Sox number shifts

[Whitesox029]

I don't know if this has already been discussed, but for me, the highlight is Don Cooper wearing #99. Tyler Flowers is switching from #17 to Cooper's old #21, Jordan Danks is back to #20 with Youkilis gone, and Jeff Keppinger took the available #7.
Here's proof:
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/mlb-c...XBhZ2U-;_ylv=3
I have no idea why this picture showed up on Yahoo! Sports, but it did.

[Foulke You]

According to one of the Sox beat writer twitter feeds (I forget which one), Flowers had to give Cooper two television sets to pry loose #21 and Coop has donned the #99 to honor Kevin Hickey. I really wish Keppinger wouldn't have taken #7. It seems like that number has a long list of mediocre to below average Sox history behind it. Jerry Manuel, Jerry Owens, Josh Fields, Timo Perez, Steve Sax.

[dickallen15]

Originally Posted by Foulke You

According to one of the Sox beat writer twitter feeds (I forget which one), Flowers had to give Cooper two television sets to pry loose #21 and Coop has donned the #99 to honor Kevin Hickey. I really wish Keppinger wouldn't have taken #7. It seems like that number has a long list of mediocre to below average Sox history behind it. Jerry Manuel, Jerry Owens, Josh Fields, Timo Perez, Steve Sax.

Does Cooper's number ever even show? He usually is wearing a pullover. I can't remember the last time he made a trip to the mound with an actual jersey showing.

[Whitesox029]

Originally Posted by dickallen15

Does Cooper's number ever even show? He usually is wearing a pullover. I can't remember the last time he made a trip to the mound with an actual jersey showing.

I can't either. I also can't remember the last time a player (i.e., someone other than Cooper) wore #21. He's been the pitching coach since 2002, so that kind of makes sense I suppose. Anybody know who it was? Too lazy to look it up.

[SoxNation05]

Tough luck for Coop having Yahoo post that picture.

[sox1970]

Originally Posted by Whitesox029

I can't either. I also can't remember the last time a player (i.e., someone other than Cooper) wore #21. He's been the pitching coach since 2002, so that kind of makes sense I suppose. Anybody know who it was? Too lazy to look it up.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/te...-numbers.shtml

[Lip Man 1]

Among the Sox who wore #21:

#21 George Bell - DH / OF
Joey Cora - IN
Todd Cruz - IN
Cal Eldred - P
Ray Herbert - P
Bart Johnson - P
Bob Lemon - MGN
Gary Redus - OF
Gerry Staley - P
Robin Ventura - IF

Among the Sox who wore #7:

#7 Don Buford - IN
Alan Bannister - IN
Bob Farley IN / OF
Scott Fletcher - IN
Marc Hill - C
Gene Lamont - MGN
Jerry Manuel - MGN
Noberto Martin - IN
Syd O’Brien - IN
Russ Snyder - OF
Chuck Tanner - MGN
"Jungle" Jim Rivera - OF
Steve Sax - IN
Ken Williams - OF

Lip

[Chez]

Originally Posted by SoxNation05

Tough luck for Coop having Yahoo post that picture.

Looks like Coop just swallowed Dylan Axelrod.

[TheOldRoman]

Originally Posted by Whitesox029

I can't either. I also can't remember the last time a player (i.e., someone other than Cooper) wore #21. He's been the pitching coach since 2002, so that kind of makes sense I suppose. Anybody know who it was? Too lazy to look it up.

Coop was #34 originally, but he gave that up and took a different number when the Sox traded for Freddy Garcia. There was a month overlap when the Sox had both Garcia and Loaiza, so he couldn't have switched directly to 21. I'm guessing Cooper wore a different number for the rest of 2004 and switched to 21 in 2005.

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by sox1970

http://www.baseball-reference.com/te...-numbers.shtml

#6 isn't retired and yet hasn't been worn since 1980. Odd.

[sox1970]

Originally Posted by DSpivack

#6 isn't retired and yet hasn't been worn since 1980. Odd.

That list doesn't include coaches. Walt Hriniak wore 6, but that was for Charley Lau, who died after the 1983 season.

It's unofficially retired. Beckham would have been 6 if not for this.

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by sox1970

That list doesn't include coaches. Walt Hriniak wore 6, but that was for Charley Lau, who died after the 1983 season.

It's unofficially retired. Beckham would have been 6 if not for this.

Didn't know that, thanks.

[salty99]

Tyler Flower took 21 for a reason, backwards 12.

[Milw]

I can guess why 69 has never been worn by a Sox player, but what about 64? Yes, it's a higher number, but 65 and 66 have both been worn by a half-dozen guys. Seems like a random number to skip.

[Whitesox029]

Originally Posted by Milw

I can guess why 69 has never been worn by a Sox player, but what about 64? Yes, it's a higher number, but 65 and 66 have both been worn by a half-dozen guys. Seems like a random number to skip.

Random is probably exactly what it is...just so happens that no one who was assigned that number in camp ever made it to the big club and decided to keep that number. 56 was Mark Buehrle's team-assigned spring training number if I remember correctly--he just decided to keep it.