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.

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

UConn Women's Basketball links

Hartley of old emerges in UConn’s rout of Oakland [carl adamec – sny.com]

Professor Auriemma: Delayed For One Year [john altavilla – hartford courant]

A Play Date Between Hall Of Fame Coaches – Geno and Jen [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Hartley Back And (Maybe) Better Than Ever [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Dolson Fine After Rolling Her Left Ankle [rich elliott – ct post]

Pregame Tribute To Sandy Hook Victims Emotional For Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Hartley breaks out of slump; Dolson said she's fine [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn women rout Oakland [ct post]

Hartley back to her old confident self [ct post]

Hartley Shows Some Of Her Old Form With 21 Points In 97-25 Win Over Oakland [hartford courant]

Tragedy's Effects Felt At XL Center As Victims Are Remembered [hartford courant]

Huskies roll to lopsided win over Oakland [new haven register]

UConn Football links

UConn Defensive Coordinator Don Brown Leaving For BC [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

Softball. Softball Announces Three Student-Athletes Signing NLIs [uconnhuskies.com]

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The UConn Huskies women's basketball team returned to the court with heavy hearts as it was their turn to honor the victims in last week's tragedy in Newton, CT.

And unlike their male counterparts, the UConn women showed little signs of rust.

Behind the hot hand of Bria Hartley in the first half, the No. 2 Huskies went on to a very easy 97-25 win over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Wednesday night in front of 8,325 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

UConn improves to 9-0 while the Golden Grizzlies fall to 5-6.

Hartley had 21 points, 19 of them coming in the first half. She also had six rebounds, four assists and five steals.

Freshman Breanna Stewart picked up her second career double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds while adding two blocks and two steals. Brianna Banks improved play continued with 18 points and six rebounds.  Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis narrowly missed a double-double of her own with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Elizabeth Hamlet scored over half of her teams' 25 points with 14. The next highest scorers on the team were Elena Popkey and Shelby Harrington who had four points each.

The Golden Grizzlies actually made more free throws (eight) than they did field goals (seven).

It was nice to see the way Hartley played. She definitely looked like the Hartley of old. The one who can dominate and play aggressively. The time off for final exams probably did her good coming off the ankle injury which had limited her earlier in the season.

The UConn women will return to their roots on Saturday in a sense. They'll take on the Hartford Hawks at Chase Arena on campus at the University of Hartford. And when I said roots, I mean it'll be like playing in a high school gymnasium where the expected sell-out crowd will be on top of them. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies @ UConn Huskies 12.19.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Here are UConn's postgame notes.

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photo credit: david butler II – hartford courant (no. 6 in gallery)

Going 5-7 over the past two seasons and not making a bowl game is bad enough for the UConn Huskies football team. Losing your defensive coordinator to the Boston College Eagles is even worse.

According to multiple media reports, new Boston College head coach and Connecticut native Steve Addazio has hired UConn defensive coordinator Don Brown to the same position.

Despite the 5-7 record, UConn's defense flourished under Brown.

They finished the 2012 season as the No. 10 team in total defense, 7th in rushing defense, 23rd in scoring defense,19th in sacks and 13th in tackles for a loss.

UConn will be losing seniors at key positions on defense due to graduation but the loss of Brown makes the sting felt more.

Paul Pasqualoni will now have the task of finding a new defensive coordinator and for some of the players at UConn, it'll be the third one they've played under in the past four seasons.

If we thought UConn had any chance of relevancy next season, this just nullified that as it looks like it will be just another mediocre season of football in UConn Country.

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photo credit: john woike – hartford courant

With still no new news on the Mike Napoli contract situation, the Boston Red Sox made the signing of RHP Ryan Dempster official on Wednesday.

To make room for Dempster on the 40-man roster, they designated RHP Pedro Beato for assignment.

Here's the full release from the Red Sox:

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today signed right-handed pitcher Ryan Dempster to a two-year contract through the 2014 season.  A two-time All-Star, Dempster has made at least 28 starts and has won at least 10 games in each of the last five seasons since returning to the starting rotation in 2008.  His 3.74 ERA during that five-year stretch ranks 13^th among Major Leaguers with at least 950.0 innings pitched.

To make room for Dempster on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Pedro Beato was designated for assignment.

Dempster, 35, went 12-8 with a 3.38 ERA (65 ER/173.0 IP) and 153 strikeouts over 28 starts last season, his 15^th year in the Major Leagues.  He posted a 2.25 ERA (26 ER/104.0 IP) in 16 starts for the Chicago Cubs before being acquired by the Texas Rangers at the July 31 trade deadline. 

At the time of the trade, Dempster ranked second in the National League in ERA and opponent batting average (.210), and was third with a 1.04 WHIP (min. 100.0 IP).  He struck out 70 batters in 69.0 innings over 12 starts with Texas to place sixth among American League qualifiers with 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings beginning in August.

