An auction recently popped up for an interesting item that I had to throw down a bid on. The item in question is a pair of Munenori Kawasaki's game-used pants. I didn't expect to win the auction, but I wound up as the winning bidder.
They arrived in the mail today, and it looks like they are packaged in the bag they came in. They come from Kawasaki's stint with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
Cross-checking the official MLB hologram tells me that these pants are part of a throwback uniform the Cubs wore in a game against the Reds on July 6th, 2016. Kawasaki didn't appear in that game, as he only made 14 appearances on the year, with his only July appearance coming on the 9th of the month. So these pants are less game-used and more dugout-used. Probably still more relevant than many of the 'event-worn' relics out there.
The pants show a decent amount of dirt and grime for being worn once without a game appearance. That's fine with me. I wish I could find a picture of him from that game, but so far my search has been fruitless. This is a pretty cool item for my collection, especially since I got it for about what a handful of Kawasaki relic cards would sell for.
One of my favorite independent wrestlers, Jazzy 'Alpha Female' Gabert, also has had a couple of MMA fights. She had a neck injury a few months ago, and to help cover her expenses while recovering from surgery, she put some items from her first MMA fight up for sale. I wasn't able to get her ring gear, but I did buy the gear she wore for the weigh-in.
I do have pictures from that event. Here she is flexing on the scale, with all the sponsor logos behind her.
And here is the traditional staredown with her opponent, Manuela Kuhse, before the fight in Iron Fighters Organization (IFO) 3 on October 15, 2016. Gabert would win this fight by TKO in the 2nd round.
She sent along an autographed copy of a photo from that day. I thought that was pretty nice.
And here is the actual gear. She autographed each piece, although it's kind of hard to see in the photos. I don't know how much game- and event-worn clothing I plan on adding to my collection in the future, but these are a couple of cool pieces for my collection. It was fun to get Munenori Kawasaki's pants, and I was glad to be able to help out the Alpha Female while getting some memorabilia in return. Her recovery seems to be going well, and she's started booking some events. It doesn't sound like a contract with the WWE is in her current plans, but she has some other stuff lined up.
Wow! Interesting items. Kawasaki was a huge fan favorite of Blue Jay fans that I know.
ReplyDeleteHe's a lot more popular than his on-field performance would suggest. He doesn't have a lot of 'hit' cards out there, so the ones that do show up can sell for more than you'd expect.
DeleteVery cool. Now you need to cut these up for some custom relic cards! :P
ReplyDeleteGet outta here with that talk! It's an interesting idea, but I am not ready for that. I have a hard enough time thinking about some of the historical player relics that companies have chopped up. It makes me wonder what card companies will do once all the vintage players' game-used items and cut autographs are used up. That day has to be coming fairly soon, especially for some of the bigger names.
DeleteGabert’s gear would look awesome in a shadowbox with the photo.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would be a good way to show it off. I have a lot of stuff that needs framing, but it's hard to spend the money. Frames are expensive.
DeleteThat stuff is awesome! Time for some mannequins to display the gear!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what my wife would say if I started bringing mannequins into the house?
DeleteThere is only one way to find out.
DeleteI don't know if I'm ready for that yet.
DeleteIt's so weird to see a laundry tag that's still attached to a piece of laundry!
ReplyDeleteI know! That's supposed to be chopped up into five or six pieces!
DeleteVery cool stuff. I was debating on buying a game used A's jersey last week when I went to the game. They had a few in the $300 range. Ultimately... I went home with just the nachos and soft pretzel in my belly.
ReplyDeleteI've eyed some of the game-used stuff at stadiums I've visited over the last couple of years. I nearly came home with a discounted gamer jersey from the Reds' store, but ultimately the price was too high for my impulse-buy threshold.
DeleteKawasaki is awesome. Shame he hasn't played longer.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to see his career last longer, but it just wasn't in the cards. He was a fun guy to watch. He played with enthusiasm, and his dugout and interview antics were legendary. He announced his retirement in Japan a couple of weeks ago, so it looks like he's done with baseball.
DeleteIt's too bad that Mune didn't see more time with the Cubs, though he'll always be remembered for being a part of that World Series winning team. It's hard not to like a guy with such infectious enthusiasm!
ReplyDeleteIt would have been nice, but the Cubs had too many good players at his positions. He was always a depth guy more than a starter, and couldn't get any run unless someone was hurt or tired. I think you need a guy like him on the roster, though, to make sure everyone is loose and having fun. That's one reason I like the current Astros. They have quite a few fun guys on the roster, and it usually seems like they're having a good time.
DeleteAwesome stuff. The lil Jazzy sketch is an awesome touch too. Wish I had the room & money to own more game/event-used memorabilia, especially of the wrestling variety.
ReplyDeleteFull pieces of memorabilia are a lot of fun, but like you said, they take up a lot of space and money. Both of these things just happened to come around at the right time for me to pounce.
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