Game Worn Torre Mets Manager BP

[Doodles]

The Torre jersey below appears in GF Auction described as "1981 Joe Torre NY Mets Managers Worn Batting Practice Jersey."

The TORRE immediately did not look right to me...color and outline thickness looks off. Then of course, the Mets never wore names on back of BP jereys until the mid-90s. The jersey is actually a 1982 road alternate jersey like the one in this picture...Torre was fired in 1981 though and never wore that one either. I am baffled by this auction item.

[TNTtoys]

Re: Game Worn Torre Mets Manager BP

Steve,

This jersey IS a 1982 road alternate jersey, but not of Torre. The nameplates of these jerseys were all stripped off after the season and the jerseys were recycled. Someone who purchased the jersey at some later date either had no idea what he had or got creative. While I hope for the former and not the latter, the tagging appears to have been changed to look like BP tagging and not alternate gamer tagging (no set flag tag; no strip tag). Then again, the BP tags during 81-83 were in the TAIL of the jersey, not the neckline.

Oddly the authenticator didn't notice that the jersey material is much heavier than batting practice material (very lightweight poly), nor the style, nor the tagging... but I guess a quantum leap to this being a Joe Torre jersey was feasible just because his name was on the back? (which is also amusing because Mets BPs NEVER had names on the backs. This was first done by the team in 1995). Maybe the authenticator should have also looked into Torre's SIZE at the time which is NOT the same as the jersey at auction. Too much to ask for?

Whatever the case, this jersey was NEVER worn on the field by the Mets in batting practice or by Joe Torre. The only time the Mets ever had blue in their sleeve stripes was the 82 alternate. Period. End of story.

[Doodles]

Re: Game Worn Torre Mets Manager BP

Agree with all...this may actually be the jersey of another future WS champion manager...Bruce Bochy wore 9 in 1982.