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About Alex Speier

Before he joined WEEI.com, Alex covered the 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 press boxes across the country.

 
COLUMNS
Alex Speier
01/26/2012 - 12:56pm
The budget isn't the problem: Another look at the Red Sox payroll
For all of the handwringing about the Red Sox’ approach to the luxury tax, the reality is that the team is already projected to push past the $178 million threshold for the 2012 season for the seventh time in nine seasons.
Alex Speier
01/24/2012 - 7:21am
What the addition of Cody Ross means for the Red Sox
Alex Speier
01/23/2012 - 10:00am
Making sense of the Marco Scutaro trade
The trade of Marco Scutaro was treated throughout baseball as a confounding maneuver. The idea that the Red Sox were shipping the player who had been penciled in as their Opening Day starter seemed to make almost no sense.
Alex Speier
01/19/2012 - 9:00am
The blueprint: How teams have built championship rotations
On paper, the Red Sox feature three locks in their rotation and what seems like about a dozen question marks whom the team hopes to re-shape into a couple of answers.
Alex Speier
01/04/2012 - 9:00am
History repeating? For Andrew Bailey, Red Sox hope that past is prelude
For three years, Andrew Bailey has been one of the most dominant relievers in the majors. So why were the Red Sox able to acquire him without giving up any of their most prized prospects?
Alex Speier
12/30/2011 - 9:31am
Still the strength: Taking stock of Red Sox 2012 lineup
Ryan Kalish was never part of the equation for opening day in 2012.
Alex Speier
12/22/2011 - 9:56am
Where the Red Sox stand in the starting pitching market
Alex Speier
12/21/2011 - 2:36am
Converting? It's Complicated: Why Red Sox face complex move with Bard, Aceves
C.J. Wilson and Jonathan Papelbon were born within a week of each other in November 1980. Both broke into the majors in the middle of the 2005 season, a year in which, after dabbling in the rotation, they moved into the bullpen.
Alex Speier
12/19/2011 - 6:45pm
Timing is everything: Why the Mark Melancon deal was a good one for the Red Sox
The first trade of the tenure of new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington came and went last week with relatively little fanfare. The Sox added a late-innings reliever (precise role TBD) in Mark Melancon, a pitcher whose profile as a closer remained obscure despite a very good season given that his first taste of the role occurred last year for an Astros team that won just 56 games.
Alex Speier
12/15/2011 - 12:27pm
Building blocks: What the Red Sox have done, and still have to do, this offseason
And so, the first moves by Red Sox GM Ben Cherington are on the books. But he is not done.
Alex Speier
12/09/2011 - 10:30am
A $154 million bargain? Revisiting Adrian Gonzalez deal in light of Albert Pujols' contract
DALLAS -- Is Albert Pujols better than Adrian Gonzalez? Maybe, maybe not.
Alex Speier
12/08/2011 - 4:50am
The Waiting Game: For Red Sox, no rush to make moves
DALLAS – Eager to find out what the Red Sox will do this winter? Too bad.
Alex Speier
12/07/2011 - 5:00am
Dare: Red Sox challenge David Ortiz to bet on his own future
Alex Speier
12/05/2011 - 8:59am
No big splash in Big D? Why the Red Sox might not have money to burn at winter meetings
DALLAS -- For the last several years, the Red Sox consistently have spent more aggressively than any team in the majors save for the Yankees.
Alex Speier
12/02/2011 - 9:56am
The unveiling: Reality displaces perception as Bobby Valentine is introduced
Now, the process that led to the hiring of Bobby Valentine is unimportant. The perception and preconceived notions of the new manager of the Red Sox likewise fade into irrelevance, as do any assumptions he might have had about his team.
Alex Speier
12/01/2011 - 10:45am
V is for Victory (Now): How Bobby Valentine became the Red Sox' manager
Make no mistake: The Red Sox’ managerial search ended in a very different place than where it began.
Alex Speier
11/28/2011 - 5:00am
Are you experienced (and does it matter)? Age, experience and the Red Sox managerial search
There are times when five weeks can seem like a very long time.
Alex Speier
11/24/2011 - 12:41pm
The value of letting them walk: How the Red Sox have done by letting free agents leave
At first glance, it seemed uncertain whether the Red Sox would offer salary arbitration to free agents David Ortiz and Dan Wheeler on Wednesday.
Alex Speier
11/22/2011 - 9:53am
The Meaning of Bobby V.: What Valentine's interview says about Sox' managerial search
The atmosphere was simply … different.
Alex Speier
11/15/2011 - 7:22am
With Papelbon gone, how will Red Sox approach replacing him?
MILWAUKEE – What do you do when you watch your longtime All-Star closer become the first high-profile free agent to switch teams? If you are the Red Sox, then in all likelihood, you dig in and begin what could be a protracted waiting game for his replacement.
Alex Speier
11/10/2011 - 9:05am
What we've learned and what remains in the Red Sox managerial search
Three candidates down, two on the horizon and none planned beyond that.
Alex Speier
11/09/2011 - 9:21am
Money in the ninth: Ryan Madson deal raises bar for Jonathan Papelbon, closer market
Well, that didn’t take long. The starter’s pistol for free agent closers went off on Tuesday, and teams in the market for free agent closers were floored when it did so. The Phillies and closer Ryan Madson were reportedly nearing a four-year, $44 million deal that also included a $13 million vesting option for a fifth year.
Alex Speier
11/08/2011 - 8:55am
Dan Duquette's Red Sox draft record reconsidered
As Dan Duquette gets ready to re-enter Major League Baseball after a hiatus of nearly 10 years, it is worth reconsidering one contentious area of the new Orioles general manager’s track record in Boston.
Alex Speier
11/03/2011 - 2:00am
History suggests Dale Sveum can clean up a mess
There is little question that the next manager of the Red Sox will face a challenging yet potentially highly rewarding task.
Alex Speier
11/02/2011 - 7:37am
Golden Boy: The defensive transformation of Jacoby Ellsbury
On Tuesday night, the baseball world recognized Jacoby Ellsbury as one of the defensively elite players in the game.


