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Showing posts with the label Northwest League

1984 Everett Giants

Trend alert! So for the third straight week we are looking at a Class A Short Season team however unlike the last few posts, this week the team is not from the New York-Penn League but rather its west coast counterpart. I've previously posted about hats of the Everett Giants (now AquaSox) of the Northwest League and based on all of the images I've seen, this particular version was only worn during their inaugural season in 1984. The  only images I've found of an Everett Giants player wearing this version of the cap are in the  black and white photographs used for the baseball cards from the 1984 Cramer set and I think I see some  discrepancies between these two caps. While my cap has a green underbrim it seems as though Joe Olker is seen here wearing what appears to be a grey underbrim on his cap. I'm at loss as to why a black and white photo was used for a baseball card as recently as 1984 but, alas. Side note: I have a friend who is

2014 Everett AquaSox - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

It's been torrid in NYC over the past few days and when I have a fever, the only cure is "more Teal"… ballcaps!  While last week's episode of Tealism Appreciation focused on an East Coast squad, this week we jaunt across the country to show love to another team with an "E" on the cap logo and it's one that I had all but forgotten about : the Everett AquaSox.   My friend and I were at the Mets game on Tuesday and as we were bashing the  DiamondBacks'  ultra-dark road grays, he  brought up the Ninja BlackSox from the old NES game  Baseball Stars . The uniforms are similar but even more,  the "DiamondBacks" moniker is reminiscent of the other stupid names in that game which made me think of the AquaSox. Last week's  cap was of a  Class A-Short Season team and so is this one, as seen by the use of the  90 degree rotation of the iconic Mariners trident . Those who believe in nautical superstitions say the upside down trident is

Mid 1990's Spokane Indians - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

As stated in last week's post  and many times before, it's always special when a Fresh Fitted makes its debut at a ballgame. Those of you who have seen the love given to minor league caps will know that wearing this Spokane Indians cap to a minor league game tonight is going to be extra special. As much as I'd love to debut this vintage gem at a Spokane Indians game, that's not an option. So instead of catching a Pacific League Baseball game on the west coast, tonight I'll be taking a ferry from Manhattan to my first Staten Island Yankees game.   I know this is another team's cap but I figure the S.I. on the logo is close enough to fit in with the locals even though the cap is red, white and blue. Of course, the best part about this logo is the serifs on the letters which are reminiscent of a Shreveport Captains cap that remains one of my favorites. I've only written about one other DeLong hat, but this is the my first snapback from this

1990 Everett Giants - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

I know what's going through your mind right now: "enough with the snapbacks, already!" is what you are thinking, right? Well, you're correct in that the snapbacks have gotten much love around here lately but I couldn't help myself from sharing this particularly fresh 1990 Everett Giants snapback with you.  The reason it's releasing from the vault today is because my beloved San Francisco Giants are in town to play the New York Mets this weekend and I wanted a unique hat to wear to the game tonight. I also decided to wear this snapback to the game because it fits me a little better than the fitted 1992 version of the cap that I wrote about a few weeks ago.  This particular variation of the cap is one that they wore only for the 1990 season A closer look at the single-season beauty that is this cap logo. The only inside tag on this one is of the New Era variety Here's a look at the Made in U.S.A. writing on the back of the sn

1992 Everett Giants - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

As I'm sure anyone reading this is already aware, Monday, April 3, 2016 was Opening Day however I have a question for the baseball purists out there: did it feel less special because there were three televised games on Sunday, April 3, which was the day before Opening Day? This question is tricky because some might say having Opening Day on a Monday is a tradition that must be observed but then there are also those that wonder who in their right mind would be upset that the baseball season began early ? I love the traditional aspect of the game but I admit that I fall into the latter camp simply because my motto is "more baseball, more better". Well that's not really my motto but one of my dreams is for Major League Baseball to expand and have a short-season league in the Southern Hemisphere (or make the Australian Baseball League a thing) so that MLB could have games year-round, meaning there would be two Opening Days! In that case, let's talk logistics

1995 Bellingham Giants Cap - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

Chances are if you are wearing a black hat with an orange B on it, people will just assume you are a Baltimore Orioles fan which I suppose isn't necessarily a bad thing. That assumption however can become problematic if you are really fan of the San Francisco Giants. I spent many years rooting for the Giants when I lived in the Bay Area of California but now that I live in New York, I need a more subtle way to root for my team. One way that suits me well is wearing caps from the Giants' minor league teams, both past and present. This Bellingham Giants cap is an example of the former and I really connect with this unique logo. A simple design such as the orange B over the silver batter is pure elegance although the baseball diamond in the back reminds me of certain Brooklyn Dodgers retro caps that I've seen.  The combination of the grey underbrim, white sweatband and the Made in U.S.A. tag from the mid-1990's makes me so happy.  The black and orange MILB

Spokane Indians Alternate 3 Cap - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

I've written about the Spokane Indians only once before  but this week's Fresh Fitted is a cap logo redesign brought to you by - big surprise here - Brandiose. This collaboration was one of their earlier projects and what I appreciate most about this insignia (besides the artwork, of course) is the respectful path the designers followed in the rebranding effort. The Brandiose team (which was known then as Plan B) worked closely with the elders of the official Native American tribe in Spokane when crafting this new look. Their driving force throughout the process was that every design element was executed gracefully and with the sign-off of the tribe's leadership which you can read a bit more about here . The design team wouldn't be able to produce such consistently elegant work if it wasn't for the lengthy amount of research that is done at the onset of the process. Here is a quick retrospect Brandiose performed which covers some of the art that inspire

2014 Hillsboro Hops - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

Seeing as how so many farm teams piggyback on their parent club's moniker and come up short in the originality department, I'm glad I picked up this cap because this logo truly embodies the independent spirit that I appreciate so much in minor league baseball. It's always appreciated when the team logos can let go of the stuffiness and this Hillsboro Hops cap knows how to have "fun" while maintaining an air serious enough to let you know that they are gonna whup you on the baseball diamond. The main thing that I love about this logo is that it celebrates the Pacific Northwest's greatest export (craft beer) by featuring a smirking hop cone -who is also wearing the team's away cap, which is totally meta- against a backdrop of the mountains and trees thus honoring the region's natural beauty. In addition, the Hop's surly grimace captures the overall level of the baseball fandom exuded by Portland's dilettantes over the y