Yes, the jokes on social media have started. Do a search for Yankees retired numbers on Twitter and you'll see how we'll have to use triple digits soon, we'll be using letters, fractions, whatever. Because the Yankees are the team of excess, we can't stop patting ourselves on the back, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Yes, we've retired a lot of numbers, but you know what? 27 World Championships will do that.Yes, you can argue Billy Martin, quibble about Ron Guidry. But guess what? The White Sox retired Paul Konerko's number. Jose Cruz had his number retired by the Astros, and he's joined by Larry Dierker. Hell, the White Sox retired Harold Baines' number while he was still playing! Heck, if Guidry had pitched for any other team he'd not only have his number retired, he'd probably have a statue outside their stadium.
Pettitte deserves this. Maybe I'm biased ... I've been to 2 postseason games in my life. The first was Game 6, 1996 World Series in Atlanta. Pettitte vs. Smoltz. 1-0. Best pure baseball game I've ever seen live. And Andy gets the win and sets the stage for another great Yankee era. The second game? Game 6, 2009 ALCS, Yankees wrap up one last trip to the series in the Jeter-Posada-Mo-Andy era. Who is on the mound to get the win? Pettitte, of course.
But when you hear the Gammonite chorus start to bitch about how ridiculous the Yankees are for retiring all those numbers, remember this. You know how many numbers the Celtics have retired? 21, including Dennis Johnson and Cedric Maxwell. Listen for all the laughter and bitching about that. ... Wait, you don't hear anything?
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4 comments:
They're now saying Bernie and Jorge will get their numbers retired too.
The avalanche has begun.
I have a fantastic group photo hanging in my office. From left to right: Mo, Bernie, Andy, Jeter, Jorge. Those guys are beautiful in their pinstripes. what smiles! Every one of them deserves every last honor the Yankees can bestow. (ESPECIALLY Bernie.)
Lou Piniella did not have his number retired. This is yet another marketing ploy for a potentially last place team. Capitalism sullies the Yankees once again. And it all started with King George I. Who the hell is next? Horace Clarke?
And, Duque, we love you. But Paul Konerko and Jose Cruz aren't Yankees. And the #@!@@#! White Sox and &%$#!@ Astros aren't the Yankees. BABE RUTH was a Yankee. Any of you other teams have a comparable player . . . ? Didn't think so.And if we are retiring numbers, don't forget about Fred "Chicken" Stanley. The numbers aren't there, but he was affable and Billy liked him.
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