SB Nation - Jonathan Papelbon

Jim Thome's Walkoff HR Tonight Was Profitable

JasonB — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 01:58:11 -0000

Jim Thome's pinch hit, walk off HR in the bottom of the ninth gave the Phillies a 7-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday night. His blast came just a half inning after Phils closer Jonathan Papelbon had blown his first save of the year giving up 2 runs in the top of the 9th.

Papelbon was apparently so upset that he walked into the dugout between innings and offered anyone who hit a walkoff to win the game $5,000. Jim Thome was inserted as a pinch hitter (for Papelbon ironically) to lead off the bottom of the ninth and one swing later Papelbon pulled out his checkbook and paid up.

After blowing save, Papelbon came in clubhouse and said he'd give $5K to whoever walked it off. He already wrote out a check to Jim Thome.
— Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21) June 24, 2012

With $50 million guaranteed on his contract, I'm guessing Papelbon considers the $5k money well spent to avoid the feeling of losing the game. In fact, as a the last pitcher of record for the Phils, Pap picked up the win.

TV Schedule, March 26: Celtics Face Bobcats, Red Sox Face Phillies

sportsgirlkat — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:43:04 -0000

Monday's TV schedule, complete with channels and times, customized for the Boston sports fan. Click on highlighted teams' names for complete schedules, scores, and previews, plus an active community devoted to your team. All times ET and approximate.

NBA

Boston Celtics vs. Charlotte Bobcats - 7 p.m. (TV: Comcast SportsNet New England) After one lone game at home, the Boston Celtics are back on the road yet again, facing the Charlotte Bobcats.

MLB

Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies - 1 p.m. (TV: NESN) Jon Lester takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox in this spring training match-up with former Sox reliever Jonathan Papelbon's new team.

NHL

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Philadelphia Flyers - 7:30 p.m. (TV: NBC Sports Network)

Los Angeles Kings vs. Vancouver Canucks - 10 p.m. (TV: NBC Sports Network)

Women's Basketball

NCAA Tournament

Tennessee vs. Baylor - 7 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

Duke vs. Stanford - 9 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

Jonathan Papelbon: Phillies Fans 'Tend To Know The Game A Little Better'

Gethin Coolbaugh — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:14:11 -0000

Ouch, Pap. Somehow, after being with the Philadelphia Phillies for only a few months, ex Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon claims to know the ins and outs of Phillies fans as well as he knew those of the Sox and had this to say.

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon said. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better, being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played." (via WEEI)

Papelbon, arguably the best closer in Red Sox history, compiled 219 saves in seven season in Boston before signing a five-year, $50 million contract with Philadelphia this past offseason. Pap talked about his decision to leave the Sox.

"It was a situation where the Red Sox didn't really come at me the way I was expecting them to come at me in the off-season," Papelbon said. "And I told my agent that the first team that shows me interest and shows me loyalty, I'm going to show that right back to them, and that was Philadelphia." (via WEEI)

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Video: Jonathan Papelbon Does His Best Terry Francona Impression

JasonB — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:08:42 -0000

The new craze in MLB training camps appears to be players doing Tim Kurkjian impressions after J.P. Arencibia nailed him with a dead on one in an interview with Terry Francona a couple weeks ago. However, this week, Kurkjian decided to get a measure of revenge by enlisting former Red Sox/current Phillie Jonathan Papelbon to do an impression of his old boss and Kurkjian's broadcast partner Terry Francona.

For more on the Phillies and Spring Training, be sure to check out The Good Phight and SB Nation Philly's spring training stream.

Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Says Closer Was #1 Priority

JasonB — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:15:05 -0000

Speaking to John Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said that he saw closer as the teams' #1 priority coming into this offseason.

"When we came into the off-season, we identified closer as our most specific need – and that’s no disrespect to Jimmy (Rollins). We wanted a lockdown type of guy, and there aren’t all that many closers with that sort of track record. We’re trying to win more than one World Series. We wanted to find the best player we could for that role. The risk, if you wait too long, is that you don’t end up with that guy."

In hindsight, this appears to be obvious given the $50 mil he splashed on Jonathan Papelbon, a contract which some say seems like an overpay given what the market for closers turned out to be.

"Markets can be fluid and difficult to gauge. I’m happy with the player we have."

Ryan Madson, who was no liability closing games last year, ended up signing a one year $8.5m deal.

Phillies Bullpen Ranked Among Top Ten By Buster Olney

JasonB — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:01:04 -0000

ESPN's Buster Olney published his list of the top ten bullpens in baseball (behind Insider wall) and the Phillies made the list... kind of. Olney listed 13 pens in his list with three teams tied for #10. The Phils were among those. Here's what he had to say.

The Phillies' relievers have an enormous advantage over other bullpens because, generally speaking, their workload is limited by the huge number of innings contributed by the front part of the team's rotation; because of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, no NL bullpen threw fewer innings than Philadelphia's Jonathan Papelbon, who takes over as the Phillies' closer, and while Antonio Bastardo appeared to tire in his first full season as a reliever, he was dominant for most of the summer. Michael Stutes and David Herndon were effective, as well, and it's possible that Brad Lidge will come back in a middle relief role.

