Boston, MA – November 17, 2011 – Sports fans will have the chance to make a difference in the lives of children in need.  Beginning Wednesday November 17, fans will be able to bid on once in a lifetime experiences, dream packages and sports memorabilia during the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic online auction.  The auction benefits the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, a non-profit organization that provides critical care services to children in need.

This year’s auction can be found at http://davidortizchildrensfund.org/ and will be open until 11:59 p.m. ET on December 2, 2011 where items will then move live to the event. On-line bidders will be represented by proxy on-site at the event.  Some of the items that fans will bid on include:

• Hitting Lessons with David Ortiz – The ultimate pre game!  Visit batting practice and tour the stadium prior to a 2012 home game and get to meet David Ortiz.  Also included is a pair of seats for the game.  (Date to be mutually agreed upon for a 2012 Home Game.)

• The Chance to play catch with Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia – Step out with Dustin Pedroia, one of the best in the game! In just four years in the league, Pedroia has won several awards including the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year, 2008 AL MVP, Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger Award. Win this once in a lifetime opportunity and get fielding tips from the Red Sox second baseman. The winner of this experience will also receive four (4) tickets to a Boston Red Sox home game at Fenway Park. (Experience to include a game of catch with Dustin Pedroia and four (4) tickets to a Boston Red Sox home game at Fenway Park for a mutually agreed upon date in the 2012 season.)

• Style360 @ New York Fashion Week – Two (2) tickets for VIP access to Style360, a multi-day fashion showcase during New York Fashion Week February 2012.  Winners will be awarded VIP access to all fashion shows, backstage, media suite access, and after parties hosted at exclusive NYC nightclub.  Front row seats also included. Package includes a three (3) night stay at the New York Marriott Marquis and two (2) roundtrip JetBlue Vouchers

• The Hero & Prodigy Package – Enjoy a Thirty (30) minute tennis session with Andy Roddick .The package also includes an autographed copy of Agassi’s autobiography “Open” and autographed tennis ball from both Agassi and Roddick.

• The US Open Package – Two (2) US Open Suite tickets for one (1) day session during the first week of the Tournament.  A two (2) night stay at the New York Marriott Marquis plus Dinner for Two (2) at Crossroads American Kitchen & Bar and two (2) roundtrip JetBlue Vouchers

• Dominican Paradise Getaway – Once in a lifetime vacation for 12 people at the Golden Dolphin Villa located on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic.  Package includes a five (5) night, six (6) day all inclusive vacation for 12 people at the Golden Dolphin Villa. Also included are six (6) spa treatments, one (1) round of golf for six (6) players at the neighboring Playa Grande Golf Club. Meals will be prepared daily by the private chef at your request.

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The online auction is one part of the 4^th Annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic which takes place December 1-4, 2011 at the Fishing Lodge Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic.  Expected to attend this star-studded event are some of sports biggest names including:

Entertainment VIPs: Sam Page/Star of Mad Men, Donnie Wahlberg/NKOTB, Blue Bloods, Mike O’Malley/Star of Glee, Rachel Dratch/Cast member SNL, Jeffery Donovan/Star of Burn Notice, Moufy/Rap Artist, Don Omar/Hip Hop Artist, Kat DeLuna/Pop Singer, Anthony Anderson/Actor Law & Order, Scary Movie 5, Marlon Wayans/Actor, Quinton Aaron/Actor, Lead Role in The Blind Side, Morris Chestnut/Actor, Boyz N The Hood, Ladder 49, American Horror Story, Jill Marie Jones/Actress, CW’s Girlfriends, The Perfect Holiday.

Sports VIPs: David Ortiz/Boston Red Sox, Jose Bautista/Toronto Blue Jays, Johnny Damon/Tampa Bay Rays, Luis Tiant/Red Sox Legend, Sean Casey/MLB-TV Analyst, David Robertson/New York Yankees, Ricky Romero/Toronto Blue Jays, Derrick Rose/Chicago Bulls, Pedro Martinez/Retired MLB, Michael Bowden/Red Sox, Bernie Williams/Retired MLB, Andres Galaraga/Retired MLB, Bill Russell/NBA Hall of Famer, Jim Rice/MLB Hall of Famer & NESN Commentator, Placido Polanco/Philadelphia Phillies, Francisco Garcia/Sacramento Kings, Eddie Murray/ MLB, Hall of Famer.

