Future retired numbers

by EastCoastA on Apr 21, 2005 6:13 PM PDT Comment 37 comments

I started thinking about this while reading the ballpark museum thread. (Which I would wholeheartedly support.) This is a bit of a change-up from the usual threads...

Which former A's will joining Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, and Reggie Jackson (and Walter Haas) in having their jersey numbers retired?

Here's my take:

Eck's #43: Huge part of of the late 80's-early 90's run, helped establish the closer position as we know it today, and a Hall of Famer at an extremely rare position. To me, this one is a no-brainer and should be done soon. No one, to my knowledge, has worn #43 since he left.

Rickey's #24: Started with #35 but I think most people think of him as #24. Holds numerous big legues records, the bulk of which he earned as an A. Will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I think his number should be retired after he goes into the Hall.

After that it gets a bit tricky for me. I've long been on the fence about Big Mac. Sure, he was great, but after bashing Oakland when he left and saying he wanted to wear a Cards cap into the Hall, I was thinking no retired number. The steroids scandal makes the picture even murkier. No one has worn #25 since he left. though.

What do you guys think?

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I think Eck and Rickey for sure..

Arent they doing Eck in August?

Thought abotu Dave Stewart, but he didnt do it for long enough. Mac is a toughie.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Apr 21, 2005 6:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Saturday, August 13th

vs. the Twinkies

"The bigger the game, the better he pitched."

by Catfish27 on Apr 21, 2005 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

DAVE STEWART

by xbhaskarx on Apr 21, 2005 6:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I really

I really want to see stew have his number retired, but would they do since he wore 34 and they retired that number for fingers?

I own 2 Tony Armas jerseys! I am an A's fan for life.

by Athletics fan and runner on Apr 21, 2005 7:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a problem.

Hmm. Could we retire his surname?

athleticsnation.com, 164

by ArakSOT on Apr 21, 2005 8:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's not a problem

They Yankees retired #8 for both Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, two HOF catchers who donned the pinstripes.

Still, I don't think Stew will make the HOF so I don't think the A's will want to retire his number.

"The bigger the game, the better he pitched."

by Catfish27 on Apr 21, 2005 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Expos

retired number 10 for Rusty Staub after Andre Dawson had already started his career. They then retired it again for Dawson. On the Olympic Stadium wall there was a 10 with Staub's name on it and a similar one for Dawson.

by Larry E on Apr 23, 2005 7:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stew Should Have a Retired Number

If only because he was the heart and soul of that those great teams in the late '80's - early '90's. Things turned around for the A's once he beat Clemens in his debut.

Plus, he's an Oakland guy and was a wonderful ambassador for the A's and baseball to the community.

A second 34 should go up on the wall.

by Eck on Apr 22, 2005 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

no mac

he made his choices

"What I'm trying to do is set our pitching up for five years," said Beane

by Satchmo22 on Apr 21, 2005 6:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Instead of a number

could just retire one of his syringes....

MJB

by MJB on Apr 21, 2005 11:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Vida, Stew, Mac, ...

... Carney's defense and consistent 300+ averages (.300 was extremely rare until Carney) plus his gladiator mentality motivated everyone on the roster. He contributed off the field as well and not just coaching. Boggs came up and got the Boston 3B job on a coin flip and we got the better man. It has often been said that MLB stars would not sign with Oakland until Carney did and played ambassador to give the Haas family creditability for seriously building a series winner for Oakland.

Special mention: Dick Green world series MVP,
... for his 2B defense! ... and a very big reason there was a Finley dynasty. I know we are conditioned to home runs and ribbies but there is no Finley dynasty without Dick Green at 2B.

Finley personally coaxed Green out of retiring, ...and Finley didn't do things like that.

Hell! retire his too and teach everyone how much the best second baseman is worth to pitchers and pennant winning. Green was that good.

"all a's all the time." xbhaskarx 3/28/05

by A s Eh on Apr 21, 2005 7:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

someone mentioned it in the other thread...

but I think it's time to retire some of the philly A's. philly HOF's off the top of my head, could have missed a couple. There is a bunch:

Connie Mack
Rube Waddell
Eddie Collins
Eddie Plank
Herb Pennock
Chief Bender
Home Run Baker
Al Simmons
Jimmie Foxx
Mickey Cochrane
Lefty Grove

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on Apr 21, 2005 7:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I love this idea but.....

