The last time the Boston Red Sox were 10 games under .500, Bill Clinton was seven months into his second term as President of the United States (1997). Yes folks, it’s been that long since we’ve seen a team as bad as the current version of this team.

On Friday night, Coco Crisp was the only member of the Oakland Athletics not to do any real damage to his former club. Well he wasted no time on Saturday night as he led off with a solo home run.

The A’s then put this game away in the 3rd inning with four more runs on their way to a 7-1 win over the discombobulated visiting nine from Boston.

Felix Doubront had been one of the more dependable starters the Red Sox have had this season. That was until he reached new heights in innings pitched for a season. Since then he’s been a mediocre pitcher at best with flashes of brilliance here and there.

Last night he did record six strikeouts in three innings. Four of those came in the first two innings of the game. The A’s ended up wearing him down in the 3rd inning as they fouled what seemed to be pitch after pitch. And while they did strike out two times in the inning, the A’s took advantage of him becoming tired and scored four times in the inning.

The 4th inning was probably the most eventful of the night though and not in a good way for the Red Sox. Alfredo Aceves had taken over for Doubront and was involved in every thing that went wrong that inning.

First, Aceves dropped a pop up in foul territory that he had no business being a part of. Then he got into a shouting match with the home plate umpire after he picked up a foul ball and walked back to the mound with it.

The kicker though was when the inning ended.

After the inning was after, he exchanged some words with second baseman Dustin Pedroia, most likely about the pickoff throws to second during the inning. They were separated by the coaches and then after a pat on his ass by skipper Bobby Valentine, Aceves had some words for him too.

Aceves is already on thin ice after being suspended for three games last week. He’s lost his closer’s role and has basically been a janitor lately mopping up the messes by the starters. And now after last night, you have to wonder if Aceves fits into the plans for next season.

The offense couldn’t get much of anything done against A’s starter A.J. Griffin.

He was perfect for 4 2/3 innings before Jarrod Saltalamacchia layed a well placed bunt down the third base line to beat the shift. Of course this prompted boos from the Oakland fan base because he had broken the code.

Folks, he didn’t break the code. Had it been later in the game, then yes he would have. It was the 5th inning of the game. While on paper the Red Sox were out of the game at that point, in the real world they weren’t. Oh, who am I kidding, they were. But that’s not the point.

Ryan Lavarnway singled to lead off the 6th to end that debate and Pedroia singled later in the inning to bring in the only Red Sox run of the night.

The Red Sox are making it very hard for us to watch them right now. No one wants to watch them fight amongst themselves. Sure we know this team isn’t going anywhere this season. We just want to watch them go out and there fight. We don’t want to see them lay down like it appears they have right now.

One thing’s for certain. It’s going to be an interesting offseason as we watch GM Ben Cherington construct this team for 2013.

And while I’m at it, can we just fire Bobby Valentine now.

He looks he doesn’t care any more. And that’s not a good thing for this team given the state they are in.

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.

After losing last night 7-1, the Boston Red Sox look to avoid their second straight road sweep in the finale of a three-game set with the Oakland A’s at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Athletics television market, you can catch the game on Comcast California.  If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his seventh start of 2012 and his second since returning from the disabled list. In his previous six starts, Matsuzaka is 1-3 with a 5.10 ERA. He took the loss in his only start of 2012 against the A’s after allowing five runs in one inning of work back on July 2nd. Matusuzaka has made eight career starts against the A’s and is 4-2 with a 4.73 ERA. Five of those starts have come in Oakland where he is 2-2 with a 5.64 ERA.

Brett Anderson makes his third start this season since returning from Tommy John surgery last year. In his previous two starts, Anderson is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA (1 ER/14 IP). He made two starts against the Red Sox in 2011 and was 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA (5 ER/13 IP). Overall in his career, Anderson has made seven starts against the Red Sox and is 4-2 with a 2.86 ERA.

