Trips to Astrodome turned into collection of more than 1,500 hats for this Houston Astros fan

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- What started as a love for the Astros has ballooned into an entire room and tens of thousands of dollars spent.

Orlando Ordaz has been an Astros fan since he was a kid. "I'm a big fan of the Astros, and I used to go to the Astrodome as a kid, and my dad would take us all the time," Ordaz said.

The more he loved the Astros, the more he wanted to be like his favorite players. "I always wanted to wear what the ballplayers were, so as soon as I got old enough to get a job and purchase a hat, I got myself an Astros 18," Ordaz recalled. "That was 18 years ago."

Nearly 20 years later, Ordaz has a lot more than one hat. He now owns more than 1,500 but is fuzzy on the exact number.

"That's a question I've never answered myself because when you multiply it by an average dollar, it's a little bit way too much money spent," Ordaz said.

If the average hat costs $30, Ordaz has spent more than $45,000 over the years just on hats. To make space, he dedicates a whole room to his house.

It's a collection that keeps growing, but it's not as easy to keep adding like it was before.

"When we weren't winning, hats were so easy to come by," Ordaz explained. "I was like, 'You know what, I'll just go and grab a hat,' and then all of a sudden, we started winning. So, everybody wants to wear Astros gear. Now there's more availability, so I buy more. We're at the point where you can't buy a hat because it sells out instantly."

To keep his hats clean, Ordaz changes his cap multiple times a day. He also puts a flexible foam around the front to keep the sweat away.

He said this is a collection any Astros fan can easily get into. "My advice is to stick to the team you love," Ordaz said. "A lot of these guys want to buy every hat that they can. There's not enough money to buy every hat. So, stick with one team, and get what you like."

Ordaz isn't alone. He's part of a group known as the "Houston Hat Crew" that gather monthly to talk about hats and help each other find unique caps.

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