For the longest time, Jonathan Papelbon seemed like the perfect pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. So it was surprising to see him come to Philadelphia, even if the Phillies did offer him a (metaphorical) wheelbarrow full of cash.
But reading the transcript of his interview with WEEI radio in Boston from this week, via SportsRadioInterviews.com, it sounds like he was pretty thrilled about bouncing from the Red Sox after all.
Or, at least, his alter ego "Cinco" doesn't feel bad about bouncing.
“I don’t feel bad," Papelbon said before launching into the third-person. "No. Cinco is gutless man. I don’t feel bad for people.”
Papelbon also sounded pretty cheesed about the training staff's handling of him in terms of innings and health and whatnot.
“I know myself better than anybody," Papelbon said. "I know myself better than any trainer in Boston tried to tell me they knew me better. That goes with experience in knowing yourself and trusting yourself and listening to what you have to listen to and not listening to thing you know are going to make you stay durable.”
He then called the trainers in Philadelphia "phenomenal" and said "they understand that I am going to be successful because I know how to be successful."
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The Phillies and the Red Sox kick off a three-game interleague series on Friday. It's at Citizens Bank Park, so it's much, much easier for Papelbon to talk about the Sawx now than it would be if, say, he was returning to Fenway.
Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how he and his old teammates interact and how he's able to perform if he's called on to close against Boston. There's no question he'll be pumped up about the opportunity though.
