Wakes On Paps.....

A very interesting article appeared in today's Herald, and I have to comment on it. Here's a bit of it. The entire article is available by clicking on this post's title. I recommend it!

" The whole closer-vs.-starter debate just won’t go away, and in a perfect world, Wakefield admitted, he knows where he’d put Papelbon.
“I’d like to see him back there doing the same thing for us this year, but he’ll do great in whatever role he’s given,” Wakefield said. “He’s proving this spring that he can dominate in whatever role he’s given.”
For all the uncertainty surrounding the back of the Sox bullpen, the possible solution looms like Everest. With every 95-mph fastball Papelbon effortlessly zipped by the completely overmatched Mets in his three scoreless innings yesterday, it was hard not to say, “To hell with it, let him close.”

Paps on this all-important subject?

“I want to put the club in a position to win every fifth day,” he said. “It’s really hard for people to see me doing something different, but hopefully that will get out of here soon.”

LET HIM CLOSE! It might come to be an inescapable choice for Tito. Peter here, and I could write a book about Jonathon Papelbon, wherever he is destined to pitch this year. Why? He's damn good! And when I look at the 2007 Boston Red Sox, I see a solid team offensively and defensively (for the most part) with one of the best rotations in all of baseball. But then I come to the bullpen, and I want to puke. Literally. There IS no back end, and the set-up guys appear, at least now in the earliest stages of the spring, to be average at best. The long guys? They'll be the ones who fail as the go-to guys for the 7th and 8th innings. I predict right here and now that the Sox will be forced to put Paps back where he belongs and hope for the best health-wise. And it might happen even more quickly than last year when Tito pulled the trigger in the middle of the first week of the regular season. I hope I'm wrong. I hope someone will stand up and shine. But I do not see it. Gut feeling? 100%.......but without a talent in the closer role, we're a 3rd place team in the AL East. No ifs, ands or buts. No chance at first place either. Tito......do it.

Oh, and on the schedule today (Thursday)....the Sox play a split-squad game, with Curt Schilling starting against the Twins in Lee County and Kyle Snyder vs. the Blue Jays at City of Palms Park. So everyone, enjoy this oh so cold Thursday.