Author Archives: ianbethune

Video: UConn Women Spank Providence, 105-49

 Lexi Sells of Providence tries to defend against Kaleena MosquedaLewis during UConn's 105-49 win.

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team last lost to the Providence Friars in 1993. And with the Friars playing with just seven players on Tuesday night, the losing streak was stretched to 28 games.

The Huskies got off to another fast start and never looked back as they went on to crush the Friars 105-49 in front of 1,265 at Alumni Hall in Providence, RI.

UConn improves to 23-1 (10-1 Big East). Providence falls to 7-17 (2-9).

Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis led six Huskies in double figures with 17 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Kelly Faris made her 100th career start and had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists or as we like to call just another Kelly Faris game.

Stefanie Dolson had 14 points while Moriah Jefferson had 13 points and Bria Hartley had 12 points and a team-high six assists. Freshman sensation Breanna Stewart came off the bench and finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Brianna Edwards led the Friars with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Tori Rule had 11 points while New Britain, CT native Symone Roberts had nine points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists. Alexis Harris led the Providence with seven rebounds to go along with her four points.

Providence was leading this one 3-2 before the Huskies went on a three-point shooting barrage and took an 11-3 lead. They followed that up with a 10-2 run and never looked back from there.

Great game from the Huskies as they basically got everyone involved in the action.

It was nice to see Jefferson step up and score some points while leading the second team. Whether you want to think it or not, games like these are good for her as she'll be needed for the big game on Monday night against the Baylor Lady Bears.

But before we get that far, the Huskies have to travel to Piscataway, NJ and the RAC (Geno Auriemma's favorite place) on Saturday for a matchup with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.

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UConn Huskies @ Providence Friars 2.12.13 box score

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photo credit: mark mirko – hartford courant (no. 1 in gallery)

Red Sox Announce 2013 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule

Well it looks like we'll be able to watch 14 Boston Red Sox spring training games on NESN this year and another two on the ESPN family of networks.

Boston Red SoxWe'll also be able to listen 15 of games on the radio, some of them that aren't covered by NESN. So for those of you at work, you'll be able to slip on the headphones and listen to the games.

Here's the full 2013 Red Sox Spring Training Broadcast Schedule:

Feb. 23 v. Tampa Bay, 1:35, NESN/WEEI
Feb. 27 at Baltimore, 7:05, NESN
March 1 v. Pittsburgh, 7:05, NESN/WEEI
March 2 at Minnesota, 1:05, WEEI
March 3 v. New York Yankees, 1:35, NESN/WEEI
March 8 v. Minnesota, 7:05, NESN/WEEI
March 9 v. Baltimore, 7:05, NESN/WEEI
March 10 at Tampa Bay, 1:05, NESN/WEEI
March 15 v. Minnesota, 7:05, NESN/WEEI
March 16 at Tampa Bay, 1:05, WEEI
March 17 v. Tampa Bay, 1:35, NESN/WEEI
March 20 at New York Yankees, 1:05, ESPN2
March 21 v. Philadelphia, 7:05, NESN/WEEI
March 23 v. Pittsburgh, 1:35, NESN/WEEI
March 24 at Philadelphia, 1:05, NESN/WEEI
March 25 at Baltimore, 1:05, ESPN
March 28 v. Minnesota, 7:05, NESN/WEEI
March 30 v. Minnesota, 1:35, NESN/WEEI

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Red Sox Spring Training News & Notes Part 2 – 2/12

First day of spring training and the Boston Red Sox already have had one player suffer an injury. And it comes to one of the key starting pitchers for the 2013 season.

According to manager John Farrell, Clay Buchholz suffered a mild strain of his right hamstring covering first base during PFP's. The good news is that it doesn't appear to be that bad and he should only miss a few days of workouts.

The one thing you need to worry about with a hamstring injury is it recurring again, especially when you're a pitcher and it's the leg you push off on. It's the last thing the Red Sox need is to have one of their best pitchers battling this all season long.

Other than that, no big news out of camp today.

