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120 Comments on “Playing With Numbers”

1. 
   1: Matt S said at 12:22 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   That was a fun little read, and of course all lists such as these are fun for debate. The only exclusion I want to point out is that Chipper Jones definitely deserves a place amongst your backups for the number 10.

2. 
   2: Richard Gadsden said at 12:23 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   Beckham wasn’t even the best player to wear 7 for Manchester United.

   George Best was arguably the best player ever to kick a football – but he drank more than the Mick, and that’s saying something.

   Oh, and the current #7 is only the World Player of the year (Cristiano Ronaldo)

3. 
   3: mike said at 12:26 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   In a related story, Margo is expected to be back on the market any day now. Seriously, Joe, how do you get away with it? You put more time into this than I do into raising my kid.

   I want to argue for a couple of Bosotn guys (Brady, Bourque), but I’m a Boston guy, so I’ll refrain.

4. 
   4: Charles said at 12:28 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   Surely Junior gets a shout for 24.

5. 
   5: fish said at 12:29 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   joe
   thought you might be interested in our ‘The Numbers Game,’ which we started doing in print and on Dallas radio in 1996. …
   http://dallasbasketball.com/fullArchiveColumn.php?id=222&yr=2002
   here’s the 2002 version. … notable, I think, that not all that much has changed — which speaks well of our lists!
   Fish

6. 
   6: Charles said at 12:33 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   Re: Griffey, clearly I meant as a backup. He’s no Mays of course.

   And agreed on George Best.

7. 
   7: Scott Lange said at 12:36 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   I wear #17 in honor of Mark Grace, who wore it in honor of Keith Hernandez. Also, Ilya Kovalchuk wears #17 in honor of Russian hockey great Valery Kharlamov.

8. 
   8: Scott said at 12:37 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   Since the cubs are retireing them both on the same day, i would like to submit Fergie Jenkins to back up Greg Maddux at number 31

9. 
   9: Damon Rutherford said at 12:42 pm on April 19th, 2009:

   I rarely remember uniform numbers, but I do know #44 belongs to Eric Davis. OK, and Hank Aaron.

10. 
    10: Perry said at 12:45 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    11 — Jerry Lucas (at Ohio State)

11. 
    11: Damon Rutherford said at 12:54 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    A few fictional ones perhaps worthy of the list:
    7 – Reggie “Reg” Dunlop
    42 – Teen Wolf
    95 – Lightning McQueen

12. 
    12: Tyler said at 1:01 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Backup at 23: Pistol Pete

    And I have to rep the Wildcats
    Backup at 44: Dan Issel
    00: Tony Delk

13. 
    13: Josh in DC said at 1:14 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I always assumed Bernard Malamud had Roy Hobbs wear No. 9 because The Kid did.

14. 
    14: Olentangy said at 1:27 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    44 Leroy Kelley, 64 Jerry Kramer are a couple to consider

15. 
    15: wtsherman said at 1:35 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    5 – McNabb

    8 – Kobe (won all his championships with that number

    21 – Very tough to choose, but consider Tim Duncan:

    In his twelve NBA seasons he has: 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs (should’ve been 4), ROY Award, 2 MVPs, 9 First Team All-NBA Awards, and 8 All-NBA Defensive First Teams.

    Just like Duncan, Clemens and LT2 are inner circle HOFers and merit consideration over Clemente….depending, of course, on your criteria.

16. 
    16: Spud said at 1:51 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Love the list. Here are some more, not that I have a list or anything:

    2: Doug Harvey (the defenseman, not the umpire) and Eddie “Old-Time Hockey” Shore
    5: Paul Hornung
    8: Pops Stargell
    9: Rocket Richard, Mia Hamm
    13: Don Maynard
    16: Len Dawson, George Blanda
    19: Robin Yount
    24: Rickey! (everyplace but early Oakland)
    33: Ed Armbrister
    38: Rocky Colavito
    40: Elroy Hirsch, Pat Tillman
    48: Gerald Ford
    49: Hoyt Wilhelm
    59: Matt Blair (Vikings LB)
    60: Otto Graham (in early Browns years)
    64: Jerry Kramer
    65: Chuck Noll
    66: Bulldog Turner
    67: Reggie McKenzie (blocked for O.J.)
    76: Big Daddy Lipscomb, Rosey Grier
    79: Harvey Martin
    84: Darryl Stingley
    89: Otis Taylor
    90: George Webster (was Michigan State the first to give out 90s regularly?)
    96: Bill Voiselle, a Boston Braves pitcher from Ninety-Six, S.C.

