And just like that, Mo surpasses Papelbon

Has Rivera ever had that for a career playoff ERA?

Sample Size.

Papelbon has 7 postseason saves in 21 IP. Mariano has 35(!) postseason saves in 121 IP. 35! If Papelbon ever makes it to 35, then I’ll compare Mo’s ERA to his :) I have no doubt Mo will demolish him there too.

Sorry for getting all emotional. God, I love Mo.

who knows anything about baseball would ever say that Papelbon is close to Rivera. That said, the Sox likely will not trade him-simply because closers are not generally trade targets and because he is under his team’s control for 2 more years at a pretty low salary. He will then walk and the Sox will take the picks.

I was reading on ESPN.com that, according to the Insider section rumors, PapSmear may be traded.

Don’t let the door slap you in the ass on the way out!

One thing I love about the MLB network is the banter after a game…If its a Yankee win, you never get enough…even though you saw every play in the game.

Their take on Pap was that he is…well…hard headed (i.e., stupid) about his fast ball. Even though he can throw a slider to keep hitters off timing the heat, he would not throw it – presumably because he wants to show up hitters – instead of pitching smart to get outs.
angels were sitting on his fast ball and even Aybar could hit a straight ball when he knows its coming – even at 97 or whatever.
Angels can thank Abreu for teaching them about being patient.

has never been and most likely will never be as good as Rivera, and truthfully no one ever will be I think. Papelbon has a tendency to fall in love with his fastball and I don’t care how hard a guy throws he has to mix in a slider or split at times. Paps has both. I’m a Yanks fan but as someone who follows baseball I’ve seen Paps fall in love with the heater. You see Rivera has a four-seamer and uses it appropriately, but I’d say he throws 80 percent cutters. Rivera has the good fortune of possessing a pitch that can be thrown over and over and over. It does not matter if the hitter is looking for it. His chances of hitting it well are almost zilch. The one he threw to Mauer to end the 8th the other night was just NASTY. Mauer is great hitter but that pitched veered from middle in to on the hands in a fraction of a second. There’s just nothing you can do. Mo has lost some MPH over the years but the success of that pitch is not really contingent on velocity as much as movement. Plus his fastball, though maxing out maybe at 93-94, has good life and is deceptively fast. Let’s not forget that in his year as set-up man for Wetteland he threw almsot exclusively four-seamers. He did not have the cutter. Many hitters said that the ball got on them remarkably fast and they just could not get around quick enough. Mark McGwire said he was “unfair” and Tom Kelly said he should be “outlawed”. PLUS Mo has impeccable control and gets many called strike threes too. The pitch to Kubel the other night for strike three was about as perfect a pitch as you’ll see. With location like that you don’t even have to throw a 91-93 MPH cutter, but he does. You hear it year after year; Rivera’s getting old and there are better closers around. You no what; There aren’t. He’s still the best.