Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez catches up with Scoop B Radio. Photo Credit: Brad Mangin

Fall is here and the coolest part is that while preseason basketball is here along with regular season NFL football, so are Major League Baseball playoffs.

During the 90s, you often saw guys like Ken Griffey Jr. wear his hat backwards before games, MLB All Star Home Run Derbies and batting practice.

Ken Griffey Jr. Photo Credit: The Comeback

Griffey made it look cool, but did you know that baseball catchers could never fit their catcher’s mask over their hat? As a result, catchers started turning their hats backward when they would put on their mask. 

Yep. Catchers like Ivan Rodriguez looked cool doing it too!

On a recent episode of Scoop B Radio, Rodriguez, a Hall of Famer, World Series Champion and 14 time MLB  All-Star chatted with me about what else? Baseball caps!

Some athletes are sneakerheads, others are baseball card collectors, but the 13 Gold Glover is a cap collector and has every camp imaginable to the point where there were too many in his home. “ I split it up to be honest with you,” Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez told me on Scoop B Radio.

“My father has some, my son has some in his house I have some in my house but I collect them because I always wore hats.”

Apparently there’s a simple solution as to why he wears so many. “Because I don’t have too much hair on my head,” joked Rodriguez. “So I had to find a way to cover it up in the summer. But I’m a very good collector and I’m very proud of that.”

Pudge was a beast on the field.

He’s also a humanitarian off of it. A native of Puerto Rico, Pudge has led relief efforts to those affected by Hurricane Maria. He’s gotten folks to fill a warehouse with food, water, generators, tents and more for those impacted.

To all my people in #PuertoRico, Mexico and the Caribbean island, keep your head up,there is help on the way God bless #UnitedForPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/dCwr4x0DwG

— Ivan Pudge Rodriguez (@Pudge_Rodriguez) September 26, 2017

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The post Baseball HOF’er Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez Chats With Scoop B Radio About His Baseball Hat Collection appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.