ALL CAPS extra content. Some of the hats and stories were cut from the final book to bring down the price (printing in color ain’t cheap). But fear not! For you completists who want to see all the hats, for anyone who wants more stories, and for anyone who appreciates getting extra value for your dollar, here are the other hats in my collection and their tales.
Netstar
Style: unstructured, strapback
Gift from the company in the 1990s
Both TSN and Discovery Channel Canada were owned by John Labatt Limited, a Canadian beer company. In 1995, when Labatt’s was purchased by Interbrew, a Belgian company, they were forced to sell their television properties. Gordon Craig, the founder of TSN, recruited investors and created Netstar, which owned and operated both channels. This hat is pretty routine. It’s light, which is nice in the summer.
Exploration Production Inc.
Style: unstructured, strapback
Given to me at work
Exploration Production, Inc., or EPI, was the inhouse production company for Discovery Channel Canada. I produced several series for this unit. The first was “EXNTV,” named after our website, the Exploration Network. It was about the latest advancements in computers and the internet. Both were big deals at the time. This hat looks nice, but it’s terrible. The brim is sewn on poorly so the hat tilts. It also fits small. I wore it running.
Milwaukee Brewers
Style: structured, fitted
Made by new Era, 5950
Bought at County Stadium in 1999
This cap is a cautionary tale. I buy a hat at every Major League baseball stadium I visit, except Cleveland because I find the logo objectionable. I only buy a hat the team is wearing that season. Those regrettable guidelines led to the purchase of this forgettable lid. Despite the shiny gold lettering, the cap is boring. The Brewers thought so, too, because they didn’t wear it very long.
Even worse, the Brewers have worn some cool hats. Their MB logo that looks like a ball in a baseball glove is clever and charming. But I didn’t buy that hat. I bought this blah block M instead.
So, here’s the lesson. Don’t make too many rules when it comes to buying hats. Just get the one you like the most. Then you won’t end up with one of these. You can apply that lesson to life, too. Don’t make things too complicated for yourself. You might miss out on what you really want.
Toronto Raptors
Style: structured, strapback
Made by Nike
Bought at a Raptors playoff game in 2001
In 2001, the Raptors were down 2-1 to the New York Knicks in the best-of-five first-round playoff series and they needed to win to force a final game in New York. My colleague Larry and I wanted to go. We checked for tickets, and some expensive ones were available. This game was worth the cost.
Inside the arena, Larry and I picked up identical Raptors hats, then we took our seats in the lower bowl close to half court. I’d been to the World Series and the NBA Finals, but I had never been in a place so loud.
The roar started at tip-off and didn’t stop until the Raptors won the game. My head hurt from cheering so loud so often. The Raptors won, their biggest home win at that point. It was a magical night. This was the game where Raptors fans became a force. The Raps won Game Five in New York for their first playoff series win in franchise history.
I went to two games in the next round against the Sixers. Scott and I saw Vince Carter score fifty points. Vince would launch a three pointer and the building went silent. The sound of the ball hitting the net was followed by an explosion of cheers. Beautiful. The Raptors trounced the Sixers. A week later Nancy and I saw Carter score thirty-nine in another Raptors win. It was thrilling. Too bad the Raptors lost the series in the seventh game. Still, it was special to be part of the team’s first real success.
This hat is a poor representative of our game experience. The structure is good, and I love the purple and red scheme, but it could really use a logo. Just having the name written out is boring. Like I said though, this was the only hat available at the time.
Bakersfield Blaze
Style: structured, snapback
Made by New Era
The Bakersfield Blaze was a California A team. Back in the early 2000s, they were a farm team for the San Francisco Giants. My colleague Sil’s son—Vance Cozier—was a pitcher there. I’d frequently ask Sil how Vance was doing, which earned me this autographed hat.
This is a cool lid. Classic colors with a sharp logo. Who wouldn’t like a fiery baseball? It looks like the Human Torch threw it. It has one color too many, but it’s the minor leagues, so it gets a pass.
Texas Rangers
Style: structured, fitted
New Era 5950
Bought at the Ballpark in Arlington in 2003
In April 2003, Nancy and I visited my relatives in Texas. We both picked things we wanted to do while we were there. I chose baseball games. Nancy wanted to visit the set of the 1970s prime-time soap “Dallas,” so we spent the afternoon by the Ewings’ pool. Only the exteriors of the iconic grounds were used in the show; the interiors were shot in Los Angeles, so there wasn’t a lot to see. I had never watched the program, so my enjoyment came from watching Nancy take in the familiar locales. Then we headed to the Ballpark at Arlington.
