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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
06/14/2009 - 11:42pm
Patriots Starting To Come Into Focus
Making snap judgments based on a few spring workouts isn’t good football business. But after watching 10 spring practices involving the Patriots over the last six weeks -- four at rookie minicamp, four at the organized team activities (OTAs) and two at full-squad minicamp -- we know a lot more about the team than we did in the days following the draft.
Christopher Price
06/11/2009 - 6:26pm
Easy To Take Note Of Springs' Success
FOXBOROUGH -- In a high-tech world, Shawn Springs is a low-tech cornerback. While other players rely solely on film work or some other sort of game video to try and gain an edge on an opponent, the veteran cornerback, who signed with the Patriots on March 11, is decidedly retro when it comes to his preparation. When he needs to get an edge, he goes to his notebook. Not Macintosh. More like Trapper Keeper.
Christopher Price
06/10/2009 - 6:53pm
Wilfork, Kraft Strike Positive Note Regarding Contract
Contract disputes usually come with angry rhetoric, harsh words and prolonged absences.
Christopher Price
06/09/2009 - 8:08pm
O'Brien Putting His Stamp On Special Teams Unit
While there were major moves on offense and defense this offseason for the Patriots, no unit saw more important changes than special teams.
Christopher Price
06/08/2009 - 8:24pm
New Veterans Getting Peek Behind The Curtain
Truth be told, before he got to New England, Fred Taylor wasn’t the biggest Tom Brady fan. While he was with Jacksonville, Taylor and the Jaguars were knocked out of the playoffs twice by Brady and the Patriots, first in 2005 and again in 2007. And so when he first entertained the idea of signing with New England as a free agent, the veteran running back wasn’t completely enamored with the thought of lining up alongside No. 12.
Christopher Price
06/07/2009 - 8:14pm
Patriots Look To Get Work In Before Break
Call it summer vacation. Once this week’s minicamp is done, the Patriots will have their first extended getaway of the offseason, a break that will last until training camp opens roughly six weeks down the road. Players, coaches and the rest of the support staff will head for home to spend time with friends and family before returning to start the preseason grind of two-a-days in the summery conditions of late July.
Christopher Price
06/05/2009 - 1:17am
Moss Almost A Forgotten Man This Offseason
For most of his career, he’s been a leading man. But this offseason, he’s been a bit player, content to let others take center stage.
Christopher Price
06/03/2009 - 11:36pm
The Hot List: Rodney's Greatest Hits
Rodney Harrison, who announced his retirement from professional football on Wednesday morning, will be remembered as having a unique place in New England’s football legacy. In many ways, you could make the argument that he was the final element that turned them from a very good football team into a dynasty.
Christopher Price
06/02/2009 - 4:54pm
Patriots Sound Prepared For Rodney Retirement
If veteran safety Rodney Harrison does decide to retire from pro football this week, he’ll be remembered as an intense player whose passion for the game often left teammates shaking their heads in disbelief. “It didn’t matter if it was a Friday practice or a walk-through, the guy was always full-speed, and he brought that intensity and leadership to the field,” defensive lineman Richard Seymour said of Harrison, who will reportedly call it a career in a Wednesday morning conference call.
Christopher Price
06/01/2009 - 11:11pm
Patriots' Fans Should Appreciate Red Wings Run
Usually, this little section of bandwith at WEEI.com is devoted exclusively to Patriots’ information, analysis and commentary. (We leave the hardcore hockey analysis to him and, when he’s not writing about pit bulls or d-bags, this guy.)
Christopher Price
05/28/2009 - 11:08pm
Brady Back On the Field
The quarterback slowly strolled over to the waiting group of media. “Welcome back,” one reporter said. “Thanks,” said Tom Brady with a big smile. “I’ve gotta tell you guys -- I’ve really been looking forward to this.”
Christopher Price
05/27/2009 - 11:30am
Newest Patriot linebacker Lenon 'a real pro'
Paris Lenon has made a career out of surprising people. The 31-year-old linebacker out of Richmond -- an undrafted free agent -- has been released three times. He has played in Europe and in the XFL. But through it all, he’s persevered to carve out a place for himself in the National Football League. On Wednesday, he signed a free agent deal with New England.
Christopher Price
05/25/2009 - 9:35pm
The Hot List: Agents Of Change
The Patriots have always done a nice job finding gems in the unlikeliest of places, with many unheralded contributors over the years finding their way to Foxborough as undrafted or rookie free agents. New England could have another handful make the roster this season -- Jermail Porter, Brian Hoyer and Antonio Appleby are among those who were impressive enough during rookie minicamp to be asked back for the organized team activities.
