Jonathan Papelbon grabs the wrong spot after getting booed by the fans for blowing the game on Sunday
How often have we seen ‘the grab’ by a baseball player?
Chances are quite often, especially when a player is at bat, but what Jonathan Papelbon did on his way to the dugout was just an expression of being exasperated. He lost the lead in the 9th inning and heard lusty boos and probably a few good choice comments and tried to give the rude bunch something to think about.
Now Papelbon’s actions will cost him a 7 game suspension handed down from the MLB. Yes, the ‘adjustment’ just couldn’t be explained by Papelbon and he did go to far, but that’s Papelbon. And yes, I know that Rap singers do this all of the time without fear of such retribution, but this is baseball and rude is rude.
He’s the Phillies closer for a reason and most closers march to the beat of a different drummer. We must remember that he made an announcement that Phillies fans were also ‘smarter’ than his previous team the Boston Red Sox, so he shouldn’t be that roasted for this.
Remember “Pat The Bat” and the imfamous finger he gave to the opposite dugout during game? That didn’t happen in the age of ‘instant replay’ so it was quickly forgotten by the baseball establishment. How about Chase Utley with his comment on National TV that was recorded from his All-Star Game, he said, “Boo … F**k You”, and also caused a stir after the Phillies won the World Series in ’08 with his “World F**king Champions” statement.
Yes, we express ourselves quite a bit here in Philly, but this one by Pap crossed the line.