The Ballpark—which opened in 1994, just two years after Camden Yards—was one of the first new-style stadiums. It was gorgeous, with open concourses and great sightlines. As one of the few completely enclosed stadiums, it reminded me a bit of Tiger Stadium. However, instead of centerfield bleachers, the Ballpark had gleaming white balconies. Beautiful choice, especially since the stadium is so far from the city, so there’s no skyline to reveal.
The Rangers have had some great players—notably, Nolan Ryan in his late-career glory, Adriane Beltre, and Alex Rodriguez. Alex Rodriguez was in the third year of his gigantic new $250-million contract, the biggest in baseball history, and fully juiced. We saw him hit one of his forty-seven home runs that season, but the Rangers lost to the A’s.
I don’t know what to make of the Rangers as a franchise. They haven’t had a defining era; they flip between red and blue as a primary color. I love the hat, uniform, and stadium, but I feel like the team is still finding itself.
This Rangers hat is nice, as all New Era 5950s are. The T is big and bold in a Western font with a stand-out drop shadow—very Texas—but the T Logo is little high up on the crown. I would have made the T smaller, but we’re talking about Texas here.
Houston Astros
Style: structured, fitted
Made by New Era, 5950
Bought at Minute Maid Park in 2003
Houston was the next stop on our Texas trip. We were going to see the Astros play the Reds in their new stadium, Minute Maid Park.
The Astros’ former home, the Astrodome, looked like an alien spaceship abandoned in a Texas parking lot. It was a big concrete cake pan with a saucer on top. I had never been inside to see the perpetual indoors covered in artificial turf. For a long time, the Astros wore pullover tops with orange bands around the middle and sleeves. It worked in the context of the disco-era ’70s and their awful stadium—but the Astros felt like they were junior varsity for a long time.
Their new stadium, a gorgeous brick and steel structure, changed that perception. The building has a low profile on the landscape, making it feel friendly and inviting as you approach. The red brick and tan limestone outside are tasteful. The beautiful facade is enhanced by teal-colored railway trestle arches—a nod to the former train station on the site, some of it integrated into the architecture.
The Astros switched to more subdued uniforms in their new home, abandoning orange and navy-blue in favor of black and brick red. The star was redesigned, with the left side missing. The change made it feel like the Astros had grown up. They weren’t as serious as the Yankees, but they certainly looked and felt more professional now. It was like the Astros grew up.
The night was cool when we got to Minute Maid Park, so the roof was closed. Because the sunset side of the stadium is glass, I barely noticed that we were inside, and we were in the upper deck. The park had some gimmicks—like the train track in leftfield, the hill in centerfield—but I loved it. The food was amazing (I have a soft spot for Tex-Mex), and the sightlines are great. This is one of my favorite new stadiums.
As for the game, the Astros lost to the Reds in the tenth inning. I was hoping to see Ken Griffey Jr., my favorite non-Tigers player, who was then on the Reds, but he was injured. It was April 8, 2003. The season had just started. If Griffey hadn’t been hurt so early and so often in his career, he would make a claim for the greatest player in baseball history. He certainly was the best all-around player I’d ever seen.
I like the team’s hats, but not as much as their navy hats with the white block H over an orange star. Eventually, they would switch back to their traditional color combo, making my hat an outlier in Astros’ history. Still, this hat isn’t associated with the Astros’ tainted World Series win in 2017, so I like it.
Austin SWAT
Style: unstructured, strapback
Given to me by my cousin Lou
The highlight of our trip to Texas was not a ticketed event. My cousin Lou, who was on the SWAT team, called and asked if I’d like to go on a raid. He said I’d have to be up at 4 a.m. “Not a problem,” I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. An early call time was a small cover charge to see how a tactical team operated in real life.
When I walked into the kitchen the morning of the raid, my Uncle Italo Candoli, whom I always called Carl, Ace, or Buddy, was already sitting at the table. I’d known him all my life, but we hadn’t had many one-on-one conversations. Ace talked about his time in the US army in World War II.
Ace’s unit was moving through Italy, his family’s country of origin. They were about to enter a village when gunfire stopped them.
An American tank pulled up behind him and out of it emerged General George S. Patton. “Why aren’t you advancing?” he asked.
“We’re pinned down by a sniper,” Ace replied.
“Bring me a prisoner,” Patton barked.
