Texas Rangers Red Caps

[Newmaniac]

I noticed this photo on ESPN.com and was wondering if anyone knew why Showalter was wearing an old Rangers red cap (circa 1994-2000). He wasn't even managing the team when they wore those, so why is he donning it now? Is it like the old Oakland A's that used to have the coaching staff where white caps while the players wore green? Insights? Answers?

[JamesCraven]

That may be a new BP cap for all we know.

[mightynine]

That may be a new BP cap for all we know.

It's not in the BP style. That's definitely a 5950 in that shot.

[stimpy]

I hope so, the red Rangers set was much better than the blue one.

[Diablo de Tejas]

Those are coaches only caps. I wish they would go back to that uniform set though.

[CC97]

Those are coaches only caps.

Correct -- they've been doing that for a few years now, makes the coaches stand out from the players

[DarthMan]

odd

[Gothamite]

Is that only for Spring Training? I don't remember them doing that in games.

[pflava]

Those are coaches only caps. I wish they would go back to that uniform set though.

Why, so they can look like the Angels?

The Rangers look better in blue.

[Diablo de Tejas]

Those are coaches only caps. I wish they would go back to that uniform set though.

Why, so they can look like the Angels?

The Rangers look better in blue.

Actually, the Rangers had that look long before the Angels. Plus, the Rangers had piping on the jerseys. They looked better in red, won division championships in red and stood out from all the other teams that wear blue.

Darthman - Yes, they are just a spring training thing.

[pflava]

I'm pretty sure everybody here knows the Rangers had the all red look before the Angels.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

I think that Buck's red cap is different from the one they used around 1994-2000. It has a drop shadow, whereas the old one had a normal symmetrical outline.

(Side point- I would rank the drop shadow as the Evil #1 in modern logos, barely edging out its close cousin, Evil #1a, the faux 3-D, as exemplified by the NJ Nets' logo, which would look better if it were straight on. The scourge of black is Evil #2.)

I also dig the Rangers' red-based unis. They looked cool with the red piping. I think it was the best look they have ever had.

The resemblence to the Angels' unis was not all that great. The Angels also changed to that same front font in the same year of 1994, but I believe they had blue piping. The Rangers' set was virtually all red (not quite, but even redder -- meaning less diluted with blue -- than the Angels, Cardinals, or even Red Sox).

Anyway, this supposed Angels resemblence was certainly less than the resemblence of the Rangers' pre-1994 unis to the Dodgers' unis (which didn't bother me either).

(By the way, the Yankees used to have coach/manager caps just for spring training.)

But, here is something on the Rangers' unis that I haven't seen any comment about -- how about that wordmark on the BP jersey! It is the one they used until 1993.

Is this new for this year? Or had I just failed to notice it before?

[Gothamite]

I think it might be new for this year.

The Rangers used to refer to it as the "Dodgers-style" wordmark.

[pflava]

All I'm saying is that:

1) if the Rangers switched back to red, they would look almost identical to a division rival, and

2) the blue looks better anyway.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I want to say that the red Rangers cap always had a drop shadow, even though that baseball card above makes it look otherwise. I bought one of those caps the first year and I'm pretty confident it had a blue drop.

[KCScout76]

I prefer the Rangers in blue caps, however they are one of a few teams that look good in the Red ones.

[Joshawaggie]

blue looks better. Red would be fine if they never changed, thus the Angles probably wouldnt have, but now they would look too much alike. Stay Blue.

[Discrim]

I think it might be new for this year.

The Rangers used to refer to it as the "Dodgers-style" wordmark.

yep, the jersey's a new one. seeing as the last couple years their jackets also had the old wordmark, it's only a matter of time til the Rangers go back to the Ryan-era uniform, it seems. or does it?

cubsfanbudman: you're right, that T always had a drop shadow.

[andrewharrington]

I can also attest with confidence that the T had a blue drop, not an outline.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Let me just take it to a disturbing level: The fact that Angels and Rangers share the "ANGE" makes those mid/late 1990s font/unis they shared even worse. Yes the Angels took the all-red look after the Rangers went to blue and a Texas switch back now would make them look similar, but it's nothing compared to how the two teams looked before the Cali Angels were Disnified.... IMO, of course.