For # 8, several players come to mind. It was Kobe Bryant’s original number before 24. However, I already use Kobe and there can be no repeats. The famous catcher, Yogi Berra comes to mind, and while I admire him very much, I can’t visit the Evil Empire in this countdown. The Dodgers catcher who wore #8 was Johnny Roseboro. The same catcher who Juan Marichal beat over the head with a bat. (Remember that, Frank?)
There was another #8 who was one of my favorite players when I was young even though he was not a Dodger. He played in the majors from 1961-1983, and all those years he played for the same team: The Boston Red Sox. (Kaufmann knows who it is!) Carl Yastremzski was the man! He never did win the World Series, but he did everything else. He was an all-star 18 times, and an amazing 15 years in a row from 1965-1979. He was a gold glove winner 7 times. In 1967, he was the AL MVP, and he won the triple crown that year. He finished with 3,419 hits, 1844 RBI, and 452 HR’s. His number 8 has been retired by the Red Sox.
Yaz actually went to Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship, but soon quit and went to baseball. Here’s an interesting story about Yaz: In the1975 All-Star game, Yastrzemski was called to pinch hit in the sixth inning, with two men on base and the American League down 3-0. Without wearing a batting helmet, he hit Tom Seaver’s first pitch for a home run to tie the score. The three-run homer was the only scoring the American League did that night as they lost 6-3. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989 in his first year of eligibility. He had 94 % of the vote, which leads us to question the morons who made up the 6 %.
He is the classic example of a player who was great that never won a World Title. Whoever thinks that you are not a complete winner unless you have won it all is wrong. Yaz was, and always will be, a winner. Ernie Banks comes to mind in this category, as well. Sometimes great players don’t win. They are still, however, winners. I felt happy for Yaz when the Boston Red Sox won that World Series in 2004 after their long, long drought. I’m sure it brought a smile to his face, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. In fact, along with Johnny Pesky, Yaz raised the championship banner at Fenway Park after they won. A happy ending to a great career.
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