# Trad baseball caps



## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

There is a school of thought that the two subjects are mutually exclusive.

However, if you stipulate that there are times when nothing is a substitute for such an item, what is your opinion?

Some time ago, Harris mentioned that he has one with a DU logo on it. There is nothing more tradly than membership in Ducks Unlimited.

What is your take?


----------



## familyman (Sep 9, 2005)

Shouldn't baseball caps represent baseball teams? Baseball caps after all.


----------



## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

I wear mine with shorts, flip-flops and a wife-beater - LOL just kidding - just kidding (just remembering some past comments - oh lord).

Actually I do have one with my club's name embroidered on it (navy cap with white and maroon embroidery). I've worn it a couple of times, once to a picnic and once to a ball game. Handy to have, although I do prefer my old white floppy tennis hat.

Cheers


----------



## jmorgan32 (Apr 30, 2005)

Replica of the "original Woody Hayes" hat. Solid black wool, fitted, scarlet block "O". 

I don't wear hats but this one hangs proudly in my "Buckeye Room."

Joe


----------



## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

I think a fitted replica hat is probably up there on the trad scale. It's got to be a team with some history too. One of my favorite things about baseball is that it's the only American pro sport that can really compare to European soccer in terms of history, affiliation with a city, etc. Just about any NFL team could be moved from one city to another but could you imagine moving the Yankees?!?

My most trad baseball cap is a college cap: white with a navy "C" with gold trim embroidered on the front.


----------



## Harris (Jan 30, 2006)

I wear "ball caps" all the time. Have since I was a kid. So, a habit.

Current fave: 

GO TIGERS!


----------



## fenway (May 2, 2006)

Barbour waxed?


----------



## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

*www.ballcap.com*

I have to put a plug in here for ballcap.com this is the site for the Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. which makes GREAT vintage/historic style baseball caps from teams, club ball teams, local farm teams, schools in various styles from the 1900s-1960s. Great quality and selection of trad styles:

I only wear one during the week if it's raining. My favs are the 1930s styles and WWII armed forces caps.

Worth a browse:


----------



## Topsider (Jul 9, 2005)

Can't go wrong with a Hemingway cap.


----------



## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

*Barbour Waxed*



fenway said:


> Barbour waxed?


Great cap, Fenway! First dog walking choice.Matches the Bedale, or the Beaufort.


----------



## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

I wear two ball caps: my 1942 St. Louis Cardinals Cooperstown and a Ben Hogan cap for golf.


----------



## Tiff_Bradley (Dec 7, 2005)

Here's a real trad cap:

https://www.cafepress.com/askandystore.36970358


----------



## stuman (Oct 6, 2005)

I like the baseball caps (the low profile version) especially styles that have not changed over the years (eg. NY Yankees, Detroit Tigers).


----------



## Bradford (Dec 10, 2004)

I think the traditional Polo baseball hat would fit the bill...

https://www.polo.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1784737&cp=1760781.1760820&parentPage=family


----------



## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

The Tigers are not east coast, but have a lot of tradition.

I have even forgiven them for leaving Tiger Stadium. (Sigh.)


----------



## familyman (Sep 9, 2005)

forsbergacct2000 said:


> The Tigers are not east coast, but have a lot of tradition.
> 
> I have even forgiven them for leaving Tiger Stadium. (Sigh.)


It was sad when they left. I have such good memories of watching games around those big steel girders. Nothing like obstructed view seating. Haven't followed the tigers or any baseball in years but they were an important part of my childhood in the mid 80's.


----------



## Coolidge24 (Mar 21, 2005)

Generally I don't wear baseball caps anymore, since there are so many nicer options.

There are two times I still wear them: 

1. if my team is in the World Series, playoffs, or merely being broadcast on TV or radio and I am present

2. At an actual ballgame featuring said team

In either case the hat is fitted. I have one, as the suggestion above notes, featuring a vintage design for my team, another is a fitted model of today's hat.

Otherwise, I prefer something that's a little, well, classier I guess. 

