Here’s a press release from ESPN officially announcing the Armed Forces Classic featuring the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team taking on the Michigan State Spartans at Ramstein Air Base in Germany:

ESPN announced the creation of the Armed Forces Classic, a series of Division I college men’s basketball games to be played on military bases overseas. Ramstein Air Base in Germany is the inaugural location, with the University of Connecticut and Michigan State University playing in a C-5 transport airplane hangar on the base.

The game will be televised Friday, Nov. 9, with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The event is part of ESPN’s Veteran’s Week initiative honoring the men and women who are serving and who have served in the United States military, both at home and abroad.

While in Germany, Connecticut and Michigan State players and coaches will be visiting servicemen and women at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. They will also conduct a basketball clinic for children at Ramstein Air Base.

In the first regular-season college game ever played in Europe, three-time NCAA champion Connecticut will feature three German players on its roster. Freshman Leon Tolksdorf (Berlin) joins fellow Germans Niels Giffey (Berlin) and Enosch Wolf (Goettingen).

“We at the University of Connecticut are honored and humbled to be asked to participate in such a terrific event as the first Armed Forces Classic,” said Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie. “Being able to travel overseas and play for the brave men and women in our military to whom we owe so much is an unbelievable opportunity for our basketball program and we are extremely thankful to ESPN for including us. The fact that the game will be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany makes it more exciting for our team, since our roster includes three young men who are German citizens, but all our student-athletes are looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Michigan State is coming off its 14^th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance, including winning the 2000 national title. Head coach Tom Izzo participated in Operation Hardwood in 2005 and 2006, traveling to Kuwait to coach teams of American service members.

“This is another amazing opportunity for Spartan basketball and Michigan State University,” said Izzo. “I’m thankful that ESPN reached out to us to be a part of this great event. Being a part in the first college basketball game to be played on a military base overseas is truly an honor. Playing in the Carrier Classic on the USS Carl Vinson last season provided memories that will last a lifetime, as the historic event was so much more than just a basketball game. The opportunity to honor the great men and women of the US Armed Forces was a humbling experience, as we felt that we got so much more in return than we gave. To now have the opportunity to take our game overseas to servicemen and women serving to protect us is an awesome experience. I’m reminded of my trips to the US bases in Kuwait, and what a life-changing experience that was for me. Everyone associated with the Michigan State basketball program is excited for this unique opportunity.”

“We are excited to host the inaugural Armed Forces Classic at Ramstein Air Base and it’s an honor to have these championship athletes compete here overseas,” said Brig. Gen. C.K. Hyde, 86th Airlift Wing Commander. “Like a champion sports team, maintaining peak capability allows our Airmen to build and keep our competitive edge sharp.”

Future teams and game sites will be announced at a later date.

For more information on the Armed Forces Classic, visit the official web site at http://www.armedforcesclassic.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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After putting another damper on the playoff hopes of their opponent last night, the Boston Red Sox look to do it again tonight in the third game of a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Daisuke Matsuzaka looks to put together a strong start in just his 10th start of 2012. In his previous nine starts, Matsuzaka is 1-5 with a 7.14 ERA. He has not faced the Rays this season and is 2-7 with a 5.83 ERA in 13 career starts against them. Six of those starts have come at the Trop where he is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA.

Rookie Chris Archer makes his fourth start (fifth appearance) of 2012 for the Rays. In his previous four appearances (three starts), Archer is 0-3 with a 3.22 ERA. Tonight marks his first career start against the Red Sox.

