Jason Varitek To Retire Thursday
by Marc Normandin on Feb 27, 2012 5:30 PM EST
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PrintAccording to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek is set to officially retire on Thursday. Like Tim Wakefield 10 days ago, Varitek will finish his career with the Red Sox.
Varitek played each of his 15 major league seasons with Boston, after former general manager Dan Duquette acquired him via trade in 1997 along with Derek Lowe. It was one of Duke's most beneficial deals, as all the Red Sox gave up was reliever Heathcliff Slocumb for two members of The 25.
Varitek was the team's captain, and while many remember his most recent problems with throwing out runners, or his declining bat, for years he was one of the game's better catchers. His pitchers loved to work with him -- according to recent research by Max Marchi, with good reason -- and from 2001 through 2005 he hit .280/.361/.470, good for a 114 OPS+.
Abraham mentions that Varitek will remain with the Red Sox in some capacity. It's unknown what that is, but it isn't the most unexpected outcome.
It was time for Varitek to hang up his catcher's gear, but that doesn't diminish anything he accomplished while with the Red Sox. Thanks, Jason.
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Farewell, 'Tek
Thanks for everything. I hope they retire your number.
by Sologub on Feb 27, 2012 5:36 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Particularly, thanks for this...
The Year of Extreme Opinions
BLAAAAAAARGH OMFG SIGN STARTERS!!
I apologize if this post has offended you in any way. Please retroactively ignore it. Thank you for your consideration.
by nuthinboutnuthin on Feb 27, 2012 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 18 recs
Only got better from there!
Thanks for everything Tek!
by Chris Sanford on Feb 27, 2012 11:27 PM EST up reply actions
And how.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself: "Am I a hater troll?"
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
OTM | Silver Seven
Don't retire the number just yet
Let’s hope he gets to wear it for years to come as a coach/manager/teacher for the Sox.
This
Author, Dawn of a New Age and The Blademaster
CO, USS Callisto
Avid Red Sox fan :)
by Rick Bentsen on Feb 27, 2012 5:43 PM EST up reply actions
Thank you Jason.
I know I will never forget what you brought to this club.
One final:
Oh Captain, My Captain.
My Twitter @totheights
I still say best trade ever.
Author, Dawn of a New Age and The Blademaster
CO, USS Callisto
Avid Red Sox fan :)
Au revoir, mon capitan.
You’ll always be one of my all-time favorites.
"If your happiness depends on Boston winning or losing, you have to get a life." Manny Somebody-or-other
by Tessie's Dad on Feb 27, 2012 6:12 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
You are so right .
Just for showing up a rod he will never be forgotten, then we have the 4 no no’s he called ……..it was 4 was it not ?
by RED SOX are #1 in my heart on Feb 27, 2012 6:23 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, four.
Nomo, Lowe, Buchholz & Lester.
(Five, if you count Hansack’s at the end of 2006.)
"If your happiness depends on Boston winning or losing, you have to get a life." Manny Somebody-or-other
by Tessie's Dad on Feb 27, 2012 6:29 PM EST up reply actions
Plus if curt had gone with what tek wanted we could add 1 more !
Hope the wee one is doing well :-)
by RED SOX are #1 in my heart on Feb 27, 2012 6:35 PM EST up reply actions
Good point!
And Tessie’s doing great, thank you, although not-so-wee any more. She’s growing up fast!
"If your happiness depends on Boston winning or losing, you have to get a life." Manny Somebody-or-other
by Tessie's Dad on Feb 27, 2012 6:41 PM EST up reply actions
Ha ha ha!
Ouch.
Okay… remind me… Hansack’s wasn’t enough innings, right?
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
Correct. It was only 5 innings.
Author, Dawn of a New Age and The Blademaster
CO, USS Callisto
Avid Red Sox fan :)
by Rick Bentsen on Feb 28, 2012 4:34 AM EST up reply actions
A record I doubt will ever be topped.
No one will throw more nonos than Nolan Ryan threw and no one will catch more than Tek caught :)
Author, Dawn of a New Age and The Blademaster
CO, USS Callisto
Avid Red Sox fan :)
by Rick Bentsen on Feb 27, 2012 6:54 PM EST up reply actions
Seriously... any chance that gets him an obscure HOF nod??
I mean, I know they don’t put much in CERA, but how many Catchers ever caught 4 no-nos?
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
Probably not, but you never know.
He does hold the record and it is a record that’s likely to stand. :)
Author, Dawn of a New Age and The Blademaster
CO, USS Callisto
Avid Red Sox fan :)
by Rick Bentsen on Feb 28, 2012 4:41 AM EST up reply actions
Well, at the very least... you'd think that would be up there somewhere.
