A Eulogy For A Cap

I’ll be getting a new Mets cap this year. Fitted (7 5/8). All blue of course.

I decided towards the end of last season that it was time to retire my old cap. That cap was Shea, the new one will be Corporate Field.

The decision did not come about lightly. I’ve had that cap for about 13 or 14 years – can’t exactly remember when I bought it, but I know it was before the late 90’s good years.

It fits my head like a glove. The blue isn’t quite the shade of Mets blue it was when it was new – sweat and dirt will do that over the years. During the 2007 season the soon-to-be Mrs. CyclonesFan took note of how “seasoned” the hat was and offered to wash it. Thankfully our relationship survived that incident. She still doesn’t quite understand why it was wrong to even suggest that, but she accepts it.

MLB changed their caps a few years back. No longer are they 100% wool. The manufacturers claim that the new blended caps breathe better. Is it really that big of a difference? All I know is that my new cap when I get it won’t feel or look the same as my old one.

I wore that cap in rain outs and playoff games. It traveled with me to other parks and other countries. I’ve thrown it, squeezed it, and turned it inside out – sometimes all at once.

The last time I wore the cap was the other day as I saw that Shea was no more. Standing there in the parking lot, I took the cap off my head for the last time. I’ll keep the cap – but it now becomes a souvenir, a memory of something gone but never forgotten.

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