BREAKING NEWS: Chris Carpenter is not on the roster, declining the Cardinals their best starter. Al Reyes is on the Cardinals roster, replacing lefty Steve Kline. This is huge for the Sox as now the Cardinals only have one lefty and Al Reyes is not exactly a good relief pitcher. The bullpen goes from great to above-average. Ramiro Mendoza is off the Red Sox roster, replaced by Kevin Youkilis. The Cardinals have six infielders, we have eight. Cards with 11 pitchers, Sox with 10.
ADDITION: To the new viewers that have been introduced to Fire Brand over the last couple of days: the entry below is not the normal entry I usually have. It’s just pre-game jitters. Definitely check back over the last couple of days to get coherent and on-topic analysis!
LINKS OF ENJOYMENT
Win It For… Shaun Kelly started a thread on Sons of Sam Horn on who the Red Sox should win it for. Win it for the grandfathers, the players, the old stars…it is a must read.
Go Sox A great little video about … who else … the Sox!
Priceless Same idea, a little more exultant of beating the Yankees. Shows the salaries of the Yankees.
Screen Caps from Game 7 Screen caps that someone took of the TV of Game 7. Some nice shots.
Yankees At The Bat – A parody of ‘Casey at the Bat’ about the ALCS.
What I did when the Red Sox won the ALCS.
This is the closest you will get to seeing me until we win the Series because
I made a pact to not show my face on this website until we won the World Series. Root hard!
What is this DH/no-DH argument? This is nothing new, and yet people are still yelling about it. Deal with it. I like it; it is a difference of both leagues and the best team overcomes the DH/no-DH. It’s going to happen, so don’t obsess about it. Yes, we have David Ortiz in the field when we are in Busch Stadium, but I’m not shaking in my boots like some people are. He knows how to play first base and he does not have an “iron glove”. His fielding percentage this year in 34 games at first (260 innings, 278 total plays) is .986, with a Range Factor of 9.47 and a ZR of .797. A comparison is Doug Mientkiewicz and Kevin Millar. This year, Mientkiewicz had 124 games at first (940 IN, 991 TP) and his FP was .995 with a RF of 9.43 and a ZR of .851. In other words, Ortiz had a lousier zone rating (he got to less balls in his first-base zone) but Ortiz had a better Putouts and Assists ratio. Millar (69 G 512 IN 530 TP) had a .989 FP with a 9.21 ZR and a .789 RF. So wait, we’re obsessing over Ortiz being at first base, but Millar had a worse ZR and RF? Consider he had even better specs for the Sox at first base last year. Gentlemen, Ortiz will be just fine.
Not much else to say here, just waiting for the Series to start. THE WORLD SERIES!
So I leave you with a song that needs to happen:
When I wake up in the morning
And the ‘larm gives out a warning
I don’t think I’ll ever make it on time
By the time I grab my tickets
And I give myself a look
I’m at the corner just in time to see the T fly by
It’s alright ’cause I’m saved by the Bellhorn
If the player pops a bomb
I know I’m in a joy
And my friend drank all my beer last night
Riding low in my chair
She won’t know that I’m there
If they can win it tomorrow, it’ll be all right
It’s alright ’cause I’m saved by the Bellhorn
It’s alright ’cause I’m saved by the Bellhorn
It’s alright ’cause I’m saved by the
It’s alright ’cause I’m saved by the
It’s alright ’cause I’m saved by the Bellhorn
