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Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:22 am**

Yanks' Hawkins to give up O'Neill's No. 21
BY ANTHONY RIEBER

7:42 PM EDT, April 15, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Paul O'Neill fans, your voices have been heard.

Yankees reliever LaTroy Hawkins confirmed Tuesday night that he is planning to switch his uniform number Wednesday to 22 instead of O'Neill's unretired 21 when the team returns home to face the Red Sox.

"Yeah, I'm changing it," said Hawkins, whose decision was first reported by CBSsportsline.com.

The Yankees had not given out No. 21 since the beloved O'Neill retired after the 2001 season. For some unknown reason, they assigned it to Hawkins, who said he was wearing it in honor of Roberto Clemente.

Hawkins had worn 32 in his career, but 32 is retired for former Yankees catcher Elston Howard.

Hawkins heard it from Yankees fans on the team's first homestand. They booed him during Opening Day ceremonies and chanted O'Neill's name when he entered games. Hawkins said he decided to make the change after discussing the matter with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

The last Yankee to wear 22 was Roger Clemens.

Hawkins, who along with Jeter are the Yankees' African-American players, declined to change his number to 42 Tuesday night for Jackie Robinson Day. He did so last season as a member of the Rockies on the 60th anniversary of Robinson's breaking the color barrier.

"Last year was 60 years," he said. "I wore it last year. It was nice to honor him, what he stood for, his legacy. Sixty years to the day. That was pretty cool. I didn't know they were doing it every year. Sixty, 65, 70. I don't think every year."

Jeter wore 42 Tuesday night along with manager Joe Girardi, second baseman Robinson Cano, who was named after Robinson and wears 24 in his honor, and Rivera. The entire Tampa Bay team wore 42.

Extra bases

Ian Kennedy, who was hit in the right side by a ball Monday night, said he felt less sore and hopes to make his start on Saturday . . . Jorge Posada (sore right shoulder) threw again and said he was "closer." . . . Shelley Duncan went into Tuesday night batting .500 (11-for-22 with five doubles and three HRs) since his demotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ ... 9603.story

BTW - Check out Duncan's stats.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:25 am**

Our fans are a bunch of bitches. There was no reason to give up the number.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:33 am**

What's next? Hawkins getting booed for wearing Clemens number? LOL

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:41 am**

cmaff051 wrote:Our fans are a bunch of bitches. There was no reason to give up the number.

yeah there is: he sucks ass.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:59 am**

Pathetic on the part of this fan-base

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:10 pm**

I bet some of what LaTroy heard was brutal. I didn't want him taking the number but c'mon....

...although, I'm sure if he had pitched better so far this season then the fans would have let up a little bit.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:49 pm**

I'm guessing no one besides me thinks that number should be retired?

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:40 pm**

It had to be done. The last thing you want is Hawkins to become the guy everyone comes to the stadium to boo, especially given the propensity for fans to boo middle relievers in general. A new uniform number will give him some positive PR with the fans and get them off his back.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:24 pm**

I think it was horrible of the fans to boo him. However, I think it is even worse that he changed his number because of it. He took the number for all the right reasons and he is changing it for all the wrong ones. What reason does he have for the fans not to boo him now, because it obviously gets to him. I would never have booed him before but now this is really weak. Arod never gave in, he came back with a vengeance and proved all the boo birds wrong in 2007. That's what Hawkins had to do, come up big in a game at the stadium and the boos would stop. Now they won't. -Jitpal

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:18 pm**

34Celtic wrote:I'm guessing no one besides me thinks that number should be retired?

I do but it won't happen....unless the fans continue to boo whoever wears 21. I'm not saying that should happen but thats the only way I see it happening.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:37 pm**

Paul O'Neill was a good outfielder for us for many years. But he was not a Hall of Fame/legendary type player and if we started retiring numbers every time we had somebody as good as him, we'd be running out of them before too long. The fans doing the taunting are a bunch of six year olds.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:48 pm**

VinnyTheMick wrote:I bet some of what LaTroy heard was brutal. I didn't want him taking the number but c'mon....

...although, I'm sure if he had pitched better so far this season then the fans would have let up a little bit.

While his performance hasn't helped, the fans did boo him in the opening day introductions.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:49 pm**

If we retire the numbers of players like Paul O'neill, we will be out of numbers in no time.

In the last 15 years, the only players that should be retired are:
Donnie Baseball
Mariano Rivera
Derek Jeter
Joe Torre
Bernie
Jorge Posada (if he has a few more good years)

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:23 pm**

cmaff051 wrote:If we retire the numbers of players like Paul O'neill, we will be out of numbers in no time.

In the last 15 years, the only players that should be retired are:
Donnie Baseball
Mariano Rivera
Derek Jeter
Joe Torre
Jorge Posada (if he has a few more good years)

I'd add Bernie to that list too.

Posted: **Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:26 pm**

Slamm Goodbody wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I'd add Bernie to that list too.

How could I forget about Bernie?? :nonono:

Add him to the list.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2008 12:12 am**

hope the number change helps make him pitch better

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:29 am**

He looked pretty good tonight. I think he's starting to come around.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:15 pm**

he still sucks........

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:13 pm**

I wonder what the powers that be think about this. They have to know that this will continue no matter who #21 is re-issued to.

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Hawkins changing No. 21

Hawkins changing No. 21