gdp's Comments

Fire Brand of the American League : Rethinking the Five Man Rotation

Wed, 7 Sep 2011 18:31:11 +0000

Is it really that unconventional? I might argue that it is even MORE conventional than the current 5-man rotation. That is what teams did for so many years up to around the 1980s. It almost seems to me that this is the sort of change that many of the baseball "old-schoolers" would want to go with. It makes a ton of sense though, so it is unlikely to happen.

Fire Brand of the American League : Terry Francona confirms Jacoby Ellsbury move to left field

Sat, 4 Dec 2010 22:28:07 +0000

I'd stay far away from Beltran. Will Carroll wrote that his knee injury was "career altering" and the chances of him getting back to star-level were extremely slim. He looked horrible last last year for the Mets.

I think they'll go hard after Werth/Crawford and look to upgrade at catcher instead

Fire Brand of the American League : Sox, Halos Should Revisit Napoli Deal This Offseason

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:53:19 +0000

I would love to see the Sox pick up Napoli. He should be getting so much more playing time somewhere.

Fire Brand of the American League : Josh Beckett: Home Runs, Endurance and The Stretch

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:53:02 +0000

Good news to know there about Beckett. Looks like he SHOULD be able to make adjustments and come around next season at the very least. I would hope that he works on his conditioning during the offseason as well as that seems to be part of the issue going deeper into game. The conditioning may help him with the back issue as well. I guess at worst, we could end up with an extremely expensive closer down the road. Boy, I hope it doesn't come to that though.

Fire Brand of the American League : Bill Hall and the free home runs

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:17:33 +0000

He has been a real nice surprise this year. He makes a very nice fourth outfielder for a good team who can spell infielders in a pinch. GREAT player to have all in all, if he isn't too expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if a National League team goes after him though, because that is where I think his value and positional flexibility would really be good.

Fire Brand of the American League : Red Sox Banking on Some Great Genes.

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:05:40 +0000

His contact rate is scary. If he does some work with that, with his speed, he will do MUCH better. But striking out 1 in 4 times isn't what will work, especially as he faces better pitching. Hope it works out though.

Fire Brand of the American League : Daniel Nava a major leaguer!

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:38:35 +0000

Way to go Nava. Really looking forward to seeing him play. I have been hoping he gets the call up all season.

Fire Brand of the American League : Red Sox Select 2B Kolbrin Vitek with First Round Pick

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 12:17:33 +0000

Hmmmm.... line-drive, contact hitting, third baseman with a bit of pop. Sounds like Bill Mueller to me. That is not a bad thing at all either.

Fire Brand of the American League : Should Jason Varitek continue to catch

Tue, 4 May 2010 15:00:24 +0000

Do you really think Iannetta can recover? I would like to give him a shot. He just has way too much talent. A change may do him wonders. BUT, I still worry about him. He is one of my favorites for younger catchers (as evidenced by my decision to keep him in my fantasy league.... ugh).

Fire Brand of the American League : Cano vs. Pedroia: Round 2

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:45:52 +0000

Aside from that one year (08), however, Cano has ALWAYS had a remarkably high BABIP. Not sure why that is (overly natural line drive hitter? I dunno). But, 08 looked like a fluke based on his other seasons all in all. Now, I would still take Pedroia any day for defense and baserunning (plus like everyone else, I love the guy), but I just wanted to point that out about Cano's BABIP.

Fire Brand of the American League : John Lackey's new approach

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 20:06:25 +0000

Whew..... I thought I had the entire thing messed up in my mind. Thanks for clarifying.

Fire Brand of the American League : Report from the Fort: What it's like inside the press box

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:32:44 +0000

Awesome post Gerry. That sounds like it was a lot of fun. Glad to see Firebrand getting behind the scenes so to speak.

Fire Brand of the American League : J.D. Drew contemplates retirement after 2011

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:03:16 +0000

While I won't call signing Drew a great signing or the deal to be a real steal for the Sox, he has been solid and I think that they are about breaking even with it. He is a quality guy when in the lineup, doesn't make news for comments in the clubhouse, and plays really solid to great defense. A very nice player. Maybe a bit overpaid, but I will take that. I like the guy. If he retires after this contract, more power to him. My only problem is that now the Sox wouldn't get a draft pick if he grades out as a type A/B FA. Ah well.

Fire Brand of the American League : Reasons to let Beckett reach free agency

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:07:19 +0000

Oh man, Webb would be awesome to get. I am with you on that one Lee. That would just be fantastic.

Fire Brand of the American League : All-Aughts Team of the Decade Honorable Mention Vote

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 16:33:06 +0000

I gotta go Lowell. His impact has been pretty huge since he arrived. I see what you are saying about Foulke Tim, but I gotta go Lowell.

Fire Brand of the American League : Papelbon gets his money

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:47:06 +0000

lol.... exactly.

Fire Brand of the American League : Contingency Planning for an Ortiz on the Ropes

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:34:48 +0000

I saw that yesterday. That article gives me hope.

Fire Brand of the American League : Papelbon gets his money

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:28:13 +0000

Yeah, that is my basic thought on that article. Just not worth the time. And that is true of most things he writes. OCCASIONALLY he says something semi-intelligent on the radio, but then again, he is being compared to Michael Felger there, so it's six of one, half a dozen of another.

Fire Brand of the American League : Papelbon gets his money

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:07:25 +0000

Just for the record, Massoratti is an idiot. Anything he puts in columns I immediately view with skepticism at the very least.