Welcome to Fire Brand of the American League. Born December 31, 2003, Fire Brand of the American League is your home for analytical and opinionated takes on all things Boston Red Sox. Started in response to Aaron Boone’s home run, Evan Brunell flew solo until September 2005 when he brought Zach Hayes aboard. Several years later, additional, passionate authors also call Fire Brand home, dedicated to bringing the world musings from Red Sox Nation (whether you’re a card-carrying member or not).
The name origination is from a newspaper article published in March of 1919 in “Baseball Magazine,” the subject being new owner Harry Frazee. I stumbled across this article in Glenn Stout’s compilation of Red Sox articles throughout the ages in Impossible Dreams. You can view the article through Google’s Book Search here.
Frazee, one of the most reviled owners in the history of the game for his appalling sale of Babe Ruth, was actually viewed as a positive owner in the days woebegone (read the article). As as every true Red Sox fan knows, the sale of Babe Ruth had nothing to do with No, No, Nanette and everything to do with a star with a bad attitude and lust for money (hmm, shades of Gary Sheffield) being sold to the friendly (at that time, that is) New York Yankees to gather the cash to save beloved Fenway Park.
The Red Sox are the Fire Brand of the American League — the “Live Wire of Major League Baseball” — and this blog is no different.
Welcome. Take a look around. Dive into our comments. Come back, won’t you?
—Evan Brunell
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PRIMARY FIRE BRAND WRITERS
 Evan Brunell evan_AT_mvn.com |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right Resides: Boston, MA Date Acquired: December 31, 2003 |
Born on the 37th anniversary of the the day Babe Ruth died (1985) which later became the day Jimy Williams was fired in 2001, I was too young to experience the pain 1986 brought, but a deep wound was sowed in 2003. 2004 covered that wound up, and more. I am a guardedly optimistic Red Sox fan. Red Sox fans are by nature, quite pessimistic, so I do my best to stay positive but there are times where I fall into the deep, black hole of being a Red Sox fan. |
 Tim Daloisio tdaloisio_AT_gmail.com |
Bats: Right Throws: Right Resides: Bedford, NH Date Acquired: February 2, 2008 |
I’ve blogged the Red Sox since 2003 at Musings From Red Sox Nation, then the Red Sox Times and am happy to be joining MVN. If I am not here, you’ll find me trolling around Yardbarker and Ballhype or at home chasing after my 2 year old daughter who learned how to say “Daisuke” far too early in life. |
 Zach Hayes zhayes_AT_sbcglobal.net |
Bats: Right Throws: Right Resides: Whitefish Bay, WI Date Acquired: September 19, 2005 |
Lifelong Red Sox fan whose love for the game branches to all teams in both leagues in any matchup. Favorite Red Sox players include Bill Mueller, Mo Vaughn, Brian Daubach and the greatest pitcher I ever saw live — Pedro Martinez. May be young, but I know my way around any baseball trivia (just try me). Go Sox. |
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GAME RECAP WRITER
 Shawn Medeiros s4medeiros_AT_bridgew.edu |
Bats: Right Throws: Right Resides: Fall River, MA Date Acquired: May 17, 2007 |
While currently writing for MVN I also am a sports broadcaster for three public access stations (BTV9, FREDTV, and DCTV) in MA. I broadcast such sports as football, baseball, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball. I also am a writer for two papers in my surrounding area. One is a weekly and one is a daily. Lastly, I am going into my third year being the Sports Editor at The Comment which is Bridgewater State College’s student run newspaper. Check out anything and everything on this site. It is all good and you will enjoy it. |
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MINOR LEAGUE CORRESPONDENT
 Mike Scandura mscan79_AT_cox.net |
Bats: Right Throws: Right Resides: Riverside, RI Date Acquired: May 24, 2008 |
Sports editor at The Warwick (RI) Beacon from 1973-78. Sports writer at The Times (Pawtucket, RI) from 1978-1999. At The Times, I was the beat writer for the Pawtucket Red Sox and Providence College basketball. Retired from The Times in the fall of 1999. Since then, I’ve been doing a great deal of free-lance sports writing. Have covered the Pawtucket Red Sox in one capacity or another since 1976. One of only two sports writers who covered The Longest Game (the 33-inning game between the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket in 1981). Member of the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame (Words Unlimited is a Rhode Island organization of sports writers, sports casters and sports publicists). |
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CARTOONIST / TOKEN FEMALE
 Samara Pearlstein bluecatsredsox_AT_gmail.com |
Bats: Right Throws: Right Resides: Detroit, MI Date Acquired: June 15, 2008 |
Studying art and zoology at the University of Michigan while harassing my friends in both fields about baseball and football endlessly, although there really are not that many baseball/football fans in either art or zoology. Sad, that. I’m not a photographer, or a sportswriter, but I dabble absurdly in both. I have a good camera but no tripod, and no understanding of 95% of its features. I take photos anyways. At heart and in hand, I’m an illustrator. Baseball players should wear their socks up because it looks better that way. |