Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and new skipper John Farrell have completed their first act together in compiling a field staff for Farrell.

Today, they named Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo as Farrell's bench coach. Luvullo was the manager for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2010.

I had told Steve when Farrell was hired that I thought Lovullo would end up on Farrell's staff. The question remains as to how much of Farrell's staff from Toronto comes as the Jays have given permission to Farrell's old staff to talk with other teams.

Here's the release from the Red Sox:

The Boston Red Sox today named Torey Lovullo as the bench coach on the club’s Major League coaching staff.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington and Manager John Farrell made the announcement.

Lovullo served as first base coach on Farrell’s staff in Toronto for the 2011-12 seasons.  He returns for his second stint in the Red Sox organization after managing Boston’s Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate in 2010.  While at the helm of the PawSox, he saw 21 of his players contribute to the big league club.   

Lovullo, 47, managed for nine minor league seasons overall, compiling a 661-609 (.520) record.  He guided his clubs to four postseason appearances and two league championships.  Prior to joining the Red Sox organization in 2010, he managed from 2002-2009 in the Indians system, where Farrell was Director of Player Development from 2002-2006.  Lovullo led Single-A Columbus (2002), High-A Kinston (2003-04), Double-A Akron (2005), Triple-A Buffalo (2006-08), and Triple-A Columbus (2009).  Lovullo was named Baseball America Double-A Manager of the Year and Eastern League Manager of the Year in 2005 and also earned Carolina League Manager of the Year honors in 2004.  He joined the Cleveland organization in 2001 as a roving coordinator.

A fifth-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 1987 draft out of UCLA, Lovullo played parts of eight Major League seasons with the Tigers (1988-89), New York Yankees (1991), California Angels (1993), Seattle Mariners (1994), Oakland Athletics (1996), Indians (1998) and Philadelphia Phillies (1999).  Primarily a second baseman, he hit .224 (165-for-737) with 15 home runs and 60 RBI in 303 career Major League games.  Lovullo played a career-high 116 games with the Angels in 1993 when he was a teammate of Farrell.

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photo credit: providence journal

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.

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UConn Football links

DC answered some questions in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Cruz settling in as starter; Osiecki still sidelined [jim fuller – new haven register]

"Man Up" Will Have Health Fair At Pittsburgh Football Game [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn football works on fixing running woes [ct post]

UConn Women's Basketball links

Jefferson making a point [carl adamec – sny.com]

UConn women’s notebook [carl adamec – sny.com]

Geno, UConn Business School Planning Annoucement [john altavilla – hartford courant]

USA Basketball’s Carol Callan Says Experimentation On Lowered Rims Delayed By Financial Concern For Communities [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Geno Auriemma Offers The Last Word On His Ideas [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Words Of Advice From Caroline Doty [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Hartley Given Cortisone Shot In Sprained Left Ankle [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma Again Has Much To Say About Changing The Game [rich elliott – ct post]

Hartley continues to work her way back [jim fuller – new haven register]

Geno Auriemma advocating rule changes for good of game [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Guard Bria Hartley Taking It Slow [hartford courant]

Bria Hartley '50-50' for preseason opener [new haven register]

Suit Vs. Geno Auriemma Amended; Kelley Hardwick Says Hostile Environment In London [ap]

UConn Men's Basketball links

UConn's Graduation Success Rate Not Very Good [david borges – new haven register]

Confident Daniels could key UConn's season [ct post]

Other UConn related links

W. Cross Country. Huskies Head to BIG EAST Championship on Friday [uconnhuskies.com]

14 UConn Teams At Or Above National Average In GSR [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Swimming. Brice Named BIG EAST Swimming And Diving Athlete Of The Week [uconnhuskies.com]

Volpe Named Associate Director Of Athletics For Development [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Huskies Advance to BIG EAST Quarterfinals With 3-1 Win Over Rutgers [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Len Tsantiris Registers 500th Career Victory With 3-1 Win Over Rutgers [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Women's Hockey Plays Home Opener Friday Night [uconnhuskies.com]

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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.

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UConn Football links

Video: UConn run game [andrea adelson – espn.com]

UConn Women's Basketball links

Auriemma’s Ideas Draw Response – Albeit Short – From NCAA [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Hardwick Asking For Jury Trial In Auriemma/NBA Suit [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Doug Bruno On Geno’s Olympic Future: Basically, ‘It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over’ [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Geno's Idea Of Lower Rims For Women Is Not New [hartford courant]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Brendan Allen Now On Scholarship, Four Walk-Ons Make Huskies [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn's 'Focus' Evident After Players Called Practice on Their Own on Sunday [david borges – new haven register]

Notes/Quotes Oct. 24: Wolf out, Allen awarded scholarship [kevin duffy – ct post]

Big trouble [john silver – journal inquirer]

Wolf (Concussion), Nolan (Flu) Miss UConn Practice [hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie making program his own [new haven register]

Stamford's Ditimi earns spot on men's basketball roster [the hour]

 UConn's Napier takes blame, vows to mature as leader for Huskies [cbssports.com]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. No. 3 Huskies Upset At Providence, 1-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

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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.

