Paul Byrd to sit out first half of 2009

[southsider2k5]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9076220...3162&ATT=49

 

Paul Byrd isn't retiring. But he also will not be playing baseball at the start of the season.

 

Byrd, a free agent, says he will remain home with his family in Alpharetta, Ga., then possibly join a contender at midseason.

 

The Roger Clemens plan, only Byrd isn't Clemens.

 

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"I'm in a weird predicament," Byrd says. "I don't know what to do."

 

He doesn't want to spend another full season away from his wife, Kym, and sons Grayson, 12, and Colby, 11.

 

But he also doesn't want to say farewell to a sport that he has played competitively since 1976.

 

"The word 'retire' when you're 38 just doesn't make sense. I hate even using that word," Byrd says. "But how much longer can it keep being all about me?"

 

Almost all veterans experience the same dilemma, no matter how much money they earn. They sacrifice family time being away so often. Their families sacrifice, too.

 

Byrd said his older son did not play football last season and neither son played travel baseball. The Byrds, like many in baseball, pull their children out of school and hire private tutors so the family can be together in spring training. Byrd's wife and sons also travel to meet him as often as possible after school resumes in August.

 

Kym Byrd, too, has sacrificed — she is a life coach who has put her career on hold to assist Paul and make sure a parent is home for the boys.

 

"Some families, they love it," Byrd says. "When the dad retires, they're really sad. Maybe the wife just loves the lifestyle.

 

"It doesn't mean everyone should feel the way I feel. My family is different. When I'm gone, it takes a toll on the kids. They're not able to do some of the things they want to do. It's gotten to the stage where my wife feels they need their dad around."

 

So, Byrd will try a different approach.

 

The obvious question is whether a team would want him at mid-season; he would not be a high-impact, high-profile addition like Clemens was for the Astros in 2006 and Yankees in '07.

 

Byrd, however, says that two general managers asked him to consider their clubs if he decides to return, with one telling him, "We know you can roll out of bed and throw strikes."

 

"You never know in July or August," one GM said when asked if Byrd would draw interest. "Clearly, he's only going to give you fourth or fifth starter performance, probably fifth if he hasn't pitched all year. It's possible, but not definite, that there would be interest."

 

Byrd went 8-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break for the Indians and Red Sox. For the season, he made 30 starts and pitched 180 innings. He said he is not putting his career on hold due to a lack of interest in him as a free agent.

 

"I got some really nice offers. That's what made it hard," Byrd said. "Nice offers from very competitive, big-time teams that just need someone to fill in at the back end of their rotation. I also got an offer or two from small-market teams that said they wanted me to come in and be their No. 1 or 2 guy.

 

"That doesn't appeal to me. I wouldn't mind being in a grandfather role, teaching other people. But I was one game away from the World Series two years in a row (with the Indians in '07 and the Red Sox in '08).

 

"When I think about my career, the one thing that really pains me is that I've never been in a World Series. I would love to win a World Series. But just to get in there, that would be the pinnacle."

 

Which is the other side of Byrd's internal debate. He believes he can still pitch effectively. He plans to continue working out and staying in shape. And he knows he will miss the competition.

 

His thinking is, if he starts off the season at home, his family might be more comfortable if he departs for 2-1/2 to 3 months in July or August instead of working the entire six-month regular season and possibly the postseason.

 

Ideally, Byrd would like to pitch for a team close to home — the Braves, Rays or Marlins.

 

"I realize a team would have to have a special need," he says. "It would have to be a team that needs someone to throw strikes, keep them in the game. But I really feel I can give somebody not just a guy to eat innings, but a nice boost late in the year if they were in playoff contention and felt like I could help them."

 

If it does not happen, Byrd will be content with his 13-year career.

 

Byrd recalls his wife asking him to quit in 1994, when he was demoted to Class AA with the Indians, unable to crack the team's 40-man roster and stuck on what he calls the "phantom DL."

 

He persevered, returned to Class AAA as a reliever that season, then got traded to the Mets that winter. The following season he made his major-league debut.

 

Since then, he has gone 108-93 with a 4.38 ERA, earning more than $40 million, according to baseball-reference.com.

 

"I'm just grateful for every day I've had in the big leagues," Byrd says. "I feel super-fortunate to have done something I've loved, something I wanted to do as a little boy.

 

"Before, I was underpaid. Now, I get overpaid. I look around and say, 'This is just a great deal for me.' Yet, as your children get older, you ask yourself, how much do you want to miss?

 

"I love the competition. I love the guys in the locker room, the harassment that goes on in the locker room and on bus trips, love going to the field of battle. When you cut your grass, you don't get any standing ovations. I'm sure there will be a huge void.

 

"I will miss the adrenaline, the competition. At the same time, I'll get to see my kids' baseball games, not just two or three a year."

 

And maybe play baseball again soon.

[Balta1701]

Can they do steroid testing on a person who is not signed with a team but is not officially retired?