Mark Buehrle's No. 56 will be retired in a ceremony Saturday at White Sox Park, where family, friends and Sox fans will celebrate a stellar career few envisioned when he joined the team in the summer of 2000.
He always will be remembered as the leader of the White Sox staff that won the 2005 World Series, and for his two no-hitters, including the perfect game against the Rays in 2009 on the South Side.
But for those of us fortunate enough to watch him develop from a late-round draft pick into one of the game's most dependable starters, the early years are what stick out the most.