“I always look forward to gathering with all my friends for my annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Tournament. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase my home country -the Dominican Republic -while raising money for children who can’t afford the healthcare they need,” Ortiz said.  “I would like to thank all of our sponsors and friends for their generous donations to help make this years auction a success.”

Some additional items in this year’s auction include the chance to be an honorary Bat Girl/Boy for an upcoming Red Sox game, VIP passes to the Justin Timberlake Open in Las Vegas, a pair of autographed Dwight Howard sneakers, MLB Network behind the scenes Meet & Greet, a Stella McCartney handbag, and jerseys, bats and balls from members of the 2011 Red Sox.  Fans not in attendance be sure to follow @davidortiz and use the hashtag #OrtizGolfClassic on twitter for all the latest news surrounding the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic including new auction items that will be added leading up to the event.

The David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic benefits the Children’s Fund which began in 2006 as a way for David to help children in his home country of the Dominican Republic. In 2009, the Fund expanded its life-saving mission to New England, helping to bring critical care services to children in need through a partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital.

About the David Ortiz Children’s Fund

The David Ortiz Children’s Fund  (DOCF) is committed to helping children in New England and the Dominican Republic  that do not have access to the critical pediatric services they need. The DOCF is proud to partner with Massachusetts General Hospital to fulfill its mission in New England and with the World Pediatric Project to fulfill its mission in the Dominican Republic. These organizations are committed to healing as many children as possible by providing critical pediatric healthcare. Working together, these organizations are increasing the number of children that will receive lifesaving services.  For more information on the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, please visit http://www.davidortizchildrensfund.org/.

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About the time it was learned that Theo Epstein was leaving his position as general manager of the Boston Red Sox to head to the Windy City and the Chicago Cubs, a piece came out in the Boston Globe that didn’t put the Red Sox in a positive light at all.

There were a lot of things in that article that definitely shouldn’t have been made public. Especially anything dealing with the personal life of former skipper Terry Francona.

Well now it appears who we know who Mr. Anonymous was in the Red Sox front office.

According to Gresh and Zo of 98.5 The Sports Hub, the leak was none other than the boy wonder Theo himself.  Along with their sources, they presented some information and to me it makes sense.

One of their explanations was this: “The Cubs interviewed Terry Francona. Was this a make-good for what happened in Boston?”.

This is my one doubt.

If Theo and Tito have said publicly they have a great relationship and had one of their run together, we can’t believe this is true that Theo threw Tito under the bus. It’s hard to fathom.

It does make sense to me though that since Theo has left for the Cubs nothing really has come out other than the fact that Josh Beckett may have been responsible for Tito’s departure. Compared to the floodgates that there were after the 2011 season, this is small potatoes in a way.

We all know of his contentious relationship with Red Sox president Larry Lucchino. So if this report from Gresh and Zo is true, this was the ultimate FU to the Red Sox ownership group from Theo.

And if you think that was the ultimate FU from Theo, he may put a little more salt in the wound and rubbed it when he swooped in and beat the Red Sox to the punch in hiring Dale Sveum as the manager of the Cubs.

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It wasn’t surprising in the fact that the Sox and Cubs were interviewing the same people to be their next manager. I get that part. Even if Theo wasn’t involved, if there were other openings, you see a lot of the same people interviewing.

The Red Sox had their second interview with Sveum yesterday and came out of it with nothing new to offer on their managerial situation. Some had seen Sveum as the front-runner for the opening with the Red Sox and the Cubs.

But Theo beat them to the punch.

First, he had Sveum back for a second interview before the Red Sox did. And secondly, he made an offer to Sveum before the Red Sox did.

And now, just like that, Sveum will be introduced to the Windy City on Friday in a press conference at Wrigley Field.

Before you go, I’ve got one more FU from Theo as well.