    Last but not least, and actually most … George Mikan, the original 99.

17. 
    17: Adam said at 1:53 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    If Bird and Parish are on this list, surely Kevin McHale deserves a nod at #32, no?

18. 
    18: RAC said at 2:00 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Moon owns nº1

19. 
    19: Alex said at 2:14 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Orlando Pace deserves a nod for 76 as well. Torry Holt for 81. And Pedro Martinez over Bob Gibson? Inconceivable! Signed, a Biased St. Louis Fan.

20. 
    20: Ross said at 2:19 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    1. A horse? Really?

    2. 16- Len Dawson

    3. 58- Derrick Thomas should be number one.

    4. People who drive cars aren’t athletes.

21. 
    21: Mike said at 2:23 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I guess if Roy Hobbs is your understudy, that’s proof enough that you were the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.

22. 
    22: TD said at 2:27 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    You can’t have a list of 54’s without Goose Gossage. Just can’t.
    Mel “Dinner Bell” Turpin is optional, Goose is mandatory.

    I think, and have thought for years, that the city of Chicago should retire #34 for Walter Payton, and I mean everyone – Cubs, Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire, Sun-Times, everyone. What better tribute, really..

23. 
    23: Ross said at 2:29 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Oh, also, 31- Jim Thorpe.

24. 
    24: Aaron said at 2:43 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I like seeing all the love for hockey from you Joe. I pick up hints here and there that you’re a hockey fan, yet it doesn’t show up in your writing much. Is that just because there’s a lack of teams and interest in KC? I for one would love to read more.

    You may have forgotten a certain #22:

    http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Baseball-Through-ONeils-America/dp/B00164CNCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240173703&sr=8-1

25. 
    25: joseflanders said at 2:48 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Add Scottie Pippen to your #33 and it probably wins as the ‘best’ number, no?

26. 
    26: Danny D said at 2:54 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Come on, Billy Martin at least deserves an honorable mention at Number One!!!

27. 27: Topics about Discovery-laboratories » Archive » Playing With Numbers said at 2:54 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    [...] Joe Posnanski placed an interesting blog post on Playing With NumbersHere’s a brief overviewI am told that if you want to be a part of today, you have to Twitter. So I am Twittering — JPosnanski, if you want to follow — but since I have no idea what I’m am supposed to say, I just posted this: Pete Rose’s career hit total is made up of Jackie Robinson’s number (42) and Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak (56). What does it mean? Nothing. It was just a way to let people number that numbers are on my mind … and as my gift to you, for continuing to buy many copies of this book , I am goin [...]

28. 
    28: Geoffrey said at 2:58 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Eric Cantona is the all-time #7 for Manchester United (some may argue Best but he did not always wear 7). Beckham is not even close to either.

    Speaking of Cantona, watch this trailer for a new Ken Loach film, the bit with Cantona sums him up perfectly (skip to 50 seonds in)
    Man: “Sometime we forget you are just a man”
    Cantona: “I am not a man, I am Cantona”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDiAvn_CC08

    Brillinat
    Man: “Sometime we forget you are just a man”
    Cantona: “I am not a man, I am Cantona”

29. 
    29: brad said at 3:00 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I think derrick brooks might deserve a spot at 55- I think an argument can be made for bumping willie m.

30. 30: Topics about Montana » Playing With Numbers said at 3:22 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    [...] Joe Posnanski placed an interesting blog post on Playing With NumbersHere’s a brief overviewI am told that if you want to be a part of today, you have to Twitter. So I am Twittering — JPosnanski, if you want to follow — but since I have no idea what I’m am supposed to say, I just posted this: Pete Rose’s career hit total is made up of Jackie Robinson’s number (42) and Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak (56). What does it mean? Nothing. It was just a way to let people number that numbers are on my mind … and as my gift to you, for continuing to buy many copies of this book , I am goin [...]

31. 
    31: Bellwether Johnson said at 3:29 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    54-46: Frederick “Toots” Hibbert’s prison number.

    Also, good to see a Dolph Schayes sighting…

32. 
    32: Drew said at 3:42 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    re: Wayman Tisdale (at Oklahoma, first and only Division I player ever to be All-American as freshman, sophomore and junior).

    Tyler Hansbrough says hello — he was All-American all four years, of course.

33. 
    33: Spud said at 3:47 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    “I think, and have thought for years, that the city of Chicago should retire #34 for Walter Payton, and I mean everyone – Cubs, Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire, Sun-Times, everyone. What better tribute, really..”

    Houston almost has done so already for Hakeem, Ryan and Earl Campbell. I assume the Texans haven’t retired 34, though they should probably honor Earl in some way.

