The Phillies unveiled their latest big money pitching acquisition this week when Jonathon Papelbon met the media for the first time. He was a guest on WIP after his introductory press conference and was asked why he wanted to come to Philadelphia?
"The biggest reason I wanted to come here is because of the guys that are in the clubhouse," said Papelbon. "Playing against these guys the last four years in a Red Sox uniform, I always admired them from afar in the dugout. ... When it all boiled down to it, I wanted to go to a team that was going to win and I wanted to go to a team that had a clubhouse with a bunch of group of guys that were just, to put it plain and simple, were a bunch of dirt dogs."
That's nice... but I'm sure the main reason is that whole "the Phillies offered me $50 million" thing. But of course, no player ever says that.
One thing Papelbon won't have to adjust to in Philadelphia is playing in front of big crowds in pressure situations. In fact, if anything people here are little easier on their baseball team than in Boston. He was asked about the atmosphere in Philly and Boston.
"Yeah, I'm sure there are little differences here and there. But for me, I think it all boils down to playing in front of fans that expect a lot out of their players, playing in front of fans that know the game of baseball and playing in front of fans that simply want to win. ... It's an environment that I know, myself, that I need to take to get my motor going every day."
To read the full transcript check out Sports Radio Interviews.