Interesting the Mets only retired the number of one player. Of course that is Tom Seaver. Using the Yankees "easy" standards, the Mets could retire Gooden, Strawberry, Piazza, Koosman, Hernadez, Carter and Franco.
1
Two years not even in the playoffs and fans are edgy? C'mon. I hardly even noticed.
This is crazy. This place should be reserved for sure Hall of Famers.
1
I think that the Mets have this one right. They have a team Hall of Fame wall within their park that equates to the Yankee plaques, but they are right about holding down the numbers. I think Piazza will be retired, and I personally think Hernandez turned the team around in the 80's but that's it.
And Billy Martin is a joke. If the Yanks want to retire a #1 someone should of reminded George and Hal about Earle Combs, a .325 hitting Hall of Famer.
And Billy Martin is a joke. If the Yanks want to retire a #1 someone should of reminded George and Hal about Earle Combs, a .325 hitting Hall of Famer.
I used to love "the monuments," especially in the days when they were tombstone-like and actually ON the field in deep left center field (aka. Death Valley) and occasionally a long ball would bounce around back there.
But this has all become tantamount to more bread and circuses by a team desperate to play on fans' love for players past and equally desperate to distract fans from all the sordid realities of the team now.
But this has all become tantamount to more bread and circuses by a team desperate to play on fans' love for players past and equally desperate to distract fans from all the sordid realities of the team now.
4
No mention of both local and out of town visitors that take tours. I'm sure that adds to their bottom line. The Mets just don't have that cache...
Having worn the pinstripes for 37 consecutive years -- a record -- as the starting shortstop, and later the third base coach, isn't it about time Frankie Crosetti was honored in some fashion in Monument Park? As a player and a coach, Crosetti appeared in 23 World Series, winning 17. He played with Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzari, DiMaggio, and Dickey, and later coached Mantle, Maris, Martin, Boyer, Rizzuto, etc. He may not have been the brightest or boldest star in the Yankees universe, but a vital member of the organization nonetheless.
1
The addition of all those plaques in Monument Park has denigrated the original members of that hallowed place. Do you mean to tell me that Tino Martinez is the equal of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio? I don't think so. PULEEEZ. Say it ain't so.
2
As a Yankee hater, I am buoyed that the premise of this article (and indeed of the Yankee effort to emphasize everything but the team on the field) is that the team is hopeless and going nowhere. Even on February 20th, the time of year when hope is supposed to spring eternal and every team has the same 0-0 record, the presumption here is that the Yankees are irrelevant. I love it!
2
They need to put fans in the seats in a season where there are so few recognizable players and so many untested ones.
Andy Pettitte, an admitted HGH user, gets a plaque. Nice.
1
I'm not sure if any of the current Yankees are worthy of having their numbers retired...but the players themselves are already at retirement age.
1
"The Monuments" my generation called them (they were actually on the field of play partly because there were only 3). The organization, still actually quite efficient in baseball operations (that's right, efficient baseball clubs can still go years without a title) has reduced Monument Park to just another marketing gimmick in a new stadium that is a monument to marketing. The idiotic contract they gave A-Rod, which everyone is now so unhappy about, was to make sure when A-Rod took the alltime HR title away from Bad Barry, it would have the Yankees brand on it. Money doesn't always buy happiness, does it?
2
Retiring a uniform number should be the ultimate honor for a stellar career, not a marketing ploy to pump up attendance. The pimping of the hallowed Yankee tradition is sad.
2
Post PED's, the Yankees have entered the "Pathetic Era".
They should put a plaque up honoring Stick Michael who, as GM, put the team on track for their last few really great years.
2
Still awaiting the press release of plaques for Horace Clarke and Roger Repoz.
The Yankees have become a carnival show. The GM tried scaling walls. The franchise packed the park for the departure of former greats. This year, with no former greats left uncelebrated, they will retire the numbers of some druggies and run of the mill former players. Anything to get people to pay the bills which will eventually be pretty low as salaries decrease. It doesn't cost much to field a roster as interesting as the current Yankees. A small circus should do well.'
