The $100,000 Ripken Jersey

[Rob L]

A $100,000 will get you Ripken's first road jersey. Ouch!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cal-Ripken-Jr-First-road-jersey-game-used-1981_W0QQitemZ250304926482QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 250304926482&_trkparms=72%3A1156%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[allstarsplus]

A $100,000 will get you Ripken's first road jersey. Ouch!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cal-Ripken-Jr-First-road-jersey-game-used-1981_W0QQitemZ250304926482QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 250304926482&_trkparms=72%3A1156%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

The attached letters are very cool. The Lord Baltimore Cleaners!

[kingjammy24]

http://www.lelands.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=57072

"..tail tagging from "Rawlings [size] 44" blooming a "Set 1 1981" flag tag above another reading "2 Inch Extra Length." A very, very observant eye will catch that the nameplate on back has been team-reinforced with white thread, giving the plate a slight ripple effect. This is particularly noteworthy as this same effect is visible on the 1982 Topps Traded card, leading us to believe that Cal is wearing this very jersey in that photo."

2 different 1981 ripken road jerseys, both claiming to be the one pictured on the 1982 topps card. (the ebay ad is wrong. there is no 1981 topps ripken card. ripken's first card came in 1982).

lelands' had 2" of extra length, the ebay one has 3".

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/7685/sillykw9.jpg

rudy.

[Vintagedeputy]

Has anyone noticed that the P in Ripken is a slightly larger font then the rest of the letters? Is it just me?

[bigtime59]

Has anyone noticed that the P in Ripken is a slightly larger font then the rest of the letters? Is it just me?

Not only that, but all the letters appear to be too tall and too thin, and take up too much of the nameplate.

[buc]

Sometimes you guys are a little too accusatory or question things that should not be questioned. For goodness sake, the e-bay auction has a letter from the curator of the Ripken Museum who actually displayed this jersey. Leland's states it "leads them to believe" it is the 1982 Topps jersey, not that it IS the jersey. I'm not saying I would (could) pay $100,000 for the jersey, nor am I claiming it is Ripken's first jersey or the jersey on the 82 Topps, but definitely a very early jersey from Ripken. Could it be his first? Could it be the one pictured? None of us truly know the answer to that question.

[cincy13]

I agree Buc, it seems that when an item is expensive, some of the members here try to discredit the item; maybe it makes them feel better.

[Rob L]

I agree Buc, it seems that when an item is expensive, some of the members here try to discredit the item; maybe it makes them feel better.


Uuummm. Ok. It's refreshing to hear that some would plunk down $100,000 without fully researching and questioning an item's authenticity.

[buc]

I'm not saying it is worth that (or anywhere even close to it,) but after reading the letters on the auction, it is apparent to me that the jersey is real. That was what I was talking about.

[kingjammy24]

buc & cincy13:

are either of you the seller of the ebay jersey?

anyway, i never implied the ebay jersey wasn't good. i only meant to post that there are 2 jerseys out there that claim to be the one on the topps card. that's it. oddly, both of them have different customizations. as well, both of them are set 1 from an era when set numbers actually meant something.

"For goodness sake, the e-bay auction has a letter from the curator of the Ripken Museum who actually displayed this jersey."

i don't mean to sound condescending but whoop-dee-!#*-doo. the curator of the ripken museum. where did he acquire the jersey from? how long has he been collecting 80s oriole gamers? how about this provenance:

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=15007

a letter from joe namath and everything that turned out to be worthless. do you know how many world-class museums and preminent scholars are fooled by forgeries in art and antiquities?

""The Getty Kouros was offered, along with seven other pieces, to The J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California in the spring of 1983. For the next twelve years art historians, conservators, and archeologists studied the Kouros, scientific tests were performed and showed that the surface could not have been created artificially. However, when several of the other pieces offered with the Kouros, were shown to be forgeries, its authenticity was again questioned. In May of 1992, the Kouros was displayed in Athens, Greece, at an international conference, called to determine its authenticity. The conference failed to solve the problem; while most art historians and archeologists denounced it, the scientists present believed the statue to be authentic. To this day, the Getty Kouros' authenticity remains a mystery and the statue is displayed with the date: "Greek, 530 B.C. or modern forgery".

the getty museum, which is one of the most highly esteemed museums in the world, spent 12 yrs trying to determine authenticity. teams of scientists, archeologists, and art historians couldn't determine whether it was good or not. maybe they should've called the curator of the ripken museum who, apparently, is an infallible genius.

