The 2012 season hasn’t even started yet and it’s already gotten off on the wrong thumb for the Boston Red Sox.

With rosters being due at 5 p.m. today into the MLB offices, one thing is for certain. Andrew Bailey will start the season on the disabled list. Heck, there’s even a chance he might not be activated until September.

The early reports state that Bailey will miss at least three months while some say at least four months. Either way that’s not a good thing.

One thing we do know is that Daniel Bard will not move from the rotation back to the bullpen. As far as who the closer is that’s anyone’s guess as well. New skipper Bobby Valentine has said that he will keep Bard in the bullpen and that the Red Sox won’t go with a closer by committee.

That will leave the honors of closing out games for the Red Sox to Mark Melancon, Alfredo Aceves or quite possibly Vicente Padilla. Honestly, we just won’t know until the roster is released who will be in the bullpen and from that we won’t be able to figure it out. We can only hope that Valentine will meet with the media in Detroit tomorrow and make an announcement.

Otherwise, it’s all speculation.

The Red Sox finished up their first spring training under Valentine with a record of 16-11 on the heels of a 8-7 win yesterday over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

Clay Buchholz made his final tuneup start before his regular turn on Sunday and pitched great for the first four innings as he shut down the first 12 batters he faced. He was tagged for a three-run homer in the 5th to Wilson Ramos and a solo home run in the 6th to Ian Desmond. But all in all, it was a good outing for him.

Justin Thomas had a rough go of things in his final audition to make the Red Sox bullpen. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. Michael Bowden walked two in 2/3 of an inning while Alfredo Aceves picked up the win after striking out two in an inning of work. Chorye Spoone picked up the save despite allowing a hit and a walk.

Spoone was bailed out by Jason Repko who threw out Desmond at the plate to end the game. Repko had driven in the winning run for the Red Sox in the top of the 9th with a double.

Depending on what Valentine decides to do, Repko may have played his way on the roster. But with the uncertainty of the bullpen right now, we can’t be sure how the opening day roster will look except for the regulars.

So while we wait for Valentine to release his opening day roster, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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Buchholz on target in exhibition finale [Boston Globe]

Opportunity knocks [Boston Globe]

Surgery for Bailey; he’s out 3-4 months [Boston Globe]

Closer job open again [Boston Herald]

Decisions looming for Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Surgery for Sox Bailey [Boston Herald]

Lester: Not being included in elite ‘frustrating’ [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Analysis: Why Red Sox aren’t replacing Andrew Bailey with Daniel Bard … yet [Clubhouse Insider]

With Bailey needing surgery, Red Sox bullpen unstable [CSN New England]

Sox going down to last minute on roster decisions [CSN New England]

Lucchino: Bobby’s ‘right guy at right time’ [ESPN Boston]

Video: Edes on who will be Sox closer [ESPN Boston]

BBTN Video: Will Red Sox make playoffs? [ESPN Boston]

For openers, a quiz about Opening Day [ESPN Boston]

Should Daniel Bard be the closer? [Extra Bases]

No, Daniel Bard should not be the closer [Extra Bases]

Video: Cafardo discusses Bailey situation [Extra Bases]

Ben Cherington talks Andrew Bailey, Josh Beckett [Full Count]

Nuggetpalooza Red Sox preview: 25 guys, 25 nuggets [Full Count]

Here’s an idea: Make Padilla the closer [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury Have Best Odds for Red Sox Players to Win American League MVP [NESN.com]

Mark Melancon, Alfredo Aceves, Vicente Padilla Each Confident They Can Close If Necessary [NESN.com]

Pedro Ciriaco Sent Down to Triple-A Pawtucket, Still ‘Very Happy’ About Sensational Spring [NESN.com]

Jon Lester Has Best Odds Among Red Sox Pitchers to Win American League Cy Young This Season [NESN.com]

Alfredo Aceves Could Become Closer Due to Andrew Bailey’s Injury, Will Be Big Part of Red Sox Success in 2012 [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

New pitching coach McClure careful not to come on too strong [Providence Journal]

Amid all the changes, Magadan a steady presence [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Closing options mulled as Bailey faces surgery [Providence Journal]

Are Sox any better off this season? I don’t see it [Providence Journal]

Lester growing into role as Boston’s ace [RedSox.com]

Status seeker: After ‘step back’ in ’11, Jon Lester looks to secure place among game’s elite [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.

