Sir Cedric, owner of Sir C's Bakery in Pleasant Valley, would like to answer this question which he is asked most often during baseball season. In the very early days of the game the umpire wore a black silk top hat to distinguish himself as the umpire. Leslie has a hat just like the one Sir Cedric is wearing in this picture. It belonged to Leslie’s grandfather; he would wear it for parades and special events. She used her grandfather’s hat as a model. And yes, it does have a little dent in it just like the hat in Albert’s Ballgame. – Drawing from the book Albert's Ballgame. HOME PAGE | BOOKS PAGE | GALLERY | KIDS PAGE | TEACHERS/LIBRARIANS
Mr. Umpire, Why do you wear a black silk top hat when you umpire?