Papelbon Continues To Show He Loves Mo

While we all probably hate Jonathan Papelbon, I have to admit I admire his respect for The Great Mariano Rivera. He hangs out with him during the All-Star Game, and at many times has gone out of his way to praise the greatest closer in the history of the sport. Today was no different as he was speaking to the media during a press conference today in Florida:

Did you watch the postseason after you guys were eliminated?

I didn’t watch a whole, whole lot. I tried to watch guys like [Mariano Rivera] and see what they were doing, try to keep track of it as best as I could. I didn’t watch a whole lot, like I said. But obviously Mo is one of those guys who I’ve idolized in the role, and what he’s done for the role, what he’s done himself as a closer. He’s got five rings. That speaks for itself. Everybody else that’s a closer out there is pretty much chasing him. I think he’s set the tone for what it is to be a closer, and I think he’s bridged that gap, from closers 10 years ago to closers now. He’s been able to do both and to bridge that gap. It’s fun to watch him. It’s fun to see how he goes about it, and it’s fun to kind of compete with him on a level of kind of staying up with him. If you can stay on the same field with him, you’re doing something right.

He’s had his postseason hiccups. Does that make it easier for you to put last year in context?

Of course. I’ve talked to [current Red Sox and former Yankees bullpen coach] Gary Tuck about that a lot. He was obviously with Mo for a greater part of his career. There’s a lot of little nuances that we talk about, from his game to my game. That’s what makes him who he is, and that’s what makes an athlete who they are – how they bounce back. In this game, that’s what’s going to test you to see what you’re made of. I take it all full steam ahead. It doesn’t affect me. I’m not going to take it into this season. My whole goal this season is to start a streak over again, see what happens from there.

Can you imagine pitching into your 40s?

Yeah, I can, but it’s not an easy thing to do. Mo, he just makes it look easy. He makes it look easy. Hopefully I will be able to, but only time will tell.

It's always nice to hear opposing players, even those you may dislike, praise a Yankee. We love them, but it's different when the enemy speaks so highly of our home town guys.