Retirement

By Chad Finn, Globe Staff Tim Wakefield, the third-winningest and longest-tenured pitcher in Red Sox history, announced his retirement this afternoon at a brief but emotional press conference at Jet Blue Park in Ft. Myers, Fla. "This has been the hardest thing I ever had to do, so it's with a heavy heart that I stand here today to say that I've decided to retire from the game of baseball," said Wakefield. "Ever since I was a little boy, all I ever wanted to do was play baseball," he said, wearing a dark suit and occasionally pausing to compose himself.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent Braintree Police Chief Paul Frazier has announced that he will retire from the department in August after over 30 years on the force. According to a release, Frazier was appointed to the Braintree Police Department in 1980, and became chief of police in 1993. He was re-appointed chief by Mayor Joseph Sullivan in 2010. In his time, he has implemented a number of improvements to the department in terms of training and helped better equip the force.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jason Varitek, a two-time World Series champion and the captain of the Red Sox from 2005-11, will announce his retirement here on Thursday, sources told the Globe today. Varitek is expected to stay with the organization in some capacity. A member of the Red Sox from 1997-2011, Varitek hit .256 with 193 home runs and 757 RBIs. Only Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (23 seasons), Ted Williams (19) and Jim Rice (16)

The Supreme Judicial Court sided with Regis College Tuesday in its long-running battle with the town of Weston over the college's plans to build a retirement community. Regis wants to build a 362-unit luxury retirement community and seeks zoning protection under the so-called Dover Amendment, which bestows exemptions for educational facilities. Weston has argued that the proposal is primarily a housing development and therefore not eligible for the zoning exemption. The college says its Regis East project would be an educational facility,...

DES MOINES - In this environment, benefits are taking on a heightened importance for most workers. They are more actively involved in managing the benefits provided by their employers, says a study conducted by MetLife Inc. The annual employee benefits trends study released yesterday shows workers are relying more than ever on workplace benefits to be their financial safety net. MetLife's 7th Annual Employee Benefits Trends Study said 46...

After nearly 30 years working at MIT, Barbara Peacock-Coady was looking forward to having time to pursue her other interests. But she wasn't ready to stop working altogether. So she approached her bosses in MIT's Career Services Office and proposed a gradual retirement, in which she phased out her duties and hours over two years. She cut back to two days a week, leaving her time to volunteer, read, and relax. "It really helped me understand that I didn't want to do that anymore," she said, "that I was ready to learn how to spend more time with myself.

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With Jonathan Papelbon likely headed back to the starting rotation, with Mike Timlin showing his age over the last half of the season, with the youngsters yet to prove themselves as viable late-inning relievers, a vintage Keith Foulke would fill a gaping hole in the Red Sox bullpen in 2007. Not hard to imagine, right? Foulke, circa 2004, when he could easily have been World Series MVP, coming out of the pen in the late going next season. Except it's been two years. Two long years.

Bruins forward Mark Recchi has announced his retirement. Recchi, 43, won his third Stanley Cup tonight, and was the second player to hoist the trophy after it was presented to captain Zdeno Chara. Recchi has played for seven teams and logged 1,652 NHL regular-season games and 190 in the playoffs. He also won Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Residents are invited to attend a retirement celebration for Fire Chief Arthur Cotoni, who served the town for 46 years. The celebration will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 2 at the American Legion Post 440, 295 California St., in Newton. Tickets are $40 per person and should be purchased by Feb. 24. For tickets contact Ben Juhola at juholben@lincolntown.org or Catherine Dubeshter at cdubeshter@lincolntown.org; or call 781-259-2675. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

Kim Clijsters says this year's U.S. Open will be her last tournament before retiring. The former No. 1 had already announced that this would be her final season and said Tuesday that she expects to quit after Flushing Meadows, where she is a three-time champion. Clijsters said at a news conference that "I will end my career at the U.S. Open. " The Belgian star said Flushing Meadows "is where I enjoyed my greatest triumphs and it is a very special place for me. " Clijsters is skipping the entire clay-court season as she recovers from a hip injury, but hopes to be fit...

