Toldja!: Jonathan Papelbon continues to be Cinco Dopo.

What can make me cackle and rub my hands together in glee? Why, it's seeing Jonathan Papelbon getting heat for doing something really stupid! And choking Washington Nationals teammate Bryce Harper, only the best player on the team and an MVP candidate, was mind-numbingly idiotic, even for Papelbon..

In yesterday's game, Cinco Dopo yelled at Harper for not running a ball out. There was already some bad blood between the two of them, after Papelbon threw at Baltimore Oriole Manny Machado's head -- twice -- the other night, pitches that got him a three-game suspension from MLB. Harper told the media then that he expected to be hit in retaliation, and made it clear he wasn't happy about what his teammate did.

As for yesterday's fight, here's how Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post described it:

On Sunday, Papelbon yelled at Harper, accusing him of not running out a ball even though Harper had reached first base and was actually playing in a day-after-elimination game — when many 150-game-plus regulars rest — for the sake of the fans. Papelbon followed Harper, yelling, essentially giving him little choice, until Harper said (according to lip readers), “Let’s [expletive] go.” So they went.

Click here to see clips from the fight.

I think running out every ball is overrated, anyway. Conserve your energy for the plays that matter, Given Harper's injury history, he doesn't need to get hurt on a meaningless play. But at any rate, Harper did get to first on the play. Just not as fast as Papelbon demanded.

Cinco Dopo was clearly out of line here. But Matt Williams, the team's manager, was out of line as well in keeping Papelbon in the game after his closer just choked his best player! Meanwhile, Harper was taken out of the game for the ninth inning, even though it was a tie game. At any rate, Papelbon blew the game and the Nationals lost.

Williams claimed he didn't know how bad the fight was at the time. If that is the case, he ought to be fired just for that (not to mention this team's historic collapse this season!) Here's why. I asked Chris, a Nationals fan who belongs to the same Facebook baseball group that I do, what he saw when he attended the game yesterday. Here's what he said:

I had moved toward the back to visit some friends, and saw it on the TV monitors they have in the back attached to the overhang. They must have played it 2 or 3 times & each time a whole new section saw it & let out an involuntary gasp. It really was that stunning.

So basically, many of the fans in the park saw what was going on via TV screens, but nobody around Williams could get word to him how bad the fight was? Not to mention all of the teammates and coaches who were right there when Papelbon choked Harper! And Williams didn't even bother to watch the clip before meeting with reporters after the game! Williams ought to lose his job just for being so ignorant.

You know, yesterday was Fan Appreciation Day for the Nationals, and they have a giveaway where lucky fans literally get the jerseys that each player wore in the game. Whoever got the Papelbon or Harper jerseys just hit the jackpot!

And Papelbon is just the worst. First, he dissed Red Sox fans in favor of Philly fans when he left town. Not exactly a classy move to insult those who paid your salary. Then there was his incessant crotch-grabbing as a Philly, capped by years of complaints about the Philadelphia fans, and the team itself. In fact, he basically whined his way out of town -- and then dissed the Phillies some more after leaving town.

So what happens? As Squawker Jon noted, the Nationals were in first place over his Mets by three games when they traded for Papelbon and displaced closer Drew Storen. If you remember at the time, a lot of fans thought this was a bad move, and would screw up Storen -- and team chemistry. And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Storen busted up his thumb punching his locker in frustration. The Nationals, who were projected to win the World Series this year, blew their division lead, and the Mets ended up winning the division.

Now the Nationals have another year of Papelbon -- they picked up the option in his contract to pay him $11M next season in exchange for him agreeing to the trade. How's that going to go? Papelbon is a loose cannon, to say the least. Who's going to trade for him?

Wait a minute. Uh-oh. He's a former Red Sox, something that is catnip to Brian Cashman. Please oh please don't let Cashman trade for Papelbon! Good grief.

* * *

Congratulations to Squawker Jon and our many Met fan friends for their team winning the NL East division title and making it into the postseason. For whatever reason, I actually have more Met fan friends than Yankee fan friends. Especially in the blogging community. I hope a Subway Series is in the cards for this year!

Mets have champagne; Nationals have Papelbon

Sunday night was the first supermoon eclipse since 1982. It only felt like it was that long since the Mets had meaningful games in October. Finally, the Mets are back in the poststeason!

The Mets won their first World Series the year of the first moon landing. The Mets won their second World Series the last time Halley's Comet was in the vicinity of Earth. Could the stars align a third time in the year of the supermoon eclipse?

