Sweeny: Who Are We To Criticize Monument Park?
By Sweeny Murti
» More Columns
My friend Jason Keidel thinks the Yankees jumped the shark on Monument Park when Jorge Posada's number was retired last weekend, one day before Andy Pettitte's number was also hung up for good.
For whatever reason this has become an issue for some fans the last two years as the Yankees rolled out plaques and retired jerseys for many of the very good and great players from the late-90s dynasty teams. OK, I get it -- Monument Park is thought of as the hallowed grounds of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. But it's just a museum, not a sacred burial ground.
The Yankees made Monument Park and the fans get to visit if they choose. There are no other rules in play here and no set of standards that need approval. The Yankees have built their entire brand out of selling nostalgia. And now they are selling it to the teenagers and 20-somethings of the 1990s who are now old enough to bring their kids to the game and reminisce about what it was like watching the heroes of their youth. In any market, nostalgia sells in 20-year cycles that mark the generations, and the Yankees are no different than any other organization that wants to sell tickets.
Back to the original point, have they retired too many numbers? Probably. But there is no standard to follow and you can't go tearing them off the wall now. Was Jorge Posada equal to Yogi Berra? Of course not. But he was absolutely a key member of great championship teams and an unmistakable fan favorite.
Add more plaques and more retired numbers and suddenly some fans are appalled and disgusted. But why? It makes no difference in your daily life whose number is retired and whose isn't. But it sure does for those who have been honored.
When you heard the speeches that Tino Martinez or Willie Randolph or Andy Pettitte gave on the days set aside to honor their career in pinstripes, you could tell how emotional it was for them to simply be remembered as Yankees. Mel Stottlemyre, still locked in a courageous battle with cancer, practically told us all he was ready to die after being surprised with a plaque on Old-Timers' Day this past June. Do you want to tell him he doesn't belong? And how do you think Posada felt when the son he feared would not survive as an infant stood next to him as a teenager last weekend as his number was retired and then caught his ceremonial first pitch.
Do you still think we should judge who gets honored and who doesn't? Or simply say congratulations and let them enjoy their day?
Follow Sweeny Murti on Twitter: @YankeesWFAN
