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Mid-1990's Montreal Expos Cap

Update: I modified some formatting below and fixed some broken image links (with old, somewhat blurry photos) but kept the content the same otherwise. (10/13/2021)

After spending the last few weeks digging into sweatband tags of World Series caps, I'm ready for a change of topic. I was either looking for a cap with a connection to Tim Raines but there are many others that have patiently been waiting on the shelf as well. W
hen I heard the news that Jeffrey Loria was fixing to selling the Florida Marlins I knew what to do.


Compared to the pinwheel and the "Make Montreal Great Again" styles this is the most subdued of all the logos Montreal rolled out over the years. 


I was just chatting with a fellow cap fanatic about how much I love the grey underbrim aesthetic. I love the contrast between it and the darker crowns.


It's hard to pinpoint an exact year for this cap but these are the sweatband tags from 1994-1996

This week's post is kind of bittersweet so that's why you're seeing the cap photos so early. Not a bad deal right!


I've written about Loria's impact on baseball once or twice over the years and in case you weren't sure, I'm not a real fan of his or the Marlins. However, if you are a regular visitor here one thing you probably know is I'm a San Francisco Giants fan who sympathizes with the Montreal Expos and Loria is Public Enemy #1 in Montreal. Listen and I'll tell you why. 

Besides the strike-shortened 1994 season, the Expos decline is the saddest baseball event in recent memory and I'd say the Expos suffered from the strike more than the other teams. When baseball returned in 1995, the Expos struggled to hit their stride as they did the previous year. They bounced back somewhat in 1996 but not enough to make the playoffs.

Jeffrey Loria bought a minority stake of the team in 1999 and as he slowly bought his partners' shares, he began liquidating the team's assets. The Expos impending doom was painfully obvious in 2002 when MLB's most unscrupulous characters orchestrated one of the most vicious games of hot potato in the history of baseball ownership. 

That unfortunate deal prompted the Expos eventual move to Washington DC. While Loria's role in the deterioration of the Montreal Expos should never be forgotten, his wrath did not end there. It's true the Florida Marlins won a World Series under his watch but Loria's many atrocities toward the city of Miami (and the game of baseball in general) are unforgivable. 

While we know Loria's carpetbagging ruined the Marlins and Expos, here's an article on how he set the Washington Nationals up for failure too. So yeah, he's for sure the most hated man in baseball but realize there's actually a chance Miami could miss Loria when they find out who their new overlords might be. I'll let you draw your own conclusion there!

I recognize this week's post was dark but I'm reminded of a familiar Japanese (I think) proverb: "If every day was a sunny day, who would not wish for rain?" 

As always, thanks for coming back to read about baseball hat geekery. I've got comments disabled here so if you'd like to discuss a trade or simply just chat about hats, please feel free to connect via the following social sites:

Instagram: @baseballmilquetoast
Twitter: @FittedFriday

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