Varitek starts his new career with Red Sox

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BOSTONJason Varitek wants to learn as much as he can in his new role as special assistant to Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington. But the former team captain wouldnt say if he sees managing in his future.No, Im still not . . . if I answer it either way right now, I wouldnt be giving myself the best opportunity, Varitek said in a conference call with reporters Friday morning. Im not in a position to make that a yes or a no at this point.The Sox announced Variteks new role on Thursday. The team planned to hire him in a front-office capacity from the time he announced his retirement in spring training, and -- after Varitek spent his first post-baseball summer with his family -- brought him on board this week.Im just going to be involved in a lot of scenarios to learn things, everything from meetings to player development, to things along those lines, Varitek said. On the catching side I'll be working with some people in the minor leagues and that kind of stuff, but thats a little farther ahead. But right now its just some meetings.Im trying to learn what I dont know and what I can help with and what I need to learn and where, maybe, I fit better to help with. So its a huge gray area where Im trying to learn as much as I can.Varitek, 40, has been part of the Sox organization since 1997, when he was acquired by former GM Dan Duquette at the trading deadline from the Mariners with right-hander Derek Lowe in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb. Varitek and Lowe went on to be major parts of the 2004 World Series championship team.In addition to winning the World Series in '04 and '07, Varitek is the all-time team leader in postseason games (63) and at-bats (228). He is third in all-time postseason starts (58) and games at catcher (62), behind Jorge Posada (106, 119) and Yogi Berra (61, 63). He was selected as winner of the Jackie Jensen Hustle Award from the Boston Chapter of the BBWAA in 1999, and was the 2006 recipient of the Red Sox Heart and Hustle Award.The Red Sox' struggles over the past few seasons are among the reasons he is coming back to the organization."Its upsetting, more so for the organization, the fan base and what everything has grown to expect in a place like that. The ultimate goal is to get back to that same winning tradition," Varitek said."Thats why you do it. Thats why I never left this organization. Thats why you take part . . . I know a lot of the people still and Im not that far removed that if I can offer some help in some ways, then I want to be able to do it."In 15 major-league seasons with the Sox, Varitek caught a team-record 1,488 games. A three-time All-Star, he hit .256 with 193 home runs and 757 RBI in 1,546 games. He also caught a major league-record four no-hitters. In 2005 he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, the first Sox catcher to ever win the batting award.Varitek was named the 18th captain in Sox history when he re-signed with the team on Dec. 24, 2004. A first-round pick (14th overall) of the Mariners in 1994, Varitek is the fourth-longest tenured player in Sox history who never played a major-league game for another team, behind Carl Yastrzemski (23 seasons), Ted Williams (19), and Jim Rice (16).Being away from the game this year for the first time was not easy, he said, but it had some advantages."That's literally a double-edged sword, he said. Yeah, its probably the first Fourth of July I didn't actually play a game. My kids let me know that. As far as, I think I came to rest with it immediately. But did I miss it? Absolutely. So I came to rest with it pretty easy right away."And now, the time was right to take on a new job.I had to get the foundation of my family set up, he said. I was having another child, getting to spend more time with my older children. This is just something we worked on and it just happened to fall later at the end of the summer."

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