NYC sports stars who should be next for number retirements

Uniform numbers aren’t for everybody. I’ve associates who I’d take into account to be engaged sports activities followers who’ve virtually zero recall of who wore what quantity — and even much less inclination to additional research the artwork.

I even have associates — and I’m the chairman of this little extra-curricular exercise — who consider uniform numbers are a vital a part of investing in sports activities. I’m not saying that’s true. I simply know that the opposite evening a buddy requested about Ron Gardenhire — a superb supervisor in his day however a reasonably obscure Met earlier than that — and I instantly mentioned “19.” I’m unsure I can recall anything about Gardenhire’s 285-game tenure with the Mets, however I remembered he wore 19. When the good friend regarded it up on Baseball-Reference.com and confirmed it, he nodded in admiration.

This isn’t a ability that may change the world. However I’m a uniform quantity man. So Saturday was my type of day, the Mets retiring Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 forever, swelling the roster at Citi Area to seven — 14 (Gil Hodges), 16 (Doc Gooden), 17 (Keith Hernandez), 18 (Strawberry), 36 (Jerry Koosman), 37 (Casey Stengel) and 41 (Tom Seaver) when, for the longest time, solely Hodges, Stengel and Seaver had that honor.

It bought me fascinated by who may get the subsequent retired quantity for every of our 9 groups within the 4 main leagues. And right here is one man’s guess at that:

Mets

It virtually actually must be David Wright’s 5, it’s only a matter of when. After that? Nearly each worthy member of the all-time roster (for now) can have been duly honored. It’s anybody’s guess who the ninth quantity could be. He won’t have been drafted but — although if he stays round, Pete Alonso is a risk.

Yankees

No workforce higher takes care of its legends on this regards than the Yankees, so there aren’t any holdouts. Secure to say Aaron Choose’s 99 will reside in Monument Park sometime, on the earliest potential date.

Giants

I’d say sooner or later a public reconnection/reconciliation with Tiki Barber is so as. He’s the all-time rusher — by greater than 3,500 yards — for a workforce that’s about to start its a centesimal yr of operation. It needs to be time for 21.

Jets

This one ought to have been executed a very long time in the past: Gerry Philbin’s 81. He was the Joe Namath (solely much less chatty) of the ’68 Jets protection.

Knicks

Whereas I’d like to counsel that sometime Julius Randle can have sufficient gravitas to warrant a twin hanging of 30 with Bernard King, essentially the most egregious omission proper now could be Richie Guerin’s No. 9, which ought to’ve been hung on the Backyard many years in the past.

Nets

We all know the reply to this: The Nets will retire Vince Carter’s 15 subsequent season. Me? I’d have gone with Micheal Ray Richardson’s 20 earlier than Carter. His time with the Nets was temporary and ended badly however he was electrical.

Rangers

I’m with my man Brooksie on this one: Brad Park’s No. 2 needs to be added to Brian Leetch’s No. 2 sooner slightly than later. And there’s precedent: two 9s (Adam Graves and Andy Bathgate) and two 11s (Mark Messier and Vic Hadfield) already hold within the rafters.

Islanders

The one actual omission from the Dynasty Boys is Ken Morrow, who was as dependable and as clutch a participant as any of them. His No. 6 actually belongs at UBS Middle.

Devils

Claude Lemieux was a vital a part of the workforce’s assault and an integral a part of the dressing room for the 1995 and 2000 champs. Neither departure was particularly clean, however Pepe’s 22 ought to hold.

Vac’s Whacks

I used to be remiss in my tribute to Bill Walton the opposite day to not recall the profound affect New York’s very personal Marty Glickman had in serving to Walton overcome a stutter and giving him first-class, hands-on coaching as a broadcaster.

With regards to Negro Leaguers being incorporated into MLB stats, I defer as all the time to my late good friend, the nice Buck O’Neil, who as soon as instructed me, “Anybody who noticed Josh Gibson or ol’ Satch Paige play is aware of they had been each bit pretty much as good as one of the best white gamers. However fewer and fewer of us are nonetheless round. What occurs once we’re all gone and no one can speak about them?” If this makes one child search for Gibson and Paige? Signal me up.

I’m about midway by way of “A Man in Full,” and, as all the time with any challenge she is in, Diane Lane is one of the best half about it. By quite a bit.

Celtics in seven. But it surely’s going to be enjoyable watching Luka for seven video games price of prime time.

Whack Again at Vac

Henry Conte: Steve Cohen drew a hand of Brodie, Porter, Scott and Eppler. …. I hope his on line casino poker tables have higher luck.

Vac: That’s the time you go on the lookout for a brand new supplier. For his sake, David Stearns had higher be the one.

Paul Sciortino: I assume they’re proper, cash doesn’t purchase happiness, see Steve Cohen and the Mets. Perhaps they simply don’t know the place to buy?

Vac: At the least it looks as if he’s executed together with his antique-store section. That’s a begin.

JerzDevl2000: Angel Hernandez lastly made the appropriate name.

@MikeVacc: Generally all it takes is seven phrases to say all of it.

Gregg Slater: I used to be fortunate sufficient to have frolicked with Invoice Walton through the years. The primary time in an airport the place we had been each sitting round with flight delays. Walked as much as him and requested about UCLA and didn’t get a phrase in for the subsequent 10 minutes. By the point we had been executed, he knew my spouse and children’ names.

Vac: So many tales like this have flooded in these previous few days. What a person. What a life.