I woke up in a horrible mood today – the Miami Heat had won the NBA title, Joe Torre managed his fourth consecutive game like the mental patient he’s increasingly become, my golf swing is in complete disarray right now – and I was prepared to rant about those subjects, and more.
Instead, I got busy at work, cooled down a bit, and was prepared to go a whole day without an explosion of fury. Until I read the latest from Bill Simmons. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser (the PTI Guys) broached the subject last night. That’s three separate ESPN personalities suckling at the Papelbon fountain in less than 24 hours.
Now wait just one goddamn minute here. I don’t care what Jonathan Papelbon’s stats are and I don’t care that Mariano Rivera blew a save in spectacular fashion to the Washington Nationals over the weekend. Jonathan Papelbon has 23 saves right now. That’s approximately 380 less than Mariano Rivera. Papelbon has exactly zero postseason saves.
I agree that Papelbon has been every bit as good as his surrogate father Peter Gammons predicted. He’s been every bit as good and then some. But let’s not start comparing the kid to a first-ballot hall of famer and the best closer in the history of baseball. At this point, it wouldn’t even be fair to anoint Papelbon as on par with Eric Gagne, who’s only been a full-time closer for three seasons.
I will not stand for that kind of crap. And I don’t think Bostonians would take kindly to Joe Mauer (currently hitting .378) being compared to Ted Williams, just like they didn’t like it when John Olerud was compared to the Splendid Splinter back in 1993.
Jonathan Papelbon is the front-runner for the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year. That’s all we know right now. Let’s leave it there.
Instead, I got busy at work, cooled down a bit, and was prepared to go a whole day without an explosion of fury. Until I read the latest from Bill Simmons. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser (the PTI Guys) broached the subject last night. That’s three separate ESPN personalities suckling at the Papelbon fountain in less than 24 hours.
Now wait just one goddamn minute here. I don’t care what Jonathan Papelbon’s stats are and I don’t care that Mariano Rivera blew a save in spectacular fashion to the Washington Nationals over the weekend. Jonathan Papelbon has 23 saves right now. That’s approximately 380 less than Mariano Rivera. Papelbon has exactly zero postseason saves.
I agree that Papelbon has been every bit as good as his surrogate father Peter Gammons predicted. He’s been every bit as good and then some. But let’s not start comparing the kid to a first-ballot hall of famer and the best closer in the history of baseball. At this point, it wouldn’t even be fair to anoint Papelbon as on par with Eric Gagne, who’s only been a full-time closer for three seasons.
I will not stand for that kind of crap. And I don’t think Bostonians would take kindly to Joe Mauer (currently hitting .378) being compared to Ted Williams, just like they didn’t like it when John Olerud was compared to the Splendid Splinter back in 1993.
Jonathan Papelbon is the front-runner for the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year. That’s all we know right now. Let’s leave it there.
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