Sosa T-shirt

[Bergy92]

Hey, where can I get a Sosa tshirt for kids, my son really wants one for some reason (9 years old). Any idea where I might get one. i was thinking not a jersey, don't want to spend 100+ dollars. thanks,

[BCVM22]

Sosa's been gone long enough that most retailers have been able to rid themselves of what was, I'm sure, a boatload of leftover t-shirts and merchandise. My advice is to run through the clearance sections of online retailers like Star Struck and MLB.com and the websites of the Wrigleyville stores and see if any of them have a Sosa shirt left in the proverbial back room.

 

Barring that, you could buy him one of those pinstriped ringer t-shirts and then work some fabric marker magic on the back. DIY Sosa t-shirt.

[Butterscup1679666578]

you can just customize a jersey shirt on mlb.com.

[BCVM22]

you can just customize a jersey shirt on mlb.com.

 

Tried it. "SOSA 21" won't go through per the retired players rule.

[Butterscup1679666578]

you can just customize a jersey shirt on mlb.com.

 

Tried it. "SOSA 21" won't go through per the retired players rule.

 

oh yeah, i completely forgot about that

[DiamondMind]

you can just customize a jersey shirt on mlb.com.

 

Tried it. "SOSA 21" won't go through per the retired players rule.

 

Seriously? What is the reasoning behind that?

[BCVM22]

I imagine that first and foremost, it's because retired players are no longer part of the MLBPA and therefore MLB and their licenscees no longer have the license to produce merchandise with their name and number on it and as such, however unlikely such an outcome might be, a retired player could sue Majestic Athletic or whoever for using their name to sell t-shirts. The reverse of this is true as well - when Fukudome came over from Japan, Majestic couldn't start producing FUKUDOME 1 merchandise until Fukudome had officially signed his contract and MLB had it on record that Kosuke was officially part of the MLBPA.

 

To a lesser degree, it's so that for the more prominant retired players (usually the retired number set for any given team), they can premake those t-shirts (SANTO 10, SANDBERG 23, etc.) and sell those instead.

[DiamondMind]

That's ridiculous. What if it was for a player with a common last name like Smith?

[BCVM22]

The only restriction is the exact combination of the player's name and number. Not that this needs an example, but say your fictional Smith retired wearing the number 1. You'd be able to customize a shirt with the name Smith and any one of the other hundred available numbers (0, 00 and 2-99), you simply wouldn't be able to customize a SMITH 1 shirt. Alternately, if you fudged the name a bit (say, R SMITH), you could then put that on a shirt with no. 1.

 

I know it seems ridiculous, but my guess was always that they were just protecting their rear ends so that no retired player could have a case that they were profiting from his name via jersey image (the exact combination of his name and number). The MLBPA licensing thing is serious business. For the rare player who isn't a member of the player's association (Kevin Millar, for example), that player's name and/or likeness can't be used in any sort of licensed product for this very reason, because the MLBPA doesn't have the catch-all legal permission to use it/them.

[DiamondMind]

Ozzie was definitely who I was referring to, it's just who came to mind. Eh, that's too bad. You'd think they'd find a way to both make money AND make everyone happy. The only reason this is bothering me is I was also thinking of trying to obtain a Dawson or Maddux Cubs jersey in the near future. Anyway, thanks for the info/reasoning. :)

[BCVM22]

I don't know how feasible it is for you, but any of the Wrigleyville set - Cub World, Clark Street Sports, Wrigleyville Sports - carry Dawson and Maddux stuff in-store and online. Guys like that, who were unilaterally popular enough (in both cases) and still fairly recent as a player (Maddux was a Cub as recently as 2006), aren't hard to find, merchandise-wise. It's guys like Sosa, who were polarizing as a Cub and while departing and who haven't been a Cub for many years but just now retired, that can be difficult.

[Abe Frohman]

There is a PLETHORA of Sosa stuff on Ebay.....

 

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=sosa+shirt&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/03/!BUTG2eg!2k~$(KGrHgoH-CUEjlLlvzuyBKMy8ZUrE!~~_35.JPG

[Old Style]

I don't know how feasible it is for you, but any of the Wrigleyville set - Cub World, Clark Street Sports, Wrigleyville Sports - carry Dawson and Maddux stuff in-store and online. Guys like that, who were unilaterally popular enough (in both cases) and still fairly recent as a player (Maddux was a Cub as recently as 2006), aren't hard to find, merchandise-wise. It's guys like Sosa, who were polarizing as a Cub and while departing and who haven't been a Cub for many years but just now retired, that can be difficult.

Damn. They even carry authentic Jeff Baker and David Patton jerseys there. They have EVERYTHING. :shock:

[Wrong Sider]

Just as an aside, If you put in the name SSOSA and #21, it will allow you to do that. You can then take the extra "S" off.

http://i28.tinypic.com/orqzol.jpg

[chasinf5s]

Just as an aside, If you put in the name SSOSA and #21, it will allow you to do that. You can then take the extra "S" off.

http://i28.tinypic.com/orqzol.jpg

 

 

Majestic also glues their letters on so its not as easy as you would think

[Buford T Justice]

I've got a Sosa replica Gray Away jersey I'd sell ya for 20 bucks.

[Garwilly]

While on my way to the game on Saturday, the tent next to Casey Moran's (Clark and Waveland) was having a clearnace sale.

 

Everything there was $5, and there were some Sosa Tshirt jerseys.

[Bergy92]

Thanks, I got one off of ebay, a kids medium, white pinstripe...he is totally pumped! I hope it comes before Rockies series

[big_shooter17]

Just as an aside, If you put in the name SSOSA and #21, it will allow you to do that. You can then take the extra "S" off.

http://i28.tinypic.com/orqzol.jpg

 

 

Majestic also glues their letters on so its not as easy as you would think

And it wouldn't be centered

[SouthSideRyan]

Just as an aside, If you put in the name SSOSA and #21, it will allow you to do that. You can then take the extra "S" off.

http://i28.tinypic.com/orqzol.jpg

 

 

Majestic also glues their letters on so its not as easy as you would think

And it wouldn't be centered

 

Then you get SSOSAS and tell people you have a speech impediment.

[Guest]

Thanks, I got one off of ebay, a kids medium, white pinstripe...he is totally pumped! I hope it comes before Rockies series

 

And the retired players non association misses out on a golden opportunity to help their retirement.

 

Seriously, with EBay making it where you can get anything you want, why not organize a way to continue making money on your name even after you retire? Set up the same type of deal the MLBPA has with these different vendors.

 

Oh, and there are tons of companies out there that can make even better shirts than you can buy through MLB. You just have to do a little searching and then make sure they are reputable.

 

A week after I received my new Jay Cutler jersey, I met a guy who can and will make whatever shirt I want made. And it's authentic game jerseys. He was sporting a Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl leather jacket that made me drool, and I absolutely hate the Steelers.