Ron Darling shoes / Shoe Size

[David]

Hi, I have a question about a pair of Oakland A's Ron Darling shoes, in particular the size.

I obtained the 'game worn' shoes as part of a large autograph collection. The shoes were signed by Darling and originate from the collection of a 1980s-90s MLB clubhouse manager who would have had in person contact with players for many AL teams (many of the other autographs were belonged to him). They show legitimate wear, including heavy wear to the toes, dirt and even some grass leaves inside, and are the correct brand and style for Darling when he played for the A's (I compared to a the picture on a Topps card).

My main issue is the shoes are size 9-1/2, while Darling was I think 6'"3". I've searched high and low to see what size shoes Darling wore, but have found nothing. Does anyone have an opinion on this size, considering 9.5 would offhand seem small for someone that tall?

Thanks

[bfriedman]

We had a meet and greet event with Ron Darling and John Maine last night. During a live auction, which Darling was conducting, he had a pair of game used cleats of current player. He said that they were size 13, which is the same size he wears. I'm sure he was talking about the shoes he was wearing but that is an awfully big difference between size 13 and 9.5

Brett Friedman
Steiner Sports
bfriedman@steinersports.com

[David]

Brett, thanks for the input. I was working under the assumption that a 6'3" baseball player would wear a larger size, so I'm far from shocked to hear he wore 13.