RIP MikeF

Beomoose

is insoxicated
SoSH Member
May 28, 2006
21,395
Exiled
RIP to a giant of the site. Seeing those Spring reports after a bleak winter was a big boost to get back into the SoSH baseball spirit.
 

FelixMantilla

reincarnated mr hate
SoSH Member
Jan 30, 2001
12,894
Foxboro, MA
I posted these on Facebook, but figured I'd share them here too... MikeF was a great guy. Loved his family, bridge and the Sox.

Untitled-5.jpg

Untitled-74.jpg

Go On Ask Me Anything About Baseball.jpg

This guy has ALL the answers.jpg

John Burkett Fan Club.jpg
 

Reverse Curve

New Member
Sep 11, 2021
77
So sorry to hear this. As many have posted, I too looked forward to the spring training updates from Mike (and Cheri)...Definitely gave me the feeling that winter was ending up here in Portsmouth (NH), and that hope, as well as baseball, springs eternal. Godspeed MikeF...thinking of your family and close friends. First ballot SoSH Hall of Fame....
 

Lanternjaw

SoSH Founder
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Feb 28, 2000
5,204
Salem, NY
Awful news… Mike was a terrific guy and trips to Fenway in his convertible are cherished memories.
 

FlexFlexerson

Member
SoSH Member
RIP. As a very longtime lurker under, I think, a couple of different accounts I loved Mike's reports. I have fond memories of attending Spring Training games with my grandparents (who were ST season ticket holders when they were alive) and Mike's reports always made me feel like I was there with my grandfather and grandmother even when I was far away.
 

gars finnvold

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Feb 23, 2001
1,387
Guilford, CT
Mike F's reports from spring training were Truck Day before there was a Truck Day.

I had the good fortune to meet him a number of times and always walked away with a smile. My wife met him a few times and does not frequent the site. When I told her of his passing she immediately remembered him and how much she enjoyed talking to him. He made a great impression no matter how little time to you spent with him or how long ago it was.
 

amh03

Tippi Hedren
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 27, 2003
6,638
Oh, damn…so sad to hear…a true legend & original. Sigh….
 

notmannysfault

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
500
Is that photo of Craig, Felix, Mike and ? holding their Napkins, in tribute to our very own Napkin (but not John Burkett)?

Or did I mis-decode the reference?
 

Deweys New Stance

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 8, 2001
2,888
Here to Eternity
I will echo others in saying his reports were the big excitement for spring training for me as a lurker all those years ago. It meant spring was just around the corner here in New England, and we could dive into the lineup minutiae and pitching decisions soon enough. Rest In Peace sir and condolences to his family and those that knew him.
It looks like some of his reports still live on in the old tapatalk website:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/sonsofsamhorn/mike-f-s-spring-training-reports-f74/

On days like today in the early 2000 I’d be itching to read his reports.

edit: for that link it shows the last post/poster, just click and it will take you to Mikes OP.
Looking through some of these was a nice trip down Memory Lane. I'm an old timer here who's always kept a very low profile and never interacted with MikeF but always felt like I knew him from reading his fantastic ST reports. Very saddened by this news. Condolences to his family; I hope they have a sense of how he brought happiness to a lot of online friends and acquaintances back in the day.
 

Hildy

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
3,326
Frog Hall
You can have January 1. For the first decade of the 2000s, I built anticipation for the start of a new year with the Truck Day thread MikeF’s daily reports.
Truck day, pitchers and catchers, MikeF's daily reports. For a very long time that was how we rounded winter's 3rd base and headed home. RIP.
Yes, so much this. His reports were unbelievably knowledgeable in this funny, offhand way, and they were so happy. I would read his reports in my kitchen in Mass., look out the frosty window at winter, and feel like it was almost time for tshirts and sunscreen.
 

Traut

lost his degree
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
12,750
My Desk
My condolences to those who knew him well.

To me Mike represented all that was good about being a Red Sox fan - he was passionate, loyal, and the harsh New England winters made spring training sweeter than it must be for say Marlins fans.

At his core, Mike never let go of being an 8 year old baseball fan at heart. The game was as it should be to him - fun. And his posts reflected that.

He was loved by many here and will be missed by all.
 
Last edited:

Eagle3

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 26, 2004
574
Mike's reports were always the first thing I looked for every time I logged on for many years during ST. I met him (and Cheri) at the training complex in Fort Myers right around this time in 2006 before the games started. I was on vacation with my wife and kids, so I didn't have much time, but I talked with them for about 20 minutes. Two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. And actually, to this day, the only 2 SOSHers I've ever met in person. I remember telling my wife afterwards he's one of those guys where 10 minutes after meeting him you felt like you've known him your whole life. That was Mike Lowell's first spring training with the Sox, and part of the conversation was that MikeF said "this guy is going to pepper the Monster" because he had just watched him hit several frozen ropes to left field off live pitching that day. I don't know exactly how many of the 47 doubles and 20 homers that year went off or over the wall, but it was a lot. Mike was right on the money as usual.

His game reports were rarely just "ground out to 2nd ended the inning". It was usually something like "a dribbler up the middle ended the inning 4-3 on a nice short hop pickup". Even though I only met him for those 20 minutes, it was easy to tell Mike was definitely not a routine 4-3. He was a web gem.
 

Sille Skrub

Dope
Dope
SoSH Member
Mar 3, 2004
5,930
Massachusetts
I’ve been roaming these hallowed internet halls for almost twenty years.

