Tek's still our guy

The New England Sports Update
Justin Thrift

About a year ago I was watching a Sox game with a buddy of mine who made a comment that has stuck with me ever since.

It was early in the game and a young Clay Buchholz was on the mound for Boston with a runner on second and third and one out. Jason Varitek was behind the plate catching, and as usual, calling all the shots. We watched the rookie pitcher and veteran catcher go through a lengthy disagreement on which pitch to throw before finally Buchholz nodded Varitek off completely and threw a fastball inside on his own accord. “What are ya [expletive] crazy!?” my friend shouted at the TV, “You don’t nod off Tek!” And sure enough, the hitter drove the ball far over the Green Monster and down onto Lansdowne Street.

As the batter made his trot around the bases, we watched Varitek glare down Buchholz with a fierce facial expression and mouth the words, “I told you.” Later we saw Varitek talking to Buchholz in the dugout in the same way that an elderly wise-man instructs a little boy.

Buchholz learnt that day about Jason Varitek’s infallible ability to catch a game better than any catcher in baseball. This is a guy who has caught four no-hitters in his career – that’s more than anybody in the history of the game. Two of those no-hitters also came from young pitchers that lacked the confidence of someone like a Derek Lowe, who threw his to Varitek back in 2002.

The knowledge he exhibits over every batter he catches is a testament to his work ethic. Combine that work ethic with his longtime commitment to the Boston Red Sox, and it’s no wonder why his captainship is so important to this team and fan base.

Now, in his 12 season with the Red Sox and in the MLB, Varitek is showing us once again why the team calls him their captain, and why they continue to do so as he gets older. Since the start of the season Varitek has hit the ground running harder than ever, eager to set his misbelievers wrong and prove his worth to a championship caliber ball club. In 39 games Varitek has scored 20 runs, batted 10 homeruns, rounded up 22 RBIs and chiseled up an impressive .248 batting average with a .532 slugging percentage. Quick frankly, those numbers are not typical Jason Varitek numbers compared to his last few seasons in the batters box. Last season Jason belted 13 homers and the seasons before that he had 17 and 12, respectively. With only two months down, Varitek is already on pace to far surpass his usual numbers and it couldn’t be coming at a better time for the Sox with Papi’s career coming to a screeching halt and Boston offense hard to come by.

After Varitek’s dismal playoff performance last fall, talk of the team moving on and not re-signing the veteran catcher became pungent and heavily debated. The team took a while to settle on a decision, but ultimately offered Varitek a one-year deal worth $5 million and a $5 million player option for 2010. Now, there’s no doubt that Varitek has proven himself still valuable and irreplaceable to this Boston team as his name has officially been placed on this year’s All-Star game voting ballot. Like every other baseball fan alive, no one could have convinced me prior to this season that Jason Varitek would be up for All-Star consideration in 2009. There was just no way.Yet here we at the start of June and Varitek is having himself a truly All-Star season.

Ironic though, isn’t it? As one great Red Sox player’s engine cools down for maybe the last time, another one is kick starting his engine and producing better mileage than anyone would have predicted. Varitek still has it; he’s got the stuff that makes him pure Captain material.

And don’t expect him to cool off anytime soon, he’s way too fierce for that.