Joel Hanrahan isn't the first Sox closer to blow a two-run lead, and I am not going to get on his case for it. But what concerns me more is his attitude:
"It’s not the first time I’ve blown a save, and it’s probably not going to be the last. It’s part of the game. It’s just how it goes sometimes . . . . That’s the life of a reliever. One day you’re the goat, the next day you’re the hero. That’s just kind of how it goes."Compare that to what Jonathan Papelbon had to say in 2010, following a similarly disastrous outing:
"It was a long weekend, but, you know . . . all that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It was about my performance today. I think some of it is focus. I’m able to make adjustments out there from pitch to pitch pretty easily. You got to learn how to make adjustments out there."Of all the ex-Red Sox players who are still playing elsewhere, Papelbon is the one I miss the most.
I agree; I didn't appreciate Papelbon as much as I should have when he was here. Of course, I still don't think he's worth the 50 million or so the Phillies are paying him, but he's a hell of a pitcher with a great attitude.
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