THE BIG BOSTON MONSTAH

Mr. Patriot is calling it quits.  On Thursday Former Patriots WR Troy Brown announced his retirement at Gillette Stadium.  Brown, 37 ended his 15 year NFL career after playing only one game with the Patriots last season.   Brown spent all of his 15 year career with the Patriots.  He was a fan favorite and was known as Mr. Patriot.  He won all 3 super bowls with the Patriots and was even here before Owner Robert Kraft bought the Patriots in 1994.  Head Coach Bill Bellichick and Owner/CEO/Chairman Robert Kraft met with the media along with Brown.  Here is a part of the opening statement from Kraft:

Welcome everyone. I want to welcome Troy [Brown] back to his home here at Gillette Stadium.

I was thinking back that it was 14 years ago when we bought the team. Since that time we have had three head coaches, dozens of assistant coaches, and 820 players. There is only one player that has been a constant through that whole period, who was actually here before my family got here right through the end of last season. How lucky for us that Troy Brown, to me, is the consummate Patriot. What he did on the field and the way he conducted himself off the field, the fact that he always put team first, that he stayed with the Patriots his whole career, he could have gone some other places and got more money and he chose to stay here.

A small statement from Bill Bellichick:

It has truly been an honor and a privilege to coach Troy, primarily since I came back in 2000, but even my association with him in ?96 when I was here as the secondary coach. I think Troy, as I have talked about with our players, is the consummate professional. A great story, a guy that didn?t have a college scholarship and got the last scholarship at Marshall. As Robert mentioned, [he was] drafted in the eighth round and we now have seven-round drafts. I think that sums that up. When I was in Cleveland and I talked to Coach [Bill] Parcells, I think it was the year after, it was probably in ?94, he said, "We?ve got this kid from Marshall, a return guy, I don?t know if he is any good or not, but there are some things I kind of like about him.? Then, when I got here in ?96 and worked against Troy coaching the secondary. There were some good receivers on that team, but in all honesty, we had as much trouble covering Troy as we had covering any of those other guys. When Charlie [Weis] and I were at the Jets and then I ultimately came back in 2000, I remember Charlie and I had several conversations about this guy who?s really a good football player and he hasn?t had the opportunity; what we really thought he could do as a slot receiver and as a deceptive bigplay receiver, his versatility in the kicking game. Troy has gone on to have a tremendous career here with most catches in franchise history and 120 catches in that ?01 season, including the playoffs. I think back fondly of some of the great moments Troy had here, offensively. The pass from David Patten in the Indianapolis game was a huge play for us in a big game. The Super Bowl, the pass across the middle where he got out of bounds and we had no timeouts to stop the clock and set up the game-winning field goal.

From Troy Brown:

Thank you for coming out today to help cover this event. I am going to try to get through this without crying today. I wanted to come here and share with you the announcement of my retirement from the National Football League and most importantly from the Patriots.

I will always be a Patriot, just not in uniform. I have been invited by Bill [Belichick]; I am always welcome in the building so I am going to take advantage of that invitation. I wanted to come and share with you guys, before you see me pop up somewhere just sitting on TV talking about what am I doing with my life right now. Thank you for coming out and being a part of this.

I want to thank Mr. Kraft and his family for allowing me to not just be a part of their football team but a part of their family. He came in after my first season and the team was threatening to move to St. Louis, he came in and saved the day. He kept the team here in New England. If you just look outside of this building now, you can see what a transformation he has made from Foxboro Stadium, not just on this football team but in this community and in the New England area. He has done a tremendous job with building not only his own brand but the NFL brand and bringing them a consistent win year after year.

I want to say thank you again to you and your family for keeping me around here for so many years. I know you fought a few years to keep me around. You [Robert Kraft] and Bill [Belichick] were probably going back and forth saying, ?Is he too old yet?? He wanted to keep me around, so I want to thank you. I do appreciate it.

Brown was hired as a Patriots analyst for New England ComcastSportsNet.  Brown will join co-hosts Mike Felger and Gary Tanguay on Sports Tonight which covers Boston sports.  Brown will cover the Patriots and share his opinions and thoughts on the team.  Sports Tonight airs week nights at 6:30 and 10:00.  And last but not least THANK YOU MR. PATRIOT!!

