Jonathan Papelbon will close for the Boston Red Sox
Yes, Jonathan Papelbon will be doing all that again.
After months and months of speculation about whether Jonathan Papelbon can return to the Boston Red Sox rotation, Red Sox general manager Terry Francona just announced that his 26-year-old pitcher will have his old job back after receiving the medical clearance that lets him do just that.
Jonathan Papelbon suffered a subluxation, a term used to describe a slippage within the joint, (OUCH!) last Sept.1. He went through a shoulder-strengthening program in the offseason and now, he will be suiting up for the Red Sox as the team's closer again in the coming 2007 MLB Baseball season.
Papelbon, who was charged with a blown save in the 4-4 tie against the Philadelphia Phillies at Brighthouse Field after allowing one run in three innings, said that he approached Francona prior to the game to make the request to return to closing. His manager was only too happy to accommodate.
''This is something I want to do for the rest of my career. Hopefully, what (Mariano) Rivera did for the Yankees, I can do for the Red Sox,'' Jonathan Papelbon said. Papelbon went 4-2 with 35 saves and scored a 0.92 ERA in 59 appearances while pitching for the Boston Red Sox last season.
Papelbon has been asking for this one since coming back from the injury. He said, ''I hadn't been sleeping well all spring because I had this feeling that I wanted to close. In my heart, I had feelings for being a closer.''
''This kid will be checked and monitored,'' Francona said. ''There's going to be days I'm going to tell him he's not going to pitch and he's going to do his strength and conditioning program. The other manager won't know and (the media) won't know but he will.''
Okay, so how do you expect us to bet on MLB games the Red Sox play now?
Can Jonathan Papelbon help the Boston Red Sox win the title? Who will win the 2007 MLB World Series Championship? Bodog has the odds.
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posted by JEFFDSTUFF at 2:36 AM
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