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 football team as they’ll take on their former head coach Randy Edsall and his Maryland Terrapins squad this afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

If you missed our UConn @ Maryland preview, be sure to check that out.

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UConn Football links

UConn hoping to get out of first gear [jim fuller – new haven register]

Report: Former UConn RB plans to sue NFL [jim fuller – new haven register]

Run game the focus [john silver – journal inquirer]

Plenty of motivation for UConn at Maryland [ct post]

Cardinals fullback Anthony Sherman has home-field advantage [espn boston]

UConn Concern Should Be Scoring, Not Settling Score Vs. Edsall [hartford courant]

Five Things To Watch in UConn-Maryland Game [hartford courant]

Huskies hope to get offensive against Maryland [new haven register]

Former coach, Edsall, looms for UConn football team [the day]

Edsall leads Terps against his former UConn team [ap]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Wolters To Be On SNY’s UConn Team [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun Interview on Sirius XM [dom amore – hartford courant]

Mailbag 9/14: Will Big East Reconsider And Allow UConn Into Garden Party? [dom amore – hartford courant]

Notes/Quotes from Gampel: “The first step to being special is believing that you’re special.” [kevin duffy – ct post]

UConn’s big day: 5 thoughts [lee lewis – republican-american]

A Busy Day One At UConn For Kevin Ollie [hartford courant]

The Final Chapter [sports on earth]

Calhoun’s style was tough to beat [espn.com]

On one-year deal with these Huskies, Ollie’s odds don’t look good [cbssports.com]

Other UConn related links

Softball. Huskies Prepare for Fall Season [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Against Notre Dame – SOLD OUT [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. No. 4/4 Huskies Rout Harvard On The Road, 6-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Shuts Down Harvard, 3-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

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

After going 1-5 on the six-game home stand, the Boston Red Sox take to the road for their next seven games. Tonight they’ll kick their road trip off with the first game of a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays in the Battle For the Basement at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Yankees television market, you can catch the game on Rogers SportsNet and TVA Sports (French broadcast). If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Daisuke Matsuzaka toes the rubber for the ninth time this season in what could probably be one of the final times in a Red Sox uniform. In his previous eight starts, Matsuzaka is 1-5 with a 7.20 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Jays this season and is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA (6 ER/7 IP). He’s had good success against them in his career as he is 7-2 with a 3.81 ERA in 14 starts. Six of those starts have come north of the border where he is 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA.

Aaron Laffey makes his 13th start (19th appearance of the season) for former Red Sox pitching coach and new manager John Farrell. In his previous 18 appearances (12 starts), Laffey is 3-5 with a 4.43 ERA. He’s basically owned the Red Sox in three starts this season as he is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA (2 ER/17.2 IP). He’s made nine career appearances (four starts) against the visiting nine and is 1-1 with a 4.13 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:

64-80		65-77
1. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	1. Rajai Davis	LF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	2. Colby Rasmus	CF
3. Mike Aviles	2B	3. Brett Lawrie	3B
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Adam Lind	1B
5. Mauro Gomez	DH	5. Yunel Escobar	SS
6. Ryan Lavarnway	C	6. Kelly Johnson	2B
7. Daniel Nava	LF	7. J.P. Arencibia	C
8. James Loney	1B	8. Moises Sierra	DH
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Anthony Gose	RF
Daisuke Matsuzaka	SP	Aaron Laffey	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

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Bobby V: ‘This is the weakest roster we’ve ever had in September’ [clubhouse insider]

Valentine: Weakest September roster in history [csn new england]

Red Sox notes: Reinforcements on the way [csn new england]

Red Sox minor league leaders for 2012 [espn boston]

Questions abound on both sides following Red Sox sale report [tony massarotti – boston globe]

Ryan Lavarnway’s Tools Do Not Include Ignorance, As Rookie Backstop Revels in Pitcher-Catcher Bond [nesn.com]

Cook, Matsuzaka only pitching because there’s no one else [projo sox blog]

Valentine congratulates PawSox, awaits call-ups [projo sox blog]

Even with cast off, Middlebrooks not planning on playing [projo sox blog]

Pedroia still away; Aviles stepping in [projo sox blog]

Dice-K starts opener with Jays in Toronto [redsox.com]

100th Anniversary Celebration of Fenway Park to Conclude with Tribute [redsox.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

If the Boston Red Sox plan on playing spoiler for the remaining 18 games of the season, they need to do a better job of it. Also, if they want to finish over .500 on the season, they need to go 18-0. 17-1 is only good enough for .500.