An Italian soldier the unit had previously captured was presented to the general. Patton told the enemy soldier, through a translator, “Tell your people that if they don’t stop shooting, we’re going to reduce this town to rubble.”
The prisoner was released into the village. Fifteen minutes later, Ace and his fellow soldiers attempted to advance. A sniper bullet put a stop to that. Patton beckoned the unit back and called in an airstrike. It lasted all night.
Ace said when the sun came up, there wasn’t even rubble left. The town had been bombed to dust.
“I don’t go to reunions,” Ace told me. “Everyone I came up with died, so I didn’t get close to the new guys. The new guys go to the reunions.”
The two of us sat at the breakfast table alone. “I never talked about the war, until recently.” I’m not sure why Ace decided to tell these stories at all, let alone to me. But I was grateful to be a confidant, even for a few minutes.
Then Lou showed up in the kitchen, in uniform. I went to the SWAT office for the briefing. A drug dealer had told undercover narcotics officers that if the police came after him, he’d go down shooting, and he always kept two pearl-handled pistols on hand, just in case. Lou’s team was called in.
I was given a Kevlar vest with ceramic plates. We arrived at the drug dealer’s apartment building before 6 a.m. It looked like a motel, with stairs to the second floor on the outside of the building. I stayed way in the back as the SWAT team trod noiselessly up the stairs. They set off an explosion outside the dealer's window. Then the SWAT team knocked open his door with a ram. Lou was the first person in.
The explosion launched the drug dealer off the couch into a face full of guns. Going down shooting was not an option. After a few minutes, I was called into the apartment. The drug dealer was face down on the ground, cuffed, shirtless, and crying. The SWAT team was petting his dog. The drug dealer went to jail. The rest of us went to play basketball. The entire mission was a display of catlike stealth and overwhelming force, perfectly planned and executed. That drug dealer was never going to get a chance to whip out his pistols. His fate was sealed as soon as the SWAT team found out who he was.
I was so impressed that I successfully pitched a show on the SWAT team to Discovery Channel. But I left with more than a show idea. I looked at my relatives differently. My uncle and cousin both put their lives at risk in ways I can’t imagine. You have to respect their service.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Style: throwback helmet
Made by Reebok
Bought outside Heinz Field in 2005
The months after Dave’s death were the worst of my life. In the depths of this, Scott, being a great brother, agreed to go to a Steelers game with me. We drove to Pittsburgh and picked up a pair of tickets from a scalper in the stairwell of a parking garage. Sadly, the Steelers lost to the Jaguars on an interception in overtime.
After the game, a guy was selling these hats outside the stadium. Since Scott was driving home, I’d had a few drinks. Maybe that contributed to this purchase. Anyway, I had to have it.
More surprising than buying this goofy hat is how often I’ve worn it. Some work friends of Scott’s held a regular Sunday morning football game from the fall to the spring. This hat was perfect to wear at winter games. It kept my head warm and was a fun accessory. I scored a lot of touchdowns in this baby.
Auburn Doubledays
Style: structured, fitted
Made by New Era, 5950
Bought in the summer of 2006
Nancy and I were planning on another child, but first we wanted to take a vacation, just the two of us and Shane. Nancy had always wanted to see Boston, so we were off. Bad call with a two-year-old.
We only managed to get halfway into the Freedom Trail, a walk-through historic landmark, before Shane needed a nap. He was so happy that we were all on the same king-sized bed, he spent an hour crawling all over us and smiling. That pattern was repeated every day. Our afternoons were an expensive write-off.
The aquarium was great though. Shane sat on my shoulders, pointed, and yelled, “Fishes!” Ticket prices for the Red Sox were outrageous, especially if we had to bail out early with a two-year-old, so we skipped Fenway Park. But we did manage to squeeze in some baseball.
On the way to Boston, we saw the Auburn Doubledays, the Jays’ AA farm team. They lost 7-1 to the Batavia Muckdogs and I got this fun and wacky hat. The park was nothing to speak of, but we were close to the action on a nice night. It was easy to walk around with Shane when he got restless.
We also stopped at the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it was impossible to enjoy the exhibits with Shane racing around at top speed.
On the way home, we saw the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins’ AAA team, play the Buffalo Bisons, Cleveland’s AAA affiliate. The Red Wings were founded in 1899 and their old name and logo were the inspiration for the Detroit Red Wings. Their stadium, Frontier Field, was stunning. Its brick-and-steel look mirrored the best major league stadiums.
