Jonathan Papelbon Is Clinging To His Guns

Since he was a widely beloved closer for the Red Sox during their recent glory years, it’s no surprise that Phillies reliever Jonathan Papelbon would weigh in on the Boston Marathon bombing. Less expected: That his comments would turn, ever-s0-briefly, into a rant against President Obama. Talking to Comcast Sports Net this week, Papelbon expressed his discomfort interacting with large crowds at the ballparks, precisely for security reasons:

“I don’t feel comfortable doing that,” Papelbon said. “I really, truly don’t. In today’s day and age, it’s gotten so crazy… everything. All this stuff going on. Shoot, man, Obama wants to take our guns from us and everything. You got this kind of stuff going on. It’s a little bit insane for me. I don’t really know how to take it.”

Wait. What? To be fair, Papelbon played his college ball at Mississippi State. “Shoot, man, Obama wants to take our guns from us and everything,” is simply how people greet each other there. [The 700 Level]