Negro League Baseball Throwback: 3D Tribute Caps by PAK Headwear

Article written by: SoJones Asmara
Posted on: August 8, 2009

See PAK Headwear giveaway at bottom of article!

It’s been a long time since the Brooklyn Excelsiors first wore what is now today’s modern baseball cap. The “Brooklyn style” headwear has served more than just to protect baseball players’ eyes from the sun or to identify team affiliation. The ubiquitious item has become a part of just about everyone’s lifestyle… and it’s about time someone came up with some new styling ideas for it.

The creative minds behind PAK Headwear have taken on the challenge of adding a new twist to the ballcap by adding a patent-pending, three-dimensional logo to its ‘Sports Licensed Baseball Kaps’.

The Atlanta-based company has literally made the team logo “jump out”. Each PAK product features a stylish flat-brim appearance, made of 100% wool. The hats retail for $35 apiece.

The New York Black Yankees were co-owned by financier James “Soldier Boy” Semler and famed toe-tapper Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The Black Yankees originated in Harlem and eventually settled in Albany, New York. Some of the great Yankees were Clint Thomas, Fats Jenkins, DeWitt “Woody” Smallwood, Barney Brown, “Crush” Holloway and the powerful George “Mule” Suttles”.

The Black Yankees had relocated from Yankee Stadium to old Red Wing Stadium on Norton Street before the start of the 1948 season. The move was precipitated by Jackie Robinson’s integration of Major League Baseball the summer before, and by the fact there already were three Negro League teams in the metropolitan New York area.

Team owner James Semler felt the move upstate made sense because Rochester had strongly supported Negro League exhibition games here through the years. The Red Wings were more than willing to allow the Black Yankees to set up shop at the old ballpark on Norton Street because it meant additional revenue for the Rochester club.

The longest running franchise in Negro League history is the Monarchs from Kansas City, Missouri. They were charter members of the Negro National League in 1920.

Winners of more than a dozen league championships, the Monarch name became the Negro League’s answer to the New York Yankees. They won their first World Series title in 1924, defeating the Hilldale Giants, from Philadelphia, in a thrilling ten-game series. Some of black baseball’s best players wore the Monarch uniform; Cool Papa Bell, Turkey Stearnes, Newt Allen, Jesse Williams, Bonnie Serrell, Wilber Rogan, and a fellow they called Skip, Buck O’Neil.

The Monarchs sent the most players into Major League Baseball after the color barrier was broken. Some players from this elite group were Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, Hank Thompson and Willard “Home Run” Brown. The Monarchs were black baseball’s glamour franchise.

PAK HEADWEAR GIVEAWAY

PAK Headwear is sponsoring a giveaway of both Negro League caps featured above, each valued at $35, via a “SoJones Forum Comments Lottery”. Here’s how it works:

1. Every comment posted on this page from October 30th to November 6th, 2009 counts as a “lottery entry”. Be sure that when you comment you have a link to somewhere we can contact you (like your SoJones profile, facebook, etc.). This makes it easier to get a hold of you if your win.
2. Drawing for three winners of the Elusion Clothing Giveaway will be held on November 7th. Winners will be announced on this page and on the forums page (http://www.sojones.com/forums/).

Forum Comments Lottery Rules

• One item per winner
• Duplicate comments will not count, like posting “I love this forum” or “hi” 50 times.
• Garbage or nonsensical comments will not count, like “awr#$ASFasdfkl”
• Comments hating on other people will definitely NOT count.
• U.S. residents only