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Rumors
Boston Post, November 18, 1927
O'FARRELL TO RETIRE?
Veteran Star Said To Be Leaving Game
BOSTON--The man who is usually considered to be the finest player ever to don a Boston Red Sox uniform might well have put on that uniform for the final time.
Pat O'Farrell, star of eight World Series champion Red Sox teams, is said to be seriously considering his retirement from the game. Sources close to O'Farrell and the Red Sox indicate that the All-Star second baseman, who recently celebrated his fortieth birthday, might announce his retirement as early as next week.
O'Farrell batted .298 last season, a fine performance, but well short of his lifetime average of .330. While he appeared in 150 of the Bostons' 154 contests, he appeared to tire during the latter weeks of the season, and his bat was far less productive than it had been in April and May. Still, Pat was a valuable member of a championship team, and at no point in the season did he embarrass himself on the diamond. There is much to be said for a star player, like Pat has been since 1907, who chooses to end his career while he can still play with skill, rather than lingering until he is but an ineffective facsimile of the player he used to be.
O'Farrell is a dedicated family man, and the desire to spend more time with his wife and five children might also tilt the balance in favor of retirement. The Red Sox' victory in the World Series has also been advanced as a factor in his decision, as it would enable him to leave the game as a champion.
If this is the end of the line for O'Farrell, as it appears to be for Tris Speaker, we who have followed his career for two decades now wish him nothing but the best, and thank him from the bottom of our hearts for the class with which he has always represented our city.
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