by chipbuck | May 23, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz, Craig Hansen, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, David Murphy, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Josh Reddick, Justin Masterson, Kelly Shoppach, Kevin Youkilis, Lars Anderson, Manny Delcarmen, Michael Bowden, Ryan Kalish
After spending a rousing afternoon playing shuffleboard, I kicked back poolside over champagne coolies with my archrival and BFF, Murray Chass, and waxed about our days writing about the game of baseball. He expressed how his deep seeded irrational fear of back acne...
by jkeller | May 23, 2013 | Andrew Bailey, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Morrow, Clay Buchholz, Cleveland Indians, Cody Ross, Daniel Bard, David Ross, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jim Johnson, Joe Girardi, Joel Hanrahan, John Farrell, Josh Johnson, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Lyle Overbay, Mark Buehrle, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, R.A. Dickey, Raul Ibanez, Ricky Romero, Robinson Cano, Shane Victorino, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Travis Hafner, Vernon Wells
Making spring training predictions usually guarantees two things: 1) You will hit on a few. 2) You will miss on a lot more. Since we’re now through more than a quarter of the 2013 season, let’s take a look at five predictions that I already wish I could...
by bcowett | May 22, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, Andrew Bailey, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chris Sale, Felix Doubront, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Iglesias, Koji Uehara, Shane Victorino
Losing to the Chicago White Sox, owners of one of the worst offenses in baseball right now, just totally can’t make one frustrated, right? Right?!? After a run-filled five-game winning streak, it seems like the Red Sox forgot to bring their boomsticks with them...
by huntergolden | May 22, 2013 | Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Farrell, John Lackey, Shane Victorino
First off, as a point of order it’s great to have Fire Brand Editor Emeritus Chip Buck back in the fold. I only say that because finally, he was able to live up to the obligations set forth in our initial agreement – of which he will go into later detail upon his next...
by tbrooks | May 21, 2013 | Boston Red Sox
A little over the quarter mark of the season, let’s take a look at how general managers used the offseason to improve their teams’ outlook: No one in their right mind decides that 40 games into a season is the right time for job performance reviews. No one would judge...
by bcowett | May 21, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Trivia
Fire Brand Trivia! Are you ready to rumble? Question: Out of the five starters in the current rotation (as of 5/20), which one has the lowest strikeout rate (K/9)? HONOR CODE: No search engines or keyword searches, and this time no Fangraphs/BReference/etc. The...
by scandage | May 20, 2013 | Adam Dunn, Addison Reed, Alejandro De Aza, Alex Rios, Alex Wilson, Alexei Ramirez, Angel Sanchez, Boston Red Sox, Casper Wells, Chicago White Sox, Chris Sale, Clay Buchholz, Clayton Mortensen, Conor Gillaspie, Craig Breslow, Daniel Nava, Dayan Viciedo, DeWayne Wise, Dustin Pedroia, Dylan Axelrod, Felix Doubront, Gavin Floyd, Gordon Beckham, Hector Gimenez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jeff Keppinger, Jesse Crain, John Danks, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Jose De La Torre, Jose Quintana, Koji Uehara, Leyson Septimo, Matt Lindstrom, Matt Thornton, Mike Carp, Minnesota Twins, Nate Jones, Paul Konerko, Pedro Ciriaco, Ryan Lavarnway, Stephen Drew, Tyler Flowers, Tyler Greene
Having swept the Twins, the Boston Red Sox (27-17, second place, 0.5 games behind in the AL East) go to the South Side to take on the Chicago White Sox (19-23, tied for fourth place, 6 games behind in the AL Central) for a three-game series. The Red Sox are 6-4 in...
by bcarsley | May 20, 2013 | Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, Ben Cherington, Billy Wagner, Chris Carpenter, Craig Hansen, Jackie Bradley, Matt Barnes, Michael Bowden, Ryan Kalish, Scott Rolen, Trot Nixon, Xander Bogaerts
The last time the Red Sox picked as highly in the first round of the amateur draft as they will this year on June 6, Boston selected Trot Nixon seventh overall in 1993. That fact is useful for two reasons: one, because it illustrates how long its been since the Red...
by bcowett | May 20, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, Andrew Bailey, Bobby Valentine, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Felix Doubront, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe Mauer, John Farrell, John Lackey, Minnesota Twins, Shane Victorino
Not even a shower & the shampoo promoter himself could stop the sweep from happening this weekend. The road warriors roll into Chicago next. Here’s the story of the Red Sox and the Rain Delay: There was once a game where the Sox played well. Then a storm...
by mike scandura | May 19, 2013 | 2013 Pawtucket Red Sox, Stephen Wright
PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Steven Wright is a dinosaur. That’s another way of saying the Pawtucket Red Sox right-hander is the last of a dying breed, namely pitchers who rely on a knuckleball as their primary pitch. In fact, Toronto’s R. A. Dickey is the only active Major...
