Josh Beckett announces retirement

Darnell's Son

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rajendra82 said:
And beer, and chicken as well.
BOOOOO!!!!
 
Poor form, dude won a World Series here. I don't blame him for hanging it up at this point in his life/career.
 
Thanks for 2007 Josh.
 

rajendra82

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Darnell's Son said:
BOOOOO!!!!
 
Poor form, dude won a World Series here. I don't blame him for hanging it up at this point in his life/career.
 
Thanks for 2007 Josh.
 
I was joking man.  Of course I love that guy.
 

StuckOnYouk

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2003 and 2007 were both awesome josh Beckett moments for Sox fans.
As bad as the 03 ALCS was the WS win by Florida was incredible and a massive upset
 

SemperFidelisSox

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I hope he signs a 1 day contract with Popeyes so he can retire in the right uniform.

In all seriousness, he was great when he was on. Game 5 vs Cleveland in '07 is right up there with any of Schilling or Pedro's heroics.
 

MakMan44

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Thanks for the memories Beckett, good or bad, you were always interesting. It sucks to go out this way, but 2007 and 2003 can keep you (and us) warm at night. 
 

pedro1918

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I loved him in the fall of 2003 not knowing I'd love him more four years later.

He will always be one of the "other guys" in the Punto Trade. So he's got that going for him.
 

BornToRun

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It wasn't always a happy relationship but Beckett was absolutely dominant at times and 2007 doesn't happen without him. Thanks for the memories and enjoy retirement, JFB.
 

The Gray Eagle

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The 2007 World Championship is remarkably underappreciated and so is Beckett. He was awesome and we don't win that title without him. If any of dozens of plays had just slightly been different in 2004, then Josh Beckett would be one of the alltime legends of Red Sox baseball. It's not his fault that also we won the big one 3 years before 2007. 
 
Maybe as time goes on he and the rest of the 2007 team will get the proper amount of love from the fanbase. That was a great team and Beckett was one of the greatest in the biggest games.
 
I guess I should be happy to see the day that a key figure in leading the Red Sox to the World Championship would be unappreciated by the fanbase.
 
We have so many heroes now. 
 

Mike Greenwall

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Not to many people know how much Josh Beckett saved me from a winter of discontent in 2003.  I was very, very depressed and his Yankee kill was sweet solace for me.   Having him join the club and give us 2007 is enough to give Josh a life-long pass in my books.  
Chicken and beer.   Yawn.  
 
Looking forward to the book.
 

ehaz

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I'll never forget 2007 ALDS game 1... Just shittin' on the Angels with a 4 hitter made me believe that postseason was bound to be something special.
 

Sausage in Section 17

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After 194 starts for the Sox, he made 35 with L.A. and is now done. The Punto trade just keeps giving.
 
We owe the 2007 title to him and Lowell. 
 
He'll never have to buy a drumstick in New England for the rest of his life.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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Sausage in Section 17 said:
 
He'll never have to buy a drumstick in New England for the rest of his life.
 
I have a feeling Josh Beckett will never be back in New England for the rest of his life except for maybe a 2007 anniversary tribute someday, hopefully the Dentist will be long gone by then.
 

Laser Show

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His 2 seamer that that cut back over the plate from a lefty's elbow was one of the filthiest pitches I've seen.

Thanks for everything Josh
 

Jnai

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When he was good, one of my favorite pitchers ever.
 

Van Everyman

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I was at that game in Cleveland during the ALCS. At the time, it looked like the Sox were all finished, down 3-1, facing Sabathia. Everyone was partying and dancing and Kenny Lofton seemed on his way to becoming a local hero after game 4. The Tribe even got a woman to sing the national anthem that had dated Beckett to distract him.

Then the first pitch was thrown by CC. Ball 1. The second. Ball 2. Guy in front of me immediately yells, "Fuckin' throw strikes!" Suddenly, it felt like watching the pre-2004 Red Sox. And Beckett took care of the rest. He sucked the air right out of the place with a totally dominant performance.

Kind of amazing he threw a no-hitter this year. Best of luck in retirement, Josh.
 

m0ckduck

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He and that other WS hero, Derek Lowe, are the two most puzzlingly inconsistent pitchers I can remember rooting for. In Lowe's case, his reported off-the-field behavior provided at least the framework for an explanation. But in Beckett's case, there doesn't seem to be a fully satisfactory answer. I remember that when he came over to the AL in 2006 (one of the most personally disappointing debuts I can remember), he relied way too much on his four-seamer and tried to blow everyone away. After that, he seemed to pitch his best when (a) healthy and (b) able to work up some perceived sense of disrespect as motivation (e.g. everything that happened in 2006 and Sabathia beating him out for Cy Young in 2007). When (a) and (b) were aligned, he was awesome, but he never seemed to be able to abide prosperity for too long. 
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Beckett's an odd duck. Fiercely competitive on the field yet retires at 34 because of an injury (that he could rehab from) and probably because he's got more money than he can spend at this point. Dominant #1 at times and utterly ineffective #5 at others. The strange odd-year-good pattern of his career. He was willing to pitch injured in the 2008 playoffs yet pretty much gave up on the 2011 season with the chicken and beer bullshit. Fired up when his teammates got thrown at (Hi Joba!) and yet became a huge clubhouse cancer in 2011-2012 and the atmosphere around the team got better once he was gone.
 
2nd overall pick in his draft class and showed it at times, yet retires with "only" 138 wins and a 111 ERA+. Very good pitcher, but at times it seemed like he should have been better. Had his signature moment in 2003 by sticking it up the Yankees' collective asses in The Stadium, of course.
 
We'll always have 2007 and that shouldn't be forgotten. Maybe not a loved player, but certainly respected....at times.
 

