Mailbag: Stretching out a 5950?

Reader DJ asks:

I just bought a brand new 5950 fitted MLB hat (size 7-1/4) and while it looks good, it's a bit too tight on my forehead.  I used to have an old wool fitted hat at the same size and it seemed to be the right size.  But the new hat leaves a little bit of a red line on my forehead after I take it off.  If I go to the next size up (7-3/8) it's way too big. 

Any idea on how I can stretch-out and loosen my hat a little bit? 

Well Dressed Sports Guy also wears a 7 1/4 and has also thought about going a size up.  We're like twins.  New Era might not like to admit this, but their sizing can be a bit off from time to time.  People who have purchased a lot of hats over the years know that not every hat of the same size wears the exact same.  The rule of thumb with the old, wool hats used to be to just get a hat a size too large because, heck, you can always shrink it to fit your dome.  

I searched for about three months to find an Iowa Cubs hat (the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate). When I finally got it, the damn thing was too small.  

For DJs problem specifically, I might try working in the hat a bit more by sweating in it (wear it to the gym or whatever).  I'd also consider curving the bill a bit - when I get new hats they tend to irritate the front of my forehead until they are more broken in and loosened up.  

There are a few things you can do to loosen new 5950s that have varying degrees of severity and will offer you limited success.  I'm all ears for other suggestions from readers that I'd be happy to post.  

1.)  The first is the most basic and the least dangerous.  Depending on the exact model, the inside of your hat will have three or four labels in the back (on the sweatband - the size of the heat, the New Era logo and the MLB or MILB logos).  If you only wear the hat forward, you can just slice out those labels, giving you a fraction of an inch more space.  If you frequently wear your hat backwards - this might itch a little - so make sure to cut the whole label out.  If you

 turn the sweatband inside out - you'll notice there is some labels and more stitching in there. You can carefully remove that as well.  

2.)  A little more severe is to cut out some of the sweatband on the inside to save space.  I cut squares on each side of the cap to save a bit of space sometimes.

3.) You can also cut a small line on the side of the hat, right behind your ear, stretching it out. Visually, this kind of drives me nuts - but if you're not going to wear the hat otherwise, this can do the trick.  The higher you slice up the side of the hat, the more room you'll have.  I'd only use this as a last resort. 

I'll leave it up to the readers to e-mail more suggestions!  

Dear Joba Chamberlain

Dear Joba, 

  We understand.  You want to look cool.  We want to look cool too.  You saw cool young guys coming up in the minors wearing flat billed ballcaps and and cocking them slightly to the side.  The look caught on in the minors and across colleges and high schools across the country.  

Hanley Ramirez, pictured above, wears a slight curve in his cap - but keeps it flat enough so that you can comfortably fit a pair of sunglasses underneath. Look at how cool and effortless this guy looks.  Why wouldn't you want to emulate that style?  Plus, you're a young phenom - if there is a time to do crazy stuff with your uniform - isn't this it?!

So Joba, you kept that bill flat - the straight off the shelf look. But there was a problem.  When you wear your bill totally flat, something happened.  It turned out that you look like one of the Mario Brothers. 

Exhibit A.) Joba                              Exhibit B.) Mario

And then, Joba, you took it all one step further.  You committed a crime against sports.  You took a pre-curved spring training hat and decided, "Hey, you know what!  This would look better if I tried to straighten it out like I do with the on the field caps."  What ends up happening is that you look like a little leaguer who threw their cap in the washer and dryer for too long.  

For the love of all things, holy, Joba.  Just let the spring training hat be.  If a hat is pre-curved, it is designed to look that way. Trying to straighten it out makes you look absurd.  Look, I don't love the spring training cap design either, but as a pitcher - you don't even have to worry about the sunglasses issue.  

We've come around a little to the straight bill look, but we still think and absolutely straight bill makes you look a bit cartoonish. Throw a subtle curve in there and wear it with your favorite sunglasses instead. 

Final Four Gear

March Madness is in full swing.  This is a fairly exciting time in the sports year - the WBC championship was last night, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are on the horizon, and MLB's Opening Day is right around the corner.  

With the Final Four on the horizon - check out this shirt with the 2009 logo.  Once the Final Four is officially in place, you will have a chance to grab a shirt with the logos of all four teams on it.  

This might be a cool memento if you're from Detroit and plan on catching at least one of the games - but other than that, I'd go team specific so that you can wear the shirt again in the future at a game.  

What's that button on top of your hat called?

Ever wonder what that button on top of your cap is called.  Well, it is called a "squatcho" and it is there to cover up what used to be a messy meeting spot of fabric and materials.  According to at least one blog, you can remove your squatcho with no trouble.  

2009 World Baseball Classic Gear

The 2009 World Baseball Classic is upon us.  Whereas the Olympics is full of numerous pitfalls with potential to look like a complete tool, gear from the WBC is much more consistent.  Unlike a lot of baseball fans, we actually look forward to the tournament.  

We consider the WBC gear a great way to show off your national pride.  Check out this great spring/fall jacket.  If you're from Mexico, or have family in Mexico it is pretty hard to beat a hat like this.  A friend of mine with a unique sense of style and a flavor for all things Dutch couldn't resist this monstrosity, which he actually might be able to pull off.  

All in all, don't go overboard.  But much of this gear can compliment the stuff you already wear to the game - or it might just be something a bit different than your run of the mill gear you see most of the year.