Biting the jersey bullet...

make your own.  I will agree on the number 69 thing or anything else trying to be "cute" and making sure  the players who's jersey your buying really did wear that style (though for us celebrating 10 years, i doubt this will be an issue anytime soon)
As far as having your last name on the jersey, go for it.  At least you know you'll (or your family) will be around in 5 years still cheering on the DBacks.  With players, loyalty is with the checkbook, not with the fans.  My jerseys are not the 200.00 dollar version, but the replica jerseys they sell at the team shop right next to the more expensive ones.  Mine do not have any name or number on them other than the name of the team.

We have an entire closet full of Diamondback clothing which will never see the light of day again. The Matt Williams shirt? Tainted by performance-enhancing drugs. The Gonzo one? That'd be like wearing your ex-girlfriend's shirt. What about the matching Kim shirts bought by myself and Mrs. SnakePit, a month before he was traded to Boston? Stop sniggering at the back. Basically, the entire purple section is off-limits, a) because we don't want to be identified with the AZPhan mentality, and b) it makes me look like Barney the Dinosaur. Or, worse yet, a Rockies fan. :-)

To be honest, I don't think it's worth paying out the full $200 for an utterly authentic one. About the only difference I can see is the sleeve patches, and even a hardcore fan like myself is hardly going to start pointing and laughing at you because your jersey doesn't have those. This isn't Fenway or Wrigley, y'know. We went with the cheaper, patchless versions, and spent the difference on getting them personalized. I somewhat agree that putting your name on the back of the shirt is a bit egocentric. However, putting the name of, oh, say your favorite blog on the back, is something I'd encourage everyone to do. :-) [Even if it poses Dawn at the Team Shop a mighty challenge...] You can still pick a number, and that allows you to combine your support for a particular player, with the knowledge that AZ Snakepit will not be traded to another team, or go into a slump that gets us sent down to cover the Sidewinders.

However, if you are going to pick a player, you should think long-term. A jersey can easily last you five years or more, so picking someone who will be a free agent after this season, is not the best choice [Paging Mrs. SnakePit, since she is still wondering who, if anyone, is gonna pick up Hernandez 2.0's #61, which she got last year, in a fit of misguided loyalty towards a fellow Cuban]. On that basis, I'd be inclined to go for one of the young guys: Reynolds [whom we have on our books for five more years before he hits free agency], rather than Snyder [who is already into his arbitration years]. However, this will always be a gamble, as there's no such player as a sure-thing in baseball - as the large box of Carlos Quentin bobbleheads proved at the D-backs Yard Sale last weekend...

I think the concept of "rules" is a little silly. Obviously, you should take into account what people will think of you [that Callaspo jersey is unlikely to be a chick magnet, shall we say], but the most important thing is will you want to wear it? On that basis, a position player is probably a safer bet than a pitcher: batters fail 7/10ths of the time anyway, so it's rare for a hitter to receive the blame for a team loss. However, if you're going to put the closer's name on your back, think what it'll feel like when you walk out of Chase after he's blown a save, and 35,000 people want to lynch him.

That said, I'm perfectly happy to have Webb's #17 on my back, and you couldn't go wrong with Johnson either, simply because of the 2001 World Series. Mind you, my selection of Webb was in part mandated by a poll on the site, though it would have been my first choice too. In the end, go with what your heart tells you; that way, at the very worst, you'll end up with a nice story.

I'd go with a Randy Johnson one, that's what I did last year knowing that he'd be retiring with us. Therefore I can wear it forever because when he retires it becomes a throwback of a HoF.

I'm not a big fan of the own name of the jersey. You don't play for the team don't act like you do. I just find it annoying. I get offended when people ask me if it's my last name on the back of the jersey or an actual player. In my scenario it is both, but not because it was my last name. Personally the personal name on the back is annoying. Sorry to upset or offend anyone, but I view it as a bit of douchebaggery.

Wearing a Jersey with a name and number player who has been traded away or left as a free agent, it shows longevity as a fan...