Yirmiyahu wrote:

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raftsox wrote:

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I fail to see how Papelbon can be termed "just as risky" as Broxton, Jenks or Nathan.

He's obviously not as risky as the other three, but I agree with Curll's broader point. Relievers are like a game of Russian roulette. Or a box of chocolates. Or a powder keg. Or some other metaphor. But the fact is that a relievers have a tendency to lose it for no reason, or have their arms suddenly fall off, or get signed as a minor league free agent and pitch to a 2.00 ERA.

And, paydro, what's this have to do with 'bullpen by committee' ? For one thing, it's a fine idea. The 2003 experiment only failed because a) that bullpen sucked, and b) it was only given about a month and a half. This year the Cardinals had a similar approach for most of the year, with Motte not taking the reins till sometime in September...  For another thing, no one (including Curll) proposed such a thing for the 2012 Sox; Bard would be the closer.