Diamondbacks To Retire Luis Gonzalez's Number, August 7
by Jim McLennan on Jun 23, 2010 9:19 PM EDT
in Diamondbacks News
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PrintThe Arizona Diamondbacks announced today they will retire the uniform number (No. 20) worn by former D-backs’ outfielder Luis Gonzalez during a special ceremony that will take place prior to the team’s Aug. 7 5:10 p.m. game against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field.
Gonzalez will be the first former D-backs’ player to have his number retired by the organization. Gonzalez’s No. 20 will be seen in 5-foot purple numbers on the façade of the party suites in right field next to Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, which was retired in perpetuity by Major League Baseball on April 15, 1997.
"We have had a change of heart regarding our policy for retiring uniform numbers, and no longer require the players to be members of the Hall of Fame first," said D-backs’ President & CEO Derrick Hall. "We have a rich history since our inception and our players who played a large role in our success deserve recognition. When we announced Gonzo’s retirement last season and return to the organization in a front-office capacity, it was clear that a major touch was missing. Paying tribute to our franchise’s most popular player is fitting indeed."
By happy coincidence, this will also be the next SnakePitFest. Tickets for this will be going on sale soon, so you probably want to get in quickly - I think this one might well be a sell-out...
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I am hoping to go to that game
It will depend on money and scheduling of work
"Be more concerned w/ character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are." ~ John Wooden
not one bit.
sets the bar awfully low for future considerations.
Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.
by unnamedDBacksfan on Jun 24, 2010 6:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Dude owns
nearly every franchise hitting record, has the top two seasons ever by a Dback by WAR, is far and away the all-time hitting WAR leader (by nearly 7 WAR over Steve Finley) and is third all-time in franchise WAR.
I’ve got no problem with it. We’re a small market team. Besides Randy, whom we didn’t draft, we may never get another player into the HOF, rightfully or not.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Jun 24, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why do you think
the franchise should only retire the numbers of HOFers?
Should retire the numbers of players who had a particularly important impact on the franchise.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Jun 24, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I like
the idea that a number retiring is for players that could never be replaced, the absolute pinnacle of the franchise. To me, that means a player should be going to Hall of Fame.
I guess one way to look at it is that yes, Gonzo has many franchise records, and he was an excellent player for the Diamondbacks. But him holding the records of certain things is more a function of a franchise with limited history. What if another guy comes along, somehow manages to stay with the Diamondbacks 15 years and breaks all of Gonzo’s records, and still isn’t good enough to make the Hall of Fame. Do we retire this guy’s number?
I guess another reason why I feel Cooperstown is a good bar to measure retired numbers at is that it’s an outside standard, as flawed as it might be.
And I don’t think that the team couldn’t have a way to honor the players who have a big impact on the team. Make a museum/gallery in the entry of Chase Field that celebrates all the players of big time moments, even if they were only with the team for a short time. Give Gonzo a statue out front, sure. But retired numbers, to me, should be held to the highest standard.
Obviously, that’s just my opinion.
Quit drooling, vote for me.
WSS (What Soco said)
.
But him holding the records of certain things is more a function of a franchise with limited history. What if another guy comes along, somehow manages to stay with the Diamondbacks 15 years and breaks all of Gonzo’s records, and still isn’t good enough to make the Hall of Fame. Do we retire this guy’s number?
Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.
by unnamedDBacksfan on Jun 24, 2010 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
But him holding the records of certain things is more a function of a franchise with limited history.
Oh, certainly. But he’s more than just numbers, too, during that time. In the team’s early years, he was the undisputed FOTF and gave a brand new expansion team personality and likability.
What if another guy comes along, somehow manages to stay with the Diamondbacks 15 years and breaks all of Gonzo’s records, and still isn’t good enough to make the Hall of Fame. Do we retire this guy’s number?
Then we retire his number too. I suppose I could see Upton doing that, but at the same time, with the conversion of our cost structure to something smaller and more commensurate with our small market and meager fan base, I don’t really see this happening anytime soon. Well-established teams DO still have franchise players — the Yankees have their four guys, the Braves have Chipper, the Padres had Hoffman, the Cubs had Grace, etc., but I can’t see us hanging onto somebody who’s that good for that long. At least in the near future, and perhaps a little longer, the Dbacks will have to rely on youth. The guys who are really good we can’t afford to keep longterm.
