ORANGE, Calif. — For most fans, a hat is another piece of team gear, but for Josh Duesterhaus, cap collecting is a game in itself. He has over 500 New Era hats at his home in Orange.
What began for him as a hobby has turned into a lifestyle. His affinity for caps is something he's had since he was a kid.
"I got to be a character, express myself," Duesterhaus said. "And then through my love of sports, I got to emulate the players that I looked up to and admired."
The drawers and closet-full of hats he has range in style, color, and logo, but by far the most represented team in his collection is his beloved Dodgers.
Even though he has 266 Dodgers hats, don't be mistaken, no two are the same. Every fit is a little different, and the colors aren't all Dodger blue. He's most proud of what he refers to as his timeline collection, a sub-collection of New Era Dodgers on-field caps.
The hats include each new special edition "on-field" and represent all the instances in which Dodgers hats changed.
"I may have 10 Dodger hats that look exactly the same to the 'untrained eye' if you will, but each one represents a specific period of history in the Dodger organization, as well as New Era's," Duesterhaus said.
Duesterhaus thought his hobby was a little random, but social media has shown him he's anything but alone in his love for hats. He's part of a community of cap collectors and was even named a finalist in the Lids Ultimate Cap Collection Contest, which, as the name suggests, is an annual contest for cap collectors.
"I always thought I was alone in this, kind of a weird hobby until I got on Instagram and started bumping into other people that have similar interests and collections like this. And it really is a global community," Duesterhaus said.
And while Duesterhaus loves that he can wear the same hat the players wear on the field, his collection is just as much a lifestyle to him. His passion for hats and baseball is something he shares with his 12 and 15-year-old sons. And caps, for him, are an expression of who he is.
"I get to kind of match my hat to the background. Or also how I'm feeling. I have a lot of hats that may portray a certain mood, whether it's anger or fear or joyfulness, and so I get to kind of match my hats to how I'm feeling," Duesterhaus said.
Even though Duesterhaus can't go to Dodger Stadium and watch the game in person, he's donning his rally cap and "bleeding blue."
"I love watching them. I hate to see them lose. But even when we lose, they seem to go out there and give it their best no matter what. And I think that's something I can take away and apply and learn from in my own personal life," Duesterhaus said.