Whose Hat Is Lew Wearing?

[thecatspajamas]

Anyone know what team's hat Lew Fonseca is sporting in this photo? This is the second time I've run across a photo of him in this ensemble: "A" cap and 1931 Chicago White Sox jersey (with the White Sox logo obscured for the print, but still faintly visible). The first time I let it go, but now it's really starting to bug me. Does anyone know if he spent some time in the minors following his trade in 1931 to the White Sox?

[jerseygary]

I thought it was the Atlanta Crackers cap from that time period, but Lew never played for them. Are you sure there is a White Sox logo originally there? The reason I ask is he was the manager and then batting coach for the Chicago Cubs after he retired. The jersey looks like a stripped down 1935 or 1936 Cubs without the "C" on the chest. (the White Sox jersey from 1931 had 2 thin lines of piping as trim instead of 1 thick one. If that is so, the cap could very well be a Los Angeles Angels cap since they were a Cubs farm team at the time and wore that type of cap with that style "A" for a few seasons. The two teams trained on Catalina Island and around Southern California together and often players wore stripped-down old jerseys from the Cubs previous season to train in. That's the best I could come up with...

[Wite3]

Pretty sure Gary got this one...the stylized "A" is consistent with the Angels logos that were used since the 1920s...in the '50s they added a halo. A form of that hat is still worn in some games even today.

Joshua

[thecatspajamas]

You guys may be right on the Angels cap, but it's definitely a White Sox logo that shows faintly in the photo. It's a little more visible in this one (which I should have posted before but just got around to scanning).



Pretty sure it matches the home uniform logo from 1931 (shown below). I'm not sure what to make of the single/double piping discrepency though. The only other possiblity would be the 1929 White Sox home uniform, but that makes less sense given Lew was in the middle of his stint with the Indians at that time. Any earlier than that, and Burke wouldn't have been photographing ballplayers yet. Looks like the White Sox did their spring training at League Park in San Antonio, TX from 1930-32, if that helps?

1931

1929

[jerseygary]

Ah! That is the 1936 and 1937 White Sox uniform he has on. That's why the piping is different. I guess he showed up at at Comiskey Park as a coach or tried a come back and then retired after that. I suppose if you find out where Lew was in 1935 after the Sox fired him as manager and 1937, the last year that jersey was worn, you'd have your answer. If we find out what the White Sox farm teams were in '35-37 I bet you Fonseca was a coach or manager in those years.

[thecatspajamas]

1938 Anniston (AL) Rams? Though I have no kind of photo reference to compare it to. Fonseca wasn't the manager, but possibly a coach?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/mi...=CHW&year=1938