To see the links from the afternoon, please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Clay Buchholz suffers 'mild' hamstring strain [clubhouse insider]

No longer worried about his Achilles, David Ortiz rips Bobby Valentine [clubhouse insider]

Middlebrooks got advice from Rays' Longoria on broken wrist [clubhouse insider]

David Ortiz on latest PED scandal: Baseball players ‘might be the dumbest athletes' — plus, video [clubhouse insider]

Ortiz: 'I'll be ready for Opening Day' [csn new england]

Farrell: New players will help changing culture [csn new england]

Farrell won't discuss beer in the clubhouse [csn new england]

Pedroia: Didn't need a survey to know I'm sexy [csn new england]

Ross excited to reunite with Red Sox [csn new england]

Saltalamacchia doesn't mind the crowd at catcher [csn new england]

Ortiz slams Valentine for last year's performance [csn new england]

Buchholz suffers mild hamstring strain [csn new england]

Bogaerts to take grounders at third before WBC [csn new england]

Spring training notes: Napoli taking it easy [csn new england]

Red Sox will limit Napoli for now [espn boston]

Ortiz says he's not worried about Achilles [espn boston]

Iglesias: 'Best offseason of my life' [espn boston]

Ortiz blames Bobby V for Sox struggles [espn boston]

Ortiz weighs in on topic of PEDs [espn boston]

Tuesday's takeaways: Coming together [espn boston]

Hamstring strain for Clay Buchholz [extra bases]

Red Sox training camp report [extra bases]

Ortiz rips Valentine; heel getting better [extra bases]

Ask Nick: Are Sox well-armed? [extra bases]

Pedroia: 'We'’ve got to do everything better' [extra bases]

Morning Red Sox notes: David Ortiz deems himself ’90 percent’ [full count]

Dustin Pedroia thinks Jacoby Ellsbury is ‘here to win,’ not worried about contract [full count]

Jose Iglesias says he was surprised but not disappointed by Stephen Drew signing [full count]

Dustin Pedroia not blaming Bobby Valentine for 2012: ‘He didn’t play. We lost those games’ [full count]

Video: David Ortiz’ first swings of spring training [full count]

Clay Buchholz suffers ‘mild’ right hamstring on first day [full count]

David Ortiz on Bobby Valentine: ‘If the head is messed up, the body is going to be all over the place’ [full count]

David Ortiz on Biogenesis scandal: Baseball players ‘might be the dumbest athletes out of all the sports’ [full count]

John Farrell notes on Day 1: ‘No one is going to certainly make the team today’ [full count]

Dustin Pedroia Says He Could Have Told Red Sox He Was ‘Sexy’ Player ‘for Free’ [nesn.com]

Clay Buchholz Says Hamstring Tweak Is Mild, Should Be Back in Four to Five Days (Video) [nesn.com]

David Ortiz Says Players Weren’t Comfortable With Bobby Valentine, Considers John Farrell’s Hiring a ‘Fresh Start’ [nesn.com]

Daniel Bard’s Uncertain Future, John Lackey’s High Expectations Among Spring Training Storylines to Watch [nesn.com]

Middlebrooks healthy and ready for season [projo sox blog]

Pedroia wants to regain winning feeling [redsox.com]

Bogaerts expected to play third in Classic [redsox.com]

How To Watch Spring Training [sports on earth]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New EnglandESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: matthew j. lee/globe staff

Mike Napoli Beats John Lackey in Beautyrest Baggo Classic

The past few years, NESN has been holding different types of "sporting contests" with the Boston Red Sox players during spring training.

Two years ago, it was a closest to the pin competition. Last year, it was "pop a shot basketball". This year NESN has turned to everyone's favorite tailgating activity, the bean bag toss.

The first two contestants this year were RHP John Lackey and new 1B Mike Napoli.

Until NESN gets back to me, I'll be linking to the videos. Their videos are all autoplay and like most of you, I find it completely annoying. I've contacted them and have yet to still here back.

Mike Napoli and John Lackey Beautyrest Baggo Classic

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Red Sox Spring Training News & Notes – 2/12

David Ortiz made his way to the field Tuesday morning before getting a few sluggers in from the batter's box.

Despite the fact there is at least two feet of snow, three in my case, around New England, the smell of fresh cut grass and manicured ball fields is coming. Well at least in Florida and Arizona for the time being.

That's right folks, spring training kicks off today as pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report. For the Boston Red Sox, a good portion of them have already been at Fenway South working out.

