By the Numbers

The book listed in the CURRENTLY READING highlight of this post has captivated me since December 25, as my oldest unwrapped the silver Santa Claus paper from the outside of the gift he received from his favorite uncle. Momentarily caught off guard, he realized this was not the Wayne Gretzky biography he had specifically asked for - this was different all together. Reading the inside inscription on the first page, he moved on to the introduction, as was hooked immediately. A gift for him, but I pick it up as often as I can, an insatiable reading experience it has been to leaf through the pages of time and see if when I test myself, did I know this star, this sport, this era?

00-99 in several varieties of professional team sports, men and women - who wore which number with distinction? Each number has a #1, all time, ya-gotta-give-it-to-them-'cause-they-were-the-greatest selection and then, (and I feel this is what makes this book exceptional) it covers several other individuals who though may not have been chosen as the stand out- hands down winner, still wore their number with pride and performed with excellence.

For example...

What does #3 say to you? Who would fill those shoes, of all the sports, of all the stars, from all the ages - who was the best #3, as chosen by this specific panel of sports experts, officiandos and statisticians? It immediately turns into a sports agenda - which is your favorite sport? If its baseball, you are looking at none other than Mr. Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees, the Sultan of Swat. (This book chooses the Babe - how could you not?) But if a diamond and four bases in a square in a mixture of dirt and grass is not your dream of heaven, your #3 superstar could be Dale Earnhardt. Or Allen Iverson. Or Daryle LaMonica. Or Stephon Marbury.

Coolness!

Who comes to your mind as the most exceptional athlete to wear :

:#10 #13 :#23 :#44 :#31 : #17 #32 #5 #9

Some athletes got their number because it the next one available in the wardrobe closet their size, not retired. Some have been able to have their number since elementary school. Some professional contracts have reached an unnegotiable state of affairs about nothing more and nothing less than the availability of a specific number. Sometimes they are a birthday, a father's number, a tribute to a mentor or role model. The book is chock full of stories, not just about the sport prowess, but the method about the number selection.
Such as Michael Jordan has not exclusively worn #23 (and this is not including the dispute concerning the team retirement of that number - no this was an incident prior to that). Do you recall what happened - what happened to #23? Did Michael Jordan lose his magic superhero power over all other basketball players when the digits on his jersey were not the identical ones to the previous game?

In the book are all the details to remind a public of what they knew that they knew..."that's right!"

T. took this book to his hockey practice and the pee wees poured over it as it was a conveyor of universal, pertinent, fundamental stuff.

For these young men, numbers make the world go round!

I try to be involved in their conversations, I really really do. I ask them questions, listen to their answers, follow their patterns of thought and then just when I believe I have crossed the threshold into being accepted into their world, I run into the invisible mom-barrior - sport statistics.

I am lost when trying to carry on an intelligent side of the conversation when speaking ratio-shots-on-goal, percentage of hat tricks verses assists, foul shot percentage weighing in the amount of fouls provided in the final 3 minutes of the third quarter, the formula of RBI-homerun-on base average in specific months against specific pitchers. The men-in-training talking circles around me, and these sentences of numbers, numbers. numbers literally numb my brain.

Men in training, they are. Using their men-in-training skills on the nearest unsuspecting female, a.k.a. mom, they are.

And the other dads around, they are so comfortable in this numbers conversation. These men who refuse to remember to grab a necessary gallon of milk on the way home can rattle of the entire lineup, stats and all, of the World Series Championship team of 1982 as well as the coaching staff, relief pitcher who was injured and number of strike outs the pitcher had in game 4.

One of T.s all time favorite movie is Field of Dreams. When the corn-field/baseball field has all the players on it, T. knows which character is who in basbeall history, because of their numbers. He literally can't believe I didn't notice that all-important detail.."Of course he's Shoeless Joe, mom, its plain to see." "Look, that's his dad, and see what number he wears, its so important." Invisible to my eyesight and understanding, it adds a layer of relevancy and authenticity for my T-man. I can dissect the important characters, themes, plot development and symbolism for eternity and life and evil verses good of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, write a 5 page thesis paper on the first three words, 'Call me Ishmael.", yet these basbeall number details elude me.

They are a screaming billboard to my buddy.

Yougottabekiddingme!

Men in training, pouring over this book, 11 and 12 years old...they are looking up their number. Who wears my number? T. had 99 last year (Wayne Gretzky) but needed to sacrifice it this year because there was another 99 on the team. (Actually, I still have hard feelings about it, but you know what, I don't lace up my skates and practice on the ice, my vote in mute. T.s happy, so...I...am..well...maybe..okay...I'm happy.) So instead, he wanted 66, Mario LeMieux, who inverted 99 in honor of the Great One and carved out a slice of ice in history for himself. Even with next year having the potential of getting 99 back, T.s sticking with 66 (man I am so proud of that boy of mine. He is so together about things which really tick off other people.)

Did you wear a certain number, or do you always select a specific number when allowed an opportunity? My hubby always wants his certain number...what's yours?

From the tops...#10 - Pele; #13- Wilt Chamberlain; #23- Michael Jordan; #44 - Hank Aaron; #31 - Greg Maddux, :#17 John Havlicek #32 Jim Brown; #5 Joe DiMaggio; #9 Gordie Howe/Bobby Hull/Rocket Richard

I am signing up all four kids in baseball and softball this week...and you got it...along with trying on their cleats, massaging their gloves with mink oil, finding their baserunning pants which fit they are choosing...
...their numbers.