Old News

It may be old news, but it is new to me. From the December 4th Inquirer:

Tom Gordon must have been just 9 or 10 at the time, but he remembers the moment vividly.

He and his father were watching the Atlanta Braves play the Phillies. It must have been late in the game and the Phillies must have been winning because Gordon's father turned to him and said, "Son, that's Tug McGraw pitching." To which Gordon responded, "Dad, his name is Tug?"

But Gordon, whose nickname is "Flash" and whom the Phillies introduced as their new closer yesterday at Citizens Bank Park, has an appreciation for McGraw. Gordon will wear No. 45 for the Phillies, the same number McGraw wore when he helped them win their only World Series championship in 1980.

"Jan. 5, 2004, baseball lost a pioneer in Tug McGraw, and this is truly an honor for me to be able to wear his number on the field," Gordon said.

I know it is probably illogical, but this makes me feel even better about having Tom Gordon around as our closer. I wasn't too keen on the Phillies giving out Tug's number so quickly, but Gordon sounds as deserving as anybody to wear the old number 45. I'm a sucker for players that know the history of the game and stories like this make me remember why I started following baseball in the first place.