Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Fon Du Lac, WI - Minor League Week #2

1948 Fon Du Lac Panthers

The Fond du Lac Panthers minor league baseball team played between 1940 and 1953 in  the Wisconsin State League.  The Wisconsin State League was a Class D league composing of treams from Appleton, Green Bay, Sheboygan, La Crosse, and Wisconsin Rapids.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Elmira, NY- Minor League Week #1

1938 Elmira Pioneers

Elmira has a long history of professional baseball dating back to 1885.  It currently has a New York Collegiate Summer League team also named the Pioneers. 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Sunday, November 21, 2010

1995 Catalog Cover

Marie L'Overture by Richard Merkin

2nd Baseman (or should I say 2nd Basewoman) for the Port au Prince Skulls of the outlaw Trans-Caribbean Baseball League.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Cap History Card Series #3


                                           1938 Brooklyn Dodgers

#3 0f 106

Friday, November 19, 2010

Managers of the Year

                                        1972 San Diego Padres (Road)

Congratulations to Padres manager Bud Black the National League Manager of the Year and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire the American League Manager of the Year.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

NL Cy Young

                                           1935 Philadelphia Phillies

Congratulations to Roy Halladay 2010 NL Cy Young.
Sorry Felix, no Seattle cap (yet).

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

AL R.O.Y.


1983 Texas Rangers

Congratulations to the Texas Ranger's Neftali Feliz  American League Rookie of the Year.


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

NL R.O.Y.


                                               1965 San Fransisco Giants

Congratulations to the Giants' Buster Posey and to the 2010 World Champions.

Maybe they should break out these uni's next year:

                                                        1906 New York Giants

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sing Sing


                                   1936 Ossining Sing Sing Prisoners

The MWL on the cap stands for "Mutual Welfare League". Created by Thomas Mott Osborne, warden of Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York. He established a system of internal self-rule called the "Mutual Welfare League" within the prison and quickly won enthusiastic support from both guards and prisoners

There is a great chaper in Harold Seymour's The People's Game Volume 3 titled Baseball Breaks into Prison.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

1994 Catalog Cover


                                                       by Richard Merkin

Featuring the cap of the Sing Sing Prison Guards, 1938.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Cap History Card Series #2


                                                 Boston Beaneaters 1896

#2 of 106

Friday, November 12, 2010

The Black Sox

                                
                                           1919 Chicago White Sox

Tomorrow on MLB Network Triumph & Tradgedy - The Rise and Fall of the 1919 White Sox
8:00 PM CST.


Eliot Asinof's Eight Men Out has long been established as the bible on the Black Sox scandal but this book does a good job also.




                                                          Chick Gandil

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Two-Fer of Elsinore


                                         1956 Vancouver Mounties

There is more than hockey in Canada. This is a great logo on the cap of the Vancouver Mounties, a Pacific Coast League team from 1956-1962.

There is a rich history of baseball in the Great North eh.


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Commerce Comet

                                             1938 New York Yankees

Just read a great excerpt in Sports Illustrated from a new book about Mickey Mantle - The Mick.
The entire book is on my short lists of next book to read.

Link to the article:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1175416/index.htm

    Link to book:

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

First discovered

                                                 1926 Cleveland Elites


I said in an earlier post that I had rediscovered CBCC when I found the web site.  I soon remembered reading an article in Sports Illustrated while sitting in my dentist’s waiting room back in 1989.  I cut out the article and kept it all these years in my ‘baseball file’.  The article by Nicholas Dawidoff can be found here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068470/index.htm

The picture accompanying the article was that of Will Arlt, owner of CBCC, donning a 1926 Cleveland Elites’ cap.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Die-Hard


                                                     1959 Chicago Cubs

The first CBCC Cub's cap. It may be rough watching year after year, but at least I get to watch in style in one of the eventual seven Cub's caps I now own.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

1993 Catalog Cover


                                  GEORGE WASHINGTON CASTRO WITH HAVANA
                                                           by Richard Merkin 1992

George Washington Castro was a pitcher with the turn of the century Havana Beisbol Club.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Cap History Card Series #1


                                                          Boston Bees 1936-1937
   1 out of 108

Friday, November 5, 2010

George 'Sparky' Anderson 1934 - 2010

For Sparky Anderson manager of the Big Red Machine-World Series champions 1975 and 1976.

Classic Reds cap.

1956 Cincinnati Reds


"I can't believe they pay us to play baseball -- something we did for free as kids,"
Sparky Anderson

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Beginning

I first discovered (or re-discovered) the Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. [CBCC] in 2005 while doing an Internet search for a Yomoyuri Giants cap. The pickings were slim. One site listed an authentic cap, but they were 'out of stock'.  A few Japanese web sites appeared to have them for sale but I couldn't translate the ordering instructions.  Then it appeared, probably on the 7th or 8th Google search page, a link to CBCC's web site and their drawing of a 1954 Yomoyuri Giants cap.






It was exactly what I was looking for. However, there was some initial hesitation. The price was more than I had ever paid for a cap. I knew my cap size but the "fit" was a new concept.  I eventually decide to take a chance and ordered the cap. When it arrived I wasn't initially impressed.  I was accustomed to the formed and rigid hats from companies like New Era  (also makers of great caps). This cap was not shaped and didn't seem to fit properly.  I read the half sheet included in the box that had cap information, care instructions and return information.  Again I decided to take chance. With each repeated wear the cap did conform to my head and eventually turned into one of my best fitting caps. I was hooked.









Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Welcome to my Cooperstown Ball Cap Company Blog!

The purpose of this blog is to discuss, share and enjoy photos and stories of the caps made by the Cooperstown Ball Cap Co.

My goal is to share pictures and information of as many of the Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. caps as possible.

I will  include pictures of the Cap History Card Series issued to help depict the large number of caps manufactured by Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. prior to the annual catalogs and web site as well as covers of the various catalogs.

I would also like to include pictures and stories of your favortie CBCC caps so feel free to send them along.