[pedro1918]

This weekend.

Per the Herald and WEEI.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basebal...&position=4

This post has been edited by pedro1918: 23 September 2008 - 10:55 AM

[The Four Peters]

Link for reference.

I think this is great news, as he deserves it. If they were going to do it, I'm glad it's while he's still alive, and not posthumously.

[TheShynessClinic]

Well deserved.

One of the greatest moments from the 2004 WS was this:

[pedro1918]

I've been really hardline when it comes to numbers being retired. I was against this, as I had felt Ted and Yaz are really the only two I would retire, but I have mellowed. Pesky is the Red Sox. Maybe not as well known as Ted and Yaz, but no less a part of the Red Sox.

Congrats, Johnny. You deserve it.

[jsinger121]

Long overdue as he has pretty much dedicated his life to the Red Sox after returning to the organization after he retired as a player.

[smastroyin]

This is great, and a good exception to an outdated rule.

That said, while I thought the same think about Fisk, I really hope they don't go crazy with retiring numbers.

[BoSoxLady]

This is a well-deserved honor and a long time coming. The change in the retired number policy is going to open up a huge can of worms. Can Tony C, Dom DiMaggio and Jim Rice be far behind?

[Doug Beerabelli]

Well, if they retire Dom's, my signed picture of Pesky, Dom and Doerr that I won in the ALS auction will go up value.

Regardless, good for Johnny. I read his biography written by Bill Nowlin, and gained even more appreciation for him.

[RSN Diaspora]

BoSoxLady, on Sep 23 2008, 12:02 PM, said:

This is a well-deserved honor and a long time coming. The change in the retired number policy is going to open up a huge can of worms. Can Tony C, Dom DiMaggio and Jim Rice be far behind?

The can of worms was my first thought. I love Pesky, but now there are going to be reasonable arguments for other number retirements that were staved off in the past. The three you listed would be the most obvious, but what about someone like Pumpsie Green who, like Pesky, was never HOF material but had significant off-field importance to the team?

[BoSox Rule]

It's going to be great to watch and truly emotional. A very well deserved honor for a man who has dedicated his entire life to the organization.

[Razor Shines]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, BSL. Johnny isn't the only folk hero associated with the Sox. Another name that pops up in my mind is Louie Tiant. He's another "ambassador" of the Red Sox, and his on-field accomplishments are probably a little more impressive than Johnny's. There are now a lot of arguments for guys who should be on that wall.

Still, I like this move, even though I don't see the logic in it. I like seeing Pesky happy.

[Andrew]

BoSox Rule, on Sep 23 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

It's going to be great to watch and truly emotional. A very well deserved honor for a man who has dedicated his entire life to the organization.

Don't forget to update your signature!

I think that this is a great decision. This goes beyond what he did as a player. He has spent nearly his entire LIFE as the embodiment of the Red Sox. I'm all for strict enforcement of what number gets retired but I think it should be a case by case basis, not on some arbitrary list of rules. Johnny Pesky deserves this.

This post has been edited by Andrew: 23 September 2008 - 11:20 AM

[pedro1918]

I don't really see it as opening the door for others. How many others have, or will have, a 57 year affiliation with the Sox?

The last thing I want to see is some of the other numbers mentioned here retired.

[cheekydave]

Hopefully they do it on saturday as the game is on national TV. I do hope that this doesn't mean they have word that he might be ill, and want to make sure this is done while he is with us. Note: I have NOo information nor have heard that he is ill at all, but I do wonder why all of a sudden they want to do this now.
As for opening up a can of worms for other players, sure, just tell them, after 50 years association with the team , we will allow numbers to be retired, if you are not in the hall of fame.

[BoSox Fan]

As long as he is living, Johnny Pesky is Mr. Red Sox.

[TomRicardo]

BoSoxLady, on Sep 23 2008, 12:02 PM, said:

This is a well-deserved honor and a long time coming. The change in the retired number policy is going to open up a huge can of worms. Can Tony C, Dom DiMaggio and Jim Rice be far behind?

Why Tony C? I don't see how you could validate that at all. Pesky was a good player whose prime was cut short because of the war and who stuck around the team forever. He worked for the organization for over 57 years.

Tony C was a local guy with horrible luck.

Dom Dimaggio was also robbed of his prime but doesn't have the life long resume Pesky did.

I think the important thing to remember here is how long Pesky worked for the Sox.

[Rudy Pemberton]

His career OPS+ was only 108. His most similar players include Luis Castillo, Dave Cash, and Johnny Temple!

Just kidding, this is a great honor and well deserved in my opinion. Pesky is the Red Sox, and one of the most refreshing aspects of the last few years is the cultivation of a Red Sox family and fraternity where past players are still part of the organization, Pesky certainly embodies that more than anyone.

Let's hope they clinch before this ceremony, so we can all truly enjoy it.

[mabrowndog]

Great news. Once those of Pesky's era are gone, there's literally zero likelihood that another player will remain part of this organization as long as he has. I know it's uncool around here to care about history, or about the dedication of a man's life to one team, but this is absolutely the right thing to do.

A side benefit is that it trumps the Yankees' somewhat on all the "history and tradition" hype of late.

One snippet in that Herald article linked above caught my eye:

Quote

Yet the Red Sox went against their own policy in 2000 when they retired the No. 27 of former catcher Carlton Fisk, even though Fisk ended his career with the Chicago White Sox. But rather than dump the policy when Fisk’s number was retired, the Red Sox simply announced that the catcher was returning to the club as a special assistant to general manager Dan Duquette and, thus, ending his career with the club.

However, Fisk is actually working for the White Sox again as an “ambassador,” meaning, to use the Red Sox’ own terminology, he has not “ended his career” with the team.

I was unaware of this and frankly I'm a little stunned the Sox allowed this to happen. When they retired his number, was there any discussion of a long-term agreement with him? Did Henry's group ever consider it when they dedicated Fisk's Pole?

Granted the whole "special assistant to Duquette" thing was a dog & pony show, but couldn't they at least have made some effort to make it less transparent and to prevent one of the caveats from being reversed?

[smastroyin]

mabrowndog, on Sep 23 2008, 12:28 PM, said:

Granted the whole "special assistant to Duquette" thing was a dog & pony show, but couldn't they at least have made some effort to make it less transparent and to prevent one of the caveats from being reversed?

I keep forgetting you used to live in Atlanta. This was huge news at the time and many people talked about the transparency of the action.

That said, Fisk is one of the top 5 catchers of all time, and despite the fact that he did everything longer for the White Sox than the Red Sox, most baseball people identify him as a Red Sox, if only for Game 6. I do think they should have just gone ahead and explicitly made him the exception rather than do the wink wink nudge nudge crap, but if ever there was reason for an exception, he was it.

[BoSoxLady]

TomRicardo, on Sep 23 2008, 12:22 PM, said:

Why Tony C? I don't see how you could validate that at all. Pesky was a good player whose prime was cut short because of the war and who stuck around the team forever. He worked for the organization for over 57 years.

Tony C was a local guy with horrible luck.

Dom Dimaggio was also robbed of his prime but doesn't have the life long resume Pesky did.

I think the important thing to remember here is how long Pesky worked for the Sox.

I'm not advocating the Sox retiring Tony C's number. AAMOF, I'm totally against it. I merely mentioned that since the Red Sox have apparently changed their retired number policy, more pressure will be put upon the Red Sox to retire other numbers.

Fisk working for the White Sox bothers the hell out of me. I would have thought Fisk signed a personal services contract with the Red Sox. Perhaps not.