LaTroy Hawkins, Recent History Would Like a Word with You
Apr 3rd, 2008 by J-Bla
From the April 3 Yahoo Yankees Team Report:
RHP LaTroy Hawkins may have inadvertently made life a little tougher for himself in the Bronx with his choice of uniform numbers, but the reliever doesn’t seem likely to be shaken even if he’ll have to win fans over. Hawkins selected No. 21 as a tribute to Roberto Clemente -– who died in a plane crash on a humanitarian mission on New Year’s Eve 1972, 10 days after Hawkins was born. Yankees fans were more concerned with Hawkins becoming the first player to wear the number since favorite Paul O’Neill. “He died helping people,” Hawkins said of why he wanted to honor Clemente. As for the fallout, the reliever was surprised to hear there would be any and pointed out the Yankees’ plethora of retired numbers provides a unique challenge. “This ain’t an easy organization for picking out numbers,” he said. “They understand that, don’t they?”
Fair point, LaTroy. The Yankees have retired 17 numbers, and there are 40 guys on the roster. Assuming everyone else on the team already picked his numbers, that means there are 44 numbers to choose from, and somehow you chose Paul O’Neill’s, you know, the guy Yankee fans associate with the ‘96-2001 dynasty. Luckily, LaTroy, your career 1.46 WHIP likely means there won’t be a lot of debate over which No. 21 may someday be retired.
And I highly doubt this’ll ever happen: