also, this particular cap is made in China, as opposed to traditional minor league caps which were made in the United States. I went through a phase where I was appalled at the quality of the Chinese caps. There really is a completely different feel to them. Everywhere from the visor, to the crown. Even the fabric is different. Some are worse than others. Again, I could get into a lot more detail, but I won't. Let's just say that even though this Everett cap is my choice to represent the letter E, wearing this cap today reminded me of why I developed such a deep disdain for the Chinese made caps. The crown feels too high and the visor feels like it was cut from a take home pizza carton. I seriously wish there was a way I could get a replacement of this cap with a guarantee that it would be a US made one.

On a side note, this season's crop of minor league caps I did get included some that surprisingly were US made. I was very pleased.

Moving on, I don't have a lot of caps that sport the letter E, so here are the rest. Or the other two:

Defunct caps. Edmonton Trappers and the old Eugene Emeralds.

New Era Alphabet Challenge - D

Letter D was not as big of a challenge for me as the last few days. In fact this one should be fairly obvious, but that could have been said for the last two as well. However, this one is unique as it will always remind me of a television program from my early adolescence. So cue the Mike Post theme music... Representing Letter D is...

Detroit Tigers. Just so cool.

Anybody who grew up in the 80s has to have at some point stumbled across Tom Selleck in the fantastic show "Magnum, P.I." Say what you want, Magnum was just cool. He lived in a cool house in Hawaii and drove a cool car. Though I was in my early teens, the thing that always stood out to me was the fact that he almost always wore a baseball cap. Not just any cap, but a genuine cap of a Major League Baseball team. That team was the Detroit Tigers. This was long before sporting team merchandise was a thing. If you did see anyone wearing caps, it was of the mesh/adjustable variety. (myself included)  Magnum's appeared to be quite authentic. It sort of made me jealous that I didn't have an authentic Angels cap. This wouldn't have been possible in 1982 as there wasn't anywhere local to me that would have carried such an item. Nevertheless, the Tigers cap is as classic and timeless as any of the other logos that have been in use for the better part of 100 years. Though the Tigers have had some alternate caps in recent years, any change to the primary logo, in use since the early 1920s, would be criminal. So thanks to Thomas Magnum for inspiring me to have this cap in my collection. Okay, I would have this cap regardless, but I will always think of that show when I see the Tigers cap.

The coolest moustache outside of John Oates.

So since I've chosen the Detroit Tigers as my cap to represent the Letter D, here's the modest collection of other D caps I own.

Is it Denver Broncos, or Durham Bulls? (joking)

One last thing about choosing the Tigers cap. As most people know, my favorite baseball team is the Colorado Rockies. I've been a fan since Day One and I bleed Rockies purple. Nobody can question my loyalty that I have for this team. I own nearly 30 unique Rockies caps, by far more than any team in any sport. However, I am a collector, and as a collector I enjoy owning, and occasionally wearing caps of other MLB teams. There are many other people like me, and I don't think any rational person would question our loyalty to our favorite teams.

So imagine my amusement when I stumbled across this editorial on strictlyfitteds.com today (the day I'm wearing a Detroit Tigers cap) that more or less states that people who do this have "no excuse to wear the cap of a team you don't root for." The reason? President Obama.

Read it here.

New Era Alphabet Challenge - C

Today I had a lot of really classic caps to choose from. Some classic Major League Baseball teams happen to sport a solitary letter C on the front of their cap. But I decided to go with one that has a little more personal historical value.

Representing the letter C:

UConn, not Yukon.

University of Connecticut Huskies. I happen to be a fan of their basketball team, men and women. The story behind how I became a UConn fan is the subject of an earlier blog post, which you can view here if you're curious. It's a funny story, actually.

But as far as the cap goes, here's some background: I purchased this cap in 1996 after receiving my very first StarStruck catalog*. I purchased this cap along with a St. Paul Saints and a Salt Lake Buzz cap. My serious collecting was in its infancy, but it was really one of the first caps I acquired that was outside of my comfort zone of Angels, Rockies, Lake Elsinore Storm and a handful of other ones I had picked up on trips to Colorado. Mail ordering caps was new to me. Back then you had to actually dial a number and place an order over the phone. There was no computer tracking number. You just had to wait patiently for the mail to arrive every day. Sigh... the 90s...

