Eric Gilde

New York Cubans from Topperz USA.

If it isn’t clear yet, I feel like Topperz put out my favorite Negro League hats last year. Ty’s are right there, though!

This peanut color is one of my favorites of any hat. It doesn’t wash out a pale face like mine and goes w almost anything.

LidsHD recently released hats marking milestones in Jackie Robinson’s life. It’s a wonderful collection.

The one I chose commemorates his time in the Army. I love the camo UV & the felt-like visor, and the stitching of the years is a cool touch. Great details & super wearable!

Birmingham Black Barons, from Topperz USA. Simple but elegant, and the metallic silver just jumps off the black crown. I picked this up on sale on Monday but have eyeballed it ever since it came out last fall.

Pittsburgh Crawfords by Ty Mathis and Stash1250. Metallic pewter on the front, with copper and silver metallics on the side patch. Satin under. This is one of my favorite purchases of last year, and I bought a LOT.

The team existed in some form or fashion between 1913 and 1936, in any number of leagues.

Frank Warfield led the Balto Sox to the 1929 Negro American League championship as a player manager. Bill James referred to him as a “complete defensive wizard.” He also supposedly bit off Ghost Marcell’s nose in a heated dispute over a dice game while playing in Cuba. 😬

Oliver “Ghost” Marcell was also there, and also a genius on the left side of the infield. Judy Johnson was like yeah, this guy is better than me imo. 🤯

Dick Lundy was one of the great third basemen of the Negro Leagues.

That infield didn’t get paid a million, of course. But that was what their value was considered to be had they been white players. 🫠

I didn’t know a lot about the Balto Sox, aside from the fact that HOF’er Jud “Boojum” Wilson, was part of the team’s “million dollar infield” before going to play for the Grays (among others). “Boojum” came from the sound his line drives made when they hit the outfield walls.

Baltimore Black Sox by Topperz. I wore this yesterday and forgot to post!

Original owner John Conners named the team after his Brooklyn Royal Cafe. The team was great in the early years of the 20th Century, with multiple National Ass’n championships to their name. They were charter members of the Eastern Colored League in 1923, but dropped out in 1927.

Brooklyn Royal Giants, by Topperz USA. The metallics on this are STUNNING in the sunlight. I wear this one all the time.

Kansas City Monarchs by Hat Heaven! I love this logo with the crown on it, and only a couple of places have put it on a hat as a front logo. I love the color in this one a lot, and have been reaching for it a lot despite having SEVERAL Monarchs hats, as future posting will show.

Today I’m going with this Philadelphia Stars cap made by Ty Mathis and sold at Stash1250 in Chicago. Heather crowns aren’t particularly popular in the fitted community, but I love them. This hat also has a dark green satin undervisor. I really REALLY dig it.

That’s one of the more positive takes on it that I’ve heard! I’m torn, to be honest, but lean negative. I think I’m just hung up on how many good colors and logos are in the team’s history. It just feels like opportunities were missed.

Like the Phanatic is RIGHT THERE. Throw some green in there!!

I wish the worm dog got a proper credit…

Last season the Memphis Redbirds paid homage to the Red Sox with some great throwback jerseys, and hey, wouldn’t it be great if teams did more of this?

But Verdell “Lefty” Mathis, maybe the best Negro Leagues southpaw of the 40s, played most of his career for Memphis, though he was one of the players who jumped ship, briefly, for the greener pastures of the Philadelphia Stars.

(Painting by the great @graigkreindler.bsky.social )

Turkey Stearnes,Willie Wells, and Willie Foster, all Hall of Famers, passed through Memphis. Charley Pride played a few years there before quitting baseball to become a country music star.

They were also one of the few teams to own their own ballpark, Lewis Park, named after the-owner Robert B. Lewis. It was renamed Martin stadium in 1927 following a sale of the team to the Martin brothers, and would be expanded in subsequent years. The park was demolished in 1961.

Though never a powerhouse, the team had relative stability, existing in some form or fashion from 1920 until disbanding in May 1960. They were a charter member of the Negro American League in 1937, and won the pennant in 1938 against the 2nd half champion Atlanta Black Crackers.

I’m going to make an effort this month to showcase all of the great Negro League hats I’ve picked up. There’s been a ton of quality stuff released, many of which are still available!

Today’s hat is from Topperz USA. A fantastic Memphis Red Sox.

Apparently the Philadelphia Phillies City Connect jersey has leaked. (Colors inspired by the city flag.)

What… do we think? 🤔

Oh hey btw here’s a story from… let’s see here… YESTERDAY.

www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/u...

There’s a pretty terrific film about his military time called “The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson” starring Andre Braugher, Ruby Dee, Bruce Dern, and Daniel Stern.

We did an episode on it! And will be rereleasing it on Pitcher List in the coming months.

Happy Birthday to Jackie Robinson, a legend both on and off the field.

This hat was put together as a nod to his time in the army, which ended famously in a 1944 court martial as a result of his refusal to sit in the back of a bus.

(Hat from JdTheGhost/Pro Image Colorado)

Anatomy of a Fall absolutely gripped me. Sandra Hüller is mesmerizingly good and Justine Triet brings magic trick-level nuance to the storytelling. It deserves every award nomination and then some. I really hope it finds the audience it deserves in its U.S. release.

To celebrate our new “Leo Durocher Meets Mr. Ed” ep. (take-me-into-the-ball-game.simplecast.com/episodes/tbg... ), I’ve been wearing this fitted from HatClub - the Snoop Dogg “Doggystyle” Dodgers from their TITANICALLY popular Aux Pack. Fantastic color & super wearable. An absolute gem of a hat. 👍

Mister Ed S04E01-Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed - video Dailymotion Watch Mister Ed S04E01-Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed - TV Series Collection on Dailymotion

The full episode can be found here and, seriously, it’s absolutely worth your time.

www.dailymotion.com/video/x60rwhy