Audio On Demand

It Is What It Is Cast: Ex…

It Is What It Is Cast: Examining the New England Patriots offseason

In the latest edition of the "It Is What It Is" podcast, Chris Price and CSNNE's Mike Giardi take a look at the Patriots offseason on both sides of the ball, try and get a handle on which new guys will make an impact first, and whether or not the Patriots have altered their style when it comes to drafting and developing wide receivers.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Tebow's release

Mike Florio joined the program to discuss the Jets decision to release Tim Tebow, he said the situation is as disaster all around for the Jets and that the problems begins with owner Woody Johnson. Mike also said that he was disappointed with the Pats moving back in the first round.

Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com, Sits Down with Butch Stearns to Help Break Down the Pats Draft

One of the hardest working men in the biz, Mike Petraglia aka "Trags", sits down with Butch Stearns live in Foxborough to help break down all the latest Pats moves. He discusses his reaction to the trade in Round 1 and the guys those picks produced. Also, the boys talk about the decent trade the Pats made in acquiring LeGarrette Blount from Tampa Bay for Jeff Demps and a 7th rounder.

Celtics President Danny A…

Celtics President Danny Ainge with Salk and Holley

We check in with Danny Ainge for our first talk to him since the Celtics season ended last weekend. We talk about the future of the team, KG, Pierce, Doc Rivers and more, as Danny directly answers the rumors being floated by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

Jackie MacMullan, ESPNBoston.com: "Gut" tells me Doc will stay

Jackie Mac joins the show to discuss the trade rumors swirling around Paul Pierce, KG, Doc Rivers and the Celtics. She also discusses the future of the Celtics head coach.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on his rumored Celtics Clippers trade

Stephen A. joined the program to discuss the trade rumors he has reported regarding a possible trade including Doc Rivers and the Clippers. Stephen A. also told the guys that he has heard that Danny and Doc may be tiring of working together.

Red Sox Manager John Farr…

Red Sox Manager John Farrell with Salk and Holley

We check in with Red Sox Manager John Farrell live from Chicago and get his take on a good week for the Sox, a tough series since then in Chicago, and other team related notes.

Buster Olney, ESPN, on Ellsbury's future with Sox

Buster Olney joins Mut and Merloni to talk about the struggling Ellsbury and what that is doing to his contract value when he becomes a free agent.

Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona catches up with D&C

Terry Francona joins the Dennis and Callahan Show to discuss his first-place Indians team as well as his time in Boston. The former Boston manager also touches on his recent book co-authored by Dan Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy's recent dust-up with David Ortiz.

Pierre McGuire, NBC Sport…

Pierre McGuire, NBC Sports: B's have instilled "fear" "concern" and "doubt" into Rangers

McGuire joins Mut and Merloni to discuss the Bruins game 3 win, the Rangers awful power play, and the Shawn Thornton Derek Dorsett altercation.

Shawn Thornton on his big game three

Shawn joined the program to discuss his big night at MSG. He told the guys that it is not Marchand's job to fight and that he needs to be on the ice and out of the penalty box.

NESN's Barry Pederson on the Bruins dominance

Cleveland Indians hottest team in baseball, yet remain last in attendance May 19, 2013 By AJ Kaufman 6 Comments There’s a scene in Major League where Bob Uecker, portraying the radio voice of the Indians, bemoans, “In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven’t, the Indians have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.” Well, that was nearly 25 years ago and fictional, but today’s reality is that Cleveland has won 17 of its last 21, and currently tops the AL Central with a mark of 25-17. No one in the majors is better than the Indians in the past month (20-7). That’s great news. The bad news, however, is the Tribe somehow remain in the MLB cellar when it comes to attendance. How can this be? The fact that I wrote on this same topic almost to the day last year – when only Tampa Bay drew fewer fans than Cleveland - may be even more troubling. Though roughly 34,000 watched a walk-off win Friday night against Seattle, perfect weather and free caps weren’t enough to draw more than 36,000 Saturday and Sunday combined. What did the Indians do in those tilts? They nabbed another walk-off win on Saturday, then the Indians crushed the great Felix Hernandez Sunday behind Justin Masterson, arguably the AL’s best pitcher right now. Fun fact: The Indians have already faced eight Cy Young Award winners in 2013: Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Jake Peavy, David Price, Justin Verlander and Hernandez. They have won seven out those eight matchups. Simply astounding. This offseason, the much-maligned Indians front office finally made a legitimate attempt to improve the team through free agency. I’m not talking an Ubaldo Jimenez-like trade, but rather smart acquisitions that brought veterans Mike Aviles, Michael Bourn, Jason Giambi, Scott Kazmir, Brett Myers, Mark Reynolds, Drew Stubbs and Nick Swisher to Cleveland. In addition to being a fantastic place to watch a game due to great egress and ingress, with extremely affordable tickets, the best promo lineup anywhere, Jacobs Field boasts overall, cooler, less muggy summer weather than most Midwestern locales. The team also lowered beer and hot dog prices to $4 and $3 respectively. What other professional stadium in any sport offers that? I have visited 28 of the 30 current Major League Baseball stadia, and few top The Jake when all angles are considered. I say that as a baseball fan, not an Indians fan. As for the putative “economic” angle, these are the same people who spend insane amounts of money to watch terrible football every fall and show up in decent numbers for putrid basketball in the winter. Irrespective of season length, those sports charge up to 10 times the price for a ticket, and the atmosphere isn’t half as fan-friendly as baseball. I understand fans’ lack of willingness to get on board to some degree. A decent recap of Cleveland’s decade of “rebuilding” can be read here and the team suffered a horrific collapse last August. However, in addition to all the benefits of attending games at Jacobs (now Progressive) Field, fans should also realize the team has potential and often exceeds preseason aspirations at any point without warning. Cleveland hosts the rival Detroit Tigers — heavy favorites to repeat as AL Central champs — Tuesday and Wednesday nights before hitting the road. The temperature should be pleasant at first pitch each evening so you’d expect The Jake to be full to watch the best hitter on the planet right now — but don’t count on it.

Former Red Sox manager Te…

Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona catches up with D&C

Terry Francona joins the Dennis and Callahan Show to discuss his first-place Indians team as well as his time in Boston. The former Boston manager also touches on his recent book co-authored by Dan Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy's recent dust-up with David Ortiz.

Shawn Thornton on his big game three

Shawn joined the program to discuss his big night at MSG. He told the guys that it is not Marchand's job to fight and that he needs to be on the ice and out of the penalty box.