Christopher Price
05/21/2009 - 11:47pm
Older And Wiser, Banta-Cain Returns To New England
Traditionally, when a pro athlete sees Boston in their rearview mirror, there’s little chance they’ll return. Only a few can say they’ve enjoyed a second act on the New England stage -- Ellis Burks and Antoine Walker are among a handful of players who have launched their professional careers here, left, and then returned again.
Christopher Price
05/20/2009 - 10:27pm
O'Connell ready to take another step forward
Until last season, the role of Tom Brady’s backup always came with a cloak of anonymity. Whether it was Jim Miller, Damon Huard, Vinny Testaverde, Rohan Davey or Matt Cassel, Brady’s durability -- he had the third-longest streak of consecutive starts entering last September -- and his sheer star power often left the backup feeling like the invisible man.
Christopher Price
05/15/2009 - 11:36pm
Hodel Happy To Be Part Of 'No Nonsense' Patriots
Don’t expect Nathan Hodel to be doing any snow angels this winter. The new Patriots’ long snapper calls former New England long snapper Lonie Paxton “great,” but he has no interest in trying replicate Paxton’s trademark celebration “snow angel” move he made famous during the 2001 postseason.
Christopher Price
05/14/2009 - 10:55pm
Smith Ready To Fit In With Patriots
Alex Smith majored in economics at Stanford, but the newest Patriots tight end appeared to be a real student of history when he was asked if he was aware what it meant to wear No. 80 in New England.
Christopher Price
05/13/2009 - 10:38pm
Caserio provides a peek behind the curtain
Just get it right. It’s a simple phrase, but one that’s at the heart of the Patriots’ scouting system. According to director of player personnel Nick Caserio -- who spoke to fans Wednesday night at the Hall at Patriot Place -- the phrase is essential when it comes to the scouts’ role in the overall team-building process. From the most veteran scouts to the newcomers, the goal is the same. “To get it right,” Caserio said. “It doesn’t matter who found them. Just get it right.”
Christopher Price
05/13/2009 - 12:22am
Faulk Has Staying Power
Kevin Faulk thought Troy Brown was crazy. Well, maybe not crazy. But he still wasn’t sure why Brown, a former Patriots star, did some of the things he did in the twilight of his career to get his body ready to play. Back in the day, it was simple for Faulk: You just go out and play, right? The body will take care of itself.
Christopher Price
05/06/2009 - 11:23am
Selection of Ingram was a snap
The Patriots have had a few guys pick up a surfboard the last few years. Junior Seau. Tom Brady. And now, long snapper Jake Ingram. The Hawaiian native, who was picked in the sixth round of the NFL Draft late last month, is an avid surfer. But he’ll gladly set aside the board while he helps the Patriots try and find out if there’s life after Lonie Paxton.
Christopher Price
05/04/2009 - 10:58pm
The Hot List: Our Favorite Rookie Questions
With Patriots’ rookie minicamp completed, here are the Top 5 questions remaining about New England’s 2009 rookie class.
Christopher Price
05/03/2009 - 7:42pm
Halfway home: Examining the Patriots midway through their offseason
This week marks the halfway point of the Patriots’ offseason. It’s been just over four months since the end of New England’s 2008 season, and it’s roughly four months before the 2009 regular-season opener against Buffalo. How have things changed for the Patriots since they walked off the field at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium after beating the Bills, 13-0, in Buffalo back on Dec. 28, 2008? And how do they look with the 2009 season looming on the horizon?
Christopher Price
05/01/2009 - 10:05pm
Rookies get first glimpse of NFL life
If an NFL career is like a journey, then Friday morning, many rookies took their first steps on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. Thirty players -- 12 of whom were drafted last weekend by the Patriots, plus a handful of rookie free agents and assorted players there to fill out the minicamp roster -- got a taste of NFL life under the watchful eye of the New England coaching staff as part of the Patriots’ rookie minicamp.
Christopher Price
05/01/2009 - 12:35am
McKenzie Continues To Make An Impression
When he first met Tyrone McKenzie, Wally Burnham was skeptical. The former defensive coordinator at South Florida wondered why the school was taking a chance on a guy like McKenzie, who had already left Michigan State and Iowa State and was talking to him about playing at USF as a junior. For a coach, one transfer usually raises a red flag. Two transfers, and you might as well slap a “radioactive” sticker on a guy.
Christopher Price
04/28/2009 - 8:47pm
Chung’s Career Has Been A Steady March Forward
Plenty of young football players who make the NFL can usually point to a career-defining moment in high school, a singular event where they cement their status as a future pro. Not Patrick Chung. Chris Van Duin, Chung’s coach at Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High School, remembers a high schooler who steadily advanced up the depth chart with hard work and dedication. A relatively undersized youngster who started his high school football career at age 12, there were no highlight-reel hits, no trail of college coaches beating a path to Rancho Cucamonga to see him play.


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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