LIDS Hat Blog

A Sweet Deal for Bengie Molina

With the World Series set to begin on Wednesday, everyone is making last minute preparations.  Fans are scurrying to get tickets, make travel arrangements and get their respective team's World Series gear.  The clubs, players and coaches are working to fine tune their strategies, rest up and get mentally prepared for the World Series.  After all, many players work so hard for so long without ever tasting a World Series victory.  No doubt, the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers have come a long way, but for one team, it will be a bittersweet ending to an otherwise amazing season.

However, Bengie Molina's deal is so sweet he might have to have his teeth checked.  While most players worry about falling short after making it to the World Series, Molina is guaranteed to leave with a ring.  You see, Molina has spent the past three and a half years playing for the San Francisco Giants, but was traded to the Texas Rangers midway through the season.  This year, Molina played 57 regular season games for the Giants and 61 for the Rangers guaranteeing that he'll receive a World Series ring despite the outcome of the final series. 

"I think I knew [the Rangers] had a great chance to make it to the playoffs," Molina said. "For both teams to be in the World Series?  Not a chance."  Although the competitor in him likely wants to be on the winning team at the end of the Series, it must be nice knowing that whatever the outcome may be, he helped get the World Series Champs to that point.  "It's going to be a very happy World Series for Bengie Molina. I'm going to try to enjoy it as much as I can," he said.  Enjoy it indeed, because you'll never see these odds again! 

So which World Series ring do you think Bengie will be wearing at the end of the series?  A diamond encrusted Giants or  Rangers ring? 

Texas Rangers Claw and Antler

The Texas Rangers came away with a convincing win in last night's game against the defending World Champs, the New York Yankees.  The Rangers beat the Yankees 8-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. 

Cliff Lee became the first pitcher to record three 10+ strikeout games in the same postseason.  Much like Lee's dominating performance last night, the Rangers have domniated the series, despite having a poor eighth inning in Game 1.  If not for the five runs scored by the Yankees in that inning, the team might be 3-0. 

So what do you think, do the Rangers have enough Claw and Antler to keep it going?  For those of you outside of Ranger Nation, the CLAW is a gesture for power and strength  and the ANTLER is a gesture for speed and agility.  The hand signals, said to have been "invented" by Esteban German (claw) and Nelson Cruz (antlers), were quickly adopted by players as a sign of support and solidarity.  When the fans reazlied what the signals meant, they, too, wanted in on the action. 

Will there be enough Claw and Antler to make history?  With the Yankees in the oppostite dugout, you never can be too sure.  What's your vote: Claw and Antler or Hunting Season?

The Texas Rangers MLB Claw and Antler tee is availabe in blue and red and can be found at lids.com. 

LIDS Embroidery - A Stitch to Save Lives

Visit any LIDS Store that offers custom embroidery in 2010 to show your support for the American Cancer Society® Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign by having the pink ribbon embroidered on a hat.  For every purchase of the pink ribbon embroidery, $5.00 will go to the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign.  Your support will help the American Cancer Society save lives, and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Simply present this flyer to any store associate at one of LIDS' custom embroidery locations to put your dollars to work for this worthy cause!


 

For more information on Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org/stridesonline.

NFL News Feed: Nike to become NFL's official uniform manufacturer - Mark Maske

CHICAGO--Nike will become the NFL's official uniform maker beginning in 2012, the league announced Tuesday during an owners' meeting here. Reebok is the league's official outfitter through the 2011 season. "We have spent considerable time the past few years rigorously evaluating our apparel business," Eric Grubman, the league's executive vice president of NFL ventures and business operations, said in a written statement. "The new framework will provide fans with a wider breadth of merchandise from global category leaders in the sports licensed apparel industry."

via views.washingtonpost.com

A shakeup in the NFL will hit in 2012...how do you feel about the change? Is this a good thing, bad thing or are you indifferent?

Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts!

A Game of Life or Death?

A devout Michigan State fan refused to undergo heart surgery this past Thursday, deferring the procedure until after Saturday's game against longtime rival Michigan.  Major Hester wanted to be able to watch the game on a television in Ann Arbor, and was willing to risk anything, even his life, to do so. 

