Just HOW Good Was Our Paps Last Year?? ESPN Answers. And A Little Mikey Lowell News/Views Here Too!

Well, whada'ya know! I found what I was looking for. A fun and informative article from ESPN...I'll run a couple tidbits here, and the entire article is recommended reading. And I linked it in the usual way. The subject? Our Jonathon Papelbon.......so sit back, put your feet up for a minute, and marvel at the year of Jonathon Papelbon....2006............

"When he walked off the mound Sept. 1, Papelbon had 35 saves and a 0.92 ERA. Just to put that record in perspective, that was merely the lowest ERA in Red Sox history by any pitcher with as many innings as Papelbon had worked (68 1/3). In fact, it was the second-best single-season ERA for any team in the live-ball era.
And it made Papelbon only the second closer since the invention of the modern save rule to save at least 30 games and have an ERA under 1.00. (The other: Dennis Eckersley, in 1990.)
That's an amazing résumé for a rookie pitcher -- a résumé so good, says Curt Schilling, that the guy who compiled it should have been "the Cy Young and the rookie of the year, [except] he got hurt at the worst possible time."

So Jonathon will start off as a member of the rotation, and barring an emergency, a TOTAL lack of anyone stepping up in the bullpen, well, I don't even want to think about that, but that is where he will stay. For if the Sox front office has to consider sliding Paps back into the closer's role, the bullpen would have had to be on its way to mediocrity. This club cannot have that! In Pap's own words....

"When I dreamed as a kid, I dreamed of being a pitcher in the big leagues, regardless of what I was doing," Papelbon says. "I just wanted to pitch in the big leagues, and I'll take what I can get."

Jonathon, so will we. We'll dream with you every step of the way, and we'll watch you MAKE IT HAPPEN! Just one favor...please....BE HEALTHY, from March through the end of October. My readers, what else can we ask of him? Thanks for reading! And ESPN? Thank YOU for such a great article.....and as always, comments are welcome, needed, even enforced!....Paps rules!

And speaking of ruling, our beloved third baseman, up for an Oscar this coming Sunday for outstanding supporting role in an American League infield, is none other than...Mike Lowell! Read this...from the Herald, and then my comments.....

"Among major league third baseman with at least 1,000 career games played, Lowell has the highest fielding percentage of all time. (Yes, including Brooks Robinson.) And while there is no way of telling whether or not Lowell will be here next year - his contract expires at the end of the season - let there be little doubt as to how his teammates and manager feel about him.
Said Francona: “Regardless of what his numbers are at the end of the day, you know he’s going to give you everything he has.”
And in every way imaginable."

Peter here, and what better way to conclude and put to rest this multi-subject early Saturday morning post than to mention our vacuum cleaner, Mr. Doubles? Mike Lowell. Good 2007 luck Mike...and stay healthy. Thank you, from my heart, for being the rock on the left side of Fenway's newly groomed infield. Our infield, your territory. You're the guy we want up in the six spot of our potent batting order so we can hear that beautiful THWACK sound, as a line drive hits fair, off the Green Monster. And into double territory. And three runs score! How sweet it is!!! And WILL be......