"..after reading the letters on the auction, it is apparent to me that the jersey is real."

i'm sure many people thought the same about the namath helmet and countless other items with "rock solid" provenance that later turned out to be garbage. the mantle glove and carew glove with letters from the athletes themselves that only showed that their memories were a little hazy. if you honestly purchase items based solely on provenance then this is going to be a long, hard hobby for you.

rudy.

[buc]

No, I'm not the seller, nor do I know or have any affiliation with him. And the letter from the curator of the Museum is just one of the many letters that accompany the jersey as stated in the auction. I can't make out all the fine print on the letter from the assistant equipment manager, but I can make out enough to see that the jersey was basically "thrown together" to have jerseys for Ripken to wear.
Again, I don't think it is anywhere near worth what the seller is asking for it, but I do feel it to be real and I think the letters of provenance on this one are pretty solid.
You reference the Namath helmet and the piece of art. Anyone who looks at pictures can tell the Namath helmet was not real. I'm sure Namath did not care what he wrote. Jack Dempsey gave away the ring bell to one of his famous title fights to three different people, claiming to each that the bell was the original bell used at the fight. I don't know and don't care if this jersey was the one used in the picture, and I don't believe the seller should claim it to be either without proof, but I do think it is an authentic jersey worn by Ripken. That was my only point.

[Danny899]

I agree Buc, it seems that when an item is expensive, some of the members here try to discredit the item; maybe it makes them feel better.

No! That NEVER happens here!!! This forum??

[Danny899]

I'm not saying it is worth that (or anywhere even close to it,) but after reading the letters on the auction, it is apparent to me that the jersey is real. That was what I was talking about.

Buc,
You're not the only one who feels that the jersey is good. Don't get caught up with the theories that one letter or number being slighty smaller or larger than another means that a jersey is not authentic. Again, intelligent, informed collectors realize that slight deviations in a jersey's lettering, fonts and tagging do not mean it's not authentic. Lastly, I don't think Rudy was saying that the jersey wasn't authentic, rather he was was only indicating that only 1 jersey could be the one on the card. Buc and Cincy also bring up valid points reference this jersey. They certainly don't need to be the seller of the jersey to post their opinions here regardless of their views contrasting others.

[aeneas01]

I agree Buc, it seems that when an item is expensive, some of the members here try to discredit the item; maybe it makes them feel better.

i don't think this statement is fair - there have been many high end items (read: expensive) over the years that never drew sharp criticism from any forum member - nor were they discredited. a maynard helmet and elway jersey come immediately to mind...

[Rob L]

anyway, i never implied the ebay jersey wasn't good. i only meant to post that there are 2 jerseys out there that claim to be the one on the topps card. that's it. oddly, both of them have different customizations. as well, both of them are set 1 from an era when set numbers actually meant something.

rudy.

Hey Rudy,

Just curious, Ripken only played 20 games that season. As you stated, Set numbers meant something in the early 1980s. Would an order for two jersey at one time be considered one set (ie. from the same order)? It's interesting that the two 1981 jerseys both have the same set number but different dimensions. It sure would be cool to be able to actually match one of the jerseys to the Topps card.

[kingjammy24]

"Would an order for two jersey at one time be considered one set (ie. from the same order)?"

my opinion is yes. the two jerseys would be in the same purchase order and likely labeled set 1 and set 2. however, i don't believe purchase orders or set numbers have any relevance in this case. neither of these jerseys was supposed to have been specifically ordered for ripken. they're supposed to be spares. the letter from the orioles asst. equipment manager states as much:

"Since Cal wasn't expected to make the majors until 1983, there was no 1981 uniform pre-made for him (ie: ordered specifically for him). As was the case in those situations then (and now), it was up to the equipment staff to come up with something on a moment's notice. The Orioles for many seasons used a seamstress at Lord Baltimore Cleaners to stitch on the appliques (i.e. numbers and nameplates) using materials provided by the club...This was the case with Cal's first uniform, including the road jersey that this letter will accompany"

ripken was called up on august 8, 1981. he played his first game on august 10. the orioles didn't play any games on august 8 or 9. on 8/6/81, a shipment of bats from louisville slugger was sent to rochester for ripken. this tells me that ripken didn't know far ahead of time that he'd be called up on 8/8. he played in 23 games that season.

