The Phillies 2008 World Championship seems further and further in the rear-view mirror as another member of the 2008 team has retired. Reliever Chad Durbin, most famous for diffusing Joe Blanton sixth-inning james in 2008, will retire, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN:
Pitcher Chad Durbin, one of MLB's good guys, has retired. He was released by #phillies in late May.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 25, 2013
Durbin re-signed with the Phillies in 2013 after spending 2011 with the Cleveland Indians and 2012 with the Atlanta Braves. It was quickly clear, though, that Durbin was not the pitcher that he once was and the Phillies had to cut ties with Durbin in May.
Retirement presumably will give Durbin more time to work in his business, Showcase U, which helps high school athletes get noticed. The Showcase U website describes the business:
Showcase U gives high school student athletes a way to showcase themselves so that they can increase their opportunity to be recruited by college coaches and pro scouts. We provide resources for the student athlete to market themselves and all of their gifts, both athletic and academic, to the colleges of their choice. The competitive environment in collegiate athletics starts with the recruiting process. The Showcase U company founders and CEO all experienced personally this recruiting process and we created Showcase U as a way for student athletes to showcase themselves and take proactive control of their own destiny.
In a career that spanned 1999 through 2013 and included stints with the Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Indians, Braves, and Phillies, Durbin went 43-47 with a 5.03 ERA. He joins Brad Lidge, Matt Stairs, Jamie Moyer, Eric Bruntlett, Adam Eaton, Pat Burrell, Geoff Jenkins, So Iguchi, Pedro Feliz, Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, Rudy Seanez, Chris Coste, and Tom Gordon who are now out of baseball.
