Lost in the early baseball season rush, I’ve forgotten to share something very important with you: my summer 2015 cap choice.

Frankly, I’m a little surprised I haven’t received angry emails demanding I reveal my pick.

Allow me to rectify.

I found myself in a bit of a quandary this year. Last year’s cap is still in decent shape. And there was a lot of good luck contained inside of it. If you don’t fuck with good luck in any sport, it’s baseball. Maybe I should just go with the ’14 hat a little longer.

I do love to buy a new hat, though. It seemed wrong to deprive myself of one of the simple pleasures of spring.

Which led to my other quandary: last year I wore a regular, replica Royals hat, an adjustable version of what the team wears on the field. I had not done that since at least high school, and likely middle school. And then the Royals not only break their 29-year playoff drought, but they get to game seven of the World Series. If I’m replacing the hat I wore during that run, should I still stick with the standard, royal blue, KC cap? You know, messing with a streak and all.

That seemed boring to me. If I’m buying a new cap, it needs to be different. After all, my spring tradition isn’t to buy a new version of the same hat I wore the year before, and the year before, and the year before… That’s something Yankees fans do.

So I ran off to the Rally House and began paging through their offerings. I am a bit picky in what I throw onto my head. First, I don’t do silly. Second, because my hat size changes by between 1/8 and 1/4 inch between haircuts, I can’t do fitted caps without trying them on in person. And while I don’t mind wearing something that is evocative of Kansas City in general but perhaps not the Royals specifically,[1] given their recent success, I would like the hat to be quickly identifiable as a Royals hat.[2]

After hours of careful consideration, I had five finalists. I poured over the details of each cap, making sure I was familiar with the brand, and thus fit. Was I sure I could wear that color for the next year? Did the back have the adjustment device that I get the best results from?

In the end, one winner was clear. I placed an order and it arrived, conveniently, on Opening Day. And it appears I ordered it just in time, because it is no longer available on the Rally House’s website. I like that is not the traditional royal blue, but still close enough to the Royals’ main color. I dig the old school KC. And yet the back is stamped with “Royals,” so it is clear that I’m supporting Kansas City’s current team.

Thus, I present my cap for the summer of 2015, and beyond.

Dope Ass Hat

All ya’ll can rest easier now.

  1. In the past I’ve worn a couple Kansas City Monarchs hats, a KC A’s hat, and a couple “fashion” Royals hats. One of those was a pretty cool, deep gray color with the KC logo in blue. That was a great hat. Then I wore it one day while kayaking with a friend in late July and ruined in by pouring gallons of sweat into it.  ↩
  2. I have a pretty fly 1960 Kansas City Athletics hat that I wear on occasion (It’s fitted, and I can only wear it late in my hair cut cycle). I love the way it looks, but since the Royals are good now, I don’t want people asking me “What team is that?” which happens pretty much every time I wear that cap.  ↩