[BretMan]

I usually use a 6 stitch on the plate, 8 stitch on the bases. I have a 4 stitch around here somewhere that I only bought because they guy selling ASA gear at one tournament was out of 6 stitch hats. Only use it occassionally (on the plate) if it happens to be in my car and the 6 stitch got especially sweat soaked in earlier games.

One tourney earlier this year, after doing a game I went to my car to change. Took off my plate gear and was changing to do the bases. It wasn't until I went to grab my 8 stitch hat that I realized I had been wearing in the first game! Had absolutely no issues with the hat coming off with the mask or the bill hanging up in the bars. So it can be done!

On the "flex fit" hats...I bought one a few years ago (not the ASA brand) and hated it. Bought it on-line, so didn't have a chance to try it on first. Even though it was supposed to be the equivilant size (M/L) to fit my given hat size, the thing was so huge that if I simply leaned forward it would fall off my head! No way in the world would it stay on while taking off a mask and it had such huge gaps at the sides that it would look absolutely goofy as a base hat. Never wore the thing after I tried it on one time. I guess if you got one that fit right it might be okay.

I always took the ASA directive to wear "fitted" hats as meaning don't wear "adjustable" hats- the kind that have an adjustable band in the back and a big "hole" there. A properly fitted "flex fit" hat wouldn't be regarded the same as an "adjustable" hat. You want a fitted hat? I'd say a flex hat is a fitted hat- as long as you wear a small, medium or large!