When I read the other day that Jason Varitek was going to retire from the Boston Red Sox, I thought good riddance. However, after letting the last few pointless seasons wash away, the guy deserves plenty of credit for what was a superb career (up until 2007).
A three-time All-Star (2003, 2005, 2008), Gold Glover (2005) and Silver Slugger (2005) that was a two-time World Series champion (2004, 2007), Varitek also caught four no-hitters (Nomo, Lowe, Buchholz, Lester) during his 15-year career in Boston. His retirement ceremony is set for tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Red Sox' new spring training home.
Since he was relegated to a backup catcher duty the last two years, his skills basically went off a cliff. Varitek didn't want to go out like this but nobody is really looking for 39-year-old catchers with a million miles on their bodies.
The best things you could say about him were that he was a winner basically his entire life. From the Little League World Series, a No. 1 ranking for his high school team, the College World Series, Olympics, World Series and World Baseball Classic, he played in basically every possible highest level baseball game.
His acumen for calling games and taking care of his pitchers was legendary and that's a huge part of what transformed the Red Sox from a complete joke to one of baseball's best franchises from 2003-08.
Varitek was traded to Boston during the 1997 trade deadline in one of the most lopsided moves in team history: he came to the Red Sox with Derek Lowe in return for erratic reliever Heathcliff Slocumb.
People tend to forget that for a three-year stretch (2003-05) when the Red Sox made the playoff each seasons, Varitek was also one of the best offensive catchers in MLB. In 2003, he hit .273 with 25 homers and 85 RBIs. In 2004, he hit a career-high .296 with 18 homers and 73 RBIs. Then in 2005, he hit .281 with 22 homers and 70 RBIs.
For his career, he had 1307 hits, 664 runs, 306 doubles, 193 homers, 757 RBIs with .256 batting average, .341 OBP and .435 SLG.
I'm not going to mention his phony captaincy role that was appointed by the Red Sox front office. That was a joke and a marketing ploy to entice pink hats and other fairweather fans to buy some merchandise. Truth be told, I had a red Varitek t-shirt with a C on it (that I got rid of last year).
Tim Wakefield retired a few weeks ago and David Ortiz is now the last member left of the 2004 team that broke the 86-year "curse." It's time for the next generation of Red Sox stars (Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester) to further solidify their legacies. Varitek had a great run in Boston and Red Sox fans will always look back fondly to his playing days.
The enduring image of him will always be when he punched A-Rod in the face during the Red Sox-Yankees brawl in 2004. My favorite Varitek memories besides that will always be the last out of the 2004 World Series against the Cardinals and the 2007 World Series against the Rockies. Both ended with Varitek jumping in the pitcher's (Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon) arms.
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