34. 
    34: Patrick T said at 3:57 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Re: Geoffrey;

    7 is the legacy # at ManUre, much like 44 at Syracuse, or countless other numbers, countless other places. The legacy is Best’s, so he should get credit.

    Additionally, surely Thierry Henry deserves a mention at 14, as does Thurman Thomas at 34 and Bernie Williams at 51.

35. 
    35: JL said at 4:15 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Kyle freakin’ Farnsworth. At least he has one thing in common with Soria, as soon as either one comes into the game you know it’s over.

36. 
    36: Richard Aronson said at 4:20 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Your next poll question: given these numbers, what is the best uniform number of all time? I’d pick 32, which has four of the best running backs ever, three great pitchers, and the best point guard I’ve ever seen. The closest call for best player, in my opinion, is 44: Hank Aaron or Jerry West? But 44 lacks the depth of 32. My only clear objection is Larry Bird over Kareem Abdul Jabbar. I mean, when Kareem retired, he had the all time most important record in his sport (the justification for Hank Aaron over Jerry West), and Bird didn’t, and you don’t even have different sports to argue.*

    From nba.com: When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the game in 1989 at age 42, no NBA player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player Awards, played in more All-Star Games or logged more seasons. His list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league history: Rookie of the Year, member of six NBA championship teams, six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, and a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams. He also owned eight playoff records and seven All-Star records. No player achieved as much individual and team success as did Abdul-Jabbar.

    Nothing against Bird, who was a great player and always fun to watch, but there is a short short list of players that you could argue were better than Abdul Jabbar, and Bird’s not on it. It’s really easy to forget just how good Kareem was because his last several seasons he had aged from great to merely good. But you don’t win *six* MVPs without being on a short list of best all time, and plenty of folks wouldn’t even pick Bird over Magic for best of the 1980s. Oh, and judging by things like team won loss record, player of the year awards, and NCAA titles, Lew Alcindor was also the best college player of all time. So why Bird?

37. 
    37: Tracy said at 4:28 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Number 37 – what, no Bill Lee and Jimmy Piersall?

38. 
    38: upamtn said at 4:33 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Joe

    I’ve just decided that Farnsworth should now be your FOUR least favorite off-season moves (this following a no-out, lead-off, walkoff home run by M Young) – and I could feel it coming, too – not sure why Hillman took J Cruz out when he did, I’d like to think Cruz pulled a muscle or his head exploded or something, because it sure couldn’t have been a pitch count (and just what is the deal with pitch counts for relievers?)

39. 
    39: Paul White said at 4:35 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I think Gale Sayers has an excellent case for being the best to wear two different numbers. You’ve already got him as the best at #40, and I’d argue that he’s also the best at #48, his college number at Kansas. Of course, I’m not a racing fan, and Jimmie Johnson fans will likely disagree.

40. 
    40: Red said at 5:21 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    #2 – Charles Woodson @ Michigan. I’d say he’s better than Deion at FSU….Heisman trophy, National Championship and all.

41. 
    41: Adam said at 5:46 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    How about Bagwell for #5 and Biggio for #7?

42. 
    42: Bill said at 6:07 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Couple of more puckheads deserving recogition…

    4…Scott Stevens
    16…Brett Hull

43. 
    43: Tony said at 6:36 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Not even an honorable mention for Danny Manning (Kansas) at #25, or Bret Saberhagen at #31?

    Long live listednumbers.com and the Kansas City Counts.

44. 
    44: ceolaf said at 7:00 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    John Elway might be the best quarterback ever — the most important position in football. Give me one player for one game, or give me one career, it might be him. He’s the only guy I’ve seen carry a team to the superbowl.

    Might Mickey Mantle be the best baseball player? I don’t think so. I’ve never heard thar guement seriously advanced.

45. 
    45: Bryan Adams said at 7:33 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    19 Kosar!!

46. 
    46: Marco said at 7:45 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    make me happy and add Clay matthews for #57 and michael dean perry for #92

47. 
    47: Matt H said at 7:55 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I have a problem with Horse as athlete argument, and would say that Deion Sanders renovated the CB position at FSU which is why he will probably be inducted soon in the college football Hall of Fame. My two cents.

48. 
    48: Damo said at 8:11 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Jimmy Chitwood #15

    and runner-up for #3 Harold Baines, only 7 fewer hits than the Babe!

49. 
    49: Ben said at 8:27 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Someone said it above, but I need to second Eric Davis. Hank Aaron is #44, but Davis deserves to be on the list in consideration. That man was made of electric.

