Tek To Catch Lester Tuesday

May 25, 2010

From Ian Browne at RedSox.com:

By the time Victor Martinez met with the media after Monday night's 6-1 win over the Rays, the nail of his left big toe was completely discolored. But black and blue is far better than broken.

Martinez, who was hit on that left big toe in the bottom of the second inning by a Jason Bartlett foul ball, was forced out of the game in the top of the third. After drawing a walk, he couldn't even trot to first base, going down the basepath in an all-out limp. Jason Varitek came on to pinch-run.

X-rays proved to be negative.

"It's painful," said Martinez. "It's a lot of pain. The good thing is the X-ray came out negative. Nothing is broken. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. But it's really, really painful."

Varitek will start Tuesday night's game.

And from the Boston Herald:

Plenty of volunteers for the emergency back-up catcher!

Francona said Martinez won't start Tuesday night, but he may be available to play in the event of an injury to backup Jason Varitek. If not, Francona already has some volunteers.

"Mikey Lowell wanted to be the emergency catcher," Francona said with a smile. "Billy Hall was putting his hat on backwards (to warm up pitchers between innings). I never would laugh when somebody gets hit. Victor's hurting. But you see some of the personalities coming out."

Lowell said he put on catcher's gear with Florida in 2005 but never played the position.

"I moved around like Johnny Bench and threw like Pudge Rodriguez," he joked.

You can read the rest of the RedSox.com report here.

You can read the rest of the Boston Herald report here.

(photo of Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez from the Dallas News)

Almost...

May 23, 2010

"The Red Sox know a potential no-hitter when they see one -- better than most teams. In the last decade, they've had four of them. Hideo Nomo threw one at Baltimore in 2001, followed by Derek Lowe at Fenway against Tampa Bay the next year. Buchholz had his in '07 against Baltimore, and then Lester reeled one off against the Royals on May 19, 2008.

"Jason Varitek caught all four of those, which is a Major League record for a catcher."

-- Ian Browne, from his column this morning.

From both of Ian Browne's columns at RedSox.com on the almost no-hitter:

Daisuke Matsuzaka was four outs away from tossing a no-hitter on Saturday night against the Phillies, and though he missed out on history, the Red Sox cruised to a 5-0 victory.

"He was strong through the zone," Varitek said. "His slider was late. His cutter was short. He had just enough mixes of changeups in there. He had a low breaking-ball zone. We were able to get some breaking balls down in the count called."

There were hints of no-hit magic in the Citizen's Bank air for Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox on Saturday night. It was hard not to take notice when Matsuzaka somehow snared a laser by Jayson Werth in the bottom of the seventh, which Jason Varitek thought was the hardest batted ball he's ever seen a pitcher catch.

But then, the game of baseball just showed how mystifying it can be at times, as Juan Castro blooped one just over the glove of Red Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro and into short left field, ending Matsuzaka's bid at a no-no with two outs in the eight. However, it could not stop the Red Sox from a satisfying 5-0 victory over the Phillies.

Over eight innings, Dice-K allowed just the one hit, walking four, striking out five and throwing 112 pitches.

"There were some really good plays and the intensity started building and the hitters started knowing. It's just fun," said Varitek.

Varitek already has a Major League record by catching four no-hitters. He came oh-so-close to a fifth.

"He had some favors, so some momentum was building and the softest one of them all fell," said Varitek. "You know, most important we got a win. He did a good job and got a quality start. We were able to capitalize on it."

Though the season has been largely frustrating to date for the Red Sox, who are 23-21 and 8 1/2 games back in the American League East, Saturday was an enjoyable occasion for the entire team.

"Yes, I've been going from one extreme to the other, but of course, I want to keep going in a good way like tonight," Matsuzaka said. "On a good night like tonight, I'm able to pitch like I imagine and the pitches come out of my hand just like I picture. Without over-thinking it too much, I just hope I can keep going in that direction."

You can read the rest from Mr. Browne's columns here and here.

You can see video highlights (but sadly, no photos) here.

And you can read some interesting quotes from Tek about calling the game here.

Catcher controvery? Not so fast says Tek!

From the Providence Journal:

With Victor Martinez catching, he has an 11.05 ERA in 14 2/3 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts and nine walks. All three of his starts have included one disastrous inning that have completely ruined the outing.

With Jason Varitek catching, he has a 0.60 ERA in 15 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts and four walks -- and he came within four outs of a no-hitter on Saturday.

Catcher controversy? You'd better believe that'll be a hot topic for the next five days.

But Varitek was emphatic in shooting down that idea in the Red Sox clubhouse late Saturday night.

"People have to understand one thing: If we start doing that, as a team, you put your starting catcher in an awkward position in that he doesn't get the right days off," Varitek said. "I need to play when (Martinez) needs to not play. It doesn't matter who's on the mound. ... I was fortunate today. Dice was powerful through the zone. ... I need to play when he needs to not play and not when somebody's on the mound."

You can read the rest here.

Gammons on Tek: Greatest Team Guy In That Role All Year

May 21-22, 2010

HOF writer and NESN baseball analyst Peter Gammons made his regular visit to "The Big Show" on WEEI Radio Friday afternoon. During the show, he praised the Red Sox Captain for the way he's embraced his reduced role while still remaining a positive clubhouse presence. Mr. Gammons said Jason "has been the greatest support that Victor Martinez has had in his career."

More from Mr. Gammon's interview:

"I was telling a bunch of friends of mine from other teams, Jason Varitek has risen to a place, in my mind, far above what he was when he was hitting 30 home runs as an All-Star. He has been the greatest team guy in that role all year. It's fascinating to be around him because he's a brilliant guy. If he wants to be a manager or general manager that's what he's going to do. He really dedicated himself.

"He's so defensive for his teammates. He actually started up into the stands after a guy who was screaming at Victor one night when they were stealing bases on him. I mean, there aren't many players who would go from making $10 million to $3 million, or go from catching six days a week to catching one or two days a week, and act and behave the way Jason has.

"I think he know he's better off with more time off, because he is so intense. But he really believes he can play three or four more years. I made some comment about the money … and he went, 'If they wanted to pay me $10 million, they would have.' But he seems very happy to be in Boston, in this role, and being supportive of the team. To me, it's been the the brightest of all the bright spots on the team, as someone who has great admiration for him, I have more admiration for him now then I ever had before."

You can listen to the rest of the interview here.

Millar: Back In Boston

Former Sox first baseman and fan favorite Kevin Millar has joined NESN as a Red Sox analyst!

The network announced today that Millar announced today that the former Red Sox first baseman will serve as a studio analyst for select games.

Millar will make his NESN debut Thursday, May 27th on the Pre-Game Show before the Red Sox host the Kansas City Royals. He will join host Tom Caron and Jim Rice.

Welcome back Kevin!

You can check out a nice little write-up about Kevin's return here.

The 2010 Pitching In For Kids Celebrity Golf Classic

May 18, 2010

Hosted by Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield and sponsored by The Capital Grille.

The Pre-Tournament Poker Party:

Come party and play poker with the stars! Join Tek and Wake at their kick-off Pre-Tournament Party at Ned Devine's at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston on May 31st!

Your ticket gets you into the party and a seat at a poker table!

Don't play poker? No problem - come party with them anyway!

Your ticket is a general admission to the party at Ned Devine's on May 31st. This ticket does NOT include the poker tournament; if you are interested in playing poker with the Red Sox, you MUST purchase a poker party ticket.

Sponsors looking to purchase poker seats should contact Pitching in for Kids for pricing information, or e-mail Laura at laura@pitchinginforkids.org.

The Golf Classic:

Will be Monday, June 14th at the Granite Links Golf Club at Quarry Hills, in Quincy, MA.

The schedule of events:

- 12:00PM Registration begins and light breakfast opens.

- 12:45 PM Tim, Jason and 2 other selected golfers attempt a $1,000,000.00 Shot on Hole 1 from 165 yards to benefit PIFK.

- 1:00 PM Shotgun start with scramble format.

(Course luncheons served throughout the day)

- 5:30PM Cocktail Reception with Silent Auction.

- 5:45-7:30PM Tournament Awards Dinner sponsored by Capital Grille.

For tickets, sponsorship and more info on the Tournament, click here.

Want to catch up on the last few years of the Pitching In For Kids events you've missed?

Click here to see photos and screen captures!

The 2010 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt-Putt Tournament

May 17, 2010

The 2010 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt-Putt Tournament is scheduled for July 1st at 7:00 p.m., at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Jason Varitek, his teammates and many other Boston celebrities come together for a game of putt-putt to raise money for Journey Forward and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation.

For the last three years, the Tournament has been attended by more than 1,000 people and covered by almost every major Boston television station, as well as several radio stations and newspaper publications.

Spectator tickets are $15.00 per person.

For tickets, directions and more info, click here or call the Tsongas Center at (978) 848-6938.

Want to catch up on the last few years of Putt Putt you've missed?

To see NESN's feature on the 2008 Putt Putt Tournament for their "Celebrity Spotlight" series, click here (you'll see a mention or two of this site!).

To see screen captures from the 2006 through 2009 Tournaments, click here.

To see fan photos, click here.

"Guys Whose Name Begins With 'V' Can Really Kick, Huh?"

May 12, 2010

Tek goes 2-3 with his sixth home run of the season and an intentional walk in win against the Blue Jays last night.

"You don't look like a guy who's retiring at the end of the season." -- Reporter to Jason.

"I never said I was." -- Jason.

From an article by Nick Cafardo, in the Boston Globe this morning:

This rejuvenation at age 38 is almost mind-boggling. OK, there's a long way to go, and right now Varitek might be the backup catcher, but isn't he the best catcher the Red Sox have right now?

Varitek doesn't want to get into who's better behind the plate. Victor Martinez is his friend. He has high regard for Martinez and feels as strongly about him as any teammate he's ever had.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino even thinks Varitek kicked the Patriots to the championship. Varitek has heard a lot about Menino's gaffe over the past couple of days, but as it turns out Varitek kicked an extra point or two between the uprights at his Lake Brantley High in Altamonte Springs, Fla., while filling in for a kicker who was injured.

"Yeah, I used to do some kicking and punting back in high school," Varitek said. "Guys whose name begins with 'V' can really kick, huh?"

Last night he socked his sixth homer in his 40th plate appearance, which is 85 appearances sooner than last season. It's the most homers through 14 games at any time in his career. He's hit three homers in his last eight games and his 715 RBIs put him one short of Frank Malzone for 14th place on the Red Sox' all-time list.

"Just trying to contribute in my role and help us win games," Varitek said. "I'm not trying to prove any point or show people they were wrong or whatever. I'm just trying to play the best I can.

"Listen, I still have some issues I'm trying to work through. I'm healthier than I've been for a while, and when you feel better, you're going to play better. But there are things I have physically I have to deal with every day."

After a 2-for-3 night with an intentional walk, Varitek was hitting .342 with six homers and 10 RBIs. He has a .419 OBP and an .888 slugging percentage. Will he settle down at some point? Probably. But right now the Red Sox are riding his pretty hot bat.

"I've made some adjustments," Varitek said. "Sometimes by game time it's not that easy to apply those adjustments. You have to have good pitches to hit. You have to be able to capitalize. I'm a lot healthier than I was, and that's a good thing.

"Some of it is more exhausting because I have to do more. I'm getting ready for the sixth inning not knowing if I'm going to get in there. You've got to work to get loose. I’m still adjusting and trying to figure things out."

That Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched a beauty with nine strikeouts and no walks last night “has nothing to do with me" Varitek said. "It has more to do with he’s in his third start. I'm Victor's backup and he's gonna have good and bad starts with both of us.

"[Matsuzaka] was strong through the zone from pitch one. This was huge for our bullpen because we haven't been able to rest it a lot. His fastball was real good. He had late life on it. He had his misfires, but he set up his breaking ball for later in the game. I think he's still getting his feel.

"Any time you can get through seven innings and not allow a walk, that's pretty good."

Click here to "catch" Mr. Carfardo's complete article.

Click here to see a video clip from his post-game chat with reporters.

You can check out game photos here.

Jason's current stats: AVG .342 | HR 6 | RBI 10 | OBP .419 | SLG .868 | OPS 1.287

"I've Been Lucky To Catch A Lot Of Great Guys Here"

May 10, 2010

...It's hard to pick just one." -- Jason.

From an article by John Tomase, in the Boston Herald on Sunday:

Jason Varitek has caught nearly 1,400 games with the in a career that dates back to 1997.

During a recent morning in the clubhouse with a Yahoo!Sports story about Jorge Posada serving as inspiration, Varitek broke down some of the best pitchers he has handled in his Red Sox career, rating them pitch by pitch.

Best fastball: Varitek didn't have to think long before naming Martinez, who not surprisingly finds his way onto this list multiple times.

He said young reliever Daniel Bard, with his 100-mph heat, throws the hardest fastball he's ever caught, but he singles out Martinez, closer Jonathan Papelbon, and Schilling for having the best command of theirs.

"Pedey and Pap, those two can be pretty similar," Varitek said of Martinez and Papelbon. "They've got carry through the zone, and Pedey had the ability to dot it."

Varitek paused.

"Now that you've got my mind thinking, I've got to put Curt in there too," he said. "Curt in that first year, he could hit 98 in the eighth inning."

Best curveball: Varitek had never seen a curve quite like the one that came out of Gordon's right hand.

The diminutive closer with the big heart could unleash one of the purest benders you'll ever see.

"Flash had a true curveball - 12 (o'clock) to 6," Varitek said. "It was fun to call that pitch."

Best changeup: It's a measure of how much respect Varitek has for Buchholz that the youngster made this list, too, behind the most obvious choice of all -- Martinez.

"Avery had a good one for a left-hander," Varitek said. "Hideki Okajima got a good one. Keith Foulke had a great one. But for flat-out control and being able to throw it with that movement and that change of speeds, anywhere he wanted to at any time, that was Pedro."

Martinez' changeup dove so hard and in on right-handed hitters, it was often mistaken for another pitch.

"His ball moved about this much," Varitek said, holding his hands more than two feet apart. "It definitely moved with a screwball kind of rotation."

Best slider: One mention of Cone ended this discussion. "Oh gosh, there you go, there's your slider," Varitek said. "David Cone."

Best cutter: Varitek cited two names for the cutter. The first was veteran reliever Mike Timlin, who paired it with a 95-mph fastball. The second one was current starter Jon Lester, who has ridden the pitch to the verge of super stardom.

Best splitter: "The best split has to be (Hideo) Nomo," he said. "That thing dropped two and a half feet. It was pretty amazing. It was so good, his fastball became even better."

Most intimidating: When Yahoo! gave Posada a similar series of questions recently, he noted that he was petrified of Cone when he first caught him and would occasionally be dressed down by the veteran.

Varitek laughed and said he never had that kind of experience.

"Maybe I was fortunate not to have to deal with that," he said. "Intimidating, no. Respect, yes. There's a big difference. I'd say there have been a lot of guys like that - Curt, Sabes, Flash, Pedey, David Wells. Pretty much all of our pitchers. Even the young ones. You have to give respect, but by no means are you intimidated. They’re on your team."

Best rapport: Varitek hesitated to name just one guy in this category, since he feels he’s had a good connection with a number of pitchers over the years. However, the first name off his tongue was no surprise: Derek Lowe.

"I was with him for 10 years before he left," Varitek said of his former Mariners minor league teammate with whom he was paired in the trade that brought them to the Red Sox. “We had a really good relationship."

That said ...

"That's a toughie," Varitek said. "I hope it's more than just one guy. I had connections with Pedey, Curt, I hope everybody."

Best game: Varitek has caught four no-hitters (Nomo, Lowe, Buchholz, Lester) and can't choose just one. Thankfully he doesn't have to, because he can think of one that just might have been better.

"I'd have to say the 17-strikeout game in New York," he said.

That would have been in September 1999, when Martinez authored one of the most dominant starts in baseball history, considering the circumstances. The Yankees were trying to hold off the Red Sox down the stretch and boasted baseball's best team.

The article goes into more detail than I have above, click here to read it in it's entirety.

First Look: Jason's Mother's Day Gear

May 7-8, 2010 (Game/Injury Update Below)

For Sunday, May 9th, 2010...

Stan Jurga, Jr. of All-Star Sports says to look for Jason's "Mother's Day Gear" (in the photo) this Sunday. Once again, All-Star Sports has made special gear for Jason to wear on special days throughout the 2010 season.

As a matter of fact, for the last few seasons Jason has worn special gear for St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day and Independence Day (July 4th). The gear is then sold on MLB's Auction site or raffled off at Celebrities for Charities, with proceeds going to Jason's favorite charities, including Children's Hospital Boston, the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund, the Susan G. Koman Foundation, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

To see a couple of photos of Jason's 2010 Mother's Day gear, click here.

*Thank you so much to Stan Jurga, Jr. at All-Star Sports for sending me the "first look" photos!

Tek-nically Speaking...

"We try to treat all of the games the same, but with those guys, it's just different. The history. The intensity. With the Yankees, it's just a different feel." -- Jason talking about the Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry, during an interview that appeared in USA Today this morning.

"Cash has been on championship teams playing behind outstanding catchers. Varitek is the best at working with people, talking to pitchers and working with the other catchers on the Red Sox roster. He really helped Cash out a lot when I was coaching in Boston. Varitek gives great feedback and that experience Cash gained is immeasurable." -- Former Red Sox bench coach and current Houston Astros manager Brad Mills, during an interview about his catcher Kevin Cash in the Baltimore Examiner.

Game/Injury Update (Friday night):

Jason was struck in the left forearm by a Beckett fastball during the 6th inning with what the club diagnosed as a left forearm contusion. He remained in the game until the 7th when Victor Martinez came in to catch for Tim Wakefield.

Terry Francona said Tek was "sore" but that it had been checked out. "He's got a pretty good bruise," Francona told reporters after the game.

Beckett felt bad about injuring his catcher, "We switched the signs a little bit, you know, and that was completely my fault. I saw something that wasn't there."

Tek's injury is listed as "day to day". He was not catching this afternoon.

Game/Injury Update (Saturday afternoon):

From the Boston Herald - Jason Varitek was wearing an Ace bandage-like sleeve on his left forearm. But the initial diagnosis, a bruise, has held up, and Varitek doesn't expect to be sidelined for long.

"It's more like I just got Charley-horsed," he said. "It'll be OK. I'll be fine."

Terry Francona said Varitek may be available to come off the bench today, if necessary. He also joked about the injury. Asked if he's worried about possible retribution from the Yankees today after Beckett hit Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter last night, Francona said, "No. We took care of it anyway. We hit Tek. That's the ultimate respect."

Still The Leader...

May 2, 2010 - Game Update (see below)

"I'm going to support my teammates. Is that because the 'C' is on my jersey? It wouldn't matter if it's on my jersey or not. There's different ways, whether you're doing good or doing bad, that you have to communicate. Communication; sometimes it's leaving a guy be. Sometimes it's by example. Sometimes it's letting them talk so you know what's going on in the human being because we're all human beings." -- Jason, from the interview below.

From an article in the Providence Journal this weekend from Brian MacPherson:

Two hours remained until the final start Tim Wakefield would make before being sent to the Red Sox' bullpen when the 43-year-old knuckleballer sat down in a seat that wasn't his. He sat down in front of the locker belonging to John Lackey — and, more important, next to the locker belonging to Jason Varitek.

Varitek and Wakefield spent five minutes in quiet conversation, the catcher doing most of the talking and the knuckleballer doing most of the listening. It's a safe guess, considering the awkward circumstances surrounding the start Wakefield was about to make, that they weren't discussing politics or interior decorations.

A couple of days later in Toronto, a day after Terry Francona had pinch-hit for David Ortiz with the bases loaded, Ortiz was striding through the Red Sox' clubhouse with music blaring in his headphones when Varitek extended a closed fist to him.

Ortiz met it with a fist of his own. No words were needed.

Ask Varitek about it, though, and you’ll find out that he'd be doing the same thing whether the Red Sox had named him team captain six years ago or not. Ortiz and Wakefield are enduring difficulties as tough as they've had in their careers. Varitek, as a veteran and a teammate, sees himself as having that responsibility, whether he's the captain or not.

"I'm going to be there for my teammates, whether it be David, Wake, whether you're doing good or bad, Clay (Buchholz), Manny (Delcarmen) or anybody else," he said. "Everybody has different things you need to communicate about — even when they're going good."

Varitek's devotion to being prepared, the trait that made him a leader even before the Red Sox put a 'C' on his jersey, certainly hasn't diminished.

"Just because he's not on the field every day, I don't think he prepares less," third baseman Mike Lowell said. "He's in the weight room a lot more because he does have that time. That's just the dedication and the professionalism he brings to himself and his position. All those things encompass being a leader."

"You can see him on the plane and hours before the game sitting there with the scouting report, making notes on it, studying it," reliever Daniel Bard said. "To have that, even now, if I'm up in the air on what pitch to go to, I can throw whatever he puts down with 100 percent conviction because I know the work that he puts in."

In some ways, Varitek's leadership is more important now than ever.

You can read the Mr. MacPherson's full article here.

The first photo is from the lens of Kelly O'Connor. You can check out her latest here.

The second photo is the latest from Nanci. You can see the rest here.

*Thank you ladies!

From Today's Game...

From USA Today:

There is some sort of magic happening between Boston Red Sox battery mates Josh Beckett and Jason Varitek. When Beckett starts, so does Varitek. And when Varitek starts, so goes the long ball.

Varitek hit his fifth home run of the season, this one off Kevin Millwood. Four of the five homers have come when Beckett was on the mound.

The former starting catcher has eight starts this season. He's batting .303 in those games and .364 when Beckett starts.

You can read the rest here.

From NESN:

Jason Varitek was thrown out at home plate in the eighth inning, a lost run that would later prove crucial as the Red Sox fell 3-2 on a walk-off hit in 10 innings.

Despite being thrown out at home, Varitek refused to say whether or not he should have been sent in the first place.

"We are a team around here," Varitek said. "You are not going to second-guess a coach's wave or anything like that.

"The fact is I wasn't fast enough to score."

You can watch Tek's interview here.

Pedroia on Tek: "He does everything to help us win"

April 29, 2010

From an article by Ian Browne on RedSox.com today entitled, "Varitek's importance hasn't lessened":

The part-time catcher is still a full-time captain. The "C" is still on Jason Varitek's jersey, and the importance of that letter hasn't lessened any.

When Varitek exercised his player option to return to the Red Sox for 2010 -- even after the club declared that Victor Martinez was going to be the full-time catcher -- he heard some of the debate about whether he was still fit to have the "C" that has been there since 2005.

"I've been asked that, 'Does the role change? Do they take the C off your jersey?' I don't know. That's not for me to decide," said Varitek. "I carry myself the same way and do my work the same. I think that you'd have to ask the guys in here if it changes the way they think of you."

An informal survey revealed an emphatic no.

"We consider him an everyday player," said Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "He's in there a lot. He does everything to help us win. It doesn't matter if he's not in the lineup -- he's a huge factor in the outcome of the game, because he's talking to guys before the game, during the game and after the game."

"Even though he is not playing every day, he cares about everybody," said Red Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro. "He cares about his teammates and about everything. The way he goes about his business is unbelievable."

While it is always a challenge for an entrenched veteran to adapt to a lesser role, Varitek has made it look seamless. Of Boston's first 22 games, Varitek has started seven times and come off the bench twice. He is hitting .323 with two doubles, four homers and eight RBIs.

"I think he's been terrific," Francona said. "All the things we've talked about he continues to do. He's a leader. He cares. He tries to be there for his teammates. He's swung the bat very well. He's done a good job."

In some ways, Varitek feels like he's been able to be more of a hands-on leader in his new role.

"You see more when you're not playing every day, because playing every day takes a lot of preparation," Varitek said.

Varitek is a throwback, giving the type of coaching instruction to teammates that a player-manager might have in the 1950s or '60s.

"He can help out and evaluate a little more than he used to," said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. "That's definitely one thing that's good. He can kind of help players through a lot more when he's not playing every day and focus on helping players more. When you're playing every day, you have to really worry about [yourself] and getting ready, especially when you're the catcher. It's awesome that he's doing that and doing a good job of helping everyone out."

To Varitek's credit, he has provided as much early help with his bat and glove, as with his clubhouse or dugout voice.

"I still think I'm adjusting," Varitek said. "It's still a work in progress with everything. I went from playing twice in the first two weeks to playing in six straight games. I still think that, along with everyone else, you're still getting in your game rhythm. It doesn't mean just offensively, but there's defensively, too.

"I believe one thing -- I'm going to help whether I'm 0-fer, or whether I hit," Varitek said. "I really honestly believe that. The job we do back there, we can still help. Any way you can contribute is fun."

The 38-year-old Varitek has caught 1,390 games for the Red Sox, the most in team history. With all that experience, he has been in just about every situation imaginable. But this season -- and this role -- is a little different.

"I'm going to learn," Varitek said. "I may not figure out this all out until later. I may figure it out right now. But I'm going to try to do what I have to do to make sure I'm ready."

Read the full article here.

Sox Sweep Blue Jays After 2-0 Win Wednesday Night

April 29, 2010

"It was huge for us. Obviously we didn't swing the bats great but we scored just enough and it started with Jon's pitching." -- Jason,to reporters after the game.

Game Summary:

Jon Lester struck out 11 in seven innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

"This was a great series for us," Lester said.

Darnell McDonald scored one run and drove in another to help the Red Sox win their sixth straight game in Toronto. The Red Sox swept consecutive series of three games or more in this city for the first time since 1981 and 1982.

McDonald had one of the best views of that.

"Wow. It's a beautiful thing to watch from center field," McDonald said. "It looked like he got better as the game went on."

Boston has won seven of nine since being swept in a four-game series by Tampa Bay, and Lester sees more good things ahead now that the Red Sox (11-11) have returned to .500.

"Once we get on a bit of a roll it's hard to stop us," Lester said. "If we keep putting games together like that, pitching and hitting when we need to, things will take care of themselves.

"Threw a couple good curveballs early in the count, and then later in the count starting to get a feel back for being able to locate my cutter down and in to some guys. Tek did a great job with that, of kind of picking different spots to go after guys with different pitches.

The 26-year-old lefty looked as good in the seventh inning as he did in the first — or even better. Facing the heart of the Blue Jays’ lineup and already having thrown more than 100 pitches in the seventh inning, Lester struck out Jose Bautista and Lyle Overbay and got Vernon Wells to pop weakly to first base.

"He was more under control," catcher Jason Varitek said. "Sometimes he's very powerful and can power right through the zone. It almost takes him to be, sometimes, a little tired into the game to have an even better delivery."

Daniel Bard came in for the 8th and after giving up a double to Alex Gonzalez, settled down and struck out the next three batters.

Jonathan Papelbon worked the ninth for his seventh save.

You can see game photos here.

