Jonathan Papelbon loves him some Mariano Rivera.
Here’s Papelbon discussing Mariano last month, on Boston’s the Sports Hub:
“Deep down in my heart, I would love to finish my career as a Red Sox. And I think everybody pretty much knows that, but that’s a very, very hard thing to do in this day and age. And the way the game is now, I have to understand that as well. Hopefully it works out to where I can stay here for a while and win World Series and break records in a Red Sox uniform like my buddy Mo [Mariano Rivera] has done over there in [Yankees] pinstripes.”
And here he is today, discussing Mariano again during a press conference in Florida:
Did you watch the postseason after you guys were eliminated?
I didn’t watch a whole, whole lot. I tried to watch guys like [Mariano Rivera] and see what they were doing, try to keep track of it as best as I could. I didn’t watch a whole lot, like I said. But obviously Mo is one of those guys who I’ve idolized in the role, and what he’s done for the role, what he’s done himself as a closer. He’s got five rings. That speaks for itself. Everybody else that’s a closer out there is pretty much chasing him. I think he’s set the tone for what it is to be a closer, and I think he’s bridged that gap, from closers 10 years ago to closers now. He’s been able to do both and to bridge that gap. It’s fun to watch him. It’s fun to see how he goes about it, and it’s fun to kind of compete with him on a level of kind of staying up with him. If you can stay on the same field with him, you’re doing something right.
He’s had his postseason hiccups. Does that make it easier for you to put last year in context?
Of course. I’ve talked to [current Red Sox and former Yankees bullpen coach] Gary Tuck about that a lot. He was obviously with Mo for a greater part of his career. There’s a lot of little nuances that we talk about, from his game to my game. That’s what makes him who he is, and that’s what makes an athlete who they are – how they bounce back. In this game, that’s what’s going to test you to see what you’re made of. I take it all full steam ahead. It doesn’t affect me. I’m not going to take it into this season. My whole goal this season is to start a streak over again, see what happens from there.
Can you imagine pitching into your 40s?
Yeah, I can, but it’s not an easy thing to do. Mo, he just makes it look easy. He makes it look easy. Hopefully I will be able to, but only time will tell.
Like with the Joe Nathan item I posted yesterday at iYankees, it’s always fun to read of the praise heaped onto Mariano Rivera from other closers in baseball. While many of them hope to emulate his remarkable success, it is difficult to see any of them crafting a comparable resume or nearing the “aura” and “mystique” that is an intimate part of his legend. For now, as Papelbon said, everybody else is “pretty much chasing” Mariano, though I wonder if anyone can actually catch him.
Photo by John Munson/The Star-Ledger
With the Yanks extending their lead to 7.5 last night and playing like an unstoppable freight train, I wanted to take a look north and see what out main rivals have been up to. Win or lose, it is never dull and always seems on the verge of breaking out into a food fight.
-Josh Beckett had another bad outing last night, making it his 4th in a row. Last night’s effort puts him at 0-2 with an 8.88 ERA in his last four appearances. He claims he’s healthy, but it’s worth noting he was shut down at this time last year and his struggles last season started around mid-August as well. This year, they don’t have the luxury of shutting him down. There have long been doubts about his shoulder in Boston, and since the Sox are more secretive with injuries than Bill Belichick we can only speculate something is going on health-wise. I’ll say this, if Beckett can’t turn this around I think the Sox will miss the playoffs. They just won’t have enough pitching and I still think the Rays still have a run in them.
-If you’re wondering why Red Sox fans are ticked off at Paps, and why they’ve been kicking around the idea of Josh Bard as the closer, it has to do with statements like these:
“I’m here to get my fair share of money,” Papelbon said. “My main priority is to stay healthy and be able to make money, not to go out and try and hurry up and win a championship this year (at the risk of injury). It’s not like I’m hurrying up and going back to the closer’s role because we have a good team this year and I’m going to blow (my arm) out and try and win as many games as we can (at any cost). No, it’s not going to happen.
“I’ve got a lot of money to be made in this game, whether it’s with Boston or not. My goal is to make sure I’m ready to play every day and to make money, and you can’t make money if you’re sitting on the bench. That’s the way I look at it.”
Now the reality is many players feel the exact same way, and don’t care about the team like fans do. It’s a job to them, one that is unpredictable with a limited window of opportunity to earn big money. We all know that. But when you come out and say this stuff publicly (especially as bluntly as he does) then all you accomplish is to turn most fans against you. Theo will offer him the same contract when free agency comes with or without these comments, and statements like these could have the reverse effect of making it easier to let him go. The edit button, Paps. Use it once and a while.
-Jon Lester says his hip is fine. He’s been the Sox most consistent starter all year and hasn’t shown any ill effects on the mound.
-The always media-shy Curt Schilling is interested in running for the US Senate. No, I’m not kidding. He released this statement via his 38 Pitches blog on WEEI.com:
While my family is obviously the priority, and 38 Studios is a priority, I do have some interest in the possibility. That being said, to get to there from where I am today, many many things would have to align themselves for that to truly happen. I am not going to comment further on the matter since at this point it would be speculation on top of speculation.
My hope is that whatever happens, and whomever it happens to, this state makes the decision and chooses the best person, regardless of sex, race, religion or political affiliation, to help get this state back to the place it deserves to be
That would make . . . what, two comedians in the Senate, right?
Here’s Jonathan Papelbon discussing Mariano Rivera’s 500th save (via Lisa Winston):
“He’s been able to do it with consistency year in and year out, and that’s what’s really impressive, especially in the American League East,” said Papelbon, who has been named to the AL All-Star team in each of his three full big league seasons and hopes to make it four in a row. “Hopefully I’ll be able to give him personal congratulations in St. Louis.”
