After losing yet again last night, the Boston Red Sox look to avoid being swept again this afternoon in the finale of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Zach Stewart makes his second start in a Red Sox uniform and third overall (20th appearance) this season. In his previous 19 appearances (two starts) with the White Sox and Red Sox, Stewart is 1-3 with a 7.91 ERA. Both of his appearances against the Orioles this season came as a member of the White Sox in which he was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA (1 ER/2 IP). He’s made three appearances (one start) against the Orioles and is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9 IP).

Joe Saunders makes his seventh start for the Orioles and 28th overall this season. In his six starts with the Orioles, Saunders is 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA. In his combined 27 starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Orioles, he is 8-13 with a 4.09 ERA. He last faced the Red Sox in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim when he he took the loss after allowing seven runs in four innings of work. Saunders has made nine career starts against the Red Sox and is 4-2 with a 4.17 ERA.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

69-89		91-67
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Nate McLouth	LF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. J.J. Hardy	SS
3. Cody Ross	RF	3. Chris Davis	RF
4. Mauro Gomez	1B	4. Adam Jones	CF
5. Danny Valencia	3B	5. Matt Wieters	C
6. Ryan Lavarnway	C	6. Jim Thome	DH
7. Daniel Nava	LF	7. Mark Reynolds	1B
8. Pedro Ciriaco	DH	8. Ryan Flaherty	2B
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Manny Machado	3B
Zach Stewart	SP	Joe Saunders	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES:

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

Birds continue to have Sox’ number [boston herald]

Infield partnership [boston herald]

Niemann pleased to have dream job [boston herald]

Repeat after me: Just four games left, just four games left … [clubhouse insider]

Orioles clip Red Sox, 4-3 [csn new england]

Doubront proves to be viable starter [csn new england]

Ellsbury returns; Melancon showing improvement [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Orioles 4, Red Sox 3 [espn boston]

What ails Ells? Jacoby Ellsbury returned to Boston Red Sox after missing 6 games, but wouldn’t say. [espn boston]

Baltimore’s man of the year [extra bases]

Felix Doubront Offers Silver Living For Future After Maturing Throughout the Year [nesn.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Back in Lineup as Boston Tries to Salvage Final Game of Orioles Series [nesn.com]

Mark Melancon Says Becoming More ‘Fiery’ Is What Has Fueled Shutdown September [nesn.com]

Stewart looking to redeem himself in second Red Sox start [projo sox blog]

Ellsbury refuses to disclose nature of injury [projo sox blog]

Arnie Beyeler was the last manager to see Mike Trout struggle [projo sox blog]

Saltalamacchia staying with his plate approach [projo sox blog]

Stewart aims to slow down O’s in series finale [redsox.com]

Valentine an admirer of O’s legend Robinson [redsox.com]

After attitude adjustment, Melancon on strong run [redsox.com]

Ellsbury bats leadoff in return to lineup [redsox.com]

Scouting Scratch: Notes from The Fort [soxprospects.com]

Ellsbury: ‘Numbers will be there’ with ABs [alex speier – weei.com]

Building block: Why Felix Doubront’s future looks very bright [alex speier – weei.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

This was one of the those games where you wanted to see the UConn Huskies blow out the team they were playing. It was the final non-conference game against a team in the Buffalo Bulls that has struggled for the most part.

Instead, it was like a roller coaster ride where the Huskies had to hang on for dear life to pull out a 24-17 win over the Bulls in front of 34,666 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT on Saturday afternoon.

A win is a win though as UConn improves to 3-2. Buffalo falls to 1-3.

The Huskies were up by a comfortable margin in the game when things changed. UConn became conservative on offense, not calling the same type of plays that got them out to the lead.

In the meantime, the Bulls turned to a little offensive trickery to get back in the game.

Late in the third quarter, Alex Zordich threw a four yard pass to his top receiver Alex Neutz. He then pitched the ball on the hook and ladder to runnng back Brandon Murie who took it to the house for a touchdown to cut UConn’s lead to 24-14. The Bulls would add a late field goal in the 4th quarter to cut the margin to seven.

