Today I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite retro baseball hats. I know my choices are biased because I am a big fan of baseball from the 1970's and 1980's, but here are some of my all-time favorites.
San Diego Padres:
This classic Padres look from the 1970's is one of my favorites just because of the colors the team used. The brown and gold on the Padres teams of the 70's was a classic look that reflected the design styles of the era. I can still see the image of a young Dave Winfield sporting this classic San Diego Padres look. Other noteworthy players to don this look include Ozzie Smith, Randy Jones, Willie McCovey and 1970's hair hero Oscar Gamble. This hat is definitely one of the crazier looks from the time, but one of my favorites.
Chicago White Sox:
This Chicago White Sox look debuted in 1982 and was an attempt to give the White Sox a futuristic look. The jerseys featured the same SOX logo across the front in a big navy stripe framed by two red stripes. This White Sox look was like nothing that the team had ever used before and was a great example of uniform design for the double knit era. I can still see the image of Harold Baines sporting this futuristic look.
Atlanta Braves:
This classic Atlanta Braves hat is mostly associated with the Hank Aaron era and the time when he hit his record breaking home run. The hat featured the small "a" in a red, white and blue color scheme. The hat looked great with the jersey the team wore that featured a 1970's style feather on the sleeves. Other Atlanta players who donned this classic look include Phil Niekro, Bob Horner, Dale Murphy and one of the greatest names in baseball history, Biff Pocoroba.
Baltimore Orioles:
This classic Baltimore Orioles cap is by far one of my all-time favorites. The classic laughing bird on the white background was the look the Orioles wore when they were my favorite American League team. After pulling a Jim Palmer Kellogg's 3-D card out of my cereal, I became a huge fan of the team and this classic look. This hat brings back great memories of fiery manager Earl Weaver going after umpires night after night. This is definitely one of my all-time favorites. A few other notable player to don this great hat include Mark Belanger, Al Bumbry, Rick Dempsey, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr.
Houston Astros:
I know that this selection comes as no surprise to regular readers, but the hat on top of my list is the classic orange Houston Astros "H-star" look. This classic cap was paired with the famous (or infamous) Astros rainbow stripe look from the 1970's and 1980's. I know I've discussed this look many times, and it will always remain my favorite. Players who wore this classic cap include Nolan Ryan, Jose' Cruz, Art Howe, Terry Puhl, Cesar Cedeno, Enos Cabell and J.R. Richard.
i always liked the pirates stovepipe hats from the 70s... imagine if the astros had taken hold of that concept... tequila sunrise hats?!?! holy crap. the mid 70s indians with the "primitive" c were cool too. the 60s white sox hats were nice... the blocky font in the diagonal arrangement was cool on both their red and blue hats.
Posted by: marc | May 15, 2009 at 03:40 PM
What? No Expos 3-color panel?!?!?
Posted by: Zubaz is Zu-back!!! | June 28, 2009 at 07:01 PM