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:

68-81		78-70
1. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	1. Desmond Jennings	LF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	2. B.J. Upton	CF
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Ben Zobrist	SS
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Evan Longoria	3B
5. James Loney	1B	5. Luke Scott	DH
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	DH	6. Jeff Keppinger	2B
7. Ryan Lavarnway	C	7. Matthew Joyce	RF
8. Daniel Nava	LF	8. Carlos Pena	1B
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Jose Molina	C
Daisuke Matsuzaka	SP	Chris Archer	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

Alfredo Aceves still wants to start, faces uncertain future with Red Sox [clubhouse insider]

First pitch: Coaching staff should be clean slate for Valentine’s replacement [csn new england]

Valentine sticks with Iglesias for now [espn boston]

Down the stretch they come in the AL East [extra bases]

Taking a deeper look at Lavarnway [extra bases]

Red Sox will wait for roster additions [extra bases]

Red Sox Minor League Roundup: The end of 2012 (sort of) arrives … at least for some [full count]

Bobby Valentine defends decision to pinch-hit for Jose Iglesias on The Big Show [full count]

Jacoby Ellsbury Heating Up As Red Sox Look to Inflict More Pain on Reeling Rays [nesn.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Returning to Last Season’s Impressive Form After Playing Catch-Up Following Injury [nesn.com]

Lester nominated for Clemente Award [projo sox blog]

Breslow excelling with Sox [projo sox blog]

Reinforcements to come Friday [projo sox blog]

Dice-K gets call against slumping Rays [redsox.com]

The last days of the Bobby V. error [touching all the bases]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

The dream of a .500 season for the Boston Red Sox is still alive. Of course they’ll still need to win their final 13 games of the season.

For the second straight night, the Red Sox played spoiler to playoff hopes of the Tampa Bay Rays as they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 7-5 win in front of a large crowd at Tropicana Field (11,502).

With that loss for the Rays, they fall six games behind in the AL East and the AL Wild Card standings behind the the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles who are tied for first and tied for the second AL Wild Card spot behind the Oakland A’s. The Orioles moved into a tie for first with their 18 inning win over the Seattle Mariners while the Yankees were rained out against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Given the way the 3rd inning was going for Felix Doubront, you would have thought there was no way he would last six innings never mind pick up his 11th win of the season.

He started the inning by striking out Chris Gimenez then issued three straight walks to Sean Rodriguez, Desmond Jennings and B.J. Upton. Ben Zobrist followed that up with two-run single and then Evan Longoria‘s sacrifice fly made it 3-0. Doubront avoided any further trouble by getting Jeff Keppinger to ground into a fielder’s choice.

The Red Sox battled back one run at a time.

Cody Ross led off the 4th with a double and came into score one batter later on a James Loney single. In the 5th, they chased Jeremy Hellickson from the game.

Hellickson walked Jose Iglesias then gave up a single to Pedro Ciriaco. Jacoby Ellsbury followed that up with a single to score Iglesias. Jake McGee came in and was greeted by a Dustin Pedroia sac fly that tied the game up at 3.

They went ahead for good in the 6th when they took advantage of a throwing error. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway added insurance in the 7th with an RBI single and two-run double respectively. The insurance was needed as the bullpen gave up two runs in the bottom half.

It’s nice to see the Red Sox playing some good baseball right now. While it’s not pretty at times, they are out there battling and doing their collective best to play spoiler. Let’s just hope this continues.

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

Felix Doubront aims to finish strong [boston herald]

Alfredo Aceves’ time may not be up [boston herald]

When adding bat, it’s OK to think big [boston herald]

John Lackey keeps looking better [boston herald]

Knuckleball heroes unite! [boston herald]

Valentine: ‘I hope it works well for [Bogar]’ [rob bradford – weei.com]

Middlebrooks begins throwing program [rob bradford – weei.com]

Sox win again in Tampa Bay, 7-5 [csn new england]

Lackey throws in simulated game, won’t pitch Majors in 2012 [csn new england]

Doubront settles down, earns first win since July 18 [csn new england]

Notes: Long rest for Aceves; Lavarnway gains experience [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 7, Rays 5 [espn boston]

Doubront battles, breaks winless stretch [espn boston]

Ryan Lavarnway has reached a milestone he called one of his ‘highest priorities’ [full count]