However, one thing I find enormously attractive is a cute girl at a game (even better if at the game with me) in a baseball cap, especially (quite likely) if she doesn't normally wear one. I wouldn't want it all the time, but for some reason in that context I find it irresistable.


----------



## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

I wear a tweed flat cap half the year and a baseball cap the other half. I think the baseball cap can look quite nice with a polo and khakis at an outdoor bbq. Dog walking is another time when the cap comes out. I usually take my dog out first thing, even before I've showered, so it's good to cover my hair.


----------



## Tom Bell-Drier (Mar 1, 2006)

following on from Coolidge`s post for some reason baseball caps just don`t seem to suit me (I don`t know why)
but my wife on a day today basis for running errands and knocking about the farm wears one and looks absoulately gorgeous,


----------



## joeyzaza (Dec 9, 2005)

An ND wool cap just like Frank Leahy wore.


----------



## joeyzaza (Dec 9, 2005)

Or the old timers hat worn by the '79 Pirates (see Willie Stargell):


----------



## Sweetness (Aug 25, 2005)

the polo hat is the current hat-of-choice for many college students


----------



## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

Squadron A said:


> I have to put a plug in here for ballcap.com this is the site for the Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. which makes GREAT vintage/historic style baseball caps from teams, club ball teams, local farm teams, schools in various styles from the 1900s-1960s. Great quality and selection of trad styles:
> 
> I only wear one during the week if it's raining. My favs are the 1930s styles and WWII armed forces caps.
> 
> Worth a browse:


Second this. A great company. The Pueblo (Colo.) Peppers cap ca. 1935 is very snazzy in the summer.


----------



## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

joeyzaza said:


> An ND wool cap just like Frank Leahy wore.


I know Frank's grandson, funny!

BTW, Ohio State beat ND in the past 3 meetings!


----------



## Financier (Mar 6, 2006)

fenway said:


> Barbour waxed?


A wonderful cap. I have a similar hat, although with a John Deere logo, that I wear often on winter weekends.

I would like a basic blue low profile soft cap to wear in the warmer months. The closest i can find to what I'm looking for is a Eddie Bauer, but I would greatly prefer one without a logo of any kind.


----------



## LPinFla (Jan 7, 2005)

Murray's has a nice looking Nantucket Reds "baseball" cap.


----------



## Topsider (Jul 9, 2005)

LPinFla said:


> Murray's has a nice looking Nantucket Reds "baseball" cap.


I like the looks of their "Shovel Cap", with its longer bill.


----------



## A.Squire (Apr 5, 2006)

When are you folks wearing these caps, really?

One might think that I, ******* trad, would be the first to sport such a lid, but that's just not the case. Better options all around.

Allen


----------



## tom22 (Feb 19, 2004)

*these days I need a cap sailing, at the beach and I*

should wear one playing golf. wherever there is a lot of sun. I have an old Army-Navy game one, a couple from the Belmont Stakes and Saratoga plus a mets cap although I really cheer for the Red Sox. and a Boston Celtics cap from the Larry Bird era.


----------



## Topsider (Jul 9, 2005)

Allen said:


> When are you folks wearing these caps, really?


I'll wear one to protect my head from the sun whenever I'm going to be outdoors for any length of time (fishing, golfing, mowing the grass, at the beach, etc.) That's pretty much it.


----------



## Coolidge24 (Mar 21, 2005)

Allen said:


> When are you folks wearing these caps, really?
> 
> One might think that I, ******* trad, would be the first to sport such a lid, but that's just not the case. Better options all around.
> 
> Allen


I never wear them except in association with baseball events.

I much prefer: short brimmed Panama (a la Mitchum in Cape Fear), fedora, boater and seersucker, tennis floppy hat, English ?hunting cap (the kind that is houndstooth or some tweedy pattern) which is what I would wear if I liked dogs, owned one, and walked it in the fall and winter.


