OAKLAND, Calif. -- Veteran left-hander Vida Blue, who signed a contract with the Oakland A's last month, announced his retirement Thursday, a team spokesman said.
Blue, 37, was listed as one of the A's starters after agreeing to terms Jan. 22. He asked the team to release a four-paragraph statement about his decision Thursday.
'Over the past few years, I have been contemplating retirement,' Blue said in the statement. 'So with mixed emotions and slight remorse, the day has finally come when I will no longer be playing major-league baseball.
'My physical condition is good; so while I am still in good health, I have decided to retire. I am going to miss my fans, the players and all the people associated with baseball. I must reiterate to my fans that you will always hold a special place in my heart. All the glorious moments I have shared with you, and my fellow teammates, will stay with me the rest of my life.'
Oakland Vice President Sandy Alderson said the A's are 'sorry that Vida will not be with us. But we respect his decision and wish him well.'
The A's had pursued Blue after he became a free agent when the San Francisco Giants did not pick up his contract. The former American League Cy Young winner had spent the 1984 season on the commissioner's suspended list following an 81-day jail term for possession of a controlled substance. He signed with San Francisco in April 1985 and was 18-18 for the Giants the next two years.
When Oakland decided it needed some older veterans to help stabilize the squad, it signed slugger Reggie Jackson, Ron Cey and Blue. Jackson and Blue had been members of the A's during their championship years in the early 1970s.
'It is a great opportunity to reconnect with the past,' said Alderson the day Blue signed.
Blue ends his 15-year major-league career with a 209-161 record. He won the AL's Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards in 1971 following a 24-8 season with the A's. He had been drafted by the A's in 1967 and remained with Oakland until 1978, when he was dealt to the Giants. He was traded to Kansas City in 1982, where he played until his suspension.
