Comments on: We Need To Talk.

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:10:12 +0000

TG, I read all of your entrys like every day and I always seem to agree with everything you say. I am a big Paps fan too, but this thing seems really ridiculous. The deal the Red Sox gave him today seems fair, but we better not here any more complaining out of him for a long time.
P.S. The Josh and Jacoby battle thing is really funny.

By: mhcranberry

mhcranberry — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:50:27 +0000

Poor baby just signed for $775,000.

I’m not tired of him. I also feel like the Sox gave him a perfectly fair deal– more than Jenks got, pretty respectable jump.

Theo is not one to be intimidated or bullied or guilted into a contract… I expected the number to be a solid increase, and it was.

By: Texas Gal

Texas Gal — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:41:36 +0000

No – I’m not tired of him. And I don’t think he needs to shut up. I just think on this one particular issue, trying to influence contract negotiations through the media is completely the wrong tactic. It makes him look greedy and selfish – when I doubt very seriously he is either.

By: Lyndasy

Lyndasy — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:43:54 +0000

am I the only one getting tired of this guy’s shenanigans? he’s wearing out his media welcome. we get it, you’re the “wild and zany” one on the team. and I agree with Surviving Grady, he’s like the Kramer of the team now…but he needs to take everything down a notch. less is more, Paps…less is more.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:18:29 +0000

Agreed. This is the kind of thing you can bitch about to your brother or your dad or your agent, but it’s not really appropriate in the media.

I just am going to go ahead and assume that the next time he’s walking across the clubhouse, somebody will slap him upside the head.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:11:37 +0000

TG – You’re read our collective minds! What Paps is asking for – in light of when he’s asking, anyway – is unprecedented. And the Mariano Rivera comparison? STOP. Just. Stop. I like Paps, and I’d love to see him have a career that puts him in Rivera’s league. But he’s getting waaaay ahead of himself here.

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:06:13 +0000

Couldn’t agree more with your comments. Mariano Rivera is the bar that all closers must reach and 2 years in is not nearly enough time to ascertain whether or not someone is going to be Mo in 10 years or be watching his Yankeeography in 10 years.

I really don’t care for Papelbon all that much….his attitude and antics really cheese me off, but you guys love him, so enjoy him…..this is one of the few times where I’ve actually looked at the article and said “Oh shut up, you child.” Which is rare.

By: fc

fc — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:27:31 +0000

I think Pap sounded a little prompted. I smell MLBPA.

By: Texas Gal

Texas Gal — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:18:25 +0000

Honestly, I think it can all be blamed directly on Ryan Howards $900K payday after last season. That was unheard of before then, and now the flood gates have opened.

By: Meg

Meg — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:14:35 +0000

The thing that I find kinda weird about all this is that Paps certainly isn’t the only guy who has been talking like that this year…Markakis, Hamels and Fielder have all expressed similar sentiments, so I’m wondering if there’s some MLBPA shit going on behind the scenes. They viewed adding that third year before arb-eligibility as a huge compromise, so I can’t help but wonder if they are advising guys who are somewhat exceptional and “deserve” bigger salaries to talk to the media about it in order to pressure the teams into paying them more or something. Doesn’t make a ton of sense, it’s just odd that so many are complaining about the same thing in one year…

By: kate

kate — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:06:31 +0000

not to go against how most people feel, but i think paps wasn’t the only player to complain about money. prince fielder had the same issue. although i agree paps should shut up about it. i think paps just wants security he also mentioned a long term deal which i think was more to me what he’s looking for. either way he’s going to get a raise which is more money than i make.

By: Texas Gal

Texas Gal — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:29:55 +0000

You definitely can’t compare what a free agent (or even arbitration-eligible player) gets to what a player with just 2 service years get. That makes no sense. You know what A-Rod got paid for his third year? $442,334. He didn’t sign the Rangers contract until he had already played seven years in the majors. What teams will pay a free agent during his 8th year has no bearing on what teams will pay a cost-controlled player for his 3rd year.

Again, I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m talking about. I said multiple times in my post that Papelbon may be “worth” more money, but that does not mean he “deserves” more money under the current MLB contract system.

