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About Rob Bradford

Rob comes to WEEI.com after serving as a Red Sox beat writer for the Boston Herald and the Eagle-Tribune (Lawrence, Mass.). Prior to the Red Sox beat, he spent several years at the Lowell Sun. He wrote “Chasing Steinbrenner,” following the front offices of the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays through the 2003 season, and co-authored “Deep Drive: A Long Journey to Discovering the Champion Within” with Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell.

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MOST RECENT COLUMNS
The offseason: A day in the life of Dustin Pedroia
02/03/10 01:25 EST
“Let’s go merck!” — Dustin Pedroia PHOENIX — The words from the Red Sox second baseman — directed at Baltimore minor leaguer Brett Bordes — for all intent and purposes punctuated Pedroia’s Monday. The suggestion to “merck” (defined by the Urban Dictionary as “To destroy. Derived from the word ‘mercenary’”) unofficially ended another day of preparing for the 2010 baseball season, allowing the focus to change over to a video game (Call Of Duty, to be exact) showdown at Pedroia’s house. The trash-talking that came with lifting, running, hitting and throwing that had dominated a gym, high school field, and junior college baseball stadium was shifting to the room Pedroia calls “The Merckenation Station,” where No. 15 for the Boston Red Sox abruptly switches over to the video game tag of "HBO." (“Simply the best,” explains Pedroia when asked why that
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What happened with Jason Bay and the Red Sox
01/21/10 08:09 EST
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It was supposed to be the payoff for years of hard work and production. Instead, Jason Bay’s foray into free agency was nine months of chaos that still leaves the outfielder shaking his head. The end of the story had Jason Bay standing in the Caesars Club at Citi Field, wearing a tight-fitting New York cap, along with a Mets jersey adorned with the No. 44 he had been enamored with since the days of watching Eric Davis. Just more than a week before — on Christmas Day — Bay had agreed to a contract with the Mets that would pay him $66 million over four years, with a team option for a $17 million fifth season. Bay was satisfied. “I was truly happy to put everything behind me and become a member of the New York Mets,” Bay said from his Seattle-area home. The months leading up to that point were a different story entirely. As was first reported by Peter Gammons Monday on NESN, Bay did agree to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Red Sox back in July, an offer
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Looking at what awaits Papelbon and the Red Sox
01/20/10 12:16 EST
There have been few surprises in Jonathan Papelbon's climb up the financial ladder. The closer promised to set the bar, delivered,and did all of it while still wearing a Red Sox uniform. Now comes the uncertainty. Papelbon's latest step toward free agency (which awaits following the 2011 season) came Tuesday when he and his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox that will pay him a base salary of $9.35 million with bonuses that include an extra $50,000 if he finishes 60 games (he finished 59 in '09). Just as was the case last offseason, when Papelbon inked the wealthiest deal for any first-time arbitration-eligible pitcher at $6.25 million, Tuesday's agreement was sealed just moments prior to the noon deadline for submitting arbitration figures. The two sides ended up handing over the numbers they wished to present if a hearing had taken place, with the Red Sox coming in at $8.45 million and Papelbon submitting a figure of $10.25 million. Again, not a lot
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Why Papelbon might be making history again
01/18/10 08:28 EST
By the time you read this, a deal could have been struck. Jonathan Papelbon very well might have already agreed to a contract that allows him to avoid arbitration for a second straight year. But if that hasn't happened yet ... well, things could get interesting. The Red Sox and Papelbon have until noon Tuesday to come to an agreement on a contract before salary arbitration figures have to be exchanged. Last year, it never got to that point, with the two parties agreeing to a one-year, $6.25 million deal literally minutes before having to present their respective numbers. Papelbon said he wanted to set the bar, and he did, breaking a record for the highest figure given to a first-time arbitration-eligible pitcher. This year, the Sox closer might be on the verge of history once again, this time due to an altogether different dynamic. Papelbon’s situation could be leading him to something no Red Sox player has experienced since Theo Epstein took over as general manager following the
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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.

  • +Red Sox
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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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