Here are today’s lineups:

62-72		75-57
1. Pedro Ciriaco	LF	1. Coco Crisp	CF
2. Scott Podsednik	CF	2. Seth Smith	DH
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Josh Reddick	RF
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Yoenis Cespedes	LF
5. Mauro Gomez	3B	5. Brandon Moss	1B
6. Ryan Lavarnway	C	6. Josh Donaldson	3B
7. Mike Aviles	DH	7. Stephen Drew	SS
8. James Loney	1B	8. Derek Norris	C
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Cliff Pennington	2B
Daisuke Matsuzaka	SP	Brett Anderson	SP

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

NOTES: Ivan De Jesus, who was acquired in the megadeal with the LA Dodgers, has been called up. He’ll provide protection in case Pedroia has to leave for the birth of his second child.

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

Ross has found a home [boston globe]

Reddick feeling at home [boston globe]

‘Joy of Sox’ finally reaches ‘the show’ [boston globe]

Latest loss features dugout spat [boston herald]

Reasons to watch [boston herald]

Green Monster reduced [boston herald]

Last month… last rites [boston herald]

Papi won’t risk Achilles injury [boston herald]

Better not lose Pedey [boston herald]

Josh’s grand reunion [boston herald]

Jacoby Ellsbury (wrist) out of Red Sox’ lineup; Ivan DeJesus called up [clubhouse insider]

Crash and burn [csn new england]

Sox show fight – among themselves [csn new england]

Wrist keeps Ellsbury out; Ciriaco starts in LF [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Athletics 7, Red Sox 1 [espn boston]

Pedroia, Aceves downplay dugout dispute [espn boston]

Ellsbury (wrist) sits; Ciriaco plays left [espn boston]

Valentine: Aceves to rotation considered [espn boston]

Staggering Red Sox try to end five-game slide [espn boston]

Pre-game notes from Oakland [extra bases]

Daniel Bard Encouraged By First Major League Appearance Since June, First Relief Outing Since April [nesn.com]

Bobby Valentine Hopes to Make This September Positive One Despite Subpar Record [nesn.com]

Alfredo Aceves, Dustin Pedroia Quarrel Sums Up Team’s Frustration With Tough Road Trip [nesn.com]

Bobby Valentine Can Still Shine as Major League Manager if Given Right Situation [nesn.com]

Chris Carter, Brandon Moss the Hot Bats as Red Sox, A’s Wrap Up Series in Oakland [nesn.com]

Adrian Gonzalez Says He’s Had ‘A Lot of Bad Habits’ With Swing Throughout Year as Red Sox Slump Continues in L.A. [nesn.com]

Steady LaRoche Knocking on Fenway’s Door [pawsox.com]

Ivan DeJesus called up [projo sox blog]

Sore wrist sidelines Ellsbury [projo sox blog]

Dice-K looks to right Sox’s ship in Oakland [redsox.com]

Valentine musters up some optimism [redsox.com]

Iglesias gets a rest; he’ll start Sunday [redsox.com]

Morales hopes for full starting chance next year [redsox.com]

Valentine’s Day: Time for Red Sox to make a decision on manager’s fate [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 Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle websites.

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images, 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

Big East helmet stickers: Week 1 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

What we learned in the Big East: Week 1 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Wildcat dilemma: Balance of two QBs critical for UConn [ct post]

Ranking debuts of post-Orlovsky QBs at UConn [ct post]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Huskies Take Down Fairfield, 3-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Connecticut Falls to Michigan State in UConn Classic Finale [uconnhuskies.com]

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

After being embarrassed last night 20-2, the Boston Red Sox look to keep their dignity tonight in the second game of a three-game set with the Oakland A’s at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA.

First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Athletics television market, you can catch the game on Comcast California. And if you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as well as the MLB Network will have coverage of the game (outside of Red Sox and A’s television markets). If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Felix Doubront steps on the hill for the 24th time in 2012. In his previous 23 starts, Doubront is 10-6 with a 4.79 ERA. His lone career start against the A’s came earlier this season when he took the loss after allowing five runs in four innings of work back on May 1st at the Fens.

