McAdam: Jason Varitek mourns the cancellation of the 2020 Cape Cod League season

Like everyone else who heard the news, Jason Varitek was crestfallen when he learned last month that the 2020 Cape Cod League season would not take place.

Like few others, however, Varitek could grasp the significance of the loss.

Nearly 20 years ago, Varitek played two memorable seasons in the Cape League, sandwiched around a stint with Team USA and the 1992 Olympics. He played for the Hyannis Mets (since renamed the Harbor Hawks) in 1991, and again two years later when he was selected league MVP.

"You could kind of see it coming,'' said Varitek, noting the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on the sports world. "But when I heard it on the news, the first thing that came to mind was, they've never had to cancel it. We've had work stoppages and wars and it's been long-standing. It's a shame. It's a necessity for our times right now, but you feel bad for anybody who's going to miss out on some opportunities.

"Hopefully, people find some creative ways to fulfill things they'll miss.''

That won't be easy. Varitek fondly remembers his time on the Cape, and its impact on both his playing career and his life.

"I had a wonderful, wonderful experience,'' said Varitek, who admittedly knew little about the Cape League before being invited to play, "on the ballfield and with (my host) family.''



Like virtually every other college student, Varitek had a summer job -- he was assigned to launder the uniforms each morning at 7 a.m. -- as part of his daily responsibilities.

But mostly, the summer was built around baseball, with practices each afternoon and games each night. Matched against the top college players in the country, Varitek dealt with adversity for the first time in his playing career.

"The hitters in that league are generally overmatched by the pitchers, at least to start,'' he said. "It's also your first taste of hitting with a wooden bat. And there's the general level of play, the speed of play. I learned a tremendous amount even when I didn't play, just sitting next to (manager) Brad Kelley (who served as the pitching coach for the University of Miami's fabled baseball program) -- reading swings, teaching me. I was very fortunate to have him take me under his wing.''

Even before his second season on the Cape, Varitek was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Twins. He refused to sign and returned to college for his senior season before being chosen by the Seattle Mariners a year later, also in the first round.

Exactly how much his experience and exposure on the Cape meant to his draft standing, Varitek can't say. But it certainly contributed in a positive way.

"It's kind of a small sample size,'' he said of the Cape League season. "But I think it can only help you. If nothing else, it kind of eliminates some question marks (about your ability).''

Among Varitek's teammates in his two stints with Hyannis were future major leaguers Rich Aurilia, Casey Blake, and Matt Morris, and maintains relationships with some to this day.

"You run into one another, you play against each other (in the minors or big leagues), you have that bond,'' he said. "You stay in contact, and you run into people who had the same host family, so you have that in common.''

For years afterward, Varitek was in contact with his own hosts -- Chuck and Kelly King.

Beyond the on-field experience, Varitek got his first exposure to New England. Born in Michigan, raised in Florida and having attended school in Atlanta, it was his first visit to the Northeast. Naturally, he made his first trip to Fenway -- his baseball home now since 1997.

"The whole experience there, I look back and have such great memories,'' he said.

In 2002, Varitek -- along with former Red Sox teammate and fellow Georgia Tech alum Nomar Garciaparra -- was named to the Cape League Hall of Fame. More recently, he was given an even bigger honor: Baseball America, which thoroughly covers amateur baseball and the minor leagues, recently named Varitek as the best Cape Cod League Player of All-Time, just ahead of Buck Showalter, Thurman Munson, Eric Milton and Cory Snyder.

"That's what happens when you're an old man playing against a bunch of freshmen,'' joked Varitek. "I don't think my first year on the Cape would (equate) to me being the best Cape player of all time. I'm not downplaying it -- it's a great, great, great honor.''

Varitek wonders what experiences this summer's crop of player might miss with the cancellation. He has no doubt about how his own time impacted his career.

"I don't think you can overstate it,'' he said. "The experience of competing against some of the best players in the county was huge. But you really grow up, too. To have to budget and live on a low income, having real responsibility You're off on your own for the first time. It all added different pieces to the puzzle.

"But athletically, as a baseball player, those experiences were phenomenal. You're playing against, you're adjusting on the fly to the wood bat -- both as a hitter and defensively. It was just a great learning period for me.''