Sometimes, the numbers aren’t enough
| July 16, 2009 | 11:52 AM
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The Denver Post’s Woody Paige stumbled upon an interesting topic today. His conclusion is wrong — hardly news there — but at least he presented us with something to talk about that isn’t outright absurd. The topic: Rockies retired numbers. His argument is that the Rockies should retire the numbers of the Blake Street Bombers — Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Andres Galarraga and Larry Walker.
For starters, let’s look at the retired numbers in Denver sports history:
Denver Broncos: John Elway, Frank Tripucka, Floyd Little.
Denver Nuggets: Alex English, Dan Issel, David Thompson, Byron Beck and Doug Moe.
Colorado Avalanche: Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque and, coming soon, Joe Sakic.
Colorado Rockies: Only Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, which is retired by all major league teams.
Yes, the Rockies’ lack of retired numbers is notable locally. But you don’t retire numbers just to have numbers hanging on the outfield wall or from the rafters. A player’s number should only be retired if: a) his ties to the organization and city are deep, unforgettable and border on the mythological; b) his tenure with the team was long enough that he always be remembered as a member of that team by fans inside and outside the city; c) his statistics warrant it.
Not all the names above really should have their numbers retired in Denver. Frank Tripucka played just four seasons for the Broncos, but at least has the distinction of being the team’s first quarterback and led the league in yards for two of his seasons. You could debate Byron Beck’s numbers, but he played his entire career in Denver — first with the ABA’s Rockets then the Nuggets — when the league as we now know it was in its infancy. The name that most stands out on the list is Ray Bourque. No question he deserves to have his number retired, but in Boston. He played barely more than a season for the Colorado Avalanche before getting his Stanley Cup and going home. But he did win a Stanley Cup here.
Let’s set aside the idea of retiring the whole Bombers group. Coors Field in that era was playing at its homer-friendliest, and the Bombers led the team to a single playoff appearance. The Yankees, who do not retire numbers casually, have not set aside all the numbers of their Hall of Famers. The Cardinals did not honor the Gashouse Gang with a blanket retiring. And only five true Boys of Summer made the trip from Brooklyn to the fences in Dodger Stadium. Fondness for an era is admirable and important to a franchise, but retiring a number — the local equivalent of a Hall of Fame — requires more attention to detail.
So, instead, let’s consider the candidates one by one:
Dante Bichette: The fans loved him, no question. In seven seasons with the Rockies, Bichette hit .316, with 201 home runs and 826 RBI. He drove in 100 or more runs five times. The obvious knock on Bichette is that he is the poster boy for Coors Field inflation. He never approached those numbers before of after his time with the Rockies. The other knock: he was an adventure in the outfield. The verdict: A tossup. If you take away the Coors Field eccentricities, Bichette is similar to other quality players for expansion teams in their early years like the Blue Jays’ George Bell, the Mariners’ Alvin Davis and the Brewers’ Gorman Thomas. Maybe Bichette was better, but not by much.
Vinny Castilla: The best argument for Castilla is that he kept coming back. Unlike Bichette and Galarraga, who came, conquered and never returned, Castilla came back not once, but twice after his initial departure to remind fans how much they loved him. In nine seasons with the team, Castilla hit .294 with 239 home runs and 745 RBIs. The Rockies traded him after the 1999 season, only to bring him back for one season 2004 to win the NL RBI crown. He returned again for a final hurrah in September 2006 to retire as a Rockie. A plus for Castilla is that he became a very good defensive third baseman. The verdict: The numbers are good, the legacy is good, but it would be hard to retire Castilla’s number without retiring Bichette’s. Again look at those other players with other expansion teams.
Andres Galarraga: Given the lingering fondness for Galarraga and his sometimes monumental home runs, it is sometimes hard to remember he played only five seasons for the Rockies before giving way to Todd Helton at first base. Galarraga, who won the NL batting title in the Rockies’ inaugural season, finished his Rockies career at .316 with 172 home runs and 589 RBIs. The numbers, like his home runs, were huge while he was here. But it’s tough to retire the number of someone who played less than a third of his career with the team. The verdict: No. Wait for the guy who replaced him.
Larry Walker: The first Rockies player to win a major award — the 1997 NL MVP — Walker played 10 seasons with the Rockies. He joined the team in 1995, the first season the Rockies made the playoffs. Walker batted .334 with 258 home runs and 848 RBI and stole 126 bases. His MVP season in 1997 was one of the greatest seasons ever in baseball, not just for the Rockies: .366, 49 home runs, 46 doubles, 130 RBI, 143 runs scored and 33 stolen bases. For about a five-year span, Walker was regarded as one of the game’s top all-around players, someone who could hit for power, average, steal a base, run down an impossible fly ball and gun down a runner at the plate. The knock: If not for his numerous injuries while a Rockie — he played in more than 150 games just once in his career — the conversation we would be having wouldn’t be about whether his number should be retired. It would be about the Hall of Fame. Walker still ranks first or second in most offensive categories in Rockies history. The verdict: Retire it. The numbers are good enough, he played long enough, he was regarded by the rest of baseball as something more than a freak occurance of a ballpark.
Bichette, Castilla and Galarraga all have good claims, but to retire their numbers would be to honor temporary greatness. If any one of the three should be given a third look, it would be Castilla, whose devotion to the Rockies and Denver fans has been proven again and again by his desire to retire as a Rockie and his continued role with the team as an advisor to current general manager Dan O’Dowd. OK, so you don’t retire numbers of assistants to the GMs, but it is a small tiebreaker among the other three.
Walker has, however, earned the honor. So retire his number, and honor the Bombers with a statue behind center field. But don’t start retiring numbers just because, as Woody argues, the Arizona Diamondbacks could beat you to it. Helton’s number can join Walker and Robinson soon enough.
Journals, Sports, Steve Foster
alex english, andres galarraga, blake street bombers, byron beck, colorado avalanche, colorado rockies, dan issel, dante bichette, david thompson, denver broncos, denver nuggets, doug moe, floyd little, frank tripucka, jackie robinson, joe sakic, john elway, larry walker, patrick roy, ray bourque, todd helton, vinny castilla