here's what bothers me about both of the ripken jerseys: it's apparent that ripken, upon being called up without much notice on august 8, was issued a spare for his first jersey. spares are blanks that've been ordered for call-ups and trades, as well as to replace lost, stolen, or damaged shirts. they're intended to get a player suited up asap when there's no time to place and receive a factory order. the team orders a variety of popular sizes that would likely cover such emergencies. with all of this being the case, why do both ripken jerseys have customizations? who orders a spare specifically with 3" of extra length? the letter says that ripken was issued a spare prepared "on a moment's notice". upon ripken's arrival, the orioles would've grabbed a spare and had it done up locally. you don't order spares with customizations because you have no clue who'll be using those spares. customizations are player-unique. ripken had no opportunity to request extra length on august 8. ripken probably arrived in baltimore the day before the game. 2"/3" of extra length is not a spare. it's a customized jersey ordered from the factory for a specific player. it makes no sense.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

assuming the letters carry weight, i'd like to know how it's possible to know that the letters never switched jerseys. that is, that the letters refer specifically to the ebay jersey.

rudy.

[ironmanfan]

Ripken wasn't called up "on a moment's notice" (which generally occurs when one player is injured or suddenly released). It was well planned that he would join the parent club as soon as the player's strike was over in '81 (his debut as a pinch runner was the first game back after the strike). He may have even made the Orioles in the spring that year, but the Orioles were fearful that a strike would occur and they chose to send him to AAA so that he could play.

[allstarsplus]

assuming the letters carry weight, i'd like to know how it's possible to know that the letters never switched jerseys. that is, that the letters refer specifically to the ebay jersey.

rudy.

I know nothing about these jerseys, but certainly know that the possibility exists that letters can be switched, letters can be forged on real letterhead, letters can be forged on fake letterhead and real letters can be written with good intention based on bad information.

[kingjammy24]

Ripken wasn't called up "on a moment's notice" (which generally occurs when one player is injured or suddenly released). It was well planned that he would join the parent club as soon as the player's strike was over in '81 (his debut as a pinch runner was the first game back after the strike). He may have even made the Orioles in the spring that year, but the Orioles were fearful that a strike would occur and they chose to send him to AAA so that he could play.

you probably know far more about ripken than me. however, how do you explain:

1) the letter stating that ripken wasn't expected to make the club until 1983

2) the shipment of LVSs on 8/6/81 to rochester? the players strike was in july. if it was well-planned that he was to join the club as soon as it was over, why have an entire order to go rochester and then lug them to baltimore when you could just have them sent straight to baltimore?

are you implying that ripken did indeed place an order for his orioles shirts and that spares were not used? if so, that contradicts the letter. i'm not saying either is right or wrong. i'm simply that saying that it seems likely that he was issued spares and that customized jerseys aren't spares.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

from Ripken's book "The Only Way I Know":

"Despite a pretty good camp and Jim Palmer's accolade that I was now the best athlete on hand, I was eventually cut and assigned to the minor league camp, and from there to the Triple-A team in Rochester. I wasn't disappointed...Also I'd known I wasn't going to make the Orioles straight out of Double-A anyway...Also the club had openings in 1977, when Reggie Jackson and Bobby Grich left for free agency, and it didn't have openings in 1981. As far back as I can remember Dad had sat down one day every winter and listed the roster of the forty players invited to spring training and a second list of the twenty five players he thought would still be around with the Orioles on Opening Day. He had compiled other lists for the minor league teams. In 1981 I was on the long list for the spring camp, but not on the short one for the final team. There wasn't a spot for me...
When I left the Major League camp, Ray Miller said my having a good year in Rochester might help the big club win 105 games. I hoped so...
On August 8, Doc Edwards told me in the clubhouse that I'd been called to Baltimore. The Major League clubs had been allowed to expand their rosters by two players. Jeff Schneider and I were the choices for the Orioles. I knew about the new positions, of course, and I'd been hopeful because I was playing well, but it was still a surprise...At the same time, I was afraid this wasn't "for real". The Orioles didn't have a place for me to play, not full-time, which is what I wanted. Doug DeCinces was the third baseman, and a very good one. His back had been a problem that year and so had his shoulder, and noone could be sure he'd be ready to play after the strike layoff, but I wasn't likely to push Doug aside if he stayed healthy..."