----------



## sweetness360 (Dec 13, 2005)

I wear baseball caps quite a bit. I have to wear them nearly all summer for the sun protection as I burn easily.
For my hats, of which I have many, I avoid sports teams and the dreaded RL Polo cap (which seems a bit nouveau). Instead I go for either a prep school/collegiate hat, or something a bit more esoteric, like a hat from a sailing regatta or horse race.
I always thought the Mount Gay sailing regatta hats were very trad (or at least preppy). Check out this great article about them:


----------



## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

*Cricket Caps*

I've been on the lookout for a good many years for an old fashioned schoolboy cap. You know, the kind one associates with old litho prints of cricket games?

At last I found one in the Polo Outlet store in Southern Utah. It was melton wool with a bottle green wool underbrim. It had silk grossgrain ribbon attached to each piece of the eight piece crown. The ribbons formed two concentric circles around the head, so that if you looked at the hat from the top, it looked like a target. The ribbons were top stiched onto the fabric panels, but terminated somewhere inside the seam, so they could not have been added after the fact. The brim was narrower, and rounder than a traditional American ball cap. The cap was lined with acetate, and had a RL logo embroidered where the school logo would normally go.

I loved my hat, and was very sad when it got stolen.

In a world where everybody owns ball caps, I was astonished at how many comments and compliments my hat recieved. Nearly everybody I met said something about it, and not a single negative comment!

Kent & Kurwen used to sell cricket caps on their web site, but I can find no evidence that they even exist anymore.

The closest thing I can find comes from Luke Eyres, only the circles are made of contrasting melton wool instead of silk or rayon grossgrain.

Anybody ever see one of these?

It's funny to think of a schoolboy cap as somehow more Trad than a baseball cap, but trust me, it really works with the Trad look. J. Press of Japan used to sell several versions of this hat, but with a wider, American style brim.


----------



## Daniele (Dec 28, 2004)

*Baseball cap?*

Please take no offense, but I can't imagine a situation in wich a style conscious adult should wear a baseball cap (ok, I've got the same doubt when it comes to patch madras and embroidered whales..)
Just a note: when I served in the Army, the fatigue uniform included an olive green 'baseball' cap lookalike (also for officers and NCOs!). Its (unofficial but generally widespread) nickname was 'La stupida'. It doesn't need a translation, does it?


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Daniele said:


> Please take no offense, but I can't imagine a situation in wich a style conscious adult should wear a baseball cap (ok, I've got the same doubt when it comes to patch madras and embroidered whales..)
> Just a note: when I served in the Army, the fatigue uniform included an olive green 'baseball' cap lookalike (also for officers and NCOs!). Its (unofficial but generally widespread) nickname was 'La stupida'. It doesn't need a translation, does it?


I actually have several that I wear, in rotation, when I'm out for my daily runs. They protect my head from the sun, aid in perspiration control and are easily washed to keep them fresh for the next run.


----------



## mattdebord (May 20, 2006)

*Your Team*

Every American male and at least as many females should own a fitted (well, maybe not the girls, as the ponytail has to go someplace), sloped-front, slightly worn-out ballcap emblazoned with the logo of their team. It doesn't matter if you never watch baseball. You should have a team. We are Americans, it is the national pastime, there is such a thing as sartorial duty. I'm not saying you have to wear the thing much. Just have it around. I live in LA and support the Dodgers, but I also spent a good chunk of time rooting for the Yankees. So I have a hat for both. Schizo, but I have my father-in-law, lifelong supporter of the Bombers, to answer to.

I suppose the Trad-lier or more Trad-spirational would opt for the Red Sox. Next would come the Yankees, based mainly on egalitarian appeal. Then the Tigers, the White Sox, and the Indians and the Orioles. Not much for the National League, but you'd have to toss the Cubs in there.

Frankly, I feel that colleges, clubs, organizations, etc. are not suitable for baseball-cap advertising. Baseball is baseball, an urban American sport played by professionals. All else is adaptation. I'm particularly repelled by baseball-style golf hats advertising equipment manufacturers worn by amateurs.

Of course, to each his or her own.


----------



## globetrotter (Dec 30, 2004)

I am not very trad, but pretty much once it gets hot, I wear a baseball hat when I am not wearing a tie. I have a half dozen, well constructed, no logo in dark blue and khaki.


