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MLB > New York Yankees > Yankees: Assign #6!!

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August 20, 2011, 11:15 AM

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The Yankees are still holding back assigning uniform #6, obviously thinking of retiring it in Joe Torre's honor. I say, assign it to someone!

To restate my argument: I still don't get retiring managers' uniform numbers. If a Yankee player wore #37, would that be taken as a sign of disrespect to Casey Stengel? Most fans know he was a great manager, how many know (or care) what his number was? The great Yankees manager Joe McCarthy didn't wear a number. If I recall correctly, neither did Miller Huggins or the Giants' John McGraw. Athletic's manager Connie Mack didn't even wear a baseball uniform (come to think of it, what other team sport makes the manager/coach wear a uniform like the players?).

Numbers for players makes sense, both for identifying them on the field AND from a merchandising angle. Fans want to wear their favorite player's number, but do they wear their favorite manager's number?

Give Torre a plaque in Monument Park, but get #6 back on a player!

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September 5, 2011 04:29 PM ET

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Agreed. Who even thinks about the manager's number? I'm a big Phillies fan and also a big Charlie Manuel fan, and I have no freakin' idea what his number is!!

NB2 JR.

Skunkville, OH

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October 23, 2011 09:23 AM ET

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QUOTE:

Originally posted 11:15 AM ET 08.20 by BeeSoup

(come to think of it, what other team sport makes the manager/coach wear a uniform like the players?).

Bob Greene's column on cnn.com today (10/23/11) addresses this very question!

BeeSoup

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August 25, 2012 11:40 AM ET

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Yankee numbers soon to be retired: #2 (Jeter), #42 (Rivera, although once he retires it would not have been reassigned anyway).

Unassigned numbers that are possibly under consideration: #51 (Williams), #21 (O'Neill), #6 (Torre).

The honor is becoming a bit unwieldy. The standard for this honor should remain very high, especially for the Yankees. As great a manager as Joe Torre was for the Yankees, I would suggest a plaque instead. Same goes for the greats Williams and O'Neill.