Big night for No. 3

Tennessee honors Helton by retiring baseball number

By Mark Burgess, Knoxville News Sentinel

Published January 31, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, right, watches during a retirement ceremony for his No. 3 jersey at the University of Tennessee at the Knoxville Convention Center on Wednesday night.

Todd Helton and Todd Raleigh are back on speaking terms.

In 1994, they were on opposite sides of first base and Helton wasn't in a talking mood.

Raleigh, the first-year University of Tennessee baseball coach, was a young assistant first-base coach at Western Carolina. Helton was a sophomore superstar first baseman in the making at Tennessee.

"True story," Raleigh told a sellout crowd at the 16th annual Tennessee Leadoff Banquet at the Knoxville Convention Center on Wednesday night. "I was just trying to make small talk with him and he just looked at me - didn't say a word.

"I went back to the dugout and said, 'What's this guy's problem?' I told our pitcher when No. 3 comes back up, let's buzz it up there a little bit."

The crowd laughed. Helton just shook his head.

He didn't remember his first meeting with Raleigh, but he always will remember Wednesday night.

The Knoxville native and first baseman for the National League champion Rockies became the first Tennessee baseball player to have his number retired.

He received a loud and long standing ovation from the crowd of more than 1,300 filled with family, friends and former teammates.

"It was truly my honor to put on the orange and play for Tennessee," Helton said. "To be recognized like this tonight, I truly am honored and blessed.

"And coach (Raleigh), now that we're on the same team, we can talk."

For Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton, the evening capped six months of talks with Helton and planning the jersey retirement.

"I think it was a great night," he said. "We understand most of these people were here tonight to celebrate Todd Helton, but it was also a celebration of Tennessee baseball and coach Raleigh.

"What a class act Todd Helton is. It's great to have his number be the first retired for baseball."

Besides the jersey ceremony, Helton received a video congratulation from Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, a "Todd Helton Dr." street sign and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam proclaimed it "Todd Helton Day."

He also spent 30 minutes on stage in a question-and-answer session with Volunteers baseball play-by-play announcer John Wilkerson.

"I was worried I wouldn't be able to convey what it really means to me to have my number retired," Helton told the crowd. "I truly am honored to be sitting here in front of you and have that jersey with the University of Tennessee on it."

For Aaron Everett, it means a switch in jersey numbers. The junior pitcher has worn No. 3 the past two seasons and Helton said he was fine with Everett finishing his time at Tennessee in No. 3. Everett declined, got a handshake from Helton and was wearing No. 9 at the banquet.

For Raleigh, there was a strange symbolism in how things have gone full circle since that 1994 meeting in the NCAA Regionals.

"It's almost like we wrote this script," he said. "Me coming in my first year and Todd being a bona fide first-ballot Hall of Famer, going to the World Series this year, growing up in Knoxville.

"I think it's great our players get to see that. Here's a guy who played in the same stadium, had the same locker and hit in the same cages. Look at what he has done."

Jeff Lockwood was one of the inspired current Volunteers.

"Coach (Doug) Polston at Halls used to tell me about Todd and tell me someday I might have a shot to be as good as him," Lockwood said. "He's just a great player and this kind of night is what happens when you're that great."

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