Miscellaneous

Playing Favorites

65 Comments

So, this began as an LTE, but I didn't want the conversation to get lost.

We all have favorites in baseball, be they players, teams (uh, Twins, duh. Why are you here?), numbers. This is a classic, pull-up-your-bar-stool game: IF you were a Minnesota Twin (for a day, or a week, or a lifetime), what number would you want your jersey to read, and why?

For the sake of argument, retired numbers are in play.

65 thoughts on “Playing Favorites”

  1. I will start. While "3" would be high on my list for the pictured reason, I'd go with "13", which was my favorite number when I was playing baseball/softball. I spit into the wind of karma!

  2. As I've mentioned in the CoC, I was always 28 playing baseball, so I'd take Bert's number. My other option is my rugby number- 14- (which is assigned my position, not really chosen) which coincidentally enough is 1/2 my baseball number. But that's Hrbek's number.

    If I'm gonna go with a non-retired number, because hey, I could still make the big leagues, I'll take Lew's 20. Dozier's not using it currently.

    Edit - Jersey #1 for me. That thing is so classy lookin'.

  3. I was born on a 13th, so I usually would wear #13. If not 13, I would probably go with 19 (my old soccer number).

    2. So basically, Danny Valencia circa 2011?

      FWIW, I would be #13 in a baby-blue throwback, with the first jersey as the second choice.

    3. First jersey, #11 or #37. I really, really like the road grey Minnesota jerseys, too. It makes me sad the blue has become worn so often.

      1. I loathe those gray monstrosities. Is it any wonder the Twins recent plummet coincides with their arrival? I think not.

        1. I've come around to your side of this argument. Road grays should be block letters with pinstripe optional.

          1. Block "Twins" or block "MINNESOTA" (as on the 1987-2009 jerseys)?
            I'm with Zack on the Road jerseys, though they should ditch the red bills on the caps.

          1. Additionally, no word in the English language bothers me more than "grey/gray" as they're used entirely interchangeable without any pattern in usage that I can tell. If "grey" were British and "gray" were American or something, I could go along with it, but no. I believe I was taught "grey", and I'm as guilty as the rest of the world, probably using each spelling about half of the time.

      2. I think that "11" is probably the most æsthetically pleasing baseball number that one can have. Of course, that depends upon the numeral font. It'll still look like crap on a Brewers or Phillies jersey.

  5. I always grab 13 for softball when available, but I've used 3 or 34 in the past when I had to pick an alternate. 29 was my fave growing up.

    My Twins uni that I wear to games is numberless (I have the old gray pinstripe uni; since I don't live back in the homeland anymore, I like to have "MINNESOTA" prominent on the front)

      1. yeah, i remember being upset that the number was tainted once he'd sufficiently stunk up the joint.

        EDIT: huh, according to AMR's list, he's the only twin to wear that number. d'oh!

  7. I've always been a big fan of the number pi, so if I could swing that on Jersey #1, I would.

  8. Tony O is such a mensch, he'd prolly let me have 6 if I asked. Instead, however, I'll choose the non-retired number 9. Above the digit would read "Ricky".

    (Option #1 in a rout.)

      1. OOOHHHH - Griffey's number! I completely spaced that. I actually wore that for the first two years of baseball, until I was forced to take 28.

  12. I was always 34 when I could be, but since that wasn't possible as an offensive lineman I took 77 in high school.

    I'll take jersey #1, with the road gray coming in a close second.

  13. Oh has this been a debate for me over the years.

    #34 - for Puckett of course
    #27 - I picked this number when I was 13, thinking that I'd be 13 and 14 when I'd wear it. Through the years, it sort of stuck with me.
    #11 - for Chuck Knoblauch. I no longer consider wearing this number.
    #4 - used this for my created infielder in MLB The Show. Based on the fact that I have 4 kids.
    #62 - my wedding date, used this for my created pitcher in MLB the Show.
    #31 - chose briefly when I was 31... and the the "prime" of my life.

    Now, I really don't know what number to stick with. Part of me would like to go to #29, which is the day of my birth (12/29) and also the age I was when I changed jobs as an actuary and moved to my current location.

  14. Crap, I had something written and then must have switched to the gamelog without posting.

    I'd think hard about:
    37, halfway between Bruckbauer's 38 and Steinbach's 36.
    Also the number of Ben Revere's 2010 Cup of Coffee, Jim Hoey, Ron Mahay, and Dennys Reyes.

    44: Chuck James, Rob Bowen (theRobBowen!), Bobby Keppel, and Chili.

