Bagwell to retire today

[Maroon87]

Press conference scheduled for 10am on FSN Southwest.

[SWMustang]

think he's gonna cry? I do.

[kaorder1999]

do any players retire anymore without a press conference?

[Maroon87]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
do any players retire anymore without a press conference?


Not the great ones.:cool:

[spiveyrat]

Originally posted by SWMustang
think he's gonna cry? I do.

I think I'm gonna cry! :weeping: :bigcry:

[Maroon87]

Bagwell retires owning most Astros hit marks
Associated Press



HOUSTON -- Jeff Bagwell retired Friday after 15 years with the Houston Astros, ending a career in which he hit 449 home runs but was forced from the field after the 2005 season because of a shoulder injury.



Along with Craig Biggio, Bagwell led the Astros to four division titles and the team's first NL pennant in 2005. The 38-year-old Bagwell retires as Houston's leader in homers, RBI (1,529), walks (1,401) and extra-base hits (969). He finished with a .297 career average.



The four-time All Star and winner of the 1994 NL MVP award will remain with the Astros as part of a personal-services agreement struck with the team this week. Bagwell is expected to work with Astros hitters, assist in the front office and make appearances for the team.



"I had a tough time in those last four or five years in my shoulder. It took a lot out of me both on the field and off the field," he said. "This is a day that I knew was coming. I'm OK with it. I feel blessed to have known all of you."



Astros owner Drayton McLane praised Bagwell's contributions to the team on and off the field.



"Jeff has been the heartbeat of the Houston Astros," McLane said.



Despite his unique and highly unorthodox batting stance, Bagwell displayed remarkable power at the plate, ranking among the top 15 players in home runs and RBI throughout the 1990s. His final tally of 449 home runs leaves him three behind his childhood idol, Carl Yastrzemski.



Former teammates and colleagues routinely described Bagwell as a "blue-collar guy" and "one of the guys" who accepted the fame and celebrity of his career only reluctantly.



"For as great a player as he was, he was also one of the most humble people I've ever been around," Gerry Hunsicker, the Astros' general manager from 1996 to 2004, told the Associated Press. "He really let his play do his talking for him. He was just one of the guys, so to speak."



A native of Boston, Bagwell's minor-league contract was owned by the Boston Red Sox until August 1990, when he was traded to the Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen. Astros manager Art Howe switched Bagwell from third base to first base to accommodate Astros third baseman Ken Caminiti, soon to become one of Bagwell's closest friends.



Bagwell's impact was immediate, and he was named the National League rookie of the year in 1991, hitting .294 with 15 homers and a club rookie record of 82 RBI.



He went on to win three Silver Slugger awards and one Gold Glove while being named to four All Star teams.



But it was in the strike-shortened season of 1994 that Bagwell had perhaps his best season, hitting .368 over 110 games, slamming 39 home runs and knocking in 116 runs to lead the Astros within a half-game of Cincinnati before a players strike ended the season on Aug. 12. As a result of his season, Bagwell was unanimously named the National League's most valuable player.



But Bagwell's career also was marred by personal and professional tragedies as well, with two of his teammates dying unexpectedly within two years of each other.



Darryl Kile, a gifted pitcher who joined the Astros with Bagwell in 1991, died of coronary disease while a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in June 2002.



The death hit Bagwell hard.



"Even after we weren't teammates, we were together all the time playing golf and hanging out," he told USA Today in 2003. "He's one of the closest people I've ever had pass away. You lose a friend like that, it's a tough thing. I'll never get over it."



Then came the death of Caminiti from an accidental drug overdose in October 2004.



"He took me under his wing when I got here," Bagwell told the AP at the time. "I have nothing but great memories of Cammy, nothing bad."



By 2005, the arhtritic right shoulder that periodically bothered Bagwell had slowed his powerful swing and took the zip off his infield throws. It finally betrayed him entirely. He had surgery on the shoulder, but was able to play in only 39 games that year. It was clear by spring training of 2006 that the pain would end his career.



As it happened, his last at-bat was a pinch-hit ground out for Brandon Backe in the seventh inning of Game 4 of the 2005 World Series.



Bagwell will be eligible for induction into baseball's Hall of Fame in five years, and Hunsicker says there's "no question" Bagwell will be selected. Even more likely is a ceremony next year to officially retire Bagwell's No. 5 jersey from the Astros.



"If any number should be hanging up there in those rafters (at Minute Maid Park), it should be No. 5," said Hunsicker. "Jeff was a leader because of the way he played the game, the way he carried himself on and off the field and the way he treated people."



Barry Axelrod, Bagwell's longtime agent, said Bagwell is one of the last of a generation of players who retain great respect for baseball's history and traditions. Bagwell, he said, was "one of the blessings of my [30-year] career."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

[g$$]

Great player & even a better person. I think he should be in the HOF as his #s stack up & the injury shortened his career (& affected him since 2001). Great fielder, great baserunner, great instincts, great leader, solid #s. Thanks #5.

I say 2nd ballot HOF (IMO should be 1st ballot but reality says 2nd ballot).