The Numbers Game by Jared Carrabis
Separating The Legends From The Greats

I want to tackle a little debate that has been going on here in Red Sox Nation the past few seasons. The Red Sox that we have all been fortunate enough to have witnessed win two World Series titles in four years are not the Red Sox that your father grew up watching and they're not the Red Sox that his father grew up watching. Over a century of Red Sox baseball has been played here in New England and over that span of time we have seen some of the greatest players of all time wear the Red Sox uniform. Now the question is, where do we draw the line between great and legendary?

By legendary I of course am implying the retirement of a jersey number. A player having such a tremendous impact on the Boston Red Sox that no other player will ever don that number ever again on their back. Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk and of course Jackie Robinson all fit that description.


In the Red Sox recent run at a "dynasty" there have been numerous players all taking the field at Fenway Park but some have since left Boston after making their impact on the franchise. Do those players deserve to have their numbers retired by the Red Sox? Well, according to the official rules of having your number retired by the Boston Red Sox you must have played for the team for ten seasons. Next, you have to retire with the team. And last, you have to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. These are some pretty strict rules that shaft some of the most significant players in the team's history.


The Red Sox have "unofficially" retired a number of jerseys since those legends have long left Fenway Park. The reason they are "unofficially" retired is because they had made a tremendous impact on the franchise and it's fans but the individual does not (yet) meet all the requirements to be officially retired. For example, no one has worn Jim Rice's number 14 since the most feared hitter of his era retired.


No player has worn the number of arguably the best shortstop the Red Sox have ever had next to Rick Burleson, Nomar Garciaparra's number 5. One of the top three pitchers the Red Sox have ever had has since come and gone, but his number 45 remains untouched since his departure to the Mets. As much as Red Sox fans may despise him, the Rocket Roger Clemens' number 21 has laid without any fingerprints since his last season with Boston in 1996.


So now I have to ask, if the Red Sox are willing to "unofficially" retire these numbers but cannot yet "officially" retire them due to the criteria they have set up, why wouldn't you change to rules to retiring a number a little bit so that these Red Sox greats can be rightfully honored along with Ted and Yaz? Jim Rice belongs in the Hall of Fame in my opinion and his number 14 belongs on the right field facade. Pedro Martinez gave the Red Sox his heart and thrilled us all for seven amazing seasons delivering Boston fans their first World Series in 86 years.


Which brings me next to some players that are on the team currently. David Ortiz may not be a "lock" for the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility following his retirement but I can bet you top dollar that no one will touch number 34 ever again even is he is not elected. He won't end up with 500 home runs for his career, but if you boil it down to position, there never was or will be a greater designated hitter than David Ortiz in his prime.


Can't leave Manny Ramirez out of this discussion but I think he ruined his chances with the way he ended his career here in Boston. If he kept his mouth shut he was two and a half years away from the ten that he needed. A sure Hall of Famer and plenty deserving enough to have 24 hanging up in right field but after the way we saw him leave Boston, I wouldn't count on it.


Tim Wakefield has been with the Boston Red Sox since the 1995 season. He has the 10 years and then some under his belt, he most likely will retire with the Boston Red Sox and currently ranks second on the teams all time win list with 163 career wins in a Red Sox uniform. Without question Tim Wakefield will be welcomed into the Red Sox Hall of Fame as soon as possible, but as for Cooperstown, not likely. Tim Wakefield has gone above and beyond for this team on and off the field in the Boston community. If number 49 was never worn again, it would not surprise me.

Another name and number that does not get enough credit and recognition to be retired is Revere's own, Tony Conigliaro. He was the youngest American League batter to reach 100 home runs in their career and he homered in his very first at bat at Fenway Park at the age of nineteen. We all know how his career was cut down after a Jack Hamilton fastball to the eye on August 18, 1967 but the potential that this kid had could not be compared to any other. Conigliaro's number 25 should hang proudly at Fenway Park someday, some day soon.


No one wants to get carried away and start retiring numbers left and right like the New York Yankees. No one wants to be traded to a team or sign on as a free agent and be forced to wear a three-digit jersey or a jersey with an exclamation point and a question mark on the back. But the Red Sox certainly have multiple candidates that deserve to be hanging with the legends. Whether their numbers are retired or not, you know the next time you go to a restaurant and you're sitting at table 34, you're not thinking about what you're about to eat, you're thinking David Ortiz, retired jersey or not.

Published on September 15, 2008

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