You can see video highlights from the game here.

Tek's 4 RBI Night Help Sox Win 13-12 Against Blue Jays

April 27, 2010

"I think we finally responded, we hadn't really swung the bats real well. It was a big game for us to win offensively because we haven't put up those kind of hits and runs yet this year." -- Jason, to reporters after the game.

Game Summary from USA Today, RedSox.com:

Jason Varitek had four RBIs, Marco Scutaro scored a career-high four runs and the Boston Red Sox held off the Toronto Blue Jays for a wild, 13-12 win Monday night.

Varitek went 3 for 5 with a pair of two-run singles and Scutaro went 3 for 5 with a walk against his former team, which set a season high in runs, and with 18 hits.

Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer and Lyle Overbay added a solo shot but it wasn't enough. Overbay went 3 for 5 with four RBIs and scored twice.

Scott Schoeneweis (1-0) got one out for the win and Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his sixth save, ending the game after 4 hours, 3 minutes the longest nine-inning game of the season, according to Stats, LLC.

In fact, the Red Sox have been involved in the four longest nine-inning games of the year two against the New York Yankees (3:48 and 3:46) during their season-opening series, and one against Texas (3:46) on April 20, according to STATS.

Shawn Camp (1-1) allowed three runs and four hits in 1 2-3 innings.

Josh Beckett, who had a 6.62 ERA in 12 career starts against Toronto, allowed eight runs and nine hits in three-plus innings, while Toronto's Dana Eveland allowed seven runs and eight hits in three-plus innings.

"The numbers tell everything, and they're not good," Beckett said.

"I can't say that he didn't make some really good pitches and they didn't hit them," Boston's captain said. "It was a combination of both. On that homer [by Jose Bautista], he almost hit the guy's back knee. You can go down to selection, you can go down a lot of things. The fact of the matter is that both teams hit the cover off the ball today."

"Josh is going to be good. He's strong, that's the good thing. He'll get through all his pitches and get through all that and he'll be just fine."

As for his own night at the plate, Varitek said, "I just got some good pitches to hit."

He would have settled for a 2-1 game he said instead of a four-hour production.

"I was a little tired," Varitek said. "I was tired by about the fourth inning."

Back and forth all night:

Boston made it 5-0 with a four-run third. Varitek hit a two-run single and Adrian Beltre followed with a two-run double.

Toronto roared back in the bottom half with a six-run, 10-batter inning. Fred Lewis led off with a triple and scored on Aaron Hill's single. Vernon Wells doubled Hill to third and both runners scored on Overbay's double. After Alex Gonzalez singled, Bautista drilled a first-pitch homer into the second deck in left, his fourth.

Boston reclaimed its lead in the fourth. Eveland left with runners at first and second and was replaced by Jeremy Accardo. After Kevin Youkilis loaded the bases with a single, Accardo uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch. Two batters later, Varitek lined a two-run single to center.

Toronto tied it again in the bottom half. Beckett left after opening the inning with walks to Hill and Adam Lind, and Scott Atchison gave up a two-out, two-run triple to Gonzalez, making it 8-all.

Boston jumped in front again in the fifth when Dustin Pedroia singled off Camp, stole second and scored on a two-out hit by Youkilis, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half on an RBI single by Adam Lind.

The Red Sox took the lead for good with a four-run sixth. Darnell McDonald hit an RBI double, Scutaro singled home a run and Pedroia capped it with a two-run double.

The bullpen tourniquets were applied by Manny Delcarmen, who threw two hitless innings, and Daniel Bard, who inherited two baserunners and a two-run lead and allowed only a sacrifice fly.

"They were all valuable outs today," Varitek said, "because of a full moon or whatever it was, nobody could get anybody out."

Toronto closed to within one in the eighth on Overbay's RBI single and Jose Bautista's sacrifice fly, but Papelbon ended it with a 1-2-3 ninth.

"He's getting better," Varitek said of Delcarmen. "I still think Manny's got a gear to go to. I don't mean velocity-wise, I mean as far as executing his pitches. He's definitely much stronger than he was in spring and right at the end of spring. The ball's coming out of his hand much better."

You can see video of the sluggin' Captain here.

You can check out larger versions of the photo and screen cap from the game here.

(combination game summary from USA Today, RedSox.com, and the Boston Globe)

Tek-nically Speaking...

Former MLB catcher and long-time game announcer Buck Martinez was in the booth last night calling the game for the Toronto Blue Jays and had a few things to say (okay, a lot of things) about the Red Sox Captain:

"He's going to go down as one of the best catchers in the history of the game."

"Varitek is a virtual encyclopedia behind the plate. He's like a computer back there."

"He gives his pitchers a lot of confidence."

Jason's current stats: AVG .357 | HR 4 | RBI 8 | OBP .379 | SLG .857 | OPS 1.236

The Captain Hits Home Run #4, Sox Win 7-6 Against Orioles

April 25, 2010

"In just 23 at-bats this season, Jason Varitek has blasted four home runs." -- Nick Cafardo.

Excerpts from the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo in his column this morning entitled, "Rumors of catcher's demise are squat":

It was early in spring training at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa when Jorge Posada said something that seems to resonate to this day.

"You watch," Posada said. "Jason Varitek will play a lot more than you guys think. He's the leader of that team. They've depended on him for a lot of years."

Those words are starting to gain substance.

Varitek continues to be a leader, and when he's played he has contributed offensively, last night hitting his fourth home run of the season. He hit a 2-0 fastball from Orioles rookie phenom Brian Matusz into the Monster seats in the fifth inning, drawing the Red Sox within 2-1. His other homers have come off Zack Grienke and Luis Mendoza of the Royals and Wade Davis of the Rays.

He looks fresher, healthier. There's more of a bounce to his step. He's hitting higher in the order (sixth last night) than he has in years. He’s batting .304 and hitting homers at a career-best pace. This good start, in what many believed would be Varitek's final season with the Sox and perhaps in his career, has given reason to wonder whether the sporadic play helps his offense.

Varitek had a horrible spring training off the field. He spent most of his time in and out of camp, visiting his father in an Orlando hospital. The situation was dire, but since that time a minor miracle has occured and his dad is getting better.

Almost simultaneously, all of Varitek's injuries started to become more manageable.

The Sox are 3-2 in games he has started. He's caught Josh Beckett three times, Jon Lester once, and last night he caught John Lackey.

Varitek has heard about his demise for some time now.

"Indirectly, I've heard what people say," Varitek said. 'I think it's like anything else — you hear stuff like that, but if you wait out the process you get the whole picture. And sometimes if you don't wait out the process you get one person's opinion, whether its good or bad. You don't necessarily see what the whole process is. All it takes is one person who doesn't like you to start it, and it runs. We're all fueled by media, talk radio, and you don't even have to end up reading or listening and you'll know what's being said about you. You can't control that so you try not to have that seep into your head and affect your preparation and what you’re doing."

Varitek has had a lot of friends as backup catchers over the years, and he said of Martinez, "I can't ask for a better guy to work with. I'm here to support him in any way I can."

Varitek had plenty of experience in the mentoring role last season after Martinez showed up Aug. 1. "Now it's a full season into it. I do what I can to help us win games and to help Vic. I don't think about the role or the playing time. When I'm called upon I try to do my best and try to do something to help us win a game."

Varitek is becoming more relevant, more important, just as Posada predicted.

You can read Mr. Cafardo's full column here.

You can see video of Jason's home run here.

You can see larger versions of the screen captures above here.

Tek-nically Speaking...

"He's light years ahead of where he was, but a lot of that is just age, maturity. The other part of it is system. He's been in the same system his entire career. I thought Game 3 was the best play-calling game in his career. He was like Jason Varitek as far as calling the right pitch. He was phenomenal. That's where he’s improved. He know what Im thinking. He'll call a play and you can sit down and it's terrific." -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers talking about point guard Rajon Rondo, WEEI.

Jason's current stats: AVG .304 | HR 4 | RBI 4 | OBP .333 | SLG .913 | OPS 1.246

Calmer Seas With The Captain At The Helm

April 24, 2010

A Bleacher Report worth reading...

Excerpts from "Jason Varitek: The Captain at The Helm Makes a Difference" by Lana Ballard:

Is it me or does the game feel different when the Captain is behind the plate?

I will not argue with anyone that says Jason Varitek is near the end of his career. I will not argue with anyone that says he needs to be the backup catcher. But after the start of this season, I must argue with anyone who doesn't agree that the game has a different tone when the Captain is at the helm.

The pitchers' feel at ease, the game has a fluid motion and it just seems to me the boat is sailing in the right direction. Sorry about the play on words but when you are talking about Jason Varitek and his superb ability to lead, I can't help to refer to him as the captain of a great ship.

The pitchers' confidence in Varitek is well known around the league. His preparation for games has always been above and beyond. It is no secret that Josh Beckett has an incredible comfort level with Varitek. Although Beckett has been slow starting up this season I have no doubt, withTek behind the plate, Josh soon will find the rhythm of the game.

Victor catches a different game. Pitchers and catchers must trust each other, and I don't believe the trust is there between Beckett and Victor, yet.

Encouraged by Varitek's start offensively this season I trust his reduced catching role will enable him to keep his bat strong. We certainly need another big bat on the bench. It is encouraging to know Tek will be offensively productive.

To read Lana's complete article, click here.

Also Today:

"That's who Jason Varitek is"

From an interview on WEEI's The Big Show with Peter Gammons -

WEEI (talking about the Rays' base stealers): Well, they were nervous when Nelson Cruz was on base.

Peter Gammons: Yeah, and in time — I give Jason Varitek so much credit for being who he is. He actually got into it with a fan the other night who was all over Victor Martinez, just yelling at him for getting on Victor Martinez. Jason is adamant that he is going to be able to turn it around, be able to throw much better, that he blocks balls really well. All of that is great; that's who Jason Varitek is. And you guys know teams need people who are totally selfless.

WEEI: The amazing thing about Varitek is that most people in this town wanted him out last year. He is only back because he had a player option in his contract. And yet the other night he comes in from the bullpen in the seventh and gets a standing ovation.

Peter Gammons: You know, the last two years he got off to reasonably good starts. He cares so much, he is so intense that I think he just wears down. He really can be a very good player in the role he is in now, catching 60 games a year or 50 games. Getting the time off, he has a lot more bat speed this year. So maybe that works. But it just amazes me that he lost his job and he is probably the best friend and the greatest advocate for the guy who took his job. I really respect that. I'm not sure I'd be that way.

To read the full transcript of Mr. Gammons's interview, click here.

You can listen to the interview here.

Jason Comes In Late, Sox Come Back And Win

April 21, 2010

"We've been searching for a way to get this crowd involved in some of our games, and out of nowhere we did. I think the change of energy happened with the two-run home run when we finally woke up our crowd. That was a change of energy."-- The Captain, during a post-game interview.

"While all about them is falling apart, Jason Varitek, in as a late-game replacement, doubled in the eighth, scoring on a Darnell McDonald pinch hit home run." -- Wicked Local game blog.

Red Sox win, 7-6 against Rangers

Darnell McDonald (being "congratulated" at left), who was called up from the minors earlier in the day, hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game and won it with an RBI single in the ninth to lift the struggling Boston Red Sox to a 7-6 comeback win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Papelbon (1-1) pitched a hitless ninth for the win.

The Red Sox snapped a five-game losing streak. Texas has dropped five straight.

For much of the night, the Red Sox were taking their licks from the Rangers, who ran wild on the basepaths in opening a 6-2 lead over the Sox in the first five innings. Texas stole a club-record nine bases, including five in the third inning against Tim Wakefield and Victor Martinez.

But the Sox had trimmed the lead to 6-4 when McDonald was sent to pinch-hit for Josh Reddick against left-hander Darren Oliver.

Jason Varitek, who had entered the game when Bill Hall ran for Victor Martinez the previous inning, was on second base with a double when McDonald drove a 2-and-2 pitch into the Monster seats.

Kevin Youkilis opened the ninth with an infield hit off the body of Frank Francisco (2-3), advanced on a passed ball and was sacrificed to third by Bill Hall. Mike Lowell was intentionally walked and Adrian Beltre popped to first. Jason Varitek then walked on four pitches before McDonald lifted a fly ball just over the leap of Josh Hamilton.

McDonald became the first Sox player to homer in his first appearance since Orlando Cabrera on August 4th, 2004 and the first pinch hitter to do so since Curtis Pride on 9/19/97.

Tek-nically Speaking...

Question: "Does anyone else feel a lot better with Tek back there?"

Response: "He's like that security blanket you had when you were 4 - old, raggedy, smelled kinda weird, but just makes you feel safe." -- From last night's game thread on the popular Sons of Sam Horn, when Jason came in to catch in the eighth inning.

Jason's current stats: AVG .429 | HR 3 | RBI 3 | OBP .467 | SLG 1.214 | OPS 1.681

Fan Story: Jason Visits Minnesota Little League Team

April 18, 2010

From Minnesota Twins fan Roger Peterson:

On Tuesday night (April 13, 2010), my son had an exciting visitor at his baseball practice. The Boston Red Sox were in town to open Target Field against the Twins and had a day off on Tuesday. This gave Jason Varitek, a friend of Johnny's coach, time to attend their practice.

Johnny got some one-on-one coaching on catching technique.

Jason also talked to the kids about working hard and doing well in school.

I brought along some baseballs for him to sign (did you think I'd pass up the opportunity?). I brought enough for each of the kids and also had him sign some 2005 All Star balls for me and my sons.

The boys were all very excited to meet him and get his autograph (I was pretty excited too)!

To see a larger version of the photo above, click here.

*Thank you so much to Roger for sharing his story and photo!

Hey, sports memorabilia fans! Check out Roger's blog here! You can also see photos of the baseballs that Jason signed.

Tek-nically Speaking...

Jason spoke to the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley yesterday:

On how long he will catch: "People like to paint pictures about me, but it's never come out of my mouth when my time is going to be up. I haven't even thought about it. I'm just continuing to go, continuing to listen to my body, and I'll see what happens.

On getting used to his role as the backup catcher: I'm going through so many adjustments. It's totally different right now. You're used to being a machine that does it every day, trying to get better, finding out what's the right mix to keep you sharp. I'm just trying to lean on Gary Tuck and Dave Magadan, trying to do as much as we can to find the right combo."

On his mindset even when he's not behind the plate: "I've already found that I have to pay attention even more when I'm not playing - what are we doing? What's the other team doing? What are they doing that's successful against us? And so on. You learn."

You can see a larger version of the photo here.

Jason Varitek & Dustin Pedroia Summer Baseball Camp

April 17, 2010

The Jason Varitek & Dustin Pedroia Summer Baseball Camp will take place from August 1st – 6th at Stonehill College in North Easton, MA.

The commuter camp is conducted from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day for boys and girls ages 7-16.

The overnight Massachusetts sport camp is conducted for boys ages 9-16, with check-in on Sunday, August 1st. Tuition for overnight campers is $799.00, which includes all day and night activities, sleeping facilities, and three meals per day.

Tuition for day campers is $549.00 which includes daily activities and lunch each day.

Jason and Dustin will appear at camp one day during the week to speak to campers as a group and also go from team to team to meet every camper! You might even see a few more players throughout the week!

Each camper can look forward to:

- Five days of top level instruction on the fundamentals of hitting, pitching, fielding, throwing, catching and base running.

- Baseball games and instructional drills daily

- Autographed 8 x 10 color photo of Jason for each camper

- Team photo with both Jason and Dustin

- Jason Varitek and Dustin Pedroia Baseball Camp t-shirt and gift bag

- Guest appearances by current or former professional baseball players

- Nightly activities and accommodations organized by age

- Daily recreational activities

- Family Day on Friday afternoon

For more information on being a part of this exciting baseball camp, click here.

Tek & Beckett Tonight

April 16, 2010 - Game Update below

The latest on the line-up...

Josh Beckett is 6-1, with a 3.49 ERA in his last nine starts against the Rays in Boston, and 5-0, with a 2.86 ERA in the last seven such starts.

Manager Terry Francona is resting Victor Martinez and giving Jason the nod behind home plate.

According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, "the only two games Varitek has started were Beckett starts, which is no coincidence."

The line-up (Jacoby Ellsbury is out with sore ribs, and Mike Cameron is out with a kidney stone):

1. Marco Scutaro SS, 2. J.D. Drew RF, 3. Dustin Pedroia 2B, 4. Kevin Youkilis 1B, 5. David Ortiz DH, 6. Adrian Beltre 3B, 7. Jeremy Hermida LF, 8. Jason Varitek C, 9. Bill Hall CF.

Game Update:

Homa Ova The Monsta...

MLB.com - Jason Varitek, playing in place of Victor Martinez, who had the night off, hit an opposite-field home run to left off Tampa Bay rookie right-hander Wade Davis. Varitek, making just his second start of the season, has three hits this year -- all home runs. His solo shot accounted for Boston's lone run.

"He took a very good swing," Francona said. "On a night when the ball is not carrying very well, he hits the ball the opposite way. That's a terrific swing. That's two games now he's taken three pretty good swings."

Josh Beckett went seven innings Friday, giving up one unearned run on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts as the Rays and Red Sox had their series opener suspended by a rain delay while tied at 1 in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Josh Beckett went seven innings Friday, giving up one unearned run on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts as the Rays and Red Sox had their series opener suspended by a rain delay while tied at 1 in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The clubs will resume the contest before the start of their game on Saturday night at 7:10 ET.

To read the rest and to watch a video of Tek's home run, click here.

To see photos from the game, click here.

Jason's current stats: AVG .429 | HR 3 | RBI 3 | OBP .429 | SLG 1.714 | OPS 2.143

"Sweet Music" Indeed...

April 12, 2010

An enjoyable read from The Providence Journal's Dan Barbarisi entitled, "Varitek and Beckett make sweet music together":

After spending some time apart, Josh Beckett and Jason Varitek were reunited tonight, and the pairing was just as sweet as they remembered.

Varitek coaxed Beckett to a seven inning, three-run outing, one that was largely smoother than that line indicates. It was a big improvement over Beckett's opening night performance, when he gave up five runs in 4.2 innings, pitching to catcher Victor Martinez.

Beckett and Varitek were batterymates from 2006 until midway through last year, when Martinez took over primary catching duties. Martinez clicked immediately with young pitchers Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, and he's learned to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckler, but he and Beckett haven't gelled in the same way.

Beckett has a 7.71 ERA in four starts working with Martinez. He has a 3.77 ERA in 105 games with Varitek.

So when opportunity permits, Beckett and Varitek will likely be paired up.

Even though they haven't worked together much since Martinez arrived, they fell back into their old familiarity right away.

"I have an awareness of Josh, Josh has an awareness of me. Those things develop with time. Fortunately, I got to catch him two, three times, maybe 2-3 starts this spring. That was good. It's still about Josh, and he executed," Varitek said.

Most of the attention was paid to Varitek's offense tonight, with his two-homer display. Beckett said he was thrilled to see his batterymate do so well at the plate.

"He's got that C on his chest for a reason. He's one of our emotional leaders. To see him do well is important to all of us," Beckett said.

And as to whether they should work together full time?

"I don't make those decisions," Beckett said flatly.

You can read more from Mr. Barbarisi here.

Tek Stat:

-- Jason now has 1,234 career hits, moving him past Manny Ramirez(1,233) for 17th on the Red Sox' All-Time list. (16th is Duffy Lewis, 1,248).

-- Jason also has 2,081 total bases, moving him past Mo Vaughn (2,074) for 15th place (14th Frank Malzone, 2,123).

*Once again, thank you to my favorite...uh...Stat Nerds, Tim and Adriane!

Happy Birthday Jason!

April 11, 2010 - Contest Update (see below)

Today is Jason's 38th birthday and one lucky fan will receive a gift!

In honor of his birthday...

My 38th emailer will receive a Jason Varitek autographed MLB baseball with a Gold Glove engraving to commemorate his 2005 Gold Glove Award (the same year I started this site). The baseball is from Steiner Sports and comes complete with a COA - a $200.00 value.

However, before you email, please follow the two rules below:

1. Emails for the contest WILL NOT be accepted until 12 NOON ET and after (this gives fans in different time zones a chance to participate).

2. Please, one email per email address only (subsequent emails from the same address will be discounted).

*The winner will be notified later this afternoon and their name will be posted in an UPDATE.

Send emails to: erin@jason-varitek.com

Good Luck!

Update:

I have a winner...

Congratulations to Colleen Page of Millis, Massachusetts - she was my 38th emailer!!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Also Today:

If you are looking for news from last night's game, see the update below (April 10th news)!

ESPN's Gordon Edes has a nice article/interview with Tek from last night here.

You can also check out the transcribed interview from WRKO with Jason after last night's game here.

*Thank you to Anna H. for the transcription!

Jason To Catch Beckett This Weekend...

April 10, 2010 - Game Update below

From Red Sox Beat Writer Ian Browne, at MLB.com:

With the Red Sox finally set to play more than two days in a row without an off-day, manager Terry Francona is ready to get his bench involved in the action. All four subs (Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Bill Hall and Jeremy Hermida) should get a start either Saturday or Sunday in Kansas City. For Friday's game, Francona went with his starting nine for the fourth consecutive game.

Though Francona isn't big on making his lineups out ahead of time, he did indicate that catcher and captain Jason Varitek is likely to make his first start of the season on Saturday night. Josh Beckett is making that start for Boston, and Varitek has always worked well with the Boston ace.

In 105 games with Varitek behind the plate, Beckett has a 3.77 ERA and a .239 opponents' batting average. Victor Martinez has caught the righty only four times, and in those games, Beckett has a 7.71 ERA and a .375 opponents' batting average.

To read the rest, click here.

Game Update:

Jason Hits Two Home Runs In Win Over Royals!

"My focus was obviously with Josh and what has to go one there, especially in this role. But it's nice to contribute (at the plate), absolutely. Both swings, I was able to get a good part of the bat on the ball. Fortunately, the ball was carrying a little to right and I was able to get them both out." -- Jason, after the game.

The Captain belted two of Boston's five homers in his first game of the season, and Josh Beckett got the better of Royals ace Zack Greinke in the Red Sox's 8-3 win in the middle installment of a three-game set.

Beckett cruised into the seventh before KC cut into its 4-1 deficit. After the first two hitters reached base, Yuniesky Betancourt grounded into a double play to score Jose Guillen, who led off with a double.

The Royals' David DeJesus later singled home Chris Getz with a two-out base hit for a 4-3 game, but the Royals bullpen failed to keep it close.

Youkilis sent a Dusty Hughes offering deep over the center field wall to open the eighth, and Varitek led off the ninth with his second homer of the game, a shot to right off Luis Mendoza.

Pedroia's two-run shot later in the inning accounted for the final margin.

A two-out rally in the home first gave the Royals an early lead. Alberto Callaspo doubled to start, and Ankiel followed a Billy Butler walk with an RBI single to right.

Greinke retired 10 of 11 heading to the fifth, but Hermida and Varitek sent back-to-back curveballs over the fence in right to put the Sox in front.

In the seventh, Greinke plunked Marco Scutaro with one away and Ellsbury chased the runner home with a double to the right-field gap. Pedroia's sacrifice fly made it 4-1, ending Greinke's outing.

Beckett, who had four strikeouts, entered the game with a 5-0 lifetime record and a 2.03 earned run average in seven starts against the Royals.

Jason finished the game 2-4 with 2 homeruns and a .500 average. He hit three homers at Kauffman Stadium back on May 20, 2001.

He did a quick post-game interview with WRKO-AM680 Radio and admitted to being a "nervous wreck" for tonight's game and trying to figure out a way to stay sharp is still "a work in progress". Jason said his daughters were at the game tonight and he was very glad they got to see him play - because they'd said they didn't think he was ever going to play!

To see photos from tonight's game, click here.

*Thank you to Anna H. for the heads-up on the WRKO interview!

Talkin' Tek Today...

April 7, 2010

From Terry Francona's phone-in interview on WEEI's Dale & Holley Show today:

Q: Is there too much made out of the connection between Jason Varitek and Josh Beckett? Do you think there is a connection right now between Victor Martinez and Josh Beckett?

Terry Francona: I think they have a good connection, but I think you are right. All of those things that we talked about with Tek all those years - they just don't go away because we bring in somebody else. But again, you make adjustments as you go, and you try to build relationships and things that you are talking about over the course of time. I don't think they can be as strong as a guy that has been here for years overnight, but we are certainly working on it.

Q: I'm not in your clubhouse, I wasn't there for spring training, but from afar it seems to me that Jason Varitek has handled this situation as professionally and as well as anybody could have dreamed. Is that accurate?

Terry Francona: I think it's very accurate. Some times what you see is not really what's happening - a guy will put on a good face, but he's been terrific. This is going to be good. The first 10 days of the season can be a little bit misleading because of the days off, especially with a catcher. But once we get into the grind of the season this will be a good thing for our team.

Q: Do you see him being someone's personal catcher or do you have another role for him?

Terry Francona: I'd rather not do that. I'd rather kind of get more of a...maybe a rest for Victor. The one thing Tek can do because he's caught everybody, with kind of the exception of Wake, is that he can handle all those guys. It's not like you've got a backup catcher and one of your top guys doesn't really want to throw to him. Who ever gets Tek it's going to be the same, so that's good. We will probably do it a little bit more just according to our schedule.

To listen to the entire interview, click here.

Quote of the Week:

"5.22 Boston's staff ERA last year when Victor Martinez, who caught 33 games, was behind the plate; over a full season it would have been the AL's worst. When Jason Varitek – this year's backup – caught (108 games), the ERA was 3.87, which would have tied for the league's best." -- April 5th issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, page 73.

*Thanks to Stan for the heads-up on the SI info!

Opening Day 2010

April 4, 2010

From Ian Browne at RedSox.com this evening:

For the first time since 1999, when Scott Hatteberg caught Pedro Martinez in Kansas City, somebody besides Jason Varitek was behind the plate in a Red Sox opener. The start, as expected, went to Victor Martinez, who will get the bulk of starts behind the plate this season.

When will Varitek get his first start? Typically, Red Sox manager Terry Francona can plot that stuff out a few days ahead of time. But it is more tricky this season, considering Boston has three off-days before its eighth game. Instead of Varitek catching a certain pitcher, he's more likely to be utilized for a day game after a night game, or when there are a ton of games in a row.

"If you're asking me when [Varitek] is going to catch, I don't know," Francona said. "It will be more conventional. Saying that, we have a lot of days off this week. You don't know if somebody takes a foul tip or something. We'll try to stay ahead of it. "One of the things, we talked to our guys about yesterday was trying to be patient early in the season, because up to this point, everyone has had their at-bats and has been on a schedule. Then the season starts, so you're balancing trying to keep the regulars sharp, and also not letting the guys that aren't playing sit too long. It's certainly a challenge."

To read the rest, click here.

During the Pre-Game events...