The boys respond to Salk's attack

Our afternoon host Mike Salk was offended at Gerry and Kirk's conversation on his favorite band Rush, the guys responded.

Pierre McGuire, NBC Sport…

Pierre McGuire, NBC Sports: B's have instilled "fear" "concern" and "doubt" into Rangers

McGuire joins Mut and Merloni to discuss the Bruins game 3 win, the Rangers awful power play, and the Shawn Thornton Derek Dorsett altercation.

Buster Olney, ESPN, on Ellsbury's future with Sox

Buster Olney joins Mut and Merloni to talk about the struggling Ellsbury and what that is doing to his contract value when he becomes a free agent.

Shawn Thornton sticks up for Marchand as Derek Dorsett backs down

Mut and Merloni discuss the Derek Dorsett, Brad Marchand, and Shawn Thornton altercation and how great it was.

An hour with Jack Edwards…

An hour with Jack Edwards: Bruins win all four line match-ups with Rangers

With the Bruins up 3-0 in the series, we talk to Jack Edwards and take your calls. We touch on all things B's-Rangers and also focus on the future of the Bruins three promising young defensemen.

Salk and Holley's Four at Four - 05/22/13

We touch on four topics we haven't talked about today... topics today include: Brian Urlacher retires, NFL schedule expansion, Sergio Garcia and more...

Golfer Sergio Garcia goes 'Fuzzy Zoeller' and gets racial against Tiger Woods

We discuss Spain's Sergio Garcia and his ignorant, racist comments against Tiger Woods.

Daily Planet Tuesday May …

Daily Planet Tuesday May 21st

The Bruins look to take a 3-0 series lead, Jon Lester gets his first loss, Dwight Howard has options in free agency.

Daily Planet Monday May 20th

Today on the Daily Planet the Bruins have a 2-0 lead over the New york Rangers, the Red Sox are back on the winning sde of things, and the noteable birthdays of the day.

Daily Planet Thursday May 9th

The Bruins have almost finished raking the Leafs, the Red Sox struggle from the mound, Miami Heat fans show their level of class.

Salk and Holley's Miked U…

Salk and Holley's Miked Up and Answer the Question - 05/22/13

The Jerks are joined by another, Jerk Minihane.

Salk and Holley's Miked Up and Answer the Question - 05/21/13

They're like a ray of morning sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day.

Salk and Holley's Miked Up and Answer the Question 05/21/13

....uhhhh.....a bunch of bombs over there....

Linda calls in to describ…

Linda calls in to describe the scene on Dexter St in Watertown

Linda explains how the shootout transpired in Watertown during the early morning hours. She saw the first suspect mortally wounded and police beginning the manhunt for the second suspect.

More from this show

Boston bombing hero Jeff …

Boston bombing hero Jeff Bauman: "He's dead and I'm still here"

Jeff Bauman, a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing, joined the show to give the guys an update of his condition and a first-hand account of that terrible day. Jeff told the guys how he wrote the description of the bomber as soon as he could. Mr. Bauman added that he is aided every day with the knowledge that he is alive and the terrorist that detonated the bomb is dead.

More from this show

Shawn Thornton on the Bru…

Shawn Thornton on the Bruins game 2 win

Shawn joined the show to discuss the teams great performance in game two against the Rangers. Shawn said that he wouldn't mind playing for John Tortorella because he seems like a funny guy.

More from this show

Elliotte Friedman of CBC …

Elliotte Friedman of CBC on the Bruins dominance of the Rangers

Elliotte Friedman joined the show to discuss the Bruins domination of the series thus far. He said that while nothing is certain he cannot see a way in which the Rangers come back and win the series.

More from this show

Minor Details Ep. 49: Man…

Minor Details Ep. 49: Managerial development with Torey Lovullo and Arnie Beyeler

By and large, the focus of development in the minor leagues is on players. Still, there is a developmental path for coaches and managers in the farm system, as is evident from the fact that the previous two managers of the Red Sox' Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket -- Torey Lovullo (2010) and Arnie Beyeler (2011-12) are now both on the Red Sox' big league coaching staff. They share their insights about the differences between player and coaching expectations in Triple-A vs. the majors, while discussing professional development from the perspective of former minor league managers who aspire to similar positions in the big leagues.

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