by jkeller | Feb 14, 2013 | 2004 World Series, Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, Dave Roberts, David Ortiz, Edgar Renteria, John Henry, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Josh Beckett, Larry Lucchino, Spring Training, Theo Epstein
I can pinpoint exactly when it all began. It started with Joe Reilly’s January 5th column right here on Fire Brand. Soon enough, I started to show symptoms of a developing case of Lackey Optimism. The more I thought about the possibilities, the more I started to see...
by jkeller | Feb 7, 2013 | Albert Pujols, Andrew McCutchen, Angel Pagan, Atlanta Braves, B.J. Upton, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Morrow, Buck Showalter, Buster Posey, Chris Carpenter, Clay Buchholz, Dan Haren, David Price, Denard Span, Detroit Tigers, Edwin Encarnacion, Edwin Jackson, Evan Longoria, Felix Hernandez, James Shields, Jared Weaver, Jason Vargas, Joe Blanton, John Farrell, Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes, Josh Hamilton, Josh Johnson, Jurickson Profar, Justin Upton, Justin Verlander, Kansas City Royals, Keith Law, Lance Lynn, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Buehrle, Michael Young, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Olt, Mike Trout, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, R.A. Dickey, Rafael Soriano, Ricky Romero, Robinson Cano, San Francisco Giants, Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Strasburg, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Wade Davis, Washington Nationals, Wil Myers, Zack Greinke
Part 1: The Pitchers Part 2: The Batters Part 3: The League Once again, the same disclaimers apply: 1) Please feel free to bookmark them and come back later in September/October to see how I did — you know that if I hit on a few you’re going to hear about it. 2)...
by jkeller | Jan 31, 2013 | Bill Mueller, Billy Beane, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, David Ross, Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jason Varitek, John Farrell, Johnny Damon, Jonny Gomes, Jose Iglesias, Kevin Millar, Larry Lucchino, Manny Ramirez, Mike Napoli, Nomar Garciaparra, Oakland Athletics, Rob Deer, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew, Todd Walker, Trot Nixon, Will Middlebrooks
Part 1: The Pitchers Part 2: The Batters Part 3: The League (2/7) The same disclaimers apply: 1) Please feel free to bookmark them and come back later in September/October to see how I did — you know that if I hit on a few you’re going to hear about it. 2)...
by jkeller | Jan 24, 2013 | Aaron Cook, Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey, Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, Felix Doubront, Franklin Morales, Joel Hanrahan, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Junichi Tazawa, Mark Melancon, Mark Teixeira, Rick Ankiel, Rubby de la Rosa, Ryan Dempster, Vicente Padilla, Zach Stewart
Part 1: The Pitchers Part 2: The Batters (1/31) Part 3: The League (2/7) Disclaimers: 1) Please feel free to bookmark this and come back later in September/October to see how I did — you know that if I hit on a few of them you’re going to hear about it. 2)...
by jkeller | Jan 17, 2013 | 2007 ALCS, 2007 World Series, Boston Red Sox, C.C. Sabathia, Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Florida Marlins, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Trades
Dear Josh Beckett, You were one of my favorite Red Sox players. You were one of my least favorite Red Sox players. It all started out so well. My first memory of you was when you helped reduce the awful sting of 2003 ALCS by a small percentage when by kicking the...