The Red Sox Captain received a big ovation from the crowd this evening when he was introduced during the Pre-Game ceremony.

He came out later to catch the first pitch from former Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez. Pedro seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself as he threw out that first pitch. He had a big smile on his face and waved to fans as he walked in from the outfield, and once on the mound jokingly shook off Jason once before throwing one high and inside for a strike.

To see video of Pedro's first pitch, click here.

To see larger versions of the photos above, click here (I'll add more if/when I find 'em!).

The "Still Evolving" Role

March 30, 2010

From Brian MacPherson's Sox blog at The Providence Journal this afternoon:

When Terry Francona thinks about how best to utilize Jason Varitek this season, he has three considerations in mind: 1. Resting Victor Martinez; 2. Maximizing Varitek's offensive production; 3. Matching him up with certain pitchers.

"It'd be nice when it works out with both, when it's a day game after a night game and Victor needs a rest and it's a pitcher that 'Tek has handled," Francona said. "That's probably going to be a little bit of good fortune."

What Francona likely will have to do will be to pick and choose his spots a little bit. Varitek probably will catch on April 10 when Beckett makes his second start, for example, so that Martinez can catch Clay Buchholz in a day game on April 11.

A week later, with Buchholz lined up to pitch a Saturday night game on April 17, Varitek probably will catch Jon Lester in a day game on April 18.

To read Mr. MacPherson's complete blog, click here.

To see a larger version of the photo above, click here.

Also Today:

Celebrities for Charities and Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys are sponsoring a raffle!

It's called, "The Dropkick Murphys from Landsdowne to Dublin" and you can purchase tickets at NetRaffle.com until April 12th at 11:00 AM.

Winner and guest will enjoy the following:

- Two tickets to the Dropkick Murphys Thursday April 22, 2010 concert at the Olympia Theater in Dublin, Ireland.

- A "Meet & Greet" with the Dropkick Murphys and both will receive an autographed copy of the Dropkick Murphys Live on Lansdowne DVD/CD.

- A three-night hotel stay at the Clarence Hotel (owned by U2’s Bono and the Edge) in Dublin Ireland (single room/double occupancy - check-in on Wednesday April 21, 2010 - Check-out Saturday April 24, 2010).

- A $2,500 allowance for airfare, ground transportation and meals.

Proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets support the Claddagh Fund.

To purchase your tickets, click here.

Also:

Congratulations to Steven R. King of Weymouth, Massachusetts! He was the winner of the "Jason Varitek Spring Training Raffle" last week.

*Thank you to Adam Benoit from Celebrities for Charity for the heads-up!

Tek In The April Issue Of "Boston Magazine"

March 27-28, 2010

"He keeps to himself. He intimidates his teammates. And yet, he's the most adored guy in town. As the last of the original Dirt Dogs stares down the twilight of his career, we ask: Why are we still so obsessed with Jason Varitek?"

From John Wolfson, from a feature in the April, 2010 issue of Boston Magazine entitled, "Our Guy: Jason Varitek":

Throughout the remarkable, upside-down baseball season of 2004, this city - the staid, sober Hub of the Universe - was represented on the baseball diamond by a traveling freak show.

The 2004 Boston Red Sox, in other words, were about the most fun most of us have ever had. So it's still odd to consider, five and a half years later, that standing at the center of that roaring pack was a disciplined, soft-spoken, no-nonsense, buzz-cutted catcher who seemed to have been yanked off a recruitment poster for the U.S. Marines.

Whether or not he looked the part, Jason Varitek was the heart of that team. The Sox wouldn't bestow the "C" until that off-season, but by then it was mere formality. After the World Series sweep, it was Varitek upon whom Schilling placed his hands and declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, here is the leader of the 2004 Boston Red Sox."

Schilling's statement could have been made in just about any year Varitek has been with the Sox. They've pretty much all been his teams. And that leadership, so commingled with the team's recent run of amazing success, has earned for him a degree of love and loyalty among Red Sox fans that has rarely been equaled. For 12 years now, Jason Varitek has been the rock, the leader, the line in the dirt that doesn't get crossed. It's difficult to communicate how much that toughness has meant to a fan base so traumatized that for nearly nine decades, it mistook its own pathetic neuroses for a kind of poetry.

All of which lends a special kind of irony to this new season. The roster this year overflows with "character" guys - quiet professionals who are always calm, always centered and stable. This team is built around pitching, defense, and a balanced offense. This team is built in the image of Jason Varitek. Yet, as the catcher enters his 13th season, there has never been a time when he's been less vital to the club's fortunes.

He's going to ride the pine this year. And of course, Red Sox fans could not care less. Jason Varitek is, was, and always will be The Captain. Tek. The center of the team. But why?

You'll have to read Mr. Wolfson's article* to have that answered!

Click here to continue!

(*may not be suitable for younger readers due to some language/content).

A More Traditional Back-up Role For Tek

March 26, 2010

From Sean McAdam's Red Sox Spring Training column this afternoon:

Francona confirmed that Jason Varitek will not be assigned as a personal catcher to a particular starter, but rather, will play based on matchups, rest and other variables.

"I would say [Varitek's playing time as a backup] will be more traditional," said Francona, "as opposed to [that]. It's something we thought about. I just don't know if it's to our advantage to do that because we have regular players at other positions and you're talking about taking [Victor Martinez's] bat out [of the lineup]; I don't know that will be the best way to go about it."

You can read the rest of Mr. McAdam's column here.

Today's spring training game update:

With the Captain behind the plate, Jon Lester pitched six strong innings in his fifth spring start on Friday, helping the Boston Red Sox beat a Toronto Blue Jays split-squad 3-2 on Friday.

Lester allowed two unearned runs and six hits, struck out five and walked two. Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez finished up with a scoreless inning apiece.

Tek and Josh Reddick had the only hits through eight innings before a three-run ninth, in which David Ortiz, Dusty Brown and Tug Hulett had RBI singles.

Tek continues to hold a .333 average (appropriately enough) this spring.

Lights, Camera, Action!

March 20, 2010

From the Boston Globe's Business section this morning:

The Red Sox and the New England Sports Network have teamed up to roll out a humorous ad campaign that shows how some players are off the field.

"The Nation Lives" campaign, which begins today and runs through the baseball season, will feature TV, print, and online ads starring David Ortiz, John Lackey, Jonathan Papelbon, Jason Varitek, and Tim Wakefield. The campaign, which has ads that show players poking fun at themselves, contrasts with the team’s previous marketing strategies that focused more on its traditions and victories.

In one of the new ads, a spirited New York Yankees fan walks into a barbershop and interrupts Ortiz, Wakefield, Papelbon, and Varitek as they wait for haircuts.

Another commercial features NESN play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo as he explains to Lackey how confusing Massachusetts roads (Route 128 and Interstate 95, for example) can be to a newcomer.

Those two spots are set to debut this afternoon during NESN’s broadcast of the Sox’ spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles. The commercials will air on the regional sports channel throughout the season as well as on local broadcast and cable stations.

To watch the commericials and behind-the-scenes footage, click here.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Just Four More Days...

March 18, 2010

...to purchase raffle tickets for the 2010 Jason Varitek Spring Training Raffle!

From Celebrities for Charity:

Help Jason Varitek and Journey Forward in their efforts to improve the lives of those afflicted with spinal cord injuries, and, in return, you could win this great Red Sox Spring Training experience.

The winner will receive -

-- 2 tickets to the Boston Red Sox spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Field in Sarasota Florida (game time is 1:05pm).

-- 2 tickets to the March 28, 2010 game against the Minnesota Twins at Palms Park Field in Fort Myers, Florida (game Time is 1:05pm).

-- Dinner for you and a guest with Jason Varitek in Florida.

-- $1,500 for travel and other expenses.

Tickets start at just $2.00 each (minimum purchase of 5 tickets but decrease in price when you order more than 5 tickets).

Entry deadline for purchasing tickets: March 22, 2010 at 11:00 am.

The winner will be announced later that day!

*Now, while you must be 18 years of age, or older, to purchase a ticket, which the entrant will need to prove prior to being certified as the winner, CFC's ordering process and rules allow the entrant to 'gift' their tickets to another person, who may or may not be a minor.

For more information and to purchase your raffle tickets online, click here.

Tek: An eventful, but difficult day

March 16, 2010

From CSNNE's Joe Haggerty this afternoon:

Jason Varitek had a much more eventful second game back against the Houston Astros Tuesday afternoon, and handled it admirably considering all the things on his mind.

The 37-year-old backstop managed to grind through six innings of work behind the plate, gunned down a base runner, chased after a wild pitch and collected his first hit of the spring after lacing a double down the right-field line off Oswalt.

Varitek was also able to meet up with his family in nearby Orlando on Monday night before reporting to Osceola County Stadium for this afternoon's tilt against the Astros, and spent more time with his ill father, Joseph. Varitek's dad has been battling health problems since early in spring training, and the Sox captain left camp for a week to spend time with his ailing father before returning March 10.

The Sox catcher admitted that the baseball diamond is a bit of a safe haven for him as he tries to balance sharpening his professional skills with the fact his dad is battling to regain his health.

"Today was kind of [difficult], to be honest with you. I saw my dad last night and I'm going to see him again now after the game for a while before I drive back," said Varitek. "Everybody has been supportive and stuff, but it's my father so it's not an easy time.

"I try to [block out it] on the field. And I think he would want me to. There's still hope that he's able to get better. Right now it's all a little chaotic and we’re just trying to hope that he gets better."

Varitek credited the entire Red Sox organization with lending a huge supportive hand to the catcher during an obviously emotional time for his family, and said that he’s felt it from the top on down. It’s no surprise given Boston's well-deserved reputation for supporting the varied needs of their players through trying times, and Varitek’s connection with the Sox predates nearly everyone in the organization aside from Tim Wakefield.

The team is taking care of Varitek now after he’s done the same for them as far back as many can remember.

"Everybody from the beginning, from the top down," said Varitek. "I rushed out of [camp] and called Tuck. I immediately heard from Tito, John Farrell, Theo and Victor. Nobody else knew for a while and then I heard from everybody else. Everybody in the whole organization has just been supportive without knowing full details.

"I don't want to be secretive about it, but I just don't think my mom wants everybody knowing what's going on with my dad right now. We're just hoping and praying that he’s able to pull through."

To read Mr. Haggerty's column, click here.

Tek: Good To Be Playing Again

March 14, 2010

From The Republican's Ron Chimelis, in his column this afternoon:

Jason Varitek heard the first question, the one about how it felt to be out there for the first time, and smiled.

"First time? Well, the first time in 10 days," said the man who holds the all-time Boston Red Sox record for games caught.

For all his experience, Varitek was making his 2010 Grapefruit League debut Sunday. He was catching against the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla., after missing part of spring training to be with his ill father.

Varitek, who turns 38 in April, will probably catch again Tuesday, when Jon Lester faces Houston in Kissimmee, Fla.

He may also go down to the Red Sox minor league complex and play a game or two to get more at-bats.

"It was good to be playing again, after all that's been going on."

He was hit by a pitch in the fourth.

Having had his two planned at-bats, Varitek left for a pinch-runner. He was not hurt.

"It hit me pretty good, on the forearm, but in the right place," he said.

Varitek's debut was made more complicated when scheduled starter Josh Beckett was scratched due to illness. Beckett's condition is not serious, but it meant Ryne Miller, a minor leaguer barely known to Varitek, got the starting nod instead.

"It's a little tough, because not only are you getting your body acclimated, you're trying to figure things out - not just for yourself, but on the mound."

Varitek was clearly happy to be thinking and playing baseball again, though.

"The first inning was a little longer than we'd wanted, and the fourth inning was a little longer, too. It's tough in the short run, but in the long run, that was probably good for me, he said.

To see a larger version of the photo above, click here.

"Varitek Is A Valued Backup"

March 12, 2010

From The Republican's Ron Chimelis, in his column this afternoon:

The new starter and the old starter crossed paths in the clubhouse, as they walked toward the Red Sox batting cages at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.

Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek paused to share a mutually offered, impromptu fist bump. That moment should erase any questions of whether Varitek can handle the fact that Martinez is the team's No. 1 catcher now.

Martinez arrived from Cleveland July 31 last season, in time to beat the trade deadline and give Varitek, whose performance was showing the ravages of time, some relief.

This year, the dynamics are different, and everyone knows it. Varitek is a valued backup, the brainiest No. 2 catcher in the game.

Varitek will always be a mentor, for as long as he's with the team.

Varitek has been known as a defensive catcher first and foremost. It's a tag he encourages, and wears with pride.

He has been credited by veterans and rookies alike. Especially with younger pitchers, though, Varitek has been a security blanket, a catcher who can remove the pressure of pitch selection and strategy, and let unseasoned hurlers focus on the execution of throwing well.

Martinez is a somewhat different story; at least that's what his reputation has been....

To read the rest, click here.

To see a larger version of Kelly O'Connor's photo, click here.

Nomar Retires As A Member of The Red Sox!

March 10, 2010

"I mean, selfishly I'd have liked to have gotten to see him play some games in this uniform again. But you know, it's nice to see in his case, the right thing is being done." -- Jason, on the retirement of his friend and former teammate.

From the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham this afternoon:

Nomar Garciaparra, who for the better part of seven years was the face of the franchise before his shocking trade in 2004, has come home to the Red Sox.

At his request, the Red Sox today signed the 36-year-old to a minor-league contract at which point he announced his retirement from baseball during a press conference held at City of Palms Park.

Garciaparra, wearing his old No. 5 jersey, threw out the first pitch before today's Rays-Red Sox exhibition game at the Park. When the announcement of his decision was made, Garciaparra received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd.

The current players lined the top step of the dugout and applauded as well. Jason Varitek, Garciaparra's teammate at Georgia Tech and with the Sox, caught the pitch and the two embraced in front of the plate.

"I know his heart has been here since he left," Varitek said."He was a Red Sox and always has been."

To read the rest, click here.

To see a larger version of the photo above (and more!), click here, second row!

To see a photo from today's ceremony, click here.

He will join ESPN as a baseball analyst! Congratulations to Nomar!

Also Today:

From WEEI -

While talking to the media regarding Nomar Garciaparra's retirement, Jason Varitek divulged that his recent absence has been because of his father's illness. Varitek, who left the Red Sox' camp late last week, didn't get into particulars regarding what the medical issue was.

"It's my dad so I'm not going to say I'm here for good," Varitek explained. "As far as extended period, I have no idea. I knew I had to come back, get outside a little bit, kind of get refreshed, and get back to work a little bit and make sure the family's stable, which is most important.

"It's a weird feeling. It's just a different feeling. I was tired today. It's been a stressful, straining week, five to six days. Guys have been great. I had a ton of text messages from Theo down to Tito and all my teammates. Family has been great. Friend support in the area has been awesome. I'm just very thankful that so many people reached out."

Tuesday: Talkin' Tek

March 9, 2010

"I don't know if it's blown out of proportion because the number is there and I'll say it in front of Vic: I like throwing to Jason Varitek. It doesn't mean I don’t like throwing to Vic. There's got to be some transition there." -- Josh Beckett, in an interview featured on WEEI.

From the column of WEEI's Alex Speier today:

Josh Beckett threw three perfect innings against the Cardinals on Monday, yet that performance seemed almost secondary to the identity of the man who was behind the plate to receive the 29-year-old’s pitches. Beckett spent the day working with Victor Martinez, and pronounced afterwards that he has achieved something in the vicinity of a 7-of-10 in terms of comfort level with the catcher who came to Boston at last year’s trade deadline, and who will now serve as the everyday catcher for the Sox in 2010.

Beckett explained that there is a necessary transition phase as he begins to work with someone other than Jason Varitek. Yet while opponents had a 1.021 OPS off of Beckett in three starts with Martinez behind the plate, compared to a svelte .625 mark when he threw to Varitek, Beckett made two things clear:

1. He likes throwing to Varitek because of the comfort that the two have built.

2. He doesn't dislike throwing to Martinez.

"I do like throwing to Jason Varitek, and I'm not ashamed to say that. He has helped me so much throughout the years just throwing to him," Beckett said. "That doesn't mean I don't like throwing to Victor. I think Victor does great. Somebody asked me after a bad start that Vic caught me and I said, 'Damn, if you’re blaming him for me pitching like (crap) I'll tell you right now he's got a pretty good answer for you and that's, 'I've caught two Cy Youngs in two years.' Maybe it's the Indian [and] not the arrow.

And from an article by WEEI's Rob Bradford today:

John Farrell summed it up succinctly.

"They're different people," said the Red Sox pitching coach, "and different personalities."

Not better or worse, just different.

As Farrell articulates, while Varitek and Martinez share more than a few similarities — especially when it comes to taking pride in their craft — the separation between the two can be found in how they get through a game.

"I would say we’re like a seven right now," said Beckett when asked to rate where he was with Martinez on a scale of 1-10.

Beckett explained that he isn't one to obsess over scouting reports, whereas Varitek consumes the information with a thoroughness perhaps unlike any other catcher in the big leagues. It is because of that the pitcher is able to concentrate more on the feel of his pitches, rather than the particulars that might be assigned to each hitter.

To read more, click here.

There is no comparison for former backup catcher Kevin Cash...

From an article on MLB.com:

With former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills taking over as Astros manager and the team lacking a veteran catching presence other than Humberto Quintero, Cash signed a Minor League deal with Houston.

"The last two years, I had gone to places where you had Jason Varitek [in Boston] and Jorge Posada [in New York], who were pretty established veteran catchers. Not to take anything away from these guys here, but there's nobody quite at that level in their career. I looked at it as a good chance to show I'm healthy and make the most of it."

The experience of spending time around Varitek and Posada was invaluable to Cash, and he hopes to be able to mentor Castro and Towles as well. For now, he's just looking forward to life outside of the AL East.

To read the rest, click here.

Update On The Spring Issue Of The 2010 Red Sox Magazine

March 1, 2010

The first edition of Red Sox magazine for the 2010 season featuring Jason and Victor Martinez on the cover is now available!

The two catchers posed for their upcoming cover during a photo shoot in Fort Myers last weekend (see February 21st news below).

The duo is also the topic of a story entitled, "Call Two Arms - Tek and Victor command the staff".

The issue will include a story on the new faces on this year's club, an interview with first-base coach Ron Johnson, a trip down memory lane to spring training 1975 with the eventual American League champion squad and an article on Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees' connection to Ted Williams.

You can see a sample of the issue, watch a video from the cover shoot, and order the magazine here.

Again, you can "catch" a couple of captures here.

The Scott Dunham Collection

February 28, 2010

Amateur photographer and diehard Red Sox fan Scott Dunham sent an email today along with a collection of his beautiful photography:

"Just wanted to say that I came across your website and really enjoy it. Jason has been my favorite player for years and you've really done a nice job putting together a website that really captures his accomplishments over the years, as well as the respect that his peers have for him. Thanks again and keep up the great work!"

After checking out his incredible photographs, I decided I couldn't select just a couple!

Instead, I started a separate album on the site's gallery specifically for Scott's photos.

You can see his collection here. Enjoy!

*Scott, thank you so much for sharing them!

And speaking of fine photography...

Today was "Photo Day" in Fort Myers! You can see the results here.

Catching Up With The Captain

February 27, 2010

Jason sat down for an interview with NESN's Heidi Watney during "Red Sox Spring Break" this morning. Here are some of the highlights -

On Coach Tuck's comments yesterday (see yesterday's news below) suggesting he could play 4-5 more years:

Jason: "I don't really know, but I'm not going to cut it off and say I can't. I'd like to play as long as my body and my abilities allow me to."

What is "Camp Tuck" like?

Jason: "It's fun. Early on in your minor league career you get a lot of work [in], then you come in to the big leagues and you sometimes tend to not get enough work. We are constantly doing things with Tuck, trying to refine little things to make big changes. He constantly has us busy and it results in a group of catchers that ends up with a bond by the end of Spring."

Once again, he is asked about the difficulty of taking on the backup role:

Jason: "I think I've had plenty of time to get used to that role before I got here. I got used to it pretty much last year, it just kinda happened that way. Now, it's about trying to get ready, trying to get better, and if I'm able to do that then I can help Victor as much as possible."

On the importance of Victor working with Gary Tuck:

Jason: "I think it's tremendous. You don't always necessarily have somebody that's going to be there on a day-to-day basis to push you, pat you on the back, or to make changes when you need it. Changes don't happen overnight in our position. Things we can work on now, you might not see the results 'til mid-season, and some you can see in the first game of spring training. So many things take time and to have a guy like Tuck there, whether it be pitch selection, or game situations or a reminder that "hey, we didn't back up first"...he's always there to support us for both the good and for the bad, but always in a positive way."

Comments that Yankees catcher Jorge Posada made to Peter Gammons last week about Tek are brought up. Posada said that he believes Tek will play more than people expect because of his leadership skills and ability. Tek is then asked how much he thinks he will play:

Jason: "I don't know. I really don't know. I will be prepare to play as much as they need me to, which would be the same route as preparing for every day. But that's...I'm probably 99% sure that's not going to happen. You know, you just have to be ready. In this game you never know what [may] happen, and when the time comes where you're needed more often."

On how he feels coming into this season after the injuries he dealt with last season, which were kept quiet from the public (including the bulging disk in his neck, the broken toe, the shoulder and the constant wear and tear on his body):

Jason: "Much better (laughs). I was able to get the strength back in my left shoulder which allows me more mobility. My neck has calmed down, which will be an on-going issue - making sure it doesn't flare up, and time heals a broken toe. Those things you have to deal with when you have to do what you do back behind the plate and [dealing with it] allows you the chance to be back there everyday. That has been the most important thing over my career is I have been able to make sure I'm dependable out on the field."

You can check NESN's video page here later today for video of the entire interview.

You can also check out the Spring Training coverage in a new screen capture album here.

Also Today:

From ESPN's Gordon Edes this evening:

The contract is due to end this year. The desire to play remains strong.

Turns out that was anything but idle chatter, bullpen coach Gary Tuck's remark Friday that catcher Jason Varitek is capable of playing four or five more seasons.

"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 ..."

But it has always been part of Varitek's credo to play through injuries, and say little about them. When he undergoes his team physical, Sox doctors don't look for what body parts hurt … they try to find one that has been spared through the course of 1,381 games spent behind the plate, all but 100 as a starter.

"I may need one of their [medical] charts," Varitek joked when asked if he would enumerate all of his injuries after he retires. "'Oh yeah, I remember that one.'

"But that's part of what you do. Bob Boone used to say, 'The more I'm out there, even when I'm hurt, the better I can service the team.' Didn't he say something like that?

"I can't tell you in the course of your career how many times, whether you're sick or something and you shouldn't be out there and all of a sudden, boom, one swing of the bat, three-run home run, you won that game. Or you're part of a play at the plate, or the guy [you're catching] throws a shutout. It's being out there."

Dependability may be the virtue Varitek prizes above all.

"Dependability aids in what I do best, game-planning and calling games," he said. "If you're not dependable on that end, or you transfer your offense into your defense, guys know. You can't trick your teammates. You can't.

"But that's part of what I believed in. Being able to go out there sometimes may have [hurt the statistics]. But you're out there, you're dependable."

Varitek is not making playing time an issue, nor will he.

"He's a good boy, he's a good man," Varitek says of Martinez. "I want to make sure he knows I'm his teammate and I'm here to help whatever way I can."

To read Mr. Edes full column, click here.

*Thanks to Sterling for "catching" this one!

Coach Tuck on Tek: Tek Can Catch 4-5 More Years

February 26, 2010

From the column of ESPN's Gordon Edes this afternoon:

Only one player in major league history has caught as many as 50 games past the age of 42. That would be the indestructible Carlton Fisk, who at age 43 appeared behind the plate in 106 games for the Chicago White Sox, starting 91 of them, caught in 54 more at age 44, and caught an additional 25 before retiring at the age of 45.

Red Sox bullpen coach and catching instructor Gary Tuck believes there can be another.

"I think Jason Varitek can catch as long as he wants to catch,'' Tuck said here Friday of the catcher who turns 38 on April 11. "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]."

When the day comes that Varitek decides to retire, Tuck said, there would be a place for him in the game if he chose to stay.

"I think he could manage in the major leagues," Tuck said. "He obviously could coach. He's a great communicator and he's organized. And he's had the luxury of being taught by the best the last three years. That's what I tell him every day."

To read Mr. Edes complete blog, click here.

Tito Talks Tek...

February 24, 2010

Among the topics discussed during manager Terry Francona's guest appearance on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show this morning was the team captain:

On whether the discussion with Jason about the change in his role was at all uncomfortable?

Francona: "Last year was tough for Jason. You're the captain, you're playing. Regardless of what kind of success he was having or wasn't having, he's got a responsibility with our team and Victor kind of took over a lot of that. So we had some, not uncomfortable, but sensitive...you know sometimes guys don't want to hear things you have to say. That's just the way it is. But he made the decision to come back and he knew pretty much what his situation was going to be.

"He's actually been great. I think he is in a pretty good place and I think he is situated to do better than he has in the past because he won't get beat up physically. The first couple of months he is always good and we ask too much of him and it wears him down."

How many games we can expect to see Jason play, and how much of an impact is he expected to have with the pitching staff?

Francona: "Well, that will be a lot. Regardless of how much he plays, that will be a ton and it needs to be, because it's important. He was good with Victor last year, as was John Farrell.

"I can't put a number on it because you just don't know. If somebody went down — if Youk went down and Vic needed to play first, that changes things. There are a lot of things that can happen to change things. We do want Victor to be our catcher but it will probably be a little bit easier to have a more normal...you know rather than 'Doug Mirabelli catching Wake'. That was something we always did in the past, but we've taken Tek probably too far some times, because we don't want to give him three days off in a row or Wake is following a day game after a night game, so this is probably a little bit easier."

To listen to Terry Francona's entire interview, click here.

Tek On TV Last Night...

February 22, 2010

The Captain was a guest on Comcast Sports Net last night with host Chris Collins.

After an excellent interview, he was asked five questions, but could only give one-word answers during their "SportsNet Central's Five Questions" segment.

You can read and watch this enjoyable interview here.

Tek On The Radio Today...

February 22, 2010

Jason was a guest on WEEI's Dale & Holley Show this afternoon.

He called in to the show to talk about his new role on the team, the pitching staff, wearing the "C", and spring training in general.

He also talked about his raffle sponsored by Celebrities for Charities which will benefit the Journey Forward Foundation (see February 20th news post below for more info on the raffle).

To listen to his interview, click here.

Cover Boys

February 21, 2010

Jason and Victor Martinez will grace the cover of Red Sox Magazine's 2010 Spring Training Issue.

The two catchers posed for their upcoming cover during a photo shoot in Fort Myers this weekend.

NESN's Red Sox Report crew was on hand to capture the shoot.

If you missed tonight's episode of the Red Sox Report, you can check it out again on Monday, February 22nd at 5:30pm and again at 7:00 pm; and on Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00 pm.