The two very best things about SoSH are the vast collection of knowledge and experience here and the wonderful sense of community that we all share.

MikeF epitomized both of those things. Godspeed, my friend.
 

BoSoxLady

Rules Red Sox Nation with an Iron Fist
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 24, 2003
3,448
Mike’s funeral will be on Monday, February 14 at 11:00am. That’s Kathy’s birthday.

There will be a video link available for people who are unable to attend. I will post the link when it’s available.

St. John Vianney in South Burlington, VT
Monday, February 14th at 11am followed by interment in Resurrection Park.

There will be a gathering later and I will also pass that along.

Kathy is overwhelmed by your kindness. I intend to give her a copy of the posts from FB and SoSH.
 

Snoop Soxy Dogg

Well-Known Member
Silver Supporter
May 30, 2014
407
Coming to pay my respects. Mike F is one of those posters who made the SOSH experience so unique to me. His spring reports were just a joy to read, as good a sign as blooming flowers that spring was in the air. I did not know him, but I know I will miss him.
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
SoSH Member
Nov 29, 2005
4,461
Worcester
Mike’s funeral will be on Monday, February 14 at 11:00am. That’s Kathy’s birthday.

There will be a video link available for people who are unable to attend. I will post the link when it’s available.

St. John Vianney in South Burlington, VT
Monday, February 14th at 11am followed by interment in Resurrection Park.

There will be a gathering later and I will also pass that along.

Kathy is overwhelmed by your kindness. I intend to give her a copy of the posts from FB and SoSH.
Who is starting the game thread for the funeral?

He will be missed. I never met him... nor do I think that I ever interacted with him... but, like others, I felt that I knew him based on his Reports from the Fort.
 

Scarlet Fire

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2005
189
Beekman, NY
As many have said, Mike's reports were an integral part of each Sox pre-season. His enthusiasm for the team was contagious and he made this board a better place. RIP Mike.
 

Eric1984

my real name is Ben
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2001
2,768
I didn't know Mike but like everyone else here, I always looked forward to his spring training reports. A sign of better times to come. And thank you to whoever posted the tapatalk link to some of the old reports. I checked out his dispatch from the Sox-Cincinnati game that happened to be the day my son was born, realizing I had probably read it once before while sitting in labor & delivery at Beth Israel.
 

teddywingman

Looks like Zach Galifianakis
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2009
11,173
a basement on the hill
Was MikeF the one who came up with the long acronym about what some cartoon animal’s mother would say when you couldn’t say something nice about someone?
If I remember correctly, the acronym was WWTDS, for "what would Thumper's dad say?"

Which was from the line, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

I think that's from the movie Bambi? I might be wrong on this whole thing and I heard it somewhere else. but there's definitely been a few times over the last ~20 years when I used the phrase, and I (believe) I never heard it before MikeF used it in the ST reports.
 
Last edited:

Saints Rest

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
If I remember correctly, the acronym was WWTDS, for "what would Thumper's dad say?"

Which was from the line, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

I think that's from the movie Bambi? I might be wrong on this whole thing and I heard it somewhere else. but there's definitely been a few times over the last ~20 years when I used the phrase, and I (believe) I never heard it before MikeF used it in the ST reports.
Thank you. That's exactly it. I was pretty sure it involved Bambi.
 

petefungtorres

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
730
Portland, ME
"A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married" - has been my sig line on my personal email for years. I learned much from MikeF, and gained so much from his posts. RIP
 

Clemente

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2003
1,455
New Hampshire
As soon as you met Mike, you had a sense of the man. No hidden facade, he knew who he was and welcomed sharing it with others. Easy and engaging conversations, filled with passion. He will be missed. Condolences to his family and to those on SoSH who loved him dearly. This is one of those tough losses.
 

S. H. Frog

Member
SoSH Member
May 13, 2011
6,673
Wow, sad news. I, too, loved MikeF's spring training posts back in the day, and offer my condolences to everyone who knew him in person and on SoSH.
 

Soxfan in Fla

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2001
7,187
It’s with profound sadness that I report our beloved MikeF passed away peacefully last night.

There are many noob that are unaware of Mike’s famous daily spring training reports from The Fort. Always witty and informative. Social media put him out of business but his reports were a must read.

Mike was one of the original members of this site and maintained longtime friendships with many members who are still in residence.

We met this internet stranger in 2002 during our annual vacation to spring training. It was love at first sight. He was much older but age was no barrier when discussing all things Red Sox.

In 2006 we extended our time in Florida, so we purchased a spring training season ticket for the seats next to Mike’s. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, on and off the field. I can’t tell you how many times people from SoSH showed up at the ball park looking to meet Mike.

He introduced me to so many wonderful people and broadened our social circle greatly. He was one of the funniest, smartest, most loving people I know.

RIP Mike. ♥
Oh dear. I haven’t logged in for nearly two years. I login and see this. I’m so sorry to hear about Mike. Met him a handful of times at ST in Florida when I lived there. Honestly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. RIP to a wonderful man.
 

NDBoston

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 22, 2003
867
I loved his spring training reports and met him once during spring training. Great guy.. RIP.
 

darnedsox

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 17, 2003
736
Seneca Castle NY
Mike, Damn.
Johnny Pesky was holding court near the clubhouse at CoP and I struck up conversation with Mike. He was hanging with CR67dream-loved the stories. Sosh came up, and I joined shortly after. Mike was spring for me every season.