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Rating bowl chances in the Big East [andrea adelson – espn.com]

DC answered a question in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Huskies limp into the bye week [new haven register]

UConn Women's Basketball links

Doty coming of age [carl adamec – sny.com]

Geno Auriemma Awarded NIAF's Special Achievement Award in Sports [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Ranking The Point Guards: CBSSports.com Has Shabazz Napier at No. 17 [dom amore – hartford courant]

Wolf sidelined indefinitely with concussion [gavin keefe – the day]

3-point shot: Camouflage jerseys for Nov. 9 [andy katz – espn.com]

Other UConn related links

W. Rowing. Rowing Competes At Head Of The Charles [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Men's Hockey Plays at Holy Cross Friday; Hosts No. 8 Union Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

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According to TMZ, former Boston Red Sox catcher and Baseball Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk has been arrested for a DUI in Illinois.

According to law enforcement sources, the New Lenox PD received a call about a car in the middle of a corn field around 7:20 PM.

When police arrived, officers say they found Fisk behind the wheel of his F-150 — which had a flat tire — and he appeared to be fast asleep. We're told cops also found an open vodka bottle in the vehicle.

Obviously this isn't good for him. Hopefully it was an isolated incident and he gets whatever help is needed.

Fisk was named the starting to catcher to the All-Fenway Team that celebrated 100 years of Fenway Park at the end of the 2012 season.

He's been a fixture around Fenway Park over the past few years and it would be a shame to see something like this affect his status with the club.

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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.

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UConn Football links

DC answered a question in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Kashif Moore signed to Chargers practice squad [jim fuller – new haven register]

Sean Mulcahy’s Report Card [sean mulcahy – sny.com]

UConn Women's Basketball links

Stokes’ lessons learned [carl adamec – sny.com]

Geno Auriemma Sports Columnist? [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Auriemma Advocating Major Change To The Sport, NCAA Tournament [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Hartley To Miss Another Week Of Practice [rich elliott – ct post]

Top Texas guard visiting UConn this week [jim fuller – new haven register]

#BECountdown – Connecticut Huskies Women's Basketball Preview [bigeast.org]

Geno's idea to lower rims has merit [ct post]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Five Questions for UConn’s Season [kevin duffy – ct post]

Alumni Profile: Rip Hamilton [uconn huskies basketball]

#BECountdown – Connecticut Huskies Men's Basketball Preview [bigeast.org]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Pair of Husky Freshmen Honored by BIG EAST [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Jennifer Skogerboe Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Women's Soccer Hosts Rutgers on Thursday in First Round of BIG EAST Championship [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Men's Soccer Senior Day vs. Providence Saturday Is SOLD OUT! [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Tennis. Women's Tennis Sends Four To ITA Regionals [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn: 'Our Goal Is To Work Amicably With The (Morgan) School' [clinton patch]

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While the UConn Huskies are off for this upcoming weekend, the Big East Conference announced on Monday the game time for their matchup for the South Florida Bulls on Saturday, November 3.

The two teams will kickoff at 7 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

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Other than a few parting words when he was fired from the Boston Red Sox, former skipper Bobby Valentine hasn’t said much at all in the media, if anything.

Now, on Tuesday night, he’ll sit down with Bob Costas. We can only imagine what he’ll say but if you’re interested, here are the details.

NEW YORK – October 22, 2012 – Former Major League Baseball manager Bobby Valentine, who was fired after his first season leading the Boston Red Sox, is scheduled to join Bob Costas, a 23-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and one of America’s preeminent interviewers, on the latest edition of Costas Tonight, a 60-minute program, to air on Tuesday, October 23 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

This will be Valentine’s first sit-down interview since being fired by the Red Sox the day after the 2012 baseball season ended after his Red Sox finished in last place in the American League East for the first time in 20 years. It was Valentine’s only season as manager of the Boston Red Sox.

In addition to Costas’ sit-down interview with Valentine, NBC Sports’ and Access Hollywood’s Michelle Beadle will make her debut on Costas Tonight, joining Costas to discuss the top trending social media topics; and former NHL star and current NBC Sports Group analyst Jeremy Roenick will discuss the NHL lockout, and his experience going through a similar thing in 2005 when he lost an estimated $8 million in salary.

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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

Big East bowl projections: Week 9 [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Big East power rankings: Week 9 [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Ryan Griffin honored [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Terrence Samuel Stays True to ‘Dream School’ [dom amore – hartford courant]

Don’t Tell Paul Pasqualoni About UConn Basketball Commit Terrence Samuel [hartford courant]

UConn faces life after Calhoun [foxsports.com]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. No. 4 Field Hockey Drops First Game of 2012, 4-1, at No. 2 Princeton [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Maugle Leads UConn in 3-1 Win at Pittsburgh [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Three-Goal First Dooms Women’s Hockey [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Vote Carlos Alvarez For The Senior CLASS Award! [uconnhuskies.com]

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As we learned last night, the Boston Red Sox were all set to hire Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell as their skipper. On Sunday, the Red Sox made it official.