The team will welcome some new faces pitching wise as Ryan Dempster, Koji Uehara and Joel Hanrahan have joined the club. On the catching side, David Ross looks to be to thet backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia with Ryan Lavarnway being the odd man out, at least for now.

And when the rest of the team reports, other new faces include Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino.

And we cannot forget that John Farrell has returned to the club as the new manager replacing that douchebag Bobby Valentine. Farrell knows a good portion of these players as spent time as the Red Sox pitching coach from 2007-2010.

We're going to do our best here to keep with all of the news that comes out of spring training. The normal plan is to do the post in the afternoon when the workouts are done and interviews are done. Today we'll be doing a post that will provide the links from yesterday and early this morning.

Later in the day we'll return with another post and going forward any updates unless they are major will come in the afternoon.

To continue reading, please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Red Sox owner John Henry gives his thoughts on ex-managers [boston globe]

Bobby Valentine writing a book [boston globe]

John Henry refutes bad image with his Sox [boston herald]

Ailing Felix Doubront unconcerned [boston herald]

John Henry reflects on baseball memories [boston herald]

David Ortiz says he's at '90 percent' [rob bradford – weei.com]

Dustin Pedroia: 'Goal is to win the World Series every year' [clubhouse insider]

Ryan Dempster: 'Fun, exciting challenge' to be pitching in AL with Red Sox [clubhouse insider]

Felix Doubront, Craig Breslow to be "held back" early in Red Sox camp [clubhouse insider]

Middlebrooks eager to play after last season's injury [csn new england]

World Baseball Classic to cut short Victorino's Sox camp [csn new england]

Red Sox take 'precautionary' approach with Doubront, Breslow [csn new england]

Unlike Red Sox, Phillies don't prescribe Toradol [csn philly]

Quick hits from Farrell [espn boston]

Lester likes what he sees from Lackey [espn boston]

Buchholz pulls up lame with hamstring [espn boston]

Jon Lester says Boston Red Sox reviewing Toradol policy [espn boston]

The catcher and the chef [extra bases]

Big Papi among the early arrivals [extra bases]

Pedroia is sexy and he knows it [extra bases]

Overbay says swing corrected [extra bases]

How a few talks with John Henry may have cemented Dustin Pedroia’s future with Red Sox [full count]

John Lackey Convinced He’ll ‘Be Fine’ in Boston With Good Health Backing Him (Video) [nesn.com]

Mike Napoli Says He Was Surprised to Learn of Hip Injury, Hasn’t Ever Felt Any Symptoms From Condition (Video) [nesn.com]

Henry fine with free-agent targets [projo sox blog]

Fortnotes*: Henry's complex ownership, Dempster's adjustments, Farrell's aggressiveness [projo sox blog]

Henry: Red Sox strayed from core beliefs [redsox.com]

Doubront, Breslow to take it slow early in camp [redsox.com]

Farrell looks forward to running Red Sox [redsox.com]

Victorino to work extensively with Ellsbury [redsox.com]

Dempster looking forward to facing AL lineups [redsox.com]

Sporting new-look roster, Red Sox open camp [redsox.com]

The blueprint: Defining the path to the 'next great Red Sox team' [alex speier – weei.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the BostonGlobe, Boston Herald, CSN New EnglandESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: boston.com

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 2/12

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It's game day for the UConn Huskies women's basketball team as they'll make the ride through the snow covered roads of Connecticut and Rhode Island to take on the Providence Friars. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally in Connecticut on SNY. The game is also available online for a small fee at UConnHuskies.tv. You can also listen on the IMG/UConn Radio Network.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

For starters, Faris to hit milestone at Providence [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Kelly Faris in the rankings [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Auriemma recalls Providence basketball legend [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Victory In Snowball Fight Further Exemplifies Huskies’ Unity [rich elliott – ct post]

Stokes Has Put Together Productive Three-Game Stretch For Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Huskies have shown signs of growth since St. John's game [jim fuller – new haven register]

Saniya Chong continues to climb NY career charts [jim fuller – new haven register]

Of fans, snow, eggs and Doty [lee lewis – republican-american]

UConn women work on smoothing offense [ct post]

Geno's Familiar Game Plan: Eliminate Opponent's Strength [hartford courant]

Freshman Morgan Tuck feeling better, hoping for extended playing time [new haven register]