Rookie A.J. Griffin makes his ninth start of 2012 tonight. In his previous eight starts, Griffin is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA. He picked up a no decision in his only career start against the Red Sox earlier this season when he allowed two runs in six innings of work.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

62-71		74-57
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Coco Crisp	CF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Jonny Gomes	DH
3. Scott Podsednik	LF	3. Josh Reddick	RF
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Yoenis Cespedes	LF
5. James Loney	1B	5. Chris Carter	1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Brandon Inge	3B
7. Mike Aviles	SS	7. Derek Norris	C
8. Ryan Lavarnway	DH	8. Brandon Hicks	SS
9. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	9. Adam Rosales	2B
Felix Doubront	SP	A.J. Griffin	SP

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

NOTES: With rosters expanding to 40 today, Rich Hill has been activated from the disabled list.

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

Lefty reliever Rich Hill added to Red Sox’ roster as first Sept. call-up [clubhouse insider]

Dead man(ager) walking? As Red Sox keep losing, Bobby V’s behavior gets stranger [clubhouse insider]

Red Sox notes: Valentine’s behavior turns more bizarre [csn new england]

Salty approaching Fisk’s record [csn new england]

Doubront will try to stop Sox skid in Oakland [espn boston]

Valentine vague on Iglesias’ playing time [espn boston]

Anyone got any ideas for the rotation? [espn boston]

Optimistic Bobby V shuffles lineup again [espn boston]

Bobby won’t count Papi out; Hill activated [espn boston]

Bobby Valentine: ‘We’re going to win a lot of games this last month’ [extra bases]

Dustin Pedroia, Josh Reddick the Hot Hitters as A’s, Red Sox Prepare for Rematch [nesn.com]

Andrew Bailey Surprised by Athletics’ Success After Team Cleaned House Over Offseason [nesn.com]

Red Sox Again Need to Emulate Oakland A’s as ‘Moneyball’ Moves to Version 2.0 [nesn.com]

Reddick’s Oakland breakthrough might not have been possible in Boston [projo sox blog]

Red Sox should stay on West Coast [projo sox blog]

Melancon still trying to put his finger on why he’s struggled [projo sox blog]

Another day, another new lineup: Podsednik hitting third [projo sox blog]

Doubront tasked with cooling off red-hot A’s [redsox.com]

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

photo credits: getty images, getty images

The last time the Boston Red Sox were in Oakland, David Ortiz hit his 400th homer but his team couldn’t put up any offense against the Oakland Athletics. And even without Big Papi in the lineup last night, it was more of the same.

In fact, it was the A’s who showed the offense as they put up 19 hits in a 20-2 win over the visiting nine.

Now if manager Bobby Valentine thought the Red Sox had hit rock bottom in April when the bullpen blew that big lead against the New York Yankees, I wouldn’t even know what to call what happened last night. One word that comes to mind is embarrassing.

It was the worst loss the Red Sox have suffered this year. They did lose 18-3 to the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. At least this one came on the road.

If you want to look at the bright spots last night, the only pitcher to not give up a run was Junichi Tazawa. And Dustin Pedroia had two hits for the offense while Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit his 23rd home run of the season.

The Red Sox were done in by their former players last night.

Josh Reddick went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, those coming on a grand slam in a nine-run 7th inning. Brandon Moss had four straight hits and finished the night 4-for-5 with four RBIs including two on a home run off of Alfredo Aceves in the 5th inning. Even George Kottaras got in on the action with three hits, including two home runs. He knocked in five runs on the night.

The only former member of the Red Sox not to do any damage against them was Coco Crisp, who went 0-for-5 with a walk and a run scored.

Yes the Red Sox threw in the towel when they made that big deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. But I’m pretty sure that no one thought they would fall this far so quickly.

There’s still some talent on this team with some being the key word. I understand getting the young guys some time as they’ll be counted on in the future. But last night was just plain old ugly.

I know those guys are out there fighting as hard as they can as some of them are playing for jobs next season, whether it be with the Red Sox or another club.

The one thing we can only hope that happens is that they put the loss behind them and try to do the same thing the A’s did to them tonight. Otherwise, the only people watching this team, at least on television, will be folks at NESN.

