“I’ve defied odds before,” Varitek said Saturday morning when Tuck’s comments were relayed to him. “You never know.”
There was even less ambiguity in his answer when asked if he wanted to extend his career as far as it would go.
“Absolutely,” he said, and in case his questioner wasn’t paying attention, he repeated, “Absolutely.”
Varitek turns 38 on April 11. Only one catcher, Carlton Fisk, has caught as many as 50 games past the age of 42. The Hall of Famer retired at the age of 45.
Could Varitek see himself lasting as long as Fisk?
“Let’s get to 40 first,” he said. “Get through this, see how things change for me, see how my health will be. When I’m healthy and keep my strength, some things can be good. There are things that are not in my control, but as long as I’m healthy ...”
On Friday, Tuck said he didn’t see Varitek’s career ending anytime soon if the veteran was so inclined.
“I think Jason Varitek can catch as long as he wants to catch,” Tuck said. “I think his body will hold up to that. Obviously, there’s the shape he gets himself in, and in the [backup] role he is in now with Victor [Martinez] here, I think he can catch at least four, five more years.
“His game hasn’t really slowed down. It’s the wear and tear of the physical that has affected him along the way. The formula for him this year is to stay strong and healthy. You’ve got a pretty irreplaceable guy there. No one has the same experience. Only one other guy sticks out, and that’s Jorge [Posada].”
Tripon
Posted: February 28, 2010 at 08:44 AM |
22 comment(s)
|
Login to Bookmark
Related News:
Boston
Reader Comments and Retorts
Go to end of page
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
Han Varitek: Never tell me the odds!
Jason, we're talking about baseball, not poker.
His swing is slower than mine, and my baseball career topped out my freshman year of high school as a mediocre defensive second baseman whose hitting stats were Blankenshipesque.
I'm really confused. Is the "swing" not part of the "game"?
Nope - just kidding, Varitek said that.
Ivan Rodriguez must be annoyed.
Paul Bako stands sheepishly in the corner hoping nobody notices him and asks him what he's doing in the room.
Really, what were the alternatives? The Mets plan to see which turd sticks? Signing Jason Kendall? Might as well just stick with the guy the fans like.
Were the Indians shopping Martinez earlier, or was it only their near-yearly disappointing first-half that made him available?
I remember a similar assertion from a Varitek thread some time ago. If I recall correctly, it turns out that his 2009 performance would rank him as a thoroughly mediocre backup catcher.
I doubt that there were 50 superior catchers last year.
Well me too, I can catch as long as I want to catch, just not anywhere near a professional baseball team of any sort.
Oh, and nevermind thpose pesky hitting and throwing out the runners requirements...as long as Jason can catch!
Your knowledge of the Red Sox knows so many limits Tripon. Varitek did just fine catching Wakefield for four years. There was no talk of Varitek's inability to catch the knuckler. When Mirabelli arrived, he enjoyed some success catching Wakefield and the Red Sox opted to make Mirabelli the personal catcher for Wakefield with the idea to give Tek rest while allowing Belli to work with Wakefield permanently (I'm not a fan of personal catchers, but it seems like a reasonable choice with a knuckler because the pitch is so hard to handle). I have no doubt he'd struggle catching him now, but his failure is the result of atrophy, not some inherent inability.
He's got a GG but I think you may be confusing that with his rep as a great pitcher's catcher. I don't hear a lot of praise in the MSM about his defense so much as they talk about how much Josh Beckett loves to pitch to him.
Are we talking base hits?
You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.
<< Back to main