50. 
    50: Spud said at 8:30 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Two more–

    35: Felix “Doc” Blanchard
    41: Glenn Davis (Mr. Outside, not the Astros first baseman or Big Baby)

51. 
    51: Will W said at 8:32 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    Great read, Joe. I had a couple of thoughts on some hockey-related omissions:

    5 – Denis Potvin
    10 – Ron Francis
    16 – Brett Hull
    55 – Larry Murphy
    61 – Joe Sakic (when he first came up with Quebec)

    A few other quick hits: Reggie Jackson deserves a nod at Nos 9 and 44, and Kurt Warner deserves mention among the 13s.

    And one for the fictional group: 22 – Paul Crewe, Mean Machine (The Longest Yard)

52. 
    52: Mikey said at 8:46 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I would say with confidence that I’ve got to be the biggest horse racing fan who posts regularly to this blog, and even I would say I don’t really see assigning #2 to Secretariat. As great as his Belmont was, it was the only one of his Triple Crown races in which he wore number two and I don’t think anybody who is a fan of Secretariat remembers him by a saddlecloth number.

    It’s really no more or less memorable that the number Usain Bolt wore when he ran the 100m at the Olympics last year (can anybody remember it without googling? I doubt it). They’re just randomly assigned numbers that are forgotten immediately even after exceptional performances.

53. 
    53: DTRO said at 9:00 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    This sort of list is tough, but Curtis Martin definitely deserves a mention at 28. How could a guy play his entire career in New England and New York and be so thoroughly underappreciated? East Coast Bias my @ss.

54. 
    54: Mark W. said at 9:11 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    As much as I detested the big phony, #55 Orel Hershiser needs to be recognized.

    #s 41 and 43 have become the easist way to describe quickly which Prez George Bush you are discussing.

    He’s still maybe too young but #7 Ben Roethlisberger may need to be considered. On a lesser scale Santonio Holmes’ #10 is notable primarily because few receivers wear that numba.

    Joe, did you leave #17 Brian Sipe off on purpose? How about #20 Bernie Kosar at UMiami?

    #57 Steve Howe, at least in LA w/Dodgers…

    I’m with you. Mantle’s #7 was so famous that George Costanza was saving the number/word to name his first son. Then, some other folks heard about it and stole the idea. George was pissed!

    Didn’t Eric Gagne wear #59 in LA?

    #14, Jim Rice

55. 
    55: Mark W. said at 9:46 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    #14 Gil Hodges

    #68 L.C. Greenwood

    #63 Ernie “Fats” Holmes

    #19 Fred Lynn

    #42 Paul Warfield

    #17 Dandy Don Meredith

    #13 Dr. Frank Ryan

    #6 Paul Blair/Roy White

    #10 Chris Chambliss

    #30 Mel Stottlemyre, Maury Wills

    #3 LA Dodger Willie Davis, maybe fastest mlber from 1st to 3rd I ever saw. Also, #3, Pete Gogalak?

    #20 Rocky Bleier

    As a Steeler fan I always remember #10 placekicker Roy Gerela and #39 Bobby Walden because they were the weak links on those otherwise great Pittsburgh squads of the mid to late ’70s.

    #5 Terry Hanratty – now I’m really scraping the bottom of the barrel!

56. 
    56: Kevin said at 9:57 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    #33 – Maybe I’m missing something or demonstrating my ignorance but didn’t Hans Wagner’s career end long before they started putting numbers on jerseys?

57. 
    57: Mike C said at 10:00 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    What a fun list! But how about Will Clark as a #22 backup?

58. 
    58: Chris said at 10:15 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I was hoping beyond hope that the late Bo Diaz would get an honorable mention for #6. He is to me as Kuiper is to Joe.

59. 
    59: Tampa Mike said at 10:40 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    “Kyle freakin’ Farnsworth. At least he has one thing in common with Soria, as soon as either one comes into the game you know it’s over.”

    LMAO! That is awesome! I really hate Farnsworth right now.

60. 
    60: Sam said at 11:08 pm on April 19th, 2009:

    I think ESPN.com did this a few years ago.

61. 61: Topics about Soccer » Playing With Numbers said at 12:56 am on April 20th, 2009:

    [...] Joe Posnanski placed an observative post today on Playing With NumbersHere’s a quick excerptI am told that if you want to be a part of today, you have to Twitter. So I am Twittering — JPosnanski, if you want to follow — but since I have no idea what I’m am supposed to say, I just posted this: Pete Rose’s career hit total is made up of Jackie Robinson’s number (42) and Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak (56). What does it mean? Nothing. It was just a way to let people number that numbers are on my mind … and as my gift to you, for continuing to buy many copies of this book , I am goin [...]