Papelbon is on a similar pace, with 35 saves in 2006, 37 in ‘07, 41 in ‘08 and 18 so far heading into the final week before the All-Star break, to go with a 1.91 ERA.
Chaos Theory movie And while he thinks the goal is reachable, Papelbon knows that it will take more than just luck.
“It’s realistic because you train yourself to think you’re good enough to do it,” said Papelbon, who turned 28 during the offseason. “But at the same time, to stay healthy for that many years and not only to stay healthy, but to be able to play through pain, when you’re aching day in and day out. It’s pretty amazing.”
Papelbon, a closer at Mississippi State before being drafted by Boston in the fourth round in 2003, worked as a starting pitcher for two Minor League seasons before being moved back to the closer role for good in ‘06.
Despite the “healthy” rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox — or maybe because of it — there is no closer that Papelbon admires more than Rivera.
“He’s the godfather of our role, he’s done so much for it,” Papelbon said. “To chase him is definitely an honor and definitely a challenge, and I’m always up for challenges.”
Raise Your Voice trailer Papelbon is often caught inserting his foot into his own mouth Dead Snow ipod , however, on this particular occasion he deserves some credit for saying all of the right things. I’m sure other closers in the league have a tremendous amount of respect for what Rivera has done for them (market-wise, etc.) and Papelbon definitely understands the grandiosity of Rivera’s achievement, and his subsequent impact on the game.
Via MLBTR:
In an appearance on Sirius XM Radio, Jonathan Papelbon told Jody McDonald and Bert Blyleven that he would consider playing for the Yankees once his Boston career is over:
“Oh, of course. I mean, I think if we can’t come to an agreement on terms here in a Red Sox uniform, I mean I think that’s pretty much the writing on the wall.”
Papelbon says he’d consider joining other teams, too:
“Not only the Bronx, but anywhere. I think anywhere is a possibility. You always have to keep that in the back of your mind because you can’t just be one-sided and think that, “Oh, I’m going to be in a Red Sox uniform my entire career” because nowadays that is very, very rare and hopefully we can because there’s no question I would love to stay in a Boston Red Sox uniform but I have to do what’s best for me and play in an atmosphere where I’m wanted.”
Papelbon is under Boston control until after the 2011 season, when he becomes a free agent. While this does seem to be a negotiating ploy in Papelbon’s never ending contract push, he does raise an intriguing point. Being that the Yankees are likely to have an opening at closer at that point, I would not be shocked if Papelbon were right about the writing being on the wall. He is an excellent closer who has survived the postseason and the rigors of the AL East, and certainly has the psyche to thrive in NY. I hate the guy, but he would be a good fit, and would cheer for him if he ever pulled on the pinstripes.
What about you? Would you ever consider Papelbon as the successor to Mariano?
Teddy Mitrosilis over at Dugout Central has an interesting article posted about the Red Sox and their struggles to reach an accord with closer Jonathan Papelbon. He suggests that the Sox should allow Papelbon to leave when he becomes a free agent after the 2011 season, citing his outsized demands and the imprudence of giving a closer a long term deal as his primary justifications.
Ignoring the fact that letting an elite closer like Papelbon walk would be the wrong move, the scenario Teddy suggests creates an interesting hypothetical. The Yankees will likely be looking for a closer at that point, assuming that Joba Chamberlain survives in the rotation and Mariano Rivera is not actually God. If you were the general manager, would you sign Papelbon?
From a baseball perspective, it is a slam dunk move. Papelbon is a an elite closer who has made his bones in the most heated years of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. You know that he can handle an overbearing media contingent, as well as the pressure that comes with closing postseason games. On the other hand, I hate that guy and his bug eyed stare so much. He is on the short list of former Red Sox that I could never see myself embracing (Youkilis, Pedroia, Beckett, and Schilling round out the top 5), and I wonder if I could ever look past that and just deal with the fact that he would help the team. What do you think?
From ESPN:
“It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening,” Papelbon said, according to the magazine. “Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It [stunk], but that was the only scenario that was going to work. That was it for us.”
The Red Sox dealt Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers at last season’s trade deadline after a messy divorce, in which the Red Sox believed Ramirez — who had a pair of $20 million team options slated for 2009 and 2010 — was trying to play his way out of town so he and his agent, Scott Boras, could test free agency during the offseason.
Ramirez eventually signed a two-year, $45 million offer with the Dodgers — the only team known to have offered him a deal.
“He was on a different train!” Papelbon said of Ramirez, according to Esquire. “And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him. That comes from the manager, and it comes from guys like Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield and David Ortiz. Nobody is ever going to be allowed to do that.”
“So Manny was tough for us,” Papelbon added, according to the story. “You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ball game, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man!”
But the atmosphere in the clubhouse changed after the trade, Papelbon said, according to Esquire.
“And after, you could feel it in the air in the clubhouse,” he said, according to the magazine. “We got Jason Bay — Johnny Ballgame, plays the game right, plays through broken knees, runs out every ground ball — and it was like a breath of fresh air, man! Awesome! No question.”
I hate Jonathan Papelbon so I’ll defend Manny Ramirez, even if there is nothing to defend. Sure, he dogged it while playing for the Red Sox, but — let’s face it — he has wanted to leave the Sox for years. This wasn’t an overnight issue, and I think Jonathan Papelbon sounds like an idiot for simplifying that which isn’t simple. The Manny-Boston pairing was a complicated relationship to say the least.
