Redsoxstiff

luckysox

Indiana Jones
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2009
8,075
S.E. Pennsylvania
I loved Stiffy's posts, most especially because of the ellipse usage. I will miss reading them. My heart is heavy for you, Cathy, and those who loved him. Rest easy, Stiffy.
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
39,429
Harrisburg, Pa.
Man, this is such terrible news. Like others, I met Bob at my first Bash and he helped make me feel comfortable and at home the moment he introduced himself.

We've lost a great one.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
So many people have written the things I would like to say and said it better than I could.

Cathy- my thoughts are with you.
 

amh03

Tippi Hedren
Lifetime Member
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Dec 27, 2003
6,637
Damn...so sorry to read this. Deepest condolences to you & your family, Cathy!!
 

Leather

given himself a skunk spot
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
28,451
RIP and condolences. Another Golden Era SoSH member moves into the cornfield.
 

pat3734

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
438
8 miles west of Fenway
I am so sorry to hear this news Cathy. You, Stiffy and Scrubby were the first SoSHers I met at a mini-bash in Somerville, of all places way back when.

Bob was a wonderful man. My deepest sympathy to you.

xox,
Pat
 

NickEsasky

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Silver Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 24, 2001
9,190
Very sad news. Sorry for your loss. His style took a bit to get used to, but the wit, humor, and most importantly the passion for the Red Sox were always there. I'll add a few ellipses to my communications today in his honor.
 

S. H. Frog

Member
SoSH Member
May 13, 2011
6,672
This is sad news. I am sorry for your loss. I've never met any of you, but read a lot of what you've written, and Redsoxstiff's posts communicated an integrity and self-knowledge that stands out from the crowd. Rest in peace to the man and best wishes to all who knew him.
 

The Gray Eagle

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
16,721
So sorry to hear about this. Stiffy was great fun to read, and a memorable presence here for a long time, as many people have already said. He'll really be missed. He already is.

RIP.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

holden
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Oct 2, 2003
12,723
MetroWest, MA
Cathy, so sorry to hear this, Stacey and I send our condolences. Bob was an absolute sweetheart of a guy, and perhaps the true titleholder of Most Interesting Man in the World. A man for all seasons.
 

Fratboy

Mr. MENsa
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Nov 29, 2003
18,151
McCarver Park
Ziggy and I send our condolences, Cathy. We loved seeing you at every opportunity, treasuring the hugs and the conversation, and his whipsmart one-liners could give Oscar Wilde a run for his money. RIP, and we love you <3.
 

Bosoxen

Bounced back
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Apr 29, 2005
10,186
So sorry for your loss, Cathy. Sending you all our best from Texas.

I'll never forget our conversations in Spanish or the way he greeted me like we were old friends every time I saw him after our initial meeting. The world is a much lesser place today.

Rest in peace, cabron.
 

Hendu At The Wall

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2005
108
Woodstock, NY
I've never met you, and I don't post much, but...

He has always been one of my favorite people here. His wit and point of view came through clearer than most. We'll miss him.
 

Ramon AC

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 19, 2002
3,234
What?
redoxstiff and redsoxbrain first appeared in this forum at about the same time, and were confused with each other for a while until it became evident that stiffy was sui generis and no one could possibly mistake his voice for any other. Days or weeks into his tenure I made the terrible mistake of gently correcting his grammar, which he let me know, less gently, was not going to change.

I never met stiffy but I am glad he outlived his greatest coinage, SiaS, by a number of years.

We remember our departed friends.
 

Nuf Ced

stupidity monitor
SoSH Member
Jul 27, 2001
9,716
Cape Ann
Grateful that he shared his love of baseball, blues music, and epicurean pleasures.
Honest when he called Cathy his better half.
Only predictable when someone mentioned the name Yogi Berra in the way it set off a torrent of epithets in Stiffy-ese.
He will be missed.
 

saintnick912

GINO!
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 30, 2004
4,967
Somerville, MA
My condolences to you and yours Cathy. It was always great to see Bob and he will be missed. So many good memories in this thread.
 

jose melendez

Earl of Acie
Lifetime Member
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Oct 23, 2003
30,970
Geneva, Switzerland
redoxstiff and redsoxbrain first appeared in this forum at about the same time, and were confused with each other for a while until it became evident that stiffy was sui generis and no one could possibly mistake his voice for any other. Days or weeks into his tenure I made the terrible mistake of gently correcting his grammar, which he let me know, less gently, was not going to change.

