By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff WriterAn ESPN gig awaits the Tampa native, who retires after 16 seasons.
Tino Martinez didn't want to make a formal announcement. If he'd had his way, he just would have not showed up for spring training and gone on with his life.
But with a new high-profile gig at ESPN about to start, he figured people might notice. So Tuesday, the Tampa native officially acknowledged that his stellar 16-year playing career, which included four World Series championships with the Yankees and a 2004 season with his hometown Devil Rays, indeed was over.
"I don't want to make this a big deal," Martinez said by phone. "I'm done. I'm not going to play anymore. I'm 100 percent decided."
Martinez, 38, said he began to realize the end was near when he was limited to part-time duty in 2005. He decided he wanted to finish his career in pinstripes, and when the Yankees declined an option to bring him back this season, he determined there was no point in going anywhere else.
"I wanted to retire as a Yankee, to have that uniform on for the last time," he said. "It's a great way to go out."
And the chance to get right in at ESPN, with duties that include the Baseball Tonight studio show, some radio work and assignment to a few games, provided a perfect transition and an exciting challenge.
"This opportunity made it a lot easier," he said. "I'm really fired up about it. And I'm going to work hard at it to get better."
After starring at Tampa Catholic and Jefferson high schools and the University of Tampa, Martinez was a 1988 first-round pick by the Mariners and a gold-medal Olympian. He made two All-Star teams during his 16 seasons with the Mariners, Yankees, Cardinals and Rays, finished second in the 1997 AL MVP voting after hitting 44 homers and piled up some impressive career numbers: a .271 average, 339 home runs and 1,271 RBIs.
"To play 16 years in the big leagues; most people dream of playing one day," Martinez said. "I gave it all I had. I definitely made the most of my opportunity. And I look back with no regrets."
Thank you, Tino, for all of the memories and all of the joy you have brought to me and every one of your fans. Thank you for *who* you are, and for *what* you are. Thank you for always giving it your all, and thank you for playing the game the way it is supposed to be played. Thank you for all of the joy you have given to me and for all the magical moments that I can not even put into words.
You are---and always will be---my all-time favorite player. Not only have you been an All-Star and a Champion in the game of baseball, you are also an all-star calliber human being and a champion in life! Thank you, Tino, for always carrying yourself with such class, dignity, and approachabily.
Major League Baseball won't be the same without you, but your fans love you and will always admire and respect you. I wish you so much joy and success in all that the future may bring. Thank you, Tino! YOU ARE THE BEST!
- February 20, 2006
Thank You, Tino! |
|