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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:29:07 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Pedroia -- 'I'm open to anything, but I want to make sure my kids have the same upbringing that I had as a kid. Coaching or managing -- that's a lot of time. And I played a long time.'
'I don't want to miss a thing in their lives. They deserve that.' #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'I'll be in the game somehow. I'm always going to be around. I'm always here for everyone in the #RedSox organization. They've done everything for me.'
'I think when all my boys are out of the house is when things will change to a greater role with the organization.'
Pedroia -- 'I had never gone three games without getting a hit. In the minor leagues you do that. That's baseball.' #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'I thought I should have gone from college to the big leagues. That's really not possible.'
'I always thought I was already developed and I was ready for the next thing. Once I got to Double-A was when I started to learn pro ball and how to play a long season.'
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Pedroia -- 'I was always the first one to the field, and that's because I needed to be. I needed to learn from whoever.'
'Every single person in the organization played a part in any of the stuff that I did.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:29:39 GMT -5
ill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Pedroia said helping with homework for his three sons has been a bit of a challenge. He jokingly blames his course work at Arizona State for failing to prepare him. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:30:06 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Pedroia, choking up -- 'My children and my wife have been through a lot. They've seen me through six surgeries. They've seen me through a lot. I was having a tough time.'
Pedroia coaches his son Cole's baseball team over the last year. That's helped him transition. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:31:36 GMT -5
ill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Pedroia -- 'If somebody thinks I wasn't very good, I'll definitely tell them that I was good.' #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'My main focus the last year was 'Did I do enough in my environment to make a difference in people or in my teammates?' And if I did that, I did my job.'
'We had a lot of young guys. At that time it was my job to help them come along.' #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'One play kind of derailed a lot of that and threw all of us into a pattern we were trying to get out of.'
'We all tried to do everything possible to continue to play. And I'm proud of that.'
'It wasn't physically possible for me to continue to play.' #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'I'm glad none of you guys got a chance to see me. I wasn't in a good place.'
'My knee was bad. And I'm a young guy.'
'I can basically do everything now except run. I can't run anymore.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:33:11 GMT -5
Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Pedroia said he woke up one morning in January 2020 'and my (left) knee was huge.'
'It looked like an explosion went off in there.'
That led to his partial knee replacement surgery in December. #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'I know the fan base demands a lot. But as a player, you want to hold each other accountable. Every year your goal is to win the World Series. That's what I'm most proud of.'
'There was a goal every single year. We all held each other accountable every single year.'
Pedroia -- 'I don't have any regrets of anything. I never took one play off from Little League on. That part means a lot.'
'Wearing that uniform is the best. At some point, obviously, you can't play anymore. And this is the time.' #RedSox
Pedroia -- 'I've spent almost half my life being a #RedSox. I've played for one ownership group.'
'Those people are family. The four managers I played for, all my infield coaches, my minor league coaches, my teammates -- I can't even explain how much it means.'
Pedroia -- 'I've had a lot of emotions, obviously, lately. Coming down to it, I look back and think how lucky I was for all of it.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:37:15 GMT -5
Dustin Pedroia opens up about Red Sox career and retirement: ‘I wish I enjoyed it a little more at the time’ By Katie McInerney Globe Staff,Updated February 1, 2021, 1 hour ago
Dustin Pedroia, the gritty second baseman for the Red Sox who persevered through years of injuries, announced his retirement from baseball on Monday.
When he was drafted by the Red Sox out of Arizona State in 2004, he had never been to the area. Nearly 17 years later, he looks back fondly on his time with the team and in Boston.
“I didn’t know a lot about the organization or Boston or anything, but then I got drafted and saw how the people treat you.” Pedroia said Monday.
”I’ve spent almost half my life being a Red Sox and I’ve played for one ownership group. The GMs, and the front office people that have been there the entire time … those aren’t just people I’ve worked for, those people are family.
“The Boston Red Sox, to me, is … I can’t even explain it. It means everything. I started my family [in Boston], my kids were born in Boston, every day I woke up looking to find a way to help our team win a baseball game and I got to do it in front of the best fans and the best city.
“I wish I enjoyed it a little more at the time because my mind was so focused on the task at hand.”
What does Pedroia look back at most fondly? Playing to win.
“I’m most proud of the environment and culture that we all helped to build there, and the expectations — I know that the fan base and everything, it demands a lot, but as a player, you want to hold each other accountable,” he said. “Every year, your goal is to win a World Series and that is what I’m most proud of.
“There wasn’t a single season that I showed up to Fort Myers that I didn’t think our team could win the World Series and I’m proud of that. And I think our front office and ownership should be proud of it, and our teammates should be proud of it.
