2012 MLB Stars and Stripes

[HolyStroke]

M hat>>TC hat

[evanmaldonado]

M hat>>TC hat

Agreed. My favorite hat I own.

[IceCap]

M hat>>TC hat

Disagree. The TC is both fitting and unique. The M is just uninterrsting.

[The Mojo Maniac]

M hat>>TC hat

Disagree. The TC is both fitting and unique. The M is just uninterrsting.

Plus the only reason the M cap goes so much better with the standard home unis is that both are so distinctly Metrodome-y. IMO if you look at those gorgeous cream-colored alts, they fit in so much better with the surroundings of Target Field than the whites do. They need to make those the primary home unis (I would even be opposed to them adding names on the back if that were the case) and do away with the M cap for good. That and the 'TWINS' font on the white unis to me are just stuck in the Kirby Puckett era.

[WSU151]

M hat>>TC hat

Disagree. The TC is both fitting and unique. The M is just uninterrsting.

I wouldn't say it's unique. The wishbone C has been around the block.

The M fits with the wordmark. It's a great look.

[Cujo]

M hat>>TC hat

Truth.

Plus, it's got tradition (2 World Series wins). What's "TC" ever done for the Twins?

[OnWis97]

M hat>>TC hat

Truth.

Plus, it's got tradition (2 World Series wins). What's "TC" ever done for the Twins?

The TC has more playoff appearances and it never totally went away (it was on the sleeve of the home jersey until at least the time it became an alternate cap).

I never liked that "M". I think it's the underline. I definitely prefer the TC. However, I understand why people like the "M" better because the "TC" has a major design issue...that the red "C" does not contrast enough with the blue cap...making it not that visible from further away. I think the team missed an opportunity with the new road uniforms and updated homes to update the cap...make both letters red with white out line around the entire thing...I've seen fashion caps like that and they look better.

It's way more popular with fans. As soon as the TC became an alt cap, fans wore them (official / fashion) in droves. The "M" hat has not been out of the rotation for long, but they are quite rare. I was there yesterday and I don't think I saw one all day.

As for the camo...I think the M being a bit "thicker" made it more conducive to this particular promotion.

[OnWis97]

M hat>>TC hat

Disagree. The TC is both fitting and unique. The M is just uninterrsting.

Plus the only reason the M cap goes so much better with the standard home unis is that both are so distinctly Metrodome-y. IMO if you look at those gorgeous cream-colored alts, they fit in so much better with the surroundings of Target Field than the whites do. They need to make those the primary home unis (I would even be opposed to them adding names on the back if that were the case) and do away with the M cap for good. That and the 'TWINS' font on the white unis to me are just stuck in the Kirby Puckett era.

I kinda agree with this. I always thought of that home uniform as "metrodome-y" too. The transition to outside was not as bad as I thought, but I am still starting to think, they should have gone with the cream uniform full time, created a road for it, and left the current look at the Dome. Yeah, they did win their two titles with that look (and had a great 2000s run of postseasons), but the "throwback" look just fits at target field, and allows the TC (though I still want my aforementioned modification) to fit right in without thought that the "M" is "like" the jersey.

[TheOldRoman]

I kinda agree with this. I always thought of that home uniform as "metrodome-y" too. The transition to outside was not as bad as I thought, but I am still starting to think, they should have gone with the cream uniform full time, created a road for it, and left the current look at the Dome. Yeah, they did win their two titles with that look (and had a great 2000s run of postseasons), but the "throwback" look just fits at target field, and allows the TC (though I still want my aforementioned modification) to fit right in without thought that the "M" is "like" the jersey.

You cant go trying to tailor your uniform to the ballpark. That lead us to the Astros moving to black, brick and sand and old-timey chainstitch instead of a futuristic look. You probably shouldn't do the inverse, either, as that gets us silliness like the fish tanks in ballparks.

I see nothing inherently "domey" about the current home look, but I think the Twins botched the redo really badly. First off, the TC not changing as you mentioned. Adding a red-brimmed hat when the division rival Indians already had one was dumb (and not making a red-brimmed batting helmet to go with it was even worse). They made a new Minnesota script that didn't match the home wordmark in style. The should have made the home wordmark navy with a red outline, like the road version. If they had done that, the throwbacks would have never happened, as they would have been too similar to the home jerseys.

Including the throwbacks in the initial Target Field set was the biggest blunder. You are presenting a new look, then immidiately giving fans an alternative to that look? This was made even worse by wearing the throwbacks for the very first home game in the beautiful new outdoor park that the team wanted for the past 30 years. Now you have fans clammoring for the old look, with all its faults, to be brought back fulltime. I don't like the road wordmark, but if they would have just inverted the blue and red on the home wordmark, the set would be salvagable. As it is, they will be back to the drawing board in a few years trying to update the throwback script and replacing the new scoreboard which has the current wordmark.