anyway, if you read the book, it's apparent that the Orioles made the big decision on Ripken in winter of 1981. 1981 was a surprise, 1982 wasn't.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

at a minimum, i think the Orioles letter contradicts itself/the jersey.

"..there was no 1981 uniform pre-made for him"

if, as the letter states, there was no 1981 jersey "pre-made" (ordered specifically) for ripken then why does the jersey have a 3" customization? the letter, from the asst. equipment manager, explicitly states they didn't have a jersey waiting for ripken in 1981 so who ordered the customization?

i also find it a little odd that ripken was given 2 road jerseys for the 20 road games he was on the roster for from a cheap club like Orioles. after sept 4, he had no plate appearances. he played 7 road games in 1981.

rudy.

[commando]

at a minimum, i think the Orioles letter contradicts itself/the jersey.

"..there was no 1981 uniform pre-made for him"

if, as the letter states, there was no 1981 jersey "pre-made" (ordered specifically) for ripken then why does the jersey have a 3" customization? the letter, from the asst. equipment manager, explicitly states they didn't have a jersey waiting for ripken in 1981 so who ordered the customization?

i also find it a little odd that ripken was given 2 road jerseys for the 20 road games he was on the roster for from a cheap club like Orioles. after sept 4, he had no plate appearances. he played 7 road games in 1981.

rudy.

While I have no specific knowledge of the Orioles, wouldn't teams have a large variety of blanks on hand -- including jerseys with extra length? Since these customizations are made on the factory level, it's safe to say that 3" blanks, stored in the clubhouse and ready when needed, are not that big a deal.

[Danny899]

at a minimum, i think the Orioles letter contradicts itself/the jersey.

"..there was no 1981 uniform pre-made for him"

if, as the letter states, there was no 1981 jersey "pre-made" (ordered specifically) for ripken then why does the jersey have a 3" customization? the letter, from the asst. equipment manager, explicitly states they didn't have a jersey waiting for ripken in 1981 so who ordered the customization?

i also find it a little odd that ripken was given 2 road jerseys for the 20 road games he was on the roster for from a cheap club like Orioles. after sept 4, he had no plate appearances. he played 7 road games in 1981.

rudy.
Rudy,
I stand corrected from my last post. I believed you thought the jersey was still good, however some indicators, specifically the card issue were of concern to you. Now after reading your many posts it's apparent you don't think it's good. Which is fine, everyone has opinions here. You ask who ordered the customization in one of your threads. My answer is nobody did. I think, and this is just me, many times a team will pull a blank jersey for a call up or a sudden trade and put the name and number on the jersey. Especially a late season rookie call up. Certainly you know this? This one just happened to have the "custom 3" This is not unusual and happens quite often. I'll end my contribution to this thread by stating that I think this Ripken jersey is a great piece. It's just not worth 100G.

[ironmanfan]

from Ripken's book "The Only Way I Know":

"Despite a pretty good camp and Jim Palmer's accolade that I was now the best athlete on hand, I was eventually cut and assigned to the minor league camp, and from there to the Triple-A team in Rochester. I wasn't disappointed...Also I'd known I wasn't going to make the Orioles straight out of Double-A anyway...Also the club had openings in 1977, when Reggie Jackson and Bobby Grich left for free agency, and it didn't have openings in 1981. As far back as I can remember Dad had sat down one day every winter and listed the roster of the forty players invited to spring training and a second list of the twenty five players he thought would still be around with the Orioles on Opening Day. He had compiled other lists for the minor league teams. In 1981 I was on the long list for the spring camp, but not on the short one for the final team. There wasn't a spot for me...
When I left the Major League camp, Ray Miller said my having a good year in Rochester might help the big club win 105 games. I hoped so...
On August 8, Doc Edwards told me in the clubhouse that I'd been called to Baltimore. The Major League clubs had been allowed to expand their rosters by two players. Jeff Schneider and I were the choices for the Orioles. I knew about the new positions, of course, and I'd been hopeful because I was playing well, but it was still a surprise...At the same time, I was afraid this wasn't "for real". The Orioles didn't have a place for me to play, not full-time, which is what I wanted. Doug DeCinces was the third baseman, and a very good one. His back had been a problem that year and so had his shoulder, and noone could be sure he'd be ready to play after the strike layoff, but I wasn't likely to push Doug aside if he stayed healthy..."