Dempster, who will wear No. 46, has posted an ERA of 3.85 or lower four times in the last five seasons.  He has totaled a 65-49 record (.570) to go along with his 3.74 ERA in those five years and also ranks among Major League leaders with 160 starts (T-13^th) and 911 strikeouts (14^th) since 2008.

He has thrown at least 200 innings while making 30 or more starts seven times in his career, all since 2000.  Only nine other hurlers have as many 200-inning/30-start campaigns in the last 13 years. 

An All-Star with the Florida Marlins in 2000 and again with the Cubs in 2008, Dempster spent the first 14 ½ seasons of his career in the National League.  In joining the Rangers last summer, he returned to the club that originally signed him as a third-round selection in the 1995 June draft. 

He has made at least 10 appearances in the NL in each of his 15 Major League seasons, the only player to do that in every season since 1998.  His 1,848 strikeouts as a National Leaguer rank second among active players, and he also places among active leaders with 117 wins (5^th), 310 starts (4^th), and 2,146.2 innings (4^th) in the Senior Circuit.

Dempster has made 547 career big league appearances, including 322 starts, since his 1998 debut.  He owns a career 124-124 record with a 4.33 ERA (1,067 ER/2,215.2 IP) and 1,918 strikeouts, pitching for the Marlins (1998-2002), Cincinnati Reds (2002-03), Cubs (2004-12), and Rangers (2012).

He served as the Cubs’ Opening Day starter each of the last two years and was the Marlins’ Opening Day starter in 2001 and 2002.

Primarily a starter in his Major League career, Dempster also racked up 87 saves over four seasons in the bullpen for the Cubs from 2004-07, serving as the club’s closer for three of those years (2005-07).  He joins Derek Lowe as the only active pitchers with at least 100 career victories and 85 saves.

A native of British Columbia, he ranks second all-time among Canadian Major Leaguers in wins, starts, and innings, trailing only Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins in all three categories.

He has made two career postseason appearances, both with the Cubs, pitching out of the bullpen in 2007 and as a starter in 2008.

Throughout his career, Dempster has dedicated himself to charitable efforts.  He was the Cubs nominee for the Roberto Clemente award in 2006, 2008, and 2011, which honors a player who combines outstanding skills on the field with devoted work in the community.  Following the 2001 season, he was presented with the All Heart Award by the Florida chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for his community endeavors.

In 2009, he created the Dempster Family Foundation, which is dedicated to raising awareness of DiGeorge Syndrome, a birth defect due to the deletion of part of chromosome 22.  The foundation reaches out to children that have this syndrome and to the charities that support them, and provides financial assistance to charities that aid and comfort critically ill children.  Through the foundation, he has also supported youth baseball programs, military families, and animal shelters in the Chicagoland area.

Over his last seven seasons with the Cubs, he donated tickets to social service agencies that assist low-income children through his “Dempster’s Dugout” ticket program.

Beato, 26, made four relief appearances with Boston after being acquired from the New York Mets on August 16, going 1-0 with a 4.70 ERA (4 ER/7.2 IP) in those games.  He also pitched in seven contests for Triple-A Pawtucket, including three during the International League postseason.

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Here's a press release/statement from UConn president Susan Herbst about what's going on with the UConn Huskies and the ever-changing conference realignment:

Dear UConn Friends and Colleagues:

It is difficult to write to you about athletics or any other conventional university items in light of the Newtown tragedy. We will never understand it; hopefully there will be some healing in the future, although that seems very far off right now. I ask that you consider giving one of the greatest gifts of all to the survivors of Sandy Hook Elementary: the opportunity to attend a top research university like ours. Please make a gift to a young child, so that he or she might have the honor of being a Husky some day. CLICK HERE

As you know, conference realignment continues at a rapid pace and UConn has new challenges we must face. I do not know when or how things will settle; no one does. There is more change to come that will reshape the landscape yet again. I assure you that the BIG EAST presidents are both unified and optimistic, working to strengthen the conference in imaginative ways that will see us through to a bright future for our students, coaches, and fans. Commissioner Mike Aresco is an outstanding leader at an extraordinarily complex time, and our university partners represent powerful, high-quality institutions that we are proud to join with in this conference.

I realize that this is aggravating to hear, but as in all things, we can only affect what is in our control. As a result, we strive for excellence at UConn daily across all departments, something very much in our control. We stand tall at UConn and we need not beg, plead, nor despair. That is not who we are, and my reading of our university history — from 1881 to today — conveys the pride of every generation, in good times and bad.

There are profound concerns about the future of collegiate athletics of course. I speak often to presidents across the nation, and we are hardly alone in our worries. Even many seemingly "secure" universities are fearful of the changes to come, not only in the realm of realignment, and hope for a long-term stability that seems elusive right now.

