Believe it or not, there were many numerous hat blogs before this one.
When we started this blog focused on San Diego Padres hats (which has branched off into other SD-related fare and other assorted caps), I personally took inspiration from many past blogs dedicated to headwear and baseball. While a few of these blogs now are inactive or considered defunct, the information found within still stands today. Many of them make for valuable resources and even fun reads if you’re looking to learn more about hats and baseball aesthetics in general.
I’m fortunate to call many of the people who run these blogs friends to this day and will reach out to them for advice or knowledge regarding caps, baseball, and more.
If you’re looking to broaden your knowledge in hats and baseball, I highly recommend adding the following blogs and pages to your bookmarks:
The following are in no particular order:
The Ballcap Blog
Written by Paul Carr, The Ballcap Blog is a genuine progenitor of the SD Hat Collectors blog and is packed with information regarding not only New Era caps, but former makers of MLB on-field headwear such as Roman Pro, KM, and Sports Specialties. The page also contains one of the most useful references I continue to go back to: The Chronology of New Era Cap Tags.
Paul is also hands-down the foremost expert of San Diego Padres “taco” caps. There are numerous articles within his blog that discuss the differences between caps produced and reproduced by New Era (and others) down to the most minute detail.
While Paul hasn’t updated his blog since March of 2017 much of the knowledge found within is still incredibly useful to the hat collector and baseball fan. Hopefully he’ll return to blogging about caps soon!
Hats And Tats
Written by one of the most ubiquitous hat collectors in the hobby, Benjamin Christensen (@shakabrodie on Twitter) remains a constant on Twitter as himself and the voice of Hat Club even if he hasn’t blogged in forever (since 2015!). Hats and Tats is a fitting moniker for his blog as he boasts both a vast array of hats and a body full of tattoos.
His blog, while featuring many of the caps in his vast collection, has more of a storytelling format. Ben tells tales of the circumstances, places, and faces he interacted with while wearing and/or buying the featured cap. Benjamin also marks his caps with specific numerals and dates relating to the cap; these explanations dive into his vast wealth and knowledge of the game of baseball. I guarantee you’ll learn something new about baseball history after reading through a few of his posts.
I’ve harped on Ben to start writing again; maybe this shout-out will help?
90 Feet Of Perfection / The 5.5 Hole
Both blogs are properties of Duane Harris, a cap collector and baseball historian. Duane’s blogs are much more picture-centric, seizing a moment in baseball time and telling the story of the players and scenes therein.
90 Feet Of Perfection focuses on baseball’s vast historic past and the photos (many in black & white) that capture larger than life figures such as Satchel Paige, Dizzy Dean, Ted Williams, and the Babe himself. Duane’s passion for the game and his knowledge really bring additional context to the pictures.
The 5.5 Hole is the same concept but focused on our Padres. Duane’s knowledge of Padres past and present is no less impressive, and I can guarantee you’ll learn something new or see something you haven’t seen yet about the Padres via Duane’s work.
Duane hasn’t updated 90 Feet of Perfection since last year and 5.5 since the beginning of this year. Maybe he’ll grace us with new stuff soon?
MLB Collectors
Don’t let the plain blog look fool you; MLB Collectors is a jam-packed resource for dating your jerseys and caps. With every team exhaustively cataloged via pictures from collectors the world over, this website is worth its weight in HTML just as a reference for collectors and baseball jersey/cap buffs. This site is generally up-to-date with the latest in caps and jerseys.
The only caveat is a sign-in requirement though it is free to join.
My thanks go out to those blogs whose work has influenced mine in countless ways!
SD HAT COLLECTORS 