Boston Red Sox pitcher and former AL Cy Young award winner Bartolo Colon has been suspended without pay by the Red Sox for the rest of the season.  Colon , 35 flew down to the Dominican Republic on the Red Sox recent day off reportedly because of personal issues.  But it seems like that wasn't the deal.  A source close to Colon said that Colon was not happy about being a spot starter and working in the bullpen.  Colon then flew down to his home in the Dominican and will reportedly stay there for the rest of the season.  Colon had 4 wins in a Red Sox uniform and was hurt for most of the year.  Colon who signed a 1- year contract with the Red Sox during spring training this year has most likely played his final game in a Red Sox uniform.

Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers who led the Celtics to there 1st NBA Championship in 22 years and there 17th overall (NBA RECORD) got what he deserved recently and that is a brand new 3-year contract extension.  Rivers who is entering his 5th season as Celtics Head Coach at the start of the 2008-2009 season was entering his final year of his contract.  This new contract will now have him as the Head Coach through the 2010-2011 season.

To me and a ton of people Red Sox 2B is already the teams MVP for the season but I think once again just like other people he is the MVP of the American League.....Why??  Because since May of last year this guy has been one of the best players in the leagues. Right now he is 1st in the league in hits (192) he is second in doubles (45) he's first in AVG (.332).  HE also deserves a gold glove this year.  The more you watch the games you here the MVP chants when Pedroia steps into the batters box.  He's a great player and hopefully he always will be.  He's my favorite and he deserves that MVP award for the 2008 season. 

DUSTIN PEDROIA FOR AL MVP 2008

Manager Terry Francona and GM Theo Epstein met with the press this afternoon to talk about the Red Sox' newest acquisition, righthander pitcher Paul Byrd. The Sox got Byrd, 37, from the Indians for a player to be named later or cash in a waiver trade. According to Epstein, it would be "a small amount of cash, or an organizational player.''

Byrd is a free agent at the end of the season.

"We think Byrd can add a veteran presence, some stability to our starting rotation,'' said Epstein. "He's been on a roll lately, since the All-Star break; he's been pretty darn good every time out there. This is a guy who's been through this before. He's someone we think can be dependable for us and we know what we're going to get every fifth day.''

The Sox' rotation was getting stretched pretty thin of late (with Tim Wakefield on the DL, Bartolo Colon still rehabbing, and Clay Buchholz struggling), and Epstein said he moved quickly to get Byrd, who is 7-10 with a 4.53 earned run average in 22 starts with Cleveland. Byrd has won all four of his starts since the All-Star break with a 1.24 ERA.

"It just seemed like the right time to have this kind of stabililzer,'' Epstein said. "You never want to get caught short on starting pitching in August and September 'cause there's very little you can do about it. So this was an opportunity without dipping into our farm system to add a veteran that we feel we can trust.''

The move seems to imply that the Sox cannot trust Buchholz, especially after Epstein said Byrd would likely start Friday against Toronto. Friday was Buchholz's day.

Francona delayed his press conference so he could tell Buchholz first about the move and the young pitcher had gone out on the field early to work with pitching coach John Farrell.

"We told Buck what we're doing and that we'll have some more defninite plans in the next day,'' Francona said. "Give us a day to shake this thing out a bit.''

The Sox insisted the move was not made to displace Buchholz.

"By no means are we giving up on Clay Buchholz, far from it,'' said Epstein. "We still think he's going to be a huge part of our future and may well be an important part of our present. That said, we think this move gives us the freedom to do the right thing in our rotation rather than forcing people into roles because of injuries.''

Byrd was in Cleveland before Tuesday's game against Baltimore when the trade was announced.

"Give me a few minutes before I talk," Byrd said as he packed up in the Indians clubhouse. "I'm not lucid right now. I'm saying funny things. Give me a half-hour and I'll talk."

Byrd was at Fenway Park for Game 7 of last year's AL championship series on the day the San Francisco Chronicle reported he had used human growth hormone from 2002-2005. He then said before the game that he had used HGH for a medical condition but that he never injected the banned drug without a doctor's prescription.

