TFHS Closer Look: 2016 Stars And Stripes

The Stars and Stripes cap is a tradition. Major League Baseball began the tradition of having every team wear a special cap for 4th Of July during the 2008 season. Every year brought a different iteration to the field, ranging from navy to red to splitting colors between the American and National Leagues. The Stars and Stripes cap even saw double duty as a Memorial Day cap until the two holidays received their own renditions, and more holidays received their own caps this year. Eight years later we have another S&S version for our Padres to add to the list:

Navy crown and brim
White mesh Stars detail on front two panels
Navy interlocking SD with red border

This year's version of the Stars and Stripes goes all stars...literally. White stars take up the front two panels, hidden behind a white jersey mesh. Our Padres will don this cap on the road against the Diamondbacks while sporting a really cool alternate jersey. The National League traditionally gets the navy color as a main color; the American League versions are red. Of special note is Toronto's version rolling with a maple leaf motif in lieu of stars. The 59Fifty sticker is still on my example since it won't see any wear until the 4th.

Here's a closer look at the mesh covering the front of the cap. The stars are printed below the mesh onto the navy crown. The red border on the interlocking SD adds a bit of pop to the cap.

The stripes part of the equation appears in a pretty intricate MLB Batterman logo, done up in Old Glory's finest.

The underbrim is again a throwback gray color, continuing with the trend on Special Events caps.

Honestly, I don't mind this year's version. I like it better than last year's Diamond Era version, but not as much as caps of year's past. What do you think?