Varitek 'envisons' playing beyond 2011

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Saying he feels better than he has in years and can now go down stairs straight, Jason Varitek said Sunday he hopes to play well in 2011 and well beyond. The Red Sox' regular starting catcher since 1999 was asked if he sees himself playing into his mid-40s like Carlton Fisk and Bob Boone. 

"Is that what I envision? Yes, that is what I envision," said Varitek, adding that it's conditional on his overall health and family considerations.

Varitek — who turns 39 on April 11 — said he has made it through the first two days of camp with quick recovery, telling him that his body is fresh and ready to get ready for the season. Varitek said he is looking forward to working with starting catcher Jarrod Salatamacchia before adding that he didn't know after the 2010 season finale if he'd be back this spring. 

"It was very uncertain," Varitek recalled. "My kids were upset for a good two hours after the game. It wasn't just me that grew up here. It presented me with an emotional time. At that point, it was: I did things well enough and did better in enough areas. Hopefully, it was going to be, and it turned out to be. When I could walk down stairs straight, I knew I was ready.

"My body is going to dictate a lot and your performance also dictates a lot, how well you're able to do things. It's allowed my body to catch up the last couple of years. I'm kind of excited. Not kind of, I am."

Varitek, who missed two months last season with a broken bone in his right foot from a Carl Crawford foul on June 30, hit .232 in 39 games in 2010, with seven homers and 16 RBIs in a limited role behind Victor Martinez. 

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