Where Have You Gone Jonathan Papelbon?

While not the biggest story in sports by any means, the ongoing struggles of Jonathan Papelbon have garnered my attention, especially considering I am a Red Sox fan. One would think that Pap should be in the prime of his career. He is 29 years old, been a dominant closer throughout the Major Leagues for the past four seasons, and pitches for one of the premiere teams in all of baseball. Why, then, have many Sox fans been calling for Papelbon to be demoted and fireballer Daniel Bard to be inserted into the closing role? There are many reasons, but here are just a few:

-Most recently, he blew two save opportunities against the Colorado Rockies. After the Sox came all the way back and were on the verge of beating arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Ubaldo Jimenez, Pap gave up a game-winning 2-run home run to Jason Giambi of all people. The following night, he allowed the Rockies to tie the game in the 9th inning, but Dustin Pedroia bailed him out in the 10th by hitting a 2-run home run to win the game. Laser show.

-His stats this year against the New York Yankees, and his career stats versus them are less than stellar. He is 0-2 with two saves against the Bombers this year with a 13.59 ERA, and for his career he is 0-5 with 12 saves with a 4.59 ERA. How can any Red Sox fan feel comfortable with Pap as a closer with these numbers against a team that Boston will most likely be duking it out for the Division title and the Pennant?

-The most disturbing thing is that Papelbon does not seemed overly concerned with his struggles. Pap is a cocky guy by nature (the picture to the right says it all), and that is probably a good mentality to have as a closer, but his cavalier attitude toward his performance is not a good sign. He claimed that: "I wasn't crisp in my delivery, that's basically it." The reason for your struggles lately and for the better part of this season is that you have not been crisp? I don't buy that for a second.

Who knows the true reasons for his struggles, but if he cannot find a remedy for them Daniel Bard is a more than capable pitcher for the closing role. I only hope Terry Francona has not put so much faith in Pap that he allows him to self-destruct and be responsible for more losses throughout the season.


Fearless Prediction: Roy Halladay throws a complete game against his former team.