Dolson had a pretty good week for Huskies [the day]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Dom answered a question in his mailbag [dom amore – hartford courant]

Another Weekly Award for UConn's Shabazz Napier [david borges – new haven register]

Who will win Big East Player of the Year? [kevin duffy – ct post]

A Closer Look at Wolf… [kevin duffy – ct post]

Napier a worthy heir [john silver – journal inquirer]

For the second year in a row, Syracuse is pulling some shifty academic shenanigans [the uconn blog]

UConn suspends junior center Wolf [ct post]

Shabazz Napier Has Evolved Into UConn's Team Leader [hartford courant]

UConn's Enosch Wolf Suspended From Team After Arrest In On-Campus Incident [hartford courant]

Three points from Sunday's win over Seton Hall [new haven register]

Enosch Wolf suspended following arrest [new haven register]

UConn's Enosch Wolf suspended from team after arrest [the day]

UConn Football links

Big East 2012 Top 25 countdown: No. 11 Yawin Smallwood [andrea adelson – espn.com]

DC answered a question in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. UConn Shutout by New Hampshire [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Nine Different Skaters Score For Men's Hockey In 9-0 Rout Over Bentley [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Track. Women's Track & Field Ranked No. 24 in Latest Poll [uconnhuskies.com]

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2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings – Week 15 (Feb. 11)

AP & USA Today Coaches Polls

The NCAA men's basketball rankings are out and after being among the others receiving votes last week, the UConn Huskies have fallen out.

Once again, we have a split No. 1.

The Indiana Hoosiers remained as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll and are followed by the Puke Blue Devils, Miami (FL) Hurricanes, Michigan Wolverines and Gonzaga Bulldogs. In the USA Today Coaches Poll, Puke is No. 1 and is followed by Indiana, Gonzaga, Miami (FL) and Michigan.

The Big East teams in the top 25 are the Syracuse Orange (6/7), Louisville Cardinals (12/12), Georgetown Hoyas (15/15), Pittsburgh Panthers (16/17), Marquette Golden Eagles (18/20) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21/21).

The Cincinnati Bearcats are the only Big East teams among the others receiving votes in both polls.

For a full look at the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – Week 15 (Feb. 11), please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM REC PTS PVS RK TEAM REC PTS PVS
1 Indiana (26) 21-3 1,559 1 1 Duke (18) 21-2 744 4
2 Duke (20) 21-2 1,515 4 2 Indiana (6) 21-3 717 1
3 Miami (FL) (17) 19-3 1,499 8 3 Gonzaga (1) 23-2 681 6
4 Michigan 21-3 1,428 3 4 Miami (FL) (5) 19-3 674 11
5 Gonzaga (2) 23-2 1,371 6 5 Michigan (1) 21-3 663 3
6 Syracuse 20-3 1,293 9 6 Florida 19-3 628 2
7 Florida 19-3 1,286 2 7 Syracuse 20-3 608 9
8 Michigan State 20-4 1,178 12 8 Michigan State 20-4 582 8
9 Arizona 20-3 1,062 7 9 Arizona 20-3 491 7
10 Kansas State 19-4 1,012 13 10 Butler 20-4 460 14
11 Butler 20-4 943 14 11 Kansas State 19-4 455 15
12 Louisville 19-5 842 11 12 Louisville 19-5 393 12
13 Ohio State 17-6 828 10 13 Kansas 19-4 364 5
14 Kansas 19-4 823 5 14 Ohio State 17-6 353 10
15 Georgetown 17-4 679 20 15 Georgetown 17-4 329 21
16 Pittsburgh 20-5 591 23 16 Oklahoma State 17-5 259 24
17 Oklahoma State 17-5 587 22 17 Pittsburgh 20-5 246 25
18 Marquette 17-5 493 24 18 New Mexico 20-4 203 16
19 New Mexico 20-4 433 15 19 Wisconsin 17-7 150 NR
20 Wisconsin 17-7 305 NR 20 Marquette 17-5 144 NR
21 Notre Dame 19-5 264 25 21 Notre Dame 19-5 140 NR
22 Memphis 20-3 193 NR 22 San Diego State 18-5 120 25
23 Oregon 19-5 137 19 23 Creighton 20-5 102 13
24 Colorado State 19-4 125 NR 24 Colorado State 19-4 79 NR
25 Kentucky 17-6 87 NR 25 Memphis 20-3 76 NR
Dropped from rankings: Dropped from rankings:
Creighton 16, Cincinnati 17, Minnesota 18, Missouri 21 Cincinnati 17, Minnesota 18, Oregon 19, Missouri 20, Wichita State 22, Ole Miss 23
Others receiving votes: Others receiving votes:
Minnesota 80, Missouri 69, Cincinnati 68, Saint Mary's 62, Creighton 56, San Diego State 53, Louisiana Tech 43, Virginia Commonwealth 35, Saint Louis 34, Illinois 26, North Carolina State 24, Akron 12, UCLA 8, UNLV 6, Indiana State 5, Virginia 4, Wichita State 3, Belmont 2, Oklahoma 1, Ole Miss 1 Missouri 72, Oregon 63, Virginia Commonwealth 63, Cincinnati 38, Minnesota 28, Saint Mary's 27, Kentucky 27, Louisiana Tech 18, Saint Louis 13, Ole Miss 11, Middle Tennessee 11, Illinois 10, Akron 9, UNLV 8, Wichita State 8, UCLA 3, Stephen F. Austin 2, Virginia 1, Belmont 1, Oklahoma 1