They attempted an onsides kick that UConn recovered with 2:23 left in the game. But the Huskies couldn’t get a first down and had to punt the ball away. UConn’s defense came up strong though as Yawin Smallwood stopped Zordich on a fourth down play to secure the win.

It took a few series for the UConn offense to get going but once they did, they looked good again like they did in the second half in last week’s loss. When they let Chandler Whitmer throw the ball, they are a better offense. They actually abandoned the wildcat this week as well.

The offensive line had been much maligned over the past few weeks as they weren’t able to do much with the run block and pass protection. They looked like an entirely different unit though. Pass blocking was much better than last week even with Whitmer getting sacked three times. And the Huskies ran for over 100 yards again this week led by Lyle McCombs’ 97 yards and Martin Hyppolite’s 60 yards.

The Bulls were without their top running back in Brandon Oliver but they still managed to run for 141 yards against one of the nation’s best run defenses. Zordich led the way with 76 yards as the Huskies are still unable to figure out what to do against a running quarterback.

UConn now enters Big East play and if the play calling doesn’t change, it could be a long rest of the season for the Huskies. They can’t just sit back like they did in the second half. They also need to stop running McCombs up the middle. He is and was more effective running outside then inside.

But as a I said above, a win is a win. Three more wins in Big East play and the Huskies are bowl eligible.

Scoring:

1st quarter

CON – 10:10 – Chad Christen 29 Yd Field Goal

BUF – 06:12 – Brandon Murie 4 Yd Run (Patrick Clarke Kick)

2nd quarter

CON – 14:54 – Ryan Griffin 36 Yd Pass From Chandler Whitmer (Chad Christen Kick)

CON – 10:56 – Martin Hyppolite 50 Yd Run (Chad Christen Kick)

3rd quarter

CON – 05:03 Lyle McCombs 2 Yd Run (Chad Christen Kick)

BUF – 00:33 – Brandon Murie 50 Yd Pass From Alex Zordich (Patrick Clarke Kick)

4th quarter

BUF – 02:32 – Patrick Clarke 44 Yd Field Goal

To continue reading, the NC State Wolfpack @ UConn Huskies recap, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Offensive Player of the Game:

Martin Hyppolite had six rushes for 60 yards, including a touchdown on a 50 yard run

Defensive Player of the Game:

It was Jory Johnson’s turn to have a big game at the linebacker position for the Huskies. He finished the game with 14 tackles (five solo, nine assisted), including two for a total loss of four yards.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

Yawin Smallwood stopped Buffalo quarterback Alex Zordich on fourth down late in the game to secure the Huskies win.

Offensive Notes:

Chandler Whitmer was 15-of-22 for 227 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times. Lyle McCombs had 29 rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 33 yards. Martin Hyppolite had six carries for 60 yards, including a 50 yard touchdown run. Nick Williams led all receivers with four catches for 57 yards. Geremy Davis and Michael Smith each had two catches for 32 yards and 26 yards respectively. Ryan Griffin’s one catch in the game was good for a 36 yard touchdown.

Defensive Notes:

Jory Johnson led the Huskies with 14 tackles (five solo, nine assisted), including two for a loss for four yards. Yawin Smallwood had 11 tackles (five solo, six assisted) while Trevardo Williams had seven tackles and the only sack the Huskies had on the afternoon. Byron Jones had seven tackles and Ty-Meer Brown had the only interception of the day for UConn to go along with his five tackles.

Special Teams Notes:

Sio Moore recovered a fumble when Buffalo punter Tyler Grassman mishandled the snap. Chad Christen made all three of his extra point attempts and made his only field goal attempt from 29 yards. Cole Wagner averaged 34.6 yards on eight points. Five of those punts were downed in side the 20 with one going for a touchback.

Injuries:

There were no injuries that I saw for Huskies.

