The Daily Feather — Putting a Lid on Housing

Established in 1845, the New York Knickerbockers were baseball’s first official team. But it would be another four years before they donned the baseball caps with which we associate the sport today. Initially, players wore “chip” or straw hats. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for teams – and sporting goods companies – to appreciate something more fitting was needed than garb traditionally used by barbershop quartets. Teams including the New York Mutuals and Brooklyn Excelsiors switched to a merino cap topped with a star-like pattern made by New York sporting goods firm Peck & Snyder. The cap’s two main features remain true to the modern-day baseball cap -- a crown and a bill. It was called the No. 1 and cost about $1.25 to $2.00, a far cry from the New Era authentic on-field 59FIFTY fitted hats that run you about $45 before shipping on mlbshop.com.

Baseball caps may cover your noggin, but a home is the lid sheltering you and your family. The latest run of April U.S. home sales was a decidedly mixed bag. Existing home sales disappointed all but two estimates of 53 in the Bloomberg survey, falling to a seven-month low of 4.00 million at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR).