# all gone (o.t.)

[Josh '99]

[quote Beeeej][quote Rich S]Since when is "social significance" the requirement for having your number retired?  Do you want to pull down all the retired Celtics' uniforms?  And Yankees? etc, etc...[/quote]

From the overall context, I gathered Trotsky was talking about universal retirement of a number - i.e., when all the teams in a sport retire it, a la Robinson.  Social significance certainly isn't a "requirement," but I'm not aware of any requirements for any retirement of numbers of any kind.[/quote]

You don't even have to be a good player.  (See:  Rizzuto, Phil.)

[KeithK]

[quote ugarte][quote KeithK]Torre is likely to have his number retired too[/quote]Predicting a championship in the Bronx in '07? Or that the announcement that #6 is being retired will be made at the same press conference introducing Joe Girardi as the new manager?[/quote]Nope. But there's already ample talk of Joe being elected to the hall of Fame someday, even with the Yankees recent "struggles". Even if he's upset with Joe now, that doesn't mean he wouldn't have a change of heart later and want to honor him.  He retired Billy Martin's number, for crying out loud.

[KeithK]

[quote jmh30]You don't even have to be a good player.  (See:  Rizzuto, Phil.)[/quote]Oh please.  Rizzuto very much was a good player.  Very solid hitting stats for a pre 90's shortstop, excellent defensively, won an MVP award and was a very important part of the Yankees championship clubs of that era. Is he a marginal Hall of Famer?  Sure.  Was he a good player?  Absolutely.

[ugarte]

[quote KeithK][quote jmh30]You don't even have to be a good player.  (See:  Rizzuto, Phil.)[/quote]Oh please.  Rizzuto very much was a good player.  Very solid hitting stats for a pre 90's shortstop, excellent defensively, won an MVP award and was a very important part of the Yankees championship clubs of that era. Is he a marginal Hall of Famer?  Sure.  Was he a good player?  Absolutely.[/quote]Not to mention his contributions in the booth. I loved listening to every unintentionally hilarious second of his calls.

[jtwcornell91]

[quote ugarte][quote KeithK][quote jmh30]You don't even have to be a good player.  (See:  Rizzuto, Phil.)[/quote]Oh please.  Rizzuto very much was a good player.  Very solid hitting stats for a pre 90's shortstop, excellent defensively, won an MVP award and was a very important part of the Yankees championship clubs of that era. Is he a marginal Hall of Famer?  Sure.  Was he a good player?  Absolutely.[/quote]Not to mention his contributions in the booth. I loved listening to every unintentionally hilarious second of his calls.[/quote]

I still remember fondly the time he got so excited about the penant race that he forgot his own name. :-D

[Rich S]

[quote KeithK][quote jmh30]You don't even have to be a good player.  (See:  Rizzuto, Phil.)[/quote]Oh please.  Rizzuto very much was a good player.  Very solid hitting stats for a pre 90's shortstop, excellent defensively, won an MVP award and was a very important part of the Yankees championship clubs of that era. Is he a marginal Hall of Famer?  Sure.  Was he a good player?  Absolutely.[/quote]

Agreed although by recent standards, he's better than a "marginal HOFer."  Both he and Peewee Reese are bonafide inductees considering that defense was the primary contribution of shortstops in that era.

He was so hilarious as a broadcaster, I think he should be inducted in that wing as well.  :-D

Actually, he was very good behind the mike until his later years when he stopped working at it and kinda coasted.  Thank God he had Bill White ("hey White!"), and others to carry him.

I can recall that he stopped learning the names of the new stars.

[KeithK]

I absolutely loved listening to Rizzuto broadcast games. It was like watching a game with an old uncle who loved to tell stories. As long as there was a straight man in the booth to make sure you knew what was happening on the field (at least for radio) it was great. White, Messer and Rizzuto are my all time favorite team, though the fact that they were broadcasting during the first 8 years of my baseball fandom may have something to do with this.

I didn't realize that Rizzuto is currently the oldest living HoF'er.  May he hold that title for a long time.