Boston.com Top Stories

The calm before the rush

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:47:02 -0500

MassDOT The ramp at the MassPike/I-84 interchange was lightly traveled this morning as noon neared, a state traffic camera...

What's closed, open on Thanksgiving Day

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:47:03 -0500

Holiday observed: Tomorrow Retail stores: Certain smaller stores open at owner's discretion; inquire directly.

Traffic - Eastern Massachusetts and Boston Traffic Conditions

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:32:02 -0500

Logan arrivals

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:32:02 -0500

Updating....

Departures

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:32:02 -0500

Updating....

Holiday flying can be ... less painful

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:32:02 -0500

With cramped seating, recycled air, and zero sustenance, modern air travel is not for the faint-hearted. Factor in a flu pandemic, fewer flights, airports thronged with the traveling masses, and the usual threat of winter storms, and choosing to fly over the holidays may seem downright masochistic. But it doesn’t have to be. Short of upgrading, here are some strategies that can make flying more bearable this time of year. -By Margaret Loftus, Globe correspondent

Photos: Thanksgiving scenes

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:17:02 -0500

People across the country have been traveling and preparing for Thanksgiving this week. Scroll through this gallery to see Thanksgiving scenes from New England and elsewhere.

Three family members charged after alleged kidnapping, standoff

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:32:02 -0500

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent A Swansea father, his 21-year-old son, and his 19-year-old daughter are facing a variety of...

AD:

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:32:02 -0500

Amid high unemployment, some positions hard to fill

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:32:11 -0500

Even with the country's unemployment rate at its highest in decades, some companies are having trouble hiring highly skilled employees.

Ten players the Sox could pursue

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:32:03 -0500

The Globe's Peter Abraham reports that the Red Sox are making a push to obtain Toronto ace Roy Halladay before the start of baseball's winter meetings Dec. 7. The price would be steep -- the Jays are reportedly asking for Clay Buchholz along with top prospect Casey Kelly. It isn't the first time the Sox have pursued the former Cy Youn Award winner. The team reportedly offered a package that, according to various reports, included reliever Daniel Bard and Buchholz near the trading deadline of the 2009 season. The Jays have a new general manager and are expected to rebuild for the future, making a Halladay a possible trading chip. A deal is still far from in place, but a Big Three of Halladay, Lester, and Beckett would look pretty good, no? Halladay may be in the spotlight now, but he's far from the only player the Sox could pursue this offseason. Scroll through for a few more, and vote at the end for the player you'd most like to see the Sox acquire.

Halladay is being targeted

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:47:05 -0500

The Red Sox are making a push to obtain Toronto ace Roy Halladay before the start of baseball's winter meetings Dec. 7. But the Blue Jays reportedly want top prospect Casey Kelly along with young starter Clay Buchholz .

Sox will think deeply about adding starters

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:47:05 -0500

The Red Sox used 11 starting pitchers last season, two more than the Yankees and one fewer than the Phillies. For even the best teams in baseball, the five-man rotation is simply a starting point. By June, pitchers who were in the spring training shadows can become critical.

