Padres Cap Tournament: The Final

It's time.

All good things must come to an end, and what better way to spend an off day than deciding the best Padres cap ever?

Welcome back to Gaslamp Ball's Padres Cap Tournament! As you just read, this is it: the final. It's time to choose which cap truly is the best Padres cap ever.

I'd like to take a little time in thanking you for participating in this journey. I never thought such a niche idea like a baseball cap tournament would ever catch on. I truly am happy you guys and gals have enjoyed voting and debating the results with each passing round. All of that has culminated in this final matchup.

Let's look at the bracket as a whole and see how everything turned out:

I personally thought things would have turned out a little different. I'm sure you were expecting some different caps at the top and some different overall matchups. I'll admit, this was a learning experience as far as where to place caps in respective eras. I've decided on a different format for next year, so look forward to that.

Now, on to the caps for this fated match. Let's look at your respective bracket winners:

Modern Bracket Winner

2016 Friday Alternate - Brown/Gold Split Panel

The return to brown arrives in this clean cap. Taking cues from the 1973 cap, this modern alternate marries both the classic split-panel design with the modern serif'd interlocking SD. A return to brown proved to be a triumph for Padres cap design, with voters sending the #1 seed to the semifinal over the 2004 Home. The 2016 Commemorative proved to be no match for the brown and gold in the semifinal, as this cap cruised to an easy spot in the final match.

I'm honestly not too surprised this cap won out in the Modern Bracket. As stated by many of you, the Modern Bracket was the weaker of the two brackets with no other real compelling choice other than the 2016 ASG cap, which still couldn't come close to beating the brown. The voters have spoken, and they've spoken loudly: bring back the brown!

Historic Bracket Winner

1969 Cap - Brown/Gold

The cap that started it all, this cap debuted with the Padres induction into Major League Baseball in 1969. It remains a popular cap due to its simplicity and clean looks. The 2nd overall seeded 1969 Cap easily defeated the 1985 Brown/Orange in the preliminary round and got the benefit of some shady voting to overcome the '48 cap. In a tightly contested semifinal, the '69 overcame the split-paneled '73 to win the Historic Bracket.

More of a surprise to me than the Modern Bracket, I still can't be too shocked to see the original 1969 cap win out. Of course, the competition was much stiffer in the Historic Bracket overall. Call it nostalgia or simply better cap design back then? You decide.

Of course, it's now time for you to decide which cap truly is the best Padre cap ever. Will it be the newest cap in the Padres catalog: the split-paneled 2016 Friday Alternate? Or will the first be the best in the 1969 Home cap? Will split-panels get their revenge and overtake the classic interlocking SD? Will the clean and classic design of the '69 beat out the serif'd split-panel? The choice is yours, and yours alone!

Place your vote below and sound off in the comments. Which cap do you really think is the best in Padres history, and why?

Thank you for your participation!