I would have enjoyed soaking in the beauty more as we approached the field if I hadn’t needed to use the bathroom so badly. The pressure had been building to a dangerous tipping point as we waited in a huge lineup of cars getting off the highway. When I finally parked the car, I gave Nancy her ticket, then raced, doubled over, down the street to the stadium. The ticket taker gave my Quasimodo locomotion a sideways glance as I hobbled toward the sanctuary of the nearest washroom.
When Nancy arrived, pushing Shane in his stroller, I was a much more pleasant person to sit with. We took seats down the third baseline, but Shane squirmed so much, we moved out to lawn seats in leftfield. Watching the game while sitting on the grass is a charming feature of Frontier Field.
The night was surprisingly cool for August and none of us had dressed for it. In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Wings had runners on base and threatened to tie, while Nancy and Shane fought over his blanket. I wondered what I’d do if they tied the game. I hate leaving early but Shane and Nancy were more than ready to go. Unfortunately for the home team, I wasn’t given the choice. The Bisons retired the final Red Wings batter to nail down the victory.
The big takeaway from this vacation was that our trips from the past, with museums and cultural events, were over for a while. When you vacation with kids, you need to do kid things. In the future, we opted for camping and cottages.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Style: structured, flexfit
Made by Reebok
There has been a decades-long campaign to bring a National Football League team to Toronto. This is a big NFL city; we just don’t have a team. The closest we came was the deal that brought the Buffalo Bills to Rogers Centre (renamed from SkyDome in 2005). The Bills were scheduled to play eight games over five years in Toronto starting in 2008, with one regular season game each season. It seemed like a good idea, but the details were messed up.
First, the ticket prices were through the retractable roof. Toronto sports fans are rabid, but we’re not stupid. Second, the regular season games were stinkers. No one could get excited about them. Third, even though Buffalo hosts the closest NFL team, not everyone in Toronto is a Bills fan. There are a lot of Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers fans here. Especially Steelers fans.
The first game in Toronto saw the Bills host the Steelers in August 2008. Crista Bazos, the work colleague who lined up my World Series tickets, provided free tickets and VIP passes for Scott and me. It was great. In the VIP section, we were just a few feet away from former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, the Bus. He was as wide as two people. Tackling him would have been terrifying. We had great lower bowl seats for the game. There were Steelers’ jerseys everywhere; it was like a Pittsburgh home game. The Bills won 24-21.
The Bills fans hated this deal. The players must have, too. They were playing one more road game than everyone else every year. And the atmosphere was dead. The fans weren’t excited about the road team after the Steelers game. Who wants to play in front of polite fans? The Bills played their eight games and the deal expired. No one was disappointed.
Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII Champions
Style: structured, flexfit
Made by Reebok
Bought after the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2009
The Lions were in a trough, but fortunately the Steelers were cresting. They made it to the Super Bowl again, playing the Arizona Cardinals. Larry often comes over on Super Sunday. When he mentioned he would cheer for the Cardinals, I rescinded the standing invitation. Petty? Yeah. But the last thing you want during the championship is to hear someone cheering against your favorite team.
The Steelers won in dramatic fashion on a late miracle touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes. As soon as the game was over, I ordered the championship hat. Nancy liked it. The hat is a stretch fit that hugs my head perfectly. The inner structuring is solid, and the raised stitching is impeccable. However, because of the way the white panel extends to colored brackets on the brim, when I put the hat on it makes my head look elongated and pale, like an alien.
I display this hat, but I don’t wear it often.
Go Steelers! Six Super Bowls, Baby!
Baseball Canada
Style: structured, Velcro strapback
Made by New Era
Acquired as a giveaway at the Blue Jays Season Ticket Holder State of the Franchise Event in 2009.
One of the mainstays at High Fidelity HDTV was Jonathan Zweig, JZ, whose family had owned Blue Jays seasons tickets since the team’s first year, 1977.
We bonded over our love of baseball. JZ was an online editor. He made the images on the screen look pretty before they went to air. Since every show went through JZ’s suite, so did everyone who made anything, from a thirty-second promo to a full documentary. That room became a confessional, and if anything went down at the company, it came out in there.
One of the things that came out was an imitation JZ did of me. Of course, I asked to see it. JZ was reluctant, but I had something to barter: my imitation of him. So, we shared. His impression of me made it sound like I was always asking a question. That was news to me, but everyone said it was accurate. Or rather everyone said it was accurate? My impression of him was somewhere between complaining and slow pleading.
