To Bill Trask, convincing the Boston Red Sox to retire Tony Conigliaro’s number is a quest.

But according to the Red Sox, it’s one that will likely end up unfulfilled.

Trask, who lives in Bangor, is running an advertisement in the NEWS with a coupon for fans to cut out and send to Red Sox chief executive officer John Harrington that asks the Red Sox to retire Conigliaro’s No. 25.

Although “Tony C.” has become a tragic hero to Red Sox fans, he doesn’t fit the organization’s requirements for having his number retired – a candidate must have played for Boston for 10 years, must have finished his career with the Red Sox and must be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

According to the Red Sox, as popular as Conigliaro was, it’s unlikely that his number will be retired.

“Who knows, there could be new ownership and they might decide to change [the criteria],” said Richard Bresciani, the Red Sox’ vice president of public affairs. “But in the last 15 or 20 years, that’s been the criteria. We didn’t want to have numbers hanging up there left and right.”

But Trask isn’t ready to hear that the Sox won’t put Conigliaro in the same company as Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Joe Cronin and Bobby Doerr – the only Red Sox players with retired numbers. The team has a national award named for Conigliaro, but Trask thinks Conigliaro deserves more.

Conigliaro, a career .264 hitter who hit 166 home runs in eight seasons (seven with the Red Sox, one with the California Angels), was a young star outfielder until he was hit in the face by a fastball during a game against the Angels in August 1967.

Conigliaro made two comebacks despite eye trouble caused by the pitch but retired for good in 1975. He died in 1990.

“It wasn’t his fault that he got hit in the face,” Trask said. “Is it fair to put a 10-year minimum on someone who has a disability? He took a 90-mile per hour fastball in his face. It was a work-related disability.”

Bresciani said the move to have Conigliaro’s number retired started after his death, when fans in New England got 50,000 signatures on a petition to retire No. 25. Trask said he stood at the Bangor Mall one day that year and got 1,500 signatures.

After Conigliaro’s death and based on the petition, Bresciani said the Red Sox wanted to do something to honor Conigliaro. The team organized the Tony Conigliaro Award, a national honor given to a player in the majors who has overcome adversity. Boston pitcher Bret Saberhagen won it last year.

But Trask, who has struggled with bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, for the past 20 years, said the award isn’t enough for him.

“I wasn’t real happy about it,” Trask said of the award. “One of the things that kept me going was thinking, `What would he do? He wouldn’t quit, he kept fighting.’ I thought, his number definitely needs to be retired.”