It could've been worse, considering he IS a switch-hitter

For years, he's been there: a rock behind the dish, a presence at the plate, and a leader in the clubhouse. Whenever the reporters have needed a quote, he's been willing to talk, and thanks to his chiseled good looks (and muscular thighs) he's been popular with the ladies of Red Sox Nation. Still, despite all of this, there's a rising anti-Jason Varitek sentiment among Red Sox fans.

It's not just his performance at the plate. Certainly you could rattle off his atrocious .213/.304/.338 line, cite the abominable 68 OPS+, or even be astounded that he's been allowed to do all of this over 328 at-bats (and rising).

You could be wary of his defense, which has previously been stellar. He's only throwing out 24.6% of would-be basestealers (15 out of 61), and there have been 4 errors, 2 passed balls, and 19 wild pitches under his command. Obviously not ALL of those wild pitches are his fault, but official scorers are easily swayed by a guys reputation and they're far more willing to penalize the pitcher than the defense. I do have to admit that I think his game-calling skills are almost unequaled. For years pitchers have raved about his preparation and keen mind, most famously his close friend Derek Lowe, who after pitching a perfect game claimed that he never shook off a Varitek pitch-call once.

The media has always been quick to give El Capitán a free pass, bemoaning the lack of offense at the catcher position throughout the Big Leagues, and praising his effective defense and leadership skills. Despite all his struggles, pretty much every outlet has assured it's viewers/listeners/readers that the Red Sox have to re-sign him, and with Scott Boras as his agent that's going to be no easy feat; he's not going to want to take a pay cut from his current $9 million per season.

As if his declining physical skills weren't enough, there comes the news of his pending divorce from his wife of 12 years, Karen, with whom he has 3 daughters (8, 6, and 3 years old), and there are some suspicious details coming out of the woodwork. Seacoast Patriot tells the story of a sketchy Dennis and Callahan broadcast, with Michael Felger and Greg Dickerson filling in. A caller, "Dick," asked how much they thought Varitek's affair with NESN sideline reporter Heidi Watney was affecting his game. Seacoast Patriot was listening to the online stream which isn't hooked up to a lot of radio-production equipment, mainly the "delay/dump" feature, which puts the broadcast on a time-delay, usually 10 seconds, and allows the producer to silence the the last 10 seconds of the broadcast and avoid profanity or other inappropriateness. After "Dick" asked his question, Felger asks the producer, "Chach, did you get that," which the producer affirms (indicating that Chach "dumped" the question), and then follows with by saying, "Well there you go internet listeners, a nugget for just your ears."

That reeks of homerism right there. I can understand not wanting to slander Varitek, a long time Red Sock and seemingly all-around great guy, but instead of censoring the caller why not ream him out on air and take him to task, instead of dodging the issue at hand. Why not set him straight? Why not defend the Captains honor... Unless... it's... true? Media-types are privy to all sorts of juicy gossip that never makes it out of the locker room, and by Felger's reaction, it seems like everyone knows about this one. A lot of respect gets extended to players concerning their personal lives, but a case like this is enough to make you wish someone would call the guy out, if it's true.

If it's true, well, a wise man once told me, "Baseball players are regular guys, with more money. They can throw, hit, and catch a ball better than we can, but it doesn't change them other than that." Many ballplayers drink too much, do drugs, and yes, cheat on their wives. They have girls in every port, and a steady supply of agents, clubhouse guys, and yes-men to condone and cover for that behavior. My biggest problem with all of this is his kids, if it's real. Lots of guys cheat, but seriously, 8, 6, and 3 year old daughters? How is Mommy supposed to explain that Daddy just stopped loving her, and started loving the blonde bimbo 10 years younger than her?

I doubt we'll ever hear the definite truth come out, and maybe, for those 3 girls, that's for the best.

-Sox

HT: The Boston Globe for breaking the story, Central Maine Sports Blog for coming up with the "Heidi Watney theory", and big fucking kudos to Seacoast Patriot for coming through in the clutch with some killer details. SI, Baseball Reference, and Cot's Baseball Contracts for the necessary data.