Sox make Varitek official

We still need a young catcher like Montero or Saltalamacchia.

With all due respect to what the guy with a "C" on his chest has achieved in past years, we still need to acquire a young backstop with talent, like Montero or Saltalamacchia.

Welcome back Captain!

Give up Clay Buck for Monterro or Teagarden if you can swing it.

So happy that we'll get to see more of his awful strikeouts where 1) he swings at a curve in the dirt, 2) looks back incredulously at the catcher's mitt and 3) walks back to the dugout shaking his head profusely, as if to say, "Man, how did I miss that?" Dude, you do it at every at-bat... you should be used to it by now!

I'm glad things worked out the way they did. Varitek obviously is on the downside of a brilliant career. But it seems to me that when a team makes a man their captain, he should be given the opportuniity to end his career with the team and leave gracefully, not as a free agent leaving the team for some other club that he will play for maybe for a year.

I agree that we need a young catcher as back up. With all the money we saved this year, we should be able to do some sort of deal.

I hope he comes back and has a great year, WELCOME BACK CAPTAIN!!

Glad he's back, I agree we need to look for a young replacement for him, but we need to think about a third basemen as well.

What a deal! He has the ego of the Captain and the swing of Tennille.

still no comments directly from varitek in any of the recent articles.Is he happy to be back? is he pissed about the negotiations?usually he is very talkative,when do we get any quotes from him?

Welcome back Cappy.....now instead of swinging from your tippy toes dig in and swing like a man will ya ??

I don't know what the fuss is about a 'young' catcher. We have Varitek for the next two years. Two years is a long time in baseball. After two years maybe we get a veteran. Maybe we trade for Mauer. If we blindly go for young, what if young is eligible for free agency in two years and leaves for Boras money elsewhere? Things are always a bit more complicated that they seem. And Epstein has things under control. We have most of our talent locked up for the long-term. The few moves that need to be made don't need to be rushed into. I do, however, did the enthusiasm of Sox fans. We are hardcore!

"We still need a young catcher like Montero or Saltalamacchia."

Exactly, Irish. That's the irony of this whole affair. Well, signing Jason buys the club some time for a transition. And that'll take a couple of years, too, so we haven't seen the last of Jason. It really takes time to break in a decent young catcher, and the Sox haven't even settled on one yet.

"What a deal! He has the ego of the Captain and the swing of Tennille."

Just saw that. Priceless, DG.

Who is going to catch Wakefied???????

Where is the Globe reporting on Tek's opinion here? He has been our captain and voice of the team, but the Globe can't seem to get his attention.

Although I wasn't for the signing, I bet he has a breakout year. All it takes to prove to everybody is the ability to come back and show it was just a bad year .With the attitude, I can do better. Watch, he will prove us wrong!!!

Anyone know what's going to happen with Varitek... I hope he catches on with a team soon, he seems nice

After the Sox dealt him to San Diego in 2006, he batted .338 with a .537 slg% in 231 AB. In 2007, he batted .285 in 389 AB. Last year he was injured so we can overlook those numbers. Maybe Theo is going to let Bard catch 1/2 the games this season and see if he can recapture his previous form. He will only be 31 when the season begins, so we may already have our catcher for the next few years on the club. If he does hit close to .300 and Tek is below the Mendoza line, he may get almost all the playing time. Then the ballclub can work on developing a young catcher through the system. If he does not prove himself, then Theo can deal for Montero, Teagarden or Salty at the trading deadline or next offseason.

hope you have a ridiculously killer season Jason ... cheers ... GO Sox !!!

hard taking the season seriously for me with that Clown back there....tired of looking at Varitek like it's a bonus when he gets a base hit.....he's almost the equivalent of a pitcher batting in the Natty

where is my last comment? Why have this board if you can't be heard?

Open your eyes Bozo..I mean..Bobo
Welcome back Cap!!

Boras wanted to include a strikeout option for Tek that escalated from 70 strikeouts ($50,000) to 130 strikouts ($100,000), and included being named to the all strikeout team ($500,000) but instead settled for a escalating balk clause.

