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About Christopher Price

Christopher Price has covered the Boston sports scene for more then a dozen years, working for ESPN.com, SI.com and Baseball America as well as The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and Boston Metro. In that time, he’s established himself as an award-winning sportswriter who has been honored by Northeastern University, the New England Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. In addition, he’s the author of the just published, “New England Patriots: The Complete Illustrated History” and two other books “Baseball by the Beach” and "The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower.”

 
COLUMNS
Christopher Price
08/14/2009 - 2:01am
Ten Thing We Learned Last Night: Back To Business
Tom Brady’s numbers don’t really tell the story. They were good -- 10-for-15 for 100 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. But that's not why we’re here, right? It’s all about the left knee. And by those standards, it’s all good, especially after 11 months away from the football field. “I think there’s no place I’d rather be,” Brady said after the game. “That about sums it up.”
Christopher Price
08/12/2009 - 8:06pm
Five Things To Watch For Thursday Night
In preseason football, wins and losses are incidental. Never was this more deftly illustrated than last season, when the Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason -- and 0-16 in the regular season. The lesson? In the preseason, there are far more important things to watch than the scoreboard. To that end, here are five things we’ll be keeping an eye on Thursday night in Philadelphia when the Patriots take the field for the first time in the 2009 preseason.
Christopher Price
08/11/2009 - 7:49pm
Brady Expects To Play Thursday Against Eagles
FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pronounced himself ready to go for Thursday’s preseason contest against the Eagles in Philadelphia, saying he’s “expecting” to see the field for the first time in more than 11 months.
Christopher Price
08/10/2009 - 7:18pm
Pats' Tight End Spot Might Not Be All About The Benjamins Anymore
FOXBOROUGH -- Someone’s hearing footsteps. Veteran tight end Benjamin Watson was back on the practice field Monday morning, his first appearance in training camp since the fourth practice session, back on July 31st. In between his last appearance and Monday, Watson missed 15 practices, a whopping total for anyone not on the physically unable to perform list.
Christopher Price
08/09/2009 - 11:43pm
Burgess, Walter Happy To Escape Oakland
FOXBOROUGH -- They have been liberated. Linebacker Derrick Burgess and quarterback Andrew Walter are the two latest ex-Raiders to escape football’s version of Shawshank State Prison. Think we’re overstating the situation? Walter showed up last week, a pickup off the wires. Burgess was picked in a trade last Thursday. The first thing Walter told Burgess when the linebacker showed up at Gillette Stadium? “Congratulations,” said Walter, who was a teammate of Burgess in Oakland from 2005 through 2008.
Christopher Price
08/06/2009 - 10:59pm
Breaking Down The Burgess Deal
FOXBOROUGH -- The Derrick Burgess the Patriots acquired Thursday afternoon isn’t the same player who terrorized opposing quarterbacks in 2005 with a league-high 16 sacks. But according to some who’ve spent time watching him the last few seasons, if his talents are used properly, he can still be a pass-rushing force for New England this season.
Christopher Price
08/06/2009 - 4:43pm
Experience With Browns Gives Bodden A Boost
FOXBOROUGH -- Even for a veteran, trying to pick up the nuances of the Patriots’ defense can be a daunting task. But in his first training camp in New England, Leigh Bodden has an ace in the hole.
Christopher Price
08/04/2009 - 10:34pm
Addition Of Walter Could Alter Pats' Backup Plan
FOXBOROUGH -- Sure, Kevin O’Connell and Brian Hoyer are football players. But they’re also human beings. So when they heard the news Monday that fellow quarterback Matt Gutierrez had been released to make way for Andrew Walter, they were initially bummed. The Patriots’ quarterbacking fraternity is a small one, and any time there’s a change, there’s a sizable effect on the rest of the signal-callers. Then, they moved on.
Christopher Price
08/03/2009 - 8:16pm
Edelman Aims To Be Pats' Flexible Flyer
FOXBOROUGH -- Julian Edelman has only been a member of the Patriots for three-plus months, but he sounds like he’s well aware as to how they do things at Gillette Stadium. Through the spring practices and the first week or so of training camp, the 6-foot, 195-pound Edelman has worked as a receiver and punt and kick returner. A seventh-round pick who played quarterback at Kent State, he knows he can’t afford to focus on doing just one job -- positional flexibility is going to be what lands him on the final 53-man roster.
Christopher Price
08/02/2009 - 10:53pm
Will 2009 Mark The End Of The Line?
FOXBOROUGH -- The band could be breaking up. Patriots’ defensive linemen Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green are all entering into the final year of their contracts -- among the veteran contributors, only Ty Warren is signed beyond the 2009 season (his deal runs through 2013). That means that a large part of the group that has dominated the trenches in the AFC for the better part of the decade could be playing elsewhere next season.
Christopher Price
08/02/2009 - 2:35pm
Maroney hopes to quiet critics with injury-free season
FOXBOROUGH -- Laurence Maroney hears everything. The running back, sent to enter his fourth season with the Patriots, is well aware of just how he’s perceived by his critics: an injury-ridden bust of a first-round pick; dances too much before he hits the line; not durable enough to stay healthy for a full season. No matter -- he’s just going to keep on doing what he’s been doing.
