With the Red Sox, Wagner will likely become the team’s setup man in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon. Although Wagner has been one of the best closers in the history of baseball, he said that he’s willing to alter his role in hopes of winning a World Series championship.

Last season, Wagner was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow. In fact, he just recently returned to the big leagues for the Mets. In two appearances, Wagner allowed no hits and struck out four in two innings.

At 38, Wagner says that he envisions his future as a closer. It’s very likely that he’ll end the season with the Red Sox and then hit the free agent market in the offseason and look for a team that will sign him to close out ballgames.

Billy Wagner - Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Billy Wagner Traded to the Red Sox

David Ortiz (”Big Papi“) at the plate. (As if the “at the plate” part wasn’t obvious)

Jonathan Papelbon’s “Hey, let’s have tea some time!” look. Or maybe a beer?

Jason Varitek greeting fans after the win: He was a nice guy and shook hands with just about everyone in the front row around the field.

Kevin Youkilis in champagne-ready goggles.

Casualties of the on-field celebration.

Post from: EveryJoe

PHOTOS: When the Red Sox Clinched the Playoffs, We Were There!

Here are five reasons why the AL came up with a victory yet again:

 1. Ichiro Suzuki’s pre-game F-Bombs. Move over, Bobby Knight. The Seattle Mariners‘ perpetual All-Star has a nifty peptalk ritual for his AL teammates every year.

2. Florida Marlins second baseman and probable never-again All-Star Dan Uggla set—wait for it, this one’s nice and corny—an Ugg-ly record by committing 3 errors in the game.

3. The NL probably isn’t quite accustomed to the ‘tude in New York. (That’s OK, neither were we last week). More AL teams play in Yankee Stadium and are aware of the exceedingly obnoxious Yankees fans who even booed other AL players challenging atmosphere for an opposing team.

4. Boston Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew rocked, nabbing the MVP in his All-Star debut with a two-run HR during his first at-bat. It probably helped that as a member of the Red Sox, he didn’t get verklempt over the sappy pre-game Yankee lovefest. (We’re guessing Jonathan Papelbon, whose Mariano Rivera remarks made him—along with his pregnant wife—a jeer target, didn’t either).  

5. Yogi Berra was in da house. Yeah, even Sox fans can’t resist his wit. Boo to Joe Buck for giving him the heave-ho in the booth. Yogi was just getting started!

Post from: EveryJoe

5 Reasons the AL Won the All-Star Game

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon agrees, at least when it comes to the Tampa Bay Rays.

For those of you MLB fans who’ve been living in a cave on a island off the coast of Chile (and you know who you are), this all goes back to the Coco Crisp touchy-feely slide, the Sox-Rays brawl, and who knows, maybe even his post-brawl remarks.

Image: Used with permission of www.newscom.com

ESPN reports Papelbon’s take:

“In my opinion, it is a bunch of bull what they did,” Papelbon said on “Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight” on Comcast Sportsnet, referring to last week’s brawl between the two teams. “All I got to say is what comes around goes around, man. Payback’s a b—-, I’ll tell you what.”

Stay tuned for the rest of the season between these two teams, ’cause it won’t be pretty.

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Hey, speaking of baseball . . . check out our guest post on The Sports Diva Magazine, where we’ll be doing occasional posts with Cherie Lampley (also of b5’s Dejuiced!) and several other sports bloggerettes. The subject of our first guest post? Why, a little commentary about the New York Yankees still needing $400M in public financing for the new stadium.

Worry not, as we’ll be sure to engage in shameless self-promotion any time we do a TSD gig or another round of audio clips on the Speeding Bullet Network in The Ticket section (over there we are, ahem, the Gossip Goddess).

Post from: EveryJoe

Papelbon on the Rays: Sox are Still Ready to Rumble

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, always good for a quote (or a dance move; see below) offered his two cents on Hank Steinbrenner’s trash-talking, per ESPN: 

“ I don’t know if he’s trying to stir things up or not,” Boston’s closer told the Hartford Courant. “I sure as hell don’t care, because he sure as hell hasn’t stepped foot on a baseball field. He needs to just stick to pencil-pushing, I guess.” 

(If we weren’t die-hard Sox fans, we might make a big fuss about Boston’s principal owner John Henry being more pencil-pusher than athlete. Instead, we’re just kind of whispering it to you, like this). 

Oh, and if somehow you feel compelled to see Papelbon and some of his teammates trip the light fantastic, you can see the dance party (and alarming fashion choices) here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Jonathan Papelbon: Steinbrenner, Pencil-Pushing, and Dancing

And then Buddy, your black lab, treats your tickets like an unattended porterhouse steak.

This “glad it wasn’t us” mishap took place when the courier delivering the tickets slid them under the door rather than—as requested—under the doormat.

But all’s well that ends well. Buddy had a good snack and his owner’s tickets will be replaced. As for the courier, we can only hope he’s changed his name and moved to another state by now.

Let’s just make sure Buddy and Boss, Jonathan Papelbon’s World Series baseball-eating dog , don’t go anywhere near Bill Belichick’s stash of hoodies.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Dog Ate My Super Bowl Tickets

But if “the Series-winning ball pitched by Jonathan Papelbon” tops your list, you (”and your little dog, too,” she cackled, like the Wicked Witch of the West) are out of luck. That chew toy honor belongs to none other than Papelbon’s own pet pooch, “Boss.” The Red Sox closer/Irish step-dancer revealed to a newspaper that Boss, rawhide aficionado that he is, helped himself to the ball one day and mere shreds remain.

Post from: EveryJoe

World Series Chew Toys

Alas, there’s a shortage of midnight oil here due to the game’s late night/early morning end. Sox fans are tired and some of us *cough* including me *cough* were late for work today. This was such a big win that I know at least ONE Yankees fan—I’m lookin’ at you, JMB—might return from the Dark Side to cheer on the Sox against the Rockies in the World Series. We heart converts! (Now if only we could get FOX Sports to sound remotely pleased about the Sox victory . . .)

Oh, and did anyone notice that there wasn’t a PEEP from Gossip on Sports after the Sox blew away the Indians in Game 6 12-2? Didya, huh, didya? It was all part of the “lay low for now” logic of Red Sox Nation, poised as we were on the brink of bipolar fandom: Ready to get pouty and down on the perceived guilty parties should the team lose yet equally prepared to bring on the cocky should they win.

To celebrate the win blog-style, here’s Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon performing an encore of his own special happy dance:

Post from: EveryJoe

Doing the Happy Riverdance