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

We here at UConn have incredibly powerful and compelling teams, decades of accomplishment, joyful traditions at games, and great plans in the works, such as our men's ice hockey team entering Hockey East in 2014, the top conference in the nation, and our new building projects, like the UConn Basketball Development Center.

I know that it is difficult to read much of the internet content right now about athletics, which seems to be dominated by negativity. Many bloggers, journalists, and even fans from elsewhere would like to see UConn hurt, and hence write with a cynical tone. This flip discourse is again, not in our control. The truth is that this is a top national research university with a terrific athletics program that will flourish, no matter what conference we are in and no matter what the media chatter looks like.

I wish you could see my mail and answer my phone, to get a true sense of how dedicated and upbeat our best fans are. Far from being depressed or dragged down by negativity, they are more committed than ever before, and know that it is their very commitment that will determine our future. They know that we will be more than fine, even if there are months and maybe even years of conference uncertainty ahead. We still get to play and we still get to win. Our true fans and supporters so love our coaches and students, and enjoy their tremendous efforts on the field and court. That is what I appreciate, and what all university presidents hope for.

When it comes to athletics, I normally write to you – so often these volatile days! – about student-athletes and our need to focus on them. Again, there is much cynicism around this topic. I cannot speak for other institutions, but here at least, focusing on our students guides what we think and what we do. We care deeply about student academic success, and the pride that we feel about all of our sports is both immense and genuine.

So, Huskies: Let's all hang tough and please keep some perspective, as hard as it is in a time of great change. Win or lose, conference struggles or not, UConn is a research university. So if you are feeling low, just head to our university home page and glory in the amazing new faculty we are hiring at a rapid pace, our incredible student successes across disciplines, scientific awards and invention by our faculty, and all that matters most at your flagship university.

I was hired because I'm an optimist, and I cannot help being just that. I never see the productive value in cynicism and negativity, when there is so much to be proud of. It's a tough world out there, but you can count on me to be the Number One Cheerleader for this superb place I call home. I hope to see you at many games this year – basketball, hockey, and spring sports are not too far off, despite the temperatures out there! Support our beloved university, our outstanding coaches and students, and all really will be well.

I realize that it is difficult to have a truly happy holiday if you are at all close to Newtown or are simply touched by it, as so many are, around the world. But do please have a safe and restful break, and be thankful that we are so tightly bound to each other by this great university community.

Susan Herbst

President

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

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 take on the Oakland (MI) Grizzlies at the XL Center in Hartford, CT at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast locally in Connecticut on SNY. You can also watch online for a small fee at SNYUConn.com. 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

Injuries sideline Tuck, Stokes [carl adamec – sny.com]

UConn has hoops, Newtown on its mind [carl adamec – sny.com]

Geno Auriemma Reflects On The Sandy Hook Tragedy [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Geno On Catholic School Exodus: “I Hope They All Leave Tomorrow” [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stokes Sidelined By Stress Reaction In Right Shin [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma, Huskies Affected by Sandy Hook Tragedy [rich elliott – ct post]

Huskies still reeling from tragic event in Newtown [jim fuller – new haven register]

Geno dishes on conference realignment, Jim Boeheim [jim fuller – new haven register]

Scholarship ideal way for Auriemma to memoralize shooting victims [jim fuller – new haven register]

Kiah Stokes frustrated by latest injury [jim fuller – new haven register]

No. 2 Women's Basketball Welcomes Oakland on Wednesday [uconnhuskies.com]

Geno Auriemma, Mike Krzyzewski Share 2012 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year Award [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn women feel heartbreak of Newtown tragedy [ct post]

UConn Women Resume, But Team Is Focused On Newtown [hartford courant]

Geno Says Good Riddance To Schools Fleeing Big East [hartford courant]

Huskies have heavy hearts on game day [new haven register]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Jim Calhoun Speaks Candidly on Sandy Hook, Gun Control [david borges – new haven register]

Good Ball Movement Paces Huskies [uconnhuskies.com]

Huskies Join Calhoun for 2012 Holiday Food Drive [uconnhuskies.com]

Huskies Dole Out Groceries In Hartford [hartford courant]

Three Points from Monday's win over Maryland-Eastern Shore [new haven register]

Jim Calhoun hands out holiday meals, speaks on gun control [new haven register]

UConn Football links

UConn recruiting target a JUCO All-American [jim fuller – new haven register]

Next For UConn Football? Get The Recruits [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Alvarez, Blake, Diouf, Sanchez In TopDrawerSoccer.com Top-100 [uconnhuskies.com]

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

While we are STILL waiting to hear what's going on with the Mike Napoli deal, the Boston Red Sox made the signing of Koji Uehara official on Tuesday.

