Felipe Lopez Signed Game-Worn Jersey

In my previous post about a few private signings that I got baseballs from, I made reference to one more item that I got from Felipe Lopez. Well, here it is.

This jersey is game-worn and is from his time with the Milwaukee Brewers. He had two short stints with the team, playing 66 games for them in 2006, and finished his career with them in 2011 with 16 games. His partial season in '06 was actually pretty good, as he batted .320 with 20 doubles and 32 RBIs before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in the off-season.

There were actually a few Lopez jerseys up for sale. In addition to this one, there was also Cardinals away, Puerto Rico WBC away, and Boston Red Sox home & red, plus a Puerto Rico WBC game-used batting helmet. I'm not a huge fan of any of the teams in particular, so I simply made my decision on what I thought would look cooler. Milwaukee home it is!

Being an owner of a couple replica MLB jerseys and a couple gamers from our local independent league team, these MLB gamers are (no pun intended) in a league of their own. Right away, from the first time I picked the jersey up, I could tell a difference. It's a thicker, stronger fabric, that feels soft, but is built for durability. There is also a separate, more ventilated fabric beneath the armpits for added comfort.

Of course, the most noticeable part of an authentic jersey is the intricate patches that are the name and numbers. The Brewers have their lettering using an off-set design of blue, on top of a white border, on top of a gold backing. The letters look great, but you can really see the colors with the larger type of the jersey number. The font they use also work out perfectly in this case. The solid block in the middle of the "3" is perfect for Lopez, whose signature is as tall as it is long.

The other patches look great, too. There is a lot of intricacy in the "Brewers" script on the front of the jersey and the number on the bottom right is a nice touch. One of the other pieces that drew me to this particular jersey was the sleeve patch of their secondary logo on the left arm. Not all teams have them, so it's definitely nice to get that little extra, especially when it looks as nice as this one does.

Lastly, are the few extra element the certify this as a top-of-the-line collectible. The first is the patch on all authentic jerseys, usually toward the bottom of the front, that certifies it as authentic. That is on the gamers, as well, as store-bought jerseys. What makes this one stand out as a game-used item, is the patch on the collar reading "09 LOPEZ 48 2022." From what I can tell the "09" is from the year he wore this and the "48" is the size, but I'm not sure what the "2022" is for.

I was very happy to have this item added to my collection, as the Brewers make some great looking jerseys. Not sure if I'll be adding any more any time soon, but I will say, my curiosity has definitely been peaked.

TTM Returns: Week Ending 2-10-18

Here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the week ending February 10, 2018:

Dan Plesac

Joe Borowski

Shawn Boskie

Mitch Haniger

TTM Returns: Week Ending 2-3-18

Here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the week ending February 3, 2018:

Donnie Dewees

Greg Adams

John Tudor

Baseballs from a Few Private Signings

I just added a few more baseballs to my collection courtesy of my good friend Darrell, who runs a number of private signings throughout the year, at Halkman Sports.

It all started with a Roy Oswalt signing that took place last Summer. I was excited to find out that Darrell was putting together a signing with him. I grew up in the Houston area, and he was one of my favorite Astros of the 2000s. He was a big part of the Astros' run to the World Series in 2005, and was named the NLCS MVP. I sent in a 2011 Heritage card to be signed and ordered a baseball, as well. The card came back soon after the signing, but due to the confusion of different orders being submitted at different times, the ball did not arrive with it. I'm good friends with Darrel, and trust him completely, so I knew it would make it's way eventually. After a few messages back and forth, I finally got the ball in the mail to go with the card I got earlier.

It took longer then expected, but like I said, that was ok. I knew it would be on the way before too long, so I was patient. Still, Darrell felt bad for the wait, and sent me another ball to go along with it, free of charge! This one is from a signing he did last year with former Major League outfielder Jacque Jones. It is absolutely perfect for me, as I am a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and live in Minnesota, and Jones played all but one season on his MLB career with either of those two teams.

Lastly, is another throw-in from Darrell's most recent signing, with former Major League shortstop Felip Lopez. He was quite the journeyman, playing for eight different teams (including two stops in St. Louis and Milwaukee) during his 11-year career. His longest tenure with a team is three years with the Cincinnati Reds, which included his best season, when he made the 2005 All-Star Team. Of course, I had to get a ball with that inscription, which always makes it look better.

Speaking of Felipe Lopez. there is one more item of his that I have to show off. In fact, it was the item that actually sparked the initial exchange that resulted in this delivery, but that will have to wait for another day.