CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jonathan Papelbon isn't a member of the Red Sox anymore, but he believes the players who are still there are determined to make up for how 2011 ended.
"They'll be motivated, no question about it,'' said Papelbon after arriving in camp with the Philadelphia Phillies. "There's too many good guys in the clubhouse, too many competitors, too many who have too much pride to just lay down. Those guys aren't going to come into this season and lay down. They're going to work hard, there's no doubt about it.''
Papelbon was asked about some of the lack of commitment of some teammates last year when the Sox hit the skids in the final month and lost out on a playoff spot.
"Everybody has his own opinion about what went on there,'' said Papelbon. "Nobody knows what truly was going on. I don't even know because I was worried about myself and doing my own job. Just because a team struggles doesn't mean that not doing what they're supposed to be doing.
"Ive always said that when you win it cures everything. When you lose theres got to be a reason why you lose. Is that why we lost? No. No, I think that everybody goes and plays this game the way they know how to play and thats all I was focused on."
Papelbon was praised by the training staff as one of the more committed players throughout the season, but he said he never saw the need to speak to a teammate who wasn't working as hard.
"I never saw that,'' he said. "I was busy preparing myself to get into the game.''