Jonathon Papelbon Admires The Phillies' Clubhouse

JasonB — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:01:01 -0000

The Phillies unveiled their latest big money pitching acquisition this week when Jonathon Papelbon met the media for the first time. He was a guest on WIP after his introductory press conference and was asked why he wanted to come to Philadelphia?

"The biggest reason I wanted to come here is because of the guys that are in the clubhouse," said Papelbon. "Playing against these guys the last four years in a Red Sox uniform, I always admired them from afar in the dugout. ... When it all boiled down to it, I wanted to go to a team that was going to win and I wanted to go to a team that had a clubhouse with a bunch of group of guys that were just, to put it plain and simple, were a bunch of dirt dogs."

That's nice... but I'm sure the main reason is that whole "the Phillies offered me $50 million" thing. But of course, no player ever says that.

One thing Papelbon won't have to adjust to in Philadelphia is playing in front of big crowds in pressure situations. In fact, if anything people here are little easier on their baseball team than in Boston. He was asked about the atmosphere in Philly and Boston.

"Yeah, I'm sure there are little differences here and there. But for me, I think it all boils down to playing in front of fans that expect a lot out of their players, playing in front of fans that know the game of baseball and playing in front of fans that simply want to win. ... It's an environment that I know, myself, that I need to take to get my motor going every day."

To read the full transcript check out Sports Radio Interviews.

Phillies Sign Jonathan Papelbon, Braves Set To Face 'The Fish' Of NL East

Scott Coleman — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:41:52 -0000

After a wild and wacky contract negotiation fell through with Ryan Madson, the Philadelphia Phillies turned their eyes towards Jonathan Papelbon. 'The Fish', which is the nickname Papelbon earned for the facial expression he typically has while on the mound, spent the first few seasons of his career closing with the Boston Red Sox. Pending a physical, Papelbon will make his new home in Philadelphia.

There is no deny thing that Papelbon is a talented relief pitcher and fills an immediate need for the Phillies in the ninth inning, but his antics on the field can become annoying at times. The Braves already have a heated rivalry with their NL East foes and The Fish's childlike actions on the mound may cause the rivalry to heat up even more once the games begin.

This should be fun.

Props to the Phillies for getting this signing out of the way nice and early in the offseason, but I'm guessing it will be a move they regret a season or two down the road. The original reports are indicating it will be a four-year deal worth $50 million dollars, which is a ridiculous sum of cash. Yowza.

Around The Hub: Resigning Papelbon Should Be A High Priority

DShook — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:01:34 -0000

Don't have a lot of time to catch up on all of today's Boston sports news? Around The Hub brings you the latest stories from all seven of our regional blogs covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, Revolution, Boston College and UConn.

Papelbon Still Best Option For Boston - Over The Monster

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has never been shy about his desire to test the free agent market, and with that right around the corner its hard to imagine the Sox will let him wander too far before resigning him.

Tom Brady Vs. Aaron Rodgers - Pats Pulpit

After spending several years in the shadow of Brett Favre in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers has become a star, winning his first Super Bowl ring with the Packers last year. So who would you rather have right now, Rodgers or Tom Brady?

Bruins Give Hurricanes First Win - Stanley Cup of Chowder

The Bruins early season struggles continued on Wednesday night with a loss in Raleigh to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins were largely listless until the third period, but the rally wasn't enough.

Mid-season Report Card - BC Interruption

The Boston College Eagles have had a really tough start to the season, and nowhere is this more evident than on the offense where they're among the worst in the country. This isn't a report card you want to take home.

Post-game Hangover: Quakes @ Revs - The Bent Musket

The Revolution lost another tough game this past weekend against another non-playoff qualifier in the San Jose Earthquakes. The game was indicative of how the season has gone: good but not good enough.

For all your NBA lockout and Celtics coverage, follow along with CelticsBlog.

Basketball season is right around the corner, and The UConn Blog has you covered.

Around The Hub: Red Sox Relief, Patriots Preparation, UConn Frustration

sportsgirlkat — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:05:55 -0000

As It Should Be: Sox See Return To Normalcy With Beckett On Mound - Over the Monster

Josh Beckett put his ankle injury in the rear-view mirror as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night. Mike Aviles also became a trending topic after his showstopping home run and Jonathan Papelbon reemerged as a weapon in the Sox's bullpen.

Week 2 Patriots vs. Chargers: Q&A with Bolts From the Blue - Pats Pulpit

Learn about the New England Patriots' Sunday opponent with this question and answer with SBNation's San Diego Chargers blog.

Iowa State 24, UConn 20: Yikes. - The UConn Blog

UConn football fans are demoralized this Saturday morning after their Friday night loss to Iowa State. The Paul Pasqualoni era is off to a bit of a shaky start.

Boston College-Duke Preview And The Big Finish - BC Interruption

Can Boston College rise above the injuries and doubt and win their ACC opener against Duke on Saturday afternoon?

Friday Night Fights: Boston vs. Dallas - Stanley Cup of Chowder

Boston and Dallas have beef with each other. Why? It dates back to when the Dallas Stars were the Minnesota NorthStars.

New England Revolution 0-3 Portland Timbers: Revs Comprehensive Loss Compounded By Injuries - The Bent Musket

Players and Owners Slowly Finding Middle Ground? - Celtics Blog