Wednesday, May 21, 2008

TekWatch: No Hittahs

Following Jon Lestah's no-no, commentators have lauded Jason Varitek for being first to catch four no-hitters. It's TekWatch's responsibility to make two points:

1. How far is Jason Varitek responsible for a no-hit performance? Depite the furor over Curt Schilling's waving off Varitek before giving up the single that broke up his no-hit bid last year, Lester said he waved off Varitek several times in the ninth inning alone. That said, Varitek has a photographic memory and studies hard, the New York Times reports, although part of the Times's evidence is ostensible sarcasm from Johnny Damon: "I always thought Varitek was amazing — the way he calls a game, the way he prepares, the way he carries around the luggage."

2. Varitek ruined Schilling's no-hit bid last year, tipping pitches to the Athletics' Shannon Stewart, who landed the A's only hit with two out in the ninth. Why? The proof and the motive are one and the same. After every no-hitter he catches, Tek hoists the pitcher high into the air, holding him there so all can see the face of triumph. But, Tek obviously realized, attempting to hoist Curt Schilling, with his marshmallow midsection, could end in embarrassing failure and career-ending injury, if not total paralysis. In tipping off Stewart, Varitek did the only thing he in good conscience could. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how rumors get started.

From everyone at TekWatch, congrats, Jason. You'll always be our Working Class Hero.

2 comments:

Blackadder said...

Why is no-hitters caught considered a great metric of a player's pitch calling? I mean, Robby Hammock has caught more perfect games than Jason Varitek; does that make him a better pitch-caller?

Jack Klompus said...

The documentary record shows beyond doubt that Robby Hammock was, in fact, not bearded. He was thus no friend of the working class and not a great pitch caller. Thanks for your query.