You can subscribe to Red Sox Magazine here.

You can "catch" a couple of captures here.

The 2010 Jason Varitek Spring Training Raffle

February 20, 2010

From Celebrities for Charity today:

Help Jason Varitek and Journey Forward in their efforts to improve the lives of those afflicted with spinal cord injuries, and, in return, you could win this great Red Sox Spring Training experience.

The winner will receive -

-- 2 tickets to the Boston Red Sox spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Field in Sarasota Florida (game time is 1:05pm).

-- 2 tickets to the March 28, 2010 game against the Minnesota Twins at Palms Park Field in Fort Myers, Florida (game Time is 1:05pm).

-- Dinner for you and a guest with Jason Varitek in Florida.

-- $1,500 for travel and other expenses.

Tickets start at just $2.00 each (minimum purchase of 5 tickets but decrease in price when you order more than 5 tickets).

Entry deadline for purchasing tickets: March 22, 2010 at 11:00 am.

The winner will be announced later that day!

*Now, while you must be 18 years of age, or older, to purchase a ticket, which the entrant will need to prove prior to being certified as the winner, CFC's ordering process and rules allow the entrant to 'gift' their tickets to another person, who may or may not be a minor.

For more information and to purchase your raffle tickets online, click here.

Also Today:

Jason anwered a few questions from the media this afternoon...

On his new role -

"For the most part, I’m here to support Vic [Martinez] as much as possible and take the load off him when he needs it."

On the transition from starter to backup -

"I think for me it happened the last two months of the season last year, so this isn’t necessarily new for me. Is it different? Of course, it’s different, but I think in that role, it was last year toward the end that probably got me prepared for this."

On his playing time -

"From my point of view they want to evaluate, see what's going on, they're not making any decisions now. I have to continue to go out there and work hard and fight for a job."

On his role as the team captain this season -

“Sometimes I get caught up in the grind and tend to be a little quieter; I'm just trying to conserve energy and stuff. Maybe this will open up more communication with Tito and my teammates. Any way I can help. I'll do the things I can to help, use my eyes, use my knowledge, my game vision to help any way I can."

On what he expects as the back-up -

"The biggest asset I've always had was dependability out there, is to be able to be out there and whatever goes on, whether you're hitting well or not hitting well, things are going well as a team, or not, they depend on me to be out there. So that part's going to be different. How that transfers over early on, not taking a beating, not playing every night game, day game. I don't know. I might be a little bored, that might be a good thing, we'll see."

On whether he still sees himself as an "everyday" catcher -

"I just look at myself as a catcher. I don't know any other way to do it. How it all pans out, I don't really know. You try to get through spring training healthy, try and get better, and work on the entire game, and if that's the case, and if there's a question in the end, it means our team's pretty good."

On how many more years he expects to play -

"I don't know. Ask me at the end of this one."

You can watch video of some of his interview here.

Excerpts of his interview from ESPN and the Boston Globe.

And:

Check out the latest Extra Bases blog of the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham on the growing relationship between Tek and Victor Martinez from his perspective.

Click here to read it.

NESN has a video available from the catchers workout this morning along with analysis from Peter Gammons.

To view it, click here.

Quotes of the Day:

"Jason Varitek looks bigger than I've seen him the last two years, and that's a good thing. Not that Tek was ever 'small', but the last two years he looked a lot leaner, which may have contributed to his second-half drop-offs. He's 10 pounds heavier but still remains at 8-9 percent body fat. He was sporting red contact lenses on Friday. I need to get the scoop on that one. -- From the blog of Lou Merloni on WEEI this morning.

"I think Tek is kind of a special guy. I think he's certainly earned that right to wear that 'C' and if his playing time changes a little bit, I don't see his role diminishing ever, [in terms of] what he can bring to a team, even when he's not in the lineup. He's a very strong influence on our team and he always will be." -- Terry Francona, during his conversation with the media today.

You can find the latest spring training photos here.

Talkin' Tek Today

February 18, 2010

Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training and the uh...big, exciting news of the day was...

According to the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham, Jason reported to the minor league facility in Fort Myers, but did not make an appearance.

And moving right along...

From Don Orsillo's mailbag column at NESN.com:

Q: "How many games do you think Jason Varitek will catch this season?"

Mr. Orsillo: "More than the average backup catcher and certainly more than we have seen Doug Mirabelli, George Kottaras or Kevin Cash catch over the past few years. My guess is in the 50 to 60 game range.

"I think we will see him in the normal backup role in day games after night games, and he could make a start once or twice a week. What we do not know at this stage is whether, like in the past few years, he will be matched up with one particular starter, giving him the opportunity to plan on a regular start. Obviously, that situation was created because of the unusual nature of Wakefield's knuckleball. We also know that Victor Martinez can catch Wakefield, and Varitek has not in a really long time. Whether the 37-year-old will catch another starter on a regular basis remains to be seen."

To read the rest of his mailbag column, click here.

From NESN's Spring Break Special that aired live from Fort Myers this evening:

During a discussion about Victor Martinez and his continuing familiarity with the Sox pitching staff, guest host Peter Gammons said that Martinez told him last season, "I can't believe how generous Jason Varitek is." Gammons said that Jason spent as much time working with Victor last season as he does with his new pitchers.

When asked how much playing time he thought Varitek would see, Gammons said he believed Jason will "play a lot more than people think" because he was fourth in the AL for catchers last season with an OPS of over .800 when batting against left-handed pitching.

NESN will have live coverage of spring training throughout the coming weeks. To see the schedule, click here.

Also Today:

The 2010 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament will take place on Thursday, July 1, 2010.

I will post more information and links to participate and purchase tickets as soon as they become available.

Quote of the Day:

"I'm going to be with Jason. He's a great guy, great man. That's why he is the captain. That's a guy that really makes a big difference for me in this clubhouse and on this team." -- Victor Martinez, to reporters gathered around his locker yesterday in Fort Myers.

You can find the latest spring training photos here.

The "Glue Guys"

February 15, 2010

From the NESN.com blog of Scott McLaughlin this morning:

A July 2009 article in the Wall Street Journal defined "glue guys" as "the players whose oft-overlooked performance quietly holds teams together -- and without which, presumably, the team would fall apart."

Not every team in baseball has a glue guy, but most of the good ones do.

The Red Sox are also fortunate enough to have two glue guys -- Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield. They may not be stars like Jeter, Howard or Utley, and they may not even see regular playing time this season, but their leadership will go a long way in determining how much success the Sox have in 2010.

Besides just being good guys to have around the clubhouse, the biggest way Varitek and Wakefield will help the Red Sox is by showing the rest of the club what it means to be a team player. They'll do whatever it takes to help the team win, and they won't complain about their personal playing time.

Why? Neither guy is interested in playing anywhere other than Boston or in wearing anything other than a Red Sox jersey.

Phrases like "calls a good game" and "handles a pitching staff well" have almost become cliché when talking about Varitek, but those qualities are hard to overlook when coaches and pitchers alike continue to praise his prowess.

Although he may not be calling as many games behind the plate this season, he can still help prepare the staff for each day's opponent and he can help teach Martinez how to make better in-game decisions. You'll see a lot of cutaways of Varitek talking to Martinez in the dugout between innings.

Varitek and Wakefield may not put up huge numbers this season, and they may not garner much national attention. But these glue guys will definitely play a big role in bringing and holding this year's Red Sox team together.

To read Mr. McLaughlin's entire blog, click here.

To see a larger version of the photo above, click here.

Also Today:

From an article/interview on Victor Martinez that appeared in the Boston Herald this morning:

Martinez understands that for the first time since 1999, Jason Varitek [stats] will not enter the season as the Sox’ full-time catcher. Martinez said he has nothing but total respect for the way Varitek welcomed him when he joined the club last summer.

"He was generous," Martinez said. "To be honest again, I never thought that he was going to be that helpful for me. I started taking a little more of his playing time, little by little.

"I got more comfortable with the pitching staff because of him. He was a guy who came to me and said, 'If this guy struggles, call this pitch, that will relax him a little bit.' Man, he was great."

To read the rest of Mr. Silverman's article/interview, click here.

To see a larger version of the photo above, click here.

And:

The 2010 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament

A "little birdie" told me that the 2010 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament will be held Thursday, July 1st.

When I get confirmation from the Celebrities for Charities organization, I will post more information!

Red Sox Children's Hospital Celebrity Golf Classic

February 5-12, 2010 (UPDATE - SEE BELOW)

On Friday, February 26th, the Boston Red Sox will once again lend their time and talents to raise awareness and funds for The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida.

The tournament will take place on the championship golf courses of The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers. Individual golf slots are available for $300 per player.

The Sox "Tee Party" will be held at the Country Club on Thursday, February 25th from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are just $35.

The "Tee Party" allows guests to enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and to bid on sports memorabilia items, trips, game tickets and restaurant gift certificates. This year's live auction will include travel and ticket packages to top-notch sporting events including The Masters at Augusta, the opportunity to watch a Red Sox game from the celebrated "Green Monster" seats and the chance to sit atop TD Bank Garden in the "Chairman's Suite" to watch the Celtics vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. Other featured packages include a luxury cruise and a trip to see a taping of the popular Rachael Ray Show in New York City.

The final celebrity player list for the tournament will not be released until the day before the tournament, but past participants have included fan favorites Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon and Red Sox legend Luis Tiant.

To participate in The Boston Red Sox Children's Hospital Celebrity Classic, or to purchase tickets to the "Tee-Party":

Send an e-mail to BostonGolf@LeeMemorial.org or...

Call the Lee Memorial Health System Foundation office at 239-985-3550.

Speaking of golf tournaments....

I have added a few more photos from the 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic here.

Catch Tek's Workout...

January 25, 2010 - February 1, 2010 - Update (see below)

You can check out a behind-the-scenes video of Tek's offseason workout and nutrition routine with his trainer and personal assistant, Leslie Eddins at RedSox.com!

The video was shot at Tek's home near Atlanta.

Click on the site's video library here to view. **

The segment is also featured on the latest episode of NESN's Red Sox Report, which re-airs tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan 26th) at 5:00pm & 10:30pm, and on Wednesday (Jan 27th) at 9:30pm.

For other dates and times for the Red Sox Report, click here.

*Thank you to Luann for the heads-up on the video!

**If the featured video changes, just type in "Varitek" in the video search to locate.

UPDATE: The segment can also be seen on NESN's Red Sox Hot Stove on Monday, February 1st at 10:30 pm and Tuesday, February 2nd at 1pm and again at 5:30pm.

"I'm Going To Play Hard And Go Out And Do My Job"

January 20, 2010

From Jason's phone interview with CSNNE's Chris Collins last night:

On whether it's been hard to accept his new role as a back-up -

"I already had to kind of accept it last year. I think the last two months I didn't really play very much. So you know, it is what it is. I have to do the things I have to do to help this team win."

On whether it was difficult to adjust to playing a total of 28 games during the last two months of the season -

"No. I think initally you go through the adjustments, but it's understandable. At that time we were making our team click. We needed an extra bat in the lineup, and David [Ortiz] started swinging the bat really well, and we had to put the best lineup out there."

On whether there have been any "promises" or conversations about the amount of games he will catch this season -

"No. Things have been quiet. They tend to leave me alone and allow me to prepare and get ready for the season. I'll be prepared to handle more than I'll probably end up playing...but we'll get into more finite roles and those type of things when we actually get started. "

On whether fans can expect to see him come in as a late-inning replacement, and whether that would sit well with him -

"I have no idea what the role is at this point. It's not my job to decide what the role is. It's my job to prepare and be prepared. It's Tito's and Theo's job to decide what roles we all fall into."

On his relationship with both Terry Francona and Theo Epstein "these days" -

"It's the same as it's always been. I mean it doesn't change because your team gets better with an added player. It hasn't changed."

On whether he thinks Victor Martinez is ready to assume the duties of an everyday catcher -

"Whether he's catching, playing first base, DHing, catching 140 games, or whatever he ends up doing, he IS extremely valuable...if he can stick it out and grind it out back there then we'll be just fine."

On how much he will help Victor Martinez this season -

"We laid an extreme amount of that groundwork last year. Whatever way I could help I was going to help. Whether it be just little things -- from discussing things to being a good teammate, a teammate that plays the same position -- in any way that I can help, I will."

On whether he still feels that he has the same "voice" as the Captain of the team even though he is no longer a starting player -

"(laughing) I think my voice now goes to complete mute. And, um, you all of a sudden go from a level of respect to absolutely none at all."

Mr. Collins laughs nervously at Jason's answer, as if he doesn't know what to say to that, but then Jason finally let's him off the hook -

"I'm being sarcastic! (starts laughing again). You know, whether I have a decal on my jersey or not, I'll handle my business the same way. I will be a good teammate. I'm going to play hard and go out and do my job. Does that change all of a sudden now that I'm not playing 4 out of 5, or 9 out of 10? Does that all of sudden change? I'd be shooting myself in the foot if it did."

On whether he's stil looking forward to the season given his new role as a backup -

"You know, this could be a good change for me physically and mentally. And it could cut down on the number of 'dog days'. It could bode well for me and even extend my career."

On whether he thinks being more "rested" will help him with his hitting -

"I honestly don't know (laughs). I'm going to try and be good. that's all I know. I don't know what difference it's going to make. I'm not going to put expectations on myself because of the different role. I'm going to be prepared and give what I have."

On Jonathan Papelbon as the Red Sox closer (and his new deal) -

"We've seen it around there, when you don't have a means to an end, when you don't have somebody to lean on to be your closer. It sets the bullpen up for putting people, before that, in the right situations to allow them just to get to Pap. Just to get to somebody and to be able to handle that is special in itself. We wouldn't have won a championship and been parts of another and been in playoffs if it wasn't for Pap. It's extremely well deserved on his part and he's been a valuable teammate of mine for a long time."

On what he sees in Daniel Bard's future -

"I think Bard has a chance to be a great pitcher for our team and for this organization, period. What role, we don't know. He's still developing, he's still going to get better. If he ends up throwing harder - that will be utterly amazing. He's a great young man and he's a pleasure to play with."

On the "run prevention" philosphy of Terry Francona and Theo Epstein this off-season -

"I think our pitching staff got better. Definitely. You add Lackey into that and you give us a rotation that has our youth with another year of experience, and then you have a horse like Beckett...that's going to win you games in the long haul. Then you have a means to the end with Pap? That's what going to win you lots of games. If you're not going to beat somebody 15-12, you better be able to beat them, 2-1."

On how his workouts are going with spring training right around the corner -

"They are going great. I've had a very productive winter, was able to get things started early in November and I've just been plugging along, being a dad, doing my training and getting ready for the next one."

On how many more years he has "in him" -

"Ah, we'll see after this year. I was able to get further in my training earlier because I had a little less playing time late so I was able to recover quicker. I don't know, we'll see how the body adapts and maybe this will be a good thing for me and I can play another ten..."

On whether he could see himself playing in another uniform -

"I would think that would be something that is completely out of my hands. Which is part of why I am where I'm at because I wanted to do everything I could possibly do in my negotiations to allow me to continue to wear that uniform. It might not be my choice before long."

(the above was transcribed by me as accurately as possible from the interview)

A Look Back At Those No-Hitters

January 16, 2010

From Jeffrey Brown, of the popular Red Sox blog Soxfan1 in his series "The Red Sox Top 20 Games from 2000-2009, Parts I & II" :

No Red Sox pitcher had thrown a no-hitter in more than 35 years, yet in the first ten years of the 21st century four BoSox hurlers accomplished the feat. All of the games were caught by Jason Varitek, who became the first backstop in history to catch that many no-hitters. After Nomo’s gem, he declared that it was "a catcher's dream" to be behind the plate for a no-hitter.

Amazingly, he did it FOUR times in the just-concluded decade.

In his Red Sox debut on Apr. 4, 2001, RHP Hideo Nomo shut the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in a 3-0 victory, striking out 11 hitters and walking 3 in the game.

On Apr. 27, 2002, sinkerballer Derek Lowe threw the first no-no at Fenway Park since Dave Morehead no-hit the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 16, 1965. Lowe beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 10-0, allowing only one base-runner (a third inning walk).

In his second major league start, Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 1, 2007, at Fenway Park. He became only the third pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-no in his first or second big league start (Bobo Hollomon threw one in his St Louis Browns debut in 1953 and Wilson Alvarez turned the trick in his second start for the Chicago White Sox in 1991).

On May 19, 2008, Jon Lester threw the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history when he beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-0, in a 130-pitch effort at Fenway Park. After the game, the southpaw said: "If you all saw my bullpen today, you would have thought I wouldn't have gotten out of the first inning."

He owed some of the credit for the feat to center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who made a diving catch to rob Jose Guillen of a base hit in the fourth inning.

If you'd like to check out the rest of Mr. Brown's list and read his other entries? Click here.

If you'd like to read more about the No-Hitters, click here, here, here, and here.

*Thank you to Mr. Brown for allowing me to re-post from his blog!

Quote of the Weekend:

"Have to believe that Jason Varitek may enjoy the season a bit more knowing his body won't be crushed all season long. I don't think fans realize just what he went through on a daily basis to play every day the past few years." -- From the blog "Hit and Run" by WBZ-TV sportswriter Dan Roche.

John Farrell On Tek's New Role

January 13, 2010

From an article by MLB.com's Ian Browne today:

For the first time in more than a decade, the Red Sox will arrive in Fort Myers, Fla., with someone other than Jason Varitek slotted as the starting catcher.

It is a situation Varitek says he is ready for, and one that could be a perfect setup for the Red Sox. Not many teams will have a backup catcher with such thorough knowledge of a pitching staff and leadership abilities.

"Any time you've got Jason Varitek in the mix, you know there's going to be quality work and leadership provided to the staff," said Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. "The one thing that 'Tek did when Victor came over, even though it was a different role for him, he was more than willing and able to help Victor through some things from a catcher's perspective that he could provide in a very selfless way."

The staff genuinely enjoys working with both Martinez and Varitek. They are both willing to sacrifice their bodies to block the plate and are sturdy and steady receivers.

All in all, though, the Red Sox feel good about their catching tandem.

"I think if you look at some of the best players who have played this game, they play it for all the right reasons, and that's with respect and they recognize fully that they wear the same uniform," said Farrell. "How do you help one another in times of need? Both were willing to do that, and we expect the same to continue here in 2010."

To read the entire article, click here.

Also Today:

From Don Orsillo's mailbag at NESN.com:

Q: "How many games do you think Jason Varitek will play this season? What are some ways Jason Varitek can contribute to the team if he’s not playing regularly?"

Don Orsillo: "That's tough to say, and Victor’s health will play a large role in that. I would think Varitek would catch one of the starters regularly to keep him fresh and in a rotation. I would also fully expect him to start the day games after night games and some of the other obvious areas for backup catchers. I think what he will bring off the field will be what he does best, and that’s help devise game plans for pitchers and how to deal with hitters. Victor was extremely appreciative of all that Jason gave him in assistance in learning the staff on the fly last year, despite taking his playing time."

To read Mr. Orsillo's complete mailbag, click here.

*Thank you to Sterling for the heads-up!

Talkin' Tek...

January 11, 2010

From an interview with Daniel Bard conducted by Robert Woodward of "Under the Radar":

UTR: "You have one of the most respected catchers' in the game, Jason Varitek, as your catcher. What kind of impact did he have with you on settling in Boston?"

Daniel Bard: "It's nice to have a catcher that you can fully trust behind the plate. Tek is one of the smartest players I've ever been around at any position, and on top of that, the guy studies opposing hitters with the focus of Woody studying for finals at Carolina (that was a joke). But seriously, his brain is like an encyclopedia of at-bats and scouting reports that goes back more than a decade. He remembers everything. To have a guy like that, who's caught four no hitters, calling pitches for you, well I'll just say it helps you feel a lot of confidence in what pitches you're throwing."

Mr. Woodward (Woody) is a minor league pitcher with the San Diego Padres' organization selected in the 2007 draft from the University of North Carolina.

You can read his blog and the rest of his interview with Daniel here.

Also Today:

Lo Duca for Tek?

According to CSN-New England's Joe Haggerty:

"The Red Sox tossed around the idea of trading for third baseman Adrian Beltre prior to the 2003 season, when a four-player deal was discussed with Los Angeles that included Shea Hillenbrand and future captain Jason Varitek heading to Chavez Ravine for Beltre and Paul LoDuca. Imagine that."

To read the entire article, click here.

Baseball Initially takes a quick look at Tek's fascinating career:

"Jason Varitek has had a fascinating career. He played in a Little League World Series, a College World Series and a Major League World Series, and in the Olympics, too. He’s one of the few players to be drafted twice in the first round. He was part of one of the most famously bad trades in major-league history – the Mariners packaged him with Derek Lowe in order to pry Heathcliff Slocumb away from the Red Sox. He has caught four no-hitters by four different pitchers, and he was captain of the Red Sox team that broke the curse. He's a career .260 hitter who draws some walks and hits his share of doubles and home runs, and he has the rep as a great handler of pitchers."

And a quote of note that I somehow missed...

"If need be, my role changes. Most importantly, I'm here. I have the opportunity to come back and to be in Boston." -- Jason, on returning to the Red Sox in 2010 (from an article by the Union Leader's Brian MacPherson).

ESPN's "Top 10 Sox of the Decade"

December 29, 2009

The selections of Gordon Edes at ESPNBoston.com today -

1. David Ortiz, Designated Hitter

2. Manny Ramirez, Outfielder

3. Pedro Martinez, Starting Pitcher

4. Jason Varitek, Catcher: Played in more games than any Sox player in the decade (1,208), was 3rd in hits (1,045) and 3rd in HRs (148). Offense was secondary to his handling of pitchers, who swore he made a difference. The A-Rod facial altered the course of a rivalry.

5. Curt Schilling, Starting Pitcher

6. Josh Beckett, Starting Pitcher

7. Kevin Youkilis, First Baseman

8. Johnny Damon, Outfielder

9. Jonathan Papelbon, Closer

10. Dustin Pedroia, Second Baseman

Click here to read his comments for each player (scroll down to today's date).

Mr. Edes then gives you the opportunity to rank your selections for the "Top Sox of the Decade"!

To make your selections, click here.

*Thank you to my friend Caelin for the heads-up!

Also Today:

Terry likes Tek right where he is...

From Terry Francona's mailbag today at NESN.com:

Q: "Has Jason Varitek been approached about a coaching role with the Red Sox? This seems ideal, considering how well he handles a pitching staff."

Terry: "We are still happy having him on our team as a player but I agree he exhibits the skills to be a solid coach or manager when his playing days are done. It is probably not a coincidence that a lot of catchers go on to be coaches and managers."

To check out Terry's complete mailbag column, click here.

NESN Red Sox Report - David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic

December 21, 2009 (Update - see below for link to video)

You can catch all the highlights of The David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic in a special Red Sox Report airing this week on NESN.

The show chronicles the weekend's activities (held December 3-6, 2009 at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic), including the welcome reception, pairings party, golf tournament and awards gala. There will be exclusive interviews from David's Red Sox teammates, baseball superstars and friends such as Pedro Martinez, sports legends Bobby Orr, Alonzo Mourning, Andres Galarraga, Jim Rice, John Havlicek and many more.

The show is guest hosted by David Ortiz and includes teammates Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Tim Wakefield, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Daniel Bard, and Clay Buchholz. Other MLB players included Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, Robinson Cano, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Placido Polanco. Others attending the event included MLB Network commentator Sean Casey; Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Houston Astros manager Brad Mills, actors Jeffrey Donovan, Rachel Dratch and Sam Page, pop singer Joanna “JoJo” Levesque; and sports legends Bobby Orr, Jim Rice, Luis Tiant, John Havlicek and Alonzo Mourning.

In addition to coverage of the celebrity golf classic, the show will also feature one-of-a-kind footage of David Ortiz visiting Cedimat Hospital in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and interviews with family members of children who are receiving critical care courtesy of the David Ortiz Children's Fund.

This special Red Sox Report will air today at 5:00 p.m.; December 22nd at 1:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 11:30 p.m.; December 23rd at 4:30 p.m.; and December 27th at 10:30 p.m.

You can check out a few photos from the Golf Classic here.

UPDATE:

If you don't have access to NESN, you can check out a full-length video of the Special here on MLB.com...Tek makes a brief first appearance at about 11:03 minutes into the video and then in few more shots, including a short interview on the golf course.

*Thanks Susie!

Tek-nically Speaking...

December 18, 2009

...and skating!

From ESPN.com today:

Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who turns 38 one week into the 2010 season, struck a positive tone while discussing his transition from everyday starter to a backup player next season, saying he got used to the role in the two months after the trade for Victor Martinez and is fine with it.

Varitek acknowledged a couple of health issues he battled last season, including a bulging disk in his neck and a broken big toe he sustained while blocking a ball against the Anaheim Angels, on top of dealing with a partial labrum tear in his left shoulder he'd sustained previously. But in typical fashion, he refused to attribute his struggles at the plate last season -- in particular, a second half in which he batted just .157 with 1 home run and 13 RBIs -- to those injuries.

Varitek said he has been working out since the beginning of November and expects to be ready for the start of the season. He is in the last year of his contract with the Red Sox, having exercised a $3 million player option after the Sox declined to trigger the $5 million option they held on his deal, but said he did not know yet whether this would be his last season.

"I've got to listen to my body,'' Varitek said. "Now I feel strong and continuing to get stronger, so I feel really good. And if I'm able to maintain that, I don't know how long I'll play. But if my health is not there, that will be the determining point before anything.''

And from an article written by Ian Browne at MLB.com:

In a way, Varitek has been surprised at how much talk there has been about his upcoming reduced role, since that was pretty much the way things went after Martinez was acquired on July 31.

"Things fell that way kind of the last two months of the season anyway," Varitek said. "My role changed. There's different parts. I handled a lot early, played a lot and handled it in a full-time capacity. But I think that just seeing in a different role, how my body adapts to maybe the less pounding and the less physical grind, it might be a good time for me to transition. I'm preparing as I always do, to be able to handle as much as I can. I'll prepare for a full-time role even though it's dictated another way, and that way if something happens, I'm ready to go."

For those who have observed Varitek for a long time, it should come as no surprise that he doesn't plan on being in smell-the-roses mentality in 2010.

"I think you can reflect back when you're done," Varitek said. "I'm preparing to come out here and get to Spring Training and make sure I win myself a job, and to make sure I'm able to help this team win games. When I'm done and sitting on the couch and doing that full-time, then I can probably reflect more. I'm happy, and always feel fortunate that I've been able to be here and have a career, period."

Yes, Varitek did say that he needs to win a job in Spring Training. This, from the man who has held the title of captain since 2005.

"Everybody does," Varitek said. "I don't think a decal makes a difference. It's an extra letter on a uniform, but I prepare myself to go out there and be ready this spring, and work my way into trying to play at a high level."