1
the Yankees can keep their $12.00 beer
4
I'm afraid this confirms the Yankees' business model of valuing a few bold faced names in the lineup, and profiting from their history rather than building a winning team. Renewing Cash-man's contract last year is another bad sign. The Yankees have had very limited success under his general management, the players being recognized this year - all worthy - pre-date him. The Yankees just want to maximize profits and winning is clearly a secondary concern.
1
Honoring so many dilutes the distinction. The Red Sox seem to have a better formula. A minimum of 10 years in a Red Sox uniform and election to the Hall of Fame.
2
Hard to believe omitting Tom Seaver from list of Mets greats...
1
For me, it's about the current baseball. This propping of the Yankee "brand", especially the embarrassing Jeter farewell marathon, cheapens the Yankees and my own memories of the Yankee teams of the recent past.
How about a plaque for Horace Clarke and a celebration for the 10th place 1966 team? Certainly a monument commemorating the Fritz Peterson/Mike Kekich wife/family swap. Jim Bouton also deserves a retired number for outing the miserable crew.
3
Will Andy Pettite's plaque mention HGH?
1
I only support the retirement of no. 2 and no. 42. As for the numbers already retired, I would un-retire all but 4, 3, 5, 7, 8 & 16. Gehrig, Ruth, Joe D, Mantle, Ford, Berra, Jeter and Mo were transformative Yankee players. There are other ways to honor a player and the organization does that; e.g., a day, a plaque.
Other than O'Neill and Tino not being home grown Yankees, its hard to justify retiring Williams and Posada and not the right fielder and first baseman. Posada was a mediocre defensive catcher earlier in his career who later developed into a good, but not great, one. And, assuming its appropriate to retire managers' numbers, how can one retire the numbers of Torre (6) and Stengel (37), but not that of Joe McCarthy? Perhaps McCarthy didn't have a number, but that didn't stop the Giants from honoring the great Christy Matthewson.
Other than O'Neill and Tino not being home grown Yankees, its hard to justify retiring Williams and Posada and not the right fielder and first baseman. Posada was a mediocre defensive catcher earlier in his career who later developed into a good, but not great, one. And, assuming its appropriate to retire managers' numbers, how can one retire the numbers of Torre (6) and Stengel (37), but not that of Joe McCarthy? Perhaps McCarthy didn't have a number, but that didn't stop the Giants from honoring the great Christy Matthewson.
1
...how about Roy White
...or Catfish Hunter
...or Chris Chambliss
...or even...DRUMROLL...Bucky Dent.
Really now, while Jorge Posada was a solid player for many years, let's not forget that he wasn't even the primary catcher from 1996-1998 while a player like Roy White embodied the franchise's shift from mediocrity to championships in the late 1970s. And why not Chambliss for that matter, a player who had as many solid seasons as Posada or Randolph.
Let's call this for what it is...(at least) four days where management hopes to snooker people to buy tickets (and watch on YES) as a distraction from the 2015 ballclub. It's called "marketing" 101 and lessens the impact of $50 parking, exorbitant ticket prices, outrageous concession costs and the overall feeling that attending a game in the "new" Stadium is a hollow experience. Just ask the ushers and other "security" personnel who treat most people like the cheap commodity Yankee management believes they are.
...or Catfish Hunter
...or Chris Chambliss
...or even...DRUMROLL...Bucky Dent.
Really now, while Jorge Posada was a solid player for many years, let's not forget that he wasn't even the primary catcher from 1996-1998 while a player like Roy White embodied the franchise's shift from mediocrity to championships in the late 1970s. And why not Chambliss for that matter, a player who had as many solid seasons as Posada or Randolph.
Let's call this for what it is...(at least) four days where management hopes to snooker people to buy tickets (and watch on YES) as a distraction from the 2015 ballclub. It's called "marketing" 101 and lessens the impact of $50 parking, exorbitant ticket prices, outrageous concession costs and the overall feeling that attending a game in the "new" Stadium is a hollow experience. Just ask the ushers and other "security" personnel who treat most people like the cheap commodity Yankee management believes they are.
