How do you feel about the NY Yankees retiring numbers of non 'Legends' and NON HOFers?

[KGoldin]

I love Bernie Williams. I used to do marketing deals for him when I handled marketing for Scott Boras from 98-2002.
However, he is not ever going to make the hall of fame, and his number was retired by the Yankees
Posada will be next to have his number retired then Pettitte.

I don't think any of the 3 of them will make the HOF, they all get numbers retired, they all get plaques. (pettitte MIGHT have statistical numbers to get in, but admitting to HGH use will likely prevent it)

Do you think this is right (that players of this caliber should have numbers retired and get plaques in monument park)
do you feel, like I do, that it cheapens the Yankee tradition and level of greatness originally established with the Yankees monument park with Ruth Gehrig DiMaggio and Mantle?
and, if the Yankees keep this up, when will they start with the 3 digit numbers?

CHIME IN

[dangerzone79]

Very good question. My immediate thought is that it's ok for them to do it. I'm a die hard Red Sox fan too. I think that the importance of what those guys meant to that club during that time can't be overlooked. They were such a dominant force when those guys were all playing together. HOF or not they were a major part of making the Yankee fan base what it remains to be today. HOF'ers & future HOF'ers like Jeter for instance are also in there because of who was around them. The guys that inspire you to be great, the winning that feeds your greatness, the offense that gives Mariano Rivera a lead in the 9th paving the way for his HOF induction eventually. That is why to me it's fine to retire those guys numbers. Because their importance to that team is greater than their importance to the HOF voters.

[godwulf]

Speaking generally, and not just about the Yankees, I think the tendency to want to make more of a player than he might objectively deserve in terms of honors and so forth - and retiring somebody's number would certainly be included in that - simply because he was very popular with the fans and perhaps contributed to some of a team's great and memorable moments, is pretty universal.

People - and most Baseball fans would qualify as such - always want to think of themselves as living at the center of the universe and at the most important moment in history. A lot of people get a bit antsy or even angry when only a couple of players are selected for the Hall of Fame in a given year - because that means a lot of their favorite players, the ones they watched and appreciated, were passed over. Just as the number of fans who claim to have been present when so-and-so pitched a perfect game usually exceeds by a factor of at least five the seating capacity of the ballpark where it took place, people tend to want to grab some reflected glory by seeing their favorite players honored in as many ways as possible.

Does it cheapen the whole idea of that particular honor, perhaps even show some disrespect to the true giants of the game? I think it absolutely does.

[dougiedshow]

I think Bernie is the most deserving of the three from a character and contribution standpoint. I think it's a joke that Pettitte gets a pass for his admitted "handfull" of PED uses, let alone to be honored. Posada's numbers and contribution just doesn't justify it. When you line some of the names up side by side, it just doesn't make sense to me.

[jsage]

Ken -
Yes I agree with you. Monument Park in Yankee Stadium was a special place for legends. With the addition of many other non super star players it will become less meaningful and not have the same impact.
Jerry Sage

[camarokids]

I agree Mr. Goldin. Kinda cheapens the other players who have had their numbers retired.

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to compare these modern players to the greatest of the great NY Yankees of yesterday.

[yankees506]

As a 25 year old yankee fan I can honestly say I love what the yankees are doing. While I can remember going to the original yankee stadium and seeing all the retired numbers and plaques. As a kid it was amazing to see ruth and all the legends out there, and while I started my memories shortly after donnie stopped playing I appreciated what was out there. Now as a young man I can have my own legends, the ones who provided me a childhood with such incredible baseball that I truly believed at one point that the yankees where unbeatable. These same teams tought me the agony of defeat in the 2001 ws. I cant see the problem in honoring the core members of yankee teams that won 4 out of 5 tittles and set wins records. The core players on said teams may not all get into the hall of fame, but that's not what monument park is. Monument park is a testament to the best players and managers who have represented what the yankees are: a winning tradition.

[danesei@yahoo.com]

Williams being added to Monument Park and having his #51 retired follows in a tradition of Yankees retiring the numbers of players who will likely never make the HOF:

Ron Guidry #49
Elston Howard #32
Roger Maris #9
Billy Martin #1
Don Mattingly #23
Thurmon Munson #15

I can't say that history will look upon Williams' career as one of legend (MVP, 4x WS Champ), but fans do tend to remember the positives of one's career.

My concern is that, with Jeter assured of having his number retired (since Williams and Rivera have now had theirs), the Yankees will have no jersey numbers between 1-10 available for use.

[KGoldin]

Jeters number was retired when he was still active....did it his last home stand

Williams being added to Monument Park and having his #51 retired follows in a tradition of Yankees retiring the numbers of players who will likely never make the HOF:

Ron Guidry #49
Elston Howard #32
Roger Maris #9
Billy Martin #1
Don Mattingly #23
Thurmon Munson #15

I can't say that history will look upon Williams' career as one of legend (MVP, 4x WS Champ), but fans do tend to remember the positives of one's career.

My concern is that, with Jeter assured of having his number retired (since Williams and Rivera have now had theirs), the Yankees will have no jersey numbers between 1-10 available for use.

[kobak8]

KGoldin - #2 is not currently retired by the New York Yankees. http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/h...ed_numbers.jsp