Sure money's important, but MLB players have tons. Now the divorce is over, the contract is settled, I could bet that Tek will have a much better season at the plate. He upgraded from wife to a super hottie. I'm sure every woman who reads this will think I'm a jerk, but every guy that knows how hot HW is, will understand. Tek is singing "Lemme lemmme upgrade" like Beyonce'! Time to put last years dee-vorce behind ya', get on to "hitting" like a champ! Goo Tek!

I love Jason but please, man, practice batting!

why in the world do the Sox want Teagarden??Isn't he a Bor-ASS client?No more Scott.I'd rather let ALL his clients go to N.Y.-isn't he already on the Yankees payroll?Plus as long as the Yanks have A-fraud aren't they doomed for failure?

"usually he is very talkative,when do we get any quotes from him?"

Talkative? Varitek? lololol Yeah, he never stops talking!

"hard taking the season seriously for me with that Clown back there"

Clown? Dude, the only clown on this team went to the Dodgers in July!

Welcome back Captain! The real fans are glad to see you return!

GO JV!!!!!!!!
Get rid of Boras.
That guy stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is poison
We should have not have waited this long for our "C" man back

Sorry about the last comment .I still think Jason will have a breakout year. Wait til the middle of the season and you'll see him come back to th Captain we know

Watching Tek try to catch up with a fastball is like watching my 15 year old cat trying to catch a chipmunk in the rock wall

Welcome back, Captain Greed! Is First-mate Boras still misreading the economic climate?

Can Pudge Fisk catch Wakefield? They are about the same age.

I hope Varitek has a completely successful season but I'm hoping that Bard lights up the Grapefruit League!!! Then we can keep our young guns for something more important,like a bat if we need one at the Trade Deadline in July...

Why is everyone so down on Tek? He had one awful year but he never let his hitting faze him with his game calling. Most team have a weakness in there order but there is a reason why that person is in the line up day in and out. Especially with the good teams. If they didn't bring something to the table they would be replaced. I know it is frustrating to watch someone struggle at the plate and leave people on base. I will be the first to voice my displeasure. I mean look at Alex Gonzalez, he brought defense but was limited on offense. It is one bad year lets let this play out. Plus who would you want tudoring a young catcher Josh Bard or Tek

I hope that someday in the future he is asked to be a coach for the future "young catchers" . Could there be anyone better suited?

Oh great it's official Varitek is back...can we also make it official we have Lugo for another year?!! Please Red Sox trade for one of those young catchers soon!!

Easy to see if "Same ole Varitek", when he bats lefthanded, he will wave the bat above his head, like my wife who cleans cobwebs off the ceiling, with her broom. Then his right foot with hop all over the place before pitch, like he is doing a Polka. Folks if you see this expect .230 again, if he is lucky.
Bard will be a better hitter this year. They say hitting lefthanded is not as good as right, but he hits the opposite way, and in Fenway that is the best thing a lefthanded hitter can do.

I really hope Tek gets hurt in Spring Training. This deadwood just won't go away.

www.arsensox.blogspot.com

Its the WBC that Worries ME~!!!!!!

Yes Where are the comments going?11

It will be interesting to see how much of an effect having a difficult divorce in the rear view mirror coupled with the incentive of months of invective laden postings has on this man's production. My guess is he'll be better at the plate than he's been for the last year and a half, but he's not going anywhere else but 8 or 9 in the lineup, and on the bench in late inning clutch situations. Age has a way of moving in regardless of the size of your 'heart' or the value of your contributions to calling a good game. Think Jim Rice, who went from 31 to 43 in twelve months...

Buchholz and Ellsbury can go anytime, let's get a young catcher for one of them. Welcome back 'Tek...it's bittersweet. As a fan of his for years, I'm glad he's back. He's great for young pitchers. However, he can't hit and he hasn't thrown anyone out stealing for seemingly 10 yrs. If Theo and Tito want to put the best 9 out there and give this team a chance to win, they better start living up to that and find a new catcher that has the opposite abilities of those aforementioned ones.

TWO WORLD CHAMPS. FOUR NO HITTERS....HE'S GOT OWEZIES. WELCOME HOME TEK!