I never met stiffy but I am glad he outlived his greatest coinage, SiaS, by a number of years.

We remember our departed friends.
Sias was his creation?
 

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
SoSH Member
Apr 3, 2001
44,851
Mtigawi
I have an Ezboard dump of early SoSH posts. Looking for volunteers to help me restore it so that we can pull a ‘beat of stiffy’ encyclopedia for his two boys. DM me for coordination!
 

splendid splinter

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
1,076
Greenville, SC
I have an Ezboard dump of early SoSH posts. Looking for volunteers to help me restore it so that we can pull a ‘beat of stiffy’ encyclopedia for his two boys. DM me for coordination!
Edit: Removed. Not the best place for an Archer joke.

I always enjoyed stiffy’s posts as well. It’s a shame to see the site lose two of the old guard in such short order.
 
Last edited:

notmannysfault

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
500
RIP Stiffy and condolences to Cathy and family. I remember the original controversy and confusion, when we gained redsoxstiff and redsoxbrain.

Stiffy stood the test of time, and was one of the only posters who defied conventional wisdom...posting in his own inimitable style and insisting that SoSH change with him... and not the other way around. And it was a tribute to Bob that that's exactly what happened.

I don't make it to too many bashes any more, but I used to, and he's a guy you had to meet online and in person and then it all made sense.

RIP Bob, we're down a good man around here.
 

doldmoose34

impregnated Melissa Theuriau
SoSH Member
Jamie said it best on Facebook, Stiffy was a Man among Men, one of the best men I’ve ever had the privilege to call my friend.

Wow Stiffy and Goose in a week, that’s a heck of a chat room they have up there
 

jayhoz

Ronald Bartel
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
17,363
i sat by myself in my living room tonight and had a few drinks in the memory of the Stiffster
You can take solace in knowing that wherever he is, he's sending a heartfelt "Fuck You Nip" your way.

RIP Stiffy. You are one of a kind.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Dec 24, 2002
48,205
Sorry for your loss SB. RIP Stiffy - one of the OGs from the early aughts when Sprtsguy33 steered a few of us here.

Wow Stiffy and Goose in a week, that’s a heck of a chat room they have up there
This. Though I wonder what sort of language filters apply to those guys.
 

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
SoSH Member
Apr 3, 2001
44,851
Mtigawi
You can take solace in knowing that wherever he is, he's sending a heartfelt "Fuck You Nip" your way.

RIP Stiffy. You are one of a kind.
The (Only) good part of this is that on the rare time that I go to church I plan on throwing the double bird upwards on the way out of mass. He’d have it no other way.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

holden
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 2, 2003
12,723
MetroWest, MA
There was a random weeknight Portland (ME) bash at Rivalries in 2004 (I'm guessing, I think @Smiling Joe Hesketh and @Pearl Wilson were there, among others), back when we used to get to get together for no reason at all. Stiffy drove up from Sharon, MA or wherever he was living at the time and met us there for dinner. He was a Portland kid, grew up a Braves fan in Woodford's Corner, I believe.

We watched the Sox, he conversed with a Quebecois waitress in fluent French, ordered a second dinner around 9:30 - 10:00, then drove home, some 2 hours away. And I thought to myself, I want to be that guy when I grow up.

God bless you, Bob.
 

Bernard Gilkey baby

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Feb 26, 2002
566
When redsoxstiff first started posting in 2004 (2003), he often talked about how he wanted to see a Red Sox Championship before he passed away. He told us he was genuinely worried about this. He wanted to Red Sox to push all their chips in because he didn't have much time left. This poster had chosen a perfect user name. Redsoxstiff was a real person, but he also consistently played a memorable character, which is the platonic ideal of what a message board poster should be.

The ellipses were essential. Because it meant he was trailing off...the world was going dark...he could fade out at any moment... The errant and erratic thoughts of a man chained to his sick bed. His posts didn't make sense while also making complete sense, you know? I loved him for confusing the more literal-minded posters. And this went on for about 15 years. Occasionally I'd check the board just to see if redsoxstiff was still doing his thing, hoping the joke would never catch up him...but of course it did... He was a godamn genius...
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,719
Deep inside Muppet Labs
There was a random weeknight Portland (ME) bash at Rivalries in 2004 (I'm guessing, I think @Smiling Joe Hesketh and @Pearl Wilson were there, among others), back when we used to get to get together for no reason at all. Stiffy drove up from Sharon, MA or wherever he was living at the time and met us there for dinner. He was a Portland kid, grew up a Braves fan in Woodford's Corner, I believe.

