Let’s play fun with numbers, but first a warning: Those who wear numbered game jerseys in public won’t find it much fun.
When I was 12 years old, my parents bought me a red fishnet Ohio State jersey stamped with a white No. 45.
Archie’s number.
I wanted No. 48 — sorry, Arch — but the number belonging to Brian Baschnagel, the Buckeyes’ badly mustachioed flanker, was not available.
I ended up cherishing the “authentic” No. 45 jersey, but by the time I turned 21, the last thing I wanted was to be seen wearing a top with any number attached.