This is the December 5, 2012 news archive. View today's Boston Sports news and rumors.

Boston Sports News and Rumors

Celts knock off Timberwolves in Rondo's return

Associated Press, ESPN.com

Kevin Garnett scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and remained unbeaten against his former team as the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-94 on Wednesday night in Rajon Rondo's return from a two-game suspension.

boston.com

Cherington says Red Sox don’t intend to trade Ellsbury

Doug Farrar, yahoo.com

When the 1-2 Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders, 37-6, on September 30, it was the first time all season that Peyton Manning and the Denver offense really got into sync. Since then, Manning's team lost a game to the New England Patriots, and respon…

boston.com

End of game, Celtics 104-94: The Celtics survived a shaky first half to come back for a win over the Timberwolves with help from the returning Rajon Rondo (17 points, 11 assists). Fourth quarter, 2:35, Celtics 102-87 The Celtics have...

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Tom Brady walked into his weekly news conference and glanced at the unusually large media crowd.

Ian Browne, MLB.com

MLB.com confirmed that general manager Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell did meet with Josh Hamilton in person at some point during the Meetings. In other news, Cherington disputed the notion that he's motivated to trade Jacoby Ellsbury.

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - The New England Patriots are preparing for their toughest opponent in a season in which seven of their nine wins have come against teams with losing records.

Adam McCalvy, MLB.com

Brewers special assistant Craig Counsell cited family considerations for last week's decision to withdraw his name from consideration for the hitting coach position in Boston. The Red Sox subsequently hired Greg Colbrunn.

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Receiver Donte' Stallworth was signed this week to replace injured Julian Edelman.

ESPN.com

Few players have dominated the NFL defensively this season like Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. He has come into his own in his second season and has 15.5 sacks. The Patriots are doing everything they can to not let Watt dominate Monday's huge A…

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Bill Belichick was effusive in his praise of the Houston Texans during his press conference Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, describing the AFC South team as one that excelled in all phases of the game, which was reflected in Houston’s NFL-best 11-1 recor…

boston.com

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addressed the team’s upcoming game against Houston (11-1), the Texans’ formidable defense, and the loss of Julian Edelman.

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

Brady Quinn’s NFL career has been largely disappointing, but under unimaginably difficult circumstances on Sunday, he played what may have been his best game. After completing 19 of 23 passes for 201 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and …

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addressed the team’s upcoming game against Houston (11-1), the Texans’ formidable defense, and the loss of Julian Edelman.

boston.com

Since 2001, the Patriots are an NFL-best 42-5 in the last month of the year. What has made them so good in December during the Tom Brady era?

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

If Patriots coach Bill Belichick had a vote for the defensive player of the year award, Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt would get it. “He looks like the defensive player of the year to me,” Belichick said of Watt, via CSNHouston.com. “He’s been…

ESPN.com

Two of the NFL’s top teams will meet at Gillette Stadium when the New England Patriots host the Houston Texans on “Monday Night Football.” This game has huge playoff implications for both teams. The Texans (11-1) and Patriots (9-3) currently hold th…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

Football teams trying to replicate the Patriots system by hiring coaches or executives away from New England have not found much success over the years. Bill O’Brien had a promising first year at Penn State, but Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Scott Pioli,…

CNNSI.com

While other QBs are stealing headlines, there's some guy in New England putting up MVP numbers. No, Tom Brady's mastery isn't new, but his 2012 run is still stunning, says Kerry Byrne.

boston.com

Take a look at where Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, and Jonny Gomes may fit into the lineup next season.

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

An article on the Bills’ website says DE Mario Williams “has become a near-dominant force on the defensive line since he had his surgical procedure on his left wrist.” The Dolphins’ problem is pretty simple: The offense doesn’t score enough poin…

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Julian Edelman, who recently scored four touchdowns in a two-game stretch and is second in the NFL with a 15.5-yard average on punt returns, was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, two days after suffering a foot injury against the Dolphins. The move end…

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

J.J. Watt, a defensive end for the Houston Texans, has 15½ sacks, two behind Aldon Smith of the 49ers for the league lead. Watt also has a team-high 83 tackles, and has knocked down 15 passes, one of the more impressive statistics of his impressive rés…

boston.com

The Red Sox manager had to defend his decision to leave, and seems poised for an angry reception when he returns to Canada.

boston.com

Agent Andy Miller said he has not had a conversation about Kenyon Martin with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge since July. The Celtics are believed to be seeking a rebounding big man after being called “soft” last week by coach D…

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo was sensational against Miami, with a sack, two knockdowns, two half run stuffs, a forced fumble, great open-field tackling, and standout pass coverage.

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Brandon Lloyd’s lack of action in the Patriots’ win over Miami likely didn’t have anything to do about him being frozen out of the attack. It was simply part of the game plan tailored to the Dolphins.

Boston.com Patriots news, boston.com

Promising slot cornerback Brice McCain was placed on in-season injured reserve. That’s in addition to Pro Bowl cornerback Johnathan Joseph (hamstring/groin) missing the past two games, and reserve Alan Ball (foot) being out last week against the Titans.…

boston.com

The Red Sox reached agreement with free agent Shane Victorino on a three-year deal worth $39 million. But will he play right field or center field?

Morgan Smith, patriotsgab.com

New England Patriots popular tight end Rob Gronkowski and kicker Stephen Gostkowski will be guest starring on Friday’s episode of Nickeloden’s show NFL Rush Zone: Season of the Guardians. It will air on Nicktoons at 9 P.M. ET. and on Saturday on NFL N…

boston.com

He mentions going to Mexico during two-game exile, said he was “glued” to Celtics games in absence