A Few Players Who Have Been Pleasant Surprises

by | Aug 26, 2014 | 2013 Playoffs, 2014 Boston Red Sox, Allen Webster, Andrew Miller, Boston Red Sox, Brock Holt, Burke Badenhop, Christian Vazquez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Junichi Tazawa, koji uehara, Mike Napoli, Rubby de la Rosa, Shane Victorino, Xander Bogaerts

The list is extensive and littered with our favorite names: David Ortiz. Dustin Pedroia. Xander Bogaerts. Jackie Bradley, Jr. Clay Buchholz. Shane Victorino. And on and on. These are the players who have played below [or severely below] expectations or career norms in...

A Tale of Two, Maybe Three, Peavys: Part One

by | Jul 5, 2014 | 2013 ALCS, 2013 ALDS, 2013 Boston Red Sox, 2013 Playoffs, 2013 World Series, 2014 Boston Red Sox, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cy Young, Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres, Tim Lincecum

I last saw Jake Peavy pitch, live and in person, nearly seven years ago.  Paradoxically, I remember it vividly, yet vaguely. More accurately, there are elements of the game I remember with clarity, but on the whole, it’s mostly a haze in my mind. I remember it being...

Random Thoughts from Game One of the 2013 World Series

by | Oct 24, 2013 | 2013 Playoffs, 2013 World Series, Ben Cherington, Bobby Valentine, Boston Red Sox, Carlos Beltran, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jim Edmonds, Joe Maddon, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Michael Wacha, Mike Matheny, Mike Napoli, Pete Kozma, Shane Victorino, St. Louis Cardinals, Yadier Molina

Prior to tonight, the Red Sox have only played in 15 World Series games in my lifetime. I was too young to really have any recollection of the first seven, but those last eight have been something that I will never forget. What will the next four to seven games bring?...

Fire Brand 2013 Postseason Predictions

by | Oct 2, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, 2013 Cleveland Indians, 2013 Playoffs, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Back in March of this year, the Fire Brand writers got together and submitted their 2013 Preseason Predictions. Well, in short, they weren’t pretty. And, quite frankly, preseason baseball predictions usually are not accurate, evidenced by 4 of the 7 writers at...

Ghosts Of Red Sox Past: The 2013 Playoffs

by | Sep 30, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, 2013 Cleveland Indians, 2013 MLB Playoffs, 2013 Playoffs, Adrian Beltre, Adrian Gonzalez, Anibal Sanchez, Bartolo Colon, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Moss, Bronson Arroyo, Carl Crawford, Cincinnati Reds, Clay Buchholz, Cleveland Indians, Coco Crisp, David Murphy, David Ortiz, Detroit Tigers, Dustin Pedroia, Engel Beltre, Hanley Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury, James Loney, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, Jose Iglesias, Josh Reddick, Justin Masterson, Kelly Shoppach, Kris Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Melancon, Marlon Byrd, Matt Albers, Mike Aviles, Nick Hagadone, Nick Punto, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rich Hill, Ryan Kalish, Stephen Fife, Stolmy Pimentel, Tampa Bay Rays, Terry Francona, Texas Rangers, Tim Federowicz, Victor Martinez

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but the Red Sox have undergone a tremendous amount of change over the past few years. Sure, some mainstays like David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury have defined the core of this team. Yet by my count,...