To Red Sox fans...?

Question

Don't u think that they should change their number retiring policy?

10 years with the red sox
must finish career with the red sox
and must be inducted into the hall of fame

For all we know

Clemens won't be reitred
Pedro's won't be retired
Tony Conigliaro's won't be retired.

We don't know about Manny or Ortiz, Varitek's won't cuz he's not going into the hall

Should they change it?

Answer 1

They should definitely loosen the rules in a few cases. And it pains me that nobody has mentioned the one man who far and away deserves his number retired, and who should be in the HOF: Jim Rice. Thanks to the steroid era, his career numbers have been badly devalued, but he was the dominant American League power hitter for a decade. Nobody who played in his era doubts his credentials.

I also think V-tek clearly deserves to have his number retired someday, and I predict he may be the player they end up making the exception for.

Boggs and Clemens should probably have their numbers retired. Boggs' best seasons were all with the Sox and most of Clemens' were, too. Clemens WAS NOT better with the Yankees--go look it up. Over half of his career victories were in a Sox uniform. Manny's number better be retired. He will be a first-ballot HOFer, and he did something Yaz and Williams never did: Won a World Series MVP. It's too early to tell if Big Papi will have the career to justify getting to the Hall. He will always be a greatly loved figure in New England.

Pedro isn't good enough to be in the Hall of Fame? Go grab a clue from the clue jar. I don't care if he never pitches again, he's going in. He'll be the Gale Sayers/Sandy Koufax exception to the traditional standards of longevity. No pitcher EVER dominated the league the way he did during his glory years with the Sox. A couple of years his ERA was nearly two runs lower than the runner-up. If it wasn't for racist baseball writers, he would have won a fourth Cy Young the year that Zito got it. It was the worst rip-off ever for Cy Young voting.

I am so sick of people crying for Tony C to have his number retired. Nobody would ever bring this idiotic idea up if he wasn't a local Italian boy. He was a very promising player who had some very nice seasons at a young age, and then tragedy struck. Actually, he ended up coming back and being a decent player for a little while after the beaning. Anybody who says he would have obviously been an all-time great based on a couple of seasons doesn't know much about baseball history. There have been dozens, if not hundreds, of players who have started their careers looking like the second coming of Stan Musial, only to end up being average, maybe even very good, but not even close to great players. The odds are Tony C. would have been one of those. Maybe not--maybe he would have been better than Yaz, but we'll never know, and those are the breaks in baseball.

Answer 2

First of all, Clemens shouldn't get his retired by the sox, because he has had so many chances to come back, and break the record for wins, but he didn't, plus he played better in NY.

Pedro shouldn't, because he isn't a HOF in my opinion. And thankfully they got rid of him at the perfect time. Plus, he dissed Boston after he left.

Conigliaro is a tough one, he might have an argument.

As far as Manny, I think he might get his number retired, but he still has quite a few seasons left, but I think he definitely will get his number retired.

Ortiz doesn't have the career numbers to get into the Hall, but I think he will get something special from the Red Sox, and a spot in Red Sox HOF at the very least. He single Handedly got them through the 2004 WS, and he was the only reason they didn't lose. I thought it was a tough decision giving manny the post season MVP, but Papi will forever live in the hearts of Boston fans, even if he doesn't get his number retired.

Varitek is a tough one too. He has been such a great catcher for a long time, but he too still has a few years left. If he can be productive these last few years, he has a shot at the hall, and getting his number retired, and he has done alot behind the scenes, that the public doesn't know about. He is the Red Sox leader, and I am sure that will count for something.

Answer 3

The Red Sox policy on retiring uniform numbers is based on the following criteria:
• Election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
• At least 10 years played with the Red Sox

Apparently the "must finish career with the Red Sox" has been removed....which means that good old number 26 might someday be up there! Wade Boggs is more than deserving to have his number retired by the Sox. I don't see anything wrong with this current policy...the finishing the career with the Sox seemed stupid and I am glad that it isn't there. Who knows when they got rid of that because Fisk had his number retired in 2000 and he finished with the White Sox.

Answer 4

I like the policy. It really means something to have your number retired by the Red Sox - it's probably the highest honor any team gives to a player in any team sport, because it's such an exclusive club. They made an exception for Carlton Fisk to the rule about retiring with the team which they justified by giving him a front office job for a while. I was OK with that, too.

They have another way to honor people, the Red Sox Hall of Fame, which is more inclusive. I like the two-tiered system.

Also, Tony C's number is "semi-retired." They don't let anyone wear it without permission of the Conigliaro family. I think only Jack Clark has worn it since Conigliaro retired, and he had to meet with the Conigliaro family, and ask permission. (EDIT: This policy seems to have changed, but I do remember when Clark came into town there was a story in the paper about him meeting with the Conigliaro's to ask if it was all right to wear Tony C's number).

Answer 5

That was the policy under Yawkey Trust/Harrington ownership. AFAIK Henry dumped it, but hasn't disclosed any new, fixed policy for retiring a number. I cannot imagine, sometime after Clemens is finally retired, that his #21 won't go up on the Fenway facade.

Conigliaro isn't in the Hall.

Answer 6

I don't know about the Hall of Fame requirement, but I think the other two are perfectly reasonable. While he is/was a great pitcher, Clemens' #21 should NOT be retired. He's been a jerk to the Sox, IMHO.

Answer 7

Well, don't be surprised if Clemens retires as a Yankee...He won the WS with them and not the Red Sox, even thought he was with the Red Sox longer...so, I don't know if Clemens deserves to have his Red Sox number retired, because he voluntarily left...Pedro too...He will probably retire as a Met...These guys were great with Boston...Don't get me wrong...but they basically bolted Boston because of the money...

Answer 8

Yes, I don't see why a guy has to be induted into the hall of fame and have to spend 10 years with the sox to have there number retired!!!

Answer 9

yes its ridiculous that tony c's number won't be retired, if kids think David Ortiz is an amazing player then their parents need to sit them down and show them some clips from tony c., he was a true baseball player r.i.p tony c 1990


Tim Wakefield might have a shot, one of the better knuckleballers to play the game.

Answer 10

i can understand the 10 years and the must finish career thing

you cant really retire a guy unles he gives u 10 solid seasons and finishes up his career with the sox

but that HOF induction is tough. i think they could afford to drop that rule