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 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 Women’s Basketball links

Hayes’ Career Comes To An End After 147 Wins [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Stewart To Throw Out First Pitch Thurs. At AAA Game In Syracuse [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Faris the leader and the heart of UConn [CT Post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Dom answered a question in his mailbag [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Oriakhi Will Visit UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Missouri [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Hall Of Fame Honors Calhoun [UConnHuskies.com]

Could national champions beat UConn’s best teams? [CT Post]

UConn Football links

Schedule look: UConn [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

News And Notes From Spring Practice No.7 [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Practice No. 7 wrap-up [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Several Injuries, Opoku Suspension Limit UConn Football Roster [Hartford Courant]

Mike Osiecki goes on the offensive [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

W. Track. Brigitte Mania Named BIG EAST Track Athlete Of The Week [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Huskies Erase Early Five-Run Deficit; Fall to BC 8-5 [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. O’Donnell’s Homerun Lifts UConn Over UMass, 5-3 [UConnHuskies.com]

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

Well the Boston Red Sox got some good news and bad news about the thumb injuries suffered by Andrew Bailey and Josh Beckett.

The bad news is that Bailey will undergo surgery on Wednesday and be lost for at least three months. Some reports say he won’t return until September.

Here’s the release from the Red Sox on Bailey:

BOSTON, MA— The Boston Red Sox issued the following statement today in regards to right-handed pitcher Andrew Bailey:

“Andrew Bailey was examined yesterday by Dr. Mark Belsky and Dr. Matthew Leibman in Boston and today by Dr. Thomas Graham in Cleveland.  It was determined that Andrew should undergo surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb.   The surgery is scheduled to be performed by Dr. Graham tomorrow in Cleveland.”

The good news is that Beckett is fine and will make his scheduled start on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers.

The Red Sox acquired Bailey along with Ryan Sweeney with the hopes that he would be their closer after Jonathan Papelbon bolted for the Philadelphia Phillies during free agency. Now they are faced with him being out for the considerable future.

Mark Melancon has closing experience from his days with the Houston Astros. Daniel Bard has closed out a few games in his career but he’s expected to stay in the Red Sox rotation. Also under consideration for closing now are Alfredo Aceves and Vicente Padilla.

This is obviously not how the Red Sox wanted to start the season but it is what is. Now they need to make the best of it.

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

photo credit: AP Photo

The past two days for the Boston Red Sox have been full of thumbs. And by that I mean the mysterious thumb injuries suffered by Josh Beckett and Andrew Bailey.

The reports that came out yesterday are good and bad. They state that Bailey will need thumb surgery and it’s unknown how long he’d be out for. The good comes from Beckett as it is expected he’ll make his first start on Saturday against the Tigers.

Both Bailey and Beckett are currently in Cleveland getting second (Bailey) and third (Beckett) opinions on their injuries. From what the media is reporting, Beckett’s is more for piece of mind than anything else.

As far as the rest of the roster goes, that’ll be determined after today’s exhibition game in our Nation’s capital. Obviously the injury to Bailey throws a little wrench into the plans of Ben Cherington and Bobby Valentine.

They’ll need to decide whether or not to carry 13 pitchers or 13 position players. And that affects players like Pedro Ciriaco, Jason Repko and Nate Spears on the positional side of things. It affects Scott Atchison, Michael Bowden and Justin Thomas on the pitching side.

As I said yesterday, don’t take too much stock in the opening day roster. It will look different on May 1st.

But right now, Cherington and Valentine are trying to put the best 25 guys out there in hopes of not repeating the 2011 start of 2-7 and a bad month of April. With the AL East stronger than ever this year, the Red Sox can’t afford another bad start.

We do know Aaron Cook won’t be on the roster. He’s still a little behind the rest of the pitchers but did pitch five solid innings against the Washington Nationals yesterday. He’ll start the season with the PawSox and more than likely make five starts with them before the Red Sox face his opt-out clause on May 1st.

To see today’s lineups for the exhibition game as well as the links from the media, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After closing out Florida spring training action with a 4-2 win over the Nationals yesterday, the two teams today meet again at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. and there is no television coverage of the game in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Nationals television market, you can catch the game on MASN. The game is available on the radios in the Nationals broadcast area on 106.7 The Fan and WFED 1500.

Here are today’s lineups:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ian Desmond	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Danny Espinosa	2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Ryan Zimmerman	3B
4. David Ortiz	DH	4. Adam LaRoche	1B
5. Kevin Youkilis	3B	5. Jayson Werth	RF
6. Ryan Sweeney	RF	6. Mark DeRosa	LF
7. Cody Ross	LF	7. Xavier Nady	DH
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	8. Wilson Ramos	C
9. Mike Aviles	SS	9. Roger Bernadina	CF
Clay Buchholz	SP	Edwin Jackson	SP

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

Bailey needs surgery on his thumb [Boston Globe]

Schilling’s attacks miss mark [Boston Globe]

Thumb’s down for Andrew Bailey [Boston Herald]

Bad string of thumb luck for Sox [Boston Herald]

Closer to making it [Boston Herald]

Beckett ‘situation’ could be a