Well, Its about time!

The Detroit Tigers have finally retired the number of one of its greatest players, 2018 Hall of Fame Inductee Alan Trammel. Trammel’s No. 3 will never be worn again after Gary Sheffield and Ian Kinsler wore the number following Trammel’s retirement in 1996.

Much like in his speech following his Hall of Fame Induction earlier this year (which my colleague Daryll and I were lucky enough to attend) Trammel lobbied for Lou Whitaker to both get elected to the Hall of Fame and get his number retired alongside his own.

”The love that Lou has not received, it bothers me,” Trammell said after Sunday’s pregame ceremony. ”I’m shocked. Hopefully, maybe this will help get a little momentum. I meant what I said, that I hope that he’s in the Hall of Fame soon and that he also has his number retired here at Comerica Park.”

Lou Whitaker, who played alongside Trammell for his entire career, later commented saying this:

”I can go out there and paint my name out there. Maybe that’s what I’ll do tonight,” Whitaker joked. ”If you see paint on the wall tonight beside Trammell, then come look for Lou.”

A few statues can be found at Comerica Park and following Trammell’s ceremony, he was questioned on the idea of getting a statue in the ballpark.

”If there was a statue, don’t you think it would be appropriate, that it would be both of us? I mean, I do,” Trammell said. ”Now whether or not it happens – nobody’s spoken to me, and I’m not trying to push the issue, you’re asking me a question – if it ever happened, to me that would be the way to do it.”

The Detroit Tigers do not allow any number to be retired unless the number was worn by a player that has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and while it is easy to understand why, I personally feel that players such as Trammell and Whitaker should have had their numbers retired a long time ago, even if the BBWAA has not deemed them worthy of Hall of Fame induction.

Who knows, maybe one day I will be writing that Lou Whitaker has finally gotten the recognition that he deserves and that his number will be placed on the brick wall in left field, right next to Alan Trammell.