anyway, if you read the book, it's apparent that the Orioles made the big decision on Ripken in winter of 1981. 1981 was a surprise, 1982 wasn't.

rudy.

My favorite passage in Ripken's autobiography comes on page 298

[kingjammy24]

While I have no specific knowledge of the Orioles, wouldn't teams have a large variety of blanks on hand -- including jerseys with extra length? Since these customizations are made on the factory level, it's safe to say that 3" blanks, stored in the clubhouse and ready when needed, are not that big a deal.

you've boiled the issue down to the essential question: are blanks ordered with or without customizations? my opinion is that they aren't. i don't believe it makes much sense. i believe they'd order a variety of sizes but not customizations because customizations aren't common. 3" of extra length in 1981 would be uncommon. why purchase atypical blanks especially if you're a cheap team like the Orioles? most of them would end up wasted. it'd be like ordering twenty size 52s in 1981. you'd order blanks that would have the likeliest appeal. 42s, 44s, 46s, a few 48s. you think they'd then go ahead and also order ones with 1" extra length, 2" extra length, 3" extra length? where do you stop? of course, this is all conjecture on my end as i've never worked in a major league clubhouse. maybe they did order blanks with atypical customizations.

to me, a more likely scenario with the ripken jersey, if legit, is that it was made up from another players jersey and that player had ordered the 3" extra length. johnny oriole made the squad, ordered his custom jersey, got cut or traded, then cal came along and liked the 44+3" and the orioles stripped the nameplate off and put ripkens on. of course this would mean there'd be evidence of an alteration.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Rudy,
I stand corrected from my last post. I believed you thought the jersey was still good, however some indicators, specifically the card issue were of concern to you. Now after reading your many posts it's apparent you don't think it's good. Which is fine, everyone has opinions here. You ask who ordered the customization in one of your threads. My answer is nobody did. I think, and this is just me, many times a team will pull a blank jersey for a call up or a sudden trade and put the name and number on the jersey. Especially a late season rookie call up. Certainly you know this? This one just happened to have the "custom 3" This is not unusual and happens quite often. I'll end my contribution to this thread by stating that I think this Ripken jersey is a great piece. It's just not worth 100G.

initially i had no opinion on the jersey either way. i solely meant to point out that there were 2 of these things out there and both purported to be the one on the card. later, the customizations started to strike me as illogical. the jersey is supposed to be a blank. the letter states as much. my personal opinion is that blanks don't have customizations.
i don't believe either ripken "isn't good". i have no opinion on them. maybe they're both good, maybe only one is, maybe neither. who knows. i'm just thinking aloud in these posts about the issue of whether a blank would or would not be customized. apparently some, including yourself, believe blanks are ordered with very specific customizations. i don't believe they are. you say "it just happened to have the 3" of extra length". to me that's the entire issue. it just happened to be customized? i find it unlikely.
i don't know which of us is right.
as for the value of the jersey, i think everyone would agree it's likely not even worth half of the ridiculous $100k amount. in 2001, the lelands one sold for $20k. i wonder how much of that value was based on the belief that there was only one of these out there in existance.

rudy.

[Rob L]

It seems to me that Rudy has not been opining on whether the jerseys are real or fake, just raising questions that should be thoroughly answered before someone would spend large sums of money. If someone is happy with the two letters, then so be it. Rudy has just brought up some potential inconsistencies. Inconsistencies don't mean there fake, but it would be nice to have some sort of answer from a knowledgeable source that can confirm that the inconsistencies are okay.