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

Sox are thoroughly thumped [boston globe]

Taking ownership [boston globe]

Don’t count on the numbers [boston globe]

Healthy again, Hill is set to make his return [boston globe]

Sox annihilated by slugging A’s [boston herald]

Ross carries on in solid season and wants more [boston herald]

Sox seeking right stuff [boston herald]

Bard relieved to be back [boston herald]

Kalish inspired by Reddick rise [boston herald]

Former friends humiliate Red Sox, 20-2 [csn new england]

Bard happy to be back with Boston [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Athletics 20, Red Sox 2 [espn boston]

Sox seem to be cratering in California [espn boston]

Former Red Sox Farmhands Have Fun Night Beating Down Boston’s Bullpen [nesn.com]

Red Sox Commitment to ‘Discipline’ Won’t Keep Ben Cherington From Being Aggressive in Offseason [nesn.com]

Red Sox will hold off on September callups [redsox.com]

Hill to rejoin Red Sox bullpen as roster expands [redsox.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 Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle 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

UConn Coach Paul Pasqualoni Checks In Post-UMass [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Wildcat is here to stay [jim fuller – new haven register]

Ansonia’s Newsome enjoyed trip to UConn game [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn football notebook: 3 turnovers ‘not acceptable’ [ct post]

Jennings Hurt In UConn Win; Has MRI [hartford courant]

Huskies are wild about the ‘Cat’ [new haven register]

Defense is UConn’s signature [the day]

Williams is a Nick-of-all-trades for Huskies [the hour]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Kemba Walker Dedicates New Court for Charlotte Youth [dom amore – hartford courant]

We all know it, Calhoun’s coming back to take on the World [ct post]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. UConn Tops Dartmouth in First Match of the Classic, 3-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Diouf Nets Game Winner In Overtime To Defeat Dartmouth, 2-1 [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Bolles Gives No. 6 UConn 2-1 Win Over No. 9 Penn State [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Falls to No. 19 North Carolina, 2-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

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

While the news wasn’t good for seven former members of the UConn Huskies football team, eight former Huskies survived the 2012 NFL cutdown day and will be on the 53-man rosters of their teams.

They are:

Will Beatty, New York Giants

Tyvon Branch, Oakland Raiders

Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts

Robert McClain, Atlanta Falcons

Dan Orlovsky, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kendall Reyes, San Diego Chargers

Anthony Sherman, Arizona Cardinals

Donald Thomas, New England Patriots

Notes: Scott Lutrus is on injured reserve with the Indianapolis Colts after tearing his ACL. Zach Hurd is on injured reserve with the Oakland Raiders with a head injury suffered early in camp.

Beatty was a second round pick of the Giants in 2009 and played in all 16 games that year with four starts. He played in eight games in 2010 with two starts and started 10 games for them before suffering a season-ending eye injury.

Branch was a fourth round pick of the Raiders in 2008 and has been a starter at safety since 2009 after playing eight games his rookie season. He has 267 career tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. He was given the franchise tag by the Raiders this offseason but signed a four-year deal worth $26.6 million with $17.6 of that guaranteed.

Brown was a 1st round pick of the Colts in 2009 and signed a five-year deal with them. He’s been a bit of disappointment for them as he’s rushed for 1,423 yards with 10 touchdowns in three seasons. His best year came in 2011 when he ran for 645 yards and five touchdowns.

McClain was a 7th round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2010 and made the team playing all 16 games (two starts). He finished the season with 16 tackles and one pass defensed. He was cut by the Panthers in 2011 before ending up with the Jaguars late in the season and was once again cut. He was signed by the Falcons this past January.

Orlovsky is the veteran of all the Huskies in the NFL. He was drafted by the Lions in 2005 and played there through 2008. He then moved on to the Houston Texans in 2009 and 2010 before spending last season in with the Colts. He was signed by Tampa Bay in the offseason to back up Josh Freeman. Over his seven NFL seasons, he’s played in 21 games and thrown for 2,880 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

Reyes was a second round pick of the Chargers this year and is entering his rookie season.

Sherman was drafted by the Cardinals in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft and played in 15 games (seven starts) last year. He had one rush for three yards and had eight catches for 19 yards. He also made eight tackles on special teams.

Thomas was a 6th round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2008 and won the starting job in camp. Unfortunately he was injured in the first game of the year and was placed on injured reserve. He returned in 2010 to play in all 16 games with 12 starts and was cut before the 2010 season. He was picked up by the Lions but was inactive for the rest of the season. He was signed by the Patriots in September of last year and ended up playing in 10 games (one start).