Why the skates?

Tek was at Fenway Park for a Celebrity Skate.

He skated with Boston Bruins legends, Bobby Orr, Cam Neely and Ray Bourque, among others as the NHL prepares to get the baseball venue ready for the Winter Classic between the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers on New Year’s Day.

Hockey was the first sport that Jason played as a kid growing up in Michigan. He played until he was 7 years old and his family moved to Florida, ending his hockey "career".

What did the three hockey Hall of Famers have to say about the catcher on skates?

"I have great respect for Jason," said Bobby Orr. "He handles himself so well and you don't hear him complaining. Last year when they brought in a new catcher, Jason did a great job when he was called upon. He's a good person. I've come to know him and he's a gentleman."

Cam Neely said he admires the Red Sox Captain's contributions to his team over the years. "The thing that's impressive about Jason is his work ethic. How he approaches the game and his leadership. With our fan base, whether it's hockey, football, baseball or basketball, fans want to see guys who are committed, who work hard, who put out an effort, and that's what Jason has done."

Ray Bourque, who has gotten to know Jason through their work with the Celebrities for Charity organization agreed, "He's an incredible player and has had so many great years with the Red Sox," said Bourque. "He really stabilized that position for so many years. You just listen to the pitchers and their thoughts about working with a guy like that says it all right there."

To read the transcript of Tek's conversation with the media today, click here.

To read Ian Browne's complete article, click here.

To watch a video of his interview, click here.

To watch some video footage of Tek on the ice with Bobby Orr, click here.

To see a larger version of the first photo above, click here.

To see a larger version of little Tek - the hockey player, click here.

*Thank you to my friends Caelin, Sterling and Marylin for the heads-up today!

The Manager Question

December 8, 2009

From an interview with MLB managers in the latest issue of Sporting News magazine:

Q: "Which current player will one day make a great manager?"

Ron Washington, Texas Rangers: "Jason Varitek. I've never met a catcher who didn't have a great feel for the game. His day-to-day job -- handling a pitching staff and daily situations with flawlessness -- puts him high on my list."

For the record - Terry Francona was also asked, and his choice was Alex Cora. The Baltimore Orioles' Dave Trembley gave an "honorable mention" to Dustin Pedroia.

The latest issue is on newsstands and in bookstores now.

Speaking of Tek and Terry -

From NESN.com today:

Fan Question: "I have been hearing rumors about who will take on the role of captain after Jason Varitek. I have heard Dustin Pedroia's name several times and not once heard Kevin Youkilis' name. Will Youk be considered for the captain spot when the time comes?"

Terry Francona: "We have never had that conversation. We never had a captain before Jason. I think looking for the next captain (if we even have one) is a little premature with Tek still being here. What is important to us is getting leadership from all of those guys you mentioned."

You can read the rest of Terry's mailbag here.

Also Today:

There's still time to purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win dinner with the Captain!

Help Jason in his efforts to support the Celebrities for Charity Foundation and the many charities CFC assists throughout the year, and in return, you could win this great evening with the man himself.

Tickets start at just $2.00 each and decrease for orders of more than 5 tickets.

Entry deadline is December 15th at 11:00 a.m.

The drawing for the winner will take place later that day!

For more information, see my December 3rd news post below.

To purchase your raffle tickets, click here.

From Cap Cana...

December 6, 2009

From the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman, in his blog this morning:

When Jason Varitek exercised his option last month to return to the Red Sox, he did it with the realization that he would be the backup catcher.

For somebody who has been a fulltime catcher his entire career, the role change could be seen as a tough one, the kind that sometimes become awkward for players whose prime years have passed.

From the way Varitek has looked and sounded the last couple of days at David Ortiz' Celebrity Golf Classic, this is going to be a breeze.

"I'm excited to be back and I'm excited for another season. I'm in a good place," said Varitek yesterday.

Varitek, who turns 38 next April, did not want to go beyond that. In the coming days, he plans to speak to the Boston media to return the many queries he has received since picking up the $3 million option.

To read the rest of Mr. Silverman's blog, click here.

Oh, and did I mention I have a couple of photos? Click here.

The Man Of Few Words...

December 5, 2009

...had even fewer in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic this weekend!

From the blog of ESPN's Gordon Edes this morning:

A few things picked up at David Ortiz's charity golf tournament while contemplating why baseball's winter meetings couldn't be held in this slice of paradise instead of Indianapolis:

Jason Varitek, who has not commented publicly since the Red Sox declined their $5 million club option on him and he exercised a lesser ($3 million) player option to stay, begged off on saying anything on the matter Friday night, saying he'd prefer to do so in a conference call.

"But it's all good," said Varitek, who will be surrendering the role of everyday catcher to Victor Martinez after an 11-year run interrupted only by a fractured right elbow that limited him to 51 games in 2001.

To read Mr. Edes complete blog, click here.

Dinner with the Captain!

December 3, 2009

Celebrities for Charities presents the "Jason Varitek Captain's Dinner Raffle"!

Would you like the chance to win dinner with the Captain on December 17th in Boston?

The winning ticket holder will receive the following:

-- You and 3 guests will enjoy dinner with Jason on December 17, 2009, in the Greater Boston Area.

-- You and each guest will receive a baseball autographed by Jason.

-- You and each guest may bring up to 2 items to be autographed by Jason.

-- You and each guest will have your photograph take with Jason.

Help Jason in his efforts to support the Celebrities for Charity Foundation and the many charities CFC assists throughout the year, and in return, you could win this great evening with the Captain himself.

Tickets start at just $2.00 each and decrease for orders of more than 5 tickets.

Entry deadline is December 15th at 11:00 a.m.

The drawing for the winner will take place later that day!

For more information and to purchase your raffle tickets, click here.

Just A Few More Days Left...

December 2, 2009

...to bid on auction items to support the David Ortiz Children's Fund:

The 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic, which benefits his charity, starts tomorrow through Sunday (December 3rd-6th) in the Dominican Republic's beautiful Cap Cana Resort. The golfers guest list includes the Red Sox captain Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and manager Terry Francona. Also expected on the course are MLB stars Torii Hunter, Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, and Vladimir Guerrero.

To coincide with his tournament, David has some great items up for auction on his event site which you can bid on through December 6th.

Among the new items up for auction:

The "Tee off with Mark Wahlberg" package - the winning bidder can join actor Mark Wahlberg and the cast of "Entourage" on the golf course for his Celebrity Golf Tournament. You can bid on the opportunity to take fielding lessons from AL MVP Dustin Pedroia or be the proud owner of a Celebrity signed Gibson guitar, signed by David Ortiz, all three Jonas Brothers, Yandel of Wisin y Yandel, Wilmer Valderrama, Juan Luis Guerra, Ivan Lins & Edward James Olmos?

And there is still time to bid on autographed collectibles from your favorite Red Sox players:

A Jason Varitek signed catchers mask, a Daisuke Matsuzaka signed jersey, a Josh Beckett signed baseball, a Jonathan Papelbon signed baseball, and an official David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic Golf Bag. There is also an auction for a lesson with Tim Wakefield on how to throw a knuckleball!

And for that 'All-Boston teams' fan on your Christmas list: The "Best of Boston Package" which includes a Paul Pierce signed jersey, a Tom Brady signed football, a Zdeno Chara signed jersey, and a David Ortiz signed bat.

There are also auctions for trips to Las Vegas, a Costa Rica resort, tickets to the New Year's Winter Classic, tickets to the Home Opener at Fenway, and tickets to the Patriots' Season Finale...

To see all of the items and place a bid or two, click here.

All auction proceeds will benefit the David Ortiz Children's Fund.

Tito Talks Tek...

November 18, 2009

Red Sox manager Terry Francona was a guest on WEEI's Dale & Holley Show today and took a few moments to talk about Jason:

Q: "Would Jason Varitek make a good coach?"

Terry Francona: "I don't think yet. I wouldn't approach him with that. I don't think he would like that one.

"I saw Tek the other day. I think he's in a good place. I think he's going to do a good job. I've said this a lot of times: he has that 'C' on his jersey for a reason. Victor is going to catch the majority of games. How much, we don't know.

"I think Tek can be an unbelievable backup catcher. Because his body can't handle catching 140 games anymore, that doesn't mean, if you run him out there less than that, especially from the right side – and again, by the time July rolled around this year, he had 13, 14 home runs. You're not going to find backup catchers who have that ability, that game-calling experience. He kind of gets run into the ground physically. And again, he's caught a lot of games. Some of that is my responsibility, too. But I think that in the situation we have, hopefully, upcoming, he can really excel in that."

Q:"Do you think his clubhouse role changes with decreased playing time?"

Terry Francona: "I don't think so, and I think a lot of that is because of Jason. If he didn't accept it, then it could have been a problem. I don't see that happening. I saw him the other day. He was about as fired up as I've seen him. Last year...that's a tough thing to not play. I don't care who you are, whether you're good enough or not...to have somebody come and tell you that somebody is taking your playing time is hard to take.

"I never saw Jason put himself ahead of the team. I didn't expect him to walk in the clubhouse and 'lead the cheers' for not playing. At the same time, he never let that get in the way of his caring for the team or helping Victor. Again, that's part of the reason he has the 'C' on his chest. He's lived up to that. I know he will continue to."

To listen to Terry's complete interview, click here.

Also Today:

Catcher George Kottaras, who was released by the Red Sox this morning, has been claimed off-waivers by the Brewers this afternoon.

According to the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:

This could give the Brewers another option at catcher if Kottaras can prove himself during spring training. He is a left-handed hitter and the plan could be to use him in a platoon with Brewers catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy, a right-handed hitter.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin said the addition was just to add depth to the position and he hasn't thought much about a platoon just yet, but Melvin would invite Lucroy to big-league camp and see how he handles himself.

Melvin also said he likes Kottaras' bat and that he is working on his defense.

Kottaras is a Canadian -- the Brewers' Canadian-led operation scouts that country as well or better than any other organization -- who was drafted in the 20th round on the 2002 draft by San Diego. In 2006, he was listed as the Padres' No. 2 prospect by Baseball America magazine.

To read the entire Brewers Blog, click here.

Wishing George Kottaras all the best with his new team!

You can check out a larger version of the photo above here.

Support Big Papi...

November 17, 2009

...and his Foundation:

The 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic, which benefits the David Ortiz Children's Fund, is just around the corner (see November 13th news below) and there are some great autographed items up for auction on his event site through December 6th, including...

A Jason Varitek signed catchers mask, a Daisuke Matsuzaka signed jersey, a Josh Beckett signed baseball, a Jonathan Papelbon signed baseball, and an official David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic Golf Bag.

You will also find autographed items from MLB stars like Mariano Rivera and Alex Rodriguez, and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

And it's not just baseball, there's a Philip Rivers signed football, a signed jacket from two-time Formula One World Champion Racer Mika Hakkinen, and a Jack Nicklaus signed Fujikura SG Pro 2.01 driver up for auction as well.

The "Best of Boston Package" includes a Paul Pierce signed jersey, a Tom Brady signed football, a Zdeno Chara signed jersey, and a David Ortiz signed bat.

For more info and to bid on any of these items, click here.

There are also auctions for trips to Las Vegas, a Costa Rica resort, tickets to the New Year's Winter Classic, tickets to the Home Opener at Fenway, and tickets to the Patriots' Season Finale...

Or how about the opportunity to learn to throw a knuckleball with Tim Wakefield on the mound? Or the chance to have Big Papi attend your child's birthday party?

Those auctions can be found here.

All auction proceeds will benefit the David Ortiz Children's Fund.

*Thank you to Kathy for the heads-up!

"Varitek's Return Has Answered One Off-Season Question"

November 15, 2009

From Peter Gammon's column on ESPN.com this weekend:

Before Varitek decided to pick up his $3 million option and return at the age of 38 to the Red Sox, the club had explored other options.

Kelly Shoppach interested them, and had worked in tandem with Victor Martinez in Cleveland. They thought about Rod Barajas, Gerald Laird and others, but now Theo Epstein is convinced Varitek will go into the season as the backup to Martinez.

After coming to the Red Sox in the trade deadline deal, Martinez repeatedly marveled at how selflessly Varitek worked with him in his game preparation. Martinez was highly respected in Cleveland for his sense of responsibility with pitchers and his pitch-calling instincts, and the two worked well together.

Having Varitek and Martinez allows bullpen coach Gary Tuck to work with the young Red Sox catchers in spring training.

The staff thought Varitek's defensive problems at the end of last season stemmed from his workload at age 37, especially given his intensity. The question, however, has been that with his toe-tap and complicated swing, could Varitek hit at all playing once or twice a week?

The Red Sox's reply to that question is that Varitek is a far better hitter with a far simpler swing from the right side. He batted .226 with a .793 OPS from the right side, with an .807 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Of the nine catchers who qualified for the batting title, only Joe Mauer, Martinez and Brian McCann had better than an .807 OPS.

Even though Martinez is one of the rare switch-hitters whose swing is almost exactly the same from both sides, his numbers against right-handers (.316, .866) were better than against lefties (.273, .848), so this could turn into an informal platoon. Martinez could also be used as the designated hitter against left-handers if David Ortiz were to struggle against lefties.

To read Mr. Gammon's complete Red Sox column, click here.

*Thank you to Lynn for the heads-up!

The 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic

November 13-14, 2009

Stepping up to the tee to support Big Papi and his charity -

The 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic will be held December 3rd-6th at the Cap Cana Resort in the Dominican Republic.

The star-studded event benefits the David Ortiz Children's Fund, providing children in New England and the Dominican Republic access to the pediatric critical care they need to live full and productive lives.

The inaugural David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic in 2008 netted more than $300,000.

David expects to be joined by a host of celebrities and MLB players, including teammates Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and manager Terry Francona. Torii Hunter, Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, and Vladimir Guerrero are also expected to attend.

Cap Cana is one of the most spectacular resort communities in the world. Guests will stay at the five-star luxury Sanctuary Cap Cana Golf & Spa, overlooking the turquoise waters and pristine beaches of the Caribbean Sea. The tournament itself will take place at the Jack Nicklaus-design and signature golf course, Punta Espada.

The David Ortiz Children's Fund began as a way for David to help children in his home country. The Fund is proud to partner with Heart Care Dominicana, International Hospital for Children, and the Massachusetts General Hospital to fulfill its life-saving mission, linking pediatric critical care services to children in developing countries. To date, the Fund has raised over $1 million for children in New England and the Dominican Republic and has given life, health, and hope to critically ill Dominican children.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities for the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic, please contact Michele Lasky at michelelasky@company20.com.

You can also visit his Children's Fund site here.

From The Fans...

November 13, 2009

Just a few of the emails I received in the last couple of days....

"Erin, let me be the first to say 'WOOOHOOOO!!!'. I kept coming by to check your site (I knew you'd keep us up-to-date even though I also knew you were on vacation!) and there it was. Dimished role or not, the man has a lot to offer and it is a great feeling to know that my favorite player wil be back in a Red Sox uni next season. Thank you for the site, it's always a pleasure to stop by." -- Jim K., Cape Cod

"Thank you Tek!!! I am so glad you will be back!! I need to make another trip to Boston next season or maybe Florida for spring training! I went to my first Red Sox game this year and was able to meet Jason at a charity event. That man has class! He probably has hundreds, no not hundreds, but thousands of fans that come up to him all the time to shake his hand and say hello, to ask for autographs or pictures or hugs and kisses, woops! sorry...wishful thinking.

"The things I noticed when I met him (besides him being very tall and very handsome) was the respect and kindness he gave me. He made me feel like he really wanted to hear what I had to say. In those few seconds, I felt like I was the only person in the room that existed for him as he gave me his full attention. He didn't make up some excuse to walk away. He wasn't looking around checking out the party. (don't you hate it when someone does that.) Those few seconds were the highlight of my trip!

"I wonder if people really realize the extent of the service he gives to Boston and the surrounding areas, to charities, to the hospitals and to the children. How much Tek being part of the Boston Red Sox brings to tourism, merchandising, and how with Tek at an event, the event's attendance increases significantly. He is so much more than just a baseball player!

"The Red Sox are lucky to have him back! He brings with him his expertise, his experiences and his leadership. Boston is lucky to have him!

"Thanks Erin for letting the fans speak out!" -- Jamie, Omaha Nebraska

"I am so glad that he going to be back for one more year. I am moving to Boston with in the year, so hopefully I will be able to see him play in Fenway Park." -- Sterling, from the site's MySpace page

"I am absolutely ecstatic Tek's coming back. Wasn't prepared to see him go. Also means another putt-putt next year. Another chance to see him up close. I've been a Red Sox fan for over 30 years and he is my all-time favorite. I am very, very happy. I also want to thank you for this website. Everytime I need a "Tek fix" I come on here and look at all the great pictures you have." -- Thanks again, Lisa, Melrose, MA

"Yay!! He's back!!! Made my day!" -- Caelin

"Erin, I was thinking after the Yankees won (Booo!) what Tek would do. It was my conclusion that he decided last year when his deal with the Red Sox included a player option that it was already agreed that he would exercise his option the second year. Now I know things can change during a season but I have to believe this is how Jason wanted to go out…on his own terms.

"I have told my husband that I am definitely heading down to FL in the spring to hopefully meet and greet him and of course get a picture and autograph. It will be my last chance. Although I have a kid in college taking every bit of extra money from me, I have made up my mind I am saving every penny I can to make it down there.

"Now after his catching career is over, it is my thought that he will move on to coaching jobs maybe down in the minor leagues. I am not sure of any openings but it would be nice if he wanted to come to Portland for a while…that would make him a little closer. That will also allow you to keep track of his new chapter in life….the COACH, but not the Captain. It will be neat to see what he does.

"By the way, thanks so much for your time and effort towards your web site for him. It is great!!! I enjoy it – especially the pictures." -- Lana Ballard

"Erin, all I can say is Hallelujah!!!! I wasn't looking forward to another winter of wondering and waiting. Great job on the site. It helps having one place to go to. Take care and have a wonderful holiday season." -- Tina

"Thank goodness he didn't make us wait all winter!! Soooo excited!!" -- AND0227

"No surprise to me that Jason Varitek accepted his option. First and foremost, all you have to do is look back at this past season to see the grace and leadership he demonstrated when Victor Martinez was added to the roster. It was obvious that he mentored the younger catcher and helped him adjust to his new team while at the same time he himself had to be struggling to realize that his once frontline role would now be diminished. Most of us 'retire' from our profession in our sixties...imagine how it must feel at 37 to know that you are reaching the end of the road in a job that you love and that it is time to pass the torch if you will.

"TEK is accepting his new role because he wants to retire as a Red Sox player. And, because he is the captain and a role model, he is doing whatever he can to help his team. We have never heard a negative comment or thought come out of his mouth, and you never will. With the extra time off, his body won't break down and I believe he may have a pretty good season much like the first half of last year. And, Victor Martinez and the rest of the Sox will be better for his presence." -- Dori

"I'm happy. Captain TEK is also supported in 2010. Let's go TEK!" -- SHIMA, JAPAN

"Glad to see him come back for another year! Very glad!!!" -- Dan, New Hampshire

"I'm so glad that the Captain is back. He has so much to offer to our team it's beyond words. Yes, his hitting may not be where it used to be but his knowledge for the game is beyond words. Thanks Tek for giving your favorite and number 1 fans another season to watch you play for us." -- Ann, from the site's MySpace page

"Hi Erin - Yippee! I think this is terrific, and I was holding my breath until Jason made his decision.

"I hope this is the beginning of a transition from being a superb and elite catcher to another role where he can use those tangible and intangible skills within the Red Sox organization for a long time, as a coach or otherwise.

"And, thankfully, you will continue to update your site, and I will continue to check it on a daily basis for updates!

"Keep up the great work, and have a terrific holiday season!" -- Sue

"Erin, it sure is nice to have a place to send my positive thoughts where they don't get lost in all the mean-spirited ones on other sites and forums. I have always been and always will be a big fan of Varitek. He is the epitome of the Dirt Dog player. A professional through and through. I am so pleased to see him return." -- Patrick, Maine

"Yippee Skippee! He's back in Beantown one more year! Good! I am so happy and relieved. I guess this means I'll have to make that trek to Fenway this year. Oh darn... the lengths I go to... LOL!!! J/K! I want to go back and now I have a viable reason. Viable in my book! Thanks for keeping us all up to date Erin. Seriously!" -- Becky, California

"Erin, I kept stopping by your site every hour for the last couple days figuring you'd have the news up when it was available - you didn't disappoint! Thank you! Very glad to see our captain come back. Whew!" -- Dale, Virginia by way of Boston

"We are so happy that Tek is coming back for one more year. Now, if we can just get him to come back after that as a coach....Looking forward to another great Red Sox season. How many days left til' spring training starts?" -- The Kramer Family, Massachusetts

Thank you to everyone who took the time to email!

The Captain's Back!

November 11, 2009 - Veterans Day

From the Boston Globe & Boston Herald a few minutes ago:

Tek has exercised his $3 million option for 2010, the Red Sox announced late Wednesday afternoon.

"We're happy to have Jason back and we look forward to a good year from him in 2010," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein told the Globe. "He means an awful lot to the organization on and off the field. He helps solidify our catching position also and is a big asset to the pitching staff.

"We're happy he decided to come back and stay in the organization he's such an important part of."

Acquired by Boston from Seattle on July 31, 1997, Varitek has hit .259 (1,232-for-4,765) with 175 home runs and 705 RBI in 1,439 career Major League games over parts of 13 seasons with the Red Sox. He has been behind the plate in a club-record 1,381 contests and ranks among franchise all-time leaders in overall games played (9th), doubles (8th, 290), home runs (12th), RBI (15th) and walks (15th, 583).

Okay fans, you can breathe now!

*If you want to send along some positive comments that you'd like added to the site later in the week, please email me!

Thoughts From Another Veteran Catcher...

November 10, 2009

Brad Ausmus talks Tek, from an article by the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo this morning:

Baseball sources indicated last night that Varitek will accept his option and will notify the Sox as soon as today.

Varitek's place as one of the top catchers in Red Sox history is secure. Sox' pitching certainly flourished during his heyday. To this day, Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe still consider him the best catcher they ever threw to.

Varitek remains a leader on the team and should be able to remain that way even in a backup role.

One player who has been through the transition is Brad Ausmus, who backed up Russell Martin in Los Angeles this season.

"I think Jason is going to be OK," Ausmus said. "What I did was I approached it from Day 1 like I was going to be the backup and I was going to do everything I could to help Russell. We pored over scouting reports every day and came up with a good plan for that particular game. I know Jason is going to do the same thing because he’s so respected and we all know he's the best in the game at being prepared. Nobody works harder than Jason Varitek in preparing a pitcher to pitch that day. He can still do that with Victor and it will be a big help to Victor. I'm sure some of that happened last season with the two of them.

"The one thing I found having all that time is you tend to get bored. You tend to try to find things to do. Last year I just sat with Don Mattingly and we went over the game inning by inning and move by move. It's a way of kind of staying in the game. There were times I'd think to myself, 'Gee, I would have done it this way.' Or, 'I wished I'd been out there,' that kind of thing. There's a definite mind-set you have to have and after you’re a starter for a long time you just have to accept that that part of your career is over.

"It's not easy, but I think you're going to have some pitchers who want to throw to Jason. You hope that doesn’t become a problem and it probably won't. But knowing how professional Jason has been, I think he’ll transition to it just fine."

To read the entire article, click here.

Tek To Return?

November 9, 2009 - Evening Update

From a report on NESN.com this evening:

The Red Sox declined to exercise their $5 million team option on catcher Jason Varitek on Monday, but that doesn’t mean the longtime captain will be leaving Boston.

NESN learned on Monday night that the 37-year-old Varitek will exercise his $3 million player option for 2010 that includes up to another $2 million in incentives. The move is expected to be formalized on Tuesday and will keep Varitek with the Red Sox through at least the end of 2010.

With the incentives, Varitek would earn an additional $400,000 for starting 80 games in 2010 and another bonus for every 10 starts thereafter.

To read the rest, click here.

However...

According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twittter), Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said "Jason has not yet picked up his option. That could come tomorrow, however."

The Waiting Game...

November 9, 2009

From MLB.com's Ian Browne this evening:

The Red Sox officially took care of the main part of their catching solution for 2010, exercising All-Star Victor Martinez's $7.1 million club option on Monday. But veteran Jason Varitek, who has caught more games than any player in Red Sox history, remains in limbo.

Boston declined the $5 million club option it held for Varitek, but the veteran has until Saturday to notify the team if he will exercise his $3 million player option.

If Varitek declines his option, he will be a free agent for the second consecutive offseason.

Once the Red Sox acquired Martinez in a trade with the Indians on July 31, Varitek suddenly found himself playing a reduced role after serving as Boston's primary catcher for the past decade.

In 13 seasons with Boston, Varitek has caught 1,381 games and ranks among the club's all-time leaders in games played (ninth, 1,439), doubles (eighth, 290), home runs (12th, 175), RBIs (15th, 705) and walks (15th, 583).

To read the entire article, click here.

To see a larger version of Kelly O'Connor's photo, click here.

Quite A Collection!

November 8, 2009

Fan Penny Linville emailed me about a month ago to ask a question about Jason's 2009 Memorial Day gear:

"First off, let me thank you for such a wonderful and positive site on Mr. Varitek. I have discovered you just don't miss anything in this man's career. Your site has been most helpful to me in so many ways I am not sure I can name them all. I hope you won't mind answering a question if you know, and I believe if anyone does you will."

With the help of Stan Jurga Jr. of All-Star Sports, we were able to answer her question, and now Penny is the proud owner of Jason's 2009 game-used Memorial Day gear by way of a secondary seller.

This week, Penny sent me several photos of her growing collection of game-used Tek gear (along with info on the items and how she became interested in collecting).

You can check 'em out here.

*Penny, thank you so much for your email and for sharing your photos!

"A Win For Both Sides"

November 6, 2009

From an article written by NESN's Michael Hurley today:

Since the late '90s, the Red Sox have welcomed their fair share of characters through the doors on Yawkey Way. Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Millar, Orlando Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett and Ugueth Urbina -- to name a few -- provided the spark and excitement that a team needs on occasion.

But standing out among the rest has been Jason Varitek, Boston's model of consistency on the field and in the clubhouse. When the Red Sox sewed the "C" on the catcher's jersey, the organization showed how far it was willing to go to show Varitek the appreciation he deserved.

The Red Sox hold a $5 million option on Varitek for 2010, one they're almost certain not to exercise after the catcher hit just .209 in 2009. Varitek, though, holds a $3 million option to stay with the Red Sox, one that would be a win for both sides if he chooses to exercise it.

Varitek's biggest problem in 2009 was that the Red Sox needed him to be more than he was. They needed Varitek to be 32 years old again.