[IceCap]

M hat>>TC hat

Disagree. The TC is both fitting and unique. The M is just uninterrsting.

I wouldn't say it's unique. The wishbone C has been around the block.

The M fits with the wordmark. It's a great look.

The TC is unique in that it's not a nickname or location monogram, it's a monogram representing their location's nickname. No one else does that in the Majors. More to the point, no one else could do it. Neither Chicago team could get away with a WC cap logo, neither New York team could get away with a BA or ES cap logo, etc...

Yet the Twins can get away with a cap logo that references the name "Twin Cities" over the name "Minnesota" not just because of their team nickname but because of the unique relationship between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The M fits in well enough, but it's just so expected and tired. Team plays in Minnesota. They have an M on their cap. Good enough, but why settle for mundane when you could have something that's both unique and rather fitting?

[Bouj]

The Astros have worn chainstitching off-and-on since inception as the Colt 45's. They just brought it back when they moved to the new ballpark.

And wasn't there a vocal set of people just a few years back saying they hated the MIN M hat and clamoring for the TC to be used more? I know, it's the old pendulum swinging and all. Just use the M with the Metrodome jerseys and the TC with the throwback & roads.

[BigBubba]

M hat>>TC hat

Both of them suck.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Blue Jays' caps don't look as bad as I expected.

[kevinmets]

I guess count me in the minority as liking these camo caps less than the ones from the last few years.

The old caps were ugly as sin, but at least you could tell what the point was.

With these, you have to see them up close or be a logo nerd like us to tell it's supposed to be camo. And at least RWB goes with almost every team. Camo goes with none. (You could make a case for the Padres)

Just put a small flag on the side of the cap and be done with it.

[HolyStroke]

The Stars & Stripes hats should be the teams' normal hats, with the flag design in the logo (how's it's been in the past) outlined in white

Although, if the design was the same every year, it wouldn't sell very well (outside the first season of the design) so it would give less money to troops. Just putting a flag on the side would have the same issue

[Fox]

The Stars & Stripes hats should be the teams' normal hats, with the flag design in the logo (how's it's been in the past) outlined in white

Although, if the design was the same every year, it wouldn't sell very well (outside the first season of the design) so it would give less money to troops. Just putting a flag on the side would have the same issue

While outlining everything in white would look better than what they did this year, the outlining is my main gripe with stars and stripes caps. They pay no respect to the actual outlining or depth of the regular caps. For a team like the Yankees, there should be no outline around their logo, just a stars and stripes NY logo on navy. When I say that they pay no respect to "depth", here's my example. On the Red Sox caps, the red physically sticks out deeper than the white outline. On my 2009 S&S cap for the Sox, the B logo is dropped back, while the outline is popping out. /mini rant

[BigBubba]

Although, if the design was the same every year, it wouldn't sell very well (outside the first season of the design) so it would give less money to troops. Just putting a flag on the side would have the same issue

Good point. I guess they ran out of ways to use the flag-logo idea (all white crown, all coloured crown, white front-panleled crown). I still prefer the idea of flag patches, though - many non-logo geeks had no idea what their teams were wearing. I'd also like to see them incorporate "Support Our Troops" ribbons:

Now I''m pretty sure the one above is specific to Canada, but the US has their own ribbon like that, no?

[Bouj]

The Stars & Stripes hats should be the teams' normal hats, with the flag design in the logo (how's it's been in the past) outlined in white

No, no, no, no, no. Just no. Making the S&S hats the permanent hats is an awful idea.

Although, if the design was the same every year, it wouldn't sell very well (outside the first season of the design) so it would give less money to troops. Just putting a flag on the side would have the same issue

Good point. I guess they ran out of ways to use the flag-logo idea (all white crown, all coloured crown, white front-panleled crown). I still prefer the idea of flag patches, though - many non-logo geeks had no idea what their teams were wearing. I'd also like to see them incorporate "Support Our Troops" ribbons:

Now I''m pretty sure the one above is specific to Canada, but the US has their own ribbon like that, no?

What gives away it's Canadian-specificity?

Yes, the yellow ribbon is the symbol of supporting the troops in the US too.

[hormone]

Not to really bump an old topic, but a question here. We've determined that the Pirates had a Stars/Stripes hat that had digitized Camo. http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12594786&cp=1452363.1452860.707608

Prior to wearing them, they wore a camo uniform with a different camo hat. http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12995353&cp=1452363.1452860.707608

My question is, where does the Stars/Stripes alternate hat come into play? http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12594785&cp=1452363.1452860.707608

[FiddySicks]

Looks like those alternate camo hats are US made too, where the current Stars and Stripes caps are that Chinese made trash.

[phutmasterflex]

They have two more opportunities to wear the S&S alternate cap