Here's the release from the Red Sox:

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today signed right-handed pitcher Koji Uehara to a one-year contract through the 2013 season.  In 37 relief appearances for the Texas Rangers last season, Uehara had a career-low 1.75 ERA (7 ER), ranking fifth among American Leaguers with at least 30.0 innings.  He also posted the third-highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.33) and the fourth-lowest WHIP (0.64) in modern Major League history (since 1900).

Uehara (pronounced EW-eh-hara), 37, recorded 43 strikeouts compared to three walks over 36.0 innings in 2012.  His 14.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio trailed only Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley (18.33 in 1989, 18.25 in 1990) among all-time single-season leaders.

He held right-handed batters to a .125 average (7-for-56) last season, the fourth-lowest mark among Major Leaguers with at least 50 batters faced.  Among AL pitchers against right-handed hitters, he also ranked tied for second in opponent OPS (.369) and sixth in opponent slugging (.214).  

Following a 10-year career in Japan, Uehara was signed as an international free agent by the Orioles in 2009 and made 12 starts that year.  Since shifting to the bullpen in 2010, he leads all Major Leaguers with a 10.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio (183 K/17 BB) and has averaged 11.36 strikeouts per nine innings (145.0 IP), the third-highest mark among American Leaguers with at least 125.0 innings over that time. 

Over the last three years, he has held right-handers to a .177 batting average (47-for-265), third in the AL during that time (minimum of 200 batters faced).  He posted a 0.72 WHIP or lower in consecutive seasons (0.72 in 2011, 0.64 in 2012), becoming just the second big leaguer ever to accomplish the feat along with Eckersley in 1989 and 1990.

The Osaka, Japan native, who was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2011, is 5-9 with 14 saves, 35 holds, and a 2.89 ERA (68 ER/211.2 IP) while striking out 231 compared to 29 walks in 157 appearances over four Major League seasons with the Orioles (2009-11) and the Rangers (2011-12). Among Japanese-born pitchers in the Majors, his 0.92 career WHIP and 1.23 walks per nine innings are the lowest such rates ever, while his 9.82 strikeouts per nine innings is second all time to Takashi Saito (minimum of 200.0 IP).

He appeared in three postseason games for the Rangers in 2011 and tossed a scoreless frame for Texas in the 2012 American League Wild Card game.

In his 10 seasons (1999-2008) for the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Central League, Uehara compiled a 112-62 record with 33 saves, a 3.01 ERA (518 ER/1,549.0 IP) and 1,376 strikeouts.  He led the NPB in wins in 1999 and 2002, ERA in 1999 and 2004, and strikeouts in 1999 and 2003.

An eight-time NPB All-Star (1999-2005, 2007), he was named the Central League Rookie of the Year in 1999, along with winning the Sawamura Award as the NPB’s top pitcher, the Golden Glove Award, and being named to the Top Nine Award as NPB’s best all-around starting pitcher in both 1999 and 2002.  He led the Giants to the Japan Series championship in 2000 and 2002.

He also participated in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games for Team Japan, and helped lead his country to the gold medal at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Uehara will wear No. 19.  With the signing, the Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 40.

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

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.

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

UConn Women's Basketball links

UConn game at Stanford sold out [carl adamec – sny.com]

Dailey To Be Inducted In State Hall of Fame [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn Women Feeling A Particular Loss [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stokes, Tuck Will Not Play Vs. Oakland [rich elliott – ct post]

No introductions necessary for Rizzotti [jim fuller – new haven register]

Amber Bepko, Hartford excited at chance to host Huskies [new haven register]

Being independent no easy task [espnw]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Kevin Ollie’s Take [dom amore – hartford courant]

Wrapping Things Up from XL [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn Honored Newtown Victims Both as Team and Individually Monday Night [david borges – new haven register]

UConn 84, Maryland Eastern Shore 50 [kevin duffy – ct post]

Notes/Quotes from UMES: “We’re going to continue to not just have moments, but have a movement where we can stop this violence.” [kevin duffy – ct post]

Post game breakdown, video: Maryland-Eastern Shore [gavin keefe – the day]

UConn takes care of UMES [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

UConn 84, UMES 50 [john silver – journal inquirer]

Shore Thing [uconn huskies basketball]

Second-half run keys UConn blowout win [ct post]

UConn's frontcourt must improve [ct post]

UConn Tops Maryland Eastern Shore, 84-50 [hartford courant]

Huskies Still Getting Beat Under The Boards [hartford courant]

Huskies Pay Tribute To Newtown Victims [hartford courant]

Spirited victory [journal inquirer]

State of mourning [journal inquirer]

Huskies march past Maryland-Eastern Shore on somber night [new haven register]

Huskies deliver a win in tribute to Sandy Hook [the day]

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