I think it would take up to many numbers. Maybe have some "Ring of Fame" type of thing along the outfield wall or around the stadium. Maybe if the casuall fan could see the names they could be inclined to do some research into the A's past great history. We are lucky to have a team with over 100 years plus and counting to root for. Baseball is unique in that it has been pasted from generation to generation. You would think people would want to know more but they usually don't take an interest. I think with the names on the wall the A's can at least acknowledge the great players from great A's teams of the past.\

EXTRA, maybe add Campy from the K.C. days too. He sure deserves some type of recognition.

by Mike Heath on Apr 22, 2005 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A's Retired Numbers Trends

The A's only seem to retire numbers of those who played in Oakland and are in the Hall of Fame (Eck is being retired this year).

Henderson, when he retires, will be inducted and then will be retired.

Stew wont make the HOF (for several reasons, SaintOakland can give you the bio), and thus wont be retired.

After that, the next I'd say is Mark McGwire.

"I'm good because I ground out to second a lot!" ~ Darin Erstad

by Zonis on Apr 21, 2005 8:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

if he makes the hall

A mock vote taken after the hearings said he wouldn't. Maybe after the a little time...

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on Apr 21, 2005 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Retired Numbers

That's the A's policy, that they'll retire HOF players' numbers.

I agree, they'll retire #24 for Rickey when he reaches the Hall. I believe Phil Niekro was wearing #35 when Rickey went to Yankees so he took #24. When Rickey came back a second time Bob Welch was wearing #35, and by that time Rickey had sort of established #24. Oddly, he wore #22 for a brief while upon his return (he was traded for Luis Polonia who had been wearing #22, I think Rickey was wearing Polonia's jerseys with the name plate switched), but switched to #24 shortly thereafter.

Mac is a big iffie for the Hall. Regardless, I don't think the A's should retire his number. He wanted out of Oakland so they sent him to St. Louis where he had his biggest seasons.

Miggy has HOF potential, but he's still a ways from that. Unless he comes back for a second tour once his contract with Baltimore expires, I don't see the A's retiring his number even if he makes the Hall.

Tony LaRussa, who wore #10, might possibly be inducted in the HOF as a manager. If that happens the A's might retire his number.

I don't think the A's will go back and retire numbers for guys who played in Philly. Some of the guys--Bender, Plank, Waddell--played before they had uniform numbers. Connie Mack always wore a suit, so he had no uniform number.

"The bigger the game, the better he pitched."

by Catfish27 on Apr 21, 2005 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the Giants used to have NY Giants jerseys retired

that didn't have #'s, like Christy Mattewson. But, I aggree, as much as I'd like to see the A's embrace their 100 year+ history, likely sticking with Oakland products

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on Apr 21, 2005 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with the A's

While there have been many great players on the A's such as Stew, I think they should only retire HOF players. The only reasoning I have is that the A's are a team of excellence and have HOF's in the past and will continue to have HOF's in the future. Just like the museum diary from before, as A's fans we have a lot to be proud about and this organization has legends associated with it as well as the championships.

by pickinmachine on Apr 21, 2005 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Thought they Already Retired Rickey's #24

but then I saw Danny Haren is wearing it.

They clearly WILL retire Rickey's number, so why did they even give it to Haren?

by Eck on Apr 22, 2005 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

#24

was being worn by Ron Hassey at the time that Rickey was traded to Oakland for Polonia. Hassey switched to 27 if memory serves me right

Make your own goddamn popcorn!

by malikot on Apr 23, 2005 8:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes...

your memory serves you right.

Of course #27 was later retired for somebody...now who was that?...ah, yes...

CATFISH!!

Didn't Billy Beane wear also wear #27 for awhile when he played with the A's in the late '80s?

"The bigger the game, the better he pitched."

by Catfish27 on Apr 23, 2005 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Retire...

I would retire Rickey's and Carney's I guess Mcgwire. Dave Stewart definetly. and probably Vida Blue. The only Philly guy i would retire is probably Jimmie Foxx. But put up the Philly World Series Flags! And all our division Championship flags!

" Only WonderWoman has a strong enough uterus to support Superman's baby"

by OakAs33 on Apr 21, 2005 10:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

hell yes

some Carney love!

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on Apr 21, 2005 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Walk of Champions

All Time World Series A's teams

Monuments with win records, rosters, team picture, trophy replica, life size (MVP or Key) player in uniform in a pose on large base holding the info and other items. Championship Trophy replicas or other award designating the A's as Champions.

Seems like a good way of getting those philly A's out in the open along side the A's Champs!

Gotta have a connie mack statue, maybe he is first one and beckons people in?

"all a's all the time." xbhaskarx 3/28/05

by A s Eh on Apr 21, 2005 11:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Screw Big Mac!!

