Jonathan Papelbon is still a year away from arbitration, but that hasn't stopped him from asking the Sox to more than double his salary for 2008. I don't blame him for wanting more dough, but whining about the situation in public was the wrong thing to do. Bot needs to put a sock in it.Papelbon earned $425,000 last year and the Red Sox have the right to renew him for this season at whatever amount they choose. They will make that decision tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Papelbon has joined Cole Hamels and Prince Fielder in whining about the rules of the game. Hamels, with one year of major league experience, called his raise from $400,000 to $500,00 a "low blow" while Fielder got a raise from $415,000 to $670,000 and griped "I'm not happy about it."
What does Papelbon want? "Ryan Howard got $900,000 in his third year. There it is. It's staring [the Red Sox] right in the face." ... The Sox, meanwhile, have noted that White Sox closer Bobby Jenks just signed for $550,000. The Red Sox may go a little higher than that.
Papelbon:
It's a tough situation for me right now ... I feel like with me being at the top of my position, I feel like that standard needs to be set, and I'm the one who set that standard. I don't think the Red Sox are necessarily seeing eye-to-eye with me on that subject right now. ... I feel a certain obligation, not only to myself and my family to make the money I deserve, but to the game of baseball. Mariano Rivera has been doing it for the past 10 years. With me coming up behind him, I feel a certain obligation to do the same. Yeah, I'm at the mercy of the club right now, to a certain extent. ... That's just the cold hard facts of it.The risk of injury is obvious. However, the two sides apparently are not discussing a multi-year deal, which would take away Papelbon's arbitration years, but give him some security if his arm goes bad. For the Red Sox, giving Bot a huge raise makes neither financial nor baseball sense. If Papelbon pitches well, he'll get his money.
Back on the diamond, Papelbon is adding a slider to his fastball and splitter.
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched three innings against Pittsburgh, allowing one run, two hits and two walks. He struck out two, and threw 47 pitches, 28 for strikes. Dice has been tinkering with the release point of his changeup.
Craig Hansen rebounded from a four-run inning on Sunday with a scoreless sixth inning against the Pirates. ... Bartolo Colon will throw another bullpen session today and may throw some BP tomorrow. ... Coco Crisp has a slight groin strain and Julio Lugo has some tightness in his back.
Couldn't agree more. The current system is heavily weighted toward the player, who starts getting huge raises as soon as arbitration kicks in. Then he gets what that idiot Rob Dibble keeps calling "the hammer"---looming free agency that ensures the life of a sultan. This is all ego, and it's mighty unattactive.
ReplyDeleteSo Pap has to make do on only a few hundred thou a year until the really big bucks kick in. Cry me a river.
He needs to shut up and pitch and be grateful he's not asking do you want fries with that somewhere.
ReplyDeleteand be grateful he's not asking do you want fries with that somewhere
ReplyDeleteHardly. He's pitching because of talent and hard work, not because of luck or charity. He doesn't need to shoot his mouth off in public. I agree it's unseemly and irritating.
But Papelbon doesn't need to be grateful he's not a minimum-wage burger jockey, any more than you or I do.
I would like some fries.
ReplyDeleteidiot Rob Dibble
ReplyDeleteI see nothing has changed back in the old country.
No, lots has changed.
ReplyDeleteBut Rob Dibble is still an idiot.
Old Country Bonus Trivia Quiz: Who was Rob's animated uncle, "Officer Dibble?"
I'd rather hear Papelbon's whining than Wakefield's politics, but hopefully everyone can get on with the baseball playing soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, give Wake a break. For most people who don't live and die over national issues or follow them closely, saying that you're proud to meet POTUS, especially when you're being feted at the White House, is more about the history, the office itself, and what their mothers taught them about being nice to a host than it is about politics. Yeah, athletes and country western singers tend to be conservative like actors and rock singers tend to be liberals, and very few of either know what the hell they're talking about. If I got annoyed at every dumb opinion fron Sheryl Crow, Tom Cruise or Dennis Miller, I could never listen to music or watch movies.
ReplyDeleteI blame the people who ask these mostly simple and narrowly-focused people for their opinions, until they start broadcasting on their own (See: Rosie O'D; Curt Schilling). But when baseball players talk about baseball, they're accountable.
Just observing that on-topic whining annoys me less than off-topic stuff. At least it's about baseball, sort of.
ReplyDeleteAnd while everyone's public statements reflect on who they are as individuals, for the record I'm more concerned about Wakefield's back than his mouth.
"But Papelbon doesn't need to be grateful he's not a minimum-wage burger jockey, any more than you or I do."
ReplyDeletePoint being, the IQ of many of these guys-Papelbon included-dictates they would be working in the minimum-wage sector if they weren't blessed with the talent of throwing or hitting or catching some kind of ball. Perhaps I should restate to say he should be grateful he was blessed with athletic talent, because he wouldn't be doing nearly so well if he were forced to get by on his brains or his looks.