Here’s the release from the Red Sox:

The Boston Red Sox today announced that they have acquired Manager John Farrell from the Toronto Blue Jays and agreed to a three-year contract that will run through 2015.  As compensation to the Blue Jays, to whom Farrell was under contract through 2013, the Red Sox sent shortstop Mike Aviles and received in return right-handed pitcher David Carpenter.  The Red Sox sought and received permission from Toronto to talk directly to Farrell and made the agreement late last night.  The transaction was agreed upon by both clubs, and was contingent upon the Red Sox reaching an agreement with Farrell for their managerial position.

Farrell, 50, was the Red Sox’ pitching coach from 2007-10, a period in which the staff held opponents to an American League-low .254 batting average and led the league in strikeouts (4,771).  Farrell is the seventh manager in major league history acquired by one club while under contract to another.

“I’m extremely excited to be returning to the Red Sox and to Boston,” said Farrell.  “I love this organization.  It’s a great franchise in a special city and region, with great fans, and we want nothing more than to reward their faith in us.”

“We are thrilled to name John Farrell as our new manager,” said Executive Vice-President/General Manager Ben Cherington, who made the announcement.  “John has been a major league pitcher, front office executive, coach, and manager.  His broad set of experiences, and exceptional leadership skills, make him the ideal person to lead our team.  I have known him in various capacities throughout my career, and I hold him in the highest regard as a baseball man and as a person.”

Under Farrell, the Blue Jays finished 81-81 (.500) in 2011 and 73-89 (.451) in 2012.  Prior to joining the Red Sox in 2007, Farrell spent five years as Director of Player Development for the Cleveland Indians (November, 2001-November, 2006).  The Indians earned “Organization of the Year” honors in 2003 and 2004 from USA Today’s Sports Weekly and were named by Baseball America as the top farm system in 2003.

“We met some outstanding managerial candidates in this process,” said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino.  “John Farrell brings a unique blend of managerial experience, leadership and presence, pitching expertise, front office experience, and an established track record with many members of our uniformed staff and members of our front office.  He will hit the ground running.”

When Farrell was Boston’s pitching coach, right-hander Clay Buchholz and southpaw Jon Lester were All-Stars.  In his first year with the Red Sox, the club won the 2007 World Series.  They reached the postseason each of his first three seasons in Boston.

Compensation to acquire a manager from another club has been required four times previously, and 52 years ago, two managers were traded for each other.  In September, 2011, Miami acquired Ozzie Guillen and right-hander Ricardo Andres from the White Sox and sent right-hander Jhan Marinez and infielder Ozzie Martinez.  In October, 2002, Tampa Bay acquired Lou Piniella and infielder Antonio Perez from Seattle and sent outfielder Randy Winn.  In November, 1976, Pittsburgh acquired Chuck Tanner and cash from Oakland and sent catcher Manny Sanguillen.  In November, 1967, the Mets acquired Gil Hodges from Washington and sent right-hander Bill Denehy and cash.  During the 1960 season, managers Joe Gordon and Jimmy Dykes were swapped by Cleveland and Detroit, respectively.

In Farrell’s first year as the Red Sox’ pitching coach, the staff led the American League with a 3.87 ERA (618 ER/1,438.2 IP).  Red Sox pitchers also led the AL in strikeouts with 1,185 in 2008 and 1,207 in 2010.  From 2007-10, hurlers posted the third-best ERA in the league, 4.11 (2,637 ER/5,778.1 IP).

Aviles, 31, played 136 games for the Red Sox in 2012, primarily at shortstop (128 games).  He hit .250 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI.

Carpenter, 27, has struck out 60 in 60 innings over 67 career major league games, all in relief, with the Astros (2011-12) and Blue Jays (2012).  He is 1-5 with one save and a 5.70 ERA (38 ER) in his big league career.

The right-hander appeared in 33 major league games in 2012, including 30 with the Astros prior to being sent to the Blue Jays in a 10-player trade July 20.  In 2012, he also pitched in 23 minor league games for Houston’s Triple-A club in Oklahoma City and Toronto’s Triple-A Las Vegas affiliate, posting a 1-1 record with four saves, a 3.08 ERA (9 ER/26.1 IP), with 25 strikeouts and only seven walks in 26.1 innings.

He made his major league debut with the Astros in 2011, and was 1-3 with a 2.93 ERA (9 ER/27.2 IP) while striking out 29 in 27.2 innings in 34 outings.

Originally a catcher, Carpenter converted to pitching mid-way through the 2008 season.  Since that time, he has averaged 9.56 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (215 K/202.1 IP) while compiling a 12-9 record with 53 saves and a 3.02 ERA (68 ER) in 178 career minor league games exclusively in relief.

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