Get in the Game with Alex Rodriguez and learn what he does every day on the way to the stadium. Download the complete set at www.getinthegame.com
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Get in the Game with Alex Rodriguez and learn what he does every day on the way to the stadium. Download the complete set at www.getinthegame.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nearly 24 hours after learning of the decision by Jason Varitek to retire rather than return under a minor league invite to Red Sox camp, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine on Tuesday recalled one of Varitek’s epic moments that endeared him to Red Sox fans forever. In praising Varitek, Valentine recalled the catcher’s fight with New York’s Alex Rodriguez on July 24, 2004, when Rodriguez shouted out toward Bronson Arroyo and Varitek popped out in front of the plate. Rodriguez got in Varitek’s face after the Red Sox catcher had words with the third baseman and a fight ensued. “From afar, he was everything that you want in a guy that wore a ‘C’ to be,” Valentine began. “He was a man’s man. He was a big hitter when needed. He was a leader of a pitching staff. He was able to beat up Alex. All that stuff was good stuff. He was exactly what he was supposed to be.” With the Red Sox struggling to stay in the playoff race, that brawl is commonly cited as the turning point of the season. The Red Sox rode late-season momentum to 98 wins, a wild-card berth, a history-making comeback from three games-to-none in the ALCS and the club’s first World Series title in 86 years. Valentine says he believes Varitek’s replacement Jarrod Saltalamacchia is capable of assuming the leadership role in the Red Sox clubhouse. “I take everyone as an individual,” Valentine said. “One of the things we do injustly in baseball is to try to make someone something we want them to be. Salty is …