By Fred Goodall
Associated Press
Thursday, Nov. 11, 1999; 4:38 p.m. EST

TAMPA, Fla. – Wade Boggs, the newest member of baseball's 3,000-hit club, retired today and accepted a front office job with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays that will include scouting and evaluating young talent.

"I've come to the fork in the road of making the decision of not to be a player. It was a long, painstaking decision. I talked to a lot of people – past players, present players, family members and close friends," Boggs said during a news conference at Tropicana Field.

"It wasn't an easy decision because an athlete can always look in the mirror and say OK, I can still play. Deep down inside, probably I thought I still could. But why not go out out on top. I've always said: 'I'll never embarrass myself in this game.' "

Boggs, who played 18 seasons in the majors, become the 23rd player to reach 3,000 hits on Aug. 7. He is the only player to do it with a home run.

A month after reaching the plateau, the five-time AL batting champion had season-ending surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. He hit .301, the 15th time he finished at .300 or better and wound up with 3,010 career hits.

A 12-time All-Star, Boggs also was the only player this century with seven straight 200-hit seasons, won two gold gloves, set an AL rookie record with a .349 average in 1982 and won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996.

The Devil Rays faced a deadline Wednesday to exercise the option on a contract Boggs signed two years ago when he returned to the area where he grew up to help Tampa Bay launch an expansion franchise.

Although his duties as special assistant to general manager Chuck Lamar aren't well defined, Boggs said he is excited about the prospect of having input in the development of what he thinks can be a championship organization.

Eventually he said he would consider opportunities in television.

"Last season was an incredible high point in a long journey. I will always treasure it. Not once during the year did I consider it the final lap of an amazing ride," he said.

"Few players have the luxury of culminating their career at home surrounded by family and friends," said Boggs, who was accompanied to the news conference by his wife, Debbie. "Never being one to look back, I now look forward to helping the Tampa Bay Devil Rays be the best organization it can."