Back in the Saddle

The Red Sox finally found a closer this Spring. To paraphrase the Who, "Meet the new closer, same as the old closer". Jonathan Papelbon will be slamming the door shut at the end of Red Sox games this year. This is simply great news for all Sox fans. Papelbon is a better closer than anyone the Sox could have acquired through a trade and he's substantially better than any of the current members of the bullpen.

I had been pulling for either Joel Pineiro or Brendan Donnelly to be dominating enough during Spring Training to convince the fans and management that the Sox had a legitimate closer on the roster. I bought into the theory that Papelbon's shoulder would be better served by pitching on a regular schedule. I agreed that 200 innings from an upper-tier pitcher would help the club more than 60 innings at the end of the game.

That said, I welcome this news with open arms. No one, not Pineiro, Donnelly, Tavarez, Timlin, Delcarmen, or Hansen has demonstrated the desire or consistency to be the closer. Papelbon was easily one of the top five closers in baseball last year. He simply has the makeup and mindset to dominate at the end of a game.

I have to believe that the Sox, both management and the medical staff, along with Papelbon truly believe that his shoulder is not at an increased risk in the closer's role. Maybe I'm just drinking the Kool Aid, but I think that the Sox thought starting would be better for Papelbon this season until they saw how strong his shoulder was this Spring and they saw how bad the bullpen was. I think the team adjusted it's strategy accordingly.

I hope that the team signs Papelbon to a long-term contract soon.


I have the game against the Marlins on in the background. I love the sound of Don Orsillo, Jeremy Remy, the crack of the bat, the snap of the mitt, and the swell of the crowd in the background. It's always been a soothing summer sound to me. I remember being a kid and listening to the game on the TV while I was playing in the yard. I don't have to be actively watching to enjoy the sounds. I think that I do my best napping with a game on.


This is my 100th post since starting the blog. It's taken about a year. At this rate Curt Schilling will pass me by July.