Whenever the Red Sox and Phillies play, someone sticks a recorder in Jonathan Papelbon’s face and uses his thoughts on both teams as an angle to get through the series. (Shane Victorino just isn’t as brash.) Before Wednesday’s game, the Phillies closer was direct to the Boston Globe about his connections to the Red Sox.
From the article:
“The Red Sox are a part of who I am, man,” Papelbon said. “I don’t really feel much like a Phillie.
“Boston’s where I was born and raised. It’s kind of like that, you know. It’s the city you were born and raised in.”
At the beginning of Papelbon’s stint with the Phillies, he was a fine closer, and currently sits five saves behind tying Jose Mesa for the most saves in franchise history (112). As the team grew old and crumbled, however, Papelbon got impatient and bad, and also sometimes grabbed his dick at fans.
During last night’s game, Papelbon entered in the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded, and gave up a deep fly ball to Hanley Ramirez. When asked about the close call and his comments from the Globe article after the game, Papelbon had some fun. At one point, intentionally or not, Papelbon confused a filly—a female horse—with a Phillie.
An excerpt of the transcript, via WEEI’s Rob Bradford:
What did you think of Hanley Ramirez‘s fly ball when it left the bat in the eighth inning?
Third out of the inning.
Did you think it was gone?
No, did you?
I thought it might have been.
So you thought it was gone?
I thought it was going to be close.
Fair enough.
Was your mindset any different getting a four-out save?
Not really. I think for me everything stays the same and I go out there and try do a job, and when I’m called on nothing changes.
Coming in there in a pressure situation, bases loaded, fans cheering you, does it make you any more like a Phillie?
Other than, a what? What is a Phillie? A horse? That’s what it is? I feel like a horse, yeah. I feel like a horse. I felt like a horse tonight.
When 25,000 in the rain cheering you on, do you feel like a Phillie?
Yeah, I feel like a horse.
A Phillie is not a horse in this case.
What is it?
It’s the thing with the red pinstripes.
Yeah, of course.
You didn’t say that before the game. You said, “I don’t feel much like a Phillie.” Can you explain that a little bit. You’re five saves away from tying the franchise record and you don’t feel like a Phillie.
For me it’s like, where are you from? I’m from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. So that’s that what I’ll always say. That’s what I’ll always say. That’s where I feel I’m from. That’s where I grew up. That’s where my roots are. So you ask me what runs deep in me? The Red Sox still run in me. It’s where I’m from. It’s where I grew up. It’s who I became as a pitcher, so that will always stick with me, no matter what. That doesn’t really change anything how I go about my business.
Do you think they wanted you back?
No. That was probably obvious.
Do you feel slighted by that?
No. It’s business, baby. Straight cash.
You’re here for straight cash?
No.
What are you here for?
I’m here to be a Phillie, do my job and compete, that’s all really I do, no matter where I’m at. That’s it.
Papelbon apparently had more to say outside of his media session. Crossing Broad received audio from last night’s postgame which allegedly features Papelbon telling CSN reporter Jim Salisbury to go back to his “dick-sucking hole.” (You can hear it in the background.)
Good times.
[Boston Globe | WEEI]
Photo: AP