In Detroit, Tony Paul noted two area sports stores "have started slashing prices" on gear for former Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, who yesterday signed with the Dolphins. That includes the Lions' Pro Shop at Ford Field, which "started cutting Suh prices once the offseason began." At the Lions' Pro Shop, there are "three types of men's jerseys," with the basic down to $99.95 from $155, the limited edition $79.99 from $115 and the elite from $285 to $199. Meanwhile, at Detroit-based Sports Mania, there is a "large circular rack of Suh No. 90 jerseys under a big, yellow sign" reading 50% off (DETROIT NEWS, 3/11).
GREEN WITH ENVY: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Mason Levinson notes Fanatics, which runs NFLShop.com, "automatically discounts a player's merchandise" by 40% after he leaves a team. Jerseys for Jets CB Darrelle Revis priced at $55 -- down from the regular $135 -- on Tuesday "were out of stock" on the site within an hour of him announcing his return to the team. A green Nike Revis jersey that "before his move was selling for $45.99 now is listed for $99.95." The "rarity of a star player with a lot of leftover stock returning to his former team is what created the buying opportunity for fans with quick fingers" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/12).
T-SHIRT TIME: In West Palm Beach, Tom D'Angelo noted Marlins RF Ichiro Suzuki for 15 days "has worn a different T-shirt" to Spring Training. Yesterday, he "walked into camp with a white T-shirt that was blank on the front." But the "message on the back," written in Japanese, translated to, "This is the last one." The T-shirts included ones with "characters Ichiro customized (including one with a marlin for his new team), a couple with Japanese parodies on Adidas and Lacoste, a German soccer shirt, one with a photograph of two Japanese baseball heroes including Sadaharu Oh, a Star Wars shirt and one with a Mickey Mouse design." His translator, Allen Turner, said of fans in Japan, "The T-shirts he wore they scrambled to try to make more because people wanted to buy them" (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 3/11).