----------



## Financier (Mar 6, 2006)

globetrotter said:


> I am not very trad, but pretty much once it gets hot, I wear a baseball hat when I am not wearing a tie. I have a half dozen, well constructed, no logo in dark blue and khaki.


globetrotter - wear did you purchase your hats? I'm looking for a good non-logo blue cap. Thanks.


----------



## globetrotter (Dec 30, 2004)

Financier said:


> globetrotter - wear did you purchase your hats? I'm looking for a good non-logo blue cap. Thanks.


I actually had to look a while for them - I got them at a baseball cap store of the type that embroider silly sayings on them, and just asked for plain caps. It was in a mall, and I believe it was a chain. the label says "valuecap by sportsman".


----------



## xcubbies (Jul 31, 2005)

*Tigers*



forsbergacct2000 said:


> The Tigers are not east coast, but have a lot of tradition.
> 
> I have even forgiven them for leaving Tiger Stadium. (Sigh.)


Ah, guys, actually it was Briggs Stadium.


----------



## UgaVII's Trad (Mar 31, 2009)

EastVillageTrad said:


> I have to put a plug in here for ballcap.com this is the site for the Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. which makes GREAT vintage/historic style baseball caps from teams, club ball teams, local farm teams, schools in various styles from the 1900s-1960s. Great quality and selection of trad styles:
> 
> I only wear one during the week if it's raining. My favs are the 1930s styles and WWII armed forces caps.
> 
> Worth a browse: https://www.ballcap.com


Excuse the bump. I was disappointed to see that ballcap.com had been shut down and that the company is no longer manufacturing caps. Does anyone else have another source for historic style baseball caps? Thanks


----------



## YoungTrad (Jan 29, 2010)

UgaVII's Trad said:


> Excuse the bump. I was disappointed to see that ballcap.com had been shut down and that the company is no longer manufacturing caps. Does anyone else have another source for historic style baseball caps? Thanks


I was in J Crew the other day and they have a few select wool baseball caps from back in the day.. Im thinking about getting one myself.


----------



## philidor (Nov 19, 2009)

YoungTrad said:


> I was in J Crew the other day and they have a few select wool baseball caps from back in the day.. Im thinking about getting one myself.


Why bother with the baseball caps when you can get a golf cap (They call them "driving" hats)? It would be great if people would start wearing hats again.


----------



## jalyon (Dec 6, 2009)

Instead of starting a new thread, I'll just add my question here: What do y'all think of visors? Maybe not very trad, but preppy with the right outfit.


----------



## Pink and Green (Jul 22, 2009)

jalyon said:


> Instead of starting a new thread, I'll just add my question here: What do y'all think of visors? Maybe not very trad, but preppy with the right outfit.


What is it this month? Threads from the dead?

Visors: no, never, never, ever, ever.*

*Unless you are on a golf course and it is sunny. You'd better have a caddy. Be serious, don't just muck around with the equipment.


----------



## YoungTrad (Jan 29, 2010)

philidor said:


> Why bother with the baseball caps when you can get a golf cap (They call them "driving" hats)? It would be great if people would start wearing hats again.


Do you mean a snap brim? I like those hats, too. But why only wear one thing? And any time the Red Sox are in town you better believe I wont be wearing any cap or hat other than one with a red "B" on it.


----------



## UgaVII's Trad (Mar 31, 2009)

philidor said:


> Why bother with the baseball caps when you can get a golf cap (They call them "driving" hats)? It would be great if people would start wearing hats again.


...I want to bother with baseball caps because I want a cap to wear to the (base)ballpark.

Anyway, I stumbled upon the following site:

https://www.dugout-memories.com/

They have a lot of caps in classic styling that are a nice alternative to the ultra-structured polyester models now sold by New Era.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pink and Green 
What is it this month? Threads from the dead?

Excuse me, perhaps I should have started a new thread because everyone appreciates that.


----------



## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

A waxed DU hat is good. So is a made in usa wool cap from your home team. So are these:
https://quakermarine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=180
I've also had a free john deere trucker. I'm not a farmer, but hey- at least I wore it working outdoors. 
Caps are fine, as long as they are not those crazy colored monstrosities.


