by jkeller | Feb 28, 2013 | 2004 World Series, Alfredo Aceves, Allen Webster, Andrew Bailey, Ben Cherington, Boston Red Sox, Brett Lawrie, Clay Buchholz, Craig Breslow, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, Daniel Nava, Daniel Nava, David Ortiz, David Ross, Dustin Pedroia, Edwin Encarnacion, Felix Doubront, J.D. Drew, J.P. Arencibia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Joel Hanrahan, John Farrell, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Jose Bautista, Juan Nieves, Junichi Tazawa, Kevin Millar, Kevin Youkilis, Koji Uehara, Lyle Overbay, Mike Carp, Mike Napoli, Pedro Ciriaco, Pedro Martinez, Rubby de la Rosa, Ryan Dempster, Ryan Sweeney, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew, Will Middlebrooks, World Baseball Classic, Xander Bogaerts
Alfredo Aceves — Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) As a general rule of thumb, anyone who chooses their number as a tribute to Dennis Rodman has a screw, or two, lose. Aceves is certainly not an exception. Andrew Bailey — Everybody Hurts (REM) Every player gets hurt...
by tbrooks | Feb 26, 2013 | 2004 ALCS, 2004 ALDS, 2004 World Series, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Devin Marrero, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, Fenway Sports Group, J.D. Drew, Jackie Bradley, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Lackey, Nick Cafardo Mail Bag, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Except for the Alfredo Aceves blip, the Red Sox have had a pretty uneventful spring training so far. There seems to be harmony in the clubhouse with John Farrell at the head of things. The players seem to be happy and good natured. All we have to...
by bcowett | Feb 15, 2013 | 2003 ALCS, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, James Loney, John Lackey, Larry Lucchino, Mike Carp, Nomar Garciaparra, Scott Boras
Hope you guys had a great Valentine’s/Singles’ Awareness/I Hate Every Couple Day. Don’t you just love…love? Hey, Larry Lucchino, 2003 called, they want their generalization back. No really. Cowboy Up and return the call, buddy. (Larry...
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 huntergolden | Feb 13, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Ryan Dempster
WITH both PECOTA and ZiPS being unleashed on our world this past week, I felt like it’d be worth it to expand a bit on my piece from last week and talk about the Red Sox rotation at a slightly deeper level. Projections systems aren’t always accurate. Each have their...
by tbrooks | Feb 12, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jackie Bradley, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, John Lackey, Johnny Gomes, Jon Lester, Juan Carlos Linares, Nick Cafardo Mail Bag, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts
(Key – Bold w/italic is Nick Cafordo’s opening, Bold is the quesiton asked, italic is Cafardo’s answer, unaltered text is my writing). FORT MYERS, Fla. – The low expectations for the Red Sox continue to ooze out in this week’s mailbag. There are lots...
by bcarsley | Feb 11, 2013 | Allen Webster, Blake Swihart, Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox, Bryce Brentz, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Franklin Morales, Garin Cecchini, Henry Owens, Jackie Bradley, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Keith Law, Matt Barnes, MiLB, Xander Bogearts
The season of prospect rankings is upon us. For minor league enthusiasts, wannabe prospect experts and the truly invested, this is our Christmas. For more casual MiLB fans or those looking for a quick refresher on their favorite team’s farm system, it’s a great time...
by bcowett | Feb 8, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling, Daniel Bard, Felix Hernandez, John Farrell, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Kyle Lohse, Seattle Mariners, Will Middlebrooks
Lots of news surrounding the Red Sox today. This is much better than the dog days of January, where the top news was who Will Middlebrooks was dissing on Twitter. The bullpen looks to be gaining respect in some baseball circles. If Daniel Bard & his slider come...
by huntergolden | Feb 6, 2013 | Alan Webster, Alex Wilson, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Matt Barnes, Rubby de la Rosa, Ryan Dempster
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times – if the 2013 Boston Red Sox are going to go anywhere, they’re going to have to get better production out of their starting rotation than they’ve had the past few seasons. While there’s been little question as...
by jcookson | Feb 5, 2013 | Ben Cherington, Boston Red Sox, Brian Price, Casey Kelly, Clay Buchholz, Craig Hansen, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, David Mailman, Felix Doubront, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Iglesias, Junichi Tazawa, Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, Pete Hissey, Ryan Kalish, Ryan Westmoreland, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts
Theo Epstein’s stated goal when he took over as General Manager of the Red Sox was to turn the Sox into a “player development machine”. He envisioned a pipeline of minor league talent that would replenish the major league roster whenever needed. So how successful was...