62. 
    62: buckweaver said at 1:10 am on April 20th, 2009:

    @Kevin:

    Honus Wagner wore No. 33 for nearly two decades as a Pirates coach after his playing career ended. The team retired No. 33 for him in 1952.

    http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/history/retired_numbers.jsp

63. 
    63: Scott said at 1:53 am on April 20th, 2009:

    A couple more hockey omissions:

    #4: Scott Stevens
    #27: Scott Niedermayer
    #55: Larry Murphy
    #89: Alex Mogilny (in honor of his draft position)

    And at #77, I don’t deny that Red Grange was a great player, but how many people would know his uniform number? That number will always be Ray Bourque in the minds of many.

64. 
    64: John C. said at 5:46 am on April 20th, 2009:

    As long as we are splitting some players up into different parts of their careers, I’d make a case for a Barry Bonds backup at #24 – the number he wore with the Pirates (2 MVPs and an undeserved 2nd to Terry Pendleton in 3 seasons). He switched to #25 when he signed with the Giants because 24 was already retired; apparently some guy named Mays wore it.

    Do that, and I think a case can be made for 24 being the best number all-time. At any rate, a Mays, Griffey, Jr., Bonds OF is tough to beat.

65. 
    65: Vaugn said at 6:29 am on April 20th, 2009:

    #12 the fans? This seems weak to me- why do the fans get a number? What am I missing?

66. 
    66: Bob Tholkes said at 6:53 am on April 20th, 2009:

    3- Harmon Killebrew
    73- Ron Yary, Vikings’ perennial AllPro guard

67. 
    67: Dark Side of the Mood said at 7:01 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Why is Elway even on this list? I mean, seriously, the guy played for the Broncos. And why isn’t Elvis Grbac on your list, too hard to choose between his two numbers w/the Chiefs?

    Pujols is the Mang at 5!

68. 
    68: Brent C said at 7:27 am on April 20th, 2009:

    2. Alex English, Larry “Grandmama” Johnson, Mitch Richmond

    12. the fans, really?

    31. Jim Thorpe should be the one(Greatest Athlete Ever)

    35. Christian Okoye, one of my all-time favorite players.

69. 
    69: Brent C said at 7:33 am on April 20th, 2009:

    35. The Nigerian Nightmare Christian Okoye.

    I had this poster as a kid:

    http://dullsubjects.com/images/costacos/okoye.jpg

70. 
    70: Jake said at 7:36 am on April 20th, 2009:

    you put a @#*!()@ HORSE over Red Auerbach???

71. 
    71: JL said at 7:43 am on April 20th, 2009:

    I can’t find a scan online, but when I was a kid I had a poster of Okoye, Barry Word, and Harvey Williams all shirtless and sweaty. And I thought it was cool.

72. 
    72: billy v said at 8:11 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Seiously? Pedro over Gibby? Wow…

73. 
    73: Dave E. said at 8:20 am on April 20th, 2009:

    How about (book plug) Concepcion at #13 as a backup? By the Brooks Robinson Over Bench and Brett and DiMaggio reasoning, he was important, as lots of the next generation picked #13 because of him (I know of Omar V. and Ozzie G., maybe Pedro Cerano, too?)

74. 
    74: zac said at 8:43 am on April 20th, 2009:

    joe, i like the idea, and i hate to quibble with your choices, especially when you’re upfront about these things being personal as much as statistical…but that said:

    lou gehrig is the original number 4. the yankees may not have actually been the first team to ever wear uniform numbers, but to my understanding they were the first team to stick with them, and gehrig was the first player to wear a big “4″ on his back. not to mention the first player to have any number retired ever, anywhere.

    and if you’re going to put beckham (who i love) on the 7 list, you’re opening up a big can of worms. no cristiano ronaldo? and i submit that der kaiser, franz beckenbauer, was a greater number 5 than any other.

75. 
    75: Carl Spackler said at 8:43 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Lance Armstrong would make a strong argument for #1. That’s the number he wore by winning the Tour 7 times…so he was #1 for 6 Tours.

76. 
    76: jobu said at 9:01 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Eric Davis – for the very brief synergistic moment in time when he was both healthy and in his prime – was the greatest #44 ever.

    I hate to be stat guy, but in only 129 games in 1987 dude swiped 50 bags (stole 80 the year before) and hit 37 HRs.