Christopher Price
07/31/2009 - 8:25pm
Vick Rumors Dominate The Day In Foxborough
FOXBOROUGH -- Despite wild speculation Friday, the only backup quarterback on the New England roster who wore No. 7 all day was Matt Gutierrez. Rumors -- fueled in part by a series of vague answers from coach Bill Belichick on the topic -- swirled around Gillette Stadium all day Friday that Michael Vick was not only in New England, but working out with the Patriots in what was surely just a prelude to his signing a deal.
Christopher Price
07/30/2009 - 9:09pm
Brady In Spotlight As Pats' Camp Opens
FOXBOROUGH -- So Kevin Faulk: Does it look like Tom Brady has changed after taking a year off to rehab his knee and get married? “Same old Tom,” Faulk said. The running back then paused for a moment. “I got married a few years ago and nobody talked about that,” he added with a smile.
Christopher Price
07/29/2009 - 10:59pm
Going Camping? Here's What To Look For
When training camp opens to the fans and media Thursday morning in Foxborough, they’ll be plenty of stuff to keep an eye on. Here are five body parts I think will demand some extra attention.
Christopher Price
07/21/2009 - 11:59pm
The Hot List: The Battle Is Joined
The Patriots are a team full of veterans, most of whom are well-entrenched. But come training camp next week, there are a few spots that remain up in the air. Here’s a look at five position battles we’ll be watching when camp opens next Thursday in Foxborough.
Christopher Price
07/20/2009 - 11:20pm
Pats Closing In On Deals With Chung, Ingram
With less than a week before rookies are scheduled to report for training camp, the Patriots have nine of their 12 draft picks in the fold. But even though all dozen aren’t yet present and accounted for, according to league sources, there is real optimism that they’ll all be ready to go when needed.
Christopher Price
07/16/2009 - 10:55pm
Picks Keep Piling Up For Pats: Three More Sign, Two Are Close
The Patriots continue to sign draft picks at a rapid rate, as it was learned Thursday three more members of the 2009 draft class have agreed to contracts and two others are likely just days from signing deals of their own.
Christopher Price
07/15/2009 - 11:11pm
Patriots add two more draft picks
With rookies scheduled to report for training camp in less than two weeks, the Patriots are inching closer to getting all their first-year players in the fold. On Wednesday, it was learned that two more picks -- second-rounder Sebastian Vollmer and seventh-round selection Darryl Richard -- have agreed to contracts with New England. According to sources, Vollmer has agreed preliminarily to a deal, while Richard signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that one league source called “a pretty standard four-year deal.”
Christopher Price
07/12/2009 - 6:39pm
Simply The Best: Our List Of The 10 Greatest Moments In Pats' History
Over the last few months, Patriots.com has started compiling a series of “Top 10 All-Time” lists, a series that has included the Top 10 personnel moves, draft classes, rookies and opponents in the history of the franchise.
Christopher Price
07/05/2009 - 1:28am
McNair's Legacy One Of Grit And Toughness
In the long history of the National Football League, few men were tougher than Steve McNair. The quarterback -- a three-time Pro Bowler who played for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens -- was grittier than a nickel steak. He was so bad-ass he could make Bear Grylls cry uncle. Google “Steve McNair” and “tough” and your computer starts to smoke.
Christopher Price
06/30/2009 - 10:59am
Pats' Rookies Among Those Getting Schooled At Symposium
You don’t flip the car keys to a kid as soon as he turns 16. He’s got to go through driver’s ed.
Christopher Price
06/28/2009 - 5:13pm
Negotiating For Dummies: What Pats' Rookies Should Expect At The Bargaining Table
As of Sunday, the Patriots have signed one of their 12 draft picks -- fourth-rounder Rich Ohrnberger officially agreed to a four-year, $2.2 million contract with New England on June 16. But each of the other 11 has hit the traditional “dead period” of the NFL calendar without a deal.
Christopher Price
06/22/2009 - 10:26pm
Theismann knows Brady's pain
LEDYARD, Conn. -- When Joe Theismann got a chance to see Bernard Pollard’s takedown of Tom Brady in the 2008 season-opener, he instantly knew what had happened to the Patriots’ quarterback. “I look at that hit constantly,” Theismann said of the blow to Brady’s left knee that sidelined him for the rest of the season. “He double-clutches going forward and basically steps into a right hook -- unfortunately for him, it was a left knee.”
Christopher Price
06/18/2009 - 10:52pm
More Pats Under The Post-Minicamp Microscope
Sparked by the reaction to this story from Sunday -- as well as the urging of some e-mailers and other posters over at the patsfans.com messageboard -- we’ve decided to expand our post-minicamp/OTA look at the team to include more of the current Patriots roster.
Christopher Price
06/16/2009 - 9:06pm
As Dead Zone Looms, Pats Join Rest Of NFL In Taking A Break
It’s the deadest period on the NFL calendar. In the NFL, the run between the end of minicamp -- usually sometime the middle of June -- and the opening of training camp in late July is given over to the occasional low-level transaction or draft-pick signing. It’s a laid-back stretch, one that’s the complete opposite of the white-knuckle, 20-hour workdays that dominate the rest of the year.


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.

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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.

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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.

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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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