¡Research Emergency!

From The Boston Globe:

“I’m the only Hall of Famer whose number has not been retired [by the team whose cap is shown on the plaque],” Boggs said. “Fergie [Jenkins] and I were the last two, but now Fergie is in [with the Cubs]. That leaves me. It’s disappointing.”

We called Jeff Idelson, president of the Hall of Fame, to ask whether all living Hall of Famers have had their numbers retired, and the research was ongoing.

Now, I don’t personally feel like doing this research, but surely this can’t be some massive project that takes more than ten minutes. There is a list of all living Hall of Famers. There is a list of all of baseball’s retired numbers.

Okay, you know what? This won’t even take ten minutes. So I’m going to do what apparently the Baseball Hall of Fame is unable to do. I’m going to scroll through the list.

Six minutes later. Uh, Barry Larkin, but maybe he shouldn’t count since he won’t officially be inducted until next week. And– Goose Gossage! Gossage was inducted as a Yankee. His number hasn’t been retired by anyone. At least not according to Wikipedia. So, Goose Gossage, you should write a letter to The Boston Globe (and Wade Boggs) complaining that you’ve been forgotten. Wade Boggs, you shouldn’t really complain, because the Rays retired your number, so, hey, that’s something. And Jeff Idelson of the Baseball Hall of Fame, it took me six minutes to do this research, and I don’t actually work for the Hall of Fame. So I think you (and The Boston Globe’s sports section) are very, very lazy.