Try these on for size
By Jim Caple
Page 2 columnist

J. Ruben Rivera

"Memorabilia for the Adventurous Sports Fan"

Spring 2002 Catalogue

My hardy buyers have again braved the tiger-populated jungles of Myanmar, the icy mountain-tops of the Himalayas and the unguarded lockers of the Yankees spring training clubhouse in Tampa to bring you the very best in sports memorabilia. All items are fully guaranteed to be 110 percent authentic ... just don't ask too many questions.

(Sorry - due to the extraordinary nature of this sale, I cannot accept credit cards, checks or money orders.)

Kurt Snibbe Sportoon
Cartoonist Kurt Snibbe finds a steal of a deal online.
Roger Clemens game-worn jersey: The difference between a major-leaguer and the right fielder on your company softball team? Talent, yes, but the quality of the uniform, too. Your jersey is a thin T-shirt with the name of a local sports bar cheaply stenciled across the front. Theirs is a superbly crafted garment of breathable cotton that keeps you cool during those August doubleheaders and warm during those cool October nights. The hand-stitching will last through repeated seasons and the pinstripes provide a natural slimming effect. Your heart will beat just a little faster under the classic Tiffany-designed NY logo on the breast. And when people see the 22 on the back, they'll remember Mike Piazza face down in the crimson-tinted dirt on a hot July evening, and give you room to pass, never knowing that you earned this rugged cloth not with a 97-mile heater but with just $700 in tens and twenties.

Derek Jeter's World Series rings: Terra-cotta façades. Shadows creeping across the infield. A sellout crowd shouting and stomping its feet as the Bombers cross those alabaster chalk lines. Is there a more spirited place than Yankee Stadium in the autumn? Now you can enjoy that feeling year-round with one of these diamond-encrusted gems on your fat little fingers. Ernie Banks played two decades and went deep 512 times without coming close to a World Series ring, but now you can have one for just $50,000.

Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams' American Express card: A late night in a steamy Atlanta strip club. Your friends are enjoying another round of micro-brews. Then a lingerie-clad woman sidles up and whispers phrases into your ear that would make a cheap whore on the backstreets of Bangkok blush. Suddenly, the swarthy manager pulls you aside and tells you you're over your credit limit and directs his Burmese gorilla bouncers to escort you into the vomit-speckled alley. But you need never endure this embarrassment again because Bernie's Amex card doesn't have a pre-set spending limit. Best of all, the bills never show up in your mailbox, so no monthly payments -- and no prying questions from a suspicious spouse. Is $16,000 too much to ask for peace of mind?

Brian Cashman's checkbook: A left-handed setup man? A home-run slugging free agent first baseman? Or just a flat-screen television set for your crib? Buy them all -- no item is beyond your price range. Spend like a drunk Arab sheik on the oil-rich streets of Kuwait -- or at least until the blank checks run out. Is $12,000 too high a price for unlimited wealth?

Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joe Torre's wallet: Sure, you'll stand taller and walk with a confident strut when you feel this hand-crafted leather gem filling your backpocket. But it's when you sit down that you'll truly appreciate the Corsican calf hide and Patagonia silk lining -- it will be as if you're sitting alongside Joe in his office, filling out the world's greatest lineup with him. And just think how impressed people will be at parties when you open this wallet and show them photos of Joe's family. Bobby V. would hire a desperate band of Kashmir assassins for this wallet but it's yours for just $800.

Orlando Hernandez
Orlando Hernandez
Orlando Hernandez's car stereo: Just like El Duque himself, you'll feel the years melt away as you drive up to a South Beach hotspot with salsa music spilling from the speakers of this 45-watt, four-channel Blaupunkt black beauty. Mini-skirted hotties will go weak in the knees and valets will line up to park your car when they hear the sound quality provided by the state-of-the-art CD DigiCeiver, CD Changer Control, DSA Digistal Sound Adjusting and DNC Noise Covering. Comes with El Duque's personal collection of Latin disks. Listening to the Buena Vista Social Club, it will be as if you're back in 1950s Havana, drinking mojitos and enjoying the riches of the corrupt Batista government. Best of all, it removes quickly for easy transport. That's good, because I won't install it, not when I'm asking only $500.

George Steinbrenner's hubcaps: Your ego will swell so much that you'll barely be able to fit behind the wheel when driving your car with these silver-plated, custom-designed jewels. Each is embossed in 14-carat gold leaf with the Steinbrenner family crest -- a $100 bill rising grandly over an open mouth. Perfect for the limo. Take a spin through the mean streets of the Bronx with these on and you'll feel an irresistible urge to fire the manager and harass Dave Winfield. All in near-mint condition, other than a few scratches from the crowbar. A miserable small-market owner from the beer-soaked streets of Milwaukee could never afford such opulence but you can have them for just $1,000 apiece or the set of four for $3,300.

Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com.





SHOPPING SPREE

ALSO SEE:


Jim Caple Archive

Johnson: This collectible is a real steal





ESPN TOOLS
 
Email story
 
Most sent
 
Print story
 





espn Page 2 index