In case you didn’t know, Jonathan Papelbon is still a bitter ex

I truly thought that I was finished hearing the name Jonathan Papelbon when he retired. However, he found a way to pop up in the year 2022.

And, yes, the reason is as dumb as you think.

In an exclusive interview with Guy Giles of BetwayInsider, Papelbon was asked a litany of questions regarding the current MLB season, his career, amongst other things. Of course, being a former Phillie, he was asked specifically about the club. He had some pretty choice words for the city of Philadelphia and our MVP Bryce Harper.

As you remember, it was Papelbon who choked Harper in the dugout when they were teammates in Washington.

When asked about his former club, Papelbon did not hold back his true opinions of the squad. He criticized the lack of leadership the franchise has, citing that as the reason the team won’t have a long postseason run.

His words were even bleaker regarding the city of Philadelphia.

It’s always been kind of chaotic in Philadelphia, with the fans, with the players, with the front office. It’s like a shitshow there. And, for me, I see the shitshow continuing. I mean, they fired their manager, what, two months into the season? As long as that stuff happens, Philadelphia will never win again. Philadelphia will never get back to the playoffs.“

You are telling me that the guy who choked a teammate on live TV can call something a shitshow? In what world?!

Granted, Papelbon had a fantastic career. His 2.44 ERA and 368 career saves are nothing to scoff at. However, it is very clear that he still holds animosity towards the city. His career in Philly did not coincide with a strong Phillies teams, but it is not like he wasn’t collecting a paycheck regardless.

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Apparently, Jonathan Papelbon had a lot of unkind things to say about the Phillies in a recent interview w/ Beltway Insider. He rips Bryce Harper and this current team, highly critical of the Joe Girardi firing, and calling them a s**t show. Wow. https://t.co/KRZNThnqvD pic.twitter.com/GAMIlRqaN5

— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) July 19, 2022

Oh, but he didn’t stop at the stuff about the Phillies.

Naturally, he was asked about the team missing last season’s MVP, and, again, he was rather snarky.

I don’t necessarily see him being a huge leader of the team, because he was never really a leader when I played with him. He kind of went about his own business and more was a me-guy or an I-guy, and wasn’t really into what was happening in the clubhouse, and didn’t have that pull for the team.“

We all know some of the struggles that Harper had early in his career. His maturity level, or lack thereof, was shown on numerous occasions when he was a younger player. I’m sure plenty of us, if not all of us, would have maturity issues were we always in the spotlight from the time we were 15 years old.

However, the player Papelbon played with and the player we see now are completely different. Comparing a 23-year-old to a near 30-year-old is almost inexcusable. I am not so sure how well Papelbon’s seven-year-old recollection of Harper is even a basis for an argument.

Your opinion doesn’t mean shit just because you played for a franchise and with a player. The last time Papelbon put on the pinstripes was 2015, and he was last teammates with Bryce in 2016. Nothing like people holding on to outdated opinions just for some clout.

Jonathan Papelbon saying anything about leadership is like Ron Artest saying something about player/fan conduct.

Respectfully, shut up loser.

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