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

It was cutdown day in the NFL and for some former members of the UConn Huskies football team, the news wasn’t good as seven of them were cut from various NFL rosters.

They are:

• Darius Butler, Carolina Panthers
• Marcus Easley, Buffalo Bills
• Greg Lloyd, Indianapolis Colts
• Kashif Moore, Indianapolis Colts
• Moe Petrus, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Jordan Todman, Minnesota Vikings
• Lawrence Wilson, New Orleans Saints

Note: Derek Chard was cut from the New York Jets last weekend.

Butler was originally drafted in the 2nd round by the New England Patriots in 2009. He was released by the Patriots before the start of the 2011 season and was picked up by the Panthers where he had 32 tackles in 13 games. In three years in the NFL, Butler made 90 tackles and had three interceptions including one returned for a touchdown.

Easley was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 4th round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He missed the entire 2011 season with a heart ailment.

Lloyd was a 7th round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011 but was cut before the season. He was then added to the Eagles practice roster before being promoted to 53-man roster in late November however he was inactive for the Eagles final six games of the season. He was traded to the Colts before training camp started this year.

Kashif Moore went undrafted in 2012 and signed a free agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was cut by the Bengals last week but was picked up by the Colts.

Petrus also was undrafted in 2012 and signed a free agent deal with the Buccaneers. It’s quite possible he could end up in the Canadian Football League as he was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Todman was a 6th round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2011 and made the team but was waived in mid-October. Three days later he joined the Chargers practice squad. He was signed off the practice squad of the Chargers by the Vikings before the final NFL regular season game but was inactive.

Wilson was a 6th round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2011. He was cut before the season started and was signed to their practice squad. However, he was cut after being arrested for marijuana possession. He was signed by Tennessee Titans in January but was cut by them in May. He was then signed by the Saints.

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

After being swept in Anaheim, the Boston Red Sox head north tonight to continue their nine-game road trip. They’ll look to break their losing skid in the first game of a three-game set with the Oakland A’s at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA.

First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Athletics television market, you can catch the game on Comcast California. 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 13th time in 2012. In his previous 12 starts, Cook is 3-7 with a 4.76 ERA. He took the loss in his only start against the A’s this season after allowing three runs in six innings of work back on July 4th. Cook has made three career starts against the Athletics and is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA (5 ER/22 IP). Two of those starts have come in Oakland where he is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14 IP).

Brandon McCarthy makes his 17th start of 2012. In his previous 16 starts, McCarthy is 7-5 with a 3.12 ERA. He picked up the win in his only start of 2012 against the visiting nine after allowing one run in 6.2 innings. McCarthy has made eight appearances (five starts) against the Red Sox and is 2-3 with a 5.23 ERA.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

62-70		73-57
1. Scott Podsednik	LF	1. Coco Crisp	CF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Stephen Drew	SS
3. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	3. Josh Reddick	RF
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Yoenis Cespedes	LF
5. James Loney	1B	5. Brandon Moss	1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Jonny Gomes	DH
7. Mike Aviles	DH	7. Josh Donaldson	3B
8. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	8. George Kottaras	C
9. Jose Iglesias	SS	9. Cliff Pennington	SS
Aaron Cook	SP	Brandon McCarthy	SP

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

NOTES:

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

Ryan Kalish on Josh Reddick: ‘That’s the opportunity all of us want’ [clubhouse insider]

September a stark reminder of Sox’ continued slump [csn new england]

Red Sox notes: Hill sets short-term goals [csn new england]

Bobby V: No problems with Beckett [espn boston]

Boston Red Sox-Los Angeles Dodgers blockbuster trade anatomy [espn boston]

Josh Reddick is happy to be with Oakland Athletics rather than Boston Red Sox [espn boston]

Bobby V: David Ortiz ‘feels better’ [espn boston]

Theo comp Carpenter excelling for PawSox [espn boston]

PawSox coach thinks Bard will succeed [espn boston]

Last call for trades [extra bases]

Hill on the comeback trail with Sox [extra bases]

Dustin Pedroia’s a winner, but he’s not a leader just yet [tony massarotti – boston globe]

