Like any closer not named Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon had his fair share of ups and downs during his seven seasons with the Red Sox. There were times when he was the most dominant closer in the game, and others when it felt like no lead was safe with him on the mound. Whether he was succeeding or failing, however, Papelbon always managed to maintain his eccentric personality. During an interview with WEEI earlier this week, Pap did his best to make Boston fans happy the team chose to let him walk.
With the Phillies set to host the Red Sox this weekend, Papelbon discussed what he expects it to be like to see some of his old teammates.
“It won’t be weird,” Papelbon said. “It might be a little weird for Pap, but it won’t be weird for Cinco. Cinco is like a Great White, when he smells blood he attacks.”
“Cinco” of course refers to Papelbon’s nickname for himself, which is “Cinco Ocho.” It feels like we’ve heard something similar to that before, but knowing Pap I bet he thinks he came up with it. When he was asked if he feels badly for the way things ended in Boston last season and the way the team fell apart in September, “Cinco” gave the following answer.
“Cinco don’t feel bad. Cinco’s gutless. He don’t feel bad for people. Pap felt bad. I didn’t feel bad for some of the players. It was more that I missed some of the guys.”
What a clown. Papelbon then went on to say that a “huge bulb went off” in his head when Terry Francona was fired and that he knew at that point that he didn’t want to return to Boston. He also took aim at the Red Sox trainers, who he said thought they knew more about his body than he did.
“The previous trainer tried to tell me that he knew everything about me,” he said, adding that he felt like he was in constant conflict with the training staff the entire time he was in Boston. “It’s just not the case. I know myself. I knew how to get through a 162-game season. A trainer doesn’t know how to do that. The trainers (in Philly) have been phenomenal. They understand that I’m going to be successful because I know how to be successful. I still did things my way when I was there in Boston, I just had somebody chirping in my ear the whole time. … You stay in your own lane, you’ll be fine. I’ll stay in my lane, I know what I need to do, I’ll be fine.”
We get the point. You’re glad you left and are upset Boston didn’t offer you big money. You probably don’t miss having prosthetic legs thrown at you either. Despite the fact that the Red Sox are having a terrible year and their deficient bullpen is a main reason why, Boston fans who read this interview should feel slightly relieved that they no longer have to deal with Pap’s inflated ego.
H/T Sports Radio Interviews
Photo credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE
