Come To Think of It: Who Will Be the Next Cubs Great To Be Honored?

On Sunday at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs officially retired No. 31 in honor of both Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux.

The Cubs ran two flags up each foul pole; one with Jenkins' name on it and the other with Maddux. Too bad the Cubs hadn't retired Fergie's number a long time ago, we wouldn't have had this problem.

So all of this pomp and circumstance at the yard yesterday made me wonder who will be the next Cubs legend to have his number retired?

Will there even be another number retired or have we seen the last of them?

First off, we can forget about the pre-1932 great Cubs, who wore no digits.

One interesting name is that of Phil Cavarretta.

According to BleedCubbieBlue.com, P. K. Wrigley intended to retire Phil Cavarretta's No. 44, with the Chicago Tribune reporting it in 1954.

But apparently, Cavarretta made some statements that Wrigley didn't appreciate, and then signed with the White Sox, so that was the end of No. 44 being retired.

No Cub wore that number until Burt Hooten requested it in 1971. According to the Web site, Cubs clubhouse manager Yosh Kowano remembered the promise to Cavarretta and called the Cubs legend to get his permission to issue the number to Hooten.

So I ask you, Cubs fans, which numbers would you like to see the Cubs retire?

One obvious candidate is Sammy Sosa, but his alleged steroid use and corked bat may make that an unpopular decision. Yet, if you go just by numbers alone, he remains one of the greatest Cubs of all time.

BleedCubbieBlue.com suggests names like Gabby Hartnett and Billy Herman, who are Hall of Famers, and Stan Hack,who was the best third baseman in Cubs history before Ron Santo came along.

Let me know which Cub number you'd like to see retired and why? Come to think if it, some current Cubs might eventually be in line to get that honor...