Scary to think about that huh. Because you and I both know that’s not happening. The last time it happened to the Red Sox was 1997 when they finished at 78-84 in the first year of the Jimy Williams era.

Last night it was the offense who failed to show up although Phil Hughes‘ stuff was good enough to probably beat anybody in the AL last night. The win for the New York Yankees also allowed them to keep pace with the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East.

For the first time since a start against the Yanks on July 29th, Doubront lasted longer than six innings. In his previous starts, he went 5, 4.1, 5, 3 and 4 innings.

Early on in the game, it didn’t look like Doubront would last that long. He was going to full counts with a majority of the hitters and building his pitch count higher and higher.

When he did get into trouble, he was bailed out by the defense for the most part.

He loaded up the bases with no outs in the 4th inning before Andruw Jones knocked in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly. He escaped the jam by getting Curtis Granderson to line out to James Loney at first who stepped on the bag for the double play. In the 7th, he got the first out before allowing a hit and a walk. He gave way to Junichi Tazawa who allowed a flare by Derek Jeter that scored the second and final run of the game.

Ironically enough, the Red Sox outhit the Yankees. They just couldn’t do anything with it. Jacoby Ellsbury, Pedro Ciriaco, Loney, Cody Ross, and Daniel Nava had the hits.

The Red Sox are now off to Toronto as they try to work themselves out of the basement. A sweep of the Blue Jays is the only way for that to happen.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take a look at the overnight links from the media.

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

Yankees throw blanks at starless Sox [boston herald]

Fans not buying on new owners [boston herald]

Guessing game for Red Sox [boston herald]

John Henry answers questions about club’s future [boston herald]

Derek Jeter a big fan of Pats’ Tom Brady [boston herald]

Don’t sell John Henry short [boston herald]

Hughes, Yankees stifle Red Sox, 2-0 [csn new england]

Doubront bounces back, Red Sox blanked [csn new england]

‘Immature’ offensive approach hurts Red Sox [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Yankees 2, Red Sox 0 [espn boston]

Questions abound on both sides following Red Sox sale report [tony massarotti – boston globe]

John Lackey Throws for Second Time, On Track to Pitch in Live Game Soon [nesn.com]

Alfredo Aceves Kept on Red Sox Roster Despite Clash With Bobby Valentine [nesn.com]

Bobby Valentine ‘Surprised’ to Learn He Set Red Sox Single-Season Ejection Record [nesn.com]

Felix Doubront Offers Hope for Future by Rebounding After String of Struggles [nesn.com]

Dustin Pedroia Will Rejoin Red Sox in Toronto, Team Glad That ‘Everybody is Doing Fine’ [nesn.com]

Inmates continue to run the Red Sox asylum [projo sox blog]

Red Sox chose well in picking delayed gratification [redsox.com]

Doubront does his part, but Sox fall to Yanks [redsox.com]

Lackey targets instructional league action [redsox.com]

Ross doesn’t expect to be suspended for arguing [redsox.com]

Pedroia out vs. Yanks to be with wife, newborn son [redsox.com]

Five Things That Mattered for the Red Sox on Thursday: Henry redefines blueprint [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 ESPN New York, New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times and The Journal News websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, NYY Stadium Insider.

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 Football links

Paw Prints – UConn Huskies (1-1) @ Maryland Terrapins (2-0) Preview [sox & dawgs]

‘Nothing personal’ between Edsall, UConn [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Video: UConn-Maryland preview [andrea adelson – espn.com]

UConn Football Updates Pre-Maryland [desmond conner – hartford courant]

DE Teddy Jennings out for year; DT Stephen will play [jim fuller – new haven register]

Thursday update: Stephen in, Jennings done [john silver – sny.com]

UConn football notebook: DT Shephen back, DE Jennings out [ct post]

UConn Gets Defensive Tackle Back For Maryland Game [hartford courant]

Maryland Terrapins-Connecticut Huskies Preview: Terps Go For 3-0, Edsall Bowl Victory [testudo times]

Preview: Connecticut Huskies at Maryland Terrapins [cbssports.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Special section on Jim Calhoun [hartford courant]

Warde Manuel, Current Players, Pat Calhoun, and Holding out Hope for Big East Tourney [david borges – new haven register]

