With Taylor Twellman night being last Saturday it got me thinking.... Should we retire his number? Any other player on the Revs? It would be nice to add a banner to Gillette that doesn't revolve around the Pointy ball team. Thoughts?
No. Don't retire any numbers. As much as we all dislike the Chicago Fire, they do it right with their "Ring of Fire," where they honor their great players of the past while still letting someone else wear the #10 jersey. DC had a Wall of Fame that listed all the great Washington players, from Walter Johnson to Sonny Jurgenson to Etcheverry and Moreno. Give Twellman, Ralston, Joseph, Reis, and Joe-Max Moore a "night" with their own banners, but keep the numbers in circulation.
Not enough numbers to retire players. They're supposed to be 1-11. Taylor's is a unique example, holding a high number. But, once you set the precedent, then you gotta start doing it for others. just from that list alone, you're already out #1 (traditional keeper number), #9 (traditional striker number), #14, #20, #21 on a 23-man roster. And, none of those guys ever won a cup. Plus, you know the administration would want to honor Burns, Heaps, etc. Nope.
A definition of revolution is when something makes a full turn. There could perhaps be a play on that. Or, something colonial to stick with the theme.
I'm sure they will come up with something clever and creative. The Revs are always on the forefront, buying a condo on the corner of Clever Avenue and Creative Street back when it was a hell-hole, and now, the place is all overgentrified with hipsters. Speaking of Ring of Fire, I remember the 2006 WC, when coming out of the U-bahn station in Gelsenkirchen before the US-Czech match. In the main square there was all kinds of stuff going on, including beer halls, food vendors, bands, etc. There was a band playing on stage, and the tune caught my ear as vaguely familiar. It was a Johnny Cash tribute band singing in German, and the song was Ring of Fire. It was strangely bizarre, but it actually worked. Now I really have seen everything...
You know what would be cool? What if the fans started our own Ring of Honor, completely independent from the club? We vote on who gets inducted, we design/create/maintain/hang the banners, we invite the players to attend a night in their honor, etc. It could be cool. Maybe even invite the former player to lead some chants from the front of The Fort?
I love that idea. The Midnight Riders' Man of the Year has always been such a great concept and I'd love to see that rolled out on a larger scale. Let's make this happen!
Would love to have it be voted on by both SG and non-SG fans so the unattached fans have a voice too.