A year after popping in and out of the headlines during his stint with the Cam-Am League’s Brockton Rox, former Red Sox P Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd remains in demand, writes the Manchester Union-Leader’s Kevin Gray.

Manager Butch Hobson, speaking at yesterday™s inaugural œBaseball and Breakfast at the Granite Inn of Nashua, said the Nashua Pride are working toward inking a contract with Boyd.

Nashua has offered the 46-year-old a contract for the 2006 season, a year in which the Pride enter the short-season Can-Am League. Last season, Boyd pitched for the independent Brockton Rox, posting a 5-5 record while walking only 13 batters in 118 innings.

There is no question the addition of Boyd would bring more fans to Holman. The Rox™ average attendance jumped by more than 1,000 fans each time Oil Can took the mound last season.

A quotable Boyd helped pitch the Red Sox into the 1986 World Series. That season, when fog postponed a game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, on the shore of Lake Erie, Boyd said, œThat™s what they get for building a park on the ocean.

Hobson believes Boyd can make a solid contribution as a strike-throwing starter.

œI think fans in this area have always adopted players that give 110 percent every time they™re out on the field. That™s exactly what Oil Can is going to give you, Hobson said. œThe guy has a genuine passion for the game. He loves baseball.

In November, Boyd made headlines off the field when he was indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening a former girlfriend. Hobson has been talking with Boyd™s agent, who believes those charges will be dropped. Nashua hopes to make an announcement regarding Boyd within the next week.

œMy gut feeling is he definitely wants to play here. Oil Can is waiting to see what™s going to happen with this case, Hobson said.