by bcowett | Jan 13, 2014 | 2014 Red Sox offseason, Andrew Miller, Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Rubby de la Rosa
Despite it being Patriots season right now, baseball trudges along through the winter. Is there a Venezuelan Winter League dot TV thing I can sign up for? The Hall of Fame class is deserving, despite the general smallness of it. You only wish that more guys were...
by akhatchaturian | Jan 11, 2014 | A.J. Pierzynski, Boston Red Sox, Daniel Nava, Detroit Tigers, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Minnesota Twins, Shane Victorino
After some extensive research in April 2013, I found that one of the reasons why pitchers are starting to dominate baseball is because first pitch strikes are up and first pitch swing rate are down league wide. These graphs from fangraphs.com showed how first pitch...
by jcookson | Jan 10, 2014 | Baseball Writer's Association of America, Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, Jose Canseco, Larry Andersen, Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, PEDs
I can still picture him in my head, crouched in that unusual batting stance, uncoiling to lash a line drive into the outfield or drive a ball into the seats. Jeff Bagwell put up tremendous offensive numbers during his 15 year major league career, numbers that should...
by bcowett | Jan 10, 2014 | 2014 Red Sox offseason, Andrew Miller, Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling, Masahiro Tanaka, Pedro Martinez
In a strange, polar-vortex-related topic, “vortex” should be the next abstract team name. How terrifying would it be to face, say, the London Vortex? Hall of Fame voting has essentially become a farce. You need to be cleaner than an operating room and...
by bcowett | Jan 8, 2014 | 2014 Red Sox offseason, Boston Red Sox, Chris Denorfia, Curt Schilling, New York Mets, Stephen Drew
Whelp, it’s the day when the Hall of Fame selections are announced. Prepare yourselves! Twitter is going to be full of heated arguments spanning the baseball world. Curt Schilling has a permanent spot in Red Sox lore. But it’ll be a bit of a struggle for...
by bcowett | Jan 7, 2014 | Boston Red Sox, Trivia
Red Sox Trivia! There’s too much confusion! Question: In terms of fWAR, who was the worst reliever in the Sox bullpen in 2013? No search engines, keyword searches or Fangraphs this time. Previous Question Answer: Out of those three Sox outfielders with over 500...
by bcowett | Jan 6, 2014 | 2014 Red Sox offseason, Boston Red Sox, Chris Denorfia, Jackie Bradley, Jonathan Papelbon, Masahiro Tanaka, Stephen Drew
Chances are that you’re in the 90% of the continent currently in the grip of an arctic cold front. Which leaves you plenty of time to see what’s happening! As long as your fingers are intact, of course. The Red Sox made their divisional rivals look silly...
by evan brunell | Jan 1, 2014 | Boston Red Sox
There couldn’t be a better person to represent Fire Brand of the American League and the 2014 Red Sox as the blog begins its second decade covering the Sox: outfielder Daniel Nava has won the annual Fire Brand of the Year Award — the first hitter to win...
by bcowett | Dec 31, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Trivia
Red Sox Trivia! Remember to speak softly! Question: Three Red Sox outfielders had over 500 PA in 2013. Which one had the highest OPS? No search engines or keyword searches. Previous Question Answer: Uehara and Mujica combined for a stellar fourteen walks in 2013....
by evan brunell | Dec 31, 2013 | Fire Brand Categories
It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since Fire Brand of the American League began writing on the Red Sox, but here we are. A decade after Aaron Boone’s home run devastated this Red Sox fan so much, it spurred him to begin putting his opinions on...
