Dave Betancourt | Sports Section Manager

4/05/02

Baseball is finally here. That means fastballs, hot dogs and more importantly, new hats. Collecting baseball hats is a craze within itself. Some teams have hats that will never change because they are so classic and the fans will always buy them. While other teams try to change things up every so now and then to boost up revenue. As a self-proclaimed baseball cap maniac, I've compiled a list of some of the best hats in the game. Some are classic; some are new; all are cool. By clicking on the names of each hat you can take a look at them and judge for yourself.

New York Yankees:  What else can you say about this hat?  Whether you're from the Bronx and love the Yankees or live anywhere else and hate them, this is the most classic logo in all of sports that has withstood the test of time like no other sports logo.  And just think, if you buy one you're contributing to the Yankees going out and buying your teams favorite player just because they can.  It's an all-time classic but if you're not from the Bronx it is your American duty to hate this hat.

Oakland Athletics:  The A's have reverted to many new looks, whether it's the all green with the yellow A or the all black with the green A (a personal favorite and also a part of my collection).  However, the green cap with the white A and yellow bill (also another favorite and soon to be re-added to my collection) is a classic within itself.  One look at this cap easily reminds you of the glory days of Mark McGuire, Jose Conseco, Ricky Henderson, Dennis Eckersly and Dave Stewart.

Arizona Diamondbacks (road hat):  While it can be said that purple can easily be one of the worst colors to incorporate into a baseball uniform, the Diamondbacks are the current world champs (for now), so they can do as they please.  Their home hats pretty much don't go with anything unless you have a thing for purple or have a plethora of Diamondbacks shirts, which is probably unlikely unless you live in Scottsdale.  However, the caps the Diamondbacks wear on the road are very cool.  The cap is black with a snake slithered into the shape of a D. Overall it's a very slick design.

,Kansas City Royals (alternate hat):  The Royals have never been at the top of the pack when it came to merchandise revenue, but that should change with the new uniforms they introduced this year.  The Royals new alternate caps are easily my favorite cap out of all the teams in baseball. Realizing they had one of the most bland looks in baseball, the Royals took a page out of the New York Mets book and incorporated black into their color scheme.  While they don't wear these all the time, when they do they look really cool. The cap of the hat is black with letters K and C connected in white, while the bill of the cap is a dark blue.  This is easily the smoothest hat in baseball right now and a must-have if you're a cap addict.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  Roberto Clemente wore this hat.  What else needs to be said?  Their new alternate cap which consists of a black cap and yellow bill with a yellow P outlined in red is very nice, but the all black cap with just a yellow P is classic.  And yes, I realize yellow P sounds really gross but there's no other way to describe it.

Houston Astros:  All black with a very cool red star design outlined in yellow.  What better to represent the city that brought you Warren Moon and the walking controversy that is Destiny's Child?

Los Angeles Dodgers:  Yet another classic that will stand the test of time. Dodger blue is a color all its own.