Also- feel free to use a commenter name – you don’t have to comment under multiple Anonymous names. We don’t bite! I swear.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:12:14 +0000

I agree that right now Paps, needs to work for what he wants money wise, and his day will come, I completely agree.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:11:17 +0000

Yet the Texas Rangers paid A-Rod $256 MILLION to play…So the sad thing is, there are teams out there that would pay it. The Blue Jays would…They are screaming for something to put butts in the seats, a good pitcher will do that. That’s why Halladay has become the city’s poster boy.

By: Texas Gal

Texas Gal — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:50:03 +0000

I didn’t say you didn’t know anything baseball. I wouldn’t think you’d be on a baseball site if you didn’t.

But I still disagree completely. Considering no team (other than the Phillies in Ryan Howard’s case) has EVER offered the kind of money Papelbon wants, and certainly to no relief pitcher, I completely disagree that another team would be willing to give him what he wanted. Prince Fielder isn’t getting it. Hell, Cole Hamels – a STARTING pitcher- isn’t getting it. Any baseball team would be insane to give up one of the precious few cost-controlled years, especially for a guy they only get about 60 innings out of.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:43:30 +0000

TG, actually I know a lot about baseball…Played it my whole life. All I meant is that, if he was on another team, if he was their property, they’d probably be willing to give him what he said he wanted. Now he has to earn it, just like everyone else. That maybe he had heard from somebody else “oh if you were a Dodger, you’d get this” that sort of thing. That’s all I meant by it.

By: fc

fc — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:53:59 +0000

Meg, love your allusion to his World-Series-ball responses.
Wouldn’t we all have loved him if, without sacrificing a bit of that Big Closer Ego, he said with that sly smile and that glint in his eye, “I know what I’m worth, and we’re workin’ it out.”

By: Texas Gal

Texas Gal — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:12:14 +0000

I don’t think anyone here called him “petty”. I know I certainly didn’t.

Anonymous — I think you’re misunderstanding how the contract system works in MLB. There’s no such thing as another team “paying a lot” for Papelbon – he is under exclusive contract and control of the Red Sox until he is a free agent after SIX YEARS. That means for the next four years, unless the Sox trade him, he is on the team… and no other team can “pay a lot” to acquire him. The free market value for him means nothing – and it won’t mean anything when he hits his arbitration years, either. What other teams would be willing to pay for him only matters when he hits free agency — or if he negotiates a long-term contract that would extend into free agency (so, a contract of 5 years or more).

By: Christy

Christy — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:08:45 +0000

His time will come…I love Paps, I don’t think he’s petty talking about it, but I agree, the media isn’t the best place to do that because there is the chance he could have his words twisted. Lord knows journalists do it frequently.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:06:44 +0000

He could have just been venting his frustration…Doesn’t make him petty. The thing is, a team with out a closer would be willing to pay a lot for a player like Jonathan. A young player in the bullpen that they can build their team around.

That being said, I do agree that his day will come, he really does need experince…The reward will come with the knowledge.:)

By: Liza

Liza — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:59:40 +0000

Wow, TG. Are you inside my head? That’s pretty much exactly what was going through my head when I read every single one of about 200 articles on the subject. Except, of course, yours is far more thought out than my frustrated “LESS. ARROGANCE. MORE. HAPPY.”

By: jules

jules — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:56:50 +0000

TG: you summed it up perfectly. I love Paps. it was HIS jersey that I asked for for Christmas (thanks Santa ;-) and can’t wait to wear to a game this year. BUT…this latest from him really bothers me. I know he was *asked* about this, but that doesn’t mean he has to answer the question.

Mikey and Tek…talk to him, will ya?

By: Meg

Meg — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:07:56 +0000

Completely agree. He should consider his $300K World Series share his “raise” and shut up. He will get his huge payday eventually.

Also, he really needs to learn that just cause the media asks him about something doesn’t mean he needs to talk about, and I really hope some of the vets will knock some sense into him regarding that. Questions about contract negotiations should be handled in the same way as questions about the location of the WS ball…evasively:-P

By: fc

fc — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:33:16 +0000

There’s a fine line between childlike and childish, and someone needs to grow up.

And like all of you, I say that with love.

By: Rachel C

Rachel C — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:03:12 +0000

Yes!! Thank you.

I wish he would see this.