The Buzz: Updates on Adrian Gonzalez, more

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:32:03 -0500

"Now, if we had strictly apples and apples offers for Halladay, one from Boston, one from another team, it would not be Boston. If we made a deal we owe it to our fans to obtain the best deal possible," Anthopoulos told the Toronto Sun. In the same report the GM, who replaced J.P. Ricciardi at the end of the season, said he wouldn't rule out a trade within the division if the deal was good enough. The Red Sox were willing to give up a lot of young talent for Felix Hernandez at the July trading deadline this season, so it's possible Boston could have the best hand when trade talks begin in earnest. Clay Buchholz is frequently mentioned as the centerpiece of a deal involving young pitching prospects. "If we get the right package, we'll make the trade," Anthopoulos told the Toronto Sun. "It would be awfully narrow thinking of me to turn down the best offer because of the fact it came from within our division. The Phillies, Yankees and Mets have all been rumored to be in the mix for a possible deal for Halladay, the 2003 Cy Young winner who has career record of 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Johnny Damon Left fielder Last updated: 11/12, 10:09 a.m. Boras compares Damon to Derek Jeter Maybe Johnny Damon won't remain a Yankee after all. The New York Post reports that Johnny Damon's agent Scott Boras argued Damon’s past three seasons equate well with the past three seasons for Jeter, and so whatever the Yanks are intending to do with Jeter long-term (likely extending him for three or four years after next season) Damon deserves similar consideration. According to the Post's Joel Sherman, Damon's agent, Scott Boras, is hinting he's looking for three- or four-year deal for Damon, whom he apparently compares to Derek Jeter. There was talk in the aftermath of the World Series that Damon would be willing to sign with the Yankees for one- or two-year deal. Boras also claims that Damon enabled Jeter to have one of his best season's ever by hitting in front of him and that the former Red Sox idiot has "the body of a 30-year-old." Marco Scutaro Shortstop Last updated: 11/09, 09:49 a.m. If Alex Gonzalez departs, who plays shortstop? With the Sox decided not to pick up the $6 million option on Alex Gonzalez -- he could return at a lesser price -- and Jed Lowrie has yet to prove he can remain healthy for a full season, it's conceivable that neither will enter the 2010 as the Red Sox' starting shortstop. It's been reported that the Sox were in on discussion for former-Brewers shortstop, J.J. Hardy before he was dealt to Minnesota for Carlos Gomez. Milwaukee wanted either starter Clay Buchholz or reliever Daniel Bard for Hardy. The Sox were not willing to offer either pitcher. Milwaukee reportedly was not interested in righthander Michael Bowden, whom the Sox would have been willing to part with, and the Sox did not have a center field prospect who could match Gomez's skill set . . . Among options on the free agent market, the most appealing -- and the appeal is probably lukewarm -- is 33-year-old Scutaro, who is coming off a career year with the Blue Jays (.282-12-62, 100 runs scored). But signing him at this stage of his career may also be a case of buyer beware: Scutaro's 109 adjusted OPS last season was the first time in his eight-year career that it has been over 100. Felix Hernandez Starting pitcher Last updated: 11/1, 11:09 a.m. M's don't want to deal Hernandez, but what if he doesn't sign? The Red Sox coveted Mariners righthander Felix Hernandez enough at the trading deadline to offer the farm for him. But while there has been talk that King Felix could be back on the market if he's not signed long-term this offseason, Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik didn't sound like a man who was going to make that happen. "He's one of the best guys in the game. He's an integral part of our team and what we're doing here," Zduriencik said at the general managers' meetings in Chicago. Zduriencik wouldn't comment on how many teams have already called and he said, "I can't control clubs calling." At the moment, however, Octagon, the firm which represents Hernandez, has not received a contract proposal from the Mariners but have been told one is on the way. . . . A "rival GM" told the New York Post's Joel Sherman that it would be foolish for Hernandez to sign a long-term deal. "If you are Felix Hernandez and you know the Yankees are out there with the possibility of maybe giving you $200 million in two years, why would you sign now?" Read more: The Red Sox' pursuit at the July 31 trade deadline of Hernandez stands as perhaps the most obvious example of their leave-no-stone-unturned philosophy. The price for King Felix, who went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA for the Mariners this season, would be staggering in terms of prospects. Given his