I have since acquired an updated version of this cap, with a fancier C and a navy button instead of the white one here. I like it, but it'll never match the simple elegance of this one. Also, even though I don't really talk about NCAA basketball much, UConn is one of the few teams I follow that have actually won a championship. And if you read the story I linked above, there is always that element where a memory of my father is involved. And that's why I chose this cap to represent letter C.

Sorry Cubs fans.

Here are some of the other C caps I have that I also own:

Some great logos, but not as much meaning to me.

I want to point out that the front left cap (Connecticut Tigers) is in my opinion one of the coolest logos in minor league baseball. An old English C? Oh, how I love it when a minor league team incorporates the parent logo into their own.


* If you never browsed a StarStruck catalog it is indeed a shame. I think old school cap collectors will agree that they were as close to a hat bible as you could get. It was a sad day when StarStruck stopped carrying minor league baseball caps.

New Era Alphabet Challenge - B

Today's letter might prove to be somewhat unpopular with some baseball purists. There are some obvious choices when it comes to caps sporting the letter B, and it may raise some eyebrows that I did not select one that people think I should.

But that's why I'm blogging about this.

And for the record, I don't even own a Boston Red Sox cap, so chowds can stop reading right now.

I own nine caps sporting a single B on the front, and the one I've chosen to wear today is this one:

Simple. Clean. Sharp. Bakersfield Blaze.

I fell in love with this cap the first moment I laid eyes on it. Solid black, black scripted B accented by orange and white. After a few years of sporting the so-called flaming leaf logo, the Blaze smartly rebranded, deciding to go against the trend of gaudy and grandiose (ha) and rolling out this very simple look. It's a classic and timeless logo, and I for one place this in the top echelon of minor league baseball caps.

In case you're curious or have never seen it, here is the previous Blaze logo:

Seriously.

At first I was skeptical, but of course I had to have one. Now that it's defunct, I'm sure glad I do have one.

And what of the letter B caps I passed over? Well, here's a quick glimpse:

Brought to you by the letter...

So as you can see I passed on the classic Brooklyn Dodgers cap. This is not a slight to them, I'm just more at home with minor league logos, I guess. The Dodgers in particular are a team whose history is overwhelming, and in no way can anyone diminish what they accomplished socially. Truth be told, I simply wear the Bakersfield cap more.

Ironically, when Bakersfield was a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 90s, this is the cap they wore:

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

The New Office (almost completed)

It's been three months since I posted my last entry here. Just a lot going on with the new baby, moving, etc... One of the things I started doing just before the baby came, in anticipation of the move which took place in April, was beginning the drawn out process of dismantling my old cap wall.

I was rather proud of that wall, as it was what I felt was a rather ingenious design, especially once I constructed the bridge over the door. It was rather heartbreaking knowing that I would not be able to replicate this at the place where we were moving. Alas, I had to say goodbye.

The way we were...

But now as we've nearly almost settled into our new space, I've had some requests to show how the new cap wall was coming along. I'm quite proud of it. First of all, it is a larger space providing for almost an additional 60 caps on the walls. Instead of being on adjacent walls, they are on opposite walls. I wasn't sure if I'd like that considering how much I liked my previous iteration (not that I had much choice) but I'm pretty happy with it. I can even add a larger version of my coveted bridge if I ever feel the need, but let's pace ourselves here.

I didn't want to post anything until it was complete. Two months later it's still not 100% finished, but enough to where one could get the gist of it.

So here it goes.

Room for expansion.

So this is what you'd see if you were walking into the office space. Eventually that unsightly cord will be hidden by more shelves and more caps. This is what I refer to as the 'B' wall, only because it has the end of the alphabet in my Minor League collection. Oh, and to the right is an actual desk in case I want to do actual office type work.

The 'A' wall. And some of my other collectibles.

This is the primary cap wall. 15 caps high and 15 caps long. This was exactly how I pictured this wall when I first saw this room. I entertained putting caps on this adjacent wall but it was much too short. Instead I adorned it with some of my favorite collectible pieces.

I've got my Lake Elsinore Storm jersey (#19 of course) My Visalia Oaks jersey (also #19)  I framed these particular jerseys because they represent different phases of my interest in minor league baseball. I was a HUGE Storm fan from 1994-1996 before various significant life events necessitated a change in priorities.