Felix Doubront Needs to Take Next Step, Evolve From Groundhog Day Outings of 2012 [nesn.com]

Matsuzaka looking forward to improvement [projo sox blog]

Middlebrooks plays catch, but can’t swing bat yet [redsox.com]

Lackey to pitch during instructional league game [redsox.com]

As season winds down, Ellsbury heating up [redsox.com]

Tazawa looks like an elite setup man [redsox.com]

Lester is Boston’s nominee for Clemente Award [redsox.com]

Bogar to interview for Astros’ manager job [redsox.com]

The scouting adventure that led Red Sox to Junichi Tazawa [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, head over to the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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

photo credit: getty images

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

DC answered a plethora of questions in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Irish AD: Fenway reports ‘inaccurate’ [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Teammates react to Jesse Joseph’s season-ending injury [jim fuller – new haven register]

Robert McClain making an impact in Atlanta [jim fuller – new haven register]

Tuesday presser- Western Michigan [john silver – sny.com]

Norris leads group effort for UConn to replace Joseph [ct post]

No TV For Saturday’s UConn Game [hartford courant]

Notre Dame AD Says Reports Of Fenway Game With UConn ‘Inaccurate’ [hartford courant]

All the waiting was worth it for UConn’s Wirth [the day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Auriemma, Ollie To Speak At Jimmy V Dinner [john altavilla – hartford courant]

President Obama’s Words To The Minnesota Lynx [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Banks eager to contribute in second season [new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Clearing Out The UConn Notebook … [dom amore – hartford courant]

Xavier Rathan-Mayes Will Make Official Visit to UConn Sept. 27 [david borges – new haven register]

Reggie Cameron Talks About His Final 7 Schools [david borges – new haven register]

Other UConn related links

M. Tennis. Men’s Tennis Match Rescheduled To Thursday At 2:30 p.m. [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Golf. UConn Finishes 6th At Adams Cup Of Newport [uconnhuskies.com]

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

Here’s the release from UConn about UConn Huskies football players Yawin Smallwood and Nick Williams picking up more weekly honors from their performances in Saturday’s win over the Maryland Terrapins.

STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut redshirt sophomore linebacker Yawin Smallwood (Worcester, Mass.) picked up three more honors on Tuesday for his performance in UConn’s 24-21 win over Maryland on Saturday.

Smallwood was named the Football Writers Association of America/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, the Chuck Bednarik Defensive Player of the Week from the Maxwell Football Club of Southampton, Pa. and the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week. On Monday, Smallwood was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week.

UConn senior returner Nick Williams (East Windsor, N.J.) was named the ECAC Player of the Week after earning the same award from the BIG EAST on Monday.

Smallwood made 14 tackles (five more than any other player in the game) in the win. Those tackles included 3.5 for losses. He also forced a fumble that led to a Connecticut field goal. The 6-3, 235-pound Smallwood is tied for the major-college lead in tackles for loss per game (3.0) after three games. He is eighth nationally in sacks (1.3 a game).

Williams accounted for 112 all-purpose yards, including a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown. On a day in which the Huskies’ offense was held to just 223 yards, Williams helped Connecticut’s cause with 52 yards on two kickoff returns and 60 yards on two punt returns.

Smallwood will be added to the 2012 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. Five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be announced by the Football Writers Association of America on Nov. 15. The winner will be revealed on Dec. 3 during a banquet at the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The Maxwell Football Club annually presents the Maxwell Player of the Year Award and the Chuck Bednarik Defensive Player of the Year Award.

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

After winning 5-2 last night, the Boston Red Sox look to continue to play spoiler in the second game of a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Felix Doubront looks to keep his record above .500 in his 27th start of 2012. In his previous 26 starts, Doubront is 10-9 with a 5.11 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Rays this season and is 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA (5 ER/10.2 IP). In his career, Doubront has made six appearances (three starts) against the Rays and is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA. Five of those appearances (two starts) have come at the Trop where he is 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA.