Maybe not a bust, but a note about being the catcher with four no hitters…
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
What a career and good to hear he is probably staying with the Sox
"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry, you know anything that travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?" - Crash Davis
Two of my favorite players from this team in the last twenty years are moving on. Best of luck to both of them.
by The Name is Dalton on Feb 27, 2012 7:25 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Wake throwing to Tek?
Nah, Tek hates catching Wake. Maybe have Tek throw to Wake. Revenge or something.
Ha ha ha!
That’s good for a laugh too.
Shit… if they did that, I might have to figure out how to get there.
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
They could have Wake throwing to Tek
and then a couple of mascots running the bases every, so every time the ball gets past Tek, they advance a base.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself: "Am I a hater troll?"
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
OTM | Silver Seven
Yeah, tough to see them retire.
I think they are the only guys left on the team older than me too…
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
Tek
Always was and will be one of my favorite Sox. Hope he stays around the team in some capacity. I will forever wear my #33 (with the “C” of course) with pride. Thanks Tek.
Thanks Tito & Theo for 04 and 07.
by Fenway302 on Feb 27, 2012 7:39 PM EST via mobile reply actions
After 2004, I really wanted a Tek jersey with the Captain's C and the World Series logo...
… I think he didn’t technically wear it until 2005, but I didn’t care. For all the heros we had, and I love Schilling (saw his last game ever – 2007 WS Game 2) and Roberts (I have a signed copy of the image that is my “avatar” through a friend of a friend that knew him with the Dodgers)…
For my money, Tek was the man that pulled that team together. Of course, I might be biased since I’m Jason too.
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
Cheers, good sir.
And many thanks.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself: "Am I a hater troll?"
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
OTM | Silver Seven
I'll say it again
Wake needs to throw out the opening pitch to Tek for the home Opener, and Fenway needs to give them an Ovation so long and so loud the umpires delay the game.
"I can’t explain what I mean. And even if I could, I’m not sure I’d feel like it."
-JD Salinger.
Have to believe it would happen that way.
Game time should just be scheduled for 9:05 p.m. EST.
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
heh that makes me think
I think the longest, loudest ovation I’ve ever seen for anything was the ovation for Mike Lowell on opening day 2010- when there’d been all kinds of talk of letting him go and whatnot. It was kind of crazy. And that was a game where they had freakin Pedro throwing out the first pitch.
Scott Isaacs ScottIsaacs
.LynchieWCVB reporting Varitek may start out as a roving minor lg instructor for #RedSox. If he likes, may move to managing next year #wcvb
Took me a long time to open this article.
Sad as I was to see Wake go, I knew it was time… and yeah, I knew it was time for Tek too… I don’t know why, but I’d probably say Tek was my favorite player of my lifetime for the Sox. Never spectacular, but man did he work at his craft… loved the ethic, loved his loyalty to his team and his teammates…
He played the game the right way, and will be sorely missed on this team.
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
by AlohaSox on Feb 28, 2012 4:35 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I felt the same way
I mean, I knew it was coming. I knew it was his time. But I still cried when I read this. Tek was a special kind of player, and I will miss him in a Red Sox uniform.
HOWEVER, I was happy to read that the Sox have already agreed to bring him on as a coach. Rumor I’ve heard is a roving instructor in the minors this season. I’d be thoroughly OK with that.
Thanks for everything, Captain. I shall wear your jersey during my writing sessions with pride. (I like to write my books while wearing a Red Sox jersey…. It’s one of my writing ideosyncracies. :) )
Author, Dawn of a New Age and The Blademaster
CO, USS Callisto
Avid Red Sox fan :)
by Rick Bentsen on Feb 28, 2012 4:40 AM EST up reply actions
A good one, too...
… as ideosyncracies go.
;)
I thought we’d never win it all. And then we went down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004, and I thought it was the end of the world.
Wait ’til THIS year!
I started following my local college teams in the Atlanta area
Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. I remeber getting the local paper and looking for the Georgia Tech and Georgia boxscores and reading articles about the top players. I clung on to two of the Yellow Jacket players – Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek and wouldn’t you know it – they both ended up on my favorite major league team! A third player Jay Payton joined them briefly and it was like two world’s morphing together.
Baseball is just so awesome
-BZ
I hereby induct Jason Veritek into the Baseball Hall of Very Good
right there next to Tim Wakefield.
Thanks, Cap.
top notch C and C
Captain and Catcher
Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all
by Rickfansince76 on Feb 28, 2012 12:00 PM EST reply actions
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