bjorn_skurj Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Between this and the XM-Sirius merger, my world has been rocked to-day. MLB doffs wool caps, adopts new synthetic materialEds: Moving on general news and sports services.By CAROLYN THOMPSONAssociated Press Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - One question facing Major League Baseball this season: Will cooler heads prevail? On opening day, the league will doff the traditional wool cap in favor of a new polyester blend model designed to wick away sweat before it can stream down a player's face. The change is part of Commissioner Bud Selig's focus on boosting player performance, a league official said, and follows a general trend toward moisture-managing "performance" materials in sports apparel. "We started to think, 'How can those developments be applied to our headwear?'" said John DeWaal, vice president of brand communications at New Era Cap Co., the Buffalo-based manufacturer that holds the cap contract. Among early supporters of the new cap is AL Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, who got a preview while shooting a commercial for New Era during the offseason in New York City. "They look exactly the same, they breathe more and they won't shrink," Verlander said. "The best thing is, when it rains, the hats won't stink like the wool ones did." In broaching the change, New Era was well aware of the 100 percent wool cap's long-standing place in baseball history, DeWaal said. Aside from tweaks here and there _ a switch from leather sweatbands to cloth in the 1980s, for example _ this is the first major overhaul of the baseball cap since the current, six-panel model was adopted in 1954, he said. "There's a lot of tradition in baseball and we couldn't completely go against that tradition so we always had that as a parameter," DeWaal said, "but we wanted to take as open-minded a look at this as possible." Steve Vucinich, equipment manager of the Oakland A's, didn't think there was anything wrong with the old caps when he began testing the new ones with the team's pitching corps about a year ago. "This one is just so much better," he said after putting it through its paces atop Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, Huston Street and others. The key is the new cap's ability to absorb sweat so that it can quickly evaporate. "The heat is from the inside of the cap where your head is," Vucinich explained. "Before, it would just sweat to the band and it would drip kind of towards the bill but drip off there. Now the sweat goes out of the cap, even on top, and then it dries naturally." And even though the new caps _ minus the sweat rings _ look and even feel just like the old ones, they are also designed to shrink less and fade less. "If you watch a lot of baseball, you'll notice a number of different things on the players as the season progresses," said Steve Armus, vice president of consumer products at Major League Baseball. "Sweat stains, and you can't see it but they start to smell a bit, and also with certain colors they tend to bleed when the players sweat, so if you watch the Cardinals or teams that wear red caps, occasionally you'll see red bleeding into the white on logos." "With these caps ... the water's not going to be absorbed into the headwear the way it is now," he said. There are also some changes to the cap's underside. The piece under the visor, for example, has gone from gray to black to reduce reflection and glare from the sun and stadium lights. The sweat band, now of the new "performance" material, has gone from white to black for no other reason than it simply hides dirt better. A batting practice cap teams are wearing for spring training also features "vapor management technology" to guard against odor, New Era said. "By revolutionizing the cap, we're ensuring the players headwear provides the best performance while they play," New Era Chief Executive Officer Christopher Koch said. Vucinich, for one, isn't worried about breaking with tradition. "Uniforms have changed over the course of the years, not only just colors, but materials," he said. "They've been made more comfortable, lighter. ... As far as tradition and wool? It doesn't matter." Nor is Detroit pitcher Joel Zumaya losing any sleep. "I didn't know about it, and I don't really care," he said. "I'd pitch without a hat." Nevertheless, Armus said the league is excited about the change. "We're proud to enact the commissioner's initiatives to bring performance to the field in a major way and really to make our players more comfortable," he said. "It's all about the performance initiative and this is the first major step in a lot of things that are going to be seen throughout the season which are really going to revolutionize our field." But for the fan who may have trouble letting go, New Era will continue to produce wool models, though of the fashion variety, in non-authentic colors and styles. The new caps will retail at about $32, up from the current $29, DeWaal said. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 First the fat boys break up, and now this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 $32! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted February 20, 2007 Author Share Posted February 20, 2007 I've paid more than that. There's a joint in Cooperstown which will make you any baseball hat from any team you can imagine from any year for $50. Nice work, they do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I wonder if the new synthetic material will cause outbreaks of rashes on Barry Bond's head when it clashes with all the synthetic materials in his body. Or if they'll have enough material to supply his gargoyle dome for an entire season, even. