Monday, March 15, 2010

On how to properly wear a new Cubs cap

The Brooklyn Excelsiors wore the first "baseball caps" in the 1860's, when the game was still in its infancy. Originally, the caps were made of wool and were far floppier than the baseball caps we have today. Latex was first used to stiffen baseball caps when the Cubs won their last pennant in the 40's, and the contemporary baseball cap had its genesis.

The history of baseball caps is fairly undisputed, but there is one thing that has been continually challenged since the inception of the baseball cap: how to properly wear one. In modern years, trends and fashions have continued to evolve (or devolve, depending one who you ask) to include a seemingly numberless amount of ways to wear the classic baseball cap. For example, when I was growing up there was only one way to wear a baseball cap if you were "cool":
...ack basswards. Although this made the bill useless for fulfilling its intended purpose, man was it cool. It showed a stringent rebelliousness and provided a physical way to "stick it to the man", whoever the "man" may be. Wearing a cap this way and having this expression usually go hand in hand. The days of my youth have passed, however. Now there is a new fad:
...keeping the stickers on the cap. Every time I see this on a Leader of Tomorrow I cringe a little inside. Why would anyone want to keep the stickers and tags on their hat? Is there something I'm not getting here? I think keeping the stickers on your hat is indicative of some kind of deep and debilitating mental illness that no amount of pills can cure. I think its called "adolescence". So, call me a traditionalist, but this is how I choose to wear my new Cubs cap:
...front and center, with the bill gently curved like the the arc of the summer sky. Cub agrees:

...but the proper sizing of a baseball cap is a subject for another post.

1 comment:

  1. I'm so glad cub agrees. He's a smart child. =) You are going to have to do something about getting a proper cap for him though!

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