# Baseball Caps **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 15, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752 "2011-10-15T18:50:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/21 "2011-10-17T17:36:52Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > I don’t even think the shorts look that bad. Now those shirts… As I recall, it wasn’t the ugliness of the shorts that resulted in them only lasting one game – it was the players refusal to tear their legs to shreds by having to slide in frickin’ shorts. The hideousness of the uniform in general was apparently not an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/22 "2011-10-17T22:43:28Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Most fielders don’t wear them because they are always watching the play and can protect themselves with their glove. This is incorrect as noted in the posts below it. All fielders must wear caps if any wear them. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/23 "2011-10-17T23:05:37Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > This is incorrect as noted in the posts below it. All fielders must wear caps if any wear them. **RealityChuck** was referring to helmets, not caps. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/24 "2011-10-17T23:16:35Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > And everyone knows the Rickey Henderson story that goes along with this, right? If not, allow me to share. Rickey and Olerud both went from the Mets to the Mariners sometime back in the 90s. Rickey notices Olerud wearing the helmet in the field in spring training and says, “I played with a guy in New York who did that, too.” > Olerud replies, “That was me.” > The two were also teammates in Toronto before New York. > > Don’t ask me if it’s true or not, but I distinctly remember seeing that little story on ESPN Sports Center at the time. It isn’t. Someone on the Mets made up the story as true to see if they could whoosh anyone. ESPN bit. > [@](#): > > This is incorrect as noted in the posts below it. All fielders must wear caps if any wear them. I accidentally wrote don’t in that sentence for some reason. Probably a rewrite. Ah, well. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/25 "2011-10-18T00:01:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It isn’t. Someone on the Mets made up the story as true to see if they could whoosh anyone. ESPN bit. Noooo!!! I love that story. I will continue to tell it as truth so your fight against ignorance has been for naught. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/26 "2011-10-18T14:03:21Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > There’s nothing in the official rules about caps. The uniforms of all players on a team must be the same, and batters, runners, catchers, and base coaches must wear helmets. But a team is not required to include a cap as part of the uniform. However, if one player wears one, all must. A MLB team would never, ever, have a uniform that didn’t include a cap. Forget practicality, the #1 reason is that they make a lot of money selling caps to fans. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/27 "2011-10-18T15:04:53Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > A MLB team would never, ever, have a uniform that didn’t include a cap. Forget practicality, the #1 reason is that they make a lot of money selling caps to fans. I have a feeling that the official New York Yankees do-rag would sell pretty well, too…but maybe not as well as a cap. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/28 "2011-10-20T03:37:54Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Many female softball teams do not wear hats. I guess they do not want to have hat hair after the game. They wear helmets to bat and on base. A sizable minority wears visors though. And in soccer, you’ll occasionally see goalkeepers wearing caps. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/29 "2011-10-20T04:52:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I have a feeling that the official New York Yankees do-rag would sell pretty well, too…but maybe not as well as a cap. They could have them wear [top hats](http://images.bizrate.com/resize?sq=500&uid=2602320654) too. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/30 "2011-10-20T14:20:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > They could have them wear [top hats](http://images.bizrate.com/resize?sq=500&uid=2602320654) too. That’s only for [umpires](http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/INCORP/baseball/images/redstocks5a.jpg) (note man behind catcher). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/31 "2011-10-20T16:44:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > That’s only for [umpires](http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/INCORP/baseball/images/redstocks5a.jpg) (note man behind catcher). The official uniform of the NY Knickerbockers in 1845 included [straw boaters.](http://www.19cbaseball.com/images/new-york-knickerbockers-baseball-team.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752/32 "2011-10-20T17:52:17Z")
> [@Mark\_Weiner](#): > > Players of other team sports may wear helmets for safety, but none that I know of wear caps. Note, however, that football players, after being removed from the game, will often don a baseball cap. Coaches often wear them as well. Stadium lights are bright and can be headache-inducing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-caps/599752.md?page=1)