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Enosch Wolf Arrested; Suspended From UConn Men’s Basketball Team

Just when he was becoming an integral part of the UConn Huskies men's basketball team, Enosch Wolf now finds himself suspended indefinitely after being arrested early Monday morning.

 Enosch Wolf. He's proven to be a viable part of the UConn rotation. According to the police report, Wolf was arrested after being involved in domestic altercation with a female. He refused to leave the apartment, pushed the victim, grabbed her hair and also knocked the victim's glasses off.

Wolf was charged with burglary, criminal trespass and disorderly contact. He is being held on a $500 non-surety bond and is due in Rockville Superior Court on February 13th.

In 22 games (three starts), Wolf was averaging 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He also had 19 blocks and eight steals.

Here is the statement released by UConn about the situation:

STORRS – Junior center Enosch Wolf (Goettingen, Germany) has been suspended from the University of Connecticut men's basketball team following an on-campus incident early Monday morning that resulted in his arrest by university police. The suspension is indefinite, pending the completion of the legal process and a university review process.

"We are aware of the situation concerning Enosch and we are taking the matter very seriously," UConn head basketball coach Kevin Ollie said. "He has been suspended from the team indefinitely, until the legal and university process is finalized.

"I have spoken to the players on the team previously, and will continue to speak with them, about their conduct both on and off the basketball court. We have high expectations of our student-athletes at UConn, and I expect my players to live up to those standards."

The university will have no further comment on the matter at this time.

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photo credit: richard messina – hartford courant

Stefanie Dolson Named Big East Player of the Week

Here's the release from UConn about UConn Huskies women's basketball player Stefanie Dolson being named Big East Player of the Week.

STORRS, Conn.  – Junior center Stefanie Dolson was tabbed as this week’s BIG EAST Player of the Week after leading the No. 3 Huskies to a 2-0 week where she averaged 19.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in a combined 47 minutes of action.

The Connecticut Huskies' Stefanie Dolson scores two of her 22 first-half points at Gampel Pavilion Sunday against DePaul.Dolson was outstanding in wins over Marquette and DePaul where she shot 75 percent from the floor over the two games and added eight assists, four blocks and two steals. In the Huskies’ win over Marquette, she had 15 points, four blocks and two steals. Against DePaul, Dolson set a career-high with 10 free throws made en route to 23 points, while she added six assists and five rebounds. In both games, she went 6-of-8 from the floor.

The Huskies (22-1, 9-1 BIG EAST) are back on the road on Tuesday when they head to Providence to take on the Friars (7-16, 2-8 BIG EAST) at 7 p.m. Heading into Tuesday’s game, sophomore forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is leading the squad in scoring with 16.8 points per game and Breanna Stewart is the leader in rebounds with 6.9 boards per game, while Dolson is second on the team in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg).

Tuesday’s game will be televised on SNY and broadcasted live on the UConn Radio Network.

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photo credit: cloe poisson – hartford courant (no. 15 in gallery)