"I have nothing to hide," Byrd said about two hours before Game 7, in which Boston clinched the ALCS with its third straight win. "Everything has been done out in the open. I have a reputation. I do not want the fans of Cleveland or honest, caring people to think that I cheated.

"Because I didn't."

He said in spring training that he met with baseball officials on Dec. 17 in New York but gave no details. He also said the offseason was "stressful."

For his career, Byrd is 104-91 with a 4.37 ERA for Cleveland, the New York Mets, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Kansas City and the Angels. He was drafted in the fourth round in 1991 by the Indians after he helped Louisiana State to its first College World Series championship, then reached the majors in 1995 with the Mets.

Byrd went 15-11 for Philadelphia in 1999 and made the NL All-Star team. He was 2-9 in 2000 and had shoulder surgery that forced him to miss much of 2001.

Byrd's best year was 2002 with the Royals, when he went 17-11 with a 3.90 ERA after signing as a free agent.

Clay Buchholz has only done one thing since he came up from the minors and that one thing is struggle.  The last time he won a game was in early May against the rays.  A long time ehh?  Well yesterday Buchholz blew the Red Sox lead against the whitesox and gvae up 5 runs and 3 HR.  If it was my decision Buchholz would have been down in the minor leagues  or in the bullpen.  Obviously this kid is not for the big leagues.  Although he says his confidence hasn't changed it has.  This kid needs to go thrive in the minors and come up next year with a large amount of confidence and thrive.  But for right now there are a few guys who might fill in for him.  First, might be Micheal Bowden who is a very good prospect in the Red Sox minor leagues.  A big one might be Bartolo Colon who needs a couple more rehab starts before he comes up.  What would I do? I would move Buchholz to the bullpen and give Masterson the starting job until Bartolo Colon comes up and then Masterson back to the bullpen and Buchholz to the minors.  But thats Terry's job.

 In a deadline day blockbuster reminiscent of the Nomar Garciaparra deal in 2004, left fielder Manny Ramirez was dealt this afternoon to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a three-team trade that sent Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay to the Red Sox, the Globe's Gordon Edes and Nick Cafardo reported.

The Red Sox will also lose Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss as part of the deal. Here are the names involved:

To Red Sox
Jason Bay

To Dodgers
Manny Ramirez

To Pirates
Craig Hansen (Relief pitcher, from Red Sox)
Brandon Moss (Outfielder, from Red Sox)
Andy LaRoche (Third baseman, from Dodgers)
Bryan Morris (Double-A pitcher, from Dodgers)

The Red Sox have yet to confirm the deal, but Edes reported that commissioner Bud Selig has put his stamp of approval on it and the Dodgers have already held a press conference.

"When a player like Manny becomes available, I don't think there's a manager in baseball who wouldn't say they're interested," said Dodgers skipper Joe Torre, whose Yankees teams went toe-to-toe with Ramirez for years. "It was something that happened very quickly, obviously."

The deal was completed just before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline for making trades without waivers.

As of early Thursday, it appeared Ramirez might be on his way to the Florida Marlins. But when those talks fizzled, the Red Sox and Pirates found a willing third partner in the Dodgers. And even just before the deadline, there were reports that Bay would be headed to the Rays, seeming to put an end to trade possibilities involving Ramirez. But those rumors proved to be false, and around 4:20 p.m. the Globe learned that the Red Sox did indeed make a deal for Manny.

Long after news of the trade broke, Ramirez was spotted at Fenway Park loading up a white SUV with gear. He drove off at 6:23 p.m.

As part of the deal, according to Edes, the Red Sox will pay the remaining $7 million of Ramirez's 2008 salary. Ramirez is in the final guaranteed season of an eight-year, $160 million contract. It also contains club options at $20 million each for 2009 and 2110.
However, SI.com reported that Ramirez agreed to sign off on any deal with the contingency that the team agree not to exercise the option years -- at $20 million per season -- on his contract, meaning Ramirez will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Ramirez, the MVP of the 2004 World Series, remains one of baseball's best hitters and has enjoyed plenty of big moments in October. But his relationship with the Red Sox soured -- again -- in recent months, prompting the All-Star outfielder to agree to the deal.

But for now, Manny can be Manny on the West Coast.

