We're keeping the original poll up because it's still relevant. But Mike Piazza's retirement today got me thinking about all the other New York athletes who are deserving of the ultimate honor - having their number retired.
It seems as though teams go about retiring numbers in phases. For example, the Rangers have begun to honor the 1994 team in recent years. They retired Mike Richter's #35 in 2004, Mark Messier's #11 in 2006, and Brian Leetch's #2 in 2008; they will add Adam Graves' #9 in 2009. Of course, there's another side to this - if you were never part of a big title win or dynasty, it's all but impossible to get your number retired. Off the top of my head, the only New York athletes who had their numbers retired in recent years without any rings are Patrick Ewing and Joe Klecko.
So, then, why can't anybody else join their ranks? Is it really so imperative that someone wins a championship to receive this honor? I hope not, because if that's the case, none of us will be seeing any retired numbers until the Yankees start honoring their late 90's dynasty. Did you know that after they retire Derek Jeter's #2 and Joe Torre's #6, the Yankees will have no single-digit numbers available? They'll have all been retired. Crazy, no?
But let's not talk about the Yankees right now. I'd rather talk about the other teams who haven't won anything, but have legends deserving of praise nonetheless. Here are the main guys who deserve to have their numbers retired, but haven't yet (and possibly never will).
- John Starks, #3. New York Knicks (1990-1998). People love to trash the Pat Riley Knicks for being boring to watch and overly physical, but if you were a Knicks fan back then, you loved John Starks. He was a player with average talent, but became a star because he never backed down. And, let's be honest, Starks deserves to be remembered for something more than his 2-for-18 shooting performance in Game 7 of the 1994 Finals. Put his number up there and exorcise the demons that Stephon Marbury has brought us.
- Gary Carter, #8. New York Mets (1985-1989). His tenure with the Mets was very short, but he was with the Mets as long as Reggie Jackson was with the Yankees. Each had some playoff heroics and brought home a World Series. Yet, when the Hall Of Fame came calling, they gave Mr. October a Yankee hat and stuck Carter with the horrid insignia of the Montreal Expos. Part of me thinks that was done just to get the Expos into the Hall somehow, but still. The fact remains that Carter wanted to go in as a Met, works for the Mets organization, wants to manage the club, and remains very popular with the fans. Why not retire his number?
- Pat LaFontaine, #16. New York Islanders (1984-1991). Perhaps the most egregious oversight on this list. You've got a guy who came up just as the dynasty was crumbling, scored one of the most famous goals in team history, carried a ton of bad Islander teams into the playoffs, did a ton of work in the community, came back to be part of Charles Wang's ill-fated "committee"... and the franchise can't get around to retiring his number? What, is it a rule that you had to have won a Cup to get up there? I mean, come on! Sure, LaFontaine left the organization on bad terms, but so did Clark Gillies and that didn't stop the Islanders from honoring him. Us 20-somethings who are too young to remember the dynasty years grew up idolizing LaFontaine, and it's about time the Islanders acknowledge part of their history that doesn't include four Stanley Cups.
- Keith Hernandez, #17. New York Mets (1983-1989). Hernandez, aside from being an incredible commentator, was the first piece of the Mets' championship puzzle. Aside from being perhaps the greatest fielding first baseman of all-time, he gave the Mets the swagger that brought them the 1986 World Series. He's sort of overlooked (given the other talent on that team, it's understandable), but Mets fans have always had a special place in their heart for the man they call "Mex". Seeing marginal players such as Dae-Sung Koo and Kevin Appier wearing #17 for the Mets hurt... but the organization can make up for it by honoring the man who was the face of the Mets for many years.
- Curtis Martin, #28. New York Jets (1998-2005). Had Curtis Martin been your typical, bragadocious, trash-talking running back, his number would already be hanging in Giants Stadium. Of course, he doesn't get the nod, even though he's the best running back this team has ever seen. He's the kind of player whose accomplishments grow in stature over time; to think about him winning the rushing title in his final full season, at age 31, is just remarkable. You just can't say enough about Curtis Martin. He deserves to be considered one of the all-time greats, just like he deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest Jets.
- Mike Piazza, #31. New York Mets (1998-2005). The inspiration behind this list after his retirement yesterday. It didn't take long for Mets fans to clamor for his number to be retired and for him to go into the Hall Of Fame as a Met. And both should be happening. He might have had better numbers as a Dodger, but he will always be remembered for his home-run after 9/11 (I had tickets to that game and didn't go) and taking the Mets to the World Series. Personally, my favorite memory of Piazza was when he came back as a Padre and hit two home runs (and nearly a third) off Pedro Martinez, drawing the extremely rare curtain call on the road. At least you know Piazza will get his number retired someday, bringing the number of Mets' players with retired numbers to a whopping two.
Honorable Mentions: Carl Banks, Harry Carson, Tiki Barber (New York Giants), Wayne Chrebet (New York Jets), Charles Oakley (New York Knicks).
Check the poll on the right side of this page, and vote for your choice.