Big Mac won a world series with oakland not st louis!! his steroid aided homerun record was shattered 2 years later! If they retire his # it would be a joke after how he treated oakland he acts now as if he never played in oakland.I say only retire players # who were proud to play in oakland!!

by Richman on Apr 21, 2005 11:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Then why Jackson?

Reggie seems to only recall his Yankee days.

BTW, according to the Oakland website, Jackson's number is NOT retired. Only 34, 27, and 42 (Jackie Robinson) are retired .

Too bad you can't buy a voodoo globe so that you could make the earth spin real fast and freak everybody out. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 22, 2005 7:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

REGGIE! REGGIE!

The A's retired Reggie's #9 last year; it was a wonderful ceremony. Next time you're at the ballpark take a look at the rightfield wall.

Reggie has very fond memories of his days in Oakland. He broke in with Oakland, he finished his career with Oakland. For a brief time he was a coach, and earlier this spring he nearly became a part-owner.

"The bigger the game, the better he pitched."

by Catfish27 on Apr 22, 2005 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

...and wanted to move the team to Vegas.

Screw him!

I know his number is on the wall, which is why I'm a bit confused. The A's website only lists those three numbers as being retired. Maybe they haven't updated it yet, but its been a year. Was his number actually retired, or did they just honor him like they did Haas?

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 22, 2005 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, they retired #9

I was at the ballpark on May 22, 2004 when they had the pre-game ceremony. Check this out on the official website:

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/oak/news/oak_news.jsp?ymd=20040522&content_id=750039 &vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp

Reggie Jackson was not part of a group planning to move the A's to Las Vegas. He thought the reason his group was excluded from bidding was because the leading group want to move the team to Las Vegas. Read this:

http://www.oaklandfans.com/discus/messages/21/6613.html?1109203849

Related information:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/08/01/MN34242.DTL

"The bigger the game, the better he pitched."

by Catfish27 on Apr 23, 2005 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What I would like

I would really like to see, actualy, IS the A's going back and reviving those old retired numbers from the Philly years (and to a lesser extent, the KC years). I really wish the A's went back and embraced their past instead of discarding it since they came to Oakland.

You look at NY and BOS and they have this 100 year history to fall back on, and we the A's seem like we only have 40 years. But we really DO have 100+ years and we do have great past teams. Why cant we celebrate them! They were still Athletics, even in Phillidelphia! If we embrace our past, we can claim glory like the Yankee's and so forth have.

We have, as an org (the A's) the what? 2nd most (tied with STL?) World Series titles next to the Yankees dont' we? Well, why the hell cant we use that to our advantage!

"I'm good because I ground out to second a lot!" ~ Darin Erstad

by Zonis on Apr 22, 2005 12:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

RETIRE A NUMBER THAT EXEMPLIFIED

excellence in a time when the A's were not much
of a team (late 70's/mid 80's). I nominate
number 21, Dwayne Murphy!! He will never enter
Cooperstown, why should that negate a number being retired? He won six Gold Gloves in a row
on a team with no real stars. I still believe
Ricky Henderson wouldn't have been the player
he was without Murphy as a tutor. A player
doesn't have to play on winning teams, be in the
HOF or put up huge numbers to be a valuable part of a franchise. Dwayne Murphy should have his
number retired!!!!

by OregonAsfan on Apr 22, 2005 12:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If we retire ALL these numbers

we'll have more players wearing jersey numbers in the 70s.

Too bad you can't buy a voodoo globe so that you could make the earth spin real fast and freak everybody out. - Jack Handy

by Captain on Apr 22, 2005 7:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Good Idea, but even those numbers...

will dwindle after we retire Zito's #75!

by Gerard on Apr 22, 2005 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hah!

by Eck on Apr 22, 2005 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lansford's jersey already retired

Well, at my house at least. I retired the Carney jersey I had customised in 1988 after Lansford's Day last year. I'd love to see the A's retire the real #4 though, even if he doesn't make it to the HOF.

December 6, 1982: The Red Sox trade 3B Carney Lansford, OF Garry Hancock, and minor leaguer Jerry King to Oakland for OF Tony Armas and C Jeff Newman.

by lansfords1 on Apr 22, 2005 1:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Jimmie Foxx

Was the best hitter ever to wear an Athletics uniform. I understand about the Oakland thing, but imagine these numbers:

Lifetime .325 hitter, 534 total homers.
3-time MVP, 9-time All-Star
Triple Crown winner 1933
Led league in avg. twice, homers and RBI three times
Hit .330 or better in each of the '29, '30, and '31 World Series
1932: 58 homers, 169 RBI, .364 Avg., 151 runs, .749 Slg.

His number should have been retired a long time ago.

by Nate510 on Apr 22, 2005 9:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs