Johnny Pesky is one of the most popular Boston Red Sox of all time. He's served the organization for about six decades as player, manager, broadcaster, coach, minor league instructor, special assistant to the general manager and goodwill ambassador. I started this crusade to retire Johnny Pesky's number 6 during spring training of 2004. Why? Because it seems obvious that it's the right thing to do. There's no question that Johnny deserves the honor and it would be a terrible thing to miss the opportunity to bestow it while he's still alive and kicking. I started talking about it on the air one night (or was it one morning?) just to make the point that somebody should do something about this. Well, one thing led to another and a grass roots campaign was born. You can join in simply by writing to the Red Sox and asking them to please retire Johnny Pesky's number and to please do it this year.

I think that the new ownership of the team is doing a great job. They're smart people and I'm sure they would have thought of this idea themselves but they've had a full plate since they walked in the door. They've been working hard to right the ship - improve the major league team, build up the organization and repair and enhance the ball park. There's no question they would have eventually come to the conclusion that Johnny Pesky's number 6 has to be up there in right field with Williams, Cronin, Doerr and the rest. I don't want to get dramatic here but there's a bit of urgency involved in this. Johnny is still going strong in his eighties and hopefully has many more years of service to the team ahead of him. It would be a shame if twenty years from now the club finally decides to do what they could have done while Johnny was still around to enjoy it. After all, Johnny Pesky's nickname is, "Mr. Red Sox." Need I say more? (You know that I could if necessary!)

- Steve LeVeille