It seems as though teams go about retiring numbers in phases. For example, the Rangers have begun to honor the 1994 team in recent years. They retired Mike Richter's #35 in 2004, Mark Messier's #11 in 2006, and Brian Leetch's #2 in 2008; they will add Adam Graves' #9 in 2009. Of course, there's another side to this - if you were never part of a big title win or dynasty, it's all but impossible to get your number retired. Off the top of my head, the only New York athletes who had their numbers retired in recent years without any rings are Patrick Ewing and Joe Klecko.
So, then, why can't anybody else join their ranks? Is it really so imperative that someone wins a championship to receive this honor? I hope not, because if that's the case, none of us will be seeing any retired numbers until the Yankees start honoring their late 90's dynasty. Did you know that after they retire Derek Jeter's #2 and Joe Torre's #6, the Yankees will have no single-digit numbers available? They'll have all been retired. Crazy, no?
But let's not talk about the Yankees right now. I'd rather talk about the other teams who haven't won anything, but have legends deserving of praise nonetheless. Here are the main guys who deserve to have their numbers retired, but haven't yet (and possibly never will).
- John Starks, #3. New York Knicks (1990-1998). People love to trash the Pat Riley Knicks for being boring to watch and overly physical, but if you were a Knicks fan back then, you loved John Starks. He was a player with average talent, but became a star because he never backed down. And, let's be honest, Starks deserves to be remembered for something more than his 2-for-18 shooting performance in Game 7 of the 1994 Finals. Put his number up there and exorcise the demons that Stephon Marbury has brought us.
- Gary Carter, #8. New York Mets (1985-1989). His tenure with the Mets was very short, but he was with the Mets as long as Reggie Jackson was with the Yankees. Each had some playoff heroics and brought home a World Series. Yet, when the Hall Of Fame came calling, they gave Mr. October a Yankee hat and stuck Carter with the horrid insignia of the Montreal Expos. Part of me thinks that was done just to get the Expos into the Hall somehow, but still. The fact remains that Carter wanted to go in as a Met, works for the Mets organization, wants to manage the club, and remains very popular with the fans. Why not retire his number?
- Pat LaFontaine, #16. New York Islanders (1984-1991). Perhaps the most egregious oversight on this list. You've got a guy who came up just as the dynasty was crumbling, scored one of the most famous goals in team history, carried a ton of bad Islander teams into the playoffs, did a ton of work in the community, came back to be part of Charles Wang's ill-fated "committee"... and the franchise can't get around to retiring his number? What, is it a rule that you had to have won a Cup to get up there? I mean, come on! Sure, LaFontaine left the organization on bad terms, but so did Clark Gillies and that didn't stop the Islanders from honoring him. Us 20-somethings who are too young to remember the dynasty years grew up idolizing LaFontaine, and it's about time the Islanders acknowledge part of their history that doesn't include four Stanley Cups.
- Keith Hernandez, #17. New York Mets (1983-1989). Hernandez, aside from being an incredible commentator, was the first piece of the Mets' championship puzzle. Aside from being perhaps the greatest fielding first baseman of all-time, he gave the Mets the swagger that brought them the 1986 World Series. He's sort of overlooked (given the other talent on that team, it's understandable), but Mets fans have always had a special place in their heart for the man they call "Mex". Seeing marginal players such as Dae-Sung Koo and Kevin Appier wearing #17 for the Mets hurt... but the organization can make up for it by honoring the man who was the face of the Mets for many years.
- Curtis Martin, #28. New York Jets (1998-2005). Had Curtis Martin been your typical, bragadocious, trash-talking running back, his number would already be hanging in Giants Stadium. Of course, he doesn't get the nod, even though he's the best running back this team has ever seen. He's the kind of player whose accomplishments grow in stature over time; to think about him winning the rushing title in his final full season, at age 31, is just remarkable. You just can't say enough about Curtis Martin. He deserves to be considered one of the all-time greats, just like he deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest Jets.
- Mike Piazza, #31. New York Mets (1998-2005). The inspiration behind this list after his retirement yesterday. It didn't take long for Mets fans to clamor for his number to be retired and for him to go into the Hall Of Fame as a Met. And both should be happening. He might have had better numbers as a Dodger, but he will always be remembered for his home-run after 9/11 (I had tickets to that game and didn't go) and taking the Mets to the World Series. Personally, my favorite memory of Piazza was when he came back as a Padre and hit two home runs (and nearly a third) off Pedro Martinez, drawing the extremely rare curtain call on the road. At least you know Piazza will get his number retired someday, bringing the number of Mets' players with retired numbers to a whopping two.
Honorable Mentions: Carl Banks, Harry Carson, Tiki Barber (New York Giants), Wayne Chrebet (New York Jets), Charles Oakley (New York Knicks).
Check the poll on the right side of this page, and vote for your choice.
Gilbert and Giacomin both had their numbers retired without bringing the Rangers a Cup.
ReplyDeleteI'd vote for Martin, Starks, or Chrebet over Mike "The Juice" Piazza.