UConn Football Coach Paul Pasqualoni Talks About Retiring UConn Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Auriemma Issues Statement On Calhoun/Ollie [rich elliott – ct post]

Former Husky Donald Thomas on Jim Calhoun [jim fuller – new haven register]

Introducing Kevin Ollie [gavin keefe – the day]

Calhoun’s UConn years [lee lewis – republican-american]

Tim Welsh and Jim Calhoun [john silver – sny.com]

Tim Welsh interviews Kevin Ollie [john silver – sny.com]

Calhoun passes the torch [john silver – sny.com]

Jim Calhoun Retirement Press Conference Transcript [uconnhuskies.com]

Changing of the guard as Kevin Ollie replaces Jim Calhoun [ct post]

Ollie: ‘I wish there was a game tomorrow’ [ct post]

For Calhoun family, retirement surreal [ct post]

Warrior Calhoun deserved a different exit [ct post]

Coaches in state react to Calhoun’s retirement [ct post]

New coach Kevin Ollie up for the challenge [ct post]

Players have no hard feelings over Jim Calhoun’s departure [new haven register]

Jim Calhoun leaves the lure of the gym, a place he called home [new haven register]

Calhoun sold hope [norwich bulletin]

‘He’s our legend’: UConn’s Jim Calhoun retires after a Hall of Fame career [the day]

For Ollie, it all began with a milkshake [the day]

‘Believe you’re special.’ Calhoun did [the hour]

Recruits on board with new UConn coach Ollie [ny post]

#76 UConn Huskies: College Basketball 111 in 111 [the sports bank]

Jim Calhoun knows it’s time to go [andy katz – espn.com]

Jim Calhoun leaves complicated legacy, but an indelible mark [si.com]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. After injuries ended his playing career, UConn Hockey assistant Dan Naurato is making a new start on the bench [the uconn blog]

Baseball. Ahmed, Schlosser Take Lynchburg Organizational Honors [oursports central]

Field Hockey. No. 5 Field Hockey Welcomes Rutgers and Yale to Storrs This Weekend [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Huskies Fall, 3-2, in BIG EAST Opener at Syracuse [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Greek Night at Gampel [uconnhuskies.com]

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

With the retirement of Jim Calhoun, there is now a new head coach at for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball program. And it’s a familiar face in Kevin Ollie.

Here’s the release from UConn:

STORRS, Conn. (September 13, 2012) — Kevin Ollie, a former UConn student-athlete who has served as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut for the past two seasons and is a 13-year NBA veteran, has been named the head men’s basketball coach at UConn.

Ollie will have a contract that runs through April 4, 2013, and will be paid at an annualized rate of $625,000. He becomes the 18th head coach in the history of the UConn program and only the fourth since the 1969-70 season.

“I am very honored and humbled to become the UConn men’s basketball coach,” said Ollie. “I cannot put in words how grateful I am to Coach Jim Calhoun, who retires today as one of the most legendary coaches in the history of college basketball. Coach Calhoun brought me here to Connecticut as a person right of high school and has mentored me into the person I have become today.

“I am also extremely grateful to President Susan Herbst and Director of Athletics Warde Manuel for providing me with this opportunity. I look forward working with Warde to continue the success of our men’s basketball program.”

“Since I have come to UConn, I have spent a tremendous amount of time with Kevin and I have enjoyed getting to know him,” said Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. “He is a quality person and I have been impressed with the way he interacts with our student-athletes on and off the court. Kevin knows the Husky program from his experiences as a student-athlete, a professional basketball player and an assistant coach here at UConn. He has taken the steps to prepare him for this opportunity and I am proud to name him as our head men’s basketball coach.”

Ollie is a graduate of UConn who played 13 seasons in the NBA, completing his career in 2009-10 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for 11 different franchises in his NBA career, playing in 662 career contests.

Ollie was a two-time team captain at UConn and helped lead the Huskies to BIG EAST Regular Season Championships in 1993-94 and 1994-95, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively, in those seasons. Ollie was an All-BIG EAST Third Team selection as a senior in 1994-95 and was named to the UConn Basketball All-Century Team in 2001. He still stands No. 3 all-time at UConn in assists and No. 1 at UConn in assists in BIG EAST contests.

Kevin and his wife, Stephanie, have a son, Jalen, and daughter, Cheyenne.

Born December 27, 1972, Ollie is a native of Los Angeles where he attended Crenshaw High School.

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

photo credit: bettina hansen– hartford courant