By the time I picked it back up, Lake Elsinore had changed logos and affiliations, so I started rooting for Visalia due to their affiliation with the Rockies. Now, of course I root for Modesto in the Cal League.

Between the jerseys is my autographed Louisville Slugger signed by the entire 2003 High Desert Mavericks baseball club. You can check. Nobody of note was on that team. It was quite the controversy that the Brewers refused to send their top prospects to Adelanto, so we missed out on seeing on all the guys who are now big names. 

Also on this wall is a replica Interstate 19 sign. As much as I'd like to say I traveled to Tucson and acquired this sign in the dark of the night, it is not so.

My authentic lighted Chevron sign. One of those things I just decided I had to have. These are now worth quite a bit more than what I paid for it. You never know.

And finally, my framed print of the Beach Boys Smile album, autographed by the artist, Frank Holmes. More on that in another blog.

The 'A' wall in its entirety.

As I mentioned, 15x15. This covers miscellaneous caps on the top shelf, my NBA collection, NCAA, NFL, NHL, MLB and the beginning of MiLB with some other caps in between. My solitary CFL and English Premiere League caps, as well as the only Negro League cap I own. When I acquire new caps that belong on this wall, well it takes up an afternoon to get everything in its right place.

The 'B' wall in its entirety.

This wall covers minor league baseball until the end of the alphabet. I don't have these all displayed yet, which is why it ends with Visalia. Also, I noticed that for some reason Reno, Riverside and Salem all ended up on the wrong shelf somehow. I just opted not to take another picture. This wall eventually will end with various independent league baseball teams.

The hidden corner.

Usually I have the door open, but in the instance where I don't, I have these displayed. My framed newspapers from when the Senators won their first playoff series in 1998 and when the Rockies advanced to the World Series in 2007. I've got another Highway 19 sign, this one from 1920s Texas, or so I was told. I also have this new display case where I keep my autographed baseballs and pucks. Included I have various minor league players. I do have Jim Abbott, Reggie Jackson, Darin Erstad and Fernando Valenzuela. The latter two I acquired myself at Maverick Stadium when Erstad was drafted and assigned to Lake Elsinore in 1995. Fernando was at a game in 2005 watching his son playing. The signed pucks I have are a Uwe Krupp Red Wings puck and a Wilf Paiement puck. I have this thing for the NHL Colorado Rockies, as you might notice. Oh, also a New Era burlap bag filled with Cal League baseballs. The cowboy hat is a family heirloom given to my by my stepdad.

These are all throwbacks. Weird.

There was a time in the 90s when I referred to this (in another location) as my Wall Of Shame. Funny because between 2006 and 2007 all three of them made their respective league championships. And lost.

This space would be where the 'bridge' would go if I ever need extra space.

Some oldies but goodies.

In the corner above my desk I have this awesome Coca-Cola lamp and the pennants of the first two sports teams I ever fell in love with. More on that another time.

Where it all began.

Here in the case is the first fitted cap I ever owned. My father bought me this cap on my birthday in 1989 at Anaheim Stadium. Doesn't fit me anymore, but it has a lot of special meaning to me. Stacked on top are the caps awaiting a shelf. The one on the end there is an adjustable Coors cap that I had gotten for my dad. I got it back after he died and I just like having it around. I think that griffin logo would make a pretty sweet fitted.

Yes, that's an XBOX and a Dreamcast.

Inside the closet is where I have my little tv situated. When the kids are watching whatever Disney stuff they're watching, I can be up here watching my game. Also tucked in there is my Recap Kit, and an old New Era shaping block I acquired from them many, many years ago which has been invaluable to me. And of course, the New Era mat.



Well, that concludes the tour of the new and improved office. The space is bigger, it's actually not as cluttered as my previous space. I have room for expansion, and I can close the closet door to make it look even cleaner.

The only downside, if you want to call it one, is that unlike the last place, I have no practical way to photograph the entire collection in a single panoramic shot. But it is what it is, and I'm pretty proud of it.

Hope you enjoyed it, and if there's any particular cap you have a question about or want to see up close, just let me know. Either comment here or hit me up on Twitter @interstate19

Once the wall is complete I will post an updated picture.

