cLOSER???

cLOSER???

 

I’ve always said the being a MLB closer is the most misunderstood job in sports. The job definition is easy. You take the mound, get outs and your team wins. It’s not any easy proposition. Closers, for the most part, don’t get the benefit of being put in a beneficial situation like the rest of the bullpen. They face whoever’s sent to the batters box. They’re typically “a little off” but I guess it comes with wanting to be the man in a do or lose situation all the time.

It goes beyond that. Being a closer doesn’t lend itself well to statistics especially when you have a bad game or two. He comes in gives up a bloop hit and then a home run it could take weeks for his ERA and WHIP to just look pedestrian again especially this early in the season.

I had thought about writing this piece last week, but it just felt better to make CJ Hood wait. I figured I missed my opportunity. Then, Paps is given the night off after 3 straight days of work. Jake Diekman loads the bases and blows the save when he serves up a grand salami to Dan Uggla. Phillies fans torture was compounded by the fact the team scored 5 in the 8^th to take the lead. Obviously from twitter and Facebook feeds the loss is on Papelbon because he didn’t pitch. GTFO! I love people saying he makes 14 million blah blah blah. I don’t know about you but I’d rather have him on the mound come September (if Lord willing, the Phillies are still in contention) than to have to find out if Diekman or Hollands or whoever is capable then.

Papelbon looked like dog shit in the one game he blew a save verse Texas, but it was ONE game. In his other appearances, he has 5IP no earned runs, one hit and one walk. I know he blew a bunch last year. Yeah, Yeah. He had 7 blown saves last year. You know who else had 7 last year? Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time. Paps was also dealing with a hip injury. An injury he went out and battled thru until the offseason even though in reality it was over in August.

Call me a Papelbon apologist if you want, but for as goofy and as dim witted as he comes off, I don’t think there is anyone on this team except Utley who wants to win more.

 

See ya at the ballpark!

 

Jay Wrizight

jaywrizight@yahoo.com