We all know the Red Sox and Cubs are negotiating on Theo’s value as compensation to the Red Sox for letting him go to the North Side squad. They had their deadline of November 1st and didn’t meet it. But instead of stepping in, MLB commissioner Bud Selig gave them an extension.

While it wasn’t expected that they would get something done during the MLB GM Meetings this week, from the sounds of it, they didn’t make much progress. The two sides are not expected to discuss anything further until after the Rule 5 draft in early December.

Theo doesn’t think he’s worth as much as the Red Sox do. So obviously he’s stalling as much as he can while he tries to get his organization up and running again. While the Red Sox are doing the same thing, shouldn’t the Red Sox ownership group step in and end this matter.

It’s gone on long enough and all while Theo is laughing in their faces for possibly being the leak and hiring the supposed front-runner for the manager’s job of the Red Sox.

Sounds like a totally big FU to me.

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 some of the other sports. 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 men’s basketball team as they’ll host the Maine Black Bears at 7 p.m. at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. The game will be broadcast locally in CT on SNY.

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

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Woodward Homeward Bound (Sort Of) [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Kemba Walker Tweets He Was Not In NYC Club Where Fatal Shooting Occurred [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun: Be Wary of Underdogs. They Can Bite. [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn-Maine: Another Coaching Reunion [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn updates, Maine concerns [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Woodward returns to old stomping grounds as Maine meets UConn [CT Post]

Old Friend Leads Maine Into Game Vs. UConn, Calhoun [Hartford Courant]

Huskies have a ways to go for it to be fun again [Hartford Courant]

Another ex-Calhoun assistant gets chance to beat old coach [The Day]

UConn Men’s Basketball Glance [The Hour]

University of Maine men’s basketball plagued with injuries before UConn game [Bangor Daily News]

UMaine Men’s Basketball Hopes to Hang with Defending National Champs [WABI.tv]

UConn Football links

Which Big East DTs could be NFL DEs? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

UConn’s Nick Williams Wants To Be Bigger Part Of Offense [Hartford Courant]

Win keeps UConn in BCS bowl race [Journal Inquirer]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Huge test up next for Huskies [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Geno Auriemma On John Calipari [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Banks Proved To Be A Game-Changer Tuesday Vs. Pacific [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Three UConn Freshmen Start Off Strong [Hartford Courant]

For Starters [Hartford Courant]

Stanford will provide Huskies with first test [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Prepares For NCAA Tournament [UConnHuskies.com]

Connecticut Field Hockey Gets Set for NCAA Final Four [BigEast.org]

M. Ice Hockey. Gerke’s Hat Trick Leads UConn Rout Over Sacred Heart, 8-3 [UConnHuskies.com]

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 some of the other sports. 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

Bowl chances: UConn [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Call of Duty, New Haven football and yogurt. A little Louisville, too. [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Recruiting Update [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

News, Notes And Coach D (DeLeone) Talks Nicky Will And Nebrich [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

DC also answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Coach P at the podium: Louisville edition [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Pasqualoni opines about Penn State situation [John Nash – The Hour]

Tuesday presser [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

DeLeone on wide receivers [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Pasqualoni on Penn State [Owen Poole – The Day]

UConn Bracing For Always-Tough Louisville [Hartford Courant]

Penn St. scandal hits home with Paul Pasqualoni [New Haven Register]

UConn football ready for furious finish [The Day]

After bye week, Huskies get back to work [The Hour]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Pearl’s Picks: UConn Is Bound For New Orleans [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn Men Will Also Play in Virgin Islands Tournament in 2012 [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun Pushing The Rebounding Button [Hartford Courant]

Huge Improvement For Drummond In Game 2 [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Freshmen spark Huskies [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Talk Of Lobo As Naismith Nominee Premature [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Pacific Coach Impressed With Huskies Shooting [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno Auriemma Pleased With Freshmen [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Banks Showed Her Stuff Against Pacific [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

With freshmen providing spark, UConn women blitz Pacific [CT Post]

UConn Freshmen Power Victory Over Pacific [Hartford Courant]

KML Leads UConn With 25 Points [Hartford Courant]

Huskies crush Pacific 112-53 [New Haven Register]

For Huskies, it’s a splash against Pacific [The Day]

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