Officials:

Referee: Alex Kemp; Umpire: Jim Krogstad; Linesman: Bob Bassett; Line judge: Jeff Szink; Back judge: Dennis Morris; Field judge: John Roggeman; Side judge: Don Swanson

Game Notes:

Buffalo Bulls @ UConn Huskies 9.29.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni and Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn as well as players from both teams.

UConn’s starters for the game were:

OFFENSE

DEFENSE:

Here are the postgame notes courtesy of the UConn Sports Information department:

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Chandler Whitmer completed 15-of-22 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown. He had completions to eight different receivers. His 36-yard pass to redshirt senior tight end Ryan Griffin was a career long for Whitmer.
• Griffin’s second quarter 36-yard touchdown was his longest reception of the season.  It was his second touchdown of the season and the sixth of his career. The six touchdown receptions place him tied for fifth in career history among all UConn tight ends.
• Senior Trevardo Williams had a sack in the second quarter. It now gives him 25.5 for his career, ranking him second all-time in Connecticut history and improves him to 34.5 tackles for loss. This places him ninth all time among tackles for loss.  Williams entered the contest seventh in the nation in sacks per game.
• Redshirt junior Martin Hyppolite’s second quarter touchdown was 50 yards a career long. Prior to that rush he had seven carries for ten yards in his career. Hyppolite finished with a career best 60 yards rushing on six carries.
• Redshirt sophomore Ty-Meer Brown’s second quarter interception was the fourth of his career.
• Redshirt junior Punter Cole Wagner’s first punt of the game was down in the 20. He now has eleven punts down inside the 20 this season and four for the game.
• Redshirt senior linebacker Jory Johnson registered a career high fourteen tackles including two for loss.
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Yawin Smallwood, who entered the game first in the BIG EAST and fourth in the nation in tackles, registered 11 in the contest.
• Redshirt sophomore Lyle McCombs third quarter touchdown is his fourth of the year, and the eleventh of his career.
• Senior Nick Williams’ four receptions tied his career high set last week at Western Michigan.
• The win gives the Huskies a record of 19-4 all-time against MAC schools.
• The touchdown scored by Buffalo in the first quarter, was the first first quarter touchdown allowed by the Huskies this season.
• The Huskies’ 92-yard drive in the first quarter was the longest of the season for Connecticut.
• The Huskies played turnover-free football while forcing two turnovers by the Bulls.

Big East Games and Results:

Saturday, September 29

Virginia Tech 24
Cincinnati 27

(4) Florida State 30
South Florida 17

(19) Louisville 21
Southern Miss 17

Things to Work On:

Better game plan if leading. They can’t be conservative like they were in the second half.

Get Martin Hyppolite more carries. He’s a different type of back than Lyle McCombs and could provide a change up to the running game when it’s needed.

Up Next:

UConn heads down to Piscataway, NJ next Saturday to open up Big East play against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.

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

Photo credit: john woike – hartford courant (no. 3, no. 8 in gallery)

After being spanked last night, the Boston Red Sox look to avoid that fate again tonight in the second game of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Felix Doubront looks for a strong finish to the season in his 29th start of 2012. In his previous 28 starts, Doubront is 11-9 with a 4.91 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Orioles this season and is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA (3 ER/13 IP). Doubront has made five career appearances (two starts) against the O’s and is 0-1 with a 2.81 ERA. He’s made two career appearances (one start) at Camden Yards and is 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA (4 ER/7 IP).

Rookie Steve Johnson makes his fourth start (12th appearance) of 2012 for the Orioles. In his previous 11 appearances (three starts), Johnson is 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA. His lone appearance against the Red Sox came back on August 16th when he fired two scoreless innings of relief at Camden Yards.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

69-88		90-67
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Nate McLouth	LF
2. Scott Podsednik	LF	2. J.J. Hardy	SS
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Adam Jones	CF
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Matt Wieters	C
5. Mauro Gomez	1B	5. Chris Davis	RF
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Mark Reynolds	1B
7. Ryan Lavarnway	DH	7. Manny Machado	3B
8. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	8. Lew Ford	DH
9. Mike Aviles	SS	9. Robert Andino	2B
Felix Doubront	SP	Steve Johnson	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES:

