My previous two posts focused on the outstanding career of Jim Thome and the debate about the legacy that he leaves behind, and the future he will find in baseball history. Watching the Red Sox, the other night, enticed me to write one more blog about the Hall of Fame debate (and then I will get back to more analysis).
On Sunday, Tim Wakefield struck out his 2,000th batter as a member of the Boston Red Sox. The only other player to reach that milestone in a Red Sox uniform? Roger Clemens. This solidifies Wakefield’s place as a Red Sox great. Sure, he is not one of the best players to don the classic uniform, but 185 of his career 199 wins and 2,000 of his career 2,110 strikeouts have come with Boston. He has been a part of some of the worst times, he surrendered the game 7 winning homerun to Aaron Boone in the 2003 ALCS against the Yankees, and the best times, he has seen two World Series parades through the streets of Boston. There are two other members of the Red Sox that will find their names mentioned in Red Sox lore for years to come: Jason Varitek and David Ortiz.
Varitek has never been an outstanding offensive threat. He does, however, command respect in baseball circles. This is because with four no-hitters, Varitek has caught more no-hitters than any other catcher in the history of Major League Baseball. He has helped bring up what is one of the best, young rotations currently in the Majors. He has caught more games for the Red Sox than anyone. David Ortiz, the man of two legendary walk-off hits against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, recorded his 1,000th RBI with the Red Sox. Can you name the five other players to reach this milestone? You may recognize a few of the names: Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, and Bobby Doerr.
There is no question that these players have found a permanent place in Red Sox history, but none of them may wind up with careers worthy of the Hall of Fame. This brings me to the point of this blog. In my previous blog, I stated that I thought the Hall of Fame was, “a place to honor the greatest players who have simultaneously been ambassadors to the game, treating it with the dignity and respect that it deserves.” There is another way to honor those players who are not worthy of the Hall, but have been vital to a team and been one of the greats in the organization—retire their numbers.
Johnny Damon, a former Red Sox (among other teams), is now 37 and still producing at a high level and adding to career numbers that will warrant serious Hall consideration. Johnny Damon, whose longest stint with a team is six seasons, has not been with one club long enough to cement a legacy like Wakefield, Varitek and Ortiz have. He does not deserve to have his number retired by any of the now 6 different teams that he has played for. Wakefield, Varitek and Ortiz may all find their respective numbers in the rafters of Fenway Park one day however.
While this a minor discrepancy, it is a debate that I have had with friends before and it is my firm stance that a player does not have to Hall of Fame caliber to have his number retired, and a Hall of Famer may not be worthy of having his number retired. You decide who should have their numbers retired for your team.
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