Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Remember when your parents wouldn’t let you do something you wanted to as a kid? You’d kick and scream in protest, telling them; “Why not? So-and-so’s parents let THEM do it!” Remember the response you’d get?
“If so-and-so went off a cliff, would YOU want to do it, too?” (In my upbringing, that line was also followed by a smack upside the head, but that’s a whole other story best told to my counselor!)
I bring this up because of fan reaction to the Red Sox announcement that Jonathan Papelbon would return to his role as the team’s closer. In most circles, the move was met with more enthusiasm than a lawyer at the scene of a school bus accident.
A SunBlog poll asking if the Sox made the right decision shows 82% saying yes. It’s a very small and unscientific sample, but the results are in the same ballpark as the general sentiment. Funny thing is, we ran one back in early February asking if Little Papi should be used as a starter or reliever. The results were 64%-36%...in favor of the 26-year old righty starting!
So what’s changed in the last month and a half? Let’s see. The collection of middle relievers Boston auditioned for 9th inning duty performed about as well as you’d expect from a bunch of journeymen. The “untouchable” duo of Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen is preparing to put out fires in Pawtucket. Mike Timlin got hurt. The Nationals want more than a bowl of clam chowder for Chad Cordero. Papelbon had a hard time sleeping and asked to close for the rest of his career. The medical people who previously determined starting games was best for the long-term health of this valuable young arm did an about face, despite not seeing how Papelbon’s shoulder responds to the rigors of relief work now that it’s already popped out once.
Oh, I forgot. One other thing happened. Theo Epstein and Terry Francona jumped off the cliff. And without thinking it through, most of Red Sox Nation went over the edge with them.
The battle over what’s a more valuable commodity, starter or reliever, is a bigger mismatch than Tyson-Spinks. The elite closers in baseball make between $7-$10.5 million a year, chump change compared to the paychecks top of the rotation aces cash in. Heck, even Gil Meche and Ted Lilly laugh at that kind of money!
Granted, Papelbon hasn’t proven anything as a starting pitcher. However, I fear most people are overlooking the fact he hasn’t exactly proven himself as a long-term closer, either. If the shoulder couldn’t survive a full year in 2006, what’s changed? No more overuse, right? Talk to me when the 3rd consecutive night Papelbon is needed happens to be the 8th inning of a do or die game in September or October.
So go ahead and stand near the edge of the cliff if you’d like. Maybe it's because my parents wouldn’t allow it, or maybe it's because I suffered brain damage from all those smacks to the head, but I’m staying far away.
The shoulder is much too treacherous!
Assessing the Madness: As the clock winds down on our SunBlog Madness contest, here’s a look at the leaderboard;
108-points: Leo Connors, Nashua, NH
105-points: Ken Scarber, No. Chelmsford, MA
104-points: Mickey Smulligan, Lowell, MA & Joe Lane, Dracut, MA
102-points: Joe Petros, Tewksbury, MA & Rob Fay, Litchfield, NH
Comments (6)
Here's an angle no one has brought up here yet... Do you think moving Papelbon to the bullpen also makes the Red Sox look more attractive to a certain Texan who's still sitting on the sidelines? The move itself would be seen as the Sox strengthening their bullpen and thus being better able to protect wins for their starters but would have the side-effect of making said Texan feel that the Sox have just cleared a spot for him??
Just a thought. Of course with Chien-Ming Wang getting hurt I suppose the Yankees also have a slot in the rotation that they didn't have before...
I think if this DOES encourage the Rocket to finish up his career with the Olde Towne Team you'll find even more people gathering at the end of your cliff...
Posted by dboisver | March 27, 2007 10:32 AM
Posted on March 27, 2007 10:32
DB, are you trying to push me over the edge of the cliff? Cause that would do it...I'd jump if that money whore came back to town!
