Listen, I love Jonathan Papelbon. As a Red Sox fan, it’s a treat to see him close out games. When he enters the game, you know the thing is over. This must be how Yankees fans have been feeling for the last decade or so with Mariano.

But if there is one thing that really irks me about Papelbon, it’s all this theatrical crap he does on the mound — specifically the damn glare. I suppose it would not bother me as much if the television cameras weren’t always on him, but they are.

No matter what network is showing the Red Sox game, you can damn-well guarantee that if Pap enters the game, the camera will be zooming in on his face right before each pitch. And along the way the commentators will be talking some bullshit about how intense Papelbon is. And sometimes I understand why they do it … especially in the playoffs. I don’t condone it, but I get it; it gets people talking and it adds drama to a sport that many see as bland.

But when I pulled this Papelbon card from a pack of 2009 Upper Deck this week, all those angry feelings rushed back into my body. Is nothing sacred? I guess I should be happy the card wasn’t zoomed any closer.

This entry was posted on February 21, 2009 at 10:07 am and is filed under Card of the Day with tags 2009 Upper Deck, baseball, baseball cards, Card of the Day, Cardboard Icons, Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.