Bay is a two-time All-Star who owns a career .376 on-base percentage and a .282 lifetime batting average. He's hitting .282 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs this season. The British Columbia native and Gonzaga graduate was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2004, when he hit .282 with 26 homers and 82 RBIs. In 2005, he hit .306 with 32 homers, 101 RBIs and stole 21 bases. In 2006, he established career-highs in homers (35) and RBI (109). Last year, he again led the struggling Pirates in homers (21) and RBIs (84). Bay has one year left on a four-year, $18.25-million deal he signed in 2005. He is due $5.75 million this year and $7.5 million in 2009.

"When I went into the locker room to tell Jason, it was great news for him, but he was not anxious to leave Pittsburgh," Pirates general manager Neil Huntington told Pittsburgh television station WTAE. "He loves his teammates and the town."

The Manny trade talk really picked up in the last 24 hours. Yesterday, Ramirez had a phone conversation with Enrique Rojas, a reporter for ESPNDeportes, and took more shots at the Sox in an apparent effort to force a trade.

"The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me," Ramirez said. "During my years here I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them.

"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy. I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price and I don't have peace here."

This morning, in an interview on Boston sports radio station WEEI, rehabbing Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling sounded off on Manny.

"At the end of the day you're taking the field with a guy who doesn't want to play with you, doesn't want to be there, doesn't want to ... obviously effort-wise is just not there and that's disheartening and disappointing," Schilling said during his weekly appearance on the Dennis and Callahan program.

Did Schilling think it was time for Manny to go?

"Would I be the only guy in the New England area that said no if I did?" Schilling replied to the question. "I think I'm probably with the consensus. It's very obvious from anything you see or hear he doesn't want to be here. And anytime that there's a piece of the equation you have a problem, and then not trading and leaving him here is a problem because you don't know what you're going to get."

The often contentious relationship between Ramirez and the Red Sox included him requesting trades after the 2005 and 2006 season.

Earlier this season, Ramirez backhanded teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout and also knocked down team traveling secretary Jack McCormick in the visitors' clubhouse before a game in Houston when he asked for tickets.

And Ramirez told the Boston Herald during the All-Star break he wanted to know what his situation was and he didn't want the club to "tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing." Red Sox owner John Henry said he found that "personally offensive."

Even before landing the enigmatic Ramirez, Los Angeles had a crowded outfield. Torre has been juggling Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre.

"You wish you had the DH," Torre said. "We didn't plan in advance how to move things around."

The Dodgers began the day one game behind first-place Arizona in the NL West, and were seeking a big bat. Boston, in the middle of the AL East race and chasing a second straight World Series title, wanted a productive hitter in return and got that in Bay.

The last-place Pirates, looking for young talent, gave up their star outfielder and got reliever Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss from Boston and third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers.

LaRoche, Moss and Hansen will join Pittsburgh and Morris will go to Class A Hickory.

A first-round draft pick for the Red Sox in 2005, Hansen appeared in 32 games out of the bullpen for the Red Sox this season, posting a 1-3 record with 2 saves. Hansen allowed 29 hits in 30 2/3 innings this season, compiling a 5.58 ERA.

Moss hit .295 with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs in 34 games for the Red Sox in 2008. Optioned on July 24, the backup outfielder was playing in Pawtucket at the time of the trade.

LaRoche hasn't played much for the Dodgers. Last year, he hit .226 in 93 at-bats, and has spent much of 2008 rehabbing in the minors from March thumb surgery. He is batting .203 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs in 59 at-bats this season. The 24-year-old was drafted in the 39th round in 2003 by Los Angeles. His brother, Adam, is a first baseman for the Pirates. LaRoche hit the trading block after the Dodgers acquired third baseman Casey Blake from the Indians.

The Dodgers drafted Morris in 2006 from Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College at No. 26, making him the second of their two first-round picks (they chose highly-touted hurler Clayton Kershaw at No. 7). He missed all of 2007 recovering from Tommy John surgery and has compiled a 0.84 ERA in his last four starts for the Dodgers' A-ball affiliate. In 2005, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound righthander was chosen out of high school by Tampa Bay and agreed to a signing bonus, but the deal fell through when the Rays changed management.