With the Mets' starting pitching, anything is possible, especially now that Matt Harvey appears to have rediscovered his willingness to put the team first, which is great news. As much as I enjoy seeing celestial events light up the evening sky, the event I really enjoyed seeing was 97 pitches of a Dark Knight. 

Of course, what I enjoyed seeing most of all was the extensive coverage of the postgame celebration on SNY. A year and a half ago, Daniel Murphy received some foolish sniping over his taking three days of paternity leave. After the game, Murphy celebrated on the field with his young son. The Mets even came back on the field to celebrate with Met fans who had made the trip to Cincinnati.

Inside the clubhouse, some Mets smoked celebratory cigars. When SNY finally cut to a commercial, it was fortunately not one of those grisly anti-smoking spots.

*

The Mets trailed the Nationals by three games at the trade deadline just two months ago. Then the Mets capped off their midseason moves by trading for Yoenis Cespedes. The Nationals had recently completed their own move, supposedly bolstering their bullpen with the acquisition of Jonathan Papelbon. 

Five years ago, Mets' star closer Francisco Rodriguez allegedly assaulted his girlfriend's father at the ballpark. Sunday, Nationals' star closer Jonathan Papelbon tried to attack teammate Bryce Harper in the Nationals' dugout. Harper is only the front-runner for NL MVP. Maybe it's just a coincidence that the Nationals' collapse began when they acquired Papelbon, but considering that the move also sent demoted closer Drew Storen into a tailspin culminating with Storen breaking his thumb in frustration. At least Storen did so while slamming a locker door, not trying to slam a teammate.

Another parallel with the Mets and Nationals is that the Nationals had their own issue with innings limits for a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery who was represented by Scott Boras. In 2012, the 98-win Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg in September, only to lose in the first round the following month. When the Mets face the Dodgers in the NLDS, they will continue to have Harvey's services.

But the Nationals figure to come back strong next year, especially if they have better luck with injuries and get a new manager and closer. So congratulations to the Mets for seizing their opportunity this year and capturing the NL East crown. Ya gotta believe! 

Free Bartolo Colon! Time for Him to Take Phil Hughes' Place in the Rotation

Signing Bartolo Colon wasn't exactly a Brian Cashman move I was crazy about this winter, but the pitcher has actually shown some value so far this year. And given that he has had to come to the rescue for every single Phil Hughes start, I think it's time to put him in the rotation, and Hughes in the bullpen to work out his issues.

I don't think Hughes is afraid, or can't handle starting, or anything like that. He's built of pretty strong stuff. But the Yankees can't hope to have great walk-off wins like last night to salvage every Hughes debacle!

Going to Colon in the fifth was the right move last night, as Ed Valentine of Around the Empire noted. He said he was "shaking [his] head in disbelief" when Michael Kay thought the Yanks had too quick a hook with Hughes. You and me both, Ed!

Oh, and how about that play at the plate last night?

Loved that Nick Swisher hit the sac fly to give the Yankees the walkoff win. He seems to enjoy the pie thing more than any other Yankee.

Speaking of Swish, have you seen the commercial he has with Jonathan Papelbon for Norelco? The best part of it is that the ad plays off on Swish being likeable and amiable (even Squawker Jon digs him), but Papbelbon comes off as, um, kind of a jerk!



What do you think? Tell us about it!

Say it ain't so, Mo! Did Mariano Rivera's agent pursue the Red Sox?

I saw that Rob Bradford of Boston radio station WEEI is reporting that "Mariano Rivera's representatives were the ones to initiate contact with the Red Sox in an attempt to get the team interested in the closer." Yikes! (Hat tip to Sliding Into Home)

The article also claims that contrary to other reports, the Red Sox really weren't going to non-tender Jonathan Papelbon:

While there was some thought that because of the offer to Rivera the Red Sox were prepared to non-tender closer Jonathan Papelbon, separate sources suggest the Sox were never inclined to let Papelbon become a free agent this offseason. In the short-term, the team valued the reliever's presence in the back-end of its bullpen, while long-term it coveted any draft picks that might come the Sox' way if Papelbon were to sign elsewhere in free agency next year. The Sox' closer is arbitration-eligible for a third time, and is heading into the final season of being controlled by the Sox.

I dunno what to think about this article. Could this be damage control from the Red Sox camp, given that Boston still has one more year of Papelbon, and that they could be headed into another arbitration hearing with him? Remember, Papelbon is the closer who thought he, not Mo, should get to close the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. Are Boston sources trying to spin this to make Rivera look bad?