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 The new caps will retail at about $32, up from the current $29, DeWaal said.They could have saved a lot of trouble and just made this the first (and only) sentence of the story. I guess I won't really have an opinion on this until I see the new hats. Wool gets frigging hot, so I'd imagine from a player's perspective this will be nice. I dunno how the pros feel about sweat-rings, but back in the day (high school) we used to brag about em. Seriously, the guy with the smelliest hat at the end of the season was like a god. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twisted Acres Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 mets' new batting practice cap didn't see the game caps, but all bp caps are viewable at the mlb.com shop. I like the Cubs' one... it's nice & ugly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted February 21, 2007 Author Share Posted February 21, 2007 That's a nice hat. I boughted this today: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CommerceComet Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 This reminds me of a Seinfeld episode. Remember when George had the Yankees change from polyester to cotton uniforms? Progress can have unintended consequences, including unwanted shrinkage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nobody Girl Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 This reminds me of a Seinfeld episode. Remember when George had the Yankees change from polyester to cotton uniforms? Progress can have unintended consequences, including unwanted shrinkage."Mattingly just split his pants!" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied lightning Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I saw the Yanks new batting practice cap with that white line thingy, looks awful to my eyes anyway. I thought the Yanks all about tradition ? money rules. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Since when did baseball players need different caps for batting practice? Oh. Since MLB figured out they could sell more caps that way. I see. Wait. Don't they wear helmets during batting practice? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twisted Acres Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Wait. Don't they wear helmets during batting practice? You're right! They've worn them for 3-4 years now... those batting practice caps have a lower crown and a flexible fit, and I've taken a liking to said fit, more so than the game caps. The game caps can make you like you're wearing a top hat sometimes, or that your forehead looks like that of The Leader (seen here chatting with The Hulk): Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Wait. Don't they wear helmets during batting practice? Yeah, but so far that fashion statement hasn't caught on yet among the general public. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Yeah, but so far that fashion statement hasn't caught on yet among the general public.It was kind of big in the early-mid 70s in my neighborhood. I remember going through a bunch of Red Sox "batting helmets" which were made of cheap plastic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 It was kind of big in the early-mid 70s in my neighborhood. I remember going through a bunch of Red Sox "batting helmets" which were made of cheap plastic.I had a plastic Yankees one that I won playing a game at some amusement park in the early-80s. I hate the frigging Yankees, but I think I still have the helmet. We should bring back the trend! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I doubt those old cheap-ass helmets from the '70s could provide protection against a tennis ball. We found one in the house we moved into in '77 ... I think it was an A's helmet, but I really don't recall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied lightning Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I hear ya Mart, no top hat baseball hat fo me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkstar Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 It was kind of big in the early-mid 70s in my neighborhood. I remember going through a bunch of Red Sox "batting helmets" which were made of cheap plastic. Hell Yeah!!! I had one of those.......got stickers and put #27 on it. Was a big Carlton Fisk fan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheelco Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 please tell me they're not going to wear that in actual games . . . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 please tell me they're not going to wear that in actual games . . .There's a reason why they're called "batting practice" caps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WilcoFan Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 They could have saved a lot of trouble and just made this the first (and only) sentence of the story. I guess I won't really have an opinion on this until I see the new hats. Wool gets frigging hot, so I'd imagine from a player's perspective this will be nice. I dunno how the pros feel about sweat-rings, but back in the day (high school) we used to brag about em. Seriously, the guy with the smelliest hat at the end of the season was like a god. That was me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheelco Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 There's a reason why they're called "batting practice" caps.they make you guys purty smart in Meeshkin' it's what I get for skimming threads, I guess Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 they make you guys purty smart in Meeshkin'Here in Ann Arbor, we spend the winters improving our minds ... because the Wolverines suck at basketball. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 God sat and when He stood there was the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. So the saying goes, but i am an alum so i can say it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.