The Red Sox are going to retire Jim Rice’s number. Fair enough. He fits the criteria the Sox have articulated for the honor: (1) Election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame; and (2) at least 10 years played with the Red Sox.
Can someone then tell me why Wade Boggs doesn’t have his number retired? He had 11 seasons with the Sox, made the Hall of Fame, and was a heck of a lot better player than Jim Rice ever was. The only answer anyone has ever given me is that they have an unwritten rule that you had to have finished your career with Boston as well. If that’s the case then, it’s (a) been broken already with Carlton Fisk; and (b) it’s patently stupid. If the Yankees had such a rule Melky Cabrera could wear Babe Ruth’s number three given that he ended his career with the Braves. If the Braves had it, Dale Murphy never would have been able to wear his number 3 -- Ruth had it, natch -- and Jeff Francoeur would have been able to sport Hank Aaron’s 44. I don’t think we’d need to worry about anyone wearing Francoeur’s number for obvious reasons.
In light of all of that I can only assume that the Red Sox haven’t retired Boggs’ number out of spite because he went and got a ring with the Yankees. Which I suppose would be a good reason if Babe Ruth hadn’t won a title with the Sox before he came to New York.
Man the whole Yankees-Sox thing is idiotic.