In 2010, however, with Mike Lowell needing much less time off than he did last year, Victor Martinez will be able to spend the bulk of the season behind the plate. That will allow Varitek to play once or twice a week at most, and in turn will allow Lowell, Martinez and Kevin Youkilis to each take a breather every 10 games or so.

Ideally, if Varitek played only after several days of rest, he'd be much more productive, and he'd be as good a backup as there is in the major leagues.

Of course, that reason alone isn't necessarily enough to re-sign a veteran catcher. But that's where Varitek's leadership -- both in the clubhouse and in the bullpen -- comes in to play.

Realistically, having Jason Varitek in the clubhouse won't inspire Dustin Pedroia to get more hits, nor will it motivate Jacoby Ellsbury to swipe an extra bag or two. Varitek's presence will, however, help a pitching staff that still includes a number of young arms. Varitek himself seemed to admit that he wasn't the same player before this year's postseason began, yet he remained confident in his ability to help the ballclub.

"It's different, but the fact of the matter is that we need to put our best lineup out there," Varitek said in early October. “I have one job to do -- support my teammates and be prepared if the bell rings. ... You can't control your playing time, but you can control the other parts of what you can contribute. It may not be by playing. It may be by being on the bench.

"There are things you see," he said. "Things you can offer."

Those "things" cannot be easily described. They're the types of "things" that only a 12-year veteran who has spent 11,316 innings behind the plate and has stepped in for 4,765 at-bats in the bigs can bring. They're the type of things that help a ballclub win.

The Red Sox can win without Varitek, but they're a better team with him on board. For $3 million, it's a no-brainer.

To read Mr. Hurley's complete article, click here.

From Ian Browne's Mailbag Today...

November 2, 2009

Red Sox Beat Reporter Ian Browne answered a couple of fan questions about Tek:

On the Captain's return -

"Regarding Varitek, the Red Sox are unlikely to pick up the $5 million club option they have on the captain for next season. That said, Varitek has his own option worth $3 million that he can exercise if he chooses. The decision Varitek has to make is whether he wants to kick in that option and be a backup player for a team he has been the leader of for several years, or if he'd rather finish his career somewhere else. The other decision Varitek could always make is to retire. Stay tuned."

On Tek becoming the Sox bench coach in 2010 -

"That is one of those rumors that seemed to take on a life of its own from the day Brad Mills got his job as manager of the Astros. Down the line, I could see something like that. But not in 2010. It is usually beneficial for a player to take a step back for a year or two before making the transition from player to coach."

To read the rest of his mailbag at MLB.com, click here.

Halloween Memories...

October 31, 2009 - Happy Halloween!

ESPN's Louise K. Cornetta asked Red Sox players, "What was your favorite Halloween costume?"

Jason Varitek: "Batman. We didn't have the shell and the armor back then. We had a plastic mask."

Mike Lowell: "I was a Viking one time with the horn hat and everything."

Jason Bay: "I'm having a tough time remembering anything I was for Halloween other than the cheesy baseball player, but that's not good. I can't use that. I was a hula dancer. But the embarrassing part is I wore it when I was in college; it wasn't even when I was younger. It was when I was like 20." (Teammate Jacoby Ellsbury chimes in, "I have pictures if you want.")

Jed Lowrie: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was the blue one, Leonardo. He was my favorite."

Michael Bowden: "Well, it wasn't Halloween, but when the rookies had to dress up for initiation, I was the Tin Woman from 'The Wizard of Oz.' In eighth grade, I dressed up as a girl. I had pretty long hair. Some of the doors, when I went to get the candy, they would question what I was supposed to be because they didn't know I was a boy."

Daniel Bard: "I dressed up as Ice Man from 'Top Gun.' It was pretty good. I was told I resemble Val Kilmer in that movie. I spiked my hair up and got a green flight suit and aviator sunglasses."

Clay Buchholz: "I must have been 15 or 16 -- I dressed up as Michael Myers when 'Halloween' came out. I had the Michael Myers mask and wore one of my dad's work suits and had a chainsaw with no chain on it. I ran around the neighborhood chasing kids. It was pretty funny until the parents got mad at me and I had to sort of veer off into my house."

As for Big Papi...

"I have never dressed up, never as a kid. But my son, he's going to be a bumblebee this year."

Ms. Cornetta has included other Boston athletes in her poll. To read them all, click here.

*A BIG THANK YOU to Jake for sending me the link to this story!

A Perfect Fit?

October 27, 2009

With the news today that Brad Mills has been named the new manager of the Houston Astros (Congratulations to Coach Mills!) there is a now a vacancy for the Red Sox bench coach position...

And who better to fill that vacancy and be Terry Francona's right-hand man than Jason Varitek!

Apparently, I am not alone in this thinking...

The news of Mills' move to Houston is barely an hour old and already the blogs and fan forums are starting to buzz with talk of Tek being the perfect fit for the Sox bench coach position, or perhaps a player/coach.

I have already had several emails this afternoon from Tek fans who are on the same wave length with this idea. The East Bay Dirt Dog blogger thinks it's a great idea, and heck, even those cranky armchair GM's over at Sons of Sam Horn think so too (wonders never cease - even if some of the comments are snarky)!

Of course, the big obstacle to this great idea is that the Red Sox AND Jason have to agree with this thinking! Ah well, there is nothing wrong with a little collective wishful thinking among fans of the Captain!

Thoughts? send them to me!

Decisions, Decisions...

October 21, 2009

I have received quite a few emails from fans asking how the "whole team option/player option thing works"....

According to WEEI's Alex Speier:

"The Red Sox have until five days after the World Series to decide whether to exercise their $5 million club option on Varitek for next season. If the Red Sox decline their option, then Varitek would have five days from the time of being notified of the club's decision to decide whether or not to exercise a one-year, $3 million (with the possibility of another $2 million in incentives) player option."

Of course, I will update the site with any developments, so be sure to check back!

Also Today:

Check out this great story on a Yankees vs Red Sox rivalry that had a very happy ending!

Kelly Comes Through!

October 18, 2009

Kelly O'Connor has captured the last of the "Tek photos" for the 2009 season.

I have added them here.

But to check out all of her latest photos, click on her site here and then click on her new "SmugMug" photo page.

Kelly, thank you so much for sharing all of your beautiful photos with us!

Interview Caps & Quotes Added...

October 14, 2009

If you've missed NESN's Celebrity Spotlight Series on Jason's Putt Putt Tournament this month and can't wait for the next showing (Sunday, Oct 18th @ 12:00 pm & 6:30 pm)...

You can check out his interview in screen captures and quotes by clicking here.

If you're new to the site and missed photos from the event, which was held on September 14th at the Ferncroft Country Club in Middleton, Massachusetts...

You can check out fan photos here.

And if you need something to take up some of that non-baseball watching time...

You can check out last year's Celebrity Spotlight on Jason here.

Youk Talks Tek...

October 13, 2009

From an interview with Kevin Youkilis on WAAF's Hill-Man Morning Show:

H-M: "I thought it was really classy the way Tek handled himself. I know he's a guy who really likes to play, and it was probably really tough for him, but it was extremely classy the way he handled all that."

Kevin Youkilis: "Yeah, he does a great job. It was tough on him, but he's had a rough time the past two years, and he's always putting the team first. That's his attitude, and that's why he's captain of the team and they put that 'C' on his chest. So it's an amazing thing what he does, and he's a great team guy, and unfortunately he didn't get to play as much as he would have liked to, but he went about it the right way, and that's the biggest thing. There's some guys who go about it the wrong way, and he goes about it the right way. Doesn't use the media as leverage, and stuff like that. It's very good to have guys like that that you play with."

To hear the full interview, click here.

*Thank you to Anna!

"Beckett Wants His Tek-nician Back In 2010"

October 12, 2009

From WEEI's Mike Petraglia this afternoon:

Josh Beckett made it clear on Monday that he would like to see Jason Varitek back in a Red Sox uniform in 2010.

"He's definitely one of those guys I'd love to see back, even if the transition starts like it started at the end of the year," Beckett said. "I think there’s a lot of things that a lot of people can learn from him. And him being around, it's never a bad thing. He's so great with young guys and he knows how to run a clubhouse and that's why he wears that 'C' on his chest."

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said Monday that he had yet to speak to Varitek about his role next year.

Epstein added that he Victor Martinez would likely see the majority of catching duty next year.

"It's obviously not anything you want to see somebody go through, and I consider Jason Varitek a dear friend of mine," Beckett added. "It’s obviously tough to see people go through those transitions but he handled it very well."

To read Mr. Petraglia's "Full Count" blog, click here.

Don't Forget...

Jason and his Putt Putt Tournament will be featured on NESN's Celebrity Spotlight Series tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 6:30 p.m.

For other showings this month, see the October 9th post below or you can always keep up by checking the Events/Appearances section in the column on the right.

New Fan Photos Added...

October 11, 2009

R.L. (Becky) Cooley, our "California Connection", was in attendance Thursday for Game 1 of the ALDS and snapped some great photos to share with us.

She caught the Captain during batting practice, the pre-game ceremony, in the dugout and in the bullpen.

To see them all, click here.

And to check out a few photos from Allie, who attended a game at Fenway last month, click here.

Tek-nically Speaking...

"It's been great. I think we have a great relationship. First, there is the respect factor of playing against each other, and then working together. It's worked out great for all of us.

"Vic's been great. He's been a huge part of this team, a huge part of our offense. He swings the bat really well, and he's done a good job behind the plate." -- Jason, on working with Victor Martinez, from an interview/article with MLB.com.

"I think he's just a prototypical winning catcher -- the guy that goes back there and understands the importance of calling 150 pitches. Having a pitcher execute the 150 pitches, and making anything you do offensively secondary to that.

"He will have an ugly at-bat and put that mask on and all of a sudden he's an All-Star catcher back there again. I think there's an important lesson for a lot of young catchers and something we certainly try to pound into our youngsters about the influence that you're going to have on a game. Even when he's not swinging the bat well, he's had as much of an influence on Boston's success in the last six, seven years as anybody over there." -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia, from the same interview/article.

Also Today:

Congratulations to the Red Sox for their 95-game winning season and another trip to the post-season!

Now that the season is officially over, I'll be keeping up with things as usual, but I will not turn the site into "Speculation Central" when it comes to Jason's plans for the 2010 season. I'll do my best to keep readers up-to-date without posting every media rumor and every opinion from those so-called "baseball experts" (who didn't do a real good job with their 2009 predictions)!

And for the fans that have asked already: The site will continue to follow Jason's career - wherever it takes him! Hope you'll come along for the ride!

Talkin' Tek On The Airwaves Today

October 9, 2009

Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar was a guest on the Ripken Baseball Show hosted by Cal Jr. and Bill Ripken this afternoon on MLB Radio on XM:

Cal Ripkin, Jr.: "With the controversy in New York with Posada and Molina catching Burnett, and with the transition seemingly taking place in Boston right now with Victor Martinez catching and not Jason Varitek -- and you know, I don't know whether I am totally alright with that. I am a big Varitek fan and I love the way he controls the game and all the intangible things he does back there. Are we not going to see Jason catch a game or are we going to see Victor catch the whole staff?"

Tim Bogar: "Well, I'm not exactly sure how that's going to work out. I know that Vic has caught Beckett the last couple of games, and Terry has been thinking that through with the front office and how they want to go about it. You know, Jason Varitek is a professional. He is unbelievable at what he does. His preparation, his knowledge of the staff, he's caught this staff for a long time, they trust him.

"You get a guy like Victor on your team and it changes the dynamic a little bit. You want to have Mikey Lowell over there at third, you want to have Youkilis at first. And when Victor's not catching, he's going to play first base and David Ortiz is going to DH. It kind of gives you a little bit of a different direction to think about if you're not going to have him catch.

"But I'll tell you this - Jason has been awesome with Victor. They sit and they talk all the time. They try and get on the same page [with the pitching staff], and I'll tell you what, for a guy who has caught for as long as Tek has, and does the things that he has, he has been unbelievably great with Victor. And Victor has been very appreciative of it."

You can check out Ripken Baseball's website here.

Former Red Sox first baseman (and MLB Network analyst) Kevin Millar was a guest on the Dennis & Callahan Show this morning on WEEI:

Q: "Are you surprised at the way the Jason Varitek [situation] unfolded? … They bring Victor Martinez in and Terry Francona was not hesitant to send his captain to the bench and pinch-hit for his captain when he was in there and it appears he's not going to see any action in this series."

Kevin Millar: "It's always a tough thing, and Posada's going through it right this second, same type thing. You have a guy like Varitek who's been there and obviously the trade for Victor around the July deadline, it started making things a little bit uneasy I would say, you know, I'm not on the team. You have Mikey sit down a couple of days, I know Ortiz sits down a day, and then you had Varitek. It was kind of a revolving thing, and that's not an easy situation because Varitek being your captain and being your leader on that club. There are so many other intangibles that Jason brings, we sometimes as fans just look at stats and numbers and, 'OK, he's hitting .204 or .327' or there's more in this game behind the scenes that happens. Varitek gets paid a lot of money to put down fingers also and know lineups and execute different things. It's tough, but as we get older we get different roles that we’ve got to take also. And personally, that's what happens. With Varitek, it's about wins and losses right now."

Q: "When you have four guys in three spots, somebody is going to sit, somebody is going to be unhappy about sitting. What happens in the clubhouse dynamics when they make it known they are not happy with the way it's going?"

Kevin Millar: It can affect the other guys, but Jason Varitek is a professional. All four of these guys are professionals. You are not dealing with an amateur player that can cause problems. You want guys to play, let’s get that straight, but you’re not going to make everybody happy. You've got 25 guys, everyone wants to play. I mean, Kotchman was a starter before he came over, he’s been on the bench and I'm sure he's not happy, but these guys are professionals. That's a good clubhouse. That seems like a great group of guys. And Varitek? he should be out there everyday! But he handles it in a perfect way.

Q: What is your take on the pitcher-catcher relationship on the battery here. Do you care if a pitcher feels more comfortable with a catcher even if that catcher can't hit?

Kevin Millar: "We had that discussion yesterday on the Posada-Burnett situation. I think that's important that you want that pitcher comfortable throwing to that catcher because that’s the game. I mean, you’ve got to pitch and you’ve got to catch the ball. Offensively, you're going to hit and score some runs, but especially when you’ve got a horse like Beckett or a horse like Lester. Now if somebody, and I'll use an example, if I'm a pitcher and not comfortable, well great, but 'you're my fifth starter'. But if you are the Number One, or Number Two [pitcher]...Maddox always had a catcher...that's not uncommon! there's different scenerios that Varitek brings when you talk about intangibles besides just offense. It's not like he just can't hit!! He's got 14 homers, he's still a threat."

To listen to Kevin's full interview, click here.

Today's Tek Stats:

After the game last night, Terry Francona announced that Victor Martinez will be behind the plate again tonight to catch Josh Beckett.

-- Tek has caught Beckett in 83 of his 90 starts since the start of the 2007 season.

-- Josh Beckett's OPS-against with Martinez behind the plate (1.021 in just 81 plate appearances) is nearly three times more than when Tek (.625, in 742 plate appearances) is the receiver.

Television Reminder (in case you missed last night's premiere)...

Don't forget to tune in this month to NESN's Celebrity Spotlight Series hosted by Ray Bourque.

The featured celebrity is Jason, and the spotlight will be on his 2009 Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament that took place in September.

The Show's schedule:

Tuesday, October 13th @ 6:30 pm

Sunday, October 18th @ 12:00 pm & 6:30 pm

Friday, October 23rd @ 10:30 pm

Saturday, October 24th @ 2:00 pm

Monday, October 26th @ 10:30 pm

Friday, October 30th @ 5:30 pm

*You can always check the dates by scrolling down to the Events/Appearances section in the column on the right.

This Weekend...

R.L. Cooley, our "California Connection" will be in attendance at the ALDS in Anaheim and will have her camera in tow (and the lens cap off)!

Stop back by to see what new photos she has to share!

"There's One Job To Do And That's To Support My Teammates"

October 7-8, 2009

From WEEI and the LA Times this evening:

"It's different. It's definitely different," said Varitek. "You can't really control playing time, but you can control the other parts where you contribute. It may not be by playing. It may be on the bench. You can’t really control those things, but it's not the time of year to be selfish.

"There's one job to do and that's to support my teammates, and be prepared if the bell rings. All I can do is go and do what I do and be a good teammate."

The Sox captain said that he is still doing everything in his power to remain ready in case the Sox need him. At the same time, he is more than willing to contribute by offering Martinez any information that may prove of help.

"Vic's been great. He's been a huge part of our team, a huge part of our offense. He swings the bat really well, and does a really good job behind the plate," said Varitek. "I think we have a very good relationship, first from the respect factor of playing against each other, then from working together. Sometimes, over the course of learning and talking through stuff, a word of something from Victor to me helps me or vice-versa."

Varitek has yet to learn what sort of role, in any, he will play. But given that he is on a Red Sox postseason roster for the 15th different series, he refuses to express any disappointment about his role.

"We're in the postseason. I don’t know what's disappointing about being in the postseason. Everybody in this locker room at some point has helped the team win games," Varitek said. "Your level of how special this opportunity is goes well beyond anything personal."

With Varitek and the team set to face a mutual option at the end of the season, the veteran refuses to discuss anything regarding his contract.

"Honestly, this isn't the time for me to worry about me. I'm not equipped to answer that question now. I can't entertain that right now, and I don't think it's fair to me or this team. Your level of how special this opportunity is goes well beyond anything personal."

To read the rest of the WEEI interview, click here.

To read the story from the L.A. Times, click here.

To read Michael Hurley's column at NESN.com, click here.

To watch video from NECN on Tek's interview, click here.

Also Today:

New Fan Photos Added!

Nanci and her family were able to score tickets for the final game of the regular season on Sunday and she didn't let the opportunity go to waste!

Said Nanci, "We went to the final home game of the season on Sunday. We had Pavilion Standing Room but upgraded to Field Box 29 Row B; 3 seats away from the Sox Dugout and 4 rows up from the field (three rows behind the owners seats) They were AWESOME."

She snapped some great photos of the Captain - which you can check out here.

Want more Tek? Then you can check out her "#33 Tribute Page" here.

And you can see the rest of her beautiful Red Sox photos here.

Putting it in perspective...

For all the complaining that the Boston media and the Red Sox fans do about the Captain's hitting this season, both Jim M. and Jason L. (die-hard Mets fans) wanted you to know...

That Tek has more home runs (14) than 27 of 28 active players on the 2009 New York Mets. He also has more RBI (51) and more Doubles (24) than 25 of 28 active Mets players.

And they'd be glad to see him in a Mets jersey for what he can bring to their team's pitching staff...so stop complaining!

*Thanks guys!

Tek Stats:

-- Jason Varitek has hit 11 postseason home runs. That's the most in Major League history by a catcher. Johnny Bench and Javier Lopez each hit 10.

-- He is one of only six catchers with at least two triples in his career in the playoffs. Varitek has two, tied with three others including Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Johnny Bench and Tim McCarver both had three.

(from Ian Browne at RedSox.com)

Television Reminder...

NESN's Celebrity Spotlight Series, hosted by Ray Bourque, will premiere the "2009 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament" THIS Thursday, October 8th at 10:30 p.m.

The show will re-air throughout the month of October.

Tuesday: Tek-nically Speaking

October 6, 2009

From an interview with Victor Martinez that appears in the Patriot Ledger this morning:

How do you come to an established club, with an established and well-respected catcher, and expect to be welcomed with open arms?

"Obviously, coming into the new clubhouse, I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I never get tired of saying these guys make everything a lot easier for me. I never thought I was going to get comfortable that quick. Great teammates, great coaching staff, trainers staff, everybody. They make me feel like I’ve been playing here for a couple of years and I really appreciate that. For me, it's very important to feel comfortable in the clubhouse, even more on the field, and they really did that pretty good to me. I really appreciate that."

The one thing he really, really, really appreciates, though, was the cooperation he got from Jason Varitek, who had every reason to turn his back on the newcomer. Martinez, after all, was deemed a better first baseman than a catcher, yet he has taken over the starting catcher's duties and will assume that role when the playoffs begin this week.

"Man, he's been awesome," said Martinez, who has started 31 of the 60 games the Sox have played since his arrival. "Since I got here I think one of the biggest things for me is he's been all open for me, helped me out a lot with the pitching staff, telling me about every pitcher, the strong side of the pitcher, things I need to do when they get in trouble. He's been great. He's been all open for me. He even told me that if I got any questions, even during a game, don't hesitate in asking. I really appreciate that. He’s been great to me."

Asked if he was surprised by Varitek's attitude, Martinez said, "Well, you know what? Playing against him is one thing and having him as a teammate is another thing. He looks kind of mean. That's the way he plays. He played the game the way it's supposed to be played. He played the game hard and he's pretty smart in what he's doing, all the things that he's done for this organization, nobody's going to take that away from him and the organization. When I got here he kind of surprised me because I never thought that he was the kind of person he is. He's great."

To read the rest, click here.

Sox Win Final Game Of The Regular Season

October 4-5, 2009

The Captain gets a standing ovation from the Fenway Faithful -

From the Providence Journal and the Boston Herald:

Over his years as manager, Francona has frequently pulled veterans from the last game of the season for curtain-calls from the home fans. Sunday's only recipient of a bow was catcher Jason Varitek. Varitek replaced Victor Martinez behind the plate at the start of the fourth inning but was pulled after a few pitches in the eighth inning in favor of Dusty Brown.

"Dusty was like 'I'm sorry'," Varitek laughed. "I get kind of embarrassed anyways so it was kind of a blur to me. I was caught off-guard. Tito did that for a lot of us last year, too. I've been here a long time and I definitely appreciate it.

"I felt bad because Bardo - it's not the best shadow time of the day right there - had launched one high and bounced the next one. I was like, 'Oh gosh,' I felt bad for Brownie."

Francona, who has mentioned more than once the last couple of days that Varitek has been earning the "C" he wears on his jersey for the way he has handled the transition with Victor Martinez, downplayed the move.

"I told him before the game that he wasn't going to finish the game," the manager said. "I wanted him to get a couple at-bats and I just thought it was appropriate also that the fans get to acknowledge what he does."

The Game -

Jed Lowrie hit his first career grand slam to cap a five-run sixth inning as Boston outslugged Cleveland, 12-7, in the season and series finale for both clubs from Fenway Park.

J.D. Drew homered twice, Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run shot and David Ortiz also drove in two runs for the Red Sox (95-67), who ended the regular season by sweeping the four-game set.

Michael Bowden (1-1) hurled 2-2/3 innings of relief for the win, scattering a run and three hits. Starter Clay Buchholz was tagged for five hits and six runs over three innings for Boston, which plays the Angels in the American League Division series later this week.

Drew started the sixth with his second solo homer of the contest to put the Red Sox up 8-6, then an infield single by Joey Gathright, a base hit from George Kottaras and a walk to Jason Varitek loaded the bases.

Lowrie faced Chris Perez and greeted him with a grand slam into the bullpen in right for a 12-6 Sox edge.

In the seventh, Michael Brantley's pinch-hit two-out RBI single got the Tribe within five, but Daniel Bard, Fernando Cabrera and Jonathan Papelbon held Cleveland off the board over the final 2 1/3 frames.

As for the ALDS against the Angels, the Captain thinks they will go as far as the top of the rotation takes them.

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but when we pitch the ball well, and the way this lineup has come together, I believe that we will have our chances. I think it sets the tone with the starting pitching. We've got a pretty good threesome and a pretty good foursome. We have two horses at the front," Varitek said. "That bodes well."

Check out video of Jason's post-game interview here.

To see photos from the game, click here.

To see a few screen caps, click here.

Friday Night At Fenway: Red Sox 6, Indians 2

October 3, 2009

It started early last night...

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead before making an out as Jacoby Ellsbury led off the first with a double, took third on his 69th stolen base of the year and kept going when catcher Kelly Shoppach’s throw went into left field for an error.

Ellsbury "is one of the very few in the game that can do that sort of thing on the basepaths," said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge.

In the third, Jason Varitek led off with a double to center, Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and Ellsbury walked to load them up with nobody out. Dustin Pedroia got a run home on a sacrifice fly to center. Victor Martinez followed with an RBI single to right that was trapped by Shin-Soo Choo. After a walk by Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay drilled an RBI double to left and Boston had a 4-0 lead.

Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run double in the seventh.

Daisuke Matsuzaka began the game by giving up a double to Michael Brantley but then retired the next 12 batters.

Trouble started in the fifth when Travis Hafner doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Luis Valbuena’s one-out single. Valbuena stole second and, after Shoppach walked, scored on Trevor Crowe’s single. With the bases loaded after another walk to Jamey Carroll, the right-hander struck out Choo swinging and the Sox kept the lead.

"I was able to work on points that I felt were going to be important going into the playoffs and I had a real good feel for those points," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "The most important point was being able to battle with runners on base."

Matsuzaka allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and three walks. He was 1-5 when he was sidelined with a minor right shoulder strain and 3-1 since then. His ERA in those four starts is 2.22, lowering his season mark from 8.23 to 5.76.

"There's a reason the guy won us 18 games last year," Varitek said. "He's been valuable. He's gone into the sixth or the seventh in each one of his outings. That's big. It gives us a chance to set up our bullpen."

Billy Wagner came on to retire two batters in the seventh, marking the first time he's pitched on back-to-back days since joining the Red Sox.

Takashi Saito hurled a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win.

To see photos from the game, click here.

To see a few screen caps, click here.

Tek Stats - heading into the 2009 Post-Season...

-- Jason, David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield and Kevin Youkilis can win their third Series in six years with the Red Sox this fall.

-- Jason has caught 63 of Boston's 65 postseason games since 1999, missing only two Wakefield starts.

-- Jason has the most homers (11) by a catcher in the postseason.

-- Jason played in his 54th postseason game on October 2, 2008, most ever by a Red Sox player and has appeared in 13 playoff series, also the most ever by a Boston player.

Tek-nically Speaking...

"Playing against him is one thing, and playing with him, having him as a teammate, is another thing. You play against him and he looks kind of mean. That's the way he plays. He's one of the guys I always looked up to the way he plays the game. He's great." -- Victor Martinez on Tek, during a recent interview.

Jason's current stats: AVG .209 | HR 14 | RBI 51 | DBL 24 | OBP .312 | SLG .391

New Fan Photos Added

October 1, 2009

Thank you to Ryan for sharing these photos from the September 16th game at Fenway between the Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (who we'll be seeing again next week!).

To check 'em out, click here.

You can see more of Ryan's photography here.

Theo Talks Tek...

