by chipbuck | Jan 20, 2012 | Alfredo Aceves, Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Daniel Bard, David Ortiz
If you heard a loud thumping noise a few minutes ago, that wasn’t your imagination. It was me bashing my head against the desk as I was reading Dan Shaughnessy’s latest opus. Like all Shaughnessy articles, he channels his most emotional nerves to...
by chipbuck | Jan 20, 2012 | Andrew Bailey, Boston Red Sox, Jacoby Ellsbury, Luxury Tax, Mark Melancon, Roy Oswalt
In a two part series written last month, I discussed in detail the Red Sox’s current luxury tax situation for 2012, 2013 and beyond. Now that the vast majority of slots on the 25-man roster have been filled, and arbitration figures have been shared, I thought...
by chipbuck | Jan 18, 2012 | Nick Cafardo Mail Bag
People often ask me why I continue to recap the Cafardo mailbag week after week. Really, it’s simple. As the lead writer here at Fire Brand, I’m tasked with writing a minimum of three articles a week. Some weeks, I’ll make upwards of five or six...
by chipbuck | Jan 16, 2012 | Boston Red Sox, Hiroki Kuroda, Jesus Montero, Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
The 2011-2012 off season sure has been a strange one. Let’s quickly recap it. Ryan Madson went from being on the cusp from signing a four year $44M contract to remain with the Phillies, only get to get spurned at the last second. The Phillies signed Jonathan...
by chipbuck | Jan 13, 2012 | Boston Red Sox, Hall of Fame
On Monday afternoon, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that former Cincinnati Reds shortstop, Barry Larkin, had been elected into the Cooperstown museum, receiving 86% of the vote. It was Larkin’s third year on the ballot, and quite honestly, he should have...
