FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – There might have been a mutiny had the Red Sox let Jason Varitek leave as a free agent. Instead, they re-signed him and stitched a “C” on his jersey, making him only the fourth official captain in club history.

The minor uniform change may be the only difference this spring for the catcher who emerged last season as the heart of the Red Sox first World Series winners in 86 years – an intense competitor, a thorough student of hitters and the man his pitchers rave about.

“We had to get him back or the city would have rioted,” closer Keith Foulke said, “and the players probably would have, too.”

As Boston’s biggest names left – first Nomar Garciaparra, then Pedro Martinez – Varitek moved up on the list of most valuable Red Sox. It doesn’t hurt that he’s coming off one of his best seasons – career highs of a .296 batting average and .998 fielding percentage with only two errors in 130 games.

On Dec. 24, when he received a four-year, $40 million contract, Varitek joined Jimmie Foxx, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice as the Red Sox only captains since 1922. He has no plans to become more vocal or less devoted to studying the best way for a certain pitcher to retire a certain hitter.

“I have the same role that I’ve had the past six or seven seasons,” Varitek said. “About the biggest thing that will change is I’ll probably take a little heat from my teammates and a little joking.”

He could have avoided that by leaving the Red Sox after seven seasons. But he and the team were determined for him to stay.

“It’s just a perfect situation. We wanted him back. He wanted to come back,” principal owner John Henry said.

The pitchers, those in Boston and on their way there, definitely wanted him back.

“It’s incredibly important,” Curt Schilling said a month before Varitek re-signed.

Matt Clement, who left the Chicago Cubs as a free agent, said “it was a huge factor for me” that Varitek stay. He even tried to find out if Varitek would sign. Two days after Clement joined the Red Sox, Varitek agreed to come back.

“He’s our quarterback behind the plate,” Bronson Arroyo said. “He’s mellow and keeps to himself until things go down and then he’s going to have your back, which everybody saw.”

They saw it in the top of the third inning last July 24 when Alex Rodriguez stared at Arroyo after being hit by a pitch. Varitek stepped toward Rodriguez and pushed his glove in the Yankee’s face as players poured from the benches and bullpens.

Boston began the game 91/2 games behind New York in the AL East but came back from a 10-8 deficit to win 11-10 with a three-run ninth inning capped by Bill Mueller’s two-run homer off Mariano Rivera.

That has been viewed as a turning point, as the Red Sox surged at the end of the regular season, overcame a 3-0 deficit to New York to win the AL championship series, before sweeping St. Louis in the World Series.

Varitek’s real value comes in handling pitchers, something opponents recognize.

“He’s so heavily involved in their pitching staff,” New York catcher John Flaherty said. “It’s like having another pitching coach out on the field, actually. I think he really sets the tone for how that club plays.”

This spring, Varitek has several new pitchers to work with – Clement, David Wells, Wade Miller, Matt Mantei and John Halama.

Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe are gone.

“We can’t replace Pedro Martinez,” Varitek said. “These guys are different guys and none of them should have to pitch with the thought process of replacing Pedro Martinez. It can’t be done.”

Just as the Red Sox would have found it very difficult to replace Varitek. They showed their appreciation by asking him to wear the “C” on his uniform.

“It’s a hard thing to shy away from just because I might be a little bashful about it,” Varitek said. “They’ve honored me with that and I think I’m going to honor them back and wear it.”

Outfielder Jay Payton, who played with Varitek at Georgia Tech, was traded to Boston four days before the catcher signed.

“He’s always been an intense competitor. He’s one of the hardest workers that I know in the game,” Payton said. “He symbolizes the Red Sox to me.”

For manager Terry Francona, symbols mean far less than seeing Varitek crouch behind the plate in a Boston uniform.

“He’s everything you want in your catcher, whether it’s Game 7 of the playoffs or Field 4 in spring training,” Francona said. “He goes about everything just like you’re supposed to.”

AP-ES-02-19-05 1725EST