----------



## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

Regarding baseball hats, there are unfortunately (maybe fortunately this season) no decent Astros hats in existence. However, you'll have to pry my Texas cap from my cold, dead hands. I grew up playing extensive, year round baseball, and not having a cap as an option would be a change for which I'm not prepared.


----------



## charlie500 (Aug 22, 2008)

Red Mount Gay Rum Figawi Hyanis to Nantucket Race hat.


----------



## Memphis88 (Sep 10, 2008)

YoungTrad said:


> I was in J Crew the other day and they have a few select wool baseball caps from back in the day.. Im thinking about getting one myself.


Ebbets Field Flannels


----------



## jalyon (Dec 6, 2009)

*Bad visor experience, P&G?*



Pink and Green said:


> Visors: no, never, never, ever, ever.*


Wow. Harsh :icon_smile_wink:. I know I'm just trying to justify myself here, but I really think they are ok in certain applications. Like football coaching.


----------



## Thom Browne's Schooldays (Jul 29, 2007)

Unless you're talking about a clear green acetate brimmed visor, I'll have to agree with P&G.

Sorry to see cooperstown ball caps go.

I'm still looking for a plain structured wool cap, biggish brim.
See, I'm an (actual) Red Sox fan, and would rather go without the "B" than be lumped in with pink cap crowd.


----------



## UgaVII's Trad (Mar 31, 2009)

Thom Browne's Schooldays said:


> Unless you're talking about a clear green acetate brimmed visor, I'll have to agree with P&G.
> 
> Sorry to see cooperstown ball caps go.
> 
> ...


Some good looking options here:

https://www.dugout-memories.com/bosred.html


----------



## swb120 (Aug 9, 2005)

I completely agree with this sentiment (with the exception of college baseball caps, which I think are fine when its the same cap worn by your college's baseball team). Trad, to me, is as much about authenticity, as it is about wearing certain brands or following certain sartorial rules. Nowhere is this more true, imho, than with ballcaps. Everyone should have a team and wear that team's cap. Nothing says authenticity and Americana more than sporting a broken-in, worn-out ballcap from a true MLB team (preferably a team with a classic, unchanging logo that has been around for a hundred+ years). In stark contrast to this are guys that wear baseball caps with polo logos on them, or something similar; I think they look ridiculous.

Mine, unfortunately, happens to be the Pgh Pirates. I wear my old Buccos cap casually, when I'm outside (to protect my head from the sun), and sometimes with my suit & raincoat when it's raining and I have forgotten an umbrella (I know, I know...many will find this abhorrent).

A baseball cap from a favorite pro team is the quintessential American accessory and should be embraced by Trads.



mattdebord said:


> Every American male and at least as many females should own a fitted (well, maybe not the girls, as the ponytail has to go someplace), sloped-front, slightly worn-out ballcap emblazoned with the logo of their team. It doesn't matter if you never watch baseball. You should have a team. We are Americans, it is the national pastime, there is such a thing as sartorial duty. I'm not saying you have to wear the thing much. Just have it around. I live in LA and support the Dodgers, but I also spent a good chunk of time rooting for the Yankees. So I have a hat for both. Schizo, but I have my father-in-law, lifelong supporter of the Bombers, to answer to.
> 
> I suppose the Trad-lier or more Trad-spirational would opt for the Red Sox. Next would come the Yankees, based mainly on egalitarian appeal. Then the Tigers, the White Sox, and the Indians and the Orioles. Not much for the National League, but you'd have to toss the Cubs in there.
> 
> ...


----------



## WarrenB (Apr 15, 2009)

I have several hats with the University of Kentucky Logo on them, as well as the traditional old school baseball team hat (Cincinnati Reds), but usually support the Braves (I know their logo isn't that old, but its the south and that's the team).


----------



## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I have a vintage replica Washington Senators cap and I cap my wife had made for me with out boat name on it.

Oh, and various freebies I wear while cutting the grass.


----------



## YoungTrad (Jan 29, 2010)

WarrenB said:


> I have several hats with the University of Kentucky Logo on them, as well as the traditional old school baseball team hat (Cincinnati Reds), but usually support the Braves (I know their logo isn't that old, but its the south and that's the team).


