MILWAUKEE -- Eric Thames mania has swept Milwaukee, but where's the merch? Fear not, American consumer, for it has arrived.
Before a limited supply of shirseys -- T-shirts with a printed player name and number -- hit the virtual shelves of MLBShop.com and the actual shelves at Miller Park, you could buy a Kirk Nieuwenhuis tee or a Hank the Dog coffee mug, but the name "Thames" was conspicuously absent from the cornucopia of collectibles. That, despite the fact the first baseman had the hottest name in Major League Baseball, leading the way in home runs, slugging percentage, total bases and OPS, among other categories.