I started following the Red Sox, and really following baseball, during the 1995 season – Tim Wakefield’s first year calling Fenway Park home. Two years later a 25-year-old Jason Varitek joined the club, a young catcher battling for playing time. For 17 years I’ve watched Wake, for 15 I’ve watched Tek, and with Varitek set to join Wakefield in retirement on Thursday their ever-present lockers in the Red Sox clubhouse will be eerily empty. These guys both left it out on the field for the Red Sox, and it’s too bad that neither of them were given the opportunity to leave Fenway Park a final time to a standing ovation.
Jason Varitek is no Hall of Famer. Neither is Tim Wakefield. At the peak of their careers both were second tier players, but their tenure and contributions to the Red Sox far surpassed their skill. I think that Wake will retire and pursue other interests, maybe spend a little time in the color booth at best. Varitek will eventually find his way back to the game, and I’d expect it to be with the Red Sox. His playing days are over, but I don’t think he’ll stay away for too long. I think that both of these guys realized that their ability to contribute to the 2012 Red Sox was greatly diminished – their ships had sailed. But while that’s a difficult realization for any professional athlete, I hope that they captured a degree of solace in leaving Boston with Terry Francona, giving a new era of Boston baseball an opportunity to blossom.
Jason Varitek retires with arguably the most blessed baseball career of any player in the history of the game. He played in the Little League World Series Championship, the College Baseball World Series Championship, and two World Series Championships with the Red Sox. He also played in the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic – the only player in the history of the game to play in all five events. He became the third Red Sox captain since 1923 when he assumed the role in 2004, and was a three-time All-Star, and well as a Golden Glove and Sliver Slugger award winner. While Varitek’s best offensive season was likely 2003 when he hit .273 with 25 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 31 doubles, ultimately he should be remembered for his ability to call a great game. If his two World Series rings aren’t evidence enough, the fact that he was on the receiving end of four no-hitters – the most in MLB history – speaks to his abilities.
Wakefield’s career is perhaps even more difficult to quantify. I distinctly remember his 1995 season, when he went 16-8 with a 2.95 
ERA. He finished third in the AL Cy Young voting that season, and may have won had Randy Johnson not thrown down a little 18-2 season. Wakefield is second on the Red Sox all-time wins list, just 6 behind both Roger Clemens and Cy Young – pretty decent company. He won the Roberto Clemente award in 2010 and recorded his 200th career win this past season – he was even an All-Star at 43-years-old. Perhaps most importantly, he’s the last of a dying breed on knuckleballers – a pitch that enabled him to throw 140+ innings every year he was in Boston with the exception of 2009.
There guys weren’t the studs – they weren’t Manny Ramirez or Pedro Martinez. But they were a big part of ending the Curse of the Bambino, bringing Boston another championship, and once they landed in Boston they never left. As a fan, what more could you ask? For my generation of Red Sox fans, these guys won’t soon be forgotten – and I’m sure they’ll be cheered on and off the field whenever they return to Fenway Park.
i read another article about varitek yesterday that raised teh question about whether or not his number should be retired. Based on the Red Sox own rules it doesnt look like it could be (they need to be in the hall of fame and played with the sox for 10+ years). But i am interested to hear your thoughts, would you retire his number? I think i would based on his intangibles.
I would not. He helped end the curse and he’ll be remembered for that forever. He called a great game. But he’s just not a superlative player offensively and in many ways defensively as well. He should be in the Red Sox HOF, but his number should not be retired.
I think it is a little sad that these two players had to end their career’s with all the garbage that ended next season.
There is certainly a new era in boston blooming, which would look to be nessassary after last year. But atleast in my point of view the people that are gone; Varitek, Wakefield, Franona, and Epstein I dont think were the problems.
I don’t think they were the problems so to speak either, but they were the long-term leaders and weren’t as effective anymore.
the new long term leaders seem to be the guys that were the problem
No I think the leaders at this point are Valentine, Cherington, Pedroia, and Ortiz – none of whom are the problem either.
Exactly right. They deserved to go out in style. Do you think they would have been back if the Sox hadn’t imploded last year?
Yea I think they would have, at least in a limited role. I think they knew their respective roles were diminishing and this was the right point for them to step away – for them and for the franchise.
Two of those guys were there last year and couldn’t do anything. Why should I expect them to be able to now when players such as the captain and longest tenured pitcher could not?
Because a team is a team. I don’t care if you have Derek Jeter or Tom Brady, a great captain can’t just make everything right when things are going wrong. They have influence but not a magic wand.
I think a good captain does make sure crap like that does not happen because you dont see that crap with the Yankees or the Patriots. I will say it was probably hard to Varitek to call people out when he was not in the line up day in and day our, and that may have had an impact on why he is hanging them up.
I think it was a pretty interesting off season for the sox, they had the collapse, alot of the “bad apples” get blamed, yet all the bad apples are still there and more worried about “snitches” then the problem, and people like Theo, Tito, Veritek, and Wakefield are gone.
I see where you’re coming from, but you’re not going to get rid of your ace and keep Wakefield, so to speak.
Crazy stat about Varitek and the 5 championships/tournements he took part in. I think that Varitak would have been back this year had all that nonsense not have happened last year. He could have kept his quiet leadership role and sparing play. But with the leadership called into question after the collapse, etc its tough to be a captain that doesn’t play much and doesn’t have control of the locker room.
I think Wakefield was gone no matter what. Seemed to me that he was just hanging on for 200 and was calling it quits. Just my opinion. Even though he would have forever be fairly effective against many teams with that knuckleball.
Agreed on all accounts.