Nearly three years after initially being diagnosed with a condition that sapped his strength and made it difficult for him to job, let alone expend the energy needed to play baseball, Rocco Baldelli officially announced his retirement Wednesday. Baldelli told the St. Petersburg Times he knew immediately after his 2010 season ended -- when he was removed from the Rays' playoff roster after one game because of cramping in his legs -- that he wouldn't play again. Tampa Bay general manager Andrew Friedman advised him to give the decision some time, but Baldelli's new course is set. At age 29, he'll become a special adviser to the Rays, working in scouting and player development.
"I don't anticipate ever playing baseball again. I'm retired. The paperwork will be filed," Baldelli said. "And you know what. The only time I feel like it's good to retire is when you're happy to retire. And I'm happy."
As much of a struggle as it has been for Baldelli the last three seasons, the time since his diagnosis produced some of the most memorably moments of his playing career. After announcing his condition -- then labeled a mitochondrial disorder -- in March 2008, Baldelli worked to regain enough strength to join the Rays in the midst of their remarkable worst-to-first run. He came off the disabled list in August and served mostly as a bat off the bench during Tampa Bay's run to its first AL East title.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/01/26/rocco-baldelli-retires-at-age-29-joins-rays-front-office/
Cunningham, Dante Curry, Eddy Curry, Stephen Dalembert, Samuel Dampier, Erick
No comments:
Post a Comment