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

Francona to interview for Indians manager job next week [csn new england]

Ellsbury back after missing 6 games [espn boston]

Sox to hire talent evaluator Eddie Bane [espn boston]

Ellsbury returns to the Red Sox lineup [extra bases]

How the Indians helped turn Terry Francona into a managerial star [full count]

Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and All That’s Good About NFL Means Red Sox Season Can Officially End [nesn.com]

Bobby Valentine Says He’d ‘Have Been Better Off This Year’ if He Had Listened to Advice About Josh Beckett [nesn.com]

Orioles Look to Take Advantage of Red Sox Offensive Woes [nesn.com]

Arnie Beyeler was the last manager to see Mike Trout struggle [projo sox blog]

Ellsbury returns to Red Sox lineup [projo sox blog]

Melancon reaching back for more velocity [projo sox blog]

Doubront looks to duplicate gem vs. Orioles [redsox.com]

Lester: 2012 much worse than 2011 for Sox [alex speier – weei.com]

Bobby V: Ellsbury ‘never quite hit stride’ [alex speier – weei.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

The one problem with pitchers who throw a sinker is that when the pitch doesn’t sink, it usually ends up being a long night for them and their team. And that’s exactly what happened last night for Aaron Cook and the Boston Red Sox.

The Baltimore Orioles continued their magical run as they got six runs in the first inning on their way to a 9-1 win over the visiting team from Boston.

The win for the O’s allowed them to keep pace in the AL East race with the New York Yankees who also won last night. The O’s remain one game behind the Yankees. The O’s are still atop the AL Wild Card standings and are 1/2 game ahead of the Oakland A’s for the top spot.

The only hit the Red Sox managed last night came with the first batter of the game, Scott Podsednik. And it came on a bunt. It also led to their first run of the game as he was able to advance to second on a throwing error. He went to third on a Pedro Ciriaco sacrifice bunt and came in to score on a Dustin Pedroia sac fly.

After that Chris Tillman allowed only two base runners to reach. He walked Daniel Nava in the third inning and Dustin Pedroia in the fourth inning.

To sum up last night, it was just a microcosm of the way the season has gone for the Red Sox.

Last night on Twitter, one thing was evident. While you never want to root against your own team, just about everyone was rooting for the Orioles.

The reason is quite simple.

No one wants to see the Yankees win the AL East. Everyone wants the O’s to win it. You can include me in that group.

How great would it be to see Yankees fans sweating out the rest of the season and their team end up in the one game playoff for the AL Wild Card.

Let’s hope that happens!

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Same old result here for Sox [boston herald]

In need of Tek relief [boston herald]

Blast from the past [boston herald]

Orioles make short work of Cook, 9-1 [csn new england]

Losses bring Sox closer to protected draft pick [csn new england]

Red Sox role reversal; Ellsbury close to return; Cook gets fried [csn new england]

More brushfires for John Farrell [espn boston]

Orioles make short work of Sox [espn boston]

Miguel Tejada to play in Dominican, but will Manny Ramirez? [full count]

Orioles Beat Down Red Sox Via Long Ball on One Year Anniversary of Game 162 Loss [nesn.com]

David Ortiz Hopes Red Sox Follow Model From 2004 World Series-Winning Team [nesn.com]

Red Sox have almost clinched protected first-round draft pick [projo sox blog]

Iglesias to spend winter training, not playing baseball [redsox.com]

Ellsbury sits again, set for Saturday return [redsox.com]

On anniversary of collapse, Sox not seeking revenge [redsox.com]

A year later, Red Sox still at a loss to explain 2011 swoon [alex speier – weei.com]

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

And if you must check out the enemy news, be sure to head over to the Baltimore Sun and MASN websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother the Oriole Post for all of your Orioles needs.