September 30, 2009

Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein was a guest on 98.5 - The Sports Hub with hosts Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti on Wednesday. One of the subjects brought up by Michael Felger was the catching situation going into the post-season, which Mr. Epstein declined to discuss. But he did take a few moments to further discuss the team captain:

Felger: Have you settled on the catching situation through the post season? Is Victor Martinez going to be your everyday catcher? And, the follow-up to this is: it sure looks like from where we're sitting that there's been certainly a preference for Beckett to have Varitek, and Tito called it a 'stubbornness' on Beckett's part...has that been an issue internally shaking that thing out and what's it going to look like in the playoffs?

Theo Epstein: "You know what, that's not something that I'm going to address right now or is it even my place going forward because obviously Tito makes up the lineup, and as is customary, we will announce it the day before the first playoff game.

"Victor has done a really nice job adjusting to the pitchers since he's been here - all of them - now that's he worked with them, I think maybe Paul Byrd is the one starter he hasn't worked with...and big part of that has actually been Jason's 'Team First' attitude. A lot of people have assumed that because Jason's role has been reduced somewhat, and he hasn't been performing that well lately that he's unhappy and that's just not true!

"I give Tek a lot of credit. When we made the trade, he made it clear that his priority is that the Red Sox win. And he saw that part of his job when Victor got here was to take him under his wing and get him up to speed with the idiosyncrasies of each pitcher and how they prefer to prepare, what pitches they can execute, what pitches to stay away from in certain situations, and he's done a really good job with that.

"This might seem like a bit of a 'cop out', but I look at our catching situation as a partnership right now. When Victor is out there he's got a lot of Tek's preparation in him because those two have been working together to put the Red Sox in the position to win."

To listen to the entire interview, click here and download.

Johnny Pesky "Hits" The First Pitch...

September 29, 2009

...and the Captain was behind the plate to catch it!

Congratulations to Johnny Pesky on his 90th birthday!

The Red Sox presented a video montage of Mr. Pesky's career to commemorate his special day during a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Pesky, using his fungo bat, rolled a grounder to Tek to start the first game of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

To see some great screen captures of the moment, taken by my friend Anna (which were far better than mine!), click here.

To read about the celebration, click here.

Monday: Tek-nically Speaking

September 28, 2009

From Alex Speier's column at WEEI.com this morning:

"I don't really give a crap about what they've done. I'm worried about kind of what we're doing," Sox catcher Jason Varitek said matter-of-factly after having calmly glimpsed a bit of the Yankees' on-field celebrations after the game. "I don’t think it's time for us to hang our heads, to be honest with you.

"We've got an opportunity to move forward and get ourselves a chance to play in the postseason. That's all you want: a chance. You don't want to see [the Yankees celebrate] on your watch, but fact of the matter is we have hope."

To read Mr. Speier's column, click here.

Jason Varitek: The Consummate Professional

September 27, 2009

From the column of ESPN's Pedro Gomez this afternoon:

On the other side of Martinez's increased playing time is the decreased role of the Red Sox's captain, Varitek. The 12-year veteran and mainstay behind the plate for Boston during their championship years is no longer a lock to be in the same role once the playoffs begin.

But not surprisingly to those inside the Red Sox clubhouse, Varitek has been first in line to help Martinez any way imaginable.

Said Varitek: "What am I going to do? Turn my back on my teammates? I want to win. If there are things from my experiences that I can pass on to Vic, I will do that. Plus, I like Vic."

[Manager Terry] Francona believes there's a direct connection between Varitek's innings behind the plate and his sinking batting average. But Varitek doesn't -- or won't -- see it that way.

"I don't know. I can't say that," Varitek said. "No, I'm not going to make any excuses."

Varitek's humbleness is a major reasons his teammates voted him as the club's captain* and why he remains one of the sagest voices inside the Sox's clubhouse.

To read the entire column, click here.

*Just to clarify: Mr. Gomez credits Tek's teammates for "voting" him in as the captain, but I've never seen or heard this mentioned before and in fact, Theo Epstein's comments in reference to the honor (from the 2004 press conference) does not mention a vote:

"We're not asking Jason to change at all by giving him that captaincy," Epstein said. "It's just a recognition of something everybody knows."

Also Today:

To see the latest photos...

The only one from the game (at left) and a few really nice fan photos taken by Amy that were taken during the Sox vs. Orioles series on September 20th, click here.

Tough Night For Tek

September 26, 2009

From Ian Browne's column on MLB.com:

"He's having a hard time," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "He's a tough kid. We made a lot of changes late, but we left him in because we wanted him to hit. He continues to work hard. It's not always easy. You do the best you can. You keep plugging away. You know he'll do that."

While Varitek -- Boston's 37-year-old captain -- has a neck injury that has bothered him since at least June, he refused to make any excuses.

"We'll deal with that at the end of the year," said Varitek. "I think, minus today, at times, I think I've had good at-bats. I had good at-bats in Baltimore, I had good at-bats in KC. Today, I didn't have as good of at-bats. I've got to try and stick with the process as much as I can and help this team when I can."

Francona indicated that the barrage of steals had little to do with Varitek.

"Well, with the left-hander [pitching], they go first move," Francona said. "There's not a lot the catcher can do there."

Varitek didn't think there was much he could do to stop the Yankees' speedsters. He said New York didn't catch him off-guard.

"No, we know Jeter will run, we know Alex will run. We know some of the guys that will run, so, no," said Varitek. "The only thing I can do is try to make a good throw. A couple of balls bounced and I had to jump for ball, but I made a good throw on the last one. You just have to try to stay within your game as much as you can."

*One steal, in which pitcher Hunter Jones threw the ball to Victor Martinez at first base (after the runner had taken off for second), was then thrown by Martinez well over the head of Dustin Pedrioa and into centerfield. The steal went against the Jones and Varitek total on the night.

To read Mr. Browne's column, click here.

From the Boston Globe:

After Varitek dressed, zipping up his boots while he answered each question, he said he planned on returning to the park early. He will take extra batting practice, as he always does, and help the man who is replacing him.

"I'm going to get with him and Daisuke," Martinez said. 'That way I'll have a better idea of what to [expect]."

No proclamations have been made about Varitek's role. On Wednesday, Martinez caught Josh Beckett, with whom Varitek shares a strong chemistry. Matsuzaka will make his 72nd start with the Red Sox today. It will be the fourth time someone other than Varitek is crouched behind the plate.

Varitek, the nerve center of two world championship teams, will still play a role on the team. It will less often be on the field.

"He's a big help," Martinez said. "A guy like him, you really want to have on your team. He's been a huge part for me since I got here. He's been open to me. Anything, if I have a question or something like that, he’s told me, 'Don't hesitate. Come to me any time.' He was one of the guys that I really look up to, the way he plays the game and the way he goes about his business. You really have to respect him.

"Things happen. He really does a lot of things for this team, this organization. You can't really talk about that."

Said Terry Francona, "There's a reason they put that 'C' on his chest. Even through maybe disappointment or...a little bit of a reduced role, he still exhibits a lot of leadership."

To read the article, click here.

Taking it past the "importance" of a baseball game....

From the Nashua Telegraph:

"A mom, her son, his wish for space to grow"

Fifteen-year-old Andrew Ostlund, who suffers ongoing seizures and has learning disabilities due to a brain tumor, has had his wish for a new, larger room in his Mont Vernon home granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but the project is currently on hold because of a lack of funds to purchase the necessary building materials.

Andrew was just entering first grade when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Ostlund said. At 6, he underwent surgery at Children's Hospital Boston, where surgeons resected the tumor but also had to involve part of his brain in the procedure, which left Andrew learning disabled and prone to seizures, [his mother] Melissa Ostlund said.

The seizures increased in frequency and severity around the time Andrew turned 12. Since, she said, he's watched his friends reach milestones, like preparing to get their driver's license, things he'll likely never be able to do. Having a new, larger space equipped with things he likes to do would boost his spirits, Andrew said.

"Just to get away . . . to not think about my problems...to get horrible thoughts out of my head," Andrew said about a new space.

As it stands now, Andrew's proposed new room has been narrowed to two options – putting it over the existing garage, or renovating the garage into living space. The former is preferable, Ostlund said, as Andrew would be within earshot should an overnight medical emergency arise.

Once upstairs, what appears from the curb to be a rather spacious second floor is more like a series of small rooms separated by a narrow hallway. The first room is Andrew's, closer to a walk-in closet in size than a bedroom. He tries to make do, however, showing a visitor where he now plays his video games by opening the closet door. "Thank goodness I'm not claustrophobic," he says with a smile.

Above a mini-fridge hang posters of sports figures, among them Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, whom Andrew met in August at a game organized by Children's Hospital. "He's a really nice guy," Andrew said. "He let us take our time, asking questions . . . He signed whatever we asked him to sign."

Volunteers, including many from Habitat for Humanity, are prepared to begin work as soon as materials become available.

*Anyone able to assist financially with the project can make checks payable to The Andrew Ostlund Fund, and send them to St. Joseph Hospital Employees Credit Union, care of Lucy Descoteau, 172 Kinsley St., Nashua.

Those interested in donating materials can e-mail Andrew's mother, Melissa Ostlund at heartfelt333@aol.com.

To read the entire story, click here.

Seems Like Old Times!

September 25, 2009

Jason will catch Jon Lester tonight in the start of the final regular season series against the Yankees in New York.

Victor Martinez will play first, and Kevin Youkilis will man third base.

Mike Lowell is getting the night off against Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain.

According to NESN, the team did not get into New York from their series against the Royals until 4:30 am.

Reminder: If you don't have the NESN channel, Friday's game will also be on TBS (7:05pm), Saturday's game will be on FOX (4:10pm), and Sunday's game will be on ESPN (1:05pm).

Added: Just A Few Fantastic Photos...

September 24, 2009

...from Kelly O'Connor!

Kelly was on hand for both games against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 13th and got some great shots once again! (She's the gift that keeps on giving!)

To see just a few of her latest, click here.

For the links to see more of her photography, click here.

Tek-nically Speaking...

"He is prepared, there is no question about it. To the extent Jason is? Victor goes about his game calling a little bit different than Jason does. Jason has a lot more recall based on scouting reports and based on past history with individual hitters. Victor goes a lot more on feel. When a certain starter or a certain reliever has going for him on that particular day, and the feel from what he gets from the hitter standing at the plate. That is not to say that Victor's approach is wrong, it’s a little bit different." -- Pitching coach John Farrell, on the difference in the game calling approach between Victor Martinez and Tek. (WEEI).

"It was fine. We're still feeling each other out. Obviously, you can't expect him to go out there and he and I be like me and Jason have been for three years now. It was good." -- Josh Beckett, on being caught by Victor Martinez on Wednesday night. (Boston Globe)

"I think Josh is stubborn. Remember his first year here? I remember even saying, 'there's going to be a day when we say that fondly'. And we do now. He's a stubborn kid. There's a lot to be said - that's why Tek has gotten all the accolades from us because it's important. There's some guys, maybe it's more important than others. Josh is one of them.

"I guess I think between the time they've been together, when Tek puts something down, Beckett throws it with conviction. Even if it's the wrong pitch, if you're throwing 96 with a good curveball and actually a pretty decent changeup, even if it's maybe the wrong pitch on the scouting report, if he's throwing it with conviction, it's probably the right pitch. I think Beckett moreso than a lot of people. When he throws it with conviction, he's OK." -- Terry Francona, on Beckett's comfort level working with Tek. (Boston Globe)

Today's Tek Stats:

-- Going into Wednesday night's game - Beckett was 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA in the three starts he had made with catchers other than Tek. With With Tek behind the plate, Beckett is 15-4 with a 3.16 ERA.

-- Going into the final week of September - Tek is the ONLY player on the Red Sox to hit a grand slam this season.

The Feeling Is Mutual...

September 22, 2009 - Afternoon Update

Actress Jennifer Garner was a guest last night on the Jay Leno Show to plug her new movie, "The Invention of Lying."

During her appearance, she was asked by Leno to name each player in the Red Sox starting lineup. She took this request very seriously and asked him if she was supposed to give the batting order from their last game against the Orioles, or last night's batting order against the Kansas City Royals. Leno told her to do the lineup as it was "right now". She was then given a New York Yankees cap and told she had to wear it while she gave the lineup or he wouldn't let her plug her new movie afterwards. She thought about it for a few moments, made several faces, and then promptly turned it around backwards before placing it on her head. She was then forced to hold a photo of Derek Jeter, which she held at the tips of her fingers as if holding a dead fish.

On to the lineup...

She did fine with Jacoby Ellsbury leading off and Dustin Pedrioa batting second, but then couldn't remember the third batter's name, eventually settling on Alex Gonzalez at catcher rather than Victor Martinez, and then explained, "but I'm a Varitek girl". She did the rest of the lineup 4 through 9 without any further problems (eventually giving Alex Gonzalez his proper place in the batting order as well as his position).

Tek would have been pleased. During a few interviews over the years (like this one from 2005), he has been asked to name his favorite actress...and guess who it was? Jennifer Garner!

You can see Jennifer's funny guest segment on Leno here.

Celebrity Spotlight On Jason's Putt Putt Tournament

September 22, 2009

NESN's Celebrity Spotlight Series, hosted by Ray Bourque, will premiere the "2009 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament" on Thursday, October 8th at 10:30 p.m.

The show will re-air throughout the month of October.

You can "catch" some of the action on the Red Sox Report today at 5pm.

You can also watch video highlights of the Tournament here.

And if you missed the fan photos, you can check them out here and screen caps here.

Thank you to Anna and Audrey!

Sox Sweep Orioles - Sunday's game: Red Sox 9, Orioles 3

September 20, 2009

Daisuke Matsuzaka extended an outstanding stretch by Boston's rotation, and the Red Sox cruised past the Orioles 9-3 Sunday for a three-game sweep.

Ramon Ramirez, Hideki Okajima and Takashi Saito combined to finish off the game and send the Sox on their way to Kansas City for a four-game series against the Royals.

Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury both homered and drove in three runs for the Red Sox, who captured the season series 16-2 by winning the final eight games.

As in other Sox vs. Orioles match-ups this season, The Sox delivered the knockout blow early and the Orioles couldn't respond. Orioles starter Jason Berken was hit early and hit hard. Bergen gave up an RBI single to Jason Bay and a 2-RBI single to Mike Lowell in the first. He gave up another RBI to Victor Martinez in the second. Jacoby Ellsbury got to him quickly in the third, drilling a ground-rule double to cash in Jason Varitek, who singled with two out, and Alex Gonzalez, who lined a double down the left-field line.

The victory, combined with the Texas Rangers' loss to Los Angeles, reduced Boston's magic number to win the AL wild card to seven. The Red Sox have an eight-game lead over the Rangers.

Sox starters have allowed three runs or fewer in 13 straight games, going 8-1 with a 2.18 ERA. That's one reason why the Red Sox have won 10 of 11, including a 3-1 win Friday night.

"When we throw quality starts we've been in pretty much every game," Jason Varitek said. "It's a big part of how we win."

Sorry, I couldn't locate any photos or video of Jason from the game!

Tek-nically Speaking...

September 19, 2009

"I love catching. I love the relationship a catcher has with pitchers and the responsibility. But if we have had success with me catching, it's because of Jason Varitek. He has been unbelievable working with me to know the pitchers and work on game plans. I am very fortunate to be able to work with Jason. I look up to him." -- Victor Martinez, as quoted in Peter Gammons' blog today at ESPN.com.

"I'll throw to whomever they put back there...

"It matters. Don't get me wrong. It matters. Jason Varitek is very special to me because we end up getting in a rhythm very, very quickly. But the bottom line is that it's your fault. If you can't execute a pitch and you give up a hard hit ball it's your fault. Anybody who tells you different is probably a (wimp).

"For me the thing is that I throw so many pitches. For somebody new it's very difficult to remember everything I throw because I throw everything to both sides of the plate. I might want that pitch, but they might set up to the wrong spot, which, like I said, is still my fault. I need to shake until I get what I want." -- Josh Beckett, on the idea of throwing to a new catcher (Martinez) - from Rob Bradford's blog at WEEI.com.

When Tek catches Beckett:

Beckett has been far more effective with Varitek behind the plate than any other catcher. In three starts without Varitek, Beckett is 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP. In 27 starts throwing to Varitek, Beckett is 15-4 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. (Boston Globe)

Also from Mr. Gammons' blog:

How much Martinez will catch next season is an unknown. Indians people have warned the Red Sox that Martinez will wear down if he catches 130-something games. Varitek can exercise his player option for $3 million for 2010 or the club can bring him back for $5 million. Or the Red Sox can find a veteran catcher who can start 80 games or they can bring along one of the young catchers in their organization. No one knows for now, especially considering what Varitek has meant to the Red Sox.

To read the entire blog, click here.

To read Mr. Bradford's entire blog, click here.

To see a larger version of Kelly O'Connor's photo above, click here.

*Thanks to Lynn for the heads-up on the ESPN blog!

New Photos Added...

September 18, 2009 - Evening Update

Kim and her friend Heather attended Jason's Putt Putt Tournament as spectators on Monday, and she sent me a couple of photos to share with other fans.

One photo took honors as the new Picture of the Week (at right).

The others, along with Kim's comments about the attending the event, can be found here.

Kim, thank you so much!

Josh Beckett: "There Isn't A Son Of A (Gun) Alive I'd Rather Have Back There!"

September 18, 2009

Excerpts from articles in the Boston Herald and at RedSox.com this morning:

Jason Varitek is built like a hunk of granite, which is fitting, because for years he has been an absolute rock behind the plate.

With Varitek at catcher, the Red Sox have counted on a number of certainties. Detailed preparation. Encyclopedic knowledge of opponents. A willingness to sacrifice his body for the team.

One of Varitek’s most underrated skills, however, is the one that let him down each of the last two nights. The Red Sox overcame it during Wednesday’s 9-8 victory over the Angels, but it directly contributed to last night’s 4-3 loss to end an otherwise outstanding homestand and a seven-game winning streak.

"I guess it's frustrating, but there isn’t a son of a (gun) alive I'd rather have back there," said Sox starter Josh Beckett. "Over the last four years, I can't remember one time where that's happened. I think it's a freak deal. I've seen curveballs stay down like that before. Generally they hit the plate or just hit a soft piece of dirt or something. I'm quite sure that's what happened, because usually my curveball bounces higher than that."

The play didn’t decide the game, but was a mighty contributor.

"I don't know if it hit a piece of dirt and just stayed down," Beckett said. "Over the last four years, I can't remember one time where Tek doesn't block that ball. He's so good at it. I just think it took kind of a wild hop and stayed down on him."

Varitek will seek some video evidence before he gives a true breakdown of the play.

"I have to see the replay and look at it for myself," Varitek said. "I thought I was in a position to block it. Obviously, I didn't keep it in front of me. It's something that I usually do well, blocking the ball. I have to look and see what adjustments that I need to make."

To watch video of Jason's post-game interview, click here.

Winter Is Just Around The Corner...

September 17, 2009

And what could be better than a handmade, autographed Red Sox quilt to keep you warm?

The New England Quilt Museum is pleased to announce that a unique work of quilt art and sports memorabilia is up for auction NOW on eBay.

The quilt has a white center panel (bottom of photo) signed by 23 players from the 2009 Red Sox team, including:

Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Hideki Okajima, Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, Nick Green, Jed Lowrie, Jason Bay, Daniel Bard, Takashi Saito, and Jonathan Papelbon, as well as Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino.

The autographed fabric was then made into a quilt by nationally-renowned quilt artist Rosemary Bawn, who is known nationwide for her pictorial Red Sox works.

Featuring a panorama of Fenway Park, the piece was hand-quilted by the artist. Measuring 54” by 40”, the work took a total of 175 hours to complete. It incorporates fabrics that are reproductions from a quilt soon to be exhibited at the museum, made around 1910, with early twentieth century baseball players depicted in the fabric.

The New England Quilt Museum, located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts, sponsors a wide range of activities to bring art education to children in public schools, make comfort quilts for hospitalized children in cooperation with Project Linus, help Scouts earn their badges, raise awareness for breast and cervical cancer, and a host of other projects.

The Museum sent the Red Sox Foundation a panel of fabric this spring, asking that the players and management sign the cloth to be made into a fundraising quilt, to further the Museum’s mission. The Foundation responded with virtually the entire team signing.

Massachusetts artist and longtime Sox fan Ms. Bawn transformed that signed panel into the quilt that is being auctioned, using her popular style, which combines traditional quilt motifs with images of players, fans, and Fenway Park. The auction of the quilt is expected to bring funding that will help the museum maintain its 150-year old building, as well as the community projects that they host.

You can place your bid for the quilt here.

You can also check out the the New England Quilt Museum's website here to see a larger version of this beautiful quilt and sign up to be notified of the specific time of the auction, and to be sent a direct link to the eBay page.

*Thank you to Jennifer Rogers, Founder of Crafters Quarters, LLC.

You can check out Crafters Quarters website here.

Quotes from last night's game...

"Ramon Ramirez's slider had such wicked movement that not only did Kendry Morales swing and miss at it for strike three of what looked to be the third out of the seventh, but Jason Varitek got handcuffed. Morales reached on a what was ruled a passed ball." -- Red Sox reporter Ian Browne, in his summary of the game last night.

"It was a slider that broke in the other direction. We were trying to go back foot, it kind of back-ended a little bit...it just hit off the end of my glove, and I couldn't get to it". -- Jason, on the movement of his first passed ball of the season.

"You saw the swing and miss. The ball had such good movement." -- Terry Francona, on the Ramon Ramirez pitch and passed ball.

"What he does out at short, there's not many in the game who can match what he does out there. That's still a level of importance. But he's come up with some big hits for us." -- Jason, on the importance of Alex Gonzalez to the team.

To watch video of Jason's post-game interview, click here.

Note to the Armchair GM's: Regardless of the passed ball - Tek is STILL the League leader for the lowest WP + PB/G! (BaseballReference.com)

Also Today:

Beckett Tipping Pitches? The Captain doesn't think so!

"I don't know. I don't think so," said catcher Jason Varitek, before Beckett's last start, a rain-shortened, five-inning win over the Rays Saturday at Fenway.

"The home runs haven't been all on the same pitches."

Indeed, in that stretch, Beckett allowed nine home runs on fastballs, four on curveballs, and one on a cutter.

"It's just refinement," Varitek said. "The majority of those, (Hideki) Matsui's (second home run on Aug. 23, on the cutter) was a pretty good pitch as far as location, what we were tying to do, all of the above. That happens. (Matsui's) first one (on a first-pitch fastball in the second inning) was misfired. I don't put a whole lot of stock in that. Even if a guy is tipping, for the most part, still if they execute their pitches, I think that your pitcher has much more advantage. So, I don't really know exactly. But Josh will be fine."

To read the entire article, click here.

Fan Photos From The Putt Putt Tournament...

September 15, 2009 - Evening Update (see below)

...have been added!

Audrey Humphreys attended Jason's Putt Putt Tournament last night and sent me several photos soon after!

She had the opportunity to speak with Jason and told me that not only was the event "awesome", but so was he (and I believe there may have been a mention of how handsome he was too!).

To view them all, click here.

*Thank you so much Audrey!

Check out Sox1Fan's blog and photos on the event here.

If you attended and would like to share your photos, just email me (Erin@Jason-Varitek.com).

Tek-nically Speaking...

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein was a guest on ESPN's Jim Rome radio show today:

Jim Rome: "How receptive was Varitek to Martinez coming in? And, when you consider how much Varitek knows and how much he can share, has he been helpful in moving Martinez along?"

Theo Epstein: "Had it been someone besides Jason Varitek it could have been a sticky situation, but the thing you have to keep in mind about Jason is that the first and most important thing to him always is that the Red Sox win. He is a Red Sox through and through and he wants to win.

"I think the way he took the move is instead of seeing through the selfish lens, he saw it through the Red Sox lens and said, 'You know what, this is great. Victor Martinez is great. He's a good player and is going to help us win games and I need to do everything I can to help get him comfortable, teach him about our pitching staff and make this work' - and that's exactly what he's done.

"There has been no ego involved. Obviously, he's playing less that he has in the past, but that also enables him to stay a little bit healthier. You know, he wouldn't tell anyone, but at the time of the trade he was nursing some injuries of his own. Now that he's playing a little less, he's fresher out there and the combination of those two behind the plate and how they compliment each other has worked out well."

To listen to Theo's full chat with Jim Rome, click here (you must purchase to listen).

*Thank you to Sterling for the heads-up!

Quotes from the game...

"I don't see how anybody doesn't have nerves. You play your first spring training game you have a little nerves. You play your first game you haven't played in a little while, you have a little nerves. I can't speak for him but nerves, excitement, all the above, I had them, too. I didn't know what to expect." -- Jason, on what he was feeling as he got ready to catch the Red Sox righty. (WEEI)

"There's not much left in the season, but in the limited time, in the limited opportunity that I do have, I want to show my appreciation to the fans and my teammates by contributing in a positive way." -- Daisuke Matsuzaka on making up for time lost. (Providence Journal)

"It was nice to see for him, because everybody forgets this guy won us 18 games last year. And it was nice for him to go out there and finally have some results. You want to see somebody succeed, because he's a valuable part of this team." -- Jason, on the crowd's reaction to Matsuzaka's return and performance. (Boston Globe)

"He came after guys. He used his fastball in and out of the zone; he had his cutter working today. He did really good for a guy who hasn't pitched since June 19th. It shocked all of us." -- Angels outfielder Torii Hunter on Matsuzaka's performance. (ESPN)

"We are playing well. But it's the pitching. It's been tremendous. It's always the pitching that wins." -- Jason on the state of the Red Sox pitching staff. (Eagle Tribune)

"I've been a burden on my teammates. More than anything, I feel that I owe them." -- Daisuke Matsuzaka, during post-game comments. (ESPN)

"You can’t put everything into one start because he had to get out there and get a feel. It could have just as well gone the other way, but the good thing is he was strong." -- Jason, cautioning both media and fans to keep this start by Matsuzaka in perspective. (Providence Journal)

"He did good. Thumbs up." -- Josh Beckett on Daisuke's performance. (Providence Journal)

"He was a blast to play behind!" -- Jason Bay, on his view of Daisuke's performance. (Patriot Ledger)

“Don’t ask me. That's new. Three from back there, five on the rubber. He got his eight. That was a surprise." -- Jason, on Dice-K's new warm-up technique between innings. (Boston Globe)

"It’s something that I used to do in Japan." -- Daisuke explaining his "new" old warm-up technique. (Boston Globe)

To read an interview with Jason after the game, click here.

To watch a video of Jason's post-game interview from NESN, click here.

To see a couple of photos from the game, click here.

No Red Sox Game? No Problem!

September 14, 2009

Instead, you can check out this video on the success of Josh Beckett's Beckett Bowl which took place on September 10th!

You'll see both highlights and interviews with your favorite players...including a certain Red Sox captain!

To watch it, click here.

*Thanks to Anna for the heads-up!

Tek-nically Speaking...