I got a good look at that complaining/slow pleading when JZ invited me to attend the Blue Jays State of the Franchise event at a downtown restaurant. The main attraction was a forum with the Blue Jays’ president, Paul Beeston, who had delivered two World Series Championships.
After the Q & A, everyone retired to a meeting room with a bar. I grabbed my drink and looked across the room to see JZ complaining/pleading to Paul Beeston, who had a beer in each hand, and another guy I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t going to miss this.
JZ was following up on his question from the group presentation: “You should just think about getting rid of the manager. I mean, what’s he really done? You need to shake things up.”
He was leaning forward, almost in Paul Beeston’s personal space, and showed no signs of dropping this point. Beeston was listening intently while working on his two drinks. The other gentleman was a Jays executive.
I was happy to watch the JZ show but was eventually brought into the conversation. My allegiance to the Tigers came up, was tolerated for about two minutes, then Beeston challenged. Beeston questioned the tactics of Tigers’ president and GM Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch.
“Dombrowski is spending way too much of Ilitch’s money,” he said. “They can’t win like that.”
The Tigers had been in the World Series three years earlier and would return three years later.
The other executive tried to convince me to switch my full allegiance to the Jays because I lived in Toronto. It was a noble, if failed, attempt. The rest of the conversation centered on JZ compleading. I was impressed with how engaged Beeston was. He listened fully to JZ and talked with him like he was a colleague. Wonderful stuff from the top dog in the organization.
In fact, Beeston was still talking to JZ when I left more than an hour later.
I used to hate the Blue Jays. They were the Tigers’ archrival when I was in university. When I started in the media, the Blue Jays’ head of PR was notoriously unfriendly. Now, every time I had contact with the organization, I liked the team more. I’m sure Paul Beeston had a lot to do with that. When you have a leader this open and engaging, especially to a fan, it sets a great standard. Respect.
This Baseball Canada hat was a gift that night. Some games from the 2009 World Baseball Classic were held in Toronto that year. I love the logo, a perfect integration of a baseball, the letter C, and a maple leaf. And, of course, New Era hats always look great.
Tuktut Nogait National Park
Style: unstructured, snapback
Given to me by a representative of the park
A few years later, I brokered a deal with Cineplex Theatres to show two episodes of “A Park for All Seasons” in movie houses across the country. It was a chance to see Canada’s parks on the big screen, the next best thing to being there. Two parks were featured: Pukaskwa, near Thunder Bay, and Tuktut Nogait, way up in the Northwest Territories. The latter park has very few visitors, most come to see the caribou. The rep from Tuktut Nogait gave me this hat. It’s a good score. How many hats do you get with a caribou on it?
Toronto Blue Jays
Style: structured, snapback
I admire the Blue Jays’ community involvement. The Jays held training sessions for young players, both at Rogers Centre, where Shane looked off absently as Duane Ward, a hero from the Jays’ back-to-back championships, talked about pitching, and at Stan Wadlow Park, where Shane caught pop-ups from Jose Cruz Jr.
I picked up this sweet lid from a session Curtis attended. The Jays crew (no former players this time) invited coaches and parents to help with the drills. I was anxious to learn as much as possible, so I got right in there. My enthusiasm was noticed, and I was offered this fine fashion hat, the same one the kids were given, as a thank you.
My dad liked it, too. He wore it when we saw the Los Angeles Angels play the Jays later in the summer.
Toronto Blue Jays
Style: unstructured, strapback
Giveaway at the Jays Canada Day game in 2019
Shane’s best friend from childhood, Jack, moved to Seattle when Shane was about eight. Shane missed him terribly, especially since we hadn’t heard from him at all in years. Well, Jack was coming back to Toronto for a visit and Shane could finally see him.
Jack joined us for the Blue Jays game against the Kansas City Royals on July 1. The Canada Day games are always special. The Jays wore red uniforms, and a huge Canadian flag that covered the outfield was rolled out in the pregame ceremony. Soldiers rappelled from the top of the stadium.
We bought upper-deck seats in the outfield where we wouldn’t be crowded, and we could move into the shade. It was great to see Jack. He was a little boy when he left, and now he was a giant. Shane and Jack picked up like they’d seen each other yesterday. It was a great day.
Also, this is one of the best giveaway hats I’ve ever received. The material is denim, the red Maple Leaf pops and the stitching is raised. This is now my go-to Canada Day hat.