David Ortiz’s Injury, Alfredo Aceves’ Role, Daniel Bard’s Return Among Top 10 Red Sox Storylines Down Stretch (Photos) [nesn.com]

James Loney Fitting Right in With Red Sox Lineup After Hot Start to Boston Tenure [nesn.com]

Alfredo Aceves to Be Stretched Out Into Long Relief or Spot Starting After Losing Closer’s Role [nesn.com]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia Has ‘Played Like a Champion’ Despite Losing Playing Time to Ryan Lavarnway [nesn.com]

Felix Doubront ready to take aim at 200 innings next year [projo sox blog]

Since the Sox just dumped hundreds of millions in salaries . . . [projo sox blog]

With September set to begin, a look back at 12 months that changed the Red Sox forever [projo sox blog]

Hill ready to come back — and to stick around for a while [projo sox blog]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Athletics and Perspective [projo sox blog]

Cook looks to sink hot-hitting Athletics [redsox.com]

Making sense of Jacoby Ellsbury’s past, present and future with the Red Sox [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

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

UConn has plenty to build on after win [andrea adelson]

Report Card: UConn Vs. UMass [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn 37, UMass 0: the wrap [ed daigneault – the republican-american]

UConn gets defensive in opener [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn quick recap [john silver – journal inquirer]

Whitmer Not Perfect, But Didn’t Need To Be [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn dominates UMass in 37-0 rout [ct post]

UConn football notebook: Dream comes true for UMass’ coach Molnar [ct post]

Priorities for Big East boss are TV deal, 14th for football [ct post]

UConn Pounds UMass, 37-0 [hartford courant]

Big East Commissioner Aresco Talks About Retaining Teams [hartford courant]

Welcome To The Next Level UMass [hartford courant]

Five Things We Learned About UConn [hartford courant]

Defense dominates as Huskies rout UMass in season opener [new haven register]

Commissioner Mike Aresco confident in future of Big East [new haven register]

First day of school: UConn football wins opener over UMass [the day]

Big East commisioner: Conference is stronger than we’ve been given credit for [the day]

Sorry, but Huskies just aren’t interesting [the day]

UConn wins season opener, beating UMass 37-0 [the hour]

UMass football drops FBS opener 37-0 to UConn [springfield republican]

For UMass football, it’s back to work Friday after loss to UConn [springfield republican]

UMass football analysis: Darren Thellen, defense better than score indicates in UConn loss [springfield republican]

UMass football has a long way to go, but at least the trek has begun [springfield republican]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Huskies Make Harper’s Top 11 [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Reggie Cameron cuts list, keeps UConn [kevin duffy – ct post]

Drummond, Lamb Take Classes On NBA Life Off The Court [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. No. 6 Field Hockey Set for Friday Matchup With No. 9 Penn State [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Huskies Face Two Nationally Ranked Opponents in South Bend [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. No. 1/5 Huskies Set To Play Host To Dartmouth at 7 p.m. Friday [uconnhuskies.com]

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The UConn Huskies football team opened up its 2012 schedule on Thursday night as they welcomed the UMass Minutemen into the FBS. And after the way the Huskies played, it looks like it’ll be a long season for the Minutemen.

Behind a complete team effort, UConn beat the Minutemen 37-0 in front of 35,270 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

The story of this game to me was how dominant the defense was.

At one point in the first half, UMass had more punts (five) than they did total yards (three). UMass would end up finishing with eight total yards in the first half and just 59 for the game.

As we saw from the team last year, defensive coordinator Don Brown once again dialed up the pressure on the team he once coached to an FCS title game.  With an inexperienced quarterback and a Brown defense, there was no doubt who would come out on top. Brown coaches an agressive style of defense and he called blitzes as the right time to put pressure on UMass redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Wegzyn.

The much maligned pass defense looked solid as well holding Wegzyn and A.J. Doyle to 60 yards passing. Dwayne Gratz got in on the action with a 37 yard interception return for a touchdown. The run defense held UMass to -1 yard rushing.

