As host of the New York Baseball Writers dinner last Sunday at the New York Hilton, Newark Star-Ledger columnist Dan Graziano was pointing out celebrities in the crowd when one introduction struck a chord.
"From the Boston Red Sox . . . Jonathan Papelbon."
The crowd of 1,100 booed in unison.
"I was shocked," Papelbon said. "I just sat there. I never got up out of my seat. No lie, the whole convention center was booing me. This was a black-tie event, and I was like . . . wow!"
Papelbon, one of the most polite young players in baseball, stayed until the end of the award ceremonies and then sneaked off into the Gotham night, escaping further hostility.
It was a sure sign that Papelbon is a Yankee villain.
"I think it was an acknowledgment about how good he is," said Orioles vice president Jim Duquette, who sat next to Papelbon. "He actually had a smile on his face. He knew what it meant. The funny thing is afterward all the people who booed him were trying to get his autograph."
For all the talk that the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one-sided, this was proof that Yankees fans hate the Red Sox just as much as Red Sox fans hate the Yankees. Why not hate the guy who was the closest rival Mariano Rivera has had in years, the kid who came out of nowhere to save 35 games in dominating fashion?
The next morning before the sun had crept through the city skyline, Papelbon was filming the first national commercial of his professional career. He was at a closed-off city block of Manhattan by 6 a.m., standing with American League Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, AL MVP Justin Morneau, AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, World Series MVP Dave Eckstein, and Jose Reyes -- waiting for instruction for a New Era commercial produced by Spike Lee on behalf of Major League Baseball.
Jonathan Papelbon, one of three children of John and Sheila Papelbon, had finally gone showbiz.
"It was really a lot of fun," Papelbon said. "We were there until about 1 p.m. They closed off the streets and it was amazing to watch it. Spike Lee was all business. For him, time was money, and he got us through it in what was a pretty funny skit. I got to kid around with Spike and we were going back and forth about Boston. I invited him up there, but I don't think he likes Boston too much."
If he's hit the big time, Papelbon is embracing it. The people closest to him, such as younger brother Jeremy, a Chicago Cubs farmhand, said he is "a lot harder to get in touch with, but he's still the same grounded person, laid-back, nice to everybody. That's Jonathan. I don't think that's ever gonna change."
Papelbon bought his twin brothers Jeremy and Joshua, a reliever in the Red Sox system, a condo in Jacksonville, Fla., where Jonathan lives part of the year with his wife, Ashley, when they're not in Mississippi.
