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About Alex Speier

Before he joined WEEI.com, Alex covered the Boston Red Sox for several New England and national publications, including the New Hampshire Union Leader, Boston Metro, Boston Herald and Baseball America. Alex graduated from Harvard, where he served as the captain of the debate team, an experience that has been of surprisingly little use in pressboxes across the country.

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MOST RECENT COLUMNS
Checking in at the V-Mart: A look at Victor Martinez' value
02/05/10 03:43 EST
Victor Martinez is one of the best hitting catchers in major league history. Yet it remains to be seen whether the Red Sox — or anyone else — will pay him like one. That issue has assumed heightened importance in recent days. A report that emerged on Monday that Joe Mauer and the Twins were close to signing a 10-year deal now appears premature. Even so, while several subsequent reports have suggested that no deal is at hand, there still appears to be a consensus that a deal between the Minnesota native and his hometown team is likely. Mauer would be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. If the reigning American League MVP chooses not to make himself the subject of a massive bidding war between the Sox, Yankees and any number of other clubs, that has significant implications for the Red Sox and Martinez. With Mauer out of the mix, Martinez’ career suggests that he is the obvious standout in next winter’s free agent catching class that otherwise
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Glimpse of the future: The unlikely path of Ryne Miller
01/29/10 02:03 EST
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There were few surprises among the list of participants in the Red Sox’ Rookie Development Program. There was Casey Kelly, the first-rounder who is considered the top pitching prospect in the system. Jose Iglesias, the former member of the Cuban junior national team who signed with the Sox for $8.25 million, shared center stage. Junichi Tazawa and Che-Hsuan Lin, among the most prominent amateurs to come out of Japan and Taiwan, also participated. So, too, did Ryan Kalish and Josh Reddick, the outfielders who have been considered among the top prospects in the system for the past few years. The group was comprised primarily of the highest-profile players in the Sox’ minor league system. For most of the 12 participants, the notion that a big league future lies just a season or two away came as anything but unexpected. Yet for at least one program participant, inclusion in such a category seemed almost unfathomable. After all, just four years ago, it would have been
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Glimpse of the Future: Casey Kelly
01/21/10 12:11 EST
The Red Sox currently are conducting their annual Rookie Development Program. The program typically includes some of the top prospects in the organization who the club believes could make their big league debuts in a 12- to 18-month time frame. Over the course of two weeks, the Sox will work to prepare the group of prospects for a potential call-up, giving the group an opportunity to work with members of the major league coaching staff, to work on strength and conditioning as well as fundamentals, and a chance to become familiar with such details as the layout of the clubhouse at Fenway Park. Over the duration of the program, WEEI.com will profile some of the prospects taking part in the Rookie Development Program. Today: prospect Casey Kelly, the 2008 first-round draft pick who, after splitting 2009 between the mound and shortstop, decided in concert with the team in December to commit to pitching on a full-time basis. It should have been the stuff of immense frustration. In late
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The Money Mailbag: Trying to make sense of MLB's luxury tax
01/19/10 11:24 EST
"Money often costs too much." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life The offseason Red Sox storylines have been numerous and fascinating: the saga of Jason Bay, the sudden and decisive move to sign John Lackey, the winter-long uncertainty of Mike Lowell, the team's defense-first sequence of signings meant to overhaul run prevention. Cutting across all of those issues, however, has been a subject of almost surprising intrigue. With a payroll that will push against, and likely past, the luxury tax threshold of $170 million in 2010, the Sox have put on a winter-long clinic in creative accounting meant to minimize the team's tax hit. Agent Scott Boras, following the agreement between client Adrian Beltre and the Sox in January, noted that he'd learned new wrinkles in designing contracts that minimized the competitive balance tax (CBT) levied on teams by Major League Baseball thanks to his conversations with the Sox. He has not been alone in receiving such an education from
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Audio & Video on Demand

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    Rosevelt Colvin, Former Patriots LB

    Rosevelt, our Indianapolis correspondent, talked about playing with Drew Brees back in their days at Purdue, what he was thinking going into the Super Bowl and what actually surprised him in the game, which player is being singled out as the goat in Indianapolis, where this Colts team ranked with previous seasons, and what's the latest on his many business ventures

    Peter King, SI/NBC Sports

    Peter joined the guys to recap Super Bowl XLIV and discussed Sean Payton's decision to start the second half with an onside kick, the evolution of Payton as a coach over the years, what the loss does for the legacy of Peyton Manning, how Bill Polian was taking the Colts loss, what the win means for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, and the results for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

    Adalius Thomas

    Patriots linebacker Adaluis Thomas joins Mustard and Johnson to clarify he's still a Patriot and discusses his relationship with Belichick.

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    Jackie MacMullan

    Jackie talked about the struggles of the Celtics in the second half of games, that both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett would be better off skipping the All-Star Game, if Ray Allen will be a member of the Celtics at the end of the season, if signing Rasheed Wallace was a mistake, how Rondo has become the most important member of the team in many respects, and dropped a great rap to pay off her Super Bowl bet with Michael

    Eddie House, Celtics Guard

    Eddie talked about if he or Paul Pierce would be participating in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend this year, why his shot hasn't been the same as last year but he is working on the kinks every day, how the guards need to do a better job of rebounding, the team struggling to finish games strong, the leadership of Rajon Rondo, and told us to look up his impression of Ray Allen on YouTube

    Doc Rivers, Celtics Head Coach

    Doc joins D&C to talk about the C's struggles, Ray Allen on the trade block and the All Star Game

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    Mike Milbury, NHL TV Analyst

    Mike talked about how the Bruins need some help, that they may have overachieved last year but they are better than how they are playing right now, the trade of Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils and who got the best of the deal, what he would have done different in the past offseason, if he is seeing players tuning out Claude Julien, how the Bruins don't have a dynamic player, and why Milan Lucic looks like a different player this year

    Peter Chiarelli, Bruins GM

    Peter talked about the Bruins coming off a disappointing month of January, his thoughts on the Leafs making two big trades over the weekend, if anyone has approached him in making a move, how he is unwilling to trade their first round pick from Toronto, how the team doesn't seem confident right now, if Thomas is still the number 1 goalie, and that he has looked at trade possibilities over the last month but nothing has made sense yet

    Jeremy Jacobs and Charlie Jacobs, Bruins Owners

    The Jacobs talk to Dale and Kevin Paul Dupont about how significant it is for their team to be a part of the NHL's big day, as well as how important the fans are in making this event special. Jeremy and Charlie also discuss how outdoor games could be expanded in the future and what impact the Olympic Games may have on their franchise.

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    12-6 Laser Show with Dustin Pedroia

    Dustin joins Mut and Bradford for his weekly appearance on the Laser Show. Dustin talks to the guys about getting closer to re-joining his teammates at spring training, what he has done to make Marco Scutaro feel comfortable with the Red Sox, and where he would prefer to bat in the lineup.

    1-30 Laser Show With Dustin Pedroia

    Dustin makes his weekly appearance with Mut on the Laser Show. Dustin talks about getting ready to re-join his teammates in Spring Training and continuing his off-season conditioning program. Dustin also talks about returning to his hometown to speak to a group of students, and what his advice is for young ballplayers.

    Mike Timlin, Former Red Sox Pitcher

    Mike joined Michael and Lou to talk about his role as narrator of the new film "Touching the Game: Alaska", all the major league players who played in the Alaska Baseball League, what's new in his life after his playing career, going to a major league game as a fan, and if he has closed the door on any possible return to the game

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