A Little Postseason Magic

I finally got the urge to watch the NL Wild Card game yesterday.  The Pirates post-season run, though disappointing, was by far the most magical point of my baseball watching life.  And nothing could top the excitement of the Wild Card game. 

It's been months since the game, and I finally decided it was time to watch the broadcast.  You see - I was at the game, sitting directly below the press box with a fantastic view of the field.  But ever since the game I've been waiting to watch the national tv broadcast - to see if the energy in the crowd and the thunderous Cueto chants were picked up by the tv cameras.

Unfortunately Pirate postseason memorabilia is fairly few and far between, unless you wanted to $20 tshirt with the post season logo or some not so catchy saying.  

I was doing my semi-regular game used jersey search on ebay a few months ago.   There were a good number of 2014 gamers listed, but mostly for coaches or players who were called up for a brief period.  In short - jerseys that probably had little to no actual game use.  But one jersey caught my eye.  Jeff Karstens didn't pitch all season in 2013, though he did spend a lot of time looking goofy in the dugout.  

But it wasn't the name on the back that caught my eye.  It was what was on the side of the sleeve.

I couldn't get to that BIN fast enough.  Even if it was only game-issued, the number of playoff jerseys out there is incredibly limited.  And of those, most were auctioned off at prices that I would frankly never pay.  

I can't recall if Karstens was in the dugout during the playoffs, but if he was this was certainly the jersey he would have on if he was wearing one.  If not, the postseason patch still makes this an amazing piece of Pirates history.

My game used collection has grown significantly over the last few years.  I always told myself that I would only buy jerseys that I knew were game worn - not just game issued.  But this was a rare case that seemed like it could be a once in a lifetime chance.  Of the other playoff jerseys, only the Pedro Alvarez and Jason Grilli have surfaced online, and both are listed at insane prices.

For now, this guy is going to stay bagged away.  But I can guarantee this will be one of the first pieces to be put out when the day finally comes when I have a house and mancave of my own.  Besides, what color looks better than black in Buctober?