We got our first look at new quarterback Chandler Whitmer and I’ll be honest I did like what I saw. It’s definitely a different UConn team when you have a quarterback who can pass the ball so the opposing teams can’t stack the box on Lyle McCombs.

Whitmer did make some mistakes as you would expect in his first FCS game. The first interception he had wasn’t his fault as the UMass defender made a great play. The second one was all on him though.

Overall though, he looked good passing the ball. He made a few bad reads but he throws a nice ball. He finished the night 15-of-25 for 219 yards with the two interceptions.

We are all used to a solid offensive line leading the way for the running backs but this isn’t the same offensive line we are used to. McCombs did finish with 84 yards on 24 carries. Against a team like UMass, this could have been better.

It’s the first game of the season and I think it went better than a lot of people thought it would. The defense pitched a shutout, the offense was good and the special teams was outstanding.

If the defense continues like this as the season goes on and the offense improves on a weekly basis, this UConn team could surprise a few teams along the way.

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
UMass Minutemen	0	0	0	0	0
UConn Huskies	7	13	7	10	37

1st quarter

CON – 5:59 – Lyle McCombs 1 yd run (Chad Christen extra point)

2nd quarter

CON – 9:04 – Chad Christen 36 yard field goal

CON – 2:49 – Chad Christen 47 yard field goal

CON – 1:49 – Dwayne Gratz 37 yard interception return (Chad Christen extra point)

3rd quarter

CON – 4:12 – Max DeLorenzo Recovered Blocked Punt In End Zone (Chad Christen extra point)

4th quarter

CON – 8:24 – Scott McCummings 1 yd run (Chad Christen extra point)

CON – 1:36 – Chad Christen 19 yard field goal

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

Offensive Player of the Game:

While different guys stood out, it was Geremy Davis who stood out to me. Davis had five catches for 79 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game:

The entire UConn defense earns the player of the game in my opinion holding UMass to just 59 yards in the game.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

No one real key turning point but the defense made sure UMass had no chance in this game at all.

Offensive Notes:

In his first FBS game, Chandler Whitmer was 15-of-25 for 219 yards with two interceptions. Scott McCummings had seven carries for 13 yards and a touchdown out of the wildcat. Lyle McCombs had 24 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also added two catches for 23 yards. Nick Williams had three rushes for 24 yards and one catch for 16 yards. Max Delorenzo had four rushes for 24 yards and also recovered a blocked punt in the end zone. Geremy Davis led all receivers with five catches for 79 yards. Michael Smith had three catches for 30 yards while newcomer Shakim Phillips had two catches for 21 yards.

Defensive Notes:

Yawin Smallwood led the Huskies with seven tackles (five solo, two assisted) along with one pass break up and one sack for an eight yard loss. Sio Moore had five tackles (two solo, three assisted) with two pass breakups. Dwayne Gratz and Ryan Wirth both had four tackles with Gratz returning an interception for 37 yards. Trevardo Williams had the other sack for the Huskies.

Special Teams Notes:

Special teams was solid all around. Chad Christen was 4-for-4 on extra points and made all three of his field goal attempts (36, 47, 19). Cole Wagner averaged 39 yards on his two punts. Nick Williams returned three punts for 66 yards and one kickoff for 37 yards. If he keeps this up, teams will be kicking away from him all year. Taylor Mack blocked a punt in the 2nd quarter that was recovered by Max Delorenzo for a touchdown.

Injuries:

Ted Jennings suffered an undisclosed injury in the 3rd quarter.

Officials:

Referee: Tracy Jones  •  Umpire: Richard Feeney  •  Linesman: Tom Considine  •  Line judge: Kevin Codey  •  Back judge: Jim Brennan  •  Field judge: Rick Santilli  •  Side judge: Jim Brennan.

Game Notes:

UMass Minutemen @ UConn Huskies 8.30.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni and UMass head coach Charley Molnar as well as players from both teams.