We watched the Sox, he conversed with a Quebecois waitress in fluent French, ordered a second dinner around 9:30 - 10:00, then drove home, some 2 hours away. And I thought to myself, I want to be that guy when I grow up.

God bless you, Bob.
Oh God that's right, the second dinner. Once he did that I knew he was a real live character. It's all come back to me now. What a fantastic guy he was.

He and Cathy would come up for the Sea Dogs bashes as well, and even though he had a difficult time walking up the hill near Hadlock to get to the car or Pizza Villa, he trooped along and got himself there, talking all the way in his inimitable way. He was so kind to my ever-patient wife at these events too.
 

Frisbetarian

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 3, 2003
5,261
Off the beaten track
It's been a while since I've been on SoSH, but I have many wonderful memories of this place. I can honestly say being a member here changed my life for the better, both professionally, with a number of opportunities, but more importantly personally, as I was able to meet many fantastic people who became lifelong friends. I was so fortunate Stiffy/Bob was one of those friends.

I first noticed him because of his writings here. Bob was creative, intelligent, and passionate. His style was...different; he was a true original, and I loved reading whatever he had to say. In real life, he always greeted me in Spanish, was irreverent, funny, and one of the most loyal people you could ever imagine. I loved him.

Bob was a special person, and all who knew him were better for it. The world is a lesser place today without him in it.

Mi mas sentido pésame, Cathy.
 

kartvelo

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Aug 12, 2003
10,461
At home
Crap. Such a loss. I was reminiscing in my mind just a few days ago (as the season ended for the Sox) about folks who used to post here all the time, years back, that had gone quiet for various reasons and were missed. Stiffy was the first to come to mind.
Condolences to those who knew and loved him personally.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
Shit, I just saw this. Many people have said better than I can, but stiffy was truly the best. Had many conversations with him at random meet ups over the years, he was always engaging and excited to talk about the Bruins (and the Sox of course). I'll have a Guinness during the next Bruins game for him. RIP Bob.

Cathy - what shined through even more than Bob's love for the Sox/Bruins was his love for you. If there is anything at all we can do, please don't hesitate to let us know.
 

bankshot1

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 12, 2003
24,651
where I was last at
I saw this thread just now, and feared for what I would read.
I remember Stiffy as one of the unique voices that helped shape this community.

My condolences to you and your family.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,719
Deep inside Muppet Labs
Ah heck, I just remembered something Bob told me: when he was a teacher, he used to give exams and then roam the room singing the Pink Floyd lyric "We don't need no education." Cracked me up at the time hearing that and it just popped into my head now.

What a character.
 

Tudor Fever

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Dec 16, 2004
3,651
Maine
Ah heck, I just remembered something Bob told me: when he was a teacher, he used to give exams and then roam the room singing the Pink Floyd lyric "We don't need no education." Cracked me up at the time hearing that and it just popped into my head now.

What a character.
Obviously, he was 100% fine with dark sarcasm in the classroom.

RIP Stiffy.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
41,946
Cathy, so sorry to hear about your loss, but also inspired by the love the two of you shared. All my love and prayers to you and your family.

I haven't been to many of the bashes in recent memory, but I got to hang out and befriend Stiffy during the early years, and unforgettable is the only way I can describe him. Truly one of a kind, with a heart bigger than his body. SoSH, and everywhere else, is a lesser place today than it was before. Godspeed Stiffy...Save some of the good stuff for when we join you again.
 

Hildy

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Jul 15, 2005
3,326
Frog Hall
Chatting with Cathy and Bob was always a Bash highlight, and I am deeply sorry to read this news. He was just himself, a nonpigeonhole-able person. There are all too few folks like that around. Sending love.
 

CPT Neuron

Got Pitching?
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2001
3,515
Biddeford, ME
I'm pretty sure I was at that night, too @SJH and @TAMR - pretty sure he was at the first Rivalries meeting I had with the Portland/ME contingent of SoSH degenerates as well. Yea, the world has lost a one of a kind....
 

Curt S Loew

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Apr 12, 2001
6,510
Shantytown
So sorry to hear this. Incredible memories of "back in the day". Those were such good times. Stiffy was just awesome. That is the one word that comes to mind when I think of him. Thinking of you and the family, Cathy.