breathtaking talent and success, the Mariners would have to be overwhelmed to deal the righthander -- or convinced they can not sign him long-term (he is under contract through 2011 season). At July's trade deadline, the Sox took the "overwhelm them" approach. The Seattle Times reported that the Sox told the Mariners they could take five of the following eight players: Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Josh Reddick, Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, Michael Bowden, Felix Doubront, and Yamaico Navarro. Masterson and Hagadone were later dealt to Cleveland for Victor Martinez, but it would take a similar package of quality and depth to bring one of baseball's elite pitchers to Boston. Matt Holliday Left fielder Last updated: 10/30, 1:49 p.m. Holliday could have some appeal to Sox The most enticing free agent of the offseason may be Matt Holliday. The Cardinals traded for the outfielder before the trade deadline. He was sensational batting behind Albert Pujols, but the Cardinals were swept tin the NLDS by the Dodgers, with his error on a routine fly ball proving costly in the final loss. One thing to be wary of -- other than that his agent is Scott Boras -- is that Holliday batted .286 with 11 HRs and 54 RBI in his 93 games with the Oakland A's last season. When he came back to the National League, Holliday put up numbers that were typical during his time in Colorado - .353 average, 13 HRs and 55 RBI in just 63 games. Other than his first year in the league, Holliday has always batted over .300 playing against NL teams. He didn't have nearly that level of success in his 93 games in Oakland, so it remains to be seen how he will fare in the AL. John Lackey Starting pitcher Last updated: 11/09, 9:49 a.m. Lackey is the ace of free agent pitchers' class If you can't beat 'em ... sign 'em? John Lackey, the Angels' 31-year-old righthander. set the tone in Game 1 of Los Angeles' American League Division Series sweep of the Red Sox, earning the win with 7.1 innings of scoreless pitching. He will be a coveted free agent after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Angels, winning 102 games. While a top-of-the-rotation starter probably isn't a priority for GM Theo Epstein, there is truth in the cliche that you can never have too much pitching, and it is intriguing that Lackey's most similar all-time comparison, according to baseball-reference.com, is Josh Beckett. A less expensive option -- we'll try to refrain from saying reclamation project -- is former Cub Rich Harden. Harden's career has been plagued with injuries, but when he's been healthy, he's been an outstanding starter. Harden has a career 7.2 strikeouts/nine innings. With a little offensive firepower to give him some support, Harden could be a valuable second or third starter. Jeremy Hermida Outfielder Last updated: 11/09, 10:41 a.m. Hermida the first of what could be many moves Since Wagner isn't retiring, it seems highly unlikely that the Red Sox will resign him. Wagner is looking to close games, and that won't happen as long as he's a in a Red Sox uniform. Yesterday the team declined the $6 million club option to Alex Gonzalez's contract. So, with Wagner and Gonzalez both joining the free agency pool the Red Sox offer those two, along with right reliever Takashi Saito, outfielder Rocco Baldelli, right-handed pitcher, Paul Byrd, and of course, Jason Bay. To combat these losses the Red Sox quickly went out and signed former Florida Marlins outfielder, Jeremy Hermida. The Sox gave up just two minor leaguers to get the left handed batter who had batted .259 with 13 home runs, and 47 RBI last season. If Bay ends up leaving Boston, Hermida won't make up for the Bay's offensive production, but he's a reassuring backup plan that is capable of production. Joe Mauer Twins catcher Last updated: 6/29, 10:27 a.m. Mauer may stay in Minnesota From ESPN’s Buster Olney: Joe Mauer could become a free agent after 2010, and given that he's a catcher and he's one of the game's best pure hitters and he'll be 27 at the end of next season, there's going to be a lot written and said about whether he might be headed to the Red Sox or the Yankees or the Angels or Mets or some other big market team for huge dollars. But Mauer is from Minnesota and is represented by Ron Shapiro, who was the agent for Cal Ripken and Kirby Puckett and worked to keep each of those stars with their original teams. Mauer will make $12.5 million next season and he will, of course, be in line for a huge raise; if he wanted to chase the biggest offer he could do that, and the Twins probably would be outbid. But the Twins will probably be aggressive in trying to keep him, by their standards, and in the end, it's possible that Mauer will decide -- as Ripken and Puckett did -- that he preferred to stay with the team that drafted and developed him. News and rumors on Twitter Get the latest Red Sox news and trade rumors from the Boston Globe and