For the second week in a row I'm featuring a Favorites cap from my collection and before you start thinking "every cap is my favorite" I want to mention the reason for posting this cap the Norfolk Tides wore from 1993-2015 today is because International Surfing Day is held annually on the third Saturday in June which happens to be tomorrow, June 17th.
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| Until the team rebranded in 2016, the "wavy T" logo was the main cap logo worn by the Tides since 1993 which was their inaugural season at Harbor Park. The combination of a new uniform and ballpark undoubtedly ushered in a new wave of appreciation for the team. |
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| Luckily the "Made in China" tag is hiding underneath the sweatband here! |
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| The sky blue on the brim, button and batterman are a nice touch here but if we are being honest, they give off too much of a UNC vibe for my taste. |
Earlier I mentioned how the "new look" Tides of 1993 reinvigorated the team and I imagine after wearing this cap for almost 30 years, the fans at Harbor Park should have been more appreciative of another fresh design set courtesy of the world-class Brandiose team. Well it has now been a few years with the current logo and I think they are finally warmed up to it.
I remember reading articles stating fans felt the Tides were completely abandoning their longtime ties to the New York Mets who mind you, hadn't been their parent team in almost a decade at the time of the rebrand. In my opinion, being upset over such a silly thing is akin to pining for your childhood sweetheart while being a married adult with much to be happy about.
I think the recipe for a logo's popularity needs equal parts immediate "wow factor" when compared to other designs as well as an element of longevity that fans connect with over time. I know that when I look upon the 1993-2015 Norfolk Tides hat, I think back on all the great memories I experienced as a child going to games at Harbor Park.
And there is an entire generation of folks behind me with an experience similar to mine because that logo lasted for so long. Meanwhile my elementary school-aged nieces recently went to a Tides game and came back with caps featuring Triton so I'm also certain kids seeing games at the park now will look upon the Triton-era with warm and fuzzies too.
I think maybe the current logo would have been better received with a black crown rather than the green although there is already the road cap with the anchor chains around the "N" which is pretty slick. I dig the "Defenders of the Diamond" collaboration with Marvel although I would prefer if Triton was shown busting out the chains rather than being contained by them.
I have not yet picked up the Copa Pajaritos hat worn for the Norfolk's Copa de la Diversión games but I did snag the Orange Squeezers cap which I should probably break out soon now that the weather has been nice. It's a perfect companion for drinking an Orange Crush while looking out on the Chesapeake Bay, or any pleasant body of water actually!
I'm going to Virginia Beach this weekend to celebrate my sister's birthday and Father's Day with my family so I might stop by Harbor Park to get my hands on the Defenders of the Diamond cap and make a plea for them to bring back the Norfolk Tars caps too. Perhaps if they see how popular black crowns are they'll create an alternate of the home cap!
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:
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