The 69-year-old said he put off the surgery until the following week because he didn’t want to risk anything going wrong on the operating table that would prevent him from watching the game.  Hester said his doctor asked him twice if he really wanted to put off the surgery, and his reply both times was, "I'm watching the game."   

Major Hester wasn’t the only Spartans’ fan watching the game from a distance.  The Spartans’ own head football coach, Mark Dantonio, watched the game from a press box.  Dantonio suffered a heart attack on September 19, after the Michigan State overtime win against Notre Dame. 

The Spartans went into Saturday’s game ranked 17^th, while the Wolverines were ranked 18^th.  It was the first time since 1999 that the two teams met undefeated, both 5-0.  Fortunately for Hester and Dantonio, Michigan State pulled off a 34-17 win over Michigan, and ended their 1,071 day losing streak against the Wolverines.  The Spartans are now 6-0 for the first time since 1999.

As always, for you die-hard NCAA fans, don’t forget to check out lids.com for the latest and greatest selection of College Hats and NCAA apparel.

We want to know:  Have you ever put something important on hold just to watch a game? Share your comments with us or send us a tweet or a facebook post. 

Free Shipping on NFL Purchases

FREE Ground Shipping with any regular priced NFL hat or apparel purchase!  This includes the new NFL Breast Cancer Awareness gear that NFL players, coaches and officials will wear throughout the month of October. 

Use code LIDSNFL at checkout to receive free ground shipping when you purchase any full price NFL product.  This offer cannot be combined with any other offer or discount and is not valid on clearance merchandise.  Promotion code expires at 11:59pm EST on 10/6/2010.

Happy shopping NFL fans!

NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Hats

If you watched any football this Sunday, you probably did a double take towards the field as flashes of pink darted back and forth between the sidelines.  This Sunday was the start of a monthlong campaign where the NFL will wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The NFL, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is calling the campaign "A Crucial Catch" which is focused on promoting annual screenings, especially for women who are forty and older.  During the month of October, NFL games will feature players, coaches and referees wearing pink game hats and apparel, pink ribbon stencils on the field, special game balls and pink coins - all to help raise awareness for this important campaign.

LIDS is proud to offer NFL Breast Cancer Awareness hats and apparel in support of this excellent cause.  The LIDS home office in Indianapolis will also hold several fundraising and awareness events during the month of October to support the campaign.  Additionally, we'll hold a series of contests during the week of October 11th in anticipation for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Indianapolis on October 16th.  Stay tuned to the LIDS Blog, LIDS Facebook and LIDS Twitter pages for additional information on how you could win a LIDS Pink Pride Prize Pack (say that five times fast) in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. 

It's Tailgate Time!

The chill of fall can only mean one thing...tailgate time!  Whether you're a college football fanatic or love to watch the pros play on Sunday, football season is tailgate season!  Of course, the game is important, but just as important are the pregame rituals that bond fans past and present.

This weekend, I'll be heading down to Bloomington, Ind., home of the Indiana Hoosiers, to watch them take on the undefeated Michigan Wolverines.  As excited as I am to see these unbeaten teams face off, I'm also pumped up for the pregame festivities.

It'll all start at 7:30am on Saturday when our individual contributions transform into a well-stocked five car caravan.  Like any good tailgater, we'll be armed with enough food and beverages to feed a small village.  However, what separates professional tailgaters from the occasional parking-lot-partier is all in the details.   Tables bearing red and white tablecloths, pennants and team flags will be covered with team can coozies and tons of great eats.  Bean bag toss boards will be scattered around waiting for the next challenger.  Tailgate tables will serve as the center of attention for party games and conversation about the game.  We'll take a break from the tailgate action just long enough to see the team take The Walk, listen to the band play and take a peak into the storied Assembly Hall.  After we've put in a full day festivities, we'll enter the newly renovated Memorial Stadium and watch the Hoosiers defend The Rock.  Despite the outcome of the game, we plan on making the day a great day of camraderie with friends, family and tailgate fun!

Each team has traditions and rituals that make the tailgating experience unique.  What schools/teams have you visited with the most unique tailgating rituals?  Do you tailgate more often for college or NFL games?