Glad to see there's a fellow Wildcat on here! Yeah I know many will hate it but Ive thrown on a UK cap before while wearing a tie and blazer. Youll see it a lot at the UK football games.


----------



## 4dgt90 (Dec 2, 2009)

mattdebord said:


> Every American male and at least as many females should own a fitted...


False. I've got to stop you there. Fitted caps are for thugs who wear them flat billed with tags and stickers on and white trash who wear them backwards so that the back almost covers their eyebrows. Usually these brands of hats are New Era and feature ostentatious sports teams logos or designer brand prints such as Louis Vouitton, Dooney & Burke, etc.

Never ever buy a fitted cap. Always adjustable.


----------



## UgaVII's Trad (Mar 31, 2009)

tdecast said:


> False. I've got to stop you there. Fitted caps are for thugs who wear them flat billed with tags and stickers on and white trash who wear them backwards so that the back almost covers their eyebrows. Usually these brands of hats are New Era and feature ostentatious sports teams logos or designer brand prints such as Louis Vouitton, Dooney & Burke, etc.
> 
> Never ever buy a fitted cap. Always adjustable.


You're just wrong. Adjustable caps are a relatively new invention (late 70s/early 80s?), while fitted caps have always been worn by both MLB players and the fans of the teams they play for. Just because people wear Sperrys or bowties in a non-traditional manner doesn't mean they aren't traditional. A well-loved MLB ballcap is wonderfully American and is certainly as, if not more, traditional than a Southern Tide "frat hat".


----------



## swb120 (Aug 9, 2005)

UgaVII's Trad said:


> You're just wrong. Adjustable caps are a relatively new invention (late 70s/early 80s?), while fitted caps have always been worn by both MLB players and the fans of the teams they play for. Just because people wear Sperrys or bowties in a non-traditional manner doesn't mean they aren't traditional. A well-loved MLB ballcap is wonderfully American and is certainly as, if not more, traditional than a Southern Tide "frat hat".


I completely agree.


----------



## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Adjustable caps are like clip-on ties for your head!!


----------



## 4dgt90 (Dec 2, 2009)

UgaVII's Trad said:


> You're just wrong. Adjustable caps are a relatively new invention (late 70s/early 80s?), while fitted caps have always been worn by both MLB players and the fans of the teams they play for. Just because people wear Sperrys or bowties in a non-traditional manner doesn't mean they aren't traditional. A well-loved MLB ballcap is wonderfully American and is certainly as, if not more, traditional than a Southern Tide "frat hat".


to each his own i guess. i will never purchase anything from these new "southern" brands, i despise the RL Polo hat, and i will never purchase a fitted cap. besides, my hair is very thick and i wear hats covering my bangs so a couple weeks after i get my haircut the circumference of my head increases enough that i actually have to adjust the strap. but that's not the main reason i avoid fitted caps...


----------



## goplutus (Jun 4, 2005)

but we should all agree, that if it's adjustable, it should be the fabric & metal slide version, and not the plastic tab w/ holes variety.


----------



## Steve Smith (Jan 12, 2008)

Topsider said:


> Can't go wrong with a Hemingway cap.


LOL, I actually have one of the J Peterman Hemingway caps. I rarely wear a ball cap, and this is the only one I ever use.


----------



## Bradford (Dec 10, 2004)

I like both visors and baseball hats and own several...

Visors are good because they show that you still have hair :icon_smile:

I have ballcaps and visors with logos from Vail, Arizona State University, the Arizona Diamondbacks and I even picked up a new baseball hat this weekend from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at UC Santa Cruz - probably not going to see many other people wearing one of those.


----------



## frosejr (Mar 27, 2010)

I love fitted baseball caps, but I have an enormous head - at least size 8-1/4. No one makes "official" licensed baseball caps that big. I did find a site online that sells super large blank caps, I may buy one and take it to one of those guys with the stand in the mall, and see if he will put a vintage design on it for me.

I do concur with whoever said that baseball caps should have insignia of baseball teams on them.


----------