“There wasn’t a time where we were like, oh, we should just play baseball and have some fun.”
Pedroia has three World Series rings — 2007, 2013, and 2018 — but was only on the postseason roster for the first two, after knee injuries kept him out of all but nine games in his final three seasons in the big leagues.
The endless evaluations and surgeries, including a partial knee replacement in December, prompted Pedroia’s retirement.
And when he got the opportunity to coach his son Cole’s baseball team, he saw a path forward.
“That got me through the next step,” he said, while choking up with tears. “And that’s something else that I’m going to be able to do and I’m good at it.
“[Pedroia’s kids] are happy that they get to have your dad at home all the time, and they need me. It was hard but I just don’t want them to see me having more surgery and not being able to walk or get my oldest son’s rebounds, and stuff like that, now it’s good, I’m in a good place.”
In the end, Pedroia said he took the same approach during his entire career: Don’t take it for granted, and don’t take a play off.
“This could be my last game, you don’t know,” he said of his mindset. “That’s how I approached it from Little League on.
“I’m proud of every step my baseball career had to offer.”
If given the opportunity, would Pedroia try to take the field once more at Fenway Park? Absolutely, he says.
“You gotta understand, they’re the best fans ever. On a Tuesday night, there’s 37,000 people there, and they’re going crazy,” he said. “And I got a chance to do it as long as I did. To do it one more time, yeah, of course, I’d do anything to have that opportunity. But I can’t. I can’t run. That part will always hurt me.
“I wish I had one more time but I don’t regret anything, it is what it is. I’m OK. I just have to take everything I’ve learned and built up and all the energy I have, I have to give it to other people now. That’s how I can help. But I’m OK.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:39:13 GMT -5
Tomase: Dustin Pedroia was a one-of-a-kind Boston treasure
by John Tomase John Tomase RED SOX INSIDER
The first time I laid eyes on Dustin Pedroia in a Red Sox uniform in 2006, my reaction was probably like that of everyone else who had ever undersold him -- that's it?T
He wasn't much to look at. Shorter than me. Kinda doughy. Hair already thinning. Staring at the floor and shuffling his feet while answering questions. A little shy.
"You haven't seen the real Pedey yet," one of his friends told me. "He's cocky. He's got an EDGE. You'll see."
Cocky? This guy? It didn't take long for Pedroia to redefine the word. Within a year, he'd be telling a Coors Field security guard that, "I'm the guy that took Jeff Francis onto the Mass. Pike." Not long thereafter he'd threaten Notre Dame legend Brady Quinn that he planned to rip a ping pong ball off the throat of the 6-foot-4 Adonis during offseason workouts. He'd rant about the Laser Show, and that he was 160 pounds of USDA Grade A beef, and how his life was great because he had a hot wife, three great kids, and he was rich as (bleep). David Ortiz reacts to Dustin Pedroia's retirement with one great quote
For more than a decade, he embodied everything we love about athletics -- never giving in, maximizing his ability, leaving every last ounce of himself on the field. Those Red Sox of the late aughts and early teens may have belonged to David Ortiz, but they were Dustin Pedroia's teams, too. He didn't necessarily look the part, but man oh man did he play it. Advertisement
All good Laser Shows must come to an end, however, and on Monday Pedroia finally acknowledged the inevitable: it's over.
He announced his retirement after 14 years in the game, the last three in varying states of rehab, recovery, and pain. His knee is shot to the point where it will likely require a replacement, one last gift from the sport that took as much as he gave. A dirty slide by Manny Machado in 2017 started Pedroia down a path of misery from which he never recovered.
Rather than dwell on the 3-for-31 over his final two seasons that dropped his lifetime batting average from .300 to .299, however, today should be a day to celebrate what Pedroia accomplished.
A four-time All-Star and three-time champion who also won Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards, Pedroia fit exactly one mold on a baseball field, and it was uniquely his own. You wouldn't teach his swing to anyone, with his collapsing back leg and desire to turn every fastball into a pitch at his eyes, which is where he somehow did vicious damage. You'd counsel another 5'8" second baseman to stay out of the line of fire instead of charging headlong into the breach. Put Pedroia's words in the mouth of anyone else and the non-stop bleep-talk would probably earn him a beating. Former Red Sox teammates react to Dustin Pedroia's retirement
But the complete package served as a gift not just to Red Sox fans, but the game itself. Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez were blessed with otherworldly physical tools, but not Pedroia. Ortiz and Mark McGwire and Gary Sheffield could terrify opposing pitchers just by stepping into the box and waving their bats with menace, but not Pedroia. Baseball America could lavish praise on toolsy prospects like Delmon Young, Jeremy Hermida, and Lastings Milledge in 2006, but not Pedroia.
