New Era Deep Cuts - 5 of 365 - Lethbridge Mounties

Today's Deep Cuts selection is a cap I honestly don't believe I've ever worn in public. It's the onfield cap of the defunct Lethbridge Mounties of the rookie level Pioneer League. They only existed as the Mounties between 1992-95, at which point they became the Lethbridge Black Diamonds.

Alberta had quite a few affiliated minor league teams back then.

One issue I've always had with this cap is something that is/was typical of caps from the early 90s, that being the high crown. If this cap was available in a contemporary New Era style I would rock that thing regularly. But this cap has a particularly high crown (even though it is in my size) and it just doesn't look right. It is a great piece that I am glad is a part of my collection.

I don't have many onfield baseball caps that use a wordmark as the primary logo. I think the "Mounties" would have looked great on a jersey, where the grinning Mountie holding the baseball bat alone might have made for an awesome cap. But I was looking at something unique and rare. And I've only seen this cap in a fitted New Era version available a few times since I got this one.

New Era Deep Cuts - 4 of 365 - Duluth-Superior Dukes

Due to technical difficulties I was not able to get this blog posted last night. Hoping that doesn't become a habit.

The fourth entry in my Deep Cuts series is a cap I never really had my sights on, but once it became available it set up a new obsession for me. One I likely will never see fulfilled, but as any good cap collector knows, you never give up.

One of the first caps I ordered when my collecting entered a more serious phase in 1996 was the incredible cap of the independent Northern League's St. Paul Saints. To this day it is one of my very favorites in my collection. (#CrewEra13 will remember it was the cap I wore that first day in Buffalo)

I didn't really know too much about the Northern League, or honestly cared. But that Saints cap was sacred to me. It was probably about 2008 or 2009 when I stumbled upon this cap. I'd seen it before, but it was never one that I longed for. But it was on eBay and fairly inexpensive, so I grabbed it.

I can't resist purple and black.

The Duluth-Superior Dukes played in the Northern League from 1993-2003 before relocating to Kansas City as the T-Bones. That makes this cap not only defunct, but rare. In fact I've only seen it one other time up for auction. A pretty simple logo, certainly not as awesome as that other defunct Dukes team from Albuquerque, but as I said, it started an obsession with me. I suddenly had the desire to own fitted (in my size) versions of all six original Norther League teams. I have since acquired one additional, so I'm halfway to my goal.

Unlike my Saints cap, which I wear quite often, I have maybe worn this once or twice since picking it up. I do love the colors, and the logo is simple enough. I just wish it was a little smaller. Actually the thing I love most about this cap is the Northern League logo on the back of the cap. I'd love to see that on the front of a cap.

New Era Deep Cuts - 3 of 365 - Modesto A's

After the 2004 minor league baseball season ended, the so-called "affiliate dance" started and resulted in my beloved Colorado Rockies switching Cal League affiliates from Visalia to Modesto. Since the Modesto franchise was certain to change its name from the A's, it would have been logical to wait for the new name, logo and gear to be released before grabbing any of it and adding it to my collection. After all, I pride myself on having a cap from every Rockies minor league affiliate in their history.

Logic has little to do when you're an impatient collector.

Upon learning that the Rockies would be setting up shop in Modesto, I went and grabbed me a Modesto A's cap and jersey, because that made sense, right?

That is one hardcore looking elephant.

As we all know, the team became the Modesto Nuts. A bit of a laughingstock when first announced, but now it is not only accepted, but cherished as one of the more unique names in baseball. But I was proud to have something to represent Modesto, even if it was for the previous affiliate. I wore this cap and jersey quite a bit during the 2005 season, only because I was unable to get a Nuts jersey to compliment my new Nuts cap. I honestly love the jersey, wordmark of which is in the picture. The forest green and black just look awesome together. I've even had offers for both the cap and the jersey, but I could never part with them.

Once my Nuts caps were nice and worn in, the A's cap rarely gets more than a passive glance. It looks amazing on the shelf, but I just don't have the occasion to wear it very often. Maybe once or twice a year. Still, the elephant's face is detailed enough to look classy enough to not be considered gaudy, or silly looking, as some animal logos tend to be. (I'm thinking about a recent canine addition to the minor league circuit)

If I was an A's fan, this would with no doubt be one of my go-to caps. And if there are any A's fans who read this and like the cap, I've seen reproductions of it available on HatClub's website. Great pickup, if you can find it.

