ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
At World Series, Flaps Keep Ears Warm and Fuzzy
Chris O?Meara/Associated Press
The Phillies? Jimmy Rollins wearing one of the new caps that have a two-inch strip of fleece to keep players? ears toasty.
PHILADELPHIA ? Whenever the Rays play at home, they know precisely what the conditions will be: 72 degrees and dry. For the Phillies, the weather is harder to determine, but playing from March into October seldom entails more than a handful of bitterly cold days.
This week, though, with temperatures dropping into the 30s, both teams have faced their coldest outings of the season. And they came prepared. Players and coaches from both teams, including Tampa Bay Manager Joe Maddon and Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins, have been wearing a hat with a two-inch strip of fleece sewn around the back, designed to cover the ears.
In a moment of remarkable foresight some nine months ago, the Rays? clubhouse manager, Chris Westmoreland, knew how important the hats could be. Around spring training, the cap manufacturer New Era offered them to him, and he ordered one for each player. The Rays have since started calling them the Elmer Fudds.
The caps have been in the Rays? lockers since Westmoreland first issued them during the American League division series in Chicago. Westmoreland said that New Era first experimented with the hats at the end of last season, and that this was the first year they were readily available. He said he did not know if any other teams had ordered them.
This week, the Phillies began wearing them, too, and on Wednesday they became available in the merchandise stores at Citizens Bank Park. The sales assistant Angie Arpino said that the model did not seem to have an official name, but that they were selling for $40 and proving quite popular.
?They?re flying off the shelves,? she said.
Entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/sports/baseball/30caps.html?ref=sports
Chris O?Meara/Associated Press
The Phillies? Jimmy Rollins wearing one of the new caps that have a two-inch strip of fleece to keep players? ears toasty.
PHILADELPHIA ? Whenever the Rays play at home, they know precisely what the conditions will be: 72 degrees and dry. For the Phillies, the weather is harder to determine, but playing from March into October seldom entails more than a handful of bitterly cold days.
This week, though, with temperatures dropping into the 30s, both teams have faced their coldest outings of the season. And they came prepared. Players and coaches from both teams, including Tampa Bay Manager Joe Maddon and Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins, have been wearing a hat with a two-inch strip of fleece sewn around the back, designed to cover the ears.
In a moment of remarkable foresight some nine months ago, the Rays? clubhouse manager, Chris Westmoreland, knew how important the hats could be. Around spring training, the cap manufacturer New Era offered them to him, and he ordered one for each player. The Rays have since started calling them the Elmer Fudds.
The caps have been in the Rays? lockers since Westmoreland first issued them during the American League division series in Chicago. Westmoreland said that New Era first experimented with the hats at the end of last season, and that this was the first year they were readily available. He said he did not know if any other teams had ordered them.
This week, the Phillies began wearing them, too, and on Wednesday they became available in the merchandise stores at Citizens Bank Park. The sales assistant Angie Arpino said that the model did not seem to have an official name, but that they were selling for $40 and proving quite popular.
?They?re flying off the shelves,? she said.
Entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/sports/baseball/30caps.html?ref=sports