Chronic Injuries Force Nen to Retire

Robb Nen tried as hard as anyone to extend his career as one of baseball’s best closers, working countless hours to rehabilitate his troublesome shoulder after three operations.

After yet another setback, the former San Francisco Giant pitcher has decided to retire.

“He tried and got close again, and fell back down,” San Francisco trainer Stan Conte said Sunday, a day after speaking to Nen about the decision. “It’s been so frustrating. I’m surprised he lasted this long.”

Nen, who had 43 saves and a 2.20 earned-run average in 2002 to help the Giants reach the World Series, hasn’t pitched in more than two years. He played through the pain during the playoffs that season, knowing he needed surgery and that he was risking further damage.

The 35-year-old Nen, a right-hander who spent his final five seasons with the Giants, had 314 career saves in 10 major league seasons and is one of 18 pitchers to reach the 300 mark.

Nen’s rotator cuff is torn -- perhaps as much as 75% -- but surgery to completely repair it has a very low success rate. And Nen doesn’t want to go through another operation.

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Kevin Millar became the sixth Boston Red Sox player in six days to criticize Alex Rodriguez for boasting about his workout routine and not measuring up to Derek Jeter as a “Yankee type.”

“Derek Jeter is the Yankees, period,” Millar said. “A-Rod’s salary doesn’t dictate that he’s a Yankee. Making $25 million doesn’t mean he’s a Yankee.... A lot of us in this locker room, we watch a guy like Derek Jeter play over and over, and he’s a winner.

“You don’t need to tell people you’re an upper tier player. You don’t need to tell people that you work out seven hours a day.”

Rodriguez said in an interview last month that he leaves his house by 7 a.m. to work out while other players are sleeping or taking their children to school.

Rodriguez reported to the Yankee camp in Tampa, Fla., and indicated he would tone down talk about his training regimen.

“I’m proud of my workouts.... “ he said. “Eleven years, the first time I’ve talked about it. That will be the last too.”

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Catcher J.R. House, once considered the top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirate organization, faces season-ending surgery to repair tears in his right labrum and rotator cuff. House said he has multiple tears in his labrum and a 30% tear in his rotator cuff.

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Texas Ranger outfielder Rusty Greer has given up his comeback attempt and retired, nearly three years after playing his last game. Greer, who turned 36 last month, said he retired because he didn’t know whether he could make it through another season physically.