So what do you think, readers?

Yankees win exciting game, and so do Jets, while Tennessee gets best of Giants

Busy sports day in this Squawker household. First up, I watched my man Vince Young beat the Giants. Yes, I rooted for the Tennessee Titans over the home team. VY is the greatest Texas Longhorn of them all, and my favorite current NFL player, so I chose rooting for his team over Giants. Sorry, Big Blue fans.

There was one point during the game, when the Titans got their last touchdown to make the score 29-10, when Eli Manning had a really pathetic look on his face. It was the Manning Face, as Bill Simmons would say.

After that game, Squawker Jon and I yakked on the phone while we watched the Mets spoil the Phillies chance of clinching at home. We saw when Jimmy Rollins pinch-hit; the ovation for the crowd was so loud, you would have thought Mike Schmidt or something had come back in to play!

Anyhow, on to the Yankees. I'm glad Joe Girardi had Phil Hughes pitch; it was the right thing to do. Enough with this resting everybody for October, when they haven't clinched anything yet. But the first six innings were frustrating, with the Yankees making Dice-K look like unhittable. Fortunately, A-Rod came through in the seventh, hitting his 29th homer of the year, to put the Yankees ahead, 2-1. I like how happy Alex was; his homer felt like it came in a playoff game.

But I am soooooo sick of every time A-Rod comes up big against the Red Sox, some idiot fan acts as if it's the first time it's ever happened. I saw some fan's tweet listed on the YES Network postgame which said something about A-Rod finally getting a clutch hit off the Red Sox. Child, please, as Chad Ochocinco sez. How many times are we going to hear this nonsense? Six of A-Rod's 29 homers this season have come against Boston. He's hit 29 homers against the Sox since becoming a Yankee. They weren't all meaningless stat-padding dingers, you know.

Back to the game. I had a bad feeling that something might happen with Mariano Rivera's second inning. But I certainly wasn't thinking of 2004, like some in the media were. However, I wasn't that worried, even though Mo blew the save, (with a huge assist from Jorge Posada's throwing miscues), because I knew the Yankees had a secret weapon -- Jonathan Papelbon! Is there any Sox fan who had faith he would hold the lead? I haven't met anybody. We were debating on Facebook with Boston fans about who would get the big hit against Paps to win the game. Would it be A-Rod? Or Teixeira?

I also knew the Yanks would get to Papelbon because I called Squawker Jon to tell him to watch A-Rod's at-bat, and he hung up on me!

As it turns out, Papelbon technically didn't get the loss -- Hideki Okajima did. But it was effectively over as soon as Cinco Dopo came into the game. Juan Miranda's walkoff walk made it "Juan in a Million"!

In the meantime, I was flipping back and forth between the Yankees and the Jets games. (Yes, I rooted for the Jets, even thought the Dolphins have Texas Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams on their team. Ricky is no VY, though, not after he quit on his team a few years ago to, um, smoke!)

So I missed seeing if Juan Miranda got a pie in the face. Did it happen?


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Split Decision: Yanks, Red Sox win two each in series

Is it just me, or did this Yankees-Red Sox series seem just not as buzzworthy as previous matchups? I was happy that Dustin Moseley pitched so well Sunday (even if cynics think that, as one reader put it, A.J.Burnett was really suffering from Soxitis and not a bad back!) I was glad to see Derek Jeter pass Babe Ruth on the all-time hits list, and to get to Josh Beckett.

But I was disappointed that Curtis Granderson continues to struggle. And that the Bombers couldn't knock down Jonathan Papelbon in yesterday's game.

There's a lot of talk in the media today about how the Yanks should have re-signed  Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Damon I agree with, but was Matsui staying a Yankee ever an option? After all, he signed with Anaheim right after becoming a  free agent, without even hearing an offer from the Yankees. And I've read several times that he didn't want to come back to New York. So, I don't think that was even on the table.

There's also a bunch of articles criticizing Granderson. New York Post columnist Joel Sherman writes:

For his part, Granderson has a Nickelodeon persona, never publicly showing anything but a smile and a positive bent. So he is unrelentingly upbeat, delusional or working on an acting career.

What does Sherman want Grandy to do -- start sobbing on a writer's shoulder or something? If Granderson showed anger to the press, he's be called testy. If he acted upset, he'd be called too moody. But when he stays positive, he's called "delusional." Good grief.

