Is Jason Varitek’s personal life affecting his performance on the field? The answer is no.

If you haven’t heard by now, ‘Tek and his wife, Karen, recently split-up after 12 years of marriage. We’re hearing the news now, but Varitek filed for divorce about 3 weeks ago.

One can make a case that Varitek’s struggles at the plate may pertain to his off-the-field issues. It’s surely a possibility. Last year we witnessed J.D. Drew struggle out of the gate due to a couple of reasons; one being the situation with his sick son, the other adjusting to the Boston sports scene.

With Varitek, his struggles haven’t been solely based on this year. If we look at his splits from last year, the drop-off occured after last year’s All Star break, in which The Captain hit a mere .225 in the second half.

Keeping the stats in mind, maybe we can assume that Varitek is simply losing his swagger at the plate. Indeed he calls the best game behind the plate as a catcher, but at 36-years-old, one might have to assume an offensive drop-off is expected.

We as a fan-base must face the facts: Varitek’s offensive game is diminishing; but is it worth it to let Varitek walk as a free agent at the end of the year considering what is out on the market in terms of catchers? Who would the Sox bring in?

Exactly.

Let’s hope ‘Tek is willing to take a paycut to stay in 2009.

—

Now that we’ve indulged in the personal life of ‘Tek, why not continue?

According to various sources, it appears that Jason Varitek and Sox sideline reporter, Ms. Heidi Watney, are apparently working out in the bedroom. This may serve as a valid reason why the break-up between ‘Tek and his wife is currently occuring. Watney started working for the Red Sox in May. If true, she didn’t take long to jump all over Captain and become a home-wrecker.

As for her job, the Watney era may come to an end shall these rumors become valid.

That would be a shame; and shame on you people who are secretly congratulating Varitek for hooking up with the unbelievably good-looking, astounding sideline girl.