The great debate over retiring No. 51
By Gabriel Kiley
Should Willie McGee’s number be retired by the St. Louis Cardinals? Does it matter that McGee isn’t a Hall of Famer? The fervent debate continues today in Redbird Nation.
McGee’s career statistics (.295 batting average, 2,254 hits) aren’t exactly Hall of Fame material, and opponents of the push to retire his number say that the tribute should be reserved for baseball’s elite. Ken Boyer is the only Cardinal to receive the honor who isn’t a Cooperstown inductee.
Proponents say it’s about something else entirely. “This isn’t about statistics,” says Tim McKernan, co-host of The Morning Grind on KFNS (590 AM). “This is about a city’s bond with a player, because they felt like he played the game the right way.”
McKernan launched an on-line campaign in April to encourage the Cardinals’ owners to honor McGee. The “Retire 51” petition on InsideStL.com amassed nearly 9,000 signatures by the All-Star game, and the buzz it’s creating has caught the attention of broadcasters, fans and, more important, the Cardinals front office.
Bill DeWitt III, Cardinals vice president of business development, says the organization doesn’t have “set criteria” for retiring numbers and is evaluating the McGee situation. “You have guys like McGee, who had great Cardinal careers but are not necessarily Hall of Famers,” he says. “However, they deserve to be recognized. It’s a great discussion.”
DeWitt says the organization is considering starting a Cardinals Hall of Fame as part of the team museum in the proposed Ballpark Village. Cardinals who aren’t necessarily Hall of Famers could be part of it, and McGee, he says, would “merit consideration.”
McKernan says McGee, who lives in San Francisco, has acknowledged the campaign as “the ultimate compliment” by the fans but doesn’t want the Cardinals’ ownership to be pressured into retiring his number. Nonetheless, McKernan plans to continue the campaign. “Willie is the only name, idea, entity—whatever—that everybody in this city can be on board with,” McKernan says. “Everybody loves the guy.”
John Hancock-amamie
In addition to locals Patrick Murphy (the voice of Channel 9) and Steve Smith (owner of The Royale), other ... interesting notables have signed the petition, among them Chuck Norris (who threatens to “roundhouse kick” anyone who doesn’t sign), President Bush (“Willie’s Louisville slugger was obviously a weapon of mass destruction”) and McGee himself—four times.
Boyer vs. McGee
Ken Boyer isn’t in the Hall of Fame, and neither is Willie. Boyer’s number has been retired; McGee’s hasn’t. What gives? We hit the books and crunched the numbers to see if they add up.
BA:
Boyer: .287
McGee: .295
Hits:
Boyer: 2,143
McGee: 2,254
Gold Gloves:
Boyer: 5
McGee: 3
MVPs:
Boyer: 1
McGee: 1
Online petitions:
Boyer: 0
McGee: 2