Anyhow, I wish the Yankees had won yesterday - three games out of four would have felt a lot better than a series split!


What do you think? Tell us about it!

Hey, Jonathan Papelbon, still think you deserve Mariano Rivera money?

Papelbum. Papelsmear. Never thought the day would come where I would hear Red Sox fans use those derogatory terms about their closer, Jonathan Papelbon! But it happened after Monday's game.

Last night was both the most exciting win of the year for the Yankees, and the most gut-wrenching loss for the Red Sox. So because I'm a believer in what Conan the Barbarian said about enjoying watching the lamentation of your enemies and all that jazz, I checked out what Boston fans were saying at Sons of Sam Horn and the Boston Globe's web site. Reading those comments was nearly as much fun as watching Alex Rodriguez and Marcus Thames go deep against Papelbon!

Needless to say, most Red Sox fans weren't very happy over Papelbon's performance. Lots of derogatory nicknames hurled his way (I was hoping for somebody to call him Cinco Dopo, but alas, it didn't happen!) Lots of talk about Daniel Bard needing to replace him. There was some criticism of John Henry - the Yankees have gone 14-3 against the Sox since his juvenile "MT Curse" tweet!

And there was even some grudging acknowledgments that Mariano Rivera is the better closer - many Sox fans mockingly brought up how Papelbon once suggested that he deserved Mo-type money, and how he didn't deserve it.

On Boston.com, some fans even blamed former Yankees beat writer Peter Abraham for cursing their team. One reader wrote, "The Curse of PA? Ever since he left the LoHud blog, the Yanks went on a roll and won the WS. The Red Sox have been sucking ever since." Heh!

Another Sox fan, Timmy15 was so sure of victory after the Sox came back against Chan Ho Park that he wrote this:

Under other conditions I would never start crowing here like I am but I see a switch; Paps will blow the Skanks away in the bottom of 9th - if we even need him by then. Does anyone remember last season when the Sox beat these guys the first 8 games and then took a vacation. Well something like that in reverse may be happening. Just as I predicted yesterday, V-Mart is heating up and he may be the dtraw that stirs this drink....if the Sox lose this game I will not post another remark for two weeks. That's how sure I am.

So much for that!

Papelbon looked more like Chan Ho Park out there than the elite closer who wanted to finish up the All-Star Game. Heck, Javier Vazquez, the game's winner, was more impressive than Paps was. (And how about Javy - he was even smiling in the postgame! Maybe he can build on this era of good feeling.)

Anyhow, when Papelbon plunked Francisco Cervelli after giving up the homer to A-Rod, he reminded me why he's my least favorite Red Sox. What a clown.

Remember how Papelbon said he worked out last season while watching his meltdown in the ALDS? Well, I guess the closer now has a new video to watch for motivation in the workout room! Snicker.


I'll be writing more of my thoughts on Yankees-Red Sox today, but in the meantime, please tell me what you think.

Time to slam - and praise (?!) some Red Sox

I was saying last night on Facebook that seeing Jonathan Papelbon have that vacant, dopey look on his face after he gives up a homer never gets old. And it was so much fun to see that expression last night after he gave up that homer to Curtis Granderson. (You can see that vacant, dopey look on Papelbon's face in the postgame interview as well!)

Incidentally, I have never liked John Lackey - there is just something about his demeanor that gets on my last nerve. And he has managed to be even more annoying as a Red Sox.

Now that David Ortiz has finally gotten a hit - he drove in the Sox's only run - will the media stop hyperventilating over him a little? I'm not exactly his biggest fan, but even I think it's ridiculous. So I wrote an article for The Faster Times yesterday where I defended David Ortiz' outburst at the media over the way they've essentially decided his career is over. After two games.

Even Mariano Rivera, who faced him last night, had his back, saying, "I don't know what the big deal is," he said. "It's two games. It's ridiculous - for me, anyway."

Oh, and I saw that Don Zimmer is among the Boston "legends" who will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame this year. Yes, Zim, the manager who let his personal animus against Bill Lee cloud using him for the good of the team. Zimmer may have been a huge part of the Yankees' late 90s dynasty years - he was Torre's best bench coach - but as a Red Sox manager, he left something to be desired.

Wouldn't it be great if Boston's Prudential Building really did have the Yankee logo up? Alas, it is only a prank, done with special effects.




What do you think? Tell us about it!