But in the meantime, we’re following Billy Beane’s model rather than Jerry Colangelo’s/Joe Garagiola’s, and even after the debt gets paid off, I can’t really see a time when we’ll be able to replace every hole and be competitive every year. Not until Phoenix grows a lot bigger, anyway.
Mr. Science Boy
agreed
especially since it will be a LONG while before Phoenix gets back to growing again.
"Firing A.J. Hinch since 6/7/09"
Great idea!
I’m really happy about this! Luis Gonzalez deserves to have his number retired. He was a big part of the Dbacks-in-Purple’s success!
Congratulations to him!
By the way, is there any chance that Luis Gonzalez will go to the HOF?
Doubtful.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Jun 24, 2010 3:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The only Hall Gonzo belongs in is The Hall of Very Good.
I am glad he is getting this though. Very deserving. Now we just have to have #51 go up next.
Nice strikeout!
If he
only deserves the Hall of Very Good, why is he having his number retired?
Quit drooling, vote for me.
Because
otherwise, we’ll never retire a number after Randy’s.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Jun 24, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Good for him.
I’m actually kinda suprised yall didn’t do it with the Yankees in town. Just to twist the knife a little deeper.
Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.
Well, the Dbacks Legends was going on so they may have just wanted to focus on that.
Nice strikeout!
Racing Gracies!
Make Gracie the Teddy Roosevelt of the race.
No Gutierrez, Sherlock!
by Reynolds rapper on Jun 24, 2010 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Might as well
spread out the FO’s distraction measures as long as possible.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Jun 24, 2010 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Andrew Fisher
is jealous. Rox are 5 years older and still haven’t retired any #s yet.
Mr. Science Boy
Nope
And that number (9) is currently being worn by Ian Stewart. I thought that Eric Young’s number (21) would be retired last year but instead they honored him as being the player with the first-ever hit for the Rockies. My guess is todd Helton will be the first Rockie to have his jersey number (17) retired
"Be more concerned w/ character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are." ~ John Wooden
by Rockkstarr12 on Jun 24, 2010 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Incorrect
Wade Boggs.
"Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it. I would punch your life in the face."
The Rays
are the worst at this. At least Gonzo was a player who had a lot of great times and records with the D’backs. I may not agree with the decision to retire his number, but it’s not embarrassing. The Wade Boggs situation is just mistake.
Quit drooling, vote for me.
Who was
the executive whose “number” they retired before the team ever played its first game?
Mr. Science Boy
It was the Marlins
Which kinda sounds like a made-up name.
"Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it. I would punch your life in the face."
This appears to be
just more organizational advocacy.
Why
do people keep saying this term like it has any relevance? Organizational advocacy just means that every employee in a business is responsible for the organization’s success.
Quit drooling, vote for me.
Because
Organizational advocacy, soco.
Seriously, though, I didn’t know what it meant until you just explained it, and now about 75% of the times people have used it make no sense.
"Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it. I would punch your life in the face."
Now
I can understand people using it to make fun of Byrnes, since he said that was one of the reasons for firing Melvin, but as a general insult towards the FO? It really doesn’t make any sense.
Quit drooling, vote for me.
Say it while blowing a vuvu.
"I don’t know why people feel the need to come up with reasons 'why' for everything..." - Missing Barry
"...and is the reason 'why' really something we should be striving for?" - (guess who)
by victor frankenstein on Jun 25, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
I always thought
it meant common goals and a common route to reach those goals throughout the org. (Not necessarily in lockstep, though)
I assume macdaid used it as a general criticism of the FO in terms of a lack of seriousness. Diamondhacks and others tend to take that tack.
To be honest, I commented to Fisher last night that retiring Gonzo’s number also had a slight feel of intentional distraction, much like the “Dbacks Legends” race.
Mr. Science Boy
I think
you could make a strong argument for it being an intended distraction, but that’s how things go.
Quit drooling, vote for me.
Very true.
I don’t hate the FO for doing it, I understand it. But I also want the FO to know that there ARE those of us who, despite being 100% pro-Byrnes, ARE watching them.
It’s easy to shrug off Diamondhacks.
Mr. Science Boy
You're a snappish character these days.
Did you quit smoking altogether?
"I don’t know why people feel the need to come up with reasons 'why' for everything..." - Missing Barry
"...and is the reason 'why' really something we should be striving for?" - (guess who)
by victor frankenstein on Jun 25, 2010 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Nah.
Although I didn’t smoke between Saturday and Wednesday.
But I’m still smoking and throwing the butts anywhere I can as my way of thumbing the police’s eye.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Jun 25, 2010 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
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