ST. LOUIS, Mo. — It’s not just how a player plays the game, it’s how he looks
doing it. Judging a player from the head down, it all starts with the new era caps
.Does a player wear it old school, new school, curved brim, flat brim, baggy, tight, tilted or straight ahead?
The original purpose of a cap hasn’t changed. It protects players from the elements — sun, rain and wind. In the old days some players used to put cabbage leaves, soaked in ice water, under their caps before they took the field to stay cool.
Now the cap has become a fashion statement. Here’s how some of the Indians wear them and why.
Closer Chris Perez: “I try to use the same game new era hats snapback
all year. Right now, it’s in good shape. For the brim I just touch the two sides together and it’s ready to go. When the sweat gets in there and dries, it forms just perfect.”
Left-hander Nick Hagadone: “I always stretch my hat out. When I do that, the brim bends a little. I wear a size 7 5/8. I refuse to go any bigger. It’s already huge. I’m not going to get any closer to a size 8.
“If it’s tilted, that’s by accident only.”
Right-hander Josh Tomlin: “I wear a different model [low crown] cap. It fits tighter on my head because I don’t like looker like trucker on the mound.” ( was the first Indian to wear the low crown cap last year. also wears it.)
Infielder Jose Lopez: “Everyone wears their hat a little different. I bend the brim a little. I don’t like it flat. I want it looking good. That’s the way I’ve worn my hat all my life.”
Left-hander Tony Sipp: “I’m not a big fashion guy out there on the mound. Whichever way the hat falls on my head is fine with me. Hopefully, if you do your job, people think you look good anyway.
“Some lefties tilt their hat. Some do it so they don’t have to look over at first base if there’s a runner on. It gives some deception to the runner like you’re looking over there. … That’s the theory and a lot of people have given me that advice.
“I wear my hat straight and just give the brim a little bend.”
Outfielder Aaron Cunningham: “Some guys wear their hats so tight that they get those red lines on the sides of their head. When I get a chicago bull snapback , I cut out all the padding inside it so it just rests on my head nice and comfortable.
“The last couple of years in the big leagues, I haven’t played a whole lot. When you’re on the bench, you learn about stuff like this. You learn ball tricks and what to do with your hat.”
Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo: “I’ve always worn my hat with the bill bent. I’ve worn it that way since I started playing in Korea. It helps you focus straight ahead because you it blocks out the vision on the sides. Plus I want to look good.”
Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez: “I don’t do anything to my hat. I just put it on, twist the bill a couple of times and that’s it. It has to fit perfect. Not too big, but not too tight.
“I don’t like wearing it to the side and I’ve never worn my hat backwards. Not even joking around.”
Outfielder Johnny Damon: “I just fold the bill a couple of times and I go with it. I’m old school. Your hat definitely has to fit right. If it’s too big you feel weird. It it’s too tight, you can’t go.”
Second baseman Jason Kipnis: “I just put it on and bend it a little. I wish I had more to give you.”
Pitching coach and former left-handed reliever Scott Radinsky: “I always used to look at CC Sabathia and say, ‘Man, do I wear my hat that way? Crooked and to the side?’ But I guess that’s who we lefties are. We probably walk funny, too.
“Hats are kind of special. I used to get it a size bigger, put it on my head and go into the shower to shrink it up a bit. I wanted it to form just perfect on my peanut head. Then I’d stick a towel in there.
“I like the bill a little curved. Not totally bent like a trucker, but not flat.”
The week in baseball
Baseball is a game of threes. Three strikes and you’re out and three outs in each half of an inning. Here are two more sets of threes to consider from last week in baseball. All stats are through Friday.
Three down
1. Adam Jones, who just signed a six-year, $85 million contract extension with the Orioles, had an MRI on his wrists Monday because of soreness. Just wondering, but shouldn’t the Orioles have done that before he signed the extension?
2. For those who quibble about the Indians being overly protective of their injured players, the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and his new era caps wholesale hamstring is a cautionary tale.