New Era Deep Cuts - 2 of 365 - Minnesota Timberwolves

Today's New Era Deep Cut is quite unique. There's a bit of a story behind it, but I want to save the full version for another time. So here's the Cliffs Notes version: On April 12, 2007 my apartment was broken into and 32 of my caps were stolen. Yes, that was the primary purpose of the break in. One of the caps taken was my throwback Minnesota Timberwolves fitted. Once I was able to take stock of everything that was taken, I started to rebuild the portion of the collection that was lost. The T-Wolves cap I had was pretty basic, and NBA fitteds were pretty tough to come across, so I held out little hope that I'd be able to replace it. A few months later I did stumble across this one:

To this day, the only cap I own with pinstripes.

A genuine Hardwood Classic Minnesota Timberwolves New Era cap. With pinstripes. This is also one of only two caps in my entire collection to have a white undervisor. One other distinct difference between this one and the other ones I've had is the wordmark underneath the logo. Very unique.

It wasn't really my style, but thinking I'd be hard pressed to find one like the one I had, and desperate to fill a hole in my broken collection, I purchased this one. I can't for the life of me remember what website I got it from, but I was just happy to have a fitted New Era cap with the original Timberwolves logo. I've always preferred my caps more basic, so this one was rarely worn. Eventually I did find a basic throwback T-Wolves cap, which I do wear quite often, and this one was relegated to occupying a spot on my shelf.

As years have passed, I've worn this cap maybe three or four times (including as I write this) and it's really sad because it really is a nice piece. However, it is a reminder of a very traumatic event that struck at the core of something I care about very deeply. So when I look at it, I think about why I own it. At the same time I've learned to appreciate it.

I did manage to reacquire in some form 30 of the 32 caps stolen that night. And with that incident now nearly seven years behind me, I can honestly say I am glad that this cap is a part of my collection, even though I never would have purchased it otherwise.

It's like we collectors say: There's a story behind every cap. This one's just a little more on the tragic side.

New Era Deep Cuts - 1 of 365 - Coors Field

It's been several months since I've posted anything here. I suppose it's safe to say that with the holidays and the toll they take on me personally and professionally, it was necessary to not spend as much time sitting at the computer posting pictures of caps and doing little write-ups on them. Do I wish I had the time? Of course, I do. Sharing my passion for caps is one thing I truly enjoy. And since today is the first day of a new year, I am resolving to do more posting. Hopefully this doesn't go the way of most resolutions, which end after a few weeks.

Having said that, I am embarking on one of those "365" blogs that many people undertake. The topic I have chosen to work with, of course is caps. Yes, I've done that before, but this one will not feature the ones that I typically post about. Not the ones that I wear everyday. When you have over 500 hats, one simply cannot wear them all. I find I have a lot of hats that do not get the attention that the ones of my favorite sports teams might get. Or like that newly acquired minor league cap that I'll wear for three or four days after receiving it. Some of these that I will be featuring will be ones that I've had for over 20 years. Some are on the cap wall. Some are in storage. I call them "Deep Cuts," which is the term used in music for songs that aren't the big popular singles, but those kick-ass album tracks that never get played on the radio. In terms of hats, that's what these are. Those pieces that I'm proud to have, even though they rarely see the sun.

Their time is now.

So without further adieu, here is the first Deep Cut for January 1, 2014:

Inaugural Coors Field fitted, commemorating its opening in 1995

Since I first acquired this cap, I may have worn it once. That's not a slight on the cap, the Rockies, or Coors Field, but there honestly just isn't much of an occasion to wear a cap like this. It is actually one of three Coors Field caps I own (two, including this one, are New Era) and what's unique about this one, is that I've never seen this particular logo used anywhere else. Perhaps someone with the Rockies could shed some light on this if they happen to read this.

To the best of my recollection, I picked this cap up in 1995 on a vacation to visit family in Wyoming, which included a stopover in Grand Junction. I picked this up, along with the other New Era Coors Field cap at a store in the Mesa Mall there. Not sure which store, but clearly I was already in a collecting mindframe. I was a very enthusiastic Rockies fan. Coors Field was brand new. I knew I'd never find these caps in California, so obviously I had to grab them. Glad I did.

With the 20th Anniversary of Coors Field rapidly approaching, I might just find the opportunity to wear some of these out, just to show off that I was there from the beginning... sort of.

New Era Alphabet Challenge - Q

So there was a bit of speculation about what cap I would choose to represent Q. It's pretty much a no-brainer, yeah. But the tough part was deciding which version I would choose. So I'll just kill the speculation:

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The first Super Cap.

I opted to go with this, the original version of the California League's very own Rancho Cucamonga Quakes cap. For the sake of comparison, here is a picture of all three Quakes Q caps.

All Q. All the time.

