Ghost Shirt

Leitch|published: 04/05/2006, 2:00pm EDT

This image was lost some time after publication, but you can still view it [object Object] .

After reading our championship merchandise for teams who didn't actually win the championship post from a couple of days ago, a blogger named Steve Simonsen dug through his closet and came up with the most gruesome of possible finds: A T-shirt celebrating the St. Louis Cardinals' World Championship in 1985.

For those of you who don't remember, that was of course the year the Cardinals were robbed by Don Denkinger and lost in seven games to the Kansas City Royals. (Yes, we know that call wasn't the only reason they lost. But we were 10 years old when that happened, and we're still not over it, and we suppose we never will be.)

But looking at that shirt is like looking at a invitation for a wedding that never happened, or a fantasy NBA roster with Hank Gathers and Len Bias, or, say, a 2001 Cleveland Browns Super Bowl Champion hat. Just heartbreaking to even think about it. Simonsen needs to burn that shirt, and fast.

My Deadspin Entry For Flawed Merchandise [A Shot Of ESP] 1985 World Series: Game 6 [MLB.com]