And actually, I don't know about you all, but I'm VERY grateful i was blessed with abilities that allow me to do something other than
serve fries.
I love Paplebon but agree whining by him (as well as Prince Fielder) was unseemly. He should be greatful that we live in a society that values what he does as highly as we do. If his skill happened to have been horseshoes he might have been just getting by.
ReplyDeleteIn his (albeit meager) defense - we should also keep in mind how young he is. Many of these players are so young and have been so isolated they don't even realize how lucky they are.
The life of a professional athlete can end anytime and anywhere...he believes to strike while the iron is hot....he already had minor problems with his arm before...His career can end tommorrow and then maybe he will be serving fries.....So if he gets a multimillion dollar contract while he is arguablly the best closer in the game , and guarantee himself he would be set for life than he has to....Whether he went about it the right way is yet to be seen...And if has peace of mind that can only help the team....
ReplyDeleteAh, Mainecatwoman, but that's not true! You know what Papelbon would be if he couldn't pitch, don't you? We all do!
ReplyDeleteA DANCER!!!
9Casey:Let Papelbon take it up with his union, then. They agreed to the rules that keep his salary (for half a year, yet)within the pathetic range of a partner at a major law firm, the CEO of a moderate size corporation, or the second lead in "Law and Order."
ReplyDeleteHe's earning more than, say, Mel Parnell, Lefty Grove, Dick Radatz and Jose Santiago earned in their entire careers, COMBINED. He's a closer, by far the most over-paid of all positions. Mariano Rivera didn't earn that much until he had been in the league for four years.
Papelbon's beef boils down to this: I want more, because other players earn more. Tough. He can get hurt any time? So can you. So can I. Who said he has a right to avoid all the risks the rest of us peasants have to endure? Yeah, he's young and stupid. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be told to shut his piehole.
No, lots has changed.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know that. Just a wee bit of lame humour.
I'd rather hear Papelbon's whining than Wakefield's politics, but hopefully everyone can get on with the baseball playing soon.
ReplyDeleteDITTO
For most people who don't live and die over national issues or follow them closely, saying that you're proud to meet POTUS, especially when you're being feted at the White House, is more about the history, the office itself, and what their mothers taught them about being nice to a host than it is about politics.
ReplyDeleteI would normally agree with you on this.
But (A) right now in the US, you don't have to "live and die over" political issues to have a strong opinion on the performance of the White House and (B) he wasn't just polite to a host, as in, "It's an honour to meet you, Sir."
Wakefield reported that he said. "Thanks for a great eight years." and added "I'm a big fan of his."
You can forgive us if that makes many a stomach turn.
The life of a professional athlete can end anytime and anywhere...he believes to strike while the iron is hot....he already had minor problems with his arm before...His career can end tommorrow and then maybe he will be serving fries.....So if he gets a multimillion dollar contract while he is arguablly the best closer in the game , and guarantee himself he would be set for life than he has to....Whether he went about it the right way is yet to be seen...And if has peace of mind that can only help the team....
ReplyDelete9Casey, you are sounding more like me every day.
Or am I sounding more like you?
And actually, I don't know about you all, but I'm VERY grateful i was blessed with abilities that allow me to do something other than
ReplyDeleteserve fries.
I am, very much so. But I still want the right to negotiate with my employer, and you should have that right, too.
I agree that the public complaining is annoying. But let's not get out of control with "he should shut up and be grateful". Luckily Papelbon's rights extend beyond that.
L-girl said...
ReplyDelete9Casey, you are sounding more like me every day.
Or am I sounding more like you?
It ain't so bad either way........
Papelbon certainly has the right to bitch, complain to the press about his paltry 6 figure salary, and generally behave like a venal jerkwad. And we have a right to call him on it. The same with Wakefield's sucking up to W...he can put his opinions out there (Again, I don't think "It's been a great 8 years" is really a substantive opinion, any more than when I tell my sister "You look great" or "We had a fun time at your house" is anything but social balm...but I sympathize with the stomach reaction,L-Girl, honest), but he has no right to be immune from criticism.
ReplyDeletebut he has no right to be immune from criticism.
ReplyDeleteOh sure. Absolutely. When I hear people say - and I don't mean to pick up MaineCatWoman, who is terrific, and whose opinions I share on nearly everything - "he should just be grateful," to me it sounds like "he has no right to complain".
I hope your sister is not reading this, Jack. She thought you really meant it. :)
Believe me, she doesn't. She hasn't believed anything good I've said about her since 1969. And, you know, (and you probably disagree), I don't think George thinks its been a great 8 years, either.
ReplyDeleteAnd, you know, (and you probably disagree), I don't think George thinks its been a great 8 years, either.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree or disagree. I don't care what he thinks. Or even if he thinks. His opinions are the least of my concerns. Less than that, if such a thing were possible.