Jonathan Papelbon: Still no Rhodes Scholar

While Squawker Lisa recovers from last week's Texas Longhorns' loss to Alabama, she is consoling herself with the latest gems from the mouth of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who has apparently been oblivious to all of Boston's offseason moves, all the way up to signing John Lackey.

Lisa weighs in on the player she likes to call Cinco Dopo in her latest piece for The Faster Times: Shocker! Jonathan Papelbon Says Something Stupid.

Stunning News: Jonathan Papelbon is not a Rhodes Scholar

Quick note: Check out my Faster Times piece on how Red Sox GM Theo Epstein admitted that Jonathan Papelbon is "not a Rhodes scholar." The thing is, I actually think Papelbon was right in his concerns about Billy Wagner, so I come to his defense - a little!

In other news, Squawker readers and Twitter followers are unanimous - if Kevin Youkilis is Fred "Twinkletoes" Flintstone, then Dustin Pedroia is Barney Rubble!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Breaking news - we have a new nickname for Kevin Youkilis, and I actually agree with Jonathan Papelbon on something!

It was so much fun to see our ace CC Sabathia win against Josh Beckett and the Red Sox, and the Yankee offense pound out five homers to win the game and the series. All, that, and we have a new nickname for Kevin Youkilis!

When I was on Twitter during the game last night, I saw Yankee fan/Twitterer Shiney42 write that Youk "reminds me of Fred Flintstone when he bowls. Don't ask --- I have NO idea BUT he just does."

I remembered that Fred's nickname was "Twinkletoes" on the show, and wrote that back. Shiney42 responded, "That's it! Twinkletoes - cause of the way he bats on his tippy toes!!"

So I'm thinking that unless somebody else has another suggestion, we need to start calling Youk "Twinkletoes." It cracks me up to think of Youkilis as Fred Flintstone! But who's Barney Rubble in this analogy? That's the burning question!

* * *

In other news, Jonathan Papelbon (aka Cinco Dopo - and yes, I know some of our readers hate that name!) actually said something that made sense to me. In talking about the Sox possibly getting Billy Wagner, he said:

"What has he done? Has he pitched this year?" Jonathan Papelbon told WEEI.com. "Is he ready to pitch or is he not? ... I think our bullpen is good where we're at right now. Don't get me wrong. But I guess you could always make it better. It's kind of like the [Eric] Gagne thing, I guess."

Here's the thing. Wagner isn't exactly a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. I know I'm a biased Yankee fan squawking here, but I mainly remember his time with the Mets for:

1) Getting bent out of shape and blowing the game, then complaining about being in the game, when Willie Randolph had the nerve to expect him to close out a 4-0 lead against the Yankees,

2) Anonymously putting a "Know Your Place, Rook" sign on Lastings Milledge's locker,

and 3) Calling out teammates Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado for not talking enough to the press.

Do I think Wagner will check his ego at the door in Boston? Absolutely not - he's already having his agent make demands before even getting there.

So yeah, I think Papelbon is right here. (I'm shuddering and shaking over even writing that sentence!)

* * *

Speaking of drama, I think it's time for former catcher Joe Girardi to step in and do something about the Jorge Posada/A.J. Burnett drama. Oh, and by the way, I'm not buying what Girardi said to the media, about how "I have not given anyone a personal catcher." The reality is that he gave CC Sabathia a personal catcher in Jose Molina, but he's loathe to do it with Burnett.

In other news, I've written two pieces for The Faster Times site - one on Mike Schmidt's defense of Pete Rose, and another about what happened in Metland yesterday.

One other note - Squawker reader Uncle Mike shipped up to Boston this weekend - and lived to tell the tale! See, miracles do happen!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Predictions for Yankees-Red Sox at Fenway

Programming note: You can read my in-game rants about Yankees-Red Sox this weekend by adding me as a Facebook friend, or checking me out at Twitter. Last time around, I correctly predicted in Facebook and Twitter during the fifteen inning game that A-Rod would hit a walkoff homer.

Tonight, I'm predicting that Friday's game will not be a scoreless one!

Um, actually, I'm getting a late start on predictions this weekend. Last time around, I correctly predicted that:

* The Yanks would win Thursday and Friday

* The crowds would be the most intense and loud at the ballpark so far

* A-Rod would hit a homer and break his homerless streak

*, David Ortiz would be lawyered up and blame a supplement for his PED test result,

* Ortiz would hear bigtime boos

* Melky Cabrera would have an iconic moment

* And Squawker Jon would be in despair if the Yankees won the series (he's still in the fetal position!)

