Me And My Number

SHANNON STEWART

Twins outfielder

BEFORE coming to the Twins from Toronto in 2003, Stewart had number 24--which he wore in high school to emulate two stars. " Ken Griffey Jr. and Rickey Henderson (left) were my favorite players," says Stewart . "I could run like Rickey, and I wished I could hit homers like Griffey ." In Minnesota catcher Matt LeCroy had the number, and, Stewart says, he wanted a car to give it up. "We were going to negotiate," Stewart recalls. Then Stew had a two-hit and a three-hit game and decided he didn't need the number. "[ LeCroy ] messed up," he says. "Number 23 has been good to me."

BOB MELVIN

D-Backs manager

AS ARIZONA battles the Astros (and a half-dozen other teams) in the NL wild-card race, Melvin has his rival's number. He wears number 3 for Astros manager Phil Garner , who, as the Brewers' manager in the mid-1990s, gave Melvin his start in a postplaying career. "I made a phone call to him, and he got me a job scouting," says Melvin , who would later become Garner's bench coach. "He's a man I admire a lot and have learned a lot from." Melvin says his choice of number was "a no-brainer," but he isn't sure if his mentor knows why he wears it. Well, Phil, read it and preen.

MARK TEIXEIRA

Rangers 1B

HAVING Yankees star Don Mattingly --who wore number 23--as an idol was frowned upon when Teixeira was a kid in Baltimore . "I'd wear a Mattingly shirt to [ Orioles ] games," says Teixeira , who endured epithets from O's fans. When he played, some thought the 23 was for Michael Jordan , but Teixeira was all about Mattingly. "I just loved the way he played, I loved his swing," says Texeira, who won a Gold Glove last year and has met his boyhood hero. "We've had lunch. [Mattingly] knows pretty well how I think of him."