Posted on 11/27/2001 5:59:32 PM PST by NYCVirago
NEW YORK -- After playing in four straight World Series, New York Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius decided he had done everything he wanted to in baseball and announced his retirement Tuesday to be with his family.
"It's all about who I want to be as a husband, as a father and as a person," Brosius said in a conference call. "As a baseball player, there's no way to get away from 100 nights a year away from your family. My oldest daughter is 10. I spent over three years of her life away on road trips. I want to be together as a family."
The 35-year-old Brosius became a free agent after the Yankees' World Series loss to Arizona. He went straight home to Oregon after the Series, instead of returning to New York with the team. He said he was 90 percent sure then that he would leave the game.
"I'm walking away with absolutely no regrets," Brosius said. "I've done everything I ever hoped to do as a player. I can leave with no bitterness and look ahead to great things for myself and my family.
"I've reached the point where there's nothing else out there to chase, nothing more to do. I'm walking away on my own terms when I knew the time was right. I never wanted to play the game halfhearted. I've played enough baseball. It's time to turn the page and pursue other things."
Brosius and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters and a son.
"My desire to stay here with my family was greater than to play. I never wanted to play when it was more work than it should be. It's time for us to stay together," he said.
Brosius said he hoped to do some part-time coaching at Linfield College and a high school near his Oregon home. He's also planning on some immediate changes brought about by retirement.
"My kids are excited," he said. "We're getting a puppy today. We said no pets until I'm done playing."
Brosius had a knack for clutch hits, earning MVP honors in the 1998 World Series and hitting a game-tying homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning in New York's Game 5 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks this year.
Acquired from Oakland after the 1997 season in a deal for Kenny Rogers, Brosius was an All-Star in his first season in New York. He batted .300 with 98 RBIs _ marks he did not reach in his final three seasons with the Yankees. He hit .247 in 1999, .230 in 2000 and .287 in 2001, with 13 homers and 49 RBIs.
Brosius, who played seven seasons for Oakland, was a .257 career hitter with 141 homers and 531 RBIs. He won a Gold Glove in '99.
Brosius is the third member of the Yankees to retire this offseason, joining Paul O'Neill and Luis Sojo.
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