I was incorrect in predicting that:

* The Yankees would lose Game 3 and 4 (although I'm not exactly crying about being wrong on that!)

* Victor Martinez and Nick Swisher would have big moments

Anyhow, let me get going with my predictions for this weekend:

* The Yankees are winning 6-1 as I squawk, so it wouldn't be fair to make a specific prediction for tonight (besides, I would be a jinx in doing so!) I do think the Yankees will win the series, 2 games to 1, and seal up the division.

* I also think Kevin Youkilis will end up getting plunked again. And even if it's an accident, I could totally see him losing his temper and starting a brawl.

* David Ortiz will hit at least one homer. So will A-Rod.

* The ESPN and Fox announcers will be annoying. (Gotta have a prediction I am sure will come true!)

* Mark Teixeira will have an iconic series, and help his MVP chances.

* Jonathan Papelbon will be shaky, and then say something stupid in the postgame.

* And finally, Squawker Jon will continue to be in despair over the Yankees!

One other note - I'm so happy that Jerry Remy is back in action! He's my favorite member of Red Sox Nation.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

MLB players left out on "Dancing With the Stars" - again

What is it going to take for ABC to finally pick a baseball player for "Dancing With the Stars"? As I noted in an article for The Faster Times, baseball was snubbed yet again from the competition.

I also came up with a list of players who should be on the show - Jonathan Papelbon, Alex Rodriguez, etc. I was wondering if our readers had any thoughts on who should be cast one day on "Dancing With the Stars."

Please let us know what you think! Leave us a comment!

Subway Squawkers break some political news, thanks to Jonathan Papelbon!

Jonathan Papelbon might not only be the Red Sox most despised by Yankee fans, but his controversial comments on President Obama are getting some national attention, thanks to Subway Squawkers!

The other day, I wrote about how he told radio host - and friend of the Squawkers - Larry Milian on Andy and the Amigo that he preferred the Playboy All-Star Game parties to meeting President Obama. This story got picked up by the big political site Politico.com, with writer Ben Smith suggesting that the Sox closer is "hard to impress."

The site Newser.com also wrote about my story on Papelbon - and featured it on their main sports section right next to Tiger Woods. Sports site MVN.com also picked up the story.

Anyhow, Larry Milian had me on his WFTL radio program yesterday afternoon to talk about the controversy. I told Larry that while I'll give Papelbon points for candor and honesty (a ballplayer in his 20s like him probably would be more impressed by Playboy than the president), it still was a silly thing to Papelbon to admit. But then again, if Papelbon didn't say silly things, I wouldn't be able to call him Cinco Dopo!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Jonathan Papelbon prefers Playboy party to president

I now have one degree of separation from a Red Sox. Yikes!

Larry Milian, South Florida sports radio host and good friend of the Squawkers, got to interview Jonathan Papelbon during the All-Star Break. And, as usual, the Red Sox closer had a lot to say.

Here's what Papelbon - aka Cinco Dopo - said in his appearance on the "Andy and the Amigo" show on Fort Lauderdale's WFTL Sports (640 AM):

• On President Barack Obama's appearance at the All-Star Game: "It was fun, man, it was fun. I enjoyed the parties more than the president, to be honest with you." Papelbon said that the Playboy party was the one he liked the best. But he also said "it was good to have the president" at the game "to kind of rejuvenate the midsummer game classic. But overall, it was great."
• On Obama's first pitch: "I thought it was all right, man," he said. "He didn't spike it and he didn't throw it to the backstop. I thought it was halfway decent."
  
• On Joba Chamberlain: "Joba is going to be great really at whatever he does." He also called him "a perennial All-Star type pitcher."
• On the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry: "It's intense because they're in our division and we're fighting against them year after year," he said. "But the whole rivalry thing, the whole Babe Ruth and ghosts," Papelbon said, "that's all media-driven."
• On Ray Halladay being on the trading block: "I don't think he's going nowhere."
  
• On Tim Wakefield not getting to pitch in the All-Star Game: "My first All-Star game, I didn't get to throw either," although he acknowledged that he was a rookie then, and Wakefield is, well, not!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

What is the meaning of this Tim Wakefield/Jonathan Papelbon pose with...Captain Morgan?

It's not even Talk Like a Pirate Day, but don't tell that to Boston Red Sox pitchers Tim Wakefield and Jonathan Papelbon. They're here yukking it up Monday with Captain Morgan and a few of the pirates' friends at a charity event for Ryan Howard's foundation.

