All-Aughts Team of the Decade bC: Doug Mirabelli

Dougie's going deep tonight! A popular meme about a day in the life of Doug Mirabelli (there were two such days, I can't find the other one) was passed around back when Mirabelli was a cult figure in Boston. It might be odd for some to think that Doug Mirabelli was a cult figure for Red Sox fans, but I can assure you... he was. Mirabelli was acquired as a response to Jason Varitek breaking his elbow on the since-removed on-deck circle in 2001. At that point, Mirabelli was 30 and quickly gained a reputation for being a defensive whiz with a cannon for an arm behind the plate... as well as launching bombs at the plate without batting gloves, adding a bit of intrigue in the process. In 141 at-bats for Boston that year, he hit. 270/.360/.518 with nine home runs. I remember attending the August 16, 2001 game in which Ichiro Suzuki and Mark McLemore were ruthlessly gunned out trying to steal by Mirabelli, and the crowd was in an uproar. We couldn't believe it. Mirabelli had a cannon.

Breaking Jason Varitek’s psychological hold on the Red Sox

What does the return of Varitek mean for the club? Does it mean "more of the same?" No, I don't think it does. The actions of management over the last year have shown that the club is intent on shaking the psychological hold that Varitek holds over the team.

Varitek is a great leader, "The Captain," renowned for his hard work. But no one can defeat time, and if the Sox are to weather the transition from Varitek into another catcher, the team has to be weaned off 'Tek and how much he means to the club.

Sudden Shocker: Red Sox release Doug Mirabelli

The Red Sox released Doug Mirabelli today, a move that comes somewhat of a shock to a lot of Red…

Live from Spring Training

Fire Brand reader Gerry checks in… SPRING TRAINING OBSERVATIONS. Tradition Field. Port St. Lucie, FL. Mets vs. Red Sox Dodgertowon.…

All about the Red Sox

Last night, I participated in a chat over at New England Sports Country. Here are some questions I answered… “Why…

2008 Red Sox Outfield, Catchers, Bench, and DH: For Better or Worse?

Last week I started looking at the potential of the 2008 Boston Red Sox by comparing them to the 2007…

J.D. Drew will rebound; 2008 ZiPS Projections

On October 20th at Fenway Park under the bright lights, he found redemption. All year, he struggled to find a…

Sox, Pats, Celts

Doug Mirabelli is officially back in the fold. In other news, I put a shirt on earlier today. Saw a…

Forget about Huston Street.

The comments section of Fire Brand has been abuzz with trying to get Huston Street. Forget about it. Oakland has…

Notes On Xmas Eve

I hope everyone enjoyed yet another Patriots win yesterday and happy holidays to all. Here