Got an email from Chris yesterday morning after I played 50 Mission Cap by The Hip. As I understood it, the fifty mission cap was a cap awarded to WW2 pilots after they had flown in fifty missions (pretty obvious, now that you think about it). As a sign of respect, they were allowed to 'work in' the caps at their own discretion, so they stood out from the other pilots.

Hey Tom

Heard your musings on the meaning of 50 Mission Cap this morning. I was always under the impression Gord was referring to a ball cap as his 50 mission cap. You know we guys always have that favorite old ball cap that we wear. The one that identifies and defines us amongst our friends.

I have a friend that used to have an old Flyers cap that was worked in just right, the orange was so faded it was almost white and there were a few little tears all over it. Even those of us that hated the Flyers had to love the hat. During a night of drunken debauchery he left the hat in a cab and never saw it again. Almost 15 years later we still reminisce about the Flyers hat and bow our heads in a moment of silence at its loss.

I didn't know the pilot background that you mentioned but it makes even more sense that Gord would consider a good old hat (probably a Leafs hat) as his 50 Mission Cap.

Just thought I'd add my two cents.

Have a good one

Chris
Michigan Wolverines hat, circa 1990 (since retired/lost)
Green Bay Packers hat, circa 1991 (also retired/lost)

It's a strange bond between a man and his ballcap..but a bond, nonetheless.

I went to see the Boston Red Sox play in 1978 in Orlando, Florida, and it pains me to this day that I don't have the red and blue 70s Sox cap anymore. That one lasted me until 1981, when I retired it, in favour of the solid blue design that the Sox later switched to.

One day, Karen Cooper, who was in my class at the time, grabbed the hat, and started running away. It took awhile to realize that she actually liked me, and this was all part of 'the dance'. I got the hat back, but didn't have a clue about what to do with Karen. I was thirteen, and sadly, my allegiance was more with the cap than the girl.

I got another one from the gift shop at Fenway in '89. It was the first time my girlfriend (and later, wife) had been to a game. The Sox were up 10-0 in the 7th inning, but still found a way to lose to the Blue Jays. That cap is probably my favourite of all, mostly because it was actually signed by Ted Williams in '93, while he was being interviewed by MITV, on a fishing trip in the Miramichi.

I've muddled through a couple more Sox hats since then, and the number of styles has exploded. I'm currently wearing a camouflage model that I got on my most recent trip to Fenway a couple weeks ago. Camouflage might be the best way to go, so I'm undetectable to Yankee fans.

My favourite Sox hat of all, though, is the pink one that my seven year-old daughter picked out on our trip to Fenway last year. It matches her Manny Ramirez jersey that she wore to the games. I hope she realizes how important the cap is, and part of me is hoping she's as clueless about the opposite sex when she's a teenager as I was!