3. The Mets have three shortstops on the disabled list: Justin Turner (right ankle), Ruben Tejada (right quad) and Ronny Cedeno (left calf).
.Does a player wear it old school, new school, curved brim, flat brim, baggy, tight, tilted or straight ahead?
The original purpose of a cap hasn’t changed. It protects players from the elements — sun, rain and wind. In the old days some players used to put cabbage leaves, soaked in ice water, under their caps before they took the field to stay cool.
Now the cap has become a fashion statement. Here’s how some of the Indians wear them and why.
Closer Chris Perez: “I try to use the same game new era hats snapback
all year. Right now, it’s in good shape. For the brim I just touch the two sides together and it’s ready to go. When the sweat gets in there and dries, it forms just perfect.”
Left-hander Nick Hagadone: “I always stretch my hat out. When I do that, the brim bends a little. I wear a size 7 5/8. I refuse to go any bigger. It’s already huge. I’m not going to get any closer to a size 8.
“If it’s tilted, that’s by accident only.”
Right-hander Josh Tomlin: “I wear a different model [low crown] cap. It fits tighter on my head because I don’t like looker like trucker on the mound.” ( was the first Indian to wear the low crown cap last year. also wears it.)
Infielder Jose Lopez: “Everyone wears their hat a little different. I bend the brim a little. I don’t like it flat. I want it looking good. That’s the way I’ve worn my hat all my life.”
Left-hander Tony Sipp: “I’m not a big fashion guy out there on the mound. Whichever way the hat falls on my head is fine with me. Hopefully, if you do your job, people think you look good anyway.
“Some lefties tilt their hat. Some do it so they don’t have to look over at first base if there’s a runner on. It gives some deception to the runner like you’re looking over there. … That’s the theory and a lot of people have given me that advice.
“I wear my hat straight and just give the brim a little bend.”
Outfielder Aaron Cunningham: “Some guys wear their hats so tight that they get those red lines on the sides of their head. When I get a chicago bull snapback , I cut out all the padding inside it so it just rests on my head nice and comfortable.
“The last couple of years in the big leagues, I haven’t played a whole lot. When you’re on the bench, you learn about stuff like this. You learn ball tricks and what to do with your hat.”
Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo: “I’ve always worn my hat with the bill bent. I’ve worn it that way since I started playing in Korea. It helps you focus straight ahead because you it blocks out the vision on the sides. Plus I want to look good.”
Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez: “I don’t do anything to my hat. I just put it on, twist the bill a couple of times and that’s it. It has to fit perfect. Not too big, but not too tight.
“I don’t like wearing it to the side and I’ve never worn my hat backwards. Not even joking around.”
Outfielder Johnny Damon: “I just fold the bill a couple of times and I go with it. I’m old school. Your hat definitely has to fit right. If it’s too big you feel weird. It it’s too tight, you can’t go.”
Second baseman Jason Kipnis: “I just put it on and bend it a little. I wish I had more to give you.”
Pitching coach and former left-handed reliever Scott Radinsky: “I always used to look at CC Sabathia and say, ‘Man, do I wear my hat that way? Crooked and to the side?’ But I guess that’s who we lefties are. We probably walk funny, too.
“Hats are kind of special. I used to get it a size bigger, put it on my head and go into the shower to shrink it up a bit. I wanted it to form just perfect on my peanut head. Then I’d stick a towel in there.
“I like the bill a little curved. Not totally bent like a trucker, but not flat.”
The week in baseball
Baseball is a game of threes. Three strikes and you’re out and three outs in each half of an inning. Here are two more sets of threes to consider from last week in baseball. All stats are through Friday.
Three down
1. Adam Jones, who just signed a six-year, $85 million contract extension with the Orioles, had an MRI on his wrists Monday because of soreness. Just wondering, but shouldn’t the Orioles have done that before he signed the extension?
2. For those who quibble about the Indians being overly protective of their injured players, the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and his new era caps wholesale hamstring is a cautionary tale.
3. The Mets have three shortstops on the disabled list: Justin Turner (right ankle), Ruben Tejada (right quad) and Ronny Cedeno (left calf).
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