Thirty-Four On the Brain

For some reason the number 34 is all over the news today. I’ve seen it in memes, front pages, cartoons and I’m sure a 34-themed clothing line is coming soon. Some people are ecstatic about this, and some, decidedly, are not.

Because it’s always good to keep up with current events, I started to think about some of the most famous No. 34s in sports. Here’s what I came up with. Please let me know who I missed and send in your candidates.

Baseball

Kirby Puckett

Nolan Ryan

Rollie Fingers

Fernando Valenzuela

Felix Hernandez

David Ortiz

Basketball

Shaquille O’Neal

Charles Barkley

Hakeem Olajuwon

Giannis Antetokoumpo

Paul Pierce

Ray Allen

Football

Walter Payton, Joe Perry, Franco Harris, Earl Campbell, Thurman Thomas

Hockey

Auston Matthews

John Vanbiesbrouck

Fun facts: Outfielder Cleon Jones wore No. 34 when he was first called up to the New York Mets in 1963. Bobo Newsom wore No. 34 for the Yankees in 1947.