When someone says "New York Yankees" the first color most people think about is navy blue and after that maybe white. And it almost goes without saying red is the last one that comes to mind unless you just happen to be reminiscing about the time Spike Lee rang up New Era asking for a red New York Yankees hat ahead of the 1996 World Series.
I moved to New York in 2010 and in the time between 1996 and then, the Yankees cap has been produced in every color imaginable but no matter what color is featured on the crown, the undervisor—or "under brim" as we referred to it back then—has usually been green, grey or black.
I fondly remember trekking across the boroughs in my hunt for vintage "grey bottoms" made of 100% wool because I felt the polyester fabric that New Era introduced in 2007 was somehow inferior. As someone who has always strived for progress yet at the same time was afraid of the unknown, I found comfort in the retro releases that featured the classic design elements.
I held this approach until one day in 2012 or 2013 while shopping in one of my regular spots, I spotted a Yankees hat with a bright red undervisor. When I asked the salesperson if it was some sort of error, I was quickly blessed with a lesson on how the design was a nod to the red bottom shoes by Christian Louboutin which I also learned were very popular at the time.
Being stuck in my old habits, my initial reaction was to not let a trendy fashion aesthetic influence my hat purchase so I left the store, presumably with other hats that did not challenge my thought process in any way! After some time to reflect, I began to reconsider my decision to scoff at the "red bottom" Yankees hat.
After all, all three OG Air Jordan 1 colorways Michael Jordan wore with the Chicago Bulls had red bottoms. They say "Be Like Mike" and this logic alone must be what prompted me to go back to the store for this unique cap. This hat is still in great shape because like last week's El Paso Sun Kings hat, I have made sure not to wear it too often over the last ten years!
I'm making a conscious effort to wear it today though because June 2 is Lou Gehrig day and for those unaware, red is the official color of the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Association. The significance of June 2 is that was the day Gehrig's streak of 2,030 consecutive games played began in 1925 and that was sadly also the date he died in 1941.
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| I absolutely love how the red sneaks through here. If you wear your cap pulled down low it's almost imperceptible to everyone else but you know it's there! |
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| The red, white and blue combo here is perfection. |
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| I've featured other caps with undervisors that are not green, grey or black but this one right here was the first one I ever got and it'll always be special to me because of that. |
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| Apologies for the grainy quality of this photo of an actual Yankees cap worn by Lou Gehrig but in my defense, it was taken in a great haste during my first ever trip to Cooperstown in 2016 with a camera of not-so-great quality. The memory is top notch though! |
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| Also accept my apologies for the gaudy background on this photo but alas, it's not one I took so no offense taken if you have issues with it. I saw this all red Yankees hat with the 1999 World Series patch for sale on eBay and decided it was at least worth a screenshot because it reminded me of the Spike Lee 1996 World Series story. |
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| I see what appears to be an official World Series hologram sticker here which at least makes me consider the possibility that this was an official release at the time! |
Keep an eye out for the commemorative "Lou Gehrig Day" patch on the uniforms of all players, managers and coaches during today's games and if you would like to participate in fundraising for ALS research at some point today or in the near future, you can click this link to do so.
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. 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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