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes began play in 1993 after the San Bernardino Spirit relocated there. They built a fancy new stadium called the Epicenter (see what they did there, earthquake fans?) and with an outfield view of the gorgeous San Gabriel Mountains, it remains one of my very favorite stadiums to watch a game.

The Epicenter in 2003

I had three choices. The current cap which has been in use now for several years now is the first cap to actually incorporate a design on the visor. The little blue "faultline" is unique to minor league baseball caps. The Q, which is consistent with how it has been stylized over the years, has "moovles" (as I call them) around it to give the impression that it is shaking.

The original Quakes cap, teal crown with black visor, was somewhat of a phenomenon. As I recall, it was claimed to be so popular that people were seen wearing the cap in places as far away as Southeast Asia. It just seemed that around that time everyone was wearing a Quakes cap. I can remember attending games in the early to mid 90s and having to sit in the bleachers all the way down in the lines. 6000+ per night. Those were fun to attend. The team was that popular. The cap was an icon of sorts, and I think an argument could be made that the popularity of that logo ushered in the era of the well designed minor league cap logo. Everyone wanted to have something unique.

Then for some inexplicable reason, the team decided to ruin the cap by dropping their mascot right into the logo. Bad idea then. Bad idea now.

Due to its uniqueness, awesome 90s teal power, and historical impact, I have chosen the original Rancho Cucamonga Quakes cap to represent the Letter Q.

New Era Alphabet Challenge - P

Took a little break, but I'm back and ready to complete the Alphabet Challenge.

I've realized that I have a lot of hats with a single letter P on them. Don't know why it's such a common letter in the minor leagues. Portland, Princeton, Pawtucket, Pulaski, Phoenix, etc... This letter was one of the toughest to choose from, because there are two caps that could have easily been the one to represent the letter P. You'll see that there are a lot of great caps to choose from. But in the end I had to roll with this defunct Angels rookie league affiliate:

Provo Angels. Pleasantly periwinkle.

Keep in mind that this was during the Angels Disney phase, so this shade of blue was prominent in that organization. Despite that, I don't really consider this to be an incorporation of the parent club's look. In fact, the cap is really not too exciting at a glance. Solid P in front of triangle shaped peak, presumably representing the Wasatch Mountains of Central Utah. So I'll have to explain why I chose this cap.

The Provo (Utah) Angels began play in June 2001 in the Pioneer League. Happened to be the same year the Casper (Wyoming) Rockies also began play in the same league. As I have family ties to Wyoming and a fondness for Utah, I was pretty anxious to get both of these caps. And really, acquiring those caps began the current wave of cap collecting for me. The urge to collect would explode in 2002, and I can honestly say getting those caps really started it. So this cap is really special to me.

In fact, here is a rare archive shot from early 2002.

Cap Wall - Spring 2002

A few of these were stolen during the Capocalypse of 2007, but replaced. I still have most of these same caps pictured here.

And I still love The Cure, New Order and Tears For Fears. Still have those posters, in fact, but as my cap collection grew, I no longer have room for the posters.

The Provo Angels would win a Pioneer League Championship in 2005, then promptly relocate to nearby Orem to become the Orem Owlz. Before that happened, I did manage to acquire a couple of other Provo Angels items. I got these jerseys:

Home jersey

Road jersey

They also had a road cap which is even more sparse, if that seems possible.

Fantastic.

On a side note, on the occasion I would wear the road jersey, it rarely failed that someone would approach me and ask if I was Mormon. Fair enough. It is pretty obscure. I'd always have to explain that it was a baseball jersey etc... and they almost always got that eyes-glazed-over like they were sorry they asked.

For anyone wondering why I chose the home cap over the more simplistic road cap, it's simply because it was the first, and in many ways is symbolic (along with the Casper cap) of the collector that I would become. My only regret with that cap is that unlike the Casper Rockies cap, where I bought two additional caps, I never bought a duplicate Provo Angels cap.

And that is why I chose this cap to represent Letter P.

And now for the ones that didn't make the cut.

That's a lot of P.

The Pawtucket Red Sox cap is as close as I intend on ever coming to owning a Boston Red Sox cap.

The Pulaski Mariners cap (middle row, left - in case it's not obvious) is one of my favorite caps in my minor league collection. A perfect blend of parent team logo and local uniqueness. The metallic silver P, outlined in teal, with the compass attached to it. The visor is grey, not the metallic silver of the Seattle alternate cap from years back, but still, seeing this cap up close is a thing of beauty. And if it had not been for the attachment I have for the Provo cap, the Pulaski Mariners cap would have been the choice.

But there can only be one...