Here are the starters for the Huskies:

OFFENSE

WR	85	Davis, Geremy
TE	89	Delahunt, John
LT	72	Bennett, Jimmy
LG	69	Greene, Steve
C	73	Mateas, Alex
RG	63	Masters, Adam
RT	77	Friend, Kevin
QB	10	WHITMER, Chandler
TB	43	McCombs, Lyle
FB	47	Frank, Reuben
WR	31	Williams, Nick

DEFENSE

DE	48	WILLIAMS, Trevardo
DT	53	Wirth, Ryan
DT	90	CAMPENNI, Julian
DE	91	Joseph, Jesse
SLB	3	Moore, Sio
MLB	33	SMALLWOOD, Yawin
WLB	28	Johnson, Jory
CB	5	WREH-Wilson, Blidi
S	16	Jones, Byron
S	15	Brown, Ty-Meer
CB	7	Gratz, Dwayne

Here are the game notes courtesy of UConn Sports Information:

• Redshirt-sophomore Chandler Whitmer’s first Quarter pass to Mike Osiecki was a 16-yard completion; on his first drive Whitmer was 3-3 for 38 yards.
• Redshirt-sophomore Lyle McCombs’ touchdown in the first quarter was his eighth career rushing touchdown.
• Redshirt-junior Chad Christen scored his first career point in the first quarter on a PAT and made his first two career field goal attempts of 36 and 47 yards in the second quarter…He recorded a 19-yard attempt in the fourth quarter…Christen’s three field goals mark the first time a Husky made three in a contest since Dave Teggart vs. USF on October 14, 2011.
• Connecticut held UMass to 12 total yards in the first Quarter and a total of 59 yards for the game.
• Redshirt-sophomore Yawin Smallwood improved his career mark to 2.5 sacks and registered 3.5 tackles for loss in the game.
• Redshirt-freshmen Andrew Adams 9-yard tackle for loss in the second quarter was his first career tackle for loss.
• Redshirt-senior Dwayne Gratz recorded his second career interception for a touchdown on his 37-yard return in the second quarter…The last time this feat was accomplished by a Husky was on October 8, 2011 at West Virginia by Ty-Meer  Brown for 48 yards…Gratz’ previous TD return was in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma for 46 yards.
• Connecticut held UMass without a first-down until 33 seconds to play before halftime.
• Redshirt-sophomore Geremy Davis had a career high 26-yard reception in the third quarter…He finished with a game-high five receptions for 79 yards.
• Redshirt-sophomore Shakim Phillips recorded his first catch as a Connecticut player in the third quarter, a six-yard grab…His second reception was for 15 yards.
• The punt blocked by Taylor Mack and returned for a touchdown by Max DeLorenzo in the third quarter was the first for the Huskies since September 10, 2011 by Byron Jones at Vanderbilt…It was DeLorenzo’s first career touchdown.
• Redshirt-sophomore QB Scott McCummings scored his eighth career touchdown during the fourth quarter.
• Connecticut tied the program-mark for least first downs allowed with three…The last time it happened was against Navy in 2002.
• The Connecticut shutout tonight is the first against an FBS opponent since September 1, 2005 vs. Buffalo in which Connecticut was victorious 38-0…The Huskies last shutout against any opponent was against Maine on September 8, 2007.
• Connecticut won by more than 30 points for the second year in a row when opening at home…The last was vs. Fordham on September 3, 2011, 35-3.

Big East Games and Results:

Friday, August 31

Villanova
Temple, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 1

Northwestern
Syracuse, 12 p.m.

Youngstown St.
Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Chattanooga
South Florida, 7 p.m.

Rutgers
Tulane, 8 p.m.

Sunday, September 2

Kentucky
Louisville, 3:30 p.m.

Things to Work On:

• I’d like to see Whitmer establish himself a little more. Made some poor decisions but his footwork is top notch.
• As much as everyone likes the wildcat, personally I think we need to see what Whitmer can do with this offense. He definitely has the help on the receiving corps which is something we haven’t seen here in a long time.
• Keep getting Nick Williams the ball. When he touched the ball on offense, things happened.
• Offensive line needs to block better. They have top RB in McCombs but they need to open up more holes for him.
• While UConn was 8-of-16 (50%) on the third downs, they could have been better. A few mistakes cost them from it being around 75%.

Up Next:

The Huskies stay at home as they’ll welcome the North Carolina State Wolpack to Rentschler Field next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for high noon.

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Photo credit: stephen dunn – hartford courant (no. 3 in gallery), ap photo