I don't quite know what to make of this photo. It's silly, but it's not quite ridiculous enough. They should have made Papelbon - aka Cinco Dopo - dress like a pirate, and it would have been an All-Star classic pic!

Of course, the Yankees already had a Pirate play for them - Carl Pavano stole money from them for four seasons!

(Thanks to Boston.com for the photo.)

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Epic Fail: Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox blow 10-1 lead and lose to Orioles

Lots going on in Yankeeland, but most fans are talking about the deliciousness of the Boston Red Sox's loss last night. It's not very often that you see a team up 10-1 in the seventh inning give up 11 runs in the next two innings. But that's exactly what happened with the Red Sox-Orioles game.

There is so much to enjoy about this epic defeat. Remember how Milton Bradley threw the ball into the stands a few weeks ago when there were only two outs? Last night, five Red Sox, including the obnoxious Kevin Youkilis and the annoying Dustin Pedroia, left the field in the sixth inning after just two outs. Way to focus on the fundamentals, guys!

Pedroia and Jonathan Papelbon both blamed the loss on the rain delay. Pedroia commented:

"It kind of happened real fast. Seemed like the first five innings before the rain delay, we beat up on them pretty good. When we came back they beat up on us pretty good.

Um, Dustin? Your math is a bit off. Just like how you and the rest of the Sox infield forgot there were only two outs before leaving the field, you forgot that Justin Masterson got six straight outs after the rain delay before imploding.

Papelbon - aka Cinco Dopo - opined:

“Just a tough night all around for us, for the bullpen from top to bottom, dealing with the weather and dealing with trying to pick each other up,’’ Papelbon said.

Boo-hoo. Both teams had to deal with the rain delay. Leave the "blame it on the rain" stuff to Milli Vanilli, dude.

While the Sox loss was due in no small part to a collective collapse of the bullpen (13 hits and 11 runs in two innings!), the most enjoyable failure, of course, was Papelbon's. He came in the game in the eighth inning, with Orioles on first and second and one out, and proceeded to give up a two-run double to Nick Markakis to blow the save.

Wonder what all the Red Sox fans who traveled down to Baltimore and waited out this game in the rain thought of last night's debacle. Too bad, so sad.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Jonathan Papelbon says 'of course' he would consider being a Yankee one day

Think having Pedro Martinez as a Yankee would be a hard sell? Well, how about Jonathan Papelbon in pinstripes?

The Red Sox reliever, who is eligible for free agency in 2011, talked on SIRIUS XM Radio's MLB Home Plate channel today about whether he ever would consider switching sides and becoming a Yankee:

Host, Jody McDonald: “If you couldn’t work out a contract with the Red Sox before free agency comes up and you eventually become a free agent, is the Bronx ever a possibility?”

Jonathan Papelbon: “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. If they can’t come to terms with you they’re letting you know that, ‘Hey you know what? We can go somewhere else.’ And I think it’s the same way on the other side, ‘Hey if ya’ll can’t come to an agreement with me then I can go somewhere else.’ Not only in 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 and play on a team where I’m wanted and that’s all I can really say about that, you know?”

Quotes courtesy of Sirius/XM Radio

Good answer, Jonathan! We all know how live-and-let-live Boston fans are! I'm sure they'll understand you considering to be a Yankee if it were best for you (Translation - if the Steinbrenner family backs up the Brinks truck to the Papelbon home.) The Red Sox fans will be cool with you playing in the Bronx. Just as long as you're happy, dude!

And I'm sure Yankee fans will have no hard feelings about the way you wanted to be the closer instead of Mariano Rivera in last year's All-Star Game. Or how you taunted fans with your ring at the All-Star Parade. Not to mention all the big games you closed against the Yanks.

Besides, your mature and thoughtful actions have endeared you to me and to our readers. From your lovely dance steps to your demure post-game celebrations, you've been a real class act. Why, if you become a Yankee, we'll call you Cinco Dopo with affection!

Okay, now we will enter the sarcasm-free portion of this blog entry. In this radio interview, Papelbon showed why I call him Cinco Dopo. Here's how the closer should have answered that question about free agency:

"Jody, I'm just playing them one game at a time and focusing on doing whatever I can to help the Red Sox win a few more World Championships. Love that dirty water!"

Instead, Papelbon was honest that he is going to do what's best for him. Which is the way nearly all of these guys feel. Most of them know enough not to say that, though.

