What’s in a Number? Uniform #14 and Jim Rice

Today is the day most fans having been looking forward to all winter long. No, not Valentine’s Day. The day pitchers and catchers officially report to Spring Training 2011. With dozens of players warming-up on the beautiful green grass in Fort Myers, fans stuck in Boston are enjoying a warm February 14th amidst the mess of greeting cards and balloons. In honor of this sudo-fake holiday, I wanted to put up a special post. Instead of going the direction of love, candy, and hearts, because honestly, I’ve seen enough of that crap the last few weeks, I decided to play with the uniform numbers and more specifically, the #14. For fans of the Boston Red Sox, the #14 should ring an immediate bell, because it is the now-retired number of recent Hall of Fame inductee Jim Rice. (more after the jump)

Numbers on the back of uniforms can be a significant piece of a player’s identity. As an example, let’s think about a few numbers. The number 9 is one of the most famous in Red Sox history. It’s not popular because Dusty Cooke wore it in 1935-36 or because Johnny Peacock wore it in 1944. Everyone knows that number because it represented one of the greatest Red Sox hitters of all-time, Ted Williams. In a more recent example, when you see the number 33, most don’t think Jose Canseco in 1995-96, but rather the captain Jason Varitek. Numbers are so important to players, that when a player is traded from one team to another and their number is already taken, many players attempt to buy their number off the other player. Whether it is a simple bribe of cash or another more outrageous trade offer.

When you think about it, a number is as much a part of a player’s identity as their distinct pitching or hitting style. When fans crowd into stadiums across the country, they are often hundreds of feet away from the play on the field. From that distance, there are only a few characteristics that can be seen, the most prominent being the giant number on the back of a uniform. From the outfield grandstand seats at Fenway Park, fans can see Dustin Pedroia’s #15 and immediately know he is the guy warming-up in the infield prior to the game. Unless he feels the urge to change his number, Peddy will be the Red Sox #15 until he leaves or retires. There is also a sense of unique pride with numbers and Tim Wakefield knows that the best, because since 1995, no one else has donned a Red Sox uniform with the #49 on the back. It has and will be his until he choices to change, or retires, whichever comes 1st.

One of the more recognizable numbers in Red Sox history is the afore mentioned Jim Rice’s #14. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I think it is interesting to take a look a bit deeper into that specific number. Since 1974, is has only graced Rice’s back with the Red Sox, both as a player until 1989 and as a coach from 1995-2000. Now, with the number being retired last season, it will be forever associated with him and no one else until the end of time (or until they change the rules on retired numbers). He had his number plaque hung on the right-field roof-deck overhang for all to see and has officially gone down in Red Sox history (even though he was already there for his on-field accomplishments). Put simply, he is #14 with the Red Sox.

When looking around the league, #14 is actually a fairly popular retired number. Seven players, including Rice, have been honored with their number being retired by their respective club. Of those 7, 4 are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Besides Rice, Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs, Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians, and Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies are the Hall of Famers that hold claim to be the official owners of the #14. The other 3 players and teams that have retired the #14 are Kent Hrbek of the Minnesota Twins, Ken Boyer of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Gil Hodges of the New York Mets.

What does all this mean? Not much, other than some great players wore the same number. What is interesting is the connection these players had with their number. Rice didn’t play a single game in the major leagues with another number on his back, because he played on the same team for 16 straight seasons. In the same vein, Ernie Banks, wore 1 number his entire 19-year career with the Chicago Cubs. In today’s baseball business climate, fewer and fewer players are spending most of their career with 1 franchise, so it is becoming more difficult for players to maintain their uniform numbers throughout their entire career without needing to shell out some cash. When you factor superstition into the equation, the changing of numbers can be dicey for a player, especially a successful star.

Number switching has become such a hot-button issue throughout sports over the last decade or so. In 2005, Washington Redskins RB Clinton Portis paid DB Ifeanyi Ohalete $40,000 for the #26 and then was taken to court once Ohalete was released by the team, claiming Portis stopped paying once Ohalete was released. A great baseball story relates to pitcher Tom Glavine, who wore the #47 for 16 seasons in Atlanta before coming over the New York Mets. He openly admitted he never liked the number, but it was given to him his first spring training, so in order to get the number from Joe McEwing of the Mets when he arrived, he financed a baby nursery in McEwing’s home. Those are just 2 examples of the lengths a player will go through just to have a simple number on their back, regardless of whether they like the number or not, because it represents who they are as a player.

Not all players are crazy about their numbers, but I would be willing to bet the majority hold a special attachment to the combination of number(s) on their jersey. The longer a player wears the number, the more attached they become, which is the prime case in the Glavine story above. He didn’t like his number, but it was an integral part of his identity for so long that he couldn’t change. Similar to how #14 was to Jim Rice in his days as a player and coach. It represented him and his spot on the Red Sox.

Next time you are at a Red Sox game, take an extra moment to notice the numbers players are wearing. Whether you realize it or not, whether you are a hardcore or casual fan, you can likely remember at least a handful of player numbers off the top of your head. You know David Ortiz as #34 and I bet there would be a lot of confused fans if he ever decided to change that number (with the exception of wearing 42 on Jackie Robinson Day to honor him). David Ortiz is as much known as Big Papi as he is #34 and as long as he dons a Red Sox uniform, that will be his identity. What’s really in a number? A lot more than most people realize.