ATTENTION: ALL CHICAGO WHITE SOX AND OR RARE JERSEY FANS! NOW HERE’S A VERY INTERESTING PIECE HERE FOR EVERYONE. IT IS A VERY POPULAR STYLE NOW FOR COLLECTORS BUT AT THE TIME WHEN IT CAME OUT IT DREW ALOT OF CRITICISM. THIS IS THE FAMOUS JERSEY THAT THE SOX ALSO WORE SHORTS WITH AT THE TIME FOR I THINK ONLY TWO MLB GAMES. IT IS MADE BY RAWLINGS AND THEY ALSO USED THE JAPANESE COMPANY CAPITAL ACE TO MAKE THESE AT THE TIME. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH ON THIS PIECE, THE ONLY PERSON THAT WOULD BE CLOSE TO WEARING IT WOULD BE A FRED HOWARD WHO PITCHED FOR THE SOX IN 1979. STRUCTURALLY HE WOULD PROBABLY WEAR THIS SIZE 46 AS HE IS LISTED AT 6’3 & 190 POUNDS. A 46 BACK THEN WOULD BE CONSIDERED A PRETTY BIG SIZE & ITS ACTUALLY HARD TO FIND ANYTHING OVER A SIZE 44 THESE DAYS IN THESE OLDER CLASSICS. ACCORDING TO ALL RECORDS HE WAS #41 WHEN HE PITCHED FOR THE SOX IN 1979 SO THATS WHERE THE CONFUSION COMES IN. UPON CLOSE INSPECTION IT REALLY DOESNT LOOK TO ME LIKE THERE WAS A NAME OR NUMBER CHANGE ON THIS PIECE. SEE THE ATTACHED PHOTOS TO GET A CLOSE UP GLIMPSE OF THE JERSEY TURNED INSIDE OUT TO CHECK & GET A BETTER LOOK. THERE IS NO WAY TO PROVE OR TO TELL ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL. FRED HOWARD PLAYED IN 28 MLB GAMES WITH 6 STARTS. AND THIS IS THE ONLY SEASON THAT HE PLAYED IN THE MAJORS SO WHO KNOWS? MAYBE HE WORE IT IN SPRING TRAINING AS AN ARTICLE I READ ABOUT HIM SAID HE WAS IN THE WHITE SOX CAMP IN 1980 BUT DID NOT MAKE THE TEAM OUT OF SPRING TRAINING THAT YEAR. EITHER WAY, THIS IS A VERY COOL PIECE HAVING A TAPERED LOOK TO IT WITH THE HEM ALONG THE BOTTOM (see pics) OF THE JERSEY. THE MEASUREMENTS ARE: 25 INCHES FROM ARMPIT TO ARMPIT & 27 INCHES FROM TOP OF BACK COLLAR TO BOTTOM OF FRONT HEM. IT MIGHT HAVE SHRUNK UP A BIT FROM WASHINGS ALL THESE YEARS BUT THE JERSEY OVERALL IS VERY CLEAN AND THE LETTERS AND NUMBERS ARE ALSO PRETTY GOOD FOR BEING 45 YEARS OLD!! LIKE I SAID IT DOESNT REALLY LOOK LIKE A NAME OR NUMBER CHANGE HAD BEEN DONE AS THIS WAS VERY COMMON TO RECYCLE THESE OLDER JERSEYS BY THE SOX & THEIR MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATES. A BIT OF FRED HOWARD MLB TRIVIA IS THAT HE WAS THE PITCHER OF RECORD THAT PITCHED THE FIRST GAME OF THE DOUBLE HEADER THAT WAS CANCELED AGAINST THE TIGERS & FORFEITED BY THE SOX FOR THE FAMOUS DISCO DEMOLITION GAME AT THE ORIGINAL COMISKEY PARK ON JULY 12th 1979. THIS GREAT PIECE IS FROM MY PERSONAL COLLECTION OF RARE AND VERY COOL GAME WORN JERSEYS THAT TOOK OVER 20 YEARS TO ASSEMBLE. DONT MISS THIS GREAT JERSEY & MAKE MY LOSS YOUR GAIN AND OWN A VERY POSSIBLE PIECE OF MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY. SERIOUS OFFERS WILL BE ENTERTAINED AS I REALLY NEED TO SELL THIS AND MY OTHER ITEMS TO PAY FOR MEDICAL BILLS DEALING WITH MY NEUROLOGICAL DISABILITIES.
