Should the Yanks retire 21?

For nine seasons Paul O'Neill roamed right field at Yankee Stadium, he was a corner stone of the Yankees dynasty from 1996-2001 and a fan favorite. Having played from 1993-2001 with the Yankees and racking up four World Series rings during that time, should the Yankees retire his number? It has been 10 seasons since O'Neill last played for the Yanks,and is still involved in the organization as a broadcaster, and unlike most retired players who don't have their number retired, they still sell Paul O'Neill shirts. Many Yankee fans would agree with me that it has been too long, and that the bombers should give #21 its rightful send of into monument park.

I mentioned how Yankee fans have longed for the team to retire O'Neill's number, in 2008 Latroy Hawkins was the first player to wear 21 since O'Neill had retired. Immediately Yankee fans began to boo Hawkins for wearing O'Neill's 21. Hawkins eventually switched to 22 after fans continued to boo and chant "Paul O'Neill" while Hawkins pitched. Since then no Yankee player has worn 21.

So aside from retiring the number because the fans love him O'Neill was also a very productive player. Over his nine year career in pinstripes O'Neill hit .303/158 HR's/858 RBI's he also had a WAR (Wins above replacement) of 24.8 to go along with his four World Series rings. All of those are better then Reggie Jackson (.281/144/461), who has his number retired. O'Neill also has comparable stats to Roger Maris another player with his number retired.

Paul O'Neill Chant game 5 2001 WS

As each baseball season passes by it is tough to decide whether or not the Yanks will retire O'Neill's number. If the Yankees continue not to issue the number and no players want to wear 21, then they should retire it. But on the other hand the Yankees already have alot of retired numbers and in the upcoming seasons, Bernie Williams, Joe Torre, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada will all likely hold a spot in monument park.

Even if the Yankees don't want to retire his number or give him a plaque in monument park the Yankees should honor Paulie in some way. My suggestion would be to have the number 21 painted onto the right field wall. Either way the Yankees should pay respect for a man that George Steinbrenner once called a "warrior".