I had seen the pictures and read all about it, but refused to believe it until an actual cap was found. And now through SCP Auctions, here it is. Featured is an honest-to-goodness Los Angeles Dodgers cap in red.
It originally comes from a former Dodger prospect named Tommy Dale Wells. He was picked by the Dodgers in 1958 and proceeded to pitch in the low minors for the club from 1959 to 1962.How he came to take one of these home, I don't know. Good thing he did, though, 'cause it has my mind doing cartwheels.
As was the speculation by Paul Lukas of Uni Watch in a post in 2011, the Dodger minor league coaches and instructional staff likely wore these caps during Spring Training for much of the 60's in order to distinguish themselves from the players in camp. In other words, there were so many ballplayers and fresh faces in Vero Beach they decided they needed to stand out. Check out a photo on the right that I grabbed from Lukas' post. It shows a Dodger coach wearing a similar hat - and fantastic red stirrups.
It's strange that the Dodgers once wore green uniforms (the 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers), but red too? Thankfully, it was just a Spring kind-of thing. Still, it is fascinating, if not a little weird.
I wonder what this item will sell for. It's paired with 1959 Dodger team signed Baseball, so who knows.
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