It has been a wild past few weeks here in New York as the Knicks journey to their first championship in 53 years has been achieved and just yesterday the team was feted with a parade for the ages. I am not big on crowds so I walked around the parade area before it kicked off as well as after its conclusion and even those were special experiences I will not soon forget.
I have published over 500 entries to this blog and even though I have mentioned my Knicks fandom in three separate posts, I have only featured two caps of NBA teams and neither was the Knicks! The reason for this is I have not yet found a Knicks hat that I love so this week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is a different sort of blue and orange gem to honor the team's historic W.
I was fortunate to grow up in Norfolk where I spent summers watching so prospects of the New York Mets farm system and always felt a kindred connection to the organization's lower levels, especially the Jackson Mets who were their Double-A team from 1975 through 1990. I was also intrigued by the Williamsport Bills whose Mets affiliation only lasted one year in 1991.
Binghamton became the Mets Double-A home the following year, but 1991 was such a pivotal year for me in baseball that this hat is an all-timer in my view. This week's cap not only honors the Bills’ ephemeral place in Mets history; it also pays tribute to Walt "Clyde" Frazier, who without a doubt will forever be one of the most popular New York Knicks ever.
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| The "W" here instantly evokes happy thoughts of Walt Frazier, whose broadcasts of Knicks games are an integral part of the experience for me. There is also a secondary significance to the logo here, as it will always remind me of the losing side of the 2026 NBA Finals, where Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs played the perfect heel to the Knicks in that series. |
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| I mentioned earlier that the Williamsport Bills were only a Mets affiliate in 1991, which makes finding a historically accurate canvas for this custom cap a rather difficult task. Thankfully, it all came together beautifully, and I now have a one-of-a-kind cap to wear to Mets games. |
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| I've only seen this cap logo once before, and it was on a snapback, so if Williamsport never wore a fitted on-field, this hat is even more special as it would tread into the "What If?" realm of unique items in my collection. |
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| D.J. Dozier was a player I was happy to see play while on the Tidewater Tides in the early 1990s. A fun fact I just have to share is that Dozier is from my hometown and went to the same high school I did in Virginia Beach. I should mention that the signed card pictured here is not from my personal collection. |
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| Jeromy Burnitz is another favorite Tide of mine from the 1990s and was always gracious in signing cards for me. This image above is also not one of an autographed card that I own, although I am sure Burnitz has signed this one for me during those years he played for the Tides. |
This week's cap is my second time showcasing a custom creation where Krownz & Kickz expertly embroidered a defunct logo from the 1980s or 1990s onto a blank vintage New Era cap from that same era. So once again, big shout-out to him as well as @yellowsub73 who diligently scoped out the most accurate deadstock caps from that era to complete the look.
This week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is not going on the Trading Block however please don't hesitate to reach out if you want any other cap from that list and you are willing to part with any of the hats on my Wish List.
As always, thanks for coming back to read about baseball hat geekery. 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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