    1. That's fantastic, although the traditionalist in me disapproves of the flashy, pretentious duds that the 1924 World Champion Senators donned.

      1. Do the Rangers own the history of the Senators, despite the fact that the majority of the Senator years belong to our franchise? That would explain why the Twins ignore their rich history, I guess.

        1. No. The history is part of the Twins. They don't celebrate it though, so instead the Nationals do. That means a team originally from Canada celebrates the history in this nation's capital.

          The Rangers meanwhile only own the few Senator years after 1960.

        2. I believed that's the case, much like how the current Cleveland Browns own all Browns history. That's the point of my running joke assigning all sorts of records to the Rangers.

          I thought it was common knowledge. But now that you bring it up, I wasn't able to find anything definitive one way or the other. A couple of sites say that the Twins kept their Senators history and that the new Sens were an expansion team, but I don't think they mean it the way I do.

          MLB.com's team records for the Rangers are for years in Texas only, They've only retired Nolan and Johnny Oates' numbers, but Walter Johnson wore no number. Their team HOF is only players/managers from Texas years. They seem to believe their club began in their new city, too.

          I don't count baseball-reference's inclusion of the original Nationals/Senators' history to be definitive because they don't abide any bullcrap and would not allow any "moving" of "ownership" of history to take place. Consider their excellent decision on the Melky Cabrera batting title issue.

          The NL nationals have a "ring of honor" "to honor Hall of Fame members from the Washington Nationals, Washington Senators, Homestead Grays, and Montreal Expos." (wiki), but have unretired the retired Expos numbers. ("Following the move to Washington, D.C., the numbers were returned to circulation and remained in use at least through the conclusion of the 2011 season, although the 'Team History' section of the Nationals' website continues to refer to the numbers as 'retired.'" (ibid))

          As far as I'm concerned, the Rangers own all history from:
          The AL Washinton Nationals/Senators
          The AL Expansion Senators
          The Montréal Expos
          All Federal League teams
          The Seattle Pilots
          The Florida Marlins
          The Tampa Bay Devil Rays
          The California Angels
          The Anaheim Angels
          The Boston Braves
          The Milwaukee Braves
          The St.Louis Browns
          Chuck Knoblauch
          and probably a bunch of other stuff I haven't yet realized.

              1. OK, I read it and I don't get it. Nothing shows up on Melky's page and Posey gets an italics-bold and a smudge-halo.

          2. the Cleveland Browns got to keep their records because part of the deal of when Modell moved to Blatimore is that the records stayed.

            in the back of my 2010 Twins media guide, it has a bunch of Top 10 franchise lists, which includes the original Washington Senators.

      2. The 1907 jerseys look a lot like the St. Paul Colored Gophers unis that the Twins don for Negro League throwbacks.

      1. you know, with all the whippersnappers responding to this thread, I think we need some wiser, elder counsel.

        what say you, Twayn, SBG, Jeff A? what's the right answer on duds and numbers?

        1. I rather like the 1965 uniforms, but I don't have a huge preference as long as their not outright ugly or distracting. For a number, I'd probably go with 6 because growing up in the 1960s, my hero was more Tony O than Harmon, although I certainly loved Harmon, too.

        2. I never mentioned my jersey pick. I like the cream pinstripes with the Blue Script. I like JeffA's suggestion of the road grey equivalent, especially if they'd get a grey that looks more like those did than the standard MLB road grey (as far as I can tell, they were a bit darker and bluer). I dig the current road greys to a point, but I don't think they're great, just that they're that much better than the grey pinstripes. Maybe if the grey on the current road greys was that color and not the warmer grey they have now, it would be better.

          And finally: if they're wearing the cream throwback-style jerseys, they need to wear a cap with a blue button on top! (I'd prefer flatter embroidery, too, but I realize that ship has sailed.)

  16. I'm not really a "numbers" kind of guy. There are numbers I wouldn't want, mostly odd numbers that trigger my mild OCD complex, but I don't really have a favorite number. 2,3,4,6,8,12,18,24,27,36,48,60 or 72 would all work perfectly well for me.

    Otherwise, the "Minnesota"-script jerseys don't really do it for me. The word is just too stinking long, you end up with an "M" in one armpit and an "A" in the other. I'd have to go with the "Twins" logo.

    I also am apathetic towards white jerseys. It's fine for ballplayers who get grass and dirt stains on them and have free replacements, but when I get barbecue sauce on my shirt I'm stuck with it. I do like the off-white (or whatever the heck the #1 color is called), with the blue and grey tied for my second choice.

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