Posted by Teddy Panos | March 27, 2007 12:46 PM
Posted on March 27, 2007 12:46
First of all, no elite closers were on the market this year to be part of the crazy money thrown around this summer. Two years ago BJ Ryan got that contract that was up there with most starting pitchers. Cross out that argument.
Second, if more use equals more health and production lets move Ortiz up to leadoff. Ortiz bats third b/c that is where he is most effective and useful...just like Pap closing.
Third, acknowledging my argument doesn't discount the huge fact that HE HAS NEVER BEEN A STARTER AND HE LOVES TO CLOSE. Those are not sidenotes to consider.
Fourth, do you remember what it was like before we traded for BK-Kim?...nightmare .
Last, this is the rubber-match of us butting heads..I was right about Pedro, you have been right about Damon (so far anyways)...I'm pretty confident that I'll win this one.
Posted by Greek Thunder | March 27, 2007 2:58 PM
Posted on March 27, 2007 14:58
The contest never ends my friend...best of 1,001!
And while you may have a big lead in the Pedro game, I'm not giving up. Since Matt Clement is taking up a lot of the "Pedro money," I'm not exactly sure the Sox have "won" that one just yet. There's still time for ole Petey to pull a G'Town and come from way back to beat the Tar Heels out of you haters! Let's see how he comes back from the injury and whether he's helping the Mets in the playoffs before we call that game. (Conversely, let's wait a while to see how much Damon has left in the tank before you hand me that one)
You lost me on the Ortiz argument...come again? More use usually equals more wear and tear. While I love Big Papi (and Little One, too), it's no coincidence his career took off when he wasn't being asked to play 1st base every day. And that's not exactly as strenuous as pitching with games on the line every time.
Papelbon was a starter coming out of the minors, and that's where he was envisioned before Keith Foulke went buh-bye.
Finally, I remember pre-BK, and I remember how even with that stiff and with Scott Williamson, we were one Grady Little "brain fart" away from the World Series. As I've said before, Todd Jones and Adam Wainwright were your WS closers last year. Yes, they're important, but as the prize tag shows, easier to find than even quality starting pitchers, never mind aces. It's why the Sox spent over $100-million for Dice-K.
(P.S. K-Rod's contract agreement to avoid salary arbitration this year was only for $7-million. Granted, he's not yet a free agent, but he did save a league leading 47-games in '06....bet when he does hit free agency, his deal will be barely above what B-J gets or what Rivera gets for an extension from NY)
Whewwwwww....that was longer than my column!
Posted by Teddy Panos | March 27, 2007 3:46 PM
Posted on March 27, 2007 15:46
I have to admit I'm one of those that keeps flip flopping on this. I wanted him as a closer until I saw how good he looked as a starter in spring training. I voted for starter in your first poll. But as soon as they named him closer last week I got excited again about the thought of games being over if we had a lead in the eighth. So I acted like a politician and flip flopped. I hope he don't get hurt or I'm going to strain a muscle flopping again.
Posted by Tito's Terrors | March 27, 2007 7:23 PM
Posted on March 27, 2007 19:23
Hey Tito...at least you admit it. Most of Red Sox Nation buys what they're spoon fed and doesn't even know they're doing it. I swear, thousands of Sox fans would put on their pink hats and say the earth was flat if Theo told them it was.
And if you doubt that, remember how quick they were to defend the atrocious year he had in '06...or at least, they defended him till August when the Yankees broke out the pimp hand in that 5-game sweep.
Now, despite what I think was a very good off-season on his part, this closer situation was poorly handled. Just go out and get one...put this damn Papelbon as closer thing to bed...don't handicap a potentiall great team with a 9th inning weakness. Instead, he held on to his bargaining chips (Hansen and Delcarmen) too long and now they're going to be helping Pawtucket instead of Boston, while we're subjected to Julian Tavarez every 5th day. As a result, they did the Papelbon thing out of panic and not out of what's in the best long-term interests of the kid and the team.
Posted by Teddy Panos | March 27, 2007 7:34 PM
Posted on March 27, 2007 19:34