Sunday Notebooks

MLB Notebook: A look at the pros and cons of various Red Sox free agent pitching targets; Duran’s winter league performance

POSTED: 12:00 PM December 26, 2020

The good news for the Red Sox? Plenty of free-agent starting pitchers remain available as the calendar year winds down. The bad news? They haven’t signed any of them yet....

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NBA Notebook: Celtics preseason stock watch

POSTED: 11:42 AM December 20, 2020

A closer look at the Celtics’ plus and minuses across the roster following two preseason outings this week against the Nets and 76ers STOCK UP Jeff Teague: The new backup point...

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NFL Notebook: Will Matthew Stafford even be available in the offseason? Plus other Patriots free agency thoughts

POSTED: 11:43 PM December 19, 2020

Everyone seems to think Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will definitely be available in the offseason. But is that really true? NFL personnel executives are somewhat split on that.

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MLB Notebook: Duquette reflects on 20th anniversary of Manny Ramirez signing with Sox; Cora wants ’21 Sox to ‘play faster’

POSTED: 2:24 PM December 19, 2020

This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the Red Sox officially announcing the signing of free agent Manny Ramirez to a landmark eight-year, $160-million deal. At the time, it was...

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NHL Notebook: What is on Bruins’ checklist with training camp potentially just weeks away?

POSTED: 2:05 PM December 19, 2020

Rejoice, Bruins fans. After an offseason rife with uncertainty, fiscal squabbling and forebodings of a hockey-less nuclear winter, it’s time to breathe easy. Rather than spending the coming months binging “Bruins...

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NHL Notebook: How Bruce Cassidy tailors his practices – through pace, competition & communication – to get most out of this Bruins roster

POSTED: 6:21 AM December 13, 2020

Familiar sights have been hard to come by at Warrior Ice Arena for the past nine months. Other than the brief, two-week stretch in July in which the Bruins returned...

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Bedard’s Breakdown: ‘Playing the kids’ may have caused issues for Patriots defense early vs. Rams

POSTED: 6:14 AM December 13, 2020

Note: Due to the Patriots’ Thursday night game and compressed timetable, we won’t have the regular NFL Notebook. Instead, we’ll incorporate Sunday’s games into our notes and have them by Monday morning....

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NBA Notebook: Examining Celtics lineup possibilities (Should Grant Williams start?)

POSTED: 12:20 AM December 13, 2020

The Celtics starting five was locked in from the first week of the regular season last year when Daniel Theis earned the starting center job in training camp (except against...

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MLB Notebook: Why it may make sense for MLB to push back start of 2021 season

POSTED: 3:59 PM December 12, 2020

For now, the plans are in place for a return to baseball normalcy. Major League teams are set to report to spring training in Florida and Arizona in February. Grapefruit...

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NBA Notebook: Six pressing questions for the Celtics as training camp begins

POSTED: 11:40 AM December 6, 2020

The Celtics officially kicked off group workouts on Friday at the Auerbach Center, beginning what will be an extremely short training camp ahead of the team’s regular season opener against...

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NHL Notebook: Can NHL, players find common ground & close deal on 56-game season?

POSTED: 8:47 AM December 6, 2020

There is certainly no love lost between the NHL and the NHLPA as both try to navigate the perilous minefield that it is the fiscal landscape of the league in...

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NFL Notebook: Patriots will have work to do with budget, key players in free agency

POSTED: 7:11 AM December 6, 2020

As the Patriots have limped back toward the .500 mark, most of the attention has naturally been centered around how they get better in the offseason, when they will have...

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MLB Notebook: Red Sox could look to fill starting pitching needs via Japan; The changing face of the Winter Meetings

POSTED: 3:29 PM December 5, 2020

There can be little debate about what the Red Sox’ most pressing need is, both for 2021 and the foreseeable future: starting pitching. Boston’s starting rotation was tied for dead...

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NFL Notebook: Tom Brady’s not deteriorating, but his confidence in what’s around him in Tampa is

POSTED: 8:10 AM November 29, 2020

Much has been made about Tom Brady‘s performances over the Bucs’ last four games, which included two losses in three games heading into todays big showdown against the Chiefs. And, of...

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MLB Notebook: Free agent class soon to grow as non-tenders expected mid-week

POSTED: 3:21 PM November 28, 2020

Now, it’s about to get interesting. Following recent tradition, off-season activity has been virtually non-existent to date. The handful of free agent signings that have taken place have mostly been...

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NHL Notebook: Why Jack Ahcan believed Bruins offered best chance to realize NHL dreams — and why fans should be excited about him

POSTED: 2:19 PM November 28, 2020

The possibilities seemed endless for Jack Ahcan back in March. For as much as NHL teams were likely kicking themselves at not taking a flier on the skilled defenseman during his draft eligible years,...

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NBA Notebook: Why the Celtics bet against Myles Turner in Gordon Hayward trade talks

POSTED: 10:27 AM November 28, 2020

Myles Turner and Doug McDermott or a big trade exception? That’s the question the Celtics had to answer last weekend when debating what to do with Gordon Hayward amid sign-and-trade...

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NHL Notebook: Who are the greatest ‘what-if’ players in Bruins’ history?

POSTED: 12:37 PM November 22, 2020

With Gordon Hayward packing up his bags and signing a massive deal with the Charlotte Hornets, so ends one of the more puzzling and unfortunate tenures for a talented player in Boston...

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NFL Notebook: Don’t pencil in the Ravens for an AFC playoff spot just yet; Onwenu gets big test vs. Watt