G/U Viola jersey with problems

[Swoboda4]

Currently up for bid on ebay is a Frank Viola 1996 Blue Jays game used jersey. Based on his recent primer on Blue Jays jerseys,Kingjammy24 was consulted and a few questions remain unanswered. One is why uniform number "45" when Viola wore "19" for his 6 appearances with the Jays? Why is the jersey size 50 when the slender Viola seldom wore anything but size 46? Now,#45 was worn by another player that year but in a September call up. The seller was asked these questions and in particular if he could scan and send the Toronto COA(or just e-mail what it says) which Rudy explained would be important to clear up much of these concerns. The seller hasn't answered. Does anyone have any insight about this jersey?
http://i19.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/e2/93/ea_1.JPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/Frank-Viola-Game-Worn-Jersey-Blue-Jays-1996_W0QQitemZ200013564615QQihZ010QQcategoryZ60597 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Eric]

not sure if this helps, but he was listed at 210 at the end of his career- so the size is not crazy

Signed as Free Agent by Toronto Blue Jays. February 22, 1996
Released by Toronto Blue Jays. June 5, 1996

He pitched 4 games for Knoxville before being called up to the jays. I thought they might be the blue jays which could mean this is a minor league jersey, but they're the Smokies

Any chance he was a coach for the remainder of 96 or spring training in 97?

just thinking out loud

[Eric]

Rudy-

According to your research guide, isn't that an incorrect font for the "A" in viola?
Eric

[kingjammy24]

The seller has several Jays' jerseys up for sale including a 1991 Devon White which looks good. I emailed them early Wednesday because I wanted a close-up photo of the Wilson tag on the White. I was genuinely interested in the jersey. They never responded. I do believe substantial progress could be made if they'd just scan the back of the COA.
I maintain that everything on the Viola looks good except for of course the number issue. The number really has me stumped. It's a great little mystery. I can't say it was a spring training jersey because I believe the Jays wore batting practice jerseys in spring training in 1996. Some thoughts:
- It's unlikely but could Baseball Almanac be wrong?
- Was the jersey made before Viola decided on a number change? (eg: chose #45 in Feb, had the jersey ordered and shipped and prior to/during the regular season switched to #19?)
- Did Viola wear #45 for an extremely brief time and as such it wasn't record by the Almanac?
- Was the jersey simply a mistake made by Russell and shipped to the Jays?
I have a feeling there's nothing "fake" about the jersey. (Whether it's game worn or game issued is another matter). It's just a matter of figuring out the #45 mystery. Swoboda, here's a little test: ask the seller for scans of their 2002 Jays jerseys showing the front tag. They have '02's from Loaiza, Martinez and Lopez. The front tags on those jerseys will tell you a lot.

Curiously, ESM recently sold a Jays Maldonado jersey with #0 on the back. Can't find a record of Maldonado ever wearing 0.
If it has a Jays COA, then it shouldn't be a minor league jersey as they don't sell them. Unsure about the Smokies in 96 but the minor league jerseys were usually noticeably different - ie: they'd say "Blue Jays" on a grey jersey (the Jays' grey jerseys said "Toronto" while their home whites said "Blue Jays"), or the manufacturer was different or had different manufacturer tagging or they'd have no NOB.
Perhaps a 1997 spring training invitee? Again I'm thinking they wore BP jerseys in spring training. Even if they didn't, 1997 was the first year of the redesign. Would they wear old 1996-style jerseys (with the '96 20th Anniversary patch) in 1997 spring training?
Here's a similar headscratcher: On their spreadsheet, the Jays were selling a Rance Mulliniks #5 BP jersey. Mulliniks retired in 1992. The Jays told me they only had BP jerseys from 1997+ in stock. Mulliniks was never listed as a coach. When I asked them to pull the jersey and describe it to me, they couldn't find it. HMMMMMMM. A regular Rod Serling episode.

Rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Eric: no the A on the Viola looks good. the A changed in 1995 and was also used in 1996, until the redesign occurred in 1997. In my guide, if you turn to the section on 1995 home jerseys you'll notice that the A is the same style as this Viola; a post-95 style A. (or a local lettering shop "A" which was sometimes incorrectly used on pre-95 spares). The A on the Delgado and Ward jerseys in the 1995 home jerseys section matches this Viola A.

(Even if you could care less about Jays jerseys, the difference between sharp top As and blunt top As is important to note as it actually affects a number of other teams).

The Viola looks good except for this mystery of why it's a #45. Someone needs to magically find a picture that solves this.

Rudy.

[Swoboda4]

Yesterday I re-sent another e-mail to the seller asking for basic information not provided in the ebay description. In looking at the sellers main items for sale(and in the past)it seems they sell mylar baloons and party items. So it could very well be that someone has asked this seller to put these jerseys up for bid for them. The description for the jerseys in the ebay offerings are written differently in style and in the demands for the winner after auction. In guessing then that any questions emailed may be answered after they get relayed to a second party. It funny because the seller demands payment within two days after auction but questions aren't answered in the same time frame. One of the jerseys is an Albert Belle '98 Russell that doesn't show the label and has not been touched by a bidder. Two days left for all items lets see if any questions are answered come Monday with one day left to auction.

[sylbry]

This is a set two jersey and Viola was released in the beginning of June. I find it odd that he would wear #19 for the first half of the season and #45 in the second half.

[Swoboda4]

Sylbry-I think you're on the right track. The reason I'm going to guess this happened is because Paul Molitor wore number 19 for the entire previous season so they wouldn't assign it to anybody else. So they give Viola a pitcher's number,45, and he asked for 19 and gets it when they realize Molitor signed with Minnesota for 96 as a free agent. Just spitballing.

[Swoboda4]

O.K. e-mails have been answered by the seller,kind of. The seller mailed the listing, revised with two additional photos-The COA'a front and back-and that's it,with no explanation. But you know what?-good enough. As expected based on Kingjammy24's primer on Jays COA's the verso has the code "GRJ"-GAME READY JERSEY written. It also could have read "GUJ" GAME USED,but it didn't as expected based on the number 45 which was never worn by Viola. My guess is that Viola was given this jersey to wear. He finally settled on #19(not used by Molitor after he left for Minnesota)and was given it. Why he didn't use his old number 16? One last chance since the jersey did come from the Jays-Used in Spring Training?
http://i8.ebayimg.com/04/i/07/fa/02/8b_1.JPG
http://i1.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/f6/b6/64_1.JPG