Red Sox to Honor Johnny Pesky

Pesky wore #6 for the 1942 season, and again for the 1946-1952 seasons; he was assigned #6 again from 1981-1984 while working as a coach. The number was most recently assigned to Gary Gaetti in the 2000 season, but has not been assigned since. All together 26 men have worn the number, including Bill Buckner and the aforementioned Joe Cronin.

In the 1946 world series, Pesky, wearing #6, held onto the ball long enough to allow Enos Slaughter to scamper across homeplate in the 8^th inning of Game 7 to allow the Cardinals to go ahead and to ultimately win the game. 40 years later, history repeated itself in the 1986 world series. Buckner allowed a Mookie Wilson dribbler to slip under his glove and to go between his legs while he played first base which allowed the Game winning run to score. You may have seen that play once or twice.

In the intervening years, Johnny has become a fixture at Fenway Park. I remember growing up hearing his spots with Sal Bertolami of J&B Sash and Door proclaiming "We're the Window Boys" in classic low budget local advertising fashion - which can still be heard (at least on the radio) today. Pesky has been with the club in various positions for 58 years, managing the team in the 1960's and since 2002 had been in the dugout. In March 2007, the Commissioner's Office began enforcing a rule regarding the number of uniformed personnel in the dugout and he was no longer allowed to be there.

Since the Henry/Werner ownership group has taken over the team, they have made multiple overtures to Pesky and his legacy, for instance allowing him back in the dugout and in 2006 making the "Pesky Pole" designation for the right field foul pole official. This next step is a significant break from Red Sox traditional policy, a policy reiterated on the team website as being election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and at least 10 years played with the Red Sox - which in and of itself had been modified to accommodate Carlton Fisk's situation. According to today's announcement, that policy will now be guideline.

President Larry Lucchino is quoted as saying, "We inherited a set a rules that applied to this question of retiring numbers and we have looked at that and considered that to be useful but as guidelines rather than firm rules." Which, while not entirely accurate - after all, the club did take the step of removing the criteria that the player spent his career and retires as Red Sox - it makes the firm statement that players such as Jim Rice and Dwight Evans may be considered for having their number retired.

Congratulations Johnny. An honor richly deserved.