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

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team as they’ll host the Buffalo Bulls at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. If you missed our Buffalo Bulls vs UConn Huskies preview, be sure to check it out.

UConn Football links

Did you know? Big East Week 5 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Bulls not running at full strength [john silver – sny.com]

UConn-Buffalo: Will Huskies pass the test? [john silver – sny.com]

UConn football looks to bounce back against Buffalo [ct post]

Sio Moore Says UConn Must Improve Its Focus Against Buffalo Saturday [hartford courant]

Fake ID [journal inquirer]

Geremy Davis, Chandler Whitmer form dynamic duo [new haven register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Special night for former Huskies [jim fuller – new haven register]

Motion filed to dismiss lawsuit against Geno Auriemma [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Xavier Rathan-Mayes Skipped UConn Visit to Study for SAT’s, His Dad Says [david borges – new haven register]

Ollie In Chicago Making Pitch To Top Recruit [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Cross Country. Huskies Head to Griak Invite [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Women’s Ice Hockey Season Starts at Union [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. No. 2 Huskies Ready For No. 8 Notre Dame Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Ruutu Lifts Connecticut to 3-2 Victory Over DePaul [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. No. 5 Field Hockey Improves to 10-0 With 4-2 Win Over PC [uconnhuskies.com]

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

After a day off on Thursday, the Boston Red Sox head out on the the road for the final six games of their miserable 2012 season. They’ll kick it off tonight with the first game of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Aaron Cook toes the rubber for the 18th tim in what most likely will be the final time in a Red Sox uniform this season. In his previous 17 starts, Cook is 4-10 with a 5.13 ERA. His three career starts against the Orioles have come this season in which he is 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA. He took the loss in his lone Camden Yards start where he allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.

Chris Tillman makes his 14th start of 2012 for skipper Buck Showalter. In his previous 13 starts, Tillman is 8-2 with a 3.08 ERA. He’s made two starts against the visiting nine from Boston this season and has no record with a 3.38 ERA (4 ER/10.2 IP). Tillman has made four career starts against the Red Sox and is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

69-87		89-67
1. Scott Podsednik	CF	1. Nate McLouth	LF
2. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	2. J.J. Hardy	SS
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Chris Davis	RF
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Adam Jones	CF
5. James Loney	1B	5. Jim Thome	DH
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	DH	6. Mark Reynolds	1B
7. Ryan Lavarnway	C	7. Manny Machado	3B
8. Daniel Nava	LF	8. Ryan Flaherty	2B
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Taylor Teagarden	C
Aaron Cook	SP	Chris Tillman	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES:

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

Varitek: Not saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to managing [rob bradford – weei.com]

Varitek starts his new career with Red Sox [csn new england]

Leiter warned Bobby V about Beckett [espn boston]

Jason Varitek reflects on a new role with the Red Sox [extra bases]

Ellsbury out again, but not shut down [extra bases]

Francona interested in the Indians [extra bases]

Red Sox Notes: An infamous anniversary; Jacoby Ellsbury nears return; Will Middlebrooks hits off a tee [full count]

Varitek on duties as special assistant: ‘It’s a huge gray area’ [projo sox blog]

Middlebrooks takes first swings since injury [projo sox blog]

Valentine: Ellsbury “should be in there tomorrow” [projo sox blog]

Overhauled Red Sox not out for revenge against Baltimore [projo sox blog]

Sox can turn tables on AL Wild Card-leading O’s [redsox.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

With the Boston Red Sox having been out of the playoff races in the AL essentially since the middle of the season, we’ve been waiting for them to play spoiler this late in the season. As we all know, they haven’t been doing a good job of it.

And as they head to Baltimore for a weekend matchup with the Orioles, I think there’s a part of all of us that want the Red Sox to lay down and play dead this weekend. Before you say anything or judge me, you know you’re also secretly hoping the Orioles make the playoffs.

But wouldn’t it be better if they won the division over the New York Yankees. Could you imagine how batshi* crazy and pissed the Yankees fanbase would be if they had to play a one-game playoff.