"We've always been pretty good at home and there's a reason - it has to do with our support system, and it always has. The fans are able to create that energy in a positive way. When they get behind us, they make a difference. I've always said that, and I believe that." -- Jason, on the 10 shutouts this season at Fenway Park. (Boston Globe)

"I think it's a testament to things finally getting settled. We've played better -- much better. We still need to pitch the ball well. That's a key. Our lineup's gotten longer and it's gotten better." -- Jason, on the positive weekend of Red Sox baseball. (Red Sox Official Site)

And a Tek-related comment...

"I really like to play both. I like to be behind the plate. I like to be at first. I think playing first gives me a needed break for my legs and my knees. Playing first also takes away a lot of stress mentally, too. I'm very happy with the way it's going right now." -- Victor Martinez, on whether he would rather have a permanent position. (Sporting News article)

Lester & Tek Help Sox Sweep Rays In Game 2 of Twinbill

September 13, 2009 - NFL Sunday Kickoff

"Tek did a great job behind the plate, as usual...calling a good game and keeping them off balance." - Jon Lester, during a post-game interview on Red Sox Radio.

Jon Lester hurled eight scoreless innings and Jason Varitek drove in two runs (his 50th and 51st RBI of the season), as Boston downed reeling Tampa Bay, 4-0, in the back end of a day-night doubleheader from Fenway Park.

Jason Bay homered and Mike Lowell knocked in the other run for the Red Sox, who took the opener by a 3-1 count thanks to Dustin Pedroia's game-winning two-run homer in the eighth and have won five in a row.

Lester (13-7) won his third consecutive start, yielding only two hits while fanning seven with three walks for Boston, whose lead in the AL wild card race remained 3 1/2 games over Texas, which beat Seattle, 7-2, later Sunday.

"I think any game here takes on more importance. Obviously, we're trying to make the playoffs and grind that out through the season," Lester said of the Sox possibly letting down in a game or two down the stretch. "But if you ask anyone in that clubhouse, I don't think the intensity changes from April to September. Once you get into the playoffs, that changes a little bit."

Evan Longoria doubled for the Rays, who extended their losing streak to 11 consecutive games.

James Shields (9-11) was tagged for six hits and three runs with six strikeouts and three walks over six full frames.

The Sox picked up a run in the second as J.D. Drew walked, David Ortiz doubled and Lowell's groundout plated Drew.

Lester held the Rays in check, yielding just one hit -- a two-out Gabe Kapler single in the second -- through six innings.

Mike Lowell got the Sox on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI groundout and later doubled with a runner on first in the bottom of the sixth. In stepped captain Jason Varitek, who ripped a hot shot at first baseman Willy Aybar. The ball took a sharp hop and Aybar couldn't handle it, letting the ball go into right field and allowing two crucial insurance runs to score.

Lester worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh, then Dioner Navarro singled in the eighth and moved to second on a wild pitch. B.J. Upton's fly out advanced him to third, but pinch-hitter Pat Burrell struck out and was ejected for arguing the call, then Jason Bartlett flew out.

Bay began the home frame with his 32nd homer of the season, and Billy Wagner locked down the win despite allowing a double and single in the ninth.

To watch Jason's post-game interview, click here.

To see the latest photos, click here.

Tomorrow:

The Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt Putt Tournament will be held tomorrow at the Ferncroft Country Club in Middleton, Massachusetts from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Money raised from the event will benefit the Saints Medical Center and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation.

If you attend and would like to share your photos on the site, please email me!

Tek-nically Speaking...

This was just too much fun to pass up:

"Is Jason Varitek the most physically perfect male ever constructed? Discuss." - a comment from an adoring fan on the popular Centerfield blog.

You can check out a larger version of that photo here.

Hope everyone has a good start to their week after a good weekend of Red Sox baseball!

Tek Is A Fan Of Martinez

September 12, 2009

Excerpts from another excellent article/interview by Joe McDonald at the Providence Journal:

Jason Varitek knows the exact moment during the offseason when he can begin his winter workouts in preparation for spring training. When he can walk down a flight of stairs without feeling discomfort, it's time to end his hibernation and get ready for some baseball.

"You need a point of recovery and let your body heal, but if I'm still really struggling physically I have to wait a little bit longer," he said.

It's a common occurrence for Varitek, a 13-year major-league player, to be covered in ice packs with only his head and toes showing. The 37-year-old averages 130 games per season, and the majority of his days off have usually come when knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield is on the mound.

Varitek's body typically feels the toll in the second half of the season, but this summer has been a little different. That's because the Red Sox acquired catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez from Cleveland at the trade deadline. His presence has allowed manager Terry Francona to give Varitek more days off of late, which has helped him strengthen and recover for the final push of the regular season and the postseason.

"He's given us a huge bat right smack in the middle of the order, batting third every night," said Francona. "He's a switch-hitting presence and brings energy. All the things we've heard in Cleveland are proving out here. He's been a good teammate and has worked with Jason. I think Jason deserves a lot of credit. He's been very open with Victor."

Having Martinez around has helped Varitek, too, the manager said.

"I think a lot," said Francona. "He was pretty beat up. And he always plays and never says a word, but it's been really good for him."

Varitek acknowledges that having Martinez around has helped him physically.

"There's a level where your body gets used to playing every day, so you have to keep the motor running to make sure I do enough things, especially for my catching joints," said Varitek. "He's been such a great addition to our team. We work well together and he's brought a lot to this team."

At the time of the trade it was only natural to wonder what Martinez's presence would mean for Varitek's future. It was clear the captain's playing time would be affected, but he's maintained the mind-set that the end result –– a chance to win another World Series –– is more important.

"I'm going to be there for him any way I can," said Varitek. "I'll teach him and let him know about our pitchers, signs or whatever we need to do. Team-wise you can look at what somebody can bring talent-wise to a team and understand what his bat can do, and has done, in this lineup. You'd hate to keep him as a pinch-hitter, but he’s pretty good at that, too."

Varitek is a guy who would play every single game if he was allowed, but it’s almost impossible.

It’s almost certain the Red Sox will pick up the $7.5-million option on Martinez’s contract for the 2010 season. Varitek also has a club option. Talking offseason business, however, when a club is in the middle of a playoff race is not what anyone involved would like to do.

"That has to stop. It really does," said Varitek. "That can go in a thousand different directions. We have to focus on what we have and what we have to do. We have a really big month ahead of us to keep that opportunity to get into the postseason."

Entering Friday’s game, Martinez had played a total of 36 games (21 starts as catcher) since arriving in Boston. The switch-hitter has compiled a .326 average with six homers and 28 RBI in a Red Sox uniform.

"I love Vic and so far it's been a great back and forth," said Varitek. "He helps me with my hitting and being able to watch him on a daily basis helps me, so it's good."

If you have a few moments, please take them to read the complete article/interview here.

Bowled Over!

September 11, 2009 - Always Remember!

"He's just another person on this team that does something to try and give back, and with Josh being a long-time friend now along with a teammate, of course I'd be here!" -- Jason at Josh Beckett's "Beckett Bowl" event last night.

Comcast Sportsnet's Mary Paoletti shares some of the funnier moments with some of the Sox' most serious men at last night's charity event:

The boisterous fun of Thursday night’s Beckett Bowl brought me back to my school days. As I walked up the stairs at Jillian’s and into the bowlathon HQ, the back-to-UConn-blowout-bash party feeling was powerful enough to stop me in my tracks.

There I was hanging out with the pros, media pass around my neck...

As for my momentary star-shock, I decided to take a seat and shake it off while doing what I do best: being a geek. The truth is that my memory is awful and I need to write things down as they happen or else poof–it’s gone. I’d probably go home and write something like "Somebody bowled better than somebody else. Regardless of the reasoning, if I had looked behind my little island where I sat I would have noticed that I was the only person there–media or otherwise–taking notes.

Some people certainly noticed me though.

"Don't keep that last score in the book,' a voice said. It was Josh Beckett. "Sorry," I said, glancing up at his numbers for the first few bowling frames. "Already got it down." Beckett frowned–ever the competitor. "Is that in pencil? You should always write in pencil," he said.

Okay. I thought, inhaling slowly. I just got writing utensil advice from the man they call Commander Kickass. Of course I had to write that down. Which is when Jason Varitek walked over.

"What are you doing?" he asked me. I looked down at my glossy white folder. "Taking notes. Observing. I'm working," I replied. Varitek smiled but looked skeptical. "It's just that you're frowning and writing all this stuff down..." he said. In that moment I tried to imagine what I looked like to the bowlers and revelers who were enjoying their non-seasonal beer. I narrowed my eyes at the Red Sox Captain. "You realize I'm going to write terrible things about you now," I said. He laughed, clearly unworried. "Like what? That I suck at bowling??

Varitek: 1; Mary: 0.

Because he didn't suck. At least, not when Beckett left their shared lane.

While Mike Lowell claimed he deserved honor of best bowler, Beckett performed as an Ace is expected to. Buchholz, however, should apparently stick with pitching. His fiancée out-bowled him, making it clear who would be wearing the pants (or at least the bowling shirt) in the marriage.

To read the rest of Ms. Paoletti "notes" on the event, click here.

Oh, and be sure to keep an eye on Texy's Centerfield blog...

Not only is she back, but she has promised to give a complete report on "all the goings-on at Josh Beckett's afterparty last night", some of which apparently involves Tek in a cowboy hat!

(which is not the first time we've seen the Cowboy Tek look, which proves that good guys can wear black hats!)

Tek Support

September 10, 2009 - Afternoon Update

Josh Beckett was a guest on the Hill-Man Morning Show today to talk about his "Beckett Bowl" charity event that will take place this evening at Lucky Strike in Boston. He also took just a few moments to talk about his working relationship with Jason:

Q "What do you think about the difference between Varitek and Victor Martinez?"

Beckett: "Well, Victor's only caught me one time, but you know, Varitek and I have a little system that we use, and for the most part it's been pretty successful."

Q: "Does he get mad if you're calling him off? You seemed to be calling him off a lot on Monday."

Beckett: "No, he doesn't get mad! Like I said, we're out there trying to do one thing. We're together on that. And whoever comes up with the best plan, two heads is always better than one. And I think Tek always believes that."

(Okay, that was it! I told you it was brief, although it was considerably more than he said on a lot of other topics. Another man of few words!)

To learn more about Josh's event and his Foundation, click here.

*Thank you to Anna for the "heads-up"!

Victor Martinez was interviewed by NESN's Tom Caron about his time in Boston so far and shared his thoughts about working with Tek:

Victor: "I am very respectful for Jason Varitek. He is a great guy and a great catcher. We have been playing a little bit, behind the plate and man, he has been great for me. Varitek you know, he's been there for me. He's always saying, 'if you need anything, you just come out and ask me'. That's the one thing that I really appreciate, that is one of the things that makes me feel more comfortable in the clubhouse and on the field."

Tom Caron: "Are you able to learn that much more about these pitchers because of someone like Jason Varitek?"

Victor: "Oh yeah, definitely. He's telling me 'this guy is very good with this part', and 'that guy is very good with that part' and that helps me a lot."

To watch the entire video, click here.

*Thank you to Sterling for the "heads-up"!

Red Sox 7, Orioles 5

September 10, 2009

"Hats off to Jason Varitek tonight for calming me down - I was a little frustrated early. He got a couple of hits, came out of the game, and in the locker room I wanted to talk about his hitting and he wanted to talk about my pitching. It's nice to have a guy behind the plate who cares that much about the pitchers and what they do. He did a good job of getting me through tonight." -- Sox starting pitcher Paul Byrd during his post-game press conference.

Five days after a rough outing in Chicago in which he allowed seven runs on 10 hits in just 2-1/3 innings, Paul Byrd rebounded nicely by scattering six hits over five innings and giving up just 2 runs against the Orioles last night.

"I was OK," Byrd said. "I got better as the game went on. I thought I had better stuff in Chicago, but it just didn't work out for me. Baseball's a weird game. It really is."

His efforts weren't rewarded with a victory, as the Orioles erased the Red Sox's 3-2 edge through five with a two-spot in the sixth against relievers Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez.

Jason Bay put Boston on top in the first, stroking a two-out, two-run single to left off Baltimore starter Jason Berken for his 99th and 100th RBIs of the season. The O's halved the deficit one inning later, when Matt Wieters scored on a bases-loaded double-play ball off the bat of Cesar Izturis.

After reaching on a fourth-inning error by first baseman Ty Wigginton and claiming second with a rare stolen base, Lowell came around on Jason Varitek's RBI double (his 23rd of the season) to left-center that armed the Red Sox with a 3-1 advantage.

Baltimore responded with three unanswered runs over the next two frames to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth.

Relieving Byrd, Delcarmen retired just one of the five batters he faced to open the sixth before being pulled, with his bases-loaded walk to Brian Roberts tying the game at 3. Ramirez replaced Delcarmen and promptly surrendered an RBI single to Felix Pie, but he bounced back to fan Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis.

"He really saved the game right there," Reliever Billy Wagner said of Ramirez.

Boston plated the equalizer in the bottom of the frame, as Dustin Pedroia smashed a two-out comebacker off Matt Albers that ricocheted off the pitcher and toward third base, allowing pinch-runner Joey Gathright (who came in after Jason Varitek's single to start the inning) to dash home from third.

Pedroia's knock and Wagner's 1-2-3 seventh set the stage for Martinez, who lined the first pitch he saw from Baez to left-center for a bases-clearing three-run double.

You can read more here.

Also Today:

The Red Sox Captain has great respect for the Yankees Captain -

From an article in the New York Daily News today on both Derek Jeter and Tim Wakefield:

Like Jeter, Wakefield also has a special place in his team's history. With 175 wins for the Red Sox, Wakefield trails only Roger Clemens and Cy Young (192 each) on Boston's all-time list, and his 1,865 strikeouts rank second in Red Sox history only to Clemens' 2,590.

For those who would consider Wakefield's appearance on those lists as solely a product of a long tenure with the Red Sox, consider Jason Varitek, a September call-up in 1997 who has been Boston's regular catcher since 1998. With 1,226 hits, Varitek is the Red Sox's active leader. But the 37-year-old switch-hitter could only laugh about the possibility of matching Carl Yastrzemski's team record of 3,419 - he's not even in the top 10.

"Oh, no," Varitek said. "Jeter is a career .300 hitter - there's quite a bit of difference. What he's meant to that team and that organization, it's a great feat, and what he's meant to baseball."

To read the article, click here.

MLBN's Reynolds On Tek: "I want him calling games for me!"

September 9, 2009

Former three-time gold glove winning second baseman and current MLB analyst Harold Reynolds discusses the effect of the Victor Martinez trade on MLB-Network last night:

"I looked at it this way - when they made the trade, I said nice player, great player. But I didn't like the pick-up, because I thought it affected five guys in their lineup, and it does!

"First of all, when he plays first base, Youkilis has to move to third or he's got to move out to left field. And one of those guys - Lowell or Bay has to sit down. If you decided you're going to give him the day off and let him DH, then Big Papi's going to sit down. So all of a sudden you got to change everything with how this club is built, and built together, for this one guy.

"Now I know that when this all started, people were quick to say, 'Well, egos will go away because you know what, this is a playoff team and they are veterans'....No it's not!! You are affecting playing time! And any time you are affecting playing time, it WILL have an effect on your ballclub!

"Here's the record before the trade, and after the trade!"

(graphic of the team record with both Martinez and Varitek catching)

Before the trade: 60-42

After the trade: 19-16

Average before: .264

Average after: .270

Runs/Game before: 5.16

Runs/Games after: 5.54

"Here is the impact of Jason Varitek: Catch the ball - Call the game! Let's talk about their pitching staff because they STINK! And they have stunk since this trade. Look at this:"

(graphic of the Red Sox catchers record and ERA)

Martinez - Record: 11-7

Varitek - Record: 54-41

Martinez - CERA: 5.58

Varitek - CERA: 3.91

"They've spent all this time with one guy puttin' down the fingers, training them, 'this is what we're gonna throw, I'm gonna sit with ya, talk to ya'....and now they've scuffled. You bring in a new catcher and tell him to "learn our staff" in the middle of a pennant race and they have scuffled!

"I don't care if Varitek hits .100 or doesn't get a hit the rest of the year, I want him calling games for me.

"The Red Sox offense has never been a problem, they're gonna hit.

"The problem is, and I'll end it with this, the problem I had with the Red Sox at that time - they are going to HIT. They are playing in one of the best offensive ballparks in America - period! It's all about the pitching. And I think we've put too much worry about Jason Varitek and his offensive production. His job was to call the games. I think when he's consistently in there, consistently in the flow, he does it! and [now] it's tough!"

*Thank you to Sterling for the quick "heads-up" on the show!

And speaking of catching...

From WEEI this afternoon:

Drew hitting third, Varitek eighth as Martinez gets night off.

With Victor Martinez getting a night off, the Red Sox will have J.D. Drew hitting third, with Mike Lowell returning to the lineup as a third baseman for Wednesday's game against the Orioles. The Sox are looking to continue their season-long feast on the Orioles -- Boston is 12-2 (.857) against Baltimore this year, the team's second-best single-season record against the O's, behind only a 12-1 (.923) mark in 1987.

Tek will be catching Paul Byrd.

Today's Tek Stat:

Among regular catchers on the thirty major league teams, Jason Varitek is tenth in home runs with 14.

Carla Comes Through...

September 8, 2009

...with photos from Cellular Field this weekend!

Fan Carla Lockwood spent her birthday weekend in Chicago watching the Red Sox take on the White Sox, and in the process took some good photos of Tek to share.

To see Carla's photos, click here.

*Thank you to Carla and Happy Belated Birthday!

Today's Tek Stat:

Despite the "noise" to the contrary...

Opposing batter splits based on Sox catchers w/pitching staff -

Varitek: .254 BA / .322 OBP / .408 SLG

Martinez: .284 BA / .357 OBP / .464 SLG

Varitek: 8.1% BB / 21.3% K / 2.7% HR

Martinez: 11.6% BB / 16.9% K / 3.1% HR

*Thanks Dennis!

Tek On Wake: "He's Doing Everything He Possibly Can..."

September 6, 2009 - Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

From Joe McDonald's column at the Providence Journal:

Tim Wakefield continues to showcase his courage. He's staving off a number of health issues, including a torn labrum in his shoulder, but more importantly a back injury that is causing weakness and numbness in his legs.

But even though he was clearly in discomfort, he returned to the mound on Saturday and pitched six innings. He allowed four runs on six hits as the White Sox received a stellar performance from their starter, Gavin Floyd, en route to a 5-1 victory at U.S. Cellular Field.

While Floyd's dominance helped the White Sox to victory, Wakefield's bravery on the mound was equally impressive.

His lack of mobility was quite evident in the bottom of the sixth when the White Sox' Chris Getz hit an easy two-out grounder to the right of first baseman Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis grabbed the ball and was looking to flip the ball to Wakefield.

Only he wasn't there. Limping heavily because of his back injury, he wasn't able to get to the bag ahead of Getz.

Wakefield retired the next batter, Alexei Ramirez, to end the inning and also his outing.

Jason Varitek always has a day off when Wakefield is on the mound.

Even though Varitek did not play, he was still wrapped in ice packs in order to keep his banged and bruised body somewhat healthy for the stretch run. He can empathize with the patriarch of the club.

"He's doing everything he possibly can to get himself on the mound," said Varitek. "That can probably be overlooked in a lot of ways. He's had to do a lot to get himself on the field."

The key for Wakefield moving forward is how he feels in the next few days. He knows the team needs his effective pitching right now and he wants to be a factor in October. With the way he pitched on Saturday, it sure looks like he's willing himself to do just that.

"It's a grind. But I'm here to go pitch and try to win games for us right now," he said as he gingerly limped out of the clubhouse.

To read Mr. McDonald's full column, click here.

To see larger versions of Kelly O'Connor's pics of Tek and Wake, click here & here.

Just A Couple Of Reminders...

September 5, 2009 - Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

Monday is the deadline to purchase raffle tickets for the 2009 Beckett Bowl!

On September 10, 2009, the Josh Beckett Foundation will host the Third Annual Beckett Bowl at Lucky Strike in Boston. The Beckett Bowl includes a celebrity bowling tournament, live and silent auctions, as well as a post-event party and a live concert at the House of Blues.

On hand to help Josh and his Foundation will be his Sox teammates (including the captain), members of the Bruins, Patriots and Revolution as well as other Boston celebrities...and you too, if you are the lucky winner!

The winner's prize package includes:

- 4 bowler credentials with your family name or company's logo over the lane

- A personal coaching lesson for one frame by ace pitcher and bowler Josh Beckett

- 2 autographed Josh Beckett jerseys

- 2 tickets to a Red Sox game, enjoyed in Josh's personal seats

- parking passes, gift bags, t-shirts and more...

Tickets start at just $2.00 each and decrease for orders of more than 5 tickets.

Entry deadline is Monday, September 7th at 11:00 a.m.

The raffle is sponsored by Netraffle.org and the Celebrities for Charity organization.

Proceeds from The Beckett Bowl and the raffle benefit Children's Hospital Boston!

For more information on the raffle and to purchase your tickets, click here.

For more information on the event, click here.

To see a couple of photos from the 2007 Beckett Bowl, click here.

Also this weekend:

There's Still Time To Purchase Tickets...

...for the 2009 Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt-Putt Tournament!

The Tournament is just a week away (Monday, September 14th, 2009, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m) at the Ferncroft Country Club in Middleton, Massachusetts.

Spectator tickets are still available and just $23.00 per person.

Money raised from the event will benefit the Saints Medical Center and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation.

To purchase your spectator tickets, click here.

You can check out the fun from previous Putt-Putt's here, here and here.

Tek Stat:

Hit Kings - (from an article in the New York Daily News)-

Boston Red Sox:

All-time leader - Carl Yastrzemski: 3419

Active leader - Jason Varitek: 1226

Click here to see the "Hit Kings" for all the Major League clubs.

Thursday Afternoon: Notes & Quotes

September 3, 2009

From Joe McDonald's blog at the Providence Journal:

There are some things Red Sox manager Terry Francona usually won't do during a game.

Pinch-hitting for Jason Varitek is one of them.

So when he did just that Wednesday night, sending up Casey Kotchmann with one out and two men on base and the Red Sox trailing by a run in the eighth inning, he was asked about his decision.

Francona explained that Varitek was 0-for-15 in his career against Rays reliever Grant Balfour, which is why he made the switch. Kotchman drew a walk to load the bases, and the Sox eventually scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

"It's a little different when you have more bodies [because of September callups]," said Francona. "I think you have to be somewhat realistic that the season takes a toll on [Varitek]. That's not a shot, that's being realistic. He . . . just gets beat up [playing behind the plate]. I don't want to run to start hitting for him because I don't know if that always helps us maybe as much as other people [think]."

From Bob Ryan's column in the Boston Globe earlier this week:

There is no more inconsequential sampling in American sport than one baseball game, or two, or five. Baseball was never meant to be football, a game played once a week and then dissected in detail the day after. Baseball is a game in which you’ve got to let go. Tomorrow is another day. But in this age of talk radio and Internet chats, people are encouraged to micro-manage on a daily basis. People are less forgiving.

Perspective and a common-sense approach to baseball are hard to find these days. Players don’t understand why fans don’t understand. Some, like the emotional and volatile Kevin Youkilis, say what they think. But others keep their counsel. What does 12-year veteran Jason Varitek think about all this? We don't know. He doesn’t say. But he appears to cope very well with the reality of a ballplayer’s life in Boston. Perhaps he should give a seminar.

And from Jack Perry's blog at the Providence Journal:

It didn't take long for former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling to announce he's interested in the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by the recently departed Ted Kennedy.

Once the news hit the Red Sox clubhouse, there was a bit of friendly ribbing from Schilling's former teammates.

His former batterymate, Jason Varitek, did not want to discuss the subject.

"I don't tip my hand," he said with a smile.

Tek is Back As The Backstop At The Trop!

September 2, 2009 - (try and say that title three times fast!)

Jason will start at catcher tonight with Josh Beckett on the mound, said manager Terry Francona during his weekly conversation with the hosts of WEEI's "The Dale and Holley Show" today.

It's gotta be the cowbells...

In Josh Beckett's last start at Tropicana Field on April 30th, he gave up seven runs in 4-2/3 innings. In five career starts at the Trop, Beckett has a record of 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA.

But their is some good news...

Rays starting pitcher Matt Garza has a six-game winless streak and has not won at home in his last five starts.

And some not so good news...

Garza has a career record of 5-1 with a 2.93 ERA (20 earned runs in 61 1/3 innings).This season he is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA against the Sox. His last start against the Sox was Aug. 4th in Tampa Bay. He did not get a decision but the Rays won 4-2 in 13 innings.

Jason is 2-for-13 (.154) against Garza. It's not much better for the back-up, Victor Martinez is 3-for-13 (.231).

Tek-nically Speaking...

Wagner's arrival in Boston carried with it two significant unknowns, even for the pitcher himself. He was facing a new league for the first time in his 15 years in the majors, and he was 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery.

It has been only two outings, but Wagner has shown he may be a force in the Red Sox bullpen setting up Jonathan Papelbon.

He has overcome pitching in the American League for the first time with a similarly basic approach. He throws exclusively what Martinez or Jason Varitek call. "Whatever they put down, I throw it," Wagner said. "They know what they're doing. I don't."

To read the rest, click here.

No Tek Tonight At The Trop!

September 1, 2009

Even though manager Terry Francona has mentioned in several interviews over the past month that his plan is to have Tek catch Jon Lester because of the "comfort level" between the two (see August 27th news below for his last mention of it on WEEI) ....

And even though Tek has great numbers against Rays pitcher Andy Sonnastine - he's hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a home run, four RBIs and two walks against Sonnanstine....

Tek is NOT in tonight's lineup.

Victor Martinez will be catching Jon Lester.

Francona said the Sox are "trying to mix and match and mix on the right nights."

What?

And later...

Manager Terry Francona said he was happy with the way Lester and Martinez worked together last time out.

"We're just trying to put out the best lineups," Francona said.

...Okay, so putting Tek out there with his .462 average against Sonnastine would not be putting out the best lineup?

...Or perhaps this is a defensive improvement? No. The Rays have stolen 11 bases in 12 attempts against Victor Martinez this season.

Things that make you go "hmmm".

No Game? No Problem!

August 31, 2009

Okay, so my good friend Becky Cooley decided I didn't need a night off...

So she went through her portfolio of photos and sent me several today to add to her album in the gallery. They are from last season's ALDS and this season's Sox vs. Angels series that took place in May.

To see the latest additions to her collection, click here.

*Becky, I am so happy to hear that you are feeling better! Stay strong!

All Archived News Is Deleted After One Year!

To save bandwidth, I delete all news items after (or close to) one year.

Have you met Jason? Had your picture taken with him? Taken a picture of him? If the answer is yes, and you would like to share your story and/or photo, please e-mail me!

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