THE OPENING LINE

Monday, Nov. 13, 2006 | 7:35 a.m.

If you're a collector of baseball memorabilia - or you consider it a fashion statement to wear a sports team's jersey - the Las Vegas 51s have a deal for you.

The local Triple-A baseball team is selling game-worn jerseys from this year's star-studded team on eBay, the popular online auction site.

The first batch of uniform tops that were listed for auction last week included those worn by manager Jerry Royster, hitting coach Steve Yeager and catcher Russell Martin, who played in 23 games with the 51s this season before going on to star with the parent Los Angeles Dodgers.

Among the five jerseys that sold last week was Martin's, which fetched an impressive $305 in the weeklong auction. The best seller, surprisingly, was Yeager's jersey, which went for $330.

Although Royster has spent more time in a 51s uniform than anybody else (he completed his fifth season as the team's manager in 2006), no bidder met the reserve price for his jersey.

"We're getting new uniforms next year - we're not going to change the style, we're just replacing them with new ones," 51s spokesman Jim Gemma said. "With the quality of players we had this year, (team president) Don Logan wanted to get this stuff on eBay because this would be cool to have if you're a memorabilia buff."

Logan said the money raised through the sale of the jerseys would be used to offset the expense of the new uniforms, which he estimated would cost $20,000.

Erik Goodrich, who is coordinating the auction for the team, said additional jerseys would be listed on eBay this week.

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales, Superfeatherweight boxing, First bell 4 p.m. Saturday, Thomas & Mack Center

Pacquiao and Morales square off in the rubber match of the three-bout series, with each fighter owning a victory over the other.

TICKETS: $50 to $500

ON THE WEB: www.unlvtickets.com

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

Wyoming at UNLV, College football, 1 p.m. Saturday, Sam Boyd Stadium

Rebels try to snap a six-game home losing streak against Division I-A opponents.

TICKETS: $13 to $26

ON THE WEB: www.unlvtickets.com