Boston Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon may be a good closer, but there is something he should also work on closing – his mouth.
In the debut of his weekly web-only interview segment on Comcast SportsNet, Cinco Ocho – or should I call him Cinco Dopo – was irate that the players had to walk through Fenway Park’s stands during Opening Day introductions.
The Boston Globe said “this symbolic gesture was made by the players to thank the fans personally for their passion, dedication, and unwavering support.” And even a Yankee fan like me thought it was a cool thing to do.
But Papelbon agreed with Comcast hosts Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger that it was unsafe. “I know the fans probably loved it,” he said, but “you do have to be safe, especially walking down the steps and stuff like that.” OMG, steps!
“Just a terrible idea by [Red Sox senior vice president] Sarah McKenna, that was the person who came up with this idea, very stupid of her, ” Papelbon said. “And if she pulls another act like that, she can go down to Pawtucket.”
He added that “not many” of his teammates liked the gesture.
There’s a reason Brian Cashman will not allow Yankee players to do such gigs. The propensity for an athlete to say something stupid in one of these things is pretty darned likely. Throw somebody like Papelbon into the mix, and the chances go through the roof.
I’m sure, if Papelbon is asked again about his comments, that he will say that he didn’t mean to insult the fans. But that’s sure what it sounds like – as if he didn’t want to be in close quarters with the people who pay his salary. Nice!
As one commenter on the web site Boston Sports Media Watch put it, “here’s a new Schilling in town, with a third the IQ. And I don’t consider Schill to be all that bright.”
What do you think of Jonathan Papelbon? Leave us a comment!
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