An Old Jersey Question

by Nathan S. on Sep 1, 2009 10:07 PM EDT

All right, I'm going to say from the get go that this is going to be a bit of an odd Fanpost, but I figured I'd go for it, because it intrigues me greatly. Basically, I'll start it off that I grew up collecting basketball cards as it is the root and cause of the concern.

I'm currently cataloging my collection through Beckett and I'm up to the 1998-99 Topps set, which is all well and good, catalog and move on. Except that one card caught my eyes. It's a Matt Harpring rookie card from the set (yeah, I know you're jealous), but it's not Harpring's textbook form that has me taken aback, rather it's the player contesting the shot: Antonio Davis.

Now there's something pretty odd about A.D.'s jersey, but I'll let you see the card and hopefully get a good look at it.

Essentially what we have here is a sort of stripped down pinstripe jersey, but instead of the block lettering, it features the FloJo lettering. What? Anyone familiar with Pacers jersey history knows the FloJo jersey that was present during the 1994 and 1995 Playoff runs went to pasture after the 1996-97 season, paving way for the classic pinstripe jersey that went to war with Michael Jordan, the Lakers, and the entire Palace of Auburn Hills.

But this jersey doesn't seem to add up. It seems the photo would've had to be taken during the February 26, 1999 game that the Pacers lost, though of course, good luck finding photographs of a random NBA game from 1999. But what was the occasion that the Pacers would have worn almost a hybrid of the two jerseys for a game? I know I don't recall ever seeing these jerseys.

I was kind of hoping someone here might remember seeing them at one point and can recall what they were and why they were worn, be it a budget cutting situation due to the lockout or simply an alternate that never caught on. Any answers you have are more than I have.

Tweet Comment 8 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

My Theory

First of all, glad to have a card collecting question on here. Still love the mass-produced cards of the 90’s! So here is my theory of the situation (and I’ve busted my own Harpring out of the box for closer examination…and I’m OK that my wife just called me the “nerdiest, idiot on the planet” right now.)

The 98-99 Topps rookies (like most other Topps rookies) feature shots from the Rookie Photoshoots where players don their new jerseys and strike poses on the court. Topps was always one of the first brands released each year, so they couldn’t wait to get in-game pics of the rookies. To remedy this, they would photoshop the Photoshoot pics onto a backdrop of a crowd. Check out Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki rookies from that year. I mean, Pierce looks like a 10-year-old dunking on a 10-foot rim.

Apparently they also decided that Matt Harpring needed somebody guarding him in his picture. Thus, enter our proud Antonio Davis. I don’t know why they would take an old picture of Davis and then try to “spice” it up by adding the pinstripes to make it look like the new jerseys from 97-98. Weird. I mean, it just took 12 years before somebody pointed it out. I guess they really wanted to hide their tracks.

Anyways, that’s my take. Cool find goodlucksaturday!

by spstevenson on Sep 1, 2009 10:25 PM EDT reply actions

I kind of figured it might've been a photo shoot

But I believe the Harpring card was a part of Series 2 and I wasn’t sure when Series 2 Topps came out that year. And it looks pretty live for a photoshoot, especially compared to the ones you posted. And since trade deadline players sometimes make the cut in Series 2 cards on their new teams, I figured this being a live shot from February wouldn’t be too hard to believe (but again, I can’t recall when Series 2 came out).

I suppose a shop job makes the most sense for A.D. I’d say it seems like a lot of work to go through, but that’s what they did for the 96-97 E-X 2000 set, so I guess it is what it is, haha. I’m kind of shocked I didn’t pick up on the oddity of the jersey anytime in the past decade, but oh well, can’t say I keep this card by my bedside at night.

Thanks for the theory at the very least. It seems more plausible than actually wearing the jerseys, since if the mustard jerseys are any indication, the Pacers aren’t a team to wear once and forget.

by Nathan S. on Sep 1, 2009 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions

This is really bugging me...

Haha…I think it was Series 1 because the Harpring card is #157 and all of the other rookie cards are around that number (i.e. Larry Hughes #151, Mike Bibby #196, Dirk #154, Vince Carter #199, and our own Al Harrington #133). I don’t have my Beckett in front of me so I can’t confirm that.

Here’s a list with images of most of the rookies from that set. It’s really funny looking at these. Especially the ones with a defender involved. Poor Danny Ferry was involved in two of them. Along with Harpring, these other players had defenders “in” their shots: Olowankandi, LaFrentz, Pat Garrity, and Roshown McLeod. All four of them look ridiculous, especially the LaFrentz and Garrity cards.

I think that solidifies that they were photoshopped, but that still doesn’t give an indication as to why the dude thought it necessary to add the pinstripes to A.D.‘s jersey. Maybe they did wear this “hybrid” at some point. I don’t remember it though. Anyone else with any thoughts?

by spstevenson on Sep 1, 2009 11:32 PM EDT reply actions

Only reason I think Series 2

Is because there’s a checklist at 110 and the set was really small that year at about 220 or so. In my personal set, I don’t have much beyond that 110 mark despite having a fair amount of the first 110, and those cards offer a distinct visual difference from the side (they look fresher in my set), but that could just be because they were bought later.

I am definitely leaning more to the side of photoshopping, but it still doesn’t make much sense at all, haha.

by Nathan S. on Sep 2, 2009 8:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Photoshop...

Gotta love it.

Yeah, I noticed that, too. The off pinstripes. They took the photo from a photo shoot and got him lookin’ all fancy with that pull up jumper.

BTW, there was nothing like that uniform ever worn, no hybrids or anything. This is just a really good example of how bad someone pays attention to detail.

- Tony Laurenzana (duke dynamite)

by duke dynamite on Sep 2, 2009 9:15 AM EDT reply actions

or...

I agree that its likely that MH was shopped in but that doesn’t explain why the numbers are different.

What could have happened is that something happened to AD’s jersey pre game and they had to make him another. And maybe the only numbers they had were the old ones. I’m just saying stranger things have happened. MJ did wear #10 for a game.

And is it just me or do the pinstripes look red to anyone else?

by shep31 on Sep 2, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions

I highly doubt that.

I’m not trying to be a negative nancy, but it was a shop job. They had to get the card out with as little or no errors as possible, before the season started (or at least a deadline).

I really wouldn’t read too much into it, honestly. Things like this happen all the time. Has anyone seen that Microsoft ad that was Photoshopped to look more ethnically diverse? Yeah.

If you look at the trim on the jersey, it does have the Flo-Jo trim on it white, gold blue. The pinstripe uniforms had two thin gold stripes on the trim and of course bowing stripes down each side.

Mind you Harpring’s rookie year was during a lockout year. There were only around 50 games that season. They didn’t have anything to go by when making these cards, so they had to do poses for the rookies.

- Tony Laurenzana (duke dynamite)

by duke dynamite on Sep 4, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions