O Captain, My Captain!

Longtime Boston Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek has announced his retirement after 15 seasons with the team.

Varitek embraces Jon Lester after his no-hitter in 2008, Varitek's record fourth caught.

Varitek hit .221 with 11 homers and 36 RBIs off the bench in 2011. He played in a limited role, mostly when Tim Wakefield and Josh Beckett pitched. He hit .256 with 193 home runs and 757 RBIs over his 15-year career.

This move was forthcoming. With his colleague Tim Wakefield retiring and the direction in which the Red Sox are headed, this move was one I expected but hated to admit.

While Varitek is nowhere near Hall of Famer worthy in any respect, (unlike the previously mentioned Wakefield), in his prime he was one of the best catchers in the game and he holds the major league record with four no-hitters caught, (Hideo Nomo in 2001, Derek Lowe in 2002, Clay Buchholz in 2007, and Jon Lester in 2008).

I genuinely liked Jason Varitek and hoped he would return for another season.