select sources from around the country. Follow @GlobeSox on Twitter Follow Boston.com Tweets | What is Twitter? //formerly http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.3.1/jquery.min.js //jquery.tweet.js adapted from http://seaoftweets.com //set your search query here: var search_query = 'from%3Aamaliebenjamin+OR+from%3AGlobeSox+OR+from%3Amlbtraderumors+OR+from%3Asi_jonheyman+OR+from%3Asi_mlb+OR+from%3Abradfo+OR+from%3AJohn_W_Henry'; //set the refresh interval in seconds: var refresh_interval = 90; (function($) { $.fn.tweet = function(o){ var s = { username: ["seaofclouds"], // [string] required, unless you want to display our tweets. :) it can be an array, just do ["username1","username2","etc"] avatar_size: null, // [integer] height and width of avatar if displayed (48px max) count: 3, // [integer] how many tweets to display? intro_text: null, // [string] do you want text BEFORE your your tweets? outro_text: null, // [string] do you want text AFTER your tweets? join_text: null, // [string] optional text in between date and tweet, try setting to "auto" auto_join_text_default: "i said,", // [string] auto text for non verb: "i said" bullocks auto_join_text_ed: "i", // [string] auto text for past tense: "i" surfed auto_join_text_ing: "i am", // [string] auto tense for present tense: "i was" surfing auto_join_text_reply: "i replied to", // [string] auto tense for replies: "i replied to" @someone "with" auto_join_text_url: "i was looking at", // [string] auto tense for urls: "i was looking at" http:... loading_text: null, // [string] optional loading text, displayed while tweets load query: null // [string] optional search query }; $.fn.extend({ linkUrl: function() { var returning = []; var regexp = /((ftp|http|https):\/\/(\w+:{0,1}\w*@)?(\S+)(:[0-9]+)?(\/|\/([\w#!:.?+=&%@!\-\/]))?)/gi; this.each(function() { returning.push(this.replace(regexp,"$1")) }); return $(returning); }, linkUser: function() { var returning = []; var regexp = /[\@]+([A-Za-z0-9-_]+)/gi; this.each(function() { returning.push(this.replace(regexp,"@$1")) }); return $(returning); }, linkHash: function() { var returning = []; var regexp = / [\#]+([A-Za-z0-9-_]+)/gi; this.each(function() { returning.push(this.replace(regexp, ' #$1')) }); return $(returning); }, capAwesome: function() { var returning = []; this.each(function() { returning.push(this.replace(/(a|A)wesome/gi, 'AWESOME')) }); return $(returning); }, capEpic: function() { var returning = []; this.each(function() { returning.push(this.replace(/(e|E)pic/gi, 'EPIC')) }); return $(returning); }, makeHeart: function() { var returning = []; this.each(function() { returning.push(this.replace(/[<]+[3]/gi, "♥")) }); return $(returning); } }); function relative_time(time_value) { var parsed_date = Date.parse(time_value); var relative_to = (arguments.length > 1) ? arguments[1] : new Date(); var delta = parseInt((relative_to.getTime() - parsed_date) / 1000); if(delta < 60) { return 'less than a minute ago'; } else if(delta < 120) { return 'about a minute ago'; } else if(delta < (45*60)) { return (parseInt(delta / 60)).toString() + ' minutes ago'; } else if(delta < (90*60)) { return 'about an hour ago'; } else if(delta < (24*60*60)) { return 'about ' + (parseInt(delta / 3600)).toString() + ' hours ago'; } else if(delta < (48*60*60)) { return '1 day ago'; } else { return (parseInt(delta / 86400)).toString() + ' days ago'; } } if(o) $.extend(s, o); return this.each(function(){ var list = $('').appendTo(this); var intro = ''+s.intro_text+'

Toyota replacing some 4M gas pedals that could jam

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:17:02 -0500

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will replace accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles in the United States because the pedals can get stuck in the floor mats, another blow to the reputation of the world's largest automaker.

Tonight's events

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:17:03 -0500

BU Today: Student tunes into Afghanistan

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:32:02 -0500

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JFK Museum displays Jackie's Christmas reception dress

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:02:01 -0500

Robert Knudsen/White House The president and Mrs. Kennedy at the reception By Globe Staff With images of another young...

Lambert: I got carried away, but not sorry

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:02:01 -0500

Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he's offering no apology.

Love Letters: My boyfriend's still married

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:32:02 -0500

I imagine that only about half of you are reading today. The rest of you are sitting in traffic. I�m...

Turkey is love

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:02:02 -0500

We'll chat at 1 p.m. Meredith Goldstein on love and relationships -- Nov. 25 at 1 p.m....