It didn't matter. Pedroia was the rare big leaguer who looked from afar like the rest of us, though in reality that Everyman characterization did his physical gifts a disservice. His instincts and first-step quickness out of that little hop at second before each pitch were unparalleled, helping him win four Gold Gloves, as well as one Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award.
His physique, especially once he started spending his winters working out Athlete's Performance in Arizona, was chiseled. His power defied reason, but was grounded in the physics of torque; at his best, his wrists rivaled Mookie Betts' when it came to cleaning out inside fastballs. Advertisement
The shame of it is he just wasn't built to last. It's a sign of how degraded his knee has become that he's not even attempting another comeback at age 37. In a perfect world, he'd have at least been given a sendoff like the two-day special the Mets arranged for their former captain, David Wright, a friend of Pedroia's (they share agents) whose career also ended prematurely because of injury. What we wouldn't give to watch Pedroia line just one more pitch into the corner and tear around first going for two ...
Pedroia's body simply won't allow it, and so instead he'll retire to Arizona to raise his three boys. While it would be easy to wonder if he feels regret at the way his career ended, a better way to look at it is this: Dustin Pedroia squeezed every last ounce out of every single day he spent in the big leagues.
He has nothing left to give, which is actually one hell of a legacy.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:43:46 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 1h Pedroia says if you told him, when he was drafted, the kind of career he’d have, ‘I’d have said you were nuts.’
Pedroia says he was invited to coach his son’s Little League team- which allowed him to understand that there was something to do on the other side of his career. ‘I’m in a good place. (His family is) happy that I’m here.’
Pedroia says that at the start o LF his big league career, he relied on advice from Ron Johnson (who passed away last week) to keep in mind that ‘I’m only a week away’ from turning struggles around. Lessons in struggles in the minors allowed him to handle adversity in big lgs.
Pedroia says after years as the first guy to the field every day, he wants to focus on being at home - and wants to make sure he doesn’t miss any more of his kids growing up.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:44:14 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 2h Sam Kennedy recalls that when Theo Epstein called Pedroia to let him know the Sox had drafted him in 2004 - No 65 overall (2nd round; Sox didn’t have 1st rounder) - Pedroia’s response was, “Bro, what took you so long?”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:46:13 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 1h Pedroia: "I'd love to play. I'd love to put the uniform on and be able to play. They're the best fans ever. On a Tuesday night, there's 37,000 fans there going crazy.... To do it one more time? I'd do anything to have that opportunity. But I can't. I can't run."
Dustin Pedroia was emotional at times, but he seemed to be at peace with his retirement. At a certain point, it became about quality of life instead of playing again. No one can say he didn't try every method possible to get back.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 15:47:50 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 3h I believe they are paying his full salary this year. There was no agreement to pay him less, nor should there be. It’s called a guarantee contract for a reason. He can’t play anymore because of the way he played during his career. He’s earned that money.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 16:10:03 GMT -5
Buster Olney @buster_ESPN · 2h What a career for Dustin Pedroia: 14 seasons in the big leagues 6,777 plate appearances in the regular season 1,805 hits 549 extra-base hits 140 homers 138 steals 4 Gold Gloves Rookie of the Year 2007 AL MVP 2008 4x All-Star 51 postseason games 3 championship rings
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Feb 1, 2021 16:32:12 GMT -5
I was just about to post something similar. Baseball will remain popular because you can play without any particular athletic talent. I played with one 2B that, imo, had very little talent. But he missed nothing. Made every play that he could reach. Ran down the RF line so well that he was almost like a 4th OF. Never missed taking any extra base. I didn't even like the guy, but the dude never made a mistake. Any, I digress. Kudos to Pedey. I was pondering his chances for the HOF the same day Machado kicked out his knee. He will go to the Red Sox hall of fame likely have his number retired but I think that the injury shit canned his chances for the HOFHe is one of my favs of all time with Yaz and Big Papi.You're probably right. And it won't bother if he doesn't get the votes. But he is still a player in the Oliva kind of career, where you were among the best, albeit for a shorter period of time.
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Post by Kimmi on Feb 1, 2021 17:34:35 GMT -5
Not shocking but still a bummer Loved watching Pedey play, was lucky to see him play in person a few times played the game the right way and left it all on the field. Wish him nothing but happiness and great health. Great player, great leader, great teammate, despite what some people think about him.
It's a bummer that his career ended the way it did.
I wish him the best. I'm guessing we'll see him back with the Red Sox in some capacity at some point.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Feb 1, 2021 17:49:23 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Dustin Pedroia -- 'Just being a #RedSox, it means everything. Wearing that uniform is the best. At some point obviously you can’t play anymore, and this is the time. But being in that environment, I was lucky.'
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