Poll Results/That 70s Ballcap Blog

The results of the first Ballcap Blog poll "In what decade was your favorite ballcap used?" are in: We have a tie between the 1960s and 70s. However, because the 70s was in the lead for most of the time the poll was up, I have decided to make this next blog a tribute to the caps of the 70s.

"That 70s Ballcap Blog"

Let’s enjoy some of the more flashy, outlandish, and unforgettable ballcaps from the 1970s, shall we?


Feel free to crank up the volume and enjoy “That 70s Song (In The Street)” by Cheap Trick, which was the theme song for the sitcom “That 70s Show”, and enjoy the blog.


1971 saw the California Angles with this interesting one-year design.


Who could forget the "kelley green" caps of the Oakland A’s, the most dominating team of that decade?


I once saw an MLB commercial a few years back where someone said “If baseball can survive Astros uniforms, baseball can survive anything.” I guess they were right!


This Atlanta Braves cap was immortalized by Hank Aaron when he hit his 715th home run in 1974.


The Milwaukee Brewers added more color to their road uniforms by adding a yellow front panel to their caps.


The San Francisco giants wore more traditional-looking uniforms for most of the 70s and finally gave in to the more flamboyant designs and colors in 1977. By 1983, they had gone back to more plain uniforms.


Who could forget the Seattle Mariners plain, yet striking pitchfork logo?


The San Diego Padres bell caps were my favorites. But you knew that. ‘Nuff said…


In 1976 five National League clubs celebrated the “Senior Circuit’s” 100th anniversary by adopting the “Pillbox” caps. For the Pittsburgh Pirates it stuck, and they kept it for 10 years! It’s easily one of the most popular baseball caps of all time. Willie Stargell would award teammates with "Stargell Stars" on their caps for excellent plays on the field.


I love this Boston Red Sox cap. Who can forget Carlton Fisk’s dramatic home run in the 1975 World Series while wearing the helmet version of this cap?


I don’t have a clue why the White Sox shifted to red as their main color for a few years in the 70s. I have seen many people ignorant of this cap’s history call it a Red Sox cap. Gee, I wonder why?

What was your favorite 70s ballcap? Discuss in the comments!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 31, 2010 at 8:35 AM

    #1. The bleu blanc et rouge Expos cap!

    (as a kid and a young Expos fan, I always thought the cap said "elb" on the front for "Expos Le Baseball" or something like that)

    Awesome blog, btw!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJuly 31, 2010 at 5:30 PM

    I'm with tenprairiesticks!
    Les Expos de Montréal pinwheel cap is at the top of my list. Back in my youth days I had chance to go to Olympic stadium. Since then, I fell in love with the Expos cap from day one! The logo, the colors... ahh man!!
    I've read that the Expos cap was also the first pinwheel concept introduced into baseball? Is that confirmed??

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tom JacksonAugust 1, 2010 at 9:15 AM

    Hmm... tough call. I still have one of those bright Popsicle-orange Astros caps -- I have a complete '76 'Stros uniform, in fact, which I've worn to work out on the Frontier League Normal CornBelters' home field. Love it -- perhaps because scientists say orange is an appetite stimulant. I also love the old Pirates caps from the EARLY '70s: That mustard-y gold. Especially since I've seen a few up close, and they were synthetic, like the famous pullover unis the Bucs pioneered.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownAugust 5, 2010 at 11:27 AM

    Always dug the A's caps of the mid-70's. Then probably the Braves blue and white. I always wondered why the Braves' batting helmet had a white bill while their hats had a blue bill.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paul CarrAugust 5, 2010 at 6:35 PM

    In the 70s and 80s there were a few teams that had batting helmets that didn't match their caps. Off the top of my head I can recall the Brewers, Twins, & Mariners were that way.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownDecember 20, 2010 at 9:29 PM

    My father loves the San Diego Padres bell cap. Do you know where I could find one? I've been looking everywhere!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousDecember 9, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    A New England company profile is essentially a resume for the company that you use to establish your reliability with the market you serve.

    New England company profile

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Chronology of New Era Cap Tags: A Guide

Image
The history of the New Era Cap Company has been well-documented. New Era has been the dominant cap supplier for Major League Baseball and anything baseball-related for decades but their dominance grew slowly, starting in the 1930s. Eventually they steam-rolled the competition, providing the majority of on-field caps to MLB teams by the 1970s. They have been the exclusive cap supplier for Major League Baseball since the 1994 season. New Era's MLB on-field cap interior tags evolved very slowly from the 1930s through the mid 80s. Since then they have changed rapidly, usually about every two years. Since 1982 there have been three tags inside of the cap; the MLB license tag (left side), New Era band tag (middle) and size tag (right). Let's take a look at the evolution of New Era’s MLB on-field cap tags from as early as possible to the present day. Keep in mind that this guide is not 100% perfect. MLB game used and team issued caps were all used as references for this gu...
Read more

Cap Care: Mold & Mildew Removal

Image
One of the biggest problems today facing vintage cap collectors besides stiff or broken visor boards is mold & mildew. This happens if the cap is stored too long in a warm and humid area. I receive vintage caps with this problem every so often. Since many of these caps are priceless or very hard to replace, I thoroughly clean them rather than throw them out. Here is my tutorial on how I remove mold & mildew on caps. Supplies: You will need disinfectant wipes and isopropyl alcohol, the strongest you can get. Mine was 99%. If you get sick easily, perhaps you will need a hospital face mask. You can get all of these at your local drugstore. First, look everywhere on the cap for any signs of mold or mildew. On the outside it may appear as powdery-looking spots. On the inside of the cap and the outer area of the sweatband, they may appear mostly in black, white, and green-ish spots or a larger powdery area or layer. If you spy plenty of it in plain sight, prepare for an unpleasant su...
Read more

Differences Between USA-made and Chinese-made New Era Caps

Image
UPDATED 9/22/19 PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF JUNE, 2019 MADE IN USA ON-FIELD CAPS ARE NO LONGER BEING PRODUCED FOR RETAIL. One discussion that keeps coming up between baseball cap enthusiasts is the difference between New Era's USA-made and Chinese-made caps. The 2011 season saw the majority of all minor league teams wearing on-field caps made in China, and even some major league caps are being made in China, mostly special events caps. Ironically, from 2010 to 2012 the patriotic "stars & stripes" caps were exclusively Chinese-made. After receiving complaints, patriotic caps were made in the USA again starting in 2013. Since 2016, only team issued stars & stripes caps were made in USA. The spring training/batting practice/occasional regular game caps are also being made in China.. The differences between USA-made and Chinese-made caps are many. I have been told that New Era has received many complaints about Chinese-made caps regarding quality. I will go over the ...
Read more