    If only his bones had been forged of adamantium this conversation wouldn’t even be necessary. Easily the most talented to have ever worn the number.

    44 Magnum. E.D.

77. 
    77: Justin said at 9:12 am on April 20th, 2009:

    45- Archie Griffin (At Ohio State)- how was this left off??

78. 
    78: Peanut said at 9:35 am on April 20th, 2009:

    As of a few days ago, there are a few hundred more candidates for #42.

79. 
    79: Mark W. said at 9:38 am on April 20th, 2009:

    #45 – Archie Griffin’s number at Ohio State, after all, he did win two Heisman’s wearing that jersey.

    Is Tim Tebow’s #15 far behind?

80. 
    80: Mark W. said at 9:47 am on April 20th, 2009:

    How can we vote for #2 in your side bar? I may be one of only a handful who would go with Secretariat

81. 
    81: Will said at 10:06 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Kurt Warner dederves a backup mention on 13.

82. 
    82: Joao said at 10:26 am on April 20th, 2009:

    21: Dominique Wilkins

83. 
    83: Erik said at 10:34 am on April 20th, 2009:

    I’ll definitely second Eric Davis at #44. He had game.

    #77 – Korey Stringer. RIP.

    #88 – Randy Moss (Marshall years)

    Speaking of Randy….. Shannon Sharpe. Over Randy Moss. “You cannot be SERIOUS!”

84. 
    84: Mark W. said at 10:39 am on April 20th, 2009:

    #11 – Larry Fitzgerald

85. 
    85: Joao said at 10:47 am on April 20th, 2009:

    12: Peter Bondra (500+ goals, two time goal scoring champ, greatest player ever from Slovakia).

    37: Olaf Kolzig (300+ wins, Vezina trophy winner)

86. 
    86: Gate said at 10:49 am on April 20th, 2009:

    I would highly recommend Johann Cruyff putting on the list for #14 runners up. Actually had his number retired by Ajax (which is pretty rare in soccer). Possibly the greatest European player ever. Not sure, but I think Thierry Henry (the guy in the Gillette commercials who doesn’t seem to belong) wears #14 as a tribute to Cruyff.

    Personally, I think of Dimaggio as synonomous with #5.

87. 
    87: Chris C. said at 11:02 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Paul Coffey wore number 7 in Edmonton, who retired his number a few years ago. In 532 games there, he scored 209 goals and 669 points. Little love for Paul in the number 7 slot?

    I second Aaron’s words (#24), and was surprised to see so many hockey references in the comments. Maybe it’s because with all the equipment on hockey players are harder to instantly recognize than other athletes, but does it seem like hockey numbers resonate with fans a little more than other sports?

    Great list Joe, really cool to see how some numbers are just loaded. “What is the greatest sports number of all time” should be an interesting post!

88. 
    88: LK said at 11:15 am on April 20th, 2009:

    Fun list. Just one suggestion. Strahan deserves at least a mention at #92.

89. 
    89: TangoTiger said at 11:31 am on April 20th, 2009:

    1 Jacques Plante
    4 Jean Beliveau
    19 Larry Robinson

    Concur on 7 for Coffey, as well as Bourque (the two of whom would wear 7 and 77 in international and all-star play, depending on what Bourque’s main number happened to be).

90. 
    90: Fray said at 11:46 am on April 20th, 2009:

    #11 — I will always think of Barry Larkin.

91. 
    91: Josh C said at 11:58 am on April 20th, 2009:

    #5 – Nomar Garciaparra

92. 
    92: Mark W. said at 12:06 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    # 14 – Y.A. Tittle

    Did not NY Giants QB before Tittle, Charlie Connerly wear #42?

    #16 – George Blanda

93. 
    93: Joe said at 12:11 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    For the record, #91 is Sergei Fed*O*rov. I’ve got a very expensive mislabelled custom jersey that reminds me it’s not “Federov” each time I look at it.

94. 
    94: Bellylard said at 12:20 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    Sadaharu Oh was a pretty good #1. Sports Illustrated did a list a couple of years ago.

95. 
    95: JD said at 1:04 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    Horses are not athletes. They’re horses. Jockeys are, possibly, athletes. But I still don’t see how something is a sport when the “athletes” don’t know they’re playing. Including a horse really does take all the fun out of this list. Why not include a car (not the driver, but the car itself)? Why not include Babe Ruth’s bat?

96. 
    96: Mark W. said at 1:19 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    #39 – Pirates Dave Parker needs to be a back-up.

