Jody Gerut Leaves Mariners Camp, Baseball, Citing Loss of Passion

Filed under: Mariners, Spring TrainingPEORIA, Ariz. -- Outfielder Jody Gerut, who came up with the Indians in 2003 and played with five different Major League teams, retired in the camp of a sixth Sunday. Gerut, who was given a 50-50 chance to make the opening day roster of the Seattle Mariners at age 33, said that his energy to play the game as well as he could was gone. "I can no longer in good conscience play the game in a manner that reflects the positive example for the younger generation of baseball players,'' Gerut said. "Physically, I'm fine. But mentally my reasons for wanting to be in uniform have become so thing and narrow that I refuse to disrespect the game that has provided so generously for my family by playing it in a halfhearted way.''