Congrats Jonathan and Ashley!! Your sister has told me a lot about the baby and i’m so excited for you guys! My husband and I are also expecting and I am also due on New Years Day! Hope the pregnancy is going great! I hope to see your precious family around Hattiesburg soon!!

You are welcome, Nan.

And you can all defend Papelbon all you want. Why is it that his own fans can’t even defend him?

I just read on Bostondirtdogs.com that Papelbon was baiting the Yankees fans by showing off his World Series ring. Perhaps that is why they didn’t take to kind to him.

And Ruth, you do not need to be condescending. I understand that it is his competitive nature, but the guy has quite a few character flaws and his comments and his actions have gotten him into hot water. Papelbon started out by saying that “if he was the manager, he would close.” Then all of a sudden he backtracks and says he wants Mariano to do it. Papelbon thinks that just because he closed in a World Series makes him almighty. It proves arrogant and disrespectful to make such a comment in that situation. I’m sorry you do not understand this, but even Twins’ closer Joe Nathan and team mate Curt Schilling have remarked negatively about Papelbon’s comments.

In closing, when the rest of his fellow Boston All Stars were being respectable, he shows up at Yankee Stadium wearing a sleeveless blue t-shirt with a drawing of a hand making an obscene gesture. Now tell me the kid doesn’t need to grow up!

As neither a Boston nor NY fan I thought I might throw my two cents into this discussion. One of the Fox announcers at Tues. nights game said that he was at the press conference where this was supposedly said, and according to the announcer Papelbon said that he would love to close the game but that Rivera is the godfather of closers so he understands why Rivera should and would close the game. And then the newspaper twisted his words so instead of saying he would like to be the closer, they claimed that he said he should be the closer. Of course none of us were there so who knows what was truly said.

That being said congrats to the parents to be!

Hey Chrystie Delancey, did you also understand that the reason he wanted to close is because it was in his “competitive nature”? That what kind of closer would he be if he didn’t want the ball at the end of a game? NY Journalism is sadly, pretty despicable.

Ashley is due the same day as Michelle Duggar. I see a tiny bump!

Chrystie – thank you for your support and mutual love of our NY team!!

I have to defend Nan and I admit I am a die hard Yankees fan. That being said, I have no hatred toward the Red Sox or their fans.

While there are conflicting accounts of what Papelbon said, his words have a tendency to get him into trouble (just like my beloved Alex Rodriguez – love him or hate him).

Anyway, Papelbon created a stir by indicating that he deserved the closer spot just as much as Mariano and that Francona should give him the ball because they won the World Series last year and that it was his manager that was managing the All Star Game. Paplebon later recanted and said that he thought Mariano should close.

Earlier this year his mouth also got him into trouble when he indicated that he deserved to make as much money as Mariano and all but insinuated that Mariano had “passed the torch to him.” Papelbon hasn’t even been in the majors for three seasons yet.

I am happy for Jonathan and his wife. It saddens me that she feared for her safety. I am sure she didn’t exaggerate things. I know how the fans can get, but that is not representative of fans like me. I would rather everyone just get along.

I hope with being a father Papelbon can mature and gain the ability to sensor himself. He is full of life, but his words and actions are getting himself into trouble. I don’t think much of what he says myself – I chalk it up to his immaturity, but seeing him crying during a regular season game wherein he gave up the winning run against (my) Yankees to the rookie Brett Gardner shows me he really needs to grow up.

Mmmm..

I live in NYC too and have come to find the free dailies very ‘factual’

Nothing against this guy at all – he looks adorable. Living in NY and reading the dilay news headline: “PAPELBUM! Red Sox reliever says he, not Mariano, should close tonight’s All-Star Game.” — I guess we got the media/ red sox rival version of it! ……..get facts straight??

Yay another Red Sox baby, alot of the players have such cute children. Congrats to Papelbon and his wife!