97. 
    97: theSnydes3000 said at 1:35 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    #16 – Jack Hanson
    #17 – Steve Hanson
    #18 – Jeff Hanson
    #34 – Cutters

98. 
    98: ghb5 said at 1:42 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    Few more hockey numbers:

    1 – Terry Sawchuk
    2 – Al MacInnis
    4 – Jean Beliveau (17 Stanley Cups – 10 as player, 7 as coach)
    7 – Ted Lindsay
    8 – Mark Recchi
    9 – John Bucyk
    16 – Henri Richard (11 Stanley Cups – most championships won by a player)
    19 – Bryan Trottier
    44 – Chris Pronger (with St. Louis Blues)
    71 – Evgeni Malkin (just won this season’s scoring title)
    77 – Ray Borque

99. 
    99: Charles H said at 1:51 pm on April 20th, 2009:

    Bobby Orr (Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe are the only other two who should even be in the conversation) was likely the greatest hockey player ever and changed the sport. Lou Gehrig, while obviously a tremendous athlete, was not the best in his sport.

    And a shout out to the most exciting player before Alex Ovechkin at #11 – Gilbert Perreault.

100. 
     100: JeffSol said at 2:06 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     A few others, with admitted bias:

     2 – Brian Leetch
     17 – Keith Hernandez
     19 – Bryan Trottier (pains me, but he belongs on list)
     22 – Dave DeBusschere (sp?)
     30 – Bernard King
     37 – Keith Hernandez (Cardinals)
     85 – Wesley Walker (best blind in one eye WR)

101. 
     101: Mark Daniel said at 2:16 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     Why isn’t Manny Ramirez listed at number 63? Not the Manny Ramirez of the LA Dodgers, mind you, but the Manny Ramirez who weighs 335 lbs and was a backup guard on the 0-16 Detroit Lions.

102. 
     102: garrett said at 2:50 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     Pete Maravich is argulably the best college basketball player ever, certainly should be remembered for his college # (23) then his two pro #’s: 7 & 44.

103. 
     103: Phil said at 2:52 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     Will Shields was an excellent lineman. But #68 has to be Jaromir Jagr. You can go look at his numbers and accomplishments, which are all impressive enough (he once led the league in scoring despite missing 19 games). Through the era of the neutral zone trap, defenders would blatantly grab and hook him (which you can’t do in today’s game without getting called for a penalty) and he would still dominate. He was just too strong. And in terms of sheer talent…well, just watch a YouTube compilation and you’ll be sold.

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDX0pxdidB4

104. 
     104: wtsherman said at 3:20 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     I nominate whatever # Carl Crawford wore in a high school career that enabled him to land a scholarship to play PG at UCLA, a starting job at QB for Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida or USC, and get drafted by the Devil Rays in the 2nd round.

105. 
     105: wtsherman said at 3:26 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     23 – Calvin Murphy (College and NBA)

106. 
     106: Mikey said at 4:55 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     “Jockeys are, possibly, athletes.”

     What’s the argument against jockeys being athletes?

107. 
     107: DrewK said at 7:28 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     Rocket Ismail doesn’t even get a nod for #25, but Jim Thome does?

108. 
     108: Spud said at 7:57 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     I disagree with Oscar being the greatest No. 1 – because he only wore it his last few years with Milwaukee. He wore 14 in his Cincinnati years (Bearcats and Royals). Kind of odd that a team in its third year wouldn’t give the Big O his No. 1 but whatever.

     I’d probably go with Sawchuk who was probably the best goalie.

     Regarding Secretariat: There was a similar debate on the horses/athletes question when ESPN put Big Red in the top 30 or so of the top 20th Century athletes. I don’t think I’d take him at 2 but that number has been surprisingly low in all-time greats.

109. 
     109: Mark W. said at 8:40 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     #90, George Webster out of Mich State and then pro-bowler with Oilers. He might deserve the #1 slot actually. He had a tremendous reputation coming out of MichState and his pro career was okay on a bad team(s).

110. 
     110: Breadbaker said at 9:43 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     This was a lot of fun. A few quibbles:

     Your argument on Brooks Robinson absolutely should apply to lift Kareem above Bird. 33 was also Magic’s number at Michigan State. Why do you think all those roundballers took that number?

     Ted Williams at 9 above Gordie Howe is just silly.

     #11: Edgar Martinez

111. 
     111: Bingo Long said at 11:17 pm on April 20th, 2009:

     Best #1 ever is quite obviously Michael Schumacher, despite the fact I can’t stand him.

112. 
     112: Geoffrey said at 5:55 am on April 21st, 2009:

     I’m not sure Schumacher counts at #1 since numbers in F1 are determined on results from the previous season. Schumacher was mainly number 1 due to his constant winning not because the number was his.

