Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Albuquerque Dukes

1951 Albuquerque Dukes (Ebbets Field Flannels Retro)

For those of you wondering if the baseball portion of the 2020 Olympics are still happening, I'm here to tell you that the Gold Medal Game between the United States and Japan takes place tomorrow, Saturday August 7, 2021 at 6:00AM EST. I debated about which cap to post this week and while I do have a very cool 1940 Tokyo Kyojin retro from Ebbets Field Flannels, I feel the best way to cheer on my home country is to write about an American team. Luckily I have an 1951 Albuquerque Dukes cap that's also from Ebbets which not only sports a red, white and blue colorway but it's got a beautiful red felt "A" logo stitched onto the crown to remind you that America is "in the house" as it were. The Made in U.S.A. and Ebbets brand sitting proudly alongside each other is a sight that never gets old.  The undervisor looks darker here than it is in fact but after a few wears it will actually get to be that color. No matter the outcome of tomorrow's Gold Medal Game

1980s Albuquerque Dukes

I'm not sure if this is a record or not but I realized just as I sat down to write this post that it's been exactly two months since I've written about a snapback. Now while that Yakima Bears cap had some serious age on it, this week's Albuquerque Dukes hat is even older. As a San Francisco Giants fan, I'm typically opposed to showing any sort of enthusiasm toward the Los Angeles Dodgers and their affiliates but this Dukes cap is really great even though it's a red hat which I'm not into for obvious reasons. The team wore this cap from 1985 through their final season in Albuquerque which was in 2000. Baseball card photography from the late 80's and early 90's leaves a lot to be desired––as does the photography in the early years of this blog as I'm well aware––so I am not sure which exact year they switched over to grey underbrims. If you clicked on the link in the caption above you'll get to one of my first posts on this blog

2014 Albuquerque Isotopes - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

Writing about the Springfield Cardinals Diamond Era cap last week was a nice change of pace as I don't often cover caps from teams affiliated with organizations that are rivals to the San Francisco Giants. I decided to continue with that trend this week as the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico also has a significant minor league baseball history and most of it was spent as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is the Giants' most vilified enemy. Here's a better look at this zany logo that I enjoy so much, as well as some obligatory photos of the inside tags that haven't changed much over the past few years: While most minor league teams switch leagues, towns and parent club affiliations regularly, Albuquerque endured a continuous player development relationship with the Dodgers from 1962 until the Dukes were sold and moved to Portland, Oregon in 2001. They became known as the Portland Beavers and began a ten season long affiliation with the S

1980s Albuquerque Dukes and Denver Zephyrs New Era Caps

The Albuquerque Dukes and Denver Zephyrs are two former Minor League Baseball teams that you probably don't remember unless they played in your hometown or you are a die-hard fan of the Dodgers or Brewers, respectively. Then again, that seemingly obscure nature of these clubs is what is so great about MILB teams in the first place. They provide endless entertainment to appreciative fans who might otherwise never see an MLB game in person. The Dukes and Zephyrs were two teams that I remembered because their prospects would go on to play in the MLB and I can remember my MILB cards featuring Pedro Martinez wearing a Dukes ballcap very similar to the one I have pictured here. I'll post an image of that card as a reference because it's difficult to imagine Pedro wearing anything but a Red Sox cap! However, it's no secret I'm no fan of the Red Sox or the Dodgers so this Dukes cap isn't something that I'll wear to a ballgame or anywhere for that matter, so I'