In August of 2002, I attended the Big A with my family for my brother (the one who wanted to name me Dougie, after DeCinces)'s birthday, and acquired a hat.

We've been through some fun times, this hat and I, over the past six years. Unfortunately, back in 2006 I decided to go all "die-hard" fan with it and wore it outside every day, in the hopes of getting a nice, legitimate fade on it. This didn't work out so well, and now I have a barely-recognizably-red/salmonish cap that's really no longer wearable. So it's time to get a new one.

Thing is, I'm completely clueless when it comes to Halo hat-shopping--so I come to you all. Two main questions: 1. Where is the best place to acquire a hat, preferably inexpensively? I'm not able to get to the stadium to peruse their collection, but I do have a "Lids" store nearby. Is on-line my best option?

2. What is the best/most b-ass style to go with? I like the traditional game-style cap, but I'm also a fan of the blue w/ the red bill. Any other particularly noteworthy styles out there? I was originally thinking of holding off until after the playoffs, and getting a hat with the patch from the furthest round we reach--when would hats w/ ALDS/CS/WS patches become available? Or are such hats from previous years still around?