RYAN SANDBERG Phillies game used jersey HELP!!

[joelsabi]

Dave (sox83cubs84),

How common were names on the the back of minor league jerseys in 1980?

[cubbs1232]

Fun and aggravating at the same time. I talked to the guy i got it from for a little while last night and he said he got it during Spring Training from Sandberg, he just cant remember the year. So is it pausible Sandberg brought it with him to Spring Training? He also said while he was working in their minor league system he saw some guys change numbers 3 or 4 times.

As far as the minor league jersey angle it could be Helena Phils '78, Spartanburg Phils '79, or Reading Phils '80. Cant be OKC as they had a totally different name and logo.

[joelsabi]

Ryne Sandberg (INF, 1981): "1979 at Carpenter Complex, and my uniform number was 8, after Larry Rojas. We stayed at the Days Inn up on 19. Roommate was Ray Boricki first, and then Ed Hearn.

"A bus took us from the hotel to Carpenter. As the bus drove in the driveway at the complex on the first say, Pete Rose was in the batting cages. When I got off the bus, I stopped and just watched him. All I saw was line drives; I was thinking, 'WOW, that's Pete Rose.'"

With a process of elimination, if it is from ST, perhaps 1980 ST.

Was searching when Ryne was an ST invite.
http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com...s_phi&c_id=phi

If anything Sandberg has a good memory and you will have success getting an answer in ST.

[cubbs1232]

ive been on youtube for about 4 hours watching old ST games, just watched Cubs vs Phils, man those are some memories

guess i shouldve spelled his name right in the title too

[sox83cubs84]

Dave (sox83cubs84),

How common were names on the the back of minor league jerseys in 1980?

Virtually unheard of.

Dave Miedema

[cubbs1232]

Ive been emailing an employee with the Reading Phillies today and he too was stumped. He said he knows up to the mid 70s they didnt have nob especially on road jerseys and that he doesnt remember if they ever had names on them.

He said the size, Wilson tag style, nameplate style and stitching on both look correct but the fact its a pullover, wash tag location and the number has him stumped. His thought was maybe it was brought up by him for ST and the nameplate was added by the mlb clubhouse. Im starting to think this is a lost cause and my only hope is that Ryne remembers something

[commando]

Based on the fact that there is a player name on the back, as well as being a high number for an infielder (49), I would think this is almost certainly a spring training jersey. It might be team-issued but not worn. There's even the possibility that there was a Sanderg nameplate left laying around after he departed to the Cubs, and someone in the clubhouse attached it to the back of a spare jersey.

If at all possible, I would try to get a letter from the guy who gave you the shirt. Whether or not the mystery is solved in the future, you at least want to have written provenance that it did indeed come from the Phillies organization. I think the item is beautiful, and is certainly a unique, mysterious piece.

[cubbs1232]

Yeah I had him write a loa today when i went to his house to buy a bunch of autographed Phillies baseballs( Kruk, Rose, Schmidt, Ashburn,etc.). I love this thing being a huge Cubs/Mark Grace/Rhyno fan. Its a great piece in my opinion, even though I hate the Phils .

I thank everyone for their help on this and if I learn anything new I will be sure to share.

[cubbs1232]

So the great Howard Wolf helped me out and told me its an Instructional league style jersey. The tagging is from 1979+ and he said the nameplates are usually stuck on with velcro. This namplate is sewn on but you can see the velcro when you turn the jersey inside out. Im going to a Charity event early next month where he will be in attendance so i hope to get it signed and hopefully a verification that it was his.