     Also an interesting note on football numbers (Soccer not American). The number 10 is considered a special number in several countries most notably Argentina and Italy which should go to the best player. In Argentina wearing the number 10 is a symbol and when someone new wears the shirt it is seen as a passing of a torch from one generation to the next. Currently Lionel Messi is due to be the next incumbent.
     Also in football (soccer) it is very uncommon for numbers to be retired as players traditionall wear 1-11 with higher numbers only coming into play with larger squads. However at AC Milan they have retired the #6 for Franco Baresi who was one of their greatest players. I hear they are set to do the same for Paolo Maldini when he retires (at the end of this season?) although his son is currently impressing in the youth team and the rumour is he will be allowed to wear his fathers shirt if/when he makes the first team.

113. 
     113: Shayne said at 8:03 am on April 21st, 2009:

     Thanks for the love for Marshall/Eller/Page – and even Ron Yary!!!

     Sorry, but Brooks Robinson doesn’t even belong in the discussion.

     The 32-33-34 span is probably the greatest collection out there. 42-43-44 is just a bit short, as 43 is the weak link.

114. 
     114: Austin said at 12:37 pm on April 21st, 2009:

     Joe,

     Good list, but I really think you sould consider adding Bo Jackson as at least an also-ran for #34. I’m not going to get caught up in the age old Bo vs. Herschel debate. I have too many scars from previous such encounters to make that mistake again.

     I know that, by the numbers, he doesn’t look as good as Herschel or maybe some of the other great backs, and I know that you love to quantify events with hard numbers.

     But, there are some things in this world that are beyond quantification and maybe even beyond comprehension. Bo Jackson was one of those. I was fortunate enough to see him play during his time at Auburn, and he was the most incredible athlete I have ever seen. He could run over, through, around, and (mostly) past you, but it wasn’t just that that made him great. He made all that look beautiful. Watching him run was like looking at a Da Vinci or listening to Beethoven. It was metaphysical – spiritual even. I consider Bo Jackson among the evidence for the existence of God.

     But, for those who want proof of a more scientific nature beyond his great college career and his baseball record, Bo Jackson also holds (or held) many Alabama state high school track records. Which is in itself impressive since Bo just happened to pick up track as a part of his conditioning for football.

     He was the best athlete I ever saw. Ever.

115. 
     115: Will said at 2:10 pm on April 21st, 2009:

     23 touchdown catches in one year! Surely one should get at least a backup for that effort at 81

116. 
     116: dq said at 8:55 pm on April 21st, 2009:

     Took a long time before someone mentioned Oscar shouldn’t be #1 – he wore that when he was past his prime.

     How about kerry Walsh #1 and Misty May #2 – I thought it was pretty funny that the 2 person team had uniform numbers

117. 117: Topics about Seo » Playing With Numbers said at 3:25 pm on April 22nd, 2009:

     [...] Joe Posnanski placed an observative post today on Playing With NumbersHere’s a quick excerptI am told that if you want to be a part of today, you have to Twitter. So I am Twittering — JPosnanski, if you want to follow — but since I have no idea what I’m am supposed to say, I just posted this: Pete Rose’s career hit total is made up of Jackie Robinson’s number (42) and Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak (56). What does it mean? Nothing. It was just a way to let people number that numbers are on my mind … and as my gift to you, for continuing to buy many copies of this book , I am goin [...]

118. 
     118: B. S. Blues said at 3:32 pm on April 22nd, 2009:

     OK, there have to be a few Canadians outside of me who remember the greatest ever to play the CFL game — No. 26, Garney Henley.

119. 
     119: zac said at 8:54 am on April 24th, 2009:

     “Bobby Orr (Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe are the only other two who should even be in the conversation) was likely the greatest hockey player ever and changed the sport. Lou Gehrig, while obviously a tremendous athlete, was not the best in his sport.”

     gehrig is likely the best first basemen ever, an inner circle hall of famer and the second best player in the game at the time after only the guy who batted in front of him. he also famously died early (and played during his career with) a disease which is often referred to by using his name.

120. 120: Austin Bike Shop Review: Nelo’s Cycle Shop | Gadget Look said at 3:43 pm on September 12th, 2009:

     [...] What does it mean? Nothing. It was just a way to let people number that numbers are on my mind … and as my gift to you, for continuing to buy many copies of this book, I am going to now offer you something I have actually been thinking about for a few years, ever since good friend Tim Sullivan said he was working on the same thiRead more at http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/04/18/playing-with-numbers/ [...]

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