Bartman's Headphones

This next item in the shop represents a sad swing of events for the Chicago Cubs and a life changing reaction for oe unfortunate fan. It was October 14, 2003, the Cubs were playing the Florida Marlins in the National League Championship game. The cubs were leading the series 3-0 with only five outs away from reaching the World Series for the first time in more than half a century. Thats when a ball was hit to left field heading foul but appearing to be catchable for Cubs left fielder Moises Alou. What many believed to be an easy out for the Alou was disrupted by a fan named Steve Bartman. Bartman reached out over the wall for the ball and messed up any chance Alou had of getting the out. That play was a turning point in the series for the Marlins. The play was followed by a walk, an error on a double play opportunity, multiple hits by the marlins leading to eight runs and a loss for the Cubs. The Marlins went to the World Series that year. Bartman was an easy scape goat for the Chicago fan base mostly due to his mild manner and nerdy appearance. His most famous accessory were a pair of headphones he was wearing at the time of the play. Our shop has gotten our hands on those headphones. With the Chicago Cubs being favorite to win the World Series and break a century draught this year we can only hope Bartman stays far away from Wrigley in 2016.

Pictured below is Bartman wearing the headphones and leaning over the wall to distrupt Moises Alou from catching the ball.

Signed Air Jordan Ones

We are happy to announce that we now have game worn Air Jordan I's, signed by the greatest basketball player himself. They were first worn by Michael Jordan on November 17, 1984. This was during his rookie season, in which he won rookie of the year. At the time the NBA had a strict shoe policy that forced players to wear only white shoes. Jordan had to pay a $5,000 dollar fine for every game that he wore the red, white, and black sneakers. The shoes were designed by Peter C. Moore to match the Chicago Bulls color scheme. The shoes became very popular and launched the Nike Jordan shoe brand. People started to believe that the shoes themselves game Michael an advantage on the court and Nike ran with it as a marketing plan. These classic basketball shoes sported the simple nike swoosh but later Air Jordan models had the now famous jump man logo. Every year since, Jordan releases new shoes that people line up for. Michael won six NBA Championships in Chicago and has made the Chicago Bulls one of the most popular franchises in the league and the Air Jordan the top selling basketball shoes.

Link to Air Jordan Commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMnG88vPt2s

Sosa's Corked Bat

An item that is in the possession of Chi-town Collectibles is a piece of Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa's famous corked bat. Sammy Sosa played right field for the Cubs from 1992 until 2004. He was known and loved by Chicago fans for his powerful home runs. Sosa had a signature home run skip and salute (involving kissing to fingers and pressing them to his chest and pointing into the air). He hit 545 home runs in a cubs uniform and ended his career with 609 total home runs. His greatness didn't come without controversy. Sosa played during the steroid era in baseball history. If you take a look at Sammy during his rookie year with the White Sox you can see a huge muscle gain occurred during his career, plus his head grew (a side effect of steroid use) and he had to increase the size of his batting helmet. If he didn't already have speculations surrounding him being a cheater, he confirmed it on June 4, 2003. On that summer day the Chicago Cubs played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Sammy Sosa was up to bat in the first inning with two base runners on. He swung and made contact with the ball but his bat shattered. Broken bats aren't that uncommon in baseball but this one was different. The umpire noticed something odd about the inside of the barrel. There was cork inside. Sosa was then ejected, in front of his home team fans, for tampering with the bat. Sosa did say the it was an accident, that he had grabbed the wrong bat before walking up to the batter's box. He stated that he used the bat for batting practice to excite fans with booming home runs. Although it may be the truth its hard to believe. Sosa received an eight game suspension. Chi-town Collectibles is excited to have a piece of the historical bat even though it comes with an unethical Chicago Sports past. But you can not deny the excitement Sammy Sosa brought to the North side. He brought 60 HR seasons and battles with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals.

McMahon's "Rozelle" Headband

A unique item we have in the shop is a Jim McMahon game worn headband. This is not your average headband. This headband was altered by the Chicago Bears quarterback in January of 1986, McMahon used a black sharpie the spell out the name "Rozelle". Pete Rozelle was the NFL commissioner from 1960 until 1989. But McMahon was not sporting the commissioner's name across his forehead because he was a fan of him. It was an act of defiance and spite. In the week prior, McMahon wore a headband with an Adidas logo on it during a playoff shutout win against the New York Giants. The NFL, and commissioner Rozelle, fined McMahon for violating a league policy for wearing the headband with the Adidas corporate logo. McMahon states in an interview for the ESPN 30 For 30 - The 85' Bears,"the only reason it was a big deal was because Adidas was not paying the NFL at the time." Rozelle stated in a phone call to McMahon that it gave Adidas free advertising. The next match up was against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship and McMahon decided to make a new logo for his headband and make a statement of corporate defiance. The quarterback received no fines for this headband but did get a thanks from Rozelle for the free advertisement. The Bears beat the Rams and went on to defeat the New England Patriots in Superbowl XX. The head band is a unique part of the 1985 champion Chicago Bears and a true representation of the controversial ways of Jim McMahon.

About Me

My Name is Nolan Irelan. I am a senior at Illinois State University and I love Chicago sports. I was born and raised watching the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, and the Cubs (sorry south-siders). It all started with my father's love of Chicago Bears football. Having coached me as a youth football player, my Dad would show me highlights of Walter "Sweetness" Peyton running the football. Peyton was the definition of what a football player strives to become. The Chicago Bulls of the nineties became an obsession of mine at a young age, who didn't love Michael Jordan growing up? The Blackhawks most recent dynasty (yes, dynasty) has became a huge part of any Chicago fan's life. And who can't enjoy a summer game watching the lovable losers at Wrigley Field. I am creating this blog for a class I am currently in at ISU, where students create a fictional company and take all the steps to develop it electronically. My company is a Chicago sports memorabilia shop called "Chi-town Collectables" located  in Wrigleyville. We have everything from baseball cards to game used balls and jerseys to championship rings. This blog is a place where I can share the backgrounds of Chicago players and teams as well as the items that can be found at the shop. I will share personal stories and reflect on the great history of Chicago athletics that have shaped the best sports fans in the world. I will provide authentic real life stories, statistics, and records. I want to share what I already know and research further Chicago sports.