Jeremy Hellickson looks to keep the Rays alive in the playoff race in his 28th start of the season. In his previous 27 starts, Hellickson is 8-10 with a 3.22 ERA. He’s made four starts against the visiting nine this season and is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA. Hellickson has made nine career appearances (eight starts) against the Red Sox and is 3-2 with a 4.29 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:

67-81		78-69
1. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	1. Desmond Jennings	LF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	2. B.J. Upton	CF
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Ben Zobrist	SS
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Evan Longoria	DH
5. James Loney	1B	5. Jeff Keppinger	1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Ben Francisco	RF
7. Ryan Lavarnway	DH	7. Ryan Roberts	2B
8. Scott Podsednik	LF	8. Chris Gimenez	C
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Sean Rodriguez	3B
Felix Doubront	SP	Jeremy Hellickson	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

John Lackey set to pitch intrasquad game Sunday in Fort Myers [clubhouse insider]

First pitch: Tazawa a revelation for Red Sox [csn new england]

PawSox play for Triple-A title tonight [espn boston]

Bogar to meet with Astros on Wednesday [espn boston]

Lackey’s latest session goes well [espn boston]

Hits and misses for the 2012 Red Sox [extra bases]

Bogar to interview with Astros on Wednesday [extra bases]

Podcast: Conversation with Jim Kaat [extra bases]

Pre-game notes from the Trop [extra bases]

Potential Red Sox draftees: Stanford RHP Mark Appel [full count]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia Adjusts in Batter’s Box, Behind Plate to Keep Up With Rigors of Everyday Catching [nesn.com]

Red Sox Have to Make Due With Trying to Spoil Seasons of Rays, Other AL East Foes [nesn.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury’s Future With Red Sox Another Intriguing Storyline for Offseason Sure to Contain Many [don orsillo – nesn.com]

As one LaRoche takes field in title game, other LaRoche might be in Red Sox sights [projo sox blog]

Bogar to interview for Astros opening [projo sox blog]

Doubront confident as he prepares to face Rays [redsox.com]

PawSox trying to earn first Triple-A crown in 28 years [redsox.com]

Bogar to interview for Astros’ manager job [redsox.com]

Tim Wakefield, Larger Than Life: An Interview with the Directors of “Knuckleball!” [surviving grady]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

UConn Huskies women’s basketball juniors Bria Hartley, Stefanie Dolson and sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis have been named to the 2012-13 Preseason Wade Watch List.

Here’s the release from the WBCA:

ATLANTA (September 18, 2012) – Baylor center Brittney Griner, the 2012 State Farm® Wade Trophy winner, headlines the 2012-13 preseason “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the prestigious award, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

Connecticut leads all schools with three players on the 25-member preseason list. Five schools – defending national champion Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Nebraska and Penn State – are represented by two players each.

Now in its 36th year, the State Farm Wade Trophy is named in honor of the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. Regarded as “The Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” the award is presented annually to the NCAA® Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) and the WBCA.

The preseason list is composed of top NCAA Division I women’s basketball players who best embody Wade’s spirit from 18 institutions and eight conferences. A committee of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States compiled the list using the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins, Delaware’s Elena Della Donne and Georgetown’s Sugar Rodgers join Griner on the preseason list for the third straight year. Alex Bentley of Penn State, Carolyn Davis of Kansas, Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley of Connecticut, Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford and Odyssey Sims of Baylor are making their second appearance on the list.

The BIG EAST Conference placed seven players on the preseason list, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences with five each, the Atlantic Coast Conference with three, the Southeastern Conference with two, and the Colonial Athletic Association and Ohio Valley and Pac-12 conferences with one each.

To see the full list of candidates, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Here is the complete list of preseason candidates for the 2013 State Farm Wade Trophy in alphabetical order:

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