In March of 2011, I was nearing the end of my first curling season. As was tradition at the time, each April a bus of curlers from Pittsburgh would visit Rochester for a single day of friendly competition. Wanting to show a welcoming spirit and a nod to my Pennsylvania roots, I purchased this to
wear while curling against the yinzers. It was the first of what became many purchases from the esteemed Kruk Cards described in the previous post.
Mike Johnston was a 20th Round pick of the Pirates in 1998 out of tiny Garrett College in McHenry, Maryland. A six-foot three Pennsylvania boy, Mike would eventually see big league time in 2004 and 2005 with Pittsburgh before taking two years off (I assume a significant injury?) and subsequently winding down his professional career with the White Sox organization and the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League.
The manfacturer's tagging is on the inside of this jersey. Attached is a simple nylon tag with 2003 printed on it. As Mike spent that season in Altoona, I imagine he was added to the 40-man roster in his sixth season of professional baseball. This was likely prepared as a matter of course in case he made the jump that season. The jersey is pristine, showing no signs of use as expected, and features no patches being vest-style. I mentioned Mike's height earlier, which makes this one of my worst fits (I am 5'11"). For too long, growing up in the 90's made me think I wore size extra large shirts. That's a stretch. Once I've caught up on the jersey blog, I will likely sell this piece and try to purchase a sleeved road Pittsburgh jersey in size 46.
Details:
- Manufacturer - Majestic
- Size - 48
- Date Acquired - 3/10/2011
- Authentic Team Issue - 100% Polyester
- Two-color Twill Script/Numbers
- No Patches
- Issued in 2003 per internal tagging
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