On Saturday Peter Gammons included this nugget in his ESPN.com column:
This summer, the number 26 will be retired in Fenway Park and put up on the roof with 1, 4, 8, 9 and 27.Gammons is known for just throwing things against the wall, hoping something sticks. This will not stick.
The Red Sox have three criteria that have to be met for a player to have his number retired. First they have to had played at least 10 years in Boston. Second they have to have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Finally, the have to have retired as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox waived this last requirement for Carlton Fisk because he was a special case. Fisk was born in Vermont and raised in New Hamshire. Plus Fisk's final act in baseball was to choose the Red Sox hat over the White Sox hat for his plaque for the Hall of Fame. Nobody had a problem with Fisk's number being retired.
Boggs will be a different case.
First off - Boggs left Boston to play for the Yankees. That's a major no-no. Wade Boggs also has already had his number retired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Finally and most importantly - players like Jim Rice, Dwight Evans and Johnny Pesky all meant more to the Red Sox and all deserve the honor of having their number retired much more than Boggs. Retiring Boggs number would be a slap at these players.
Wade Boggs is known just for his stats but he is not the career leader in any category for the Red Sox (unless you count most Barbara Walters Specials). Cy Young is tied for career wins for the Sox and he doesn't have his number retired. Chances are that Roger Clemens won't have his number retired either. Same thing with Pedro Martinez. What makes Gammons think Boggs is more special than any of these players?
Peter Gammons is slipping and is approaching crazy uncle status with some of his pronouncements of late.
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