Cap Collector's Creed

I started collecting caps approximately 20 years ago. I actually acquired my first cap in 1989, but as far as thinking I had a burgeoning hobby, that didn't come until a few years later. I had my fitted New Era California Angels cap and a few other non-fitted caps made by who knows who. Didn't matter, I just liked to wear a hat once in a while just like my father did. I remember I had a few adjustable Sports Specialties caps, as well as an adjustable Snapple Beverages cap I got from a beer vendor when I worked grocery in 1992.  I still have that one.

That next year two significant events occurred in sports to up the ante, so to speak: Major League Baseball expanded by two teams, and I became a hockey fan. In March of 1993 I headed out to my local sports apparel store and picked up the fitted New Era caps of the newest members of the National League, the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins. I had decided that I was going to root for the Rockies (I have family in the vicinity) and the all-teal Marlins cap just looked cool to me. So my fitted collection was at 3. That same year I "discovered" hockey and developed an affinity for the Ottawa Senators. I started collecting any cap of theirs I could find. This was pre-internet, so it was literally anywhere I went if I saw a Senators cap, I grabbed it. I even mail ordered a promotional cap offered on the back of a Frosted Flakes cereal box. (yes, like stuck the UPC barcode in an envelope and mailed it)

Along with a spattering of other caps I had, by 1995 I had quite the stable of sports caps. I added a Seattle Seahawks New Era fitted around that time, as well as a few minor league baseball caps. I kept my caps hung on push pins on my wall. It wasn't much, and I wasn't trying to impress anyone. But it was my collection and it made me happy.

And that was all that mattered.

By 1996 I started receiving StarStruck catalogs (minor league cap bible) and I was ordering a few caps not out of team loyalty, but because they just looked cool. It started getting out of control, and by 1997, when I moved into my first apartment, I was storing them stacked on the kitchen cabinets. (it actually looked cool) People would visit me and say "damn, you have a lot of caps" and it was probably 25-30. Again, I wasn't trying to impress anyone. It was my collection and it made me happy.

That's all that mattered.

I'll stop there, but the reason I bring up this little history lesson is because within the past month or so I've been giving some thought to cap collecting and what exactly makes a collection. People have seen my collection and I've gotten numerous compliments as well as a generous helping of criticism for various reasons. Since I opened up my collection to social media I've met a number of people, some of whom I consider more friends now than acquaintances, who collect caps just as enthusiastically as I do. There's Matt from New Jersey, whose blog about his cap collection really inspired me to open up and realize I'm not alone. There's Angel from Las Vegas, who to date has the single most impressive collection I've ever seen. Well over 1100 unique New Era caps, significantly more than I have, all meticulously shelved and organized. He was actually the subject of a New Era video that they featured on their website in 2012. There's Ben from Oregon, who is obsessive about having as many caps as possible representing every major league baseball team. His caps are mounted on his wall alphabetized in columns. He has a few hundred, fewer than I have (for now), but the depth of knowledge he has on his caps is beyond admirable, it is downright jealously-inducing. I have other people I know who are just as passionate about their collections who have as few as 10 caps. I love interacting with these people because it's awesome knowing that I'm not alone in my devotion to the fitted.

The lot of us, and I'm sure there are dozens more like us, are kind of this cool little non-exclusive club. When someone posts a picture of their collection, even if it's just six hats sitting on a dresser, I never think "damn, son, you got a long way to go before you're in my league." I don't, because I was that person at one time. I was excited about my 10 caps hung on push pins on the wall in my room.

I talk about and post pictures of my caps on Facebook and Twitter because I love talking about them. I love looking at them, and I always believe there are other people out there who feel the way I do and like to see the pictures of my caps. Likewise, I love to see what other people have in their collections. I enjoy seeing the pride people take in their passion.

There's sort of an unwritten cap collector's creed that says it's not the size of the collection, but the size of the passion a person has for their collection. Any jackass can hit up their local cap retailer or order caps from a website and have a large collection, but it's not a competition. It's not about who has the most. I have infinitely more respect for the person who has 6 caps that they really really love and can't stop talking about the story behind each of those caps as well as which caps they plan on getting next, as opposed to the person who just boasts that they have a lot of caps and wants to be noticed for that fact. Much like these other people I mentioned earlier, we busted our asses to get our collection to get it where it is, whether it's 8 or 800. We're proud of what we have, and there's a kind of unspoken admiration we all have for each other. I try and help out if someone is looking for a certain cap, and I've had people do the same for me. We are a community. We stick together. That's just how it works.

To us who collect for the love of what we collect, that's all that matters.