Papelbon blows another one

Listen up, Yardbarkers. We've got a new promotion in the Yard: Happy Hour Post of the Day. Normally it'll be every Thursday and Friday; however, we're kicking it off with a special bonus Tuesday edition, in honor of tonight's MLB All-Star game. Each Thursday we'll pair a drink recipe with the upcoming weekend's best sporting event. Drink recipes by Don Julio (www.yardbarker.com/users/donjulio). Anyway, consider Happy Hour Post of the Day to be your twice-weekly sendoff before you go whet your whistle with Mexico's finest tequila. ### Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon backed off his initial whine that he should be the closer in tonight's All-Star Game, despite the fact that Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has better numbers and the game is in Yankee Stadium. Papelbon: "If I was managing the team, I would close. But I'm not managing the team." Papelbon's argument hinges on the fact that the Red Sox won the World Series, and also that his manager is coaching the game, neither of which are relevant or even merit-based within the context of this year's game. Papelbon sounds like a 10-year-old asking daddy to put him in the game. Papel-baby: "It's not that easy. Everybody thinks it's a cut and dry answer, but it's not." Actually, it is pretty easy, Paps. Rivera hasn't blown a single save all season. You have blown four, and your ERA is much higher (2.43 to 1.06). So are your walks and hits per nine innings. Yankees blog, The Chuck Knoblog, calls Papelbon a "bumbling idiot," and I'm finding it hard to disagree. - Dewey http://thechuckknoblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/jonathan-papelbon-is-bumbling-idiot.html