Anyways, enough of that.

Yesterday during an interview on WEEI, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington made a comment about a possible manager search.

“I’d always rather get the decision right rather than rush it,” Cherington said. “But I think that what we know we need to do is hit the ground running in this offseason. One of the things, as I look back at last offseason, that didn’t go perfectly was simply the amount of time that we spent on the manager search and what that did to the rest of the offseason. I would like to spend less time on it this offseason, that’s for sure.”

Most of the local media alluded to the fact that this meant Bobby Valentine would be canned at the end of the season. My thoughts would be that one way to avoid having to search for a manager is to not fire Valentine. Only Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal shared that sentiment.

I’m pretty sure that if Valentine is back, Red Sox Nation as a whole would not be happy. I can only imagine what would be said.

The fact that all of his coaches are not under contract for next season can go two ways.

Valentine could stay on as skipper and then get the coaches he wants instead of ones he was basically forced to keep. Or, Cherington can fire Valentine and then hire a new manager who would be able to bring in his own guys.

I’m hoping for the latter myself.

We’ll be back later today with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Who’s next? [boston herald]

Fond memories of good ol’ days [boston herald]

It adds up to disaster [boston herald]

Sox switch in works? [boston herald]

In search of Mike Aviles: What to make of the shortstop’s lot in life [rob bradford – weei.com]

Red Sox Struggles at Fenway Park Serve as Reminder That Performing in Boston Demands Certain Intangibles [tom caron – nesn.com]

Did Cherington spill the beans on Bobby V.? [csn new england]

Kalish: ‘Im going to be ready to go next year’ [csn new england]

Gomez, fellow Sox rookies make most of down year [csn new england]

Did Cherington hint at managerial search? [espn boston]

Cherington clarifies Bobby V comments [espn boston]

Keith Foulke can finally savor Boston Red Sox’s 2004 World Series title [espn boston]

Potential Red Sox draftees: North Carolina 3B Colin Moran [full count]

Bailey appreciates compliment from Clemens [projo sox blog]

What’s wrong with Boston’s outfield arms? [projo sox blog]

The Art of Taking a Dive [surviving grady]

Winning players in a lost Red Sox season [touching all the bases]

MINOR LEAGUE LINKS

Swihart thriving this fall at instructional league [redsox.com]

Scouting Scratch: Notes from Fall Instructs [soxprospects.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN 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: ap photo

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 Football links

Paw Prints – Buffalo Bulls (1-2) @ UConn Huskies (2-2) Preview [sox & dawgs]

Buffalo’s star RB yet to practice this week [jim fuller – new haven register]

Center Alex Mateas, safety Ty-Meer Brown practicing [jim fuller – new haven register]

Smallwood added to Bednarik Award list [jim fuller – new haven register]

SNY’s Sean Mulcahy previews UConn-Buffalo [sean mulcahy – sny.com]

Brown, Mateas probable against Buffalo [john silver – sny.com]

Here’s a gif of Pasqualoni dancing Gangnam Style [the uconn blog]

Saturday Is “Connecticut Day” At Rentschler Field [uconnhuskies.com]

The Blitz: Weekly Preview Show [uconnhuskies.com]

Many Happy Returns For Nick Williams [uconnhuskies.com]

Connecticut Hosts Buffalo Saturday [bigeast.org]

Coach Trying To Get Buffalo Fired Up For UConn [hartford courant]

UConn Will Likely Face Buffalo Without Bulls’ Top Running Back [hartford courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tina Charles Named 2012 WNBA MVP [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Kevin Ollie In Chicago, Making His Pitch to Jabari Parker [dom amore – hartford courant]

Xavier Rathan-Mayes Postpones Visit to UConn [david borges – new haven register]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. No. 5 Field Hockey Puts Undefeated Record on the Line This Weekend [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Huskies Return Home, Welcome DePaul on Friday at 5:30 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Huskies Make Short Trip to St. John’s on Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Dutchwomen set to open 2012-13 campaign against Huskies [union college]

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