This and That

RED SOX

• The latest on the "Bay Watch" situation has the Angels as serious suitors for his service. Reports are also saying the Red Sox are exploring other options with the possibility that Jason Bay may move on. This is all part of the negotiating process by the Sox, but if the Angels, who are letting Vladimir Guerrero walk, are serious suitors then the Sox may not be in a position to get into a bidding war.
  
• The Sox filled bench coach gap left by Brad Mills by promoting PawSox manager Ron Johnson. RJ is a deserving candidate having been in the Sox organization for 10 years and has been the Pawtucket manager since 2005. He knows the organization's philosophy and is familiar with many of the young players on the roster. It is unclear at this time if he will definitely slide into the bench coach role or if there will be a shuffle that will put him as a base coach.
• The Sox claimed RHP Robert Manuel off of waivers from the Mariners before the midnight deadline to set the team's 40-man roster. Their 40-man now sits at 32 players heading into free agency, and the team has protected the players the wish to retain before December 10ths Rule 5 Draft (click here for a great explanation of the Rule 5 Draft stipulations). Manuel made a brief cameo last season in the majors, but accumulated good numbers at the Triple-A level. Manuel could crack the opening day roster, but most likely will add organizational depth to the bullpen. He was one of the top pitchers in batting average against last season at the Triple-A level with opponents batting .208.

CELTICS

• In an effort to get Bill Walker some playing time as he attempts to get back in game shape from knee surgery, the Celtics sent Walker to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA's Developmental League (NBDL). Walker wasn't dressing on game nights, so this is a good opportunity for him to get some minutes in regular action.
• On another note, what's wrong with the C's? It was a tough seven day stretch.

PATRIOTS

• The only player officially ruled out for tomorrow's game was RB Fred Taylor. This means players like Sammy Morris, Matt Light, Jarvis Green, and Ty Warren could all conceivably be active tomorrow.
• In case you were wondering whether Matt Light would move to RT upon his return to the lineup to keep mauler Sebastain Vollmer on the left side, Bill Belichick addressed it. BB said that Light is better on the left side and that he will not be switching. The real question here is if Light will regain the starting spot. Notorious for playing the best player regardless of tenure, Belichick will have an interesting predicament.

BRUINS

• Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas hopes to return to the starting lineup Monday after missing three games with nagging injuries. They haven't missed a beat with Tuukka Rask in net.
• Offensive help is on the way as Marc Savard appears ready to return to action Monday after missing roughly a month with a broken foot. With Milan Lucic back and Savy on the horizon, hopefully they can help Partice Bergeron and Michael Ryder in adding some fire power to the offense. It will be interesting to see if or when coach Claude Julien will put Savard and Lucic back together on the first line with Sturm.
• Zdeno Chara has done a superb job leading the D night in and night out, but the more offensive minded defenseman (Dennis Wideman, Matt Hunwick, and Derek Morris) need begin to contribute largely on the offensive side in order for the team to achieve success.