How many of you remember all of your favorite baseball players’ - preferably Phillies - number?

When we were growing up, it was customary for us to rattle off just about any player by their number. As we grew older, our interest likely began to wane, and the task became more challenging. In today’s world, it’s more difficult to track players, mainly due to their transient moves and the influx of players from numerous countries.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column - reminiscing about sports and pop culture in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond - I’ll look back at some Phillies players’ numbers from the past based on the current players’ numbers.

Questions to ponder … How many former Phillies can you name that wore Trea Turner’s current No. 7? Or Nick Castellanos’ No. 8? What highest-ranked Steely Dan song involved a number? Can you name two pitchers who wore No. 32 before Steve Carlton? What all-star Eagles’ running back wore No. 32?

That 70s Gang ... If you grew up in the late 60s and throughout the 70s, these numbers should easily come to mind: Carlton (32), Mike Schmidt (20), Dave Cash (30), Larry Bowa (10), Greg Luzinski (19), Tug McGraw (45), Richie “Dick” Allen (15), Garry Maddox (31), Jay Johnstone (21), Arnold “Bake” McBride (21) - (how many of you knew his real first name?) - Ron Reed (42), Deron Johnson (11), Bobby Wine (7), Tim McCarver (6 and 11), Denny Doyle (15), Don Money (5), and Bob Boone (8) to name a few.

How Low Can You Go? ... How many of you remember Al Oliver as a Phillie? He wore the numbers 0, and only Omar Olivares and Rick White (good trivia question) also had the distinction.

Some notable players who wore No. 1 were Richie Ashburn and Jose Cardenal (remember him?) and legendary hitter Chuck Klein.

Popular Whiz Kids’ player Granny Hamner donned No. 2, as well as Rico Brogna, Ben Revere, and Jean Segura. Bryce Harper currently wears No. 3 as did Dale Murphy, Todd Pratt, and Hunter Pence.

When I think about players who were No. 4, Lenny Dykstra and pitching coach Ray Rippelmeyer are the first that come to mind. For the graybeards, Whiz Kid Eddie Waitkus is on the list. Or how about David Bell?

Bryson Stott wears No. 5, and it also belonged to Money, Pat Burrell, Ron Gant and Nick Williams. And how about Billy Grabarkewitz, who wore it in 1973?

Play The Number ... Depending when we began watching the Phillies, we all recall our share of players and their numbers.

Castellanos’ No. 8 was once worn by three prominent second baseman: Tony Taylor, Juan Samuel and Marlon Anderson. Also, popular Shane Victorino and Jim Eisenreich were memorable eights. Do you recall Charlie Hayes?

Turner’s No. 7 can be shared with Wine as well as popular utilityman Mariano Duncan, Kenny Lofton, Pedro Feliz and Maikel Franco.

Random Numbers ... When researching this column, I thought back to Bill Robinson, who was a staple outfielder as a spot starter and pinch-hitter.

Robinson wore No. 24, as well as Mike Lieberthal, Dick Groat, and Billy Wilson (remember him?).

Rambling through the memories, there was Johnny Callison - who was a popular outfielder with his No. 6. Others in his category were John Russell, Bo Diaz, Doug Glanville, and of course, Ryan Howard.

I almost forgot to mention Darren Daulton’s No. 10, Mickey Morandini’s No. 12, John Vukovich’s No. 18, and Rick Wise and Curt Schilling, who both gave us No. 38.

60 and Over ... In 1964, budding outfielder Alex Johnson wore No. 60. Chan Ho Park (does he ring a bell?) had No. 61, and Victor Arano and Gary Wright were the only ones to wear No. 64.

Tommy Hunter had No. 96, and “Wild Thing” Mitch Williams, So Taguchi, Turk Wendell, and Tajuan Walker were the only No. 99s.

If you have a favorite number or numbers, please let me know.

Another Classic Game ... In 1969, Milton Bradley issued the “All Star Baseball Game,” which was a card game in which you can build your own team against an opponent using the players’ “lifetime records.”

What made the game even more appealing were the photos of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Matty Alou, Joe Torre, Frank Howard, Ernie Banks, Mickley Lolich, Harmon Killebrew, Joe Pepitone, and Pete Rickert on the game cover.

This was a time when players weren’t allowed to wear their own hats and uniform tops because of copyright issues. So, all of the players wore simple, one-colored caps and uniform tops that wouldn’t distinguish their teams.

I did have this game, and it was endorsed by the Major League Players Association, which was big for us back in the day.

No More Juice ... As I was writing this column, I learned about the passing of O.J. Simpson. We all have our opinion about what happened in his private life, but Simpson was one of the greatest backs in the history of the NFL. His accomplishments certainly have been overshadowed by his reputed off-field actions.

Simpson rewrote the record books in 1973 when he became the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark. Being a longtime Jets’ fan, I vividly remember the snow-covered Shea Stadium field on which he set the mark.

Look back at the game on YouTube. It was an “NFL Game of the Week.” Those were classics, this one with narrator Ray Scott.

Simpson also accumulated 2,243 total yards from scrimmage (1,817 rushing) in 1975, a season many have forgotten.

Of course, Simpson was No. 32 - also worn by Jim Brown and the Eagles’ Ricky Watters. Besides Carlton on the Phillies, I’m digging deep to come up with Fred Wenz and Darrell “Bucky” Brandon from the early 70s.

Phllies’ Phodder ... Each week, I’ll offer a Phillies’ trivia question to test your knowledge.

Who has the record for the Phillies’ longest regular-season hitting streak?

Answer below.

It’s That Number ... In 1974, Steely Dan had its highest-rated single in “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number. It rose to No. 4 on the Billboard chart.

Also in 1974, John Lennon released “#9 Dream,” which ironically made it to No. 9 on the Billboard chart. I considered it one of Lennon’s finer solo efforts.

Five years later, Toto hit the charts with the single “99,” which reached No. 26 on the charts in 1979. If you’re a TV show junkie, you’ll know the song was about Barbara Feldon, who starred as Agent 99 on “Get Smart.” Toto was my first concert, and I always have liked the band.

Reflecting back, Three Dog Night made a big splash with their hit, “One (Is the loneliest number that will ever be.),” which reached No. 5 in 1968. Anyone have their “Live at the LA Forum” album? It was one of the firsts in the vinyl collection.

Trivia Answer ... Jimmy Rollins has the club’s longest hitting streak at 38 games that began on Aug. 23, 2005, and ended on the third game of the 2006 season.

Chase Utley nearly matched Rollins when he had a 35-game streak in 2006. Aside from Utley, you should recognize Gene Garber.

By the way, Rollins wore No. 11, and Utley was No. 26. 1960’s catcher Clay Dalrymple also wore No. 11.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach, manager or media personality from our yesterday.

Do you remember Andre Thornton? He never played for the Phillies, but he had some banner years in the Phillies minors leagues from 1967 through 1972. Thornton, a nearby Phoenixville product, was signed as a free agent in 1967.

Thornton was traded along with Joe Hoerner to the Braves for Jim Nash and Gary Neibauer in June 1972, one of the club’s worst trades as neither Nash nor Neibauer worked out. Thornton had a short stay with the Cubs and also had a year stint with the Expos.

He went on to spend 10 productive seasons with the Indians, being a two-time All-Star there. Overall, he hit .254 with 254 homers and 895 RBIs.

Feedback ... Your thoughts, ideas and comments are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com