Asked what he thought about Jonathan Papelbon’s critiquing of him over his Red Sox Nation comments, Hank Steinbrenner fired back:

“Being insulted by Papelbon is like being attacked by a mouse,” Steinbrenner told The Post.

“John Henry and I traded a couple of jabs good-naturedly,” he added. “So now, all of a sudden, this player, this 20-something kid who really doesn’t know his way in the world, comes out with a personal insult. There’s no excuse for that.”

“It was nothing personal against John [Henry], nothing personal against Larry [Lucchino], nothing personal against [Terry] Francona, nothing personal against the team or the fans,” Steinbrenner said. “It was just a general comment that is the truth. I respect the Red Sox and their fans, but the Yankees are the most popular team in American sports. Ask Jerry Jones in Dallas, he’ll tell you that. That’s why they want to do business with us. So it’s just a fact.”