Great Expectations

What do we expect from the Red Sox closer? I was thinking about this today. Just save games, right? Seems simple enough. But under the surface, our needs are slightly more complicated. Let me explain.

We want our closer to be serious. Jonathan Papelbon got away with being a clown because for the most part, he got the job done. But Pap was Pap - we need someone who takes the job more serious than life itself. When our closer comes out of the bullpen, we don't want smiles -- we want Dirty Harry.

We want our closer to be durable. No rest for the injured here. If our closer can get out of bed, he will be closing, every night.

We want our closer to be Mariano Rivera-esque. You would be lying if you said you wouldn't have paid cash money to have had Rivera as the Red Sox closer. The guy is everything any organization would want to represent them in the 9th inning. The guy does a lot off the field too. Rivera is money. Our closer has to have that staying power (or at least fool us into thinking he can).

We want our closer to be electrifying. If you close for the Red Sox, you have to believe in the culture, understand the tradition and basically geek out like the rest of us that you are indeed the closer for the Boston Red Sox! Bring it, every night, brother.

Is this too much to ask? I say not.

Mark Melancon (pictured above), welcome to the party. Are you ready to be our save-yor? If you didn't know, we expect a lot.

The First Pap Goes

The Philadelphia Phillies have made a 4-year, $50 million dollar offer to Bo-Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. And his agents are not contacting the Sox for a chance to match or counter (not that they would anyway). And so with that, the dancing closer is gone. I wish him well. I think in the end, he always cared about the Sox. I never felt like he stopped caring. I think his arm and his focus failed him at key moments over the past couple of seasons, but his heart always seemed to be in the right place.

I think Pap will thrive in the National League East, where competition pales in comparison to its American League counterpart. The Phillies always win tons of games, so he'll be fine.

I think we'll be fine too. I honestly do. Whether Bard gets promoted (which is highly likely now) or we sign a free agent, you know the Red Sox will move swiftly to fill the vacancy. Whomever it ends up being, I just hope he is not as polarizing as Papelbon was. When the Red Sox won in 2007, Papelbon was right there, pumping his fists, screaming and looking like an inmate from the local asylum. That was his charm, right? And he was consistent too. He saved 41, 38, 37 and 31 games in the years since '07. Can't complain. But those games he lost or blew, especially in 2010 when he went 5-7 with a 3.90 ERA, were maddening. It was those times, his antics made a guy feel like Pap wasn't focused. And let's not even discuss the end of this past season. His final inning as a Red Sox was not a shining moment for anyone.

I remember when Pap stared in from the mound in the 2007 post-season. The camera would zoom in on his eyes as they stared in for the sign. He was a ferocious animal -- a gamer you know was going to get the job done. Well, the ferocity has since waned. At any rate, I am happy for Papelbon that he got a good deal from the Phillies. Although it may not seem like it now, I feel like the Red Sox did too.