When Sylvester puts on his throwback hats, he knows that what he is wearing symbolizes something special. An American tradition that has been passed down through generations. 

Freshman Sylvester Tournier knows what the game of baseball symbolizes and what every team represents on their uniforms. He collects hats from a variety of mainly Major League Baseball teams because of his love for the game. It all started when he received a cap from a club that has St. Louis roots, where his favorite player snagged baseballs from the hot corner. 

“I started this when I just received one of the throwback Baltimore Orioles World Series hats,” Sylvester said. “I loved the hat because [Manny Machado] was on the Baltimore Orioles at the time.”

Sylvester tries to collect more than just throwback hats. He tries to save baseball cards and other throwback items from his favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

 “I started to collect their hats [as my hobby grew],” Sylvester said. “It gets much harder to find different hats that I [already] have which definitely limits me to what I can purchase.”

Sylvester said that most of his favorite players throughout his life either play or have played for Los Angeles. Sylvester is now trying to find throwback hats for all Major League Baseball teams and other sports leagues. Being able to do this gives him insight into different organizations and he gets to learn more about different franchises across the country.

“I have expanded to different kinds of hats and I now kind of just collect hats,” Sylvester said. “This is because of my love for baseball.”

Coach Timothy Canavan, the new baseball coach, also enjoys collecting baseball caps. He holds onto a hat from every season he has coached and has a collection of Major League Baseball caps as well.

“Some of the first caps I ever bought are now displayed in my classroom, Canavan said. “These days I like to buy vintage hats [and] I get them from a store in Cooperstown. My favorites are the 1934 Pittsburgh Crawfords and the 1954 NY Giants.”

Purchasing genuine player-issued Major League Baseball caps is not a cheap hobby to partake in. One cap can cost over $40 but to Sylvester, it’s more than a hobby.

“It’s cool to get different things that represent places so far from each other with the same item, ” Sylvester said. “just a different coat of paint.”