But he's not going to get any points for candor. Boston fans will be displeased with him even considering putting on the pinstripes, and Yankee fans don't want to imagine what it would be like if Papelbon turned sides.

So yeah, my Yankees may have just suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the lowly Washington Nationals, but at least I know that Boston fans will feel a little hot under the collar over what Papeblbon said. And another closer, the Mets' Francisco Rodriguez, just got beaten by the Orioles. Thank goodness for small favors!

What do you think of what Jonathan Papelbon said? Leave us a comment!

Phil Hughes and Alex Rodriguez sparkle on Memorial Day

One of the good signs for the Yankees' current hot streak is that they're playing tough against good teams. As my Rangers' fan nephew has been telling me all season, the Rangers actually have a pretty decent team this year. Which made yesterday's 11-1 victory even more impressive.

Since it was Memorial Day, the Yanks and Rangers were both wearing those red hats to honor the troops. I appreciate the sentiment - especially since my brother just went back to Iraq for his third tour over there - but it still kind of confused me a little to see the Yankees wearing red, especially when red is a primary color in the Rangers' uniform!

Phil Hughes seems to have stepped up his game since it looked like he was about to have his last start in the rotation. Giving up zero runs and only three hits over eight innings in that bandbox of a ballpark is phenomenal, especially when Alex Rodriguez single-handedly had five hits of his own for the Yanks. And Hughes wanted to complete the game, so he didn't want to shake Joe Girardi's hand after the eighth inning.

Anyhow, it was good to see a blowout, after two nailbiter games in a row. Hopefully, the Yanks will beat up on the Rangers again today.

One other note - I was glad to hear that University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy threw a decent first pitch before the game. If he hadn't, Squawker Jon would mock me forever about my alma mater's QB not being able to throw!

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In other news, I read that Jonathan Papelbon threw a hissy fit - and a towel - Saturday when a photographer took a photo of him in the dugout after the reliever gave up that homer to Omir Santos. (Click here to see him throwing the towel.) What a baby.

If Papelbon wants to be left alone, maybe he could change places with former Red Sox closer Keith Foulke, who is trying to make a comeback with the Newark Bears. Foulke griped a lot, too, about being in the media fishbowl. But he's now so eager to come back to the majors that he says he'd "even play for the Yankees"!

Hmmm, now that Brian Bruney is on the DL for the second time, could I see Brian Cashman taking a flyer on Foulke? Absolutely. I hope he doesn't, though - the last thing the Yanks need is a pitcher who hates baseball!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Thoughts on yesterday's Yankee loss, and why I feel sorry for David Ortiz

I guess I should be bummed out that the Yanks couldn't get the job done in extra innings yesterday, but I'm not all that upset over the loss. It's hard to complain too much when the Yanks went 8-2 in this homestand. And at least CC Sabathia continued to pitch well.

However, the fact that the Red Sox only won one of three this weekend, and still slid into first place, does tick me off. And it's funny that my predictions for both series ended up being more accurate for the Mets than the Yankees!

Speaking of Boston, I do feel sorry for the woeful David Ortiz, even though I strongly suspect - thanks in no small part to him hiring Angel Presinal as a trainer - that he's gotten some "help" in the past. The once-proud, ebullient player looks like a broken man. That's how pathetic Ortiz has been at the plate - even Yankee fans feel bad for him!

I see that there's talk about moving Big Papi, who bats third in the lineup, further down in the lineup. Sounds like hitting coach Dave Magadan and manager Terry Francona are going to talk about it, and consult Ortiz. You mean you actually inform your team's superstar that you're going to move him down in the lineup? I thought the standard - and "classy" - thing was to move your struggling star to eighth in the lineup, and not tell him about it beforehand. And then gripe when reporters ask you about it.

When I was growing up, I heard from my brothers about how sad it was when Willie Mays was stumbling around the outfield in the 1973 World Series. But Mays was 42 then. Ortiz is only 33.

Is Ortiz's career over? I don't want to say yes, but his slump has been going on since last season. When Brett Gardner has more homers than Ortiz, that isn't a good sign.

Now I'm going to throw a gratuitous Jonathan Papelbon slam out there. In addition to him throwing a fit when he didn't like an ump's call in Saturday's game, I saw this pic on Sliding Into Home, where Pap's vacant stare seems to suggest he's aiming to replace Spencer Pratt on "The Hills." Yeah, I went there.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!