Much has been made already this season about Jose Valverde's antics when he is closing out a game. To say the least, Papa Grande, as he's affectionately known, gets pretty excited on the mound when he is in the game to make a save. Not every appearance prompts big celebrations just for throwing a strike, but every now and then Valverde will have some fun out there, including last night against the Diamondbacks. Valverde showed how pumped up he was following his quick, six-pitch save, and that really rubbed D-backs catcher Miguel Montero the wrong way.
↵↵↵"He's a (bleeping) (bleep)," Montero told the Arizona Republic. "The way he acts, it's not right, you know. You've got to be professional. I've always felt that way. And I've always told him. That's the way he is. I guess he thinks it's right. But I don't care."
↵"You can write it down," Montero said. "I hope he reads it. It's all right. We'll face him down the road at some point, and I guess I'm going to pimp it."
↵Montero added he was surprised Valverde threw three consecutive splitters to get Montero out.
↵"I never suspected that," Montero said. "I didn't think he had that kind of brain to throw three splits in a row. It surprised me."
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I can see why the antics annoy some people, but to be that mad makes it sound like some serious sour grapes more than anything, especially when you look at that last comment where Montero insulted Valverde's intelligence. Maybe next time Montero should give Valverde a reason not to celebrate, such as not striking out on three straight pitches. Now there's an idea.
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