2
Anyone actually been to Monument Park? It's cramped, out of the way, and accessible mainly by one small staircase. I get that it replaces the old version, but it feels like an afterthought. Same thing goes for the charming but tiny museum the Yankees built.
The Mets might be strangely unwilling to retire numbers, but their museum and hall of fame is large, well lit, and right by the entrance to Citi Field. That's one thing they got right.
The Mets might be strangely unwilling to retire numbers, but their museum and hall of fame is large, well lit, and right by the entrance to Citi Field. That's one thing they got right.
2
Yankee dominance has always been predicated on having two types of players: the Hall of Famers and the exceptional supporting actors, who typically played on at least three World Series title teams. Sometimes one player can fit into both categories, but not very often. Should all of them receive Monument Park honors? For years, Monument Park only had three honorees, visible within the field of play, but times have changed. Munson and Howard were special cases, but once they put Super Chief Reynolds back there they really opened the door to others. Bauer, Henrich, and quite a few more have a very good case. I think the 1996-2001 run, truly exceptional in the game's history, does deserve to be recognized, but then does the unparalleled 1949-1953 era. Both teams featured a few HOFs, but mostly a lot of really good players who produced in their specialized role, especially the Stengel platoons. As for earlier times, maybe they could nail Lazzeri's plaque to the ground, paying homage to how he left shoes in the Yankee clubhouse (not for the first time) after the brass told him he was done in New York.
I am having a problem with honoring managers who benefited so obviously from the steroid use of some of their players. The one who comes to mind first is obviously Tony LaRussa. Another one is Joe Torre, who I like as much as the next Yankee fan. Has anyone publicly asked him if he was aware that A-Rod and Clemens (amongst others) were users? Hard to imagine he was not. So I would suggest not retiring #6. Growing up in the late 50s and 60s in NY, Clete Boyer for me was always #6. I'd like to leave it that way.
It's going to be interesting to see the Yankees this year. I can't quite ascertain if the Yankees or their longtime nemesis, the Red Sox, will actually be playoff contenders in 2015 but I do know it's going to be fun watching and hearing about whatever it is A-Rod does or doesn't do this season. It's a refreshing change of pace to have a ticking time bomb take on the role of being the team's cornerstone player/cheerleader/punching bag.
4
Standard practice is to retire the number and imprint it somewhere in the ballpark. The Yankees have plenty who deserve that honor. Monument Park should have been reserved for monuments of the game. It cheapens the honor to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio. Mantle and soon Jeter and Rivera, when so many lesser lights share the same space. As for managers, the only one who is even arguably of the stature of the Big 6 is Joe McCarthy. And don't tell me about the statues. Standard retirement treatment for the greats, Monument Park for the monuments.
BTW, My opinion on New York teams has repeatedly been discounted because I'm living in Phoenix. Forget that. The Yankees belong to everyone.
BTW, My opinion on New York teams has repeatedly been discounted because I'm living in Phoenix. Forget that. The Yankees belong to everyone.
8
The criterion for retiring numbers should rest with Hall of Fame election. It's too much now,,,,,Billy Martin? Two number 8's? How is that even possible?
3
Well, for folks who don't know, the Yankees used to have standards for retiring numbers that presumed that it was an extraordinary honor, (like 4,3,5 and 7 in that order) so Bill Dickey's #8 was available for Yogi Berra to have it. Then they had to retire it when they decided by their new standards that Yogi needed the ceremony. Just like they gave it to Nettles for his career without retiring it for Maris until the revisionism kicked in later. The tone of this article suggests there may soon be two #9s retired as well.
If the Yankees retire any more numbers they might start using letters..3a 4a 5a 7a..
15
I think some lucky player should get the number pi.
Who in there right minds can sit through 3 hours of boredom anyway .