It is, in a word, cool, to have your jersey retired on any level. Certainly it's rather special when it's the one you wore in high school! Mosley alum Clete Thomas, now an outfielder with the Detroit Tigers, knows that feeling.
Thursday afternoon at Mosley, the number 3 jersey Clete wore between '99 and 2002 was officially retired. That jersey and a plaque will now hang in the school's hallway for all to see.
This the idea of current Mosley baseball coach Todd Harless, also there Thursday, Clete's coach back in the day, Doug Lee!

Todd Harless
Mosley Head Baseball Coach

When I first got here last year we didn't have anything in the locker room honoring any of our old players. And baseball here at Mosley has had a great tradition, I can name over ten, twelve guys that are playing minor league baseball right now. And we came across Clete, and looking at his stats and what he's done, I was like if that's not criteria for retiring a jersey, I don't know what is.

Doug Lee
Clete's coach from '99-2002
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You know I'm glad coach Harless came up with the idea because it does, it brings somebody that's been in their shoes, that's a home grown guy and say look this is the right way to do it, this is the way to get to the next level. And so yeah for me as a former coach of his, I'm very proud today.

Clete Thomas
Mosley alum/Tigers Outfielder
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This is awesome to have something like this done you really can't explain it, I just thank God for the ability and thank all the coaches and family and everybody that's been around to help me through all this. I never dreamed of having a jersey retired, it's a great honor, especially at this great school that's had so many good athletes that have come through here."

Thomas, who now lives in the Tampa area with his wife, who by the way is expecting their first child, was a member of the 'fins 2002 5A State Championship team, went on to play at Auburn, was drafted in oh-5, and last year broke in with the Tigers! This season he played 102 games with Detroit, hitting .240 with 7 homers and 39 rbi.