Come on, Pap

[Steve Weinman]

From Newsday on who should close the All-Star Game for the American League:

"We've both earned that right; us, by winning the World Series and having the opportunity of having our manager there and our team being represented, and Mariano by what he's done for this role, we're in Yankee Stadium and blah, blah, blah," Papelbon added. "It's not that easy. Everybody thinks it's a cut and dry answer, but it's not."

Seems like "blah, blah, blah" would best be replaced by "the fact that Mo is the greatest closer in the history of the game as well as the best-performing closer this year."

Even for a Yankee hater, one would think there should be no question as to who deserves to be The Man on the AL pitching staff tonight.

-sw

[Roy Hobbs]

Eh...  just Newsday using a sensationalist story to sell papers.

From Paps' quote a couple of hours later:

"I'm making a statement right now, saying I don't want it, I want [Rivera] to have it. I said all that earlier, but that's the way I feel about it," Papelbon said.

"This is what I think, of course I want to close the game out. I wouldn't be Jonathan Papelbon if I didn't want to close the game out," he said. "But at the same time, there's also things within this game I have to understand and people have to understand. It doesn't always work out that way.

"I feel I owe a lot to this game and that's one of the things I owe to this game, to let an elder statesman go ahead of me."

Typical yellow journalism.

[soap07]

Yellow Journalism? More like Papelbon realizing what an idiot he looked like and doubling back.

[Celtic]

I have no problem with it, at least he's saying something, most guys just get on the mic and recite the same speech over and over.

Which is why this is my favorite post game press conference ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrOH-KHxXg0

[BringToughnessBack]

Number one..I hope we are in a position to need a closer tonight for the win
Number two..I hope Francona puts Pap in to close the game out!

[soap07]

"If I was managing the team, I would close. I'm not managing the team, so it don't matter," Papelbon said.


Yeah, Yellow Journalism can't account for that direct quote.

And why would anyone want Papelbon closing over Mo tonight? MO has had the better career and the better numbers this year.

[Roy Hobbs]

"If I was managing the team, I would close. I'm not managing the team, so it don't matter," Papelbon said.


Yeah, Yellow Journalism can't account for that direct quote.

When somebody retracts, but you don't print that retraction so that you can print a loud, blaring headline, that to me is yellow journalism.



Nary a mention of the fact that Paps deferred to Mariano shortly thereafter.  You don't think Newsday sacrificed accuracy for sensationalism, in order to sell papers?

[Silas]

Paps is a fantastic closer for ths Sox...but he needs to keep his mouth shut about the HOF and how much money he is worth.  Ever since he started bragging about himself he has started to show kinks in his armor.  

[Steve Weinman]

Eh...  just Newsday using a sensationalist story to sell papers.

From Paps' quote a couple of hours later:

"I'm making a statement right now, saying I don't want it, I want [Rivera] to have it. I said all that earlier, but that's the way I feel about it," Papelbon said.

"This is what I think, of course I want to close the game out. I wouldn't be Jonathan Papelbon if I didn't want to close the game out," he said. "But at the same time, there's also things within this game I have to understand and people have to understand. It doesn't always work out that way.

"I feel I owe a lot to this game and that's one of the things I owe to this game, to let an elder statesman go ahead of me."

Typical yellow journalism.

For what it's worth, if anyone is to blame on the "journalism" end of things here, it's me rather than Newsday.  The paper did report the quote you allude to as well, Roy.  However, in my whole-hearted agreement with Soap's point that the guy's comments really shouldn't have been made in the first place, I simply went with what I considered Pap's most egregious quote.

That being said, it wasn't fair to do so without pointing that he did step back on those words later.  My bad on that.

Even with that in account, I stand by my replacement for "blah, blah, blah."

-sw

[Roy Hobbs]

For what it's worth, if anyone is to blame on the "journalism" end of things here, it's me rather than Newsday.  The paper did report the quote you allude to as well, Roy.  However, in my whole-hearted agreement with Soap's point that the guy's comments really shouldn't have been made in the first place, I simply went with what I considered Pap's most egregious quote.

That being said, it wasn't fair to do so without pointing that he did step back on those words later.  My bad on that.

Even with that in account, I stand by my replacement for "blah, blah, blah."

-sw

Possibly, Steve, but it's not in the online story you linked to, and it's certainly not implied but the headline they chose to run.  I'm still saying typical tabloid journalism. 

[ejk3489]

"If I was managing the team, I would close. I'm not managing the team, so it don't matter," Papelbon said.


Yeah, Yellow Journalism can't account for that direct quote.

And why would anyone want Papelbon closing over Mo tonight? MO has had the better career and the better numbers this year.

Well yeah, of course he wants to close...that's who he is. But he also has said he understands the importance of Rivera closing out the game too. So personally, I think this whole "story" is nothing.

[xmuscularghandix]

come on guys mariano deserves it as much as pap. mariano was a major part of us winning in 04. and papelbon was a major part in 07.

[Steve Weinman]

For what it's worth, if anyone is to blame on the "journalism" end of things here, it's me rather than Newsday.  The paper did report the quote you allude to as well, Roy.  However, in my whole-hearted agreement with Soap's point that the guy's comments really shouldn't have been made in the first place, I simply went with what I considered Pap's most egregious quote.

That being said, it wasn't fair to do so without pointing that he did step back on those words later.  My bad on that.

Even with that in account, I stand by my replacement for "blah, blah, blah."

-sw

Possibly, Steve, but it's not in the online story you linked to, and it's certainly not implied but the headline they chose to run.  I'm still saying typical tabloid journalism. 

Are you talking about the headline of the story I linked to...or the headline run by your picture of the cover from the New York Daily News?

I'm not sure it's fair to hold Newsday responsible for the latter...

-sw

[Roy Hobbs]

For what it's worth, if anyone is to blame on the "journalism" end of things here, it's me rather than Newsday.  The paper did report the quote you allude to as well, Roy.  However, in my whole-hearted agreement with Soap's point that the guy's comments really shouldn't have been made in the first place, I simply went with what I considered Pap's most egregious quote.

That being said, it wasn't fair to do so without pointing that he did step back on those words later.  My bad on that.

Even with that in account, I stand by my replacement for "blah, blah, blah."

-sw

Possibly, Steve, but it's not in the online story you linked to, and it's certainly not implied but the headline they chose to run.  I'm still saying typical tabloid journalism. 

Are you talking about the headline of the story I linked to...or the headline run by your picture of the cover from the New York Daily News?

I'm not sure it's fair to hold Newsday responsible for the latter...

-sw

So many tabloids on New York, it's hard to keep track.

So, the Daily News used the sensational headline, and Newsday used the inaccurate online story.  New York papers are 2-for-2.

[Bankshot]

Paps is a fantastic closer for ths Sox...but he needs to keep his mouth shut about the HOF and how much money he is worth.  Ever since he started bragging about himself he has started to show kinks in his armor. 

I agree.  When he first started talking about how much money  he thought he deserved, I said then he should shut his mouth and he'd probably jinx himself and have an off year for his cocky comments.  And guess what?  He hasn't really been all that great this year. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Pap, but sometimes I wish he would just close his mouth.