FORT MYERS, Fla.
The writing has been on the wall regarding captain Jason Varitek’s future with the Boston Red Sox for some time now.
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington signed two catchers in the winter and offered the soon-to-be 40-yearold Varitek an invitation to camp as a show of respect.
Pitchers and catchers reported, but Varitek did not. The first full-squad workout was held, and Varitek was nowhere to be found.
The news is out that Varitek has decided to retire, and even though it was expected for much of the winter, it doesn’t make it any easier to take for the Red Sox.
“It’s something that we are used to it, seeing Tek walking around and doing his thing,” slugger David Ortiz said Tuesday. Been a while since you walk in here and the first person you see is Tek. Walking in and not seeing him, it’s like something unexpected.
“Watching Tek and this decision, hopefully he feels good about it. Hopefully he’s being honest with himself. Man, I mean we’re going to miss him.”
He is expected to hold a news conference today to put a bow on his brilliant career. Varitek spent all 15 of his bigleague seasons with the Red Sox after coming over in a trade from Seattle in 1997, using his relentless work ethic and unyielding tenacity to give the franchise a new, gritty identity.
“I was expecting Tek to play until he was 60,” said right-hander Clay Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter to Varitek in 2007. “He was awesome behind there. I still think he could be awesome behind the plate and have a job in baseball. That was his and his family’s decision.”
Varitek’s smoldering intensity and icy glare weren’t just intimidating to opponents. Buchholz said it took him about two years to build up the courage to start picking his brain.
“He’s a guy that you know when you’re on the mound and you shake him off and he sort of just stares at you, you know that, ‘OK I’ll throw that pitch. Don’t worry about it,”’ Buchholz said.
“I loved working with him,” ace Josh Beckett said. “I never had a catcher before that I felt like cared more about wanting me to be successful even before he wanted to be successful. He’s going to be missed, a lot, in the clubhouse and on the field.”
Saltalamacchia was struggling to find his way in the big leagues when he came to Boston in a trade with Texas in 2010. He credits Varitek with instilling the confidence in him that he belonged.
“That’s just the kind of person he is,” Saltalamacchia said. “He always wanted to make me feel comfortable. He always wanted to help me out. He stood up for me at a lot of times. I can’t thank him enough for jumpstarting my career again.”
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