JimD

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Definitely not a 'loved' player, IMO, but an appreciated one for 2007.  Sort of the same way I think of John Lackey and 2013.
 
M

MentalDisabldLst

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I dunno, I didn't love him the way I loved Pedro and Manny, but Beckett's in a tier not far behind.  I loved his attitude, giving exactly zero fucks, always focused and completely in charge.  His aggression was a great asset when he had the control to back it up.
 
He's only 34.  He actually had a decent 115IP campaign this year, with peripherals that don't suggest a decline.  However, after his recent injury history, it's probably true that he wasn't going to get anywhere close to his previous 4 years / $68M FA deal, and he was an FA after the 2014 season.  So it makes sense to me that he'd decide it wouldn't be worth it to rehab his ass off for a 1-year, $5M show-me contract.
 
And needless to say, I think he showed CC Sabathia who the real Cy Young winner should've been in 2007.  Screw that guy and his hammer pants.
 

canderson

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Mad love to a fellow Texan.
 
Beckett was the MVP of the 2007 WS run. Without him, it really doesn't happen. His last 8 or so months in Boston was tainted, but he had dominating performances in Boston that will always be remembered.
 
After his 2007 Game 5 ALCS masterpiece (W, 8 IP, 11 Ks, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 H) he was quoted after being asked about his ex singing the national anthem:
 
"I don't get paid to make those decisions. She's a friend of mine. It doesn't bother me at all. Thanks for flyin' one of my friends to the game so she could watch it for free."
 
Good luck in the deer stand, Josh. And thank you.
 

LeoCarrillo

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Yeah, it ended badly. So what. 2003, 2007, the profane gif. Loved that guy.
 

JayMags71

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canderson said:
Mad love to a fellow Texan.
 
Beckett was the MVP of the 2007 WS run. Without him, it really doesn't happen. His last 8 or so months in Boston was tainted, but he had dominating performances in Boston that will always be remembered.
 
After his 2007 Game 5 ALCS masterpiece (W, 8 IP, 11 Ks, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 H) he was quoted after being asked about his ex singing the national anthem:
dylanmarsh said:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zw8zHUjwvCo[/youtube]
Whenever someone mentions the name Josh Beckett, that's first place my mind takes me. Nights like that are the reason we watch baseball. That game was an enormously satisfying feast, and his post-game interview was the cherry on the sundae. He'll have my respect from that night forward.
 

rembrat

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I was gifted a Josh Beckett jersey a few years ago and I've been meaning to frame it... gotta get on that.
 
He was my favorite Red Sox even during the Chicken and Beer stuff. What wasn't there to like? Tall and built like a horse with a fastball that matched his personality.
 
Game 1 of the 2007 WS, I swear every fastball was on the black.
 

MakMan44

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The collector's edition of the 2007 World Series DVDs are on sale for under $20 on Amazon. Just an FYI.
 
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I am so sad. Will never forget 2003 (not sure I ever rooted as much for a non-Red sox pitcher as I did then) and 2007.
 
this is a sad morning. he's not even 35
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Some tidbits I picked up from the BTF thread about this:
 
- Beckett never had a stretch where his WAR moved in the same direction 2 years in a row. Up down up down up down...the pattern of his career.
- Beckett has the 5th most WAR of all #2 overall picks in the history of the draft.
- only received Cy votes in 2 seasons of his career.
- only one season of 125 ERA+ with more than 200 IP (2007).
 
Very strange but ultimately very good career that feels like it should have been greater.
 

Remagellan

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I loved him before he got to the Sox, while he was with the Sox, and after he left the Sox.  
 
I'm glad we got one last great glimpse of him at the top of his game this year when he pitched the no-hitter against the Phillies in May, before his body finally broke down.   
 
Enjoy your retirement, JFB!  
 
Foulkey Reese said:
He was a god damn assassin in the 2007 post season. 
 
YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT HE WAS!  
 

TheYaz67

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
Some tidbits I picked up from the BTF thread about this:
 
- Beckett never had a stretch where his WAR moved in the same direction 2 years in a row. Up down up down up down...the pattern of his career.
 
The ODD YEAR BECKETT phenomena.  Will be studied by sabrmaticians for eternity without ever being fully understood.
 
God speed Josh - we'll always have your swagger and 2007 - thanks for carrying that team across the line!
 

mauf

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With today's salaries, it's rare for a player to be finished with the game before the game is finished with him. I don't begrudge the guys who milk every nickel out of their playing careers, but I love Beckett's decision to retire rather than hang on as a shell of his former self.
 
Boston fans have more love than our media -- the knuckleheads on EEI wanted us to boo Pedro, for heaven's sake. Josh Beckett will receive a hero's welcome if/when he returns to Fenway, and that's as it should be.
 

Leather

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You know what?  Chicken and beer are pretty fucking good.
 
Godspeed, surly prince of the postseason.
 
M

MentalDisabldLst

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Game 1 of the 2007 WS was just as fine a performance, and on an even grander stage.  7IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 9 Ks.  By the time he left, the game was literally Gagne-proof.  Struck out the side in the top of the 1st in the 1st game of the World Series - that's setting the tone.  The Rockies didn't need to "ask fuckin' Francis" who he was.
 

Sausage in Section 17

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I'm wondering if we may see him in 2 years. The link says he is not scheduled for surgery until May, and that the rehab is 4 months. I guess if he was hell bent on continuing to play, he could/would get the surgery done sooner.
 
If he feels good next fall, he'd probably be a good candidate to do an Eck/Smoltz renaissance in the bullpen at age 36 in 2016.
 
Or maybe golf and chicken are too good to pass up.
 

paulb0t

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He didn't leave on the best of terms, but he'll always be this guy thanks to 2007.