This may well be the very first article aimed to bash the baby bears of the northside of Chicago.
I would apologize ahead of time, but Hooks warned you it was coming and, quite frankly, this is the Cardinals page here on BaseballDigest.com, do you seriously expect anything less?
Does this team have no class?
I clicked on the news story when I seen it. The Chicago Cubs are retiring a number. Pretty big news from a team that has had it’s share of great players come through the organization. Big news from an ballclub that has only retired 4 numbers previously. So who joins Numbers 10, 14, 23, and 26 (That’s Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams, if you’re scoring at home)? Number 31 will be raised to the rafters later this season. And number 31 belongs to Greg Maddux…..and Ferguson Jenkins.
Nope, you read that right. The Cubs will retire one number for two players this season. Now, I may be wrong, but I think this is a first. I’m not trying to take anything away from either pitcher here, either. Greg Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins are both amazing competitors and ballplayers. Jenkins is in the Hall Of Fame. Maddux is most certainly headed that way. But, honestly, neither player gets to lay claim to this number?
Jenkins retired from Major League Baseball in 1984, two years prior to the arrival of Greg Maddux. He was elected to Cooperstown in 1991 and Maddux left the northsiders after the following season, landing in Atlanta for his biggest years of his career.
The organization had the opportunity for the classy move in 1993 and beyond. They could have retired the number in the name of Jenkins then. Perhaps they got caught up in what has become their motto for their existence, “Wait until next year”. Now, while trying to honor a great pitcher, they have the PR nightmare of possibly insulting another.
It’s amazing, they can’t even get this right.
Maybe the line in Anchorman should have been “Stay classy CHICAGO”. Class indeed.
Topics: Chicago Cubs, Cubs Suck, Ferguson Jenkins, Greg Maddux, Hall of Fame
Latest Headlines
- The Dangerous Allure Of The Trade Deadline
- Victorino Goes Down, Brown Comes Up
- The True Measure Of Greatness
- The Possible Trade Ripple
- Phils Season Has Been An Epidemic
- Pinstripe Recap: The Bombers Offense Explodes For Four Wins
- U.S.A. Undefeated As IBAF World Junior Baseball Championship Heads To Round of Eight
- Dodgers Get Podsednik For Two Minor Leaguers
- Numbers of “The Beast”
- Virtual Ballpark Helps Fans “Stand Up To Cancer”
- Garza And Rays Experience Joy Of No-Hitter
- Manuel Deserves To Finish The Season
- Staten Island Yankees to Host NY-Penn All Star Game
- Cardinal Players Have To Earn Their Playing Time
- A Mariner Week in Review: Fun Baseball and Some Fighting
In The News
Padres Recap – Braves and Buccos
The Padres are quietly putting together a solid season, did it continue this week?
The Week That Was: Just When You Thought It Was Safe
The Phillies came to Busch prior to a trip to the Windy City for the Redbirds. Take a look at the results of a busy week for the Cardinals.
Baseball Digest LIVE: Meet the Real Joe Black
We have an all star lineup
A Glove of Their Own: A Grand Slam On and Off the Field
Bob Salomon is a name you will be hearing about. He is using the concept of children participating in sports as the vehicle to communicate his all encompassing goal of giving back
the cubs,,they can’t do ANYTHING right except blow it.They should of retired it for jenkins a long time ago,,and Maddux???? What did he do for Chicago other than make them look idiots for letting yet another hall of famer get away