Veteran U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker will be leaving his post as ambassador to Afghanistan this summer, an embassy spokesman said Tuesday. Crocker, 62, came out of retirement last July to take over the post after a request from President Barack Obama. Crocker was widely known for his role as U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009. It is unclear why he is leaving the post a year ahead of schedule or who will replace him. The most likely candidate would be James Cunningham, one of four other ambassadors serving under Crocker in Kabul.

Joanne and Everett Parhiala had a plan. They would move from the Lexington house where they had raised their three children to a smaller Boston condo. Then, Joanne, 53, and Everett, 57, would work for a few more years before settling into retirement in the city. But now, instead of downsizing in Boston, the Parhialas are searching for an even bigger place in the suburbs to accommodate Joanne's aging father and developmentally disabled brother. "We had kind of pictured ourselves living in a small place in the city," said Joanne Parhiala.

The retirement dream seems further away for a lot of baby boomers, and they appear to be responding to that by holding on to their jobs if they can. But that may have worsened the employment prospects for younger workers. Labor Department figures indicate that the percentage of workers over the traditional retirement age of 65 is at a record high. But, the figures show, job totals fell sharply for men under 55 during the recession and have only started to recover, while the proportion of women ages 25 to 54 with jobs also slid and is close to the lowest level of the last two decades.

Andy Pettitte gave the New York Yankees a Turn Back the Clock night. Provided a one-run lead for much of the night, the 39-year-old left-hander put together a vintage performance in his second start following a one-year layoff. Pettitte pitched four-hit ball over eight innings Friday for his first regular-season win since July 2010, leading the New York Yankees over the Cincinnati Reds 4-0. "I felt like I could do this, and now it's just like I feel like the mind's getting back there," a beaming Pettitte said after his 241st win. "I'm just hoping and praying the body holds up. " Making...

NEW YORK - Michael Rosenbaum, an award-winning CBS News producer who served as Tel Aviv bureau chief during the first Palestinian uprising against Israel, died Thursday of a brain tumor. He was 64. Mr. Rosenbaum collaborated with correspondents Bob Simon and Dan Rather on stories in the Middle East while he was Tel Aviv bureau chief from 1989 to 1995. His field producing played a key role in coverage of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, which won a Peabody award and two Emmys.

Residents are invited to attend a retirement celebration for Fire Chief Arthur Cotoni, who served the town for 46 years. The celebration will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 2 at the American Legion Post 440, 295 California St., in Newton. Tickets are $40 per person and should be purchased by Feb. 24. For tickets contact Ben Juhola at juholben@lincolntown.org or Catherine Dubeshter at cdubeshter@lincolntown.org; or call 781-259-2675. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

WILMINGTON, Del. - Ford chief executive Alan Mulally said Thursday he has no timetable for retirement and his boss, executive chairman William Ford, is just fine with that. "We've said 2025, maybe it should be 2030," Ford joked to reporters after the automaker's annual meeting in Wilmington. Ford referred to possible retirement dates for Mulally, who would turn 80 in 2025. "It's been really fun for the two of us to work together and I for one would like to see it continue for some time.

Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start. On Friday, he left the game after one final, emotional appearance with the Chicago Cubs. Fittingly, "Kid K" struck out the last batter he'll ever face and retired at the age of 34, ending a career that was eye-popping at times but hampered by injuries.

Kerry Wood, who electrified baseball with a 20-strikeout game as a rookie in 1998 and then became a reliever after his career was slowed by injuries, is expected to retire after pitching one more time for the Chicago Cubs. The 34-year-old Wood was in uniform Friday against the White Sox in the opener of their first interleague series of the season. The Cubs declined comment after multiple media outlets reported Wood's decision, though manager Dale Sveum said Wood was available to pitch if needed.