Jason Varitek said he felt "terrible" after catching all of a rain-delayed affair that lasted six hours first pitch to last Saturday afternoon.
With ice on his shoulders, some on his catching hand, more around his knees and two days off on the horizon, that feeling would soon go away. And Varitek would then continue the grind through his 15th year with the Red Sox that may just be his most impressive.
Forget the age factor. Varitek won't dwell too much on the fact that very few catchers last this long, much less as part of one of the more productive backstop tandems in the game. What the 39-year-old will focus on is the work, the mindset and the careful approach that has breathed new life into his career.
"There's been different spikes at different times," he said of his physical well-being this year. "Thing is, with our position, we have to go out, we do stuff with [bullpen coach and catching instructor Gary Tuck], if something happens we have to be ready to go in the games. So you're constantly grinding, warming people up, doing things.
"At different times I have to remind myself to back off, just because I'm not 22 anymore."
He isn't, but Varitek may be providing more value to his team than he did in those salad days. His tutelage of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the rest of a young and potentially promising corps was instantly evident in Fort Myers, where it wasn't uncommon to see the other six catchers in major league camp huddled around Varitek, hanging on his every word.
Also, after a few seasons of declining production and injuries, Varitek has found a comfort zone. He catches two or three times a week, provides plenty of pop when in there and expertly guides a pitching staff that has already seen 10 different pitchers make a start, two more than all of last year.
"I think the playing time he's getting is just about perfect," manager Terry Francona said Saturday.
The playing time, the opportunities to teach, the never-ending management of the pitching staff, indeed the sheer presence that Varitek has provided has been just about perfect this season, one that almost didn't happen. Varitek was a free agent and the subject of retirement was floated about this offseason, although never specifically by him.
When he re-signed, Varitek's partnership with Saltalamacchia was deemed rather fitting. The "old" teaching the young. The man who hits lefties backing up the guy who rakes righties. The personal catcher for Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka and the guy who can handle the rest.
But that was only if both parts made the leap, Varitek from what seemed like the definitive downside of a career and Saltalamacchia from a young career high on promise but short on results. The former scenario spurred the latter and the fusion has been ideal.
After the pair went 4-for-8 with five RBIs, two coming on a Varitek homer, in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Oakland, Red Sox catchers had the third-highest OPS at that position among American League teams, fifth in the majors. Only three MLB teams have had more home runs and RBIs from their catchers.
Varitek won't rewrite the record book from an offensive standpoint, but his .746 OPS is the highest he has had in a healthy season since 2007 and his .432 slugging percentage is his best mark in a year without injury since 2005. That was his last standout offensive season, during which he hit .281 with 22 home runs, 70 RBIs and scored a career-high 70 runs.
If one were to draw a line graph of Varitek's career, there would've been a descent after that All-Star campaign, at least statistically. But 2011, a year that may not have happened if a few decisions went another direction, has seen that line rise, and in more ways than the numbers would suggest; Varitek's leadership, something which doesn't necessarily succumb to age, has become even more significant.
The situation has been so ideal, so fluid, that all those who thought this year was a one-and-done deal for Varitek may have to reconsider — the captain may just be around for a little while longer.
"I think he's still got a lot left," Francona said.
When the skipper says that, he doesn't necessarily mean a lot of home runs, although they've been significant this year for Varitek. Francona doesn't need a ton of doubles or an insane amount of RBIs. No, Francona is alluding to an all-around presence that has galvanized the most important position on the diamond at a time when it needed it most.
Varitek may have felt terrible Saturday. His value to the team has been anything but.