[Danny899]

you've boiled the issue down to the essential question: are blanks ordered with or without customizations? my opinion is that they aren't. i don't believe it makes much sense. i believe they'd order a variety of sizes but not customizations because customizations aren't common. 3" of extra length in 1981 would be uncommon. why purchase atypical blanks especially if you're a cheap team like the Orioles? most of them would end up wasted. it'd be like ordering twenty size 52s in 1981. you'd order blanks that would have the likeliest appeal. 42s, 44s, 46s, a few 48s. you think they'd then go ahead and also order ones with 1" extra length, 2" extra length, 3" extra length? where do you stop? of course, this is all conjecture on my end as i've never worked in a major league clubhouse. maybe they did order blanks with atypical customizations.


rudy.

Rudy, I had one of Rickey Henderson's first Mariners jerseys. It was a 44 with 2 inches extra length. Great typical Henderson wear on this jersey. Can you imagine Rickey, who preferred short tailored fronts wearing this? The provenance was solid and it was a great pick up. By the way, can you lend me 100G? I see a jersey I really like. :)

[kingjammy24]

Rudy, I had one of Rickey Henderson's first Mariners jerseys. It was a 44 with 2 inches extra length. Great typical Henderson wear on this jersey. Can you imagine Rickey, who preferred short tailored fronts wearing this?

hey danny

like these?:
http://lelands.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=73677

http://lelands.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=73707

actually i can't. not only did the mariners not have a single 44 blank as early in the season as may, but after getting his atypical 44+2, rickey didn't cut the hems off himself?

here's a 2000 henderson mariners gamer from man of steal:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220289749829

here's a 2000 henderson mets gamer from man of steal.."-1 length":
http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=36758

i've seen so many 2000 mariners henderson shirts. i wonder how one can know which of those shirts were his first. the provenance on your jersey ..man of steal? you know who i'd like to hear from..reid fontaine. paging mr. fontaine... mr. reid fontaine.

rudy.

[Danny899]

Ok, I give up. You're right and I'm wrong.

[cincy13]

no I'm not the seller, don't know the seller. I sell alot in this industry though, at shows and online, and I hear alot of guys discredit items when the item is out of their price range. It's ok to question the authenticity, you have to, but sometimes the level of scrutiny is ridiculous. You see Babe Ruth bats being sold at huge prices, so what if they match the records, who's to say he really used that bat? But the buyers keep buying them. I personally don't think a Ripken jersey is worth $100,000.

[kingjammy24]

breaking news, breaking news. this just in from trisha takanawa.

i was sent some pics of legit team-ordered MLB blanks (not from the Orioles or the 80s) that show customized blanks. this shoots down my idea that customized blanks don't make enough sense to order. so now i know it's actually happened. wacky stuff..customized blanks. who'd have thunk.

that said, the remaining curiosity for me is the idea there are two of these jerseys and ripken played in only 7 road games in 1981. i wonder which of the jerseys he used in those 7. is it possible he used both?

rudy.

[allstarsplus]

Sure its possible, but back in the 80's they were not giving out many jerseys so seems unlikely for 7 road games to wear 2 jerseys.

[mvandor]

Sure its possible, but back in the 80's they were not giving out many jerseys so seems unlikely for 7 road games to wear 2 jerseys.
Is it likely they make up two as SOP in case one is torn or damaged in a game, a backup?

[kingjammy24]

Is it likely they make up two as SOP in case one is torn or damaged in a game, a backup?

ripken arrived on aug 10. played in 23 games. mostly as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. spent most of his time, in his words, "riding the bench and eating sunflower seeds". in the 70s and early 80s, the practice really was to issue 2 road and 2 home to each player for the season. i suppose it's possible that ripken, despite arriving so late in the season, was issued 2 road. whether he actually used 2 road jerseys is questionable. after all, the orioles knew he wouldn't be playing much. he had 39 AB.

i don't know if the orioles ordered customized blanks in '81 but now i do know that at least 1 MLB team did in recent years. both ripken jerseys are set 1 which isn't all that odd if they were both made from blanks. maybe the difference in lengths (2"/3") results from them grabbing whatever customized blanks they had lying around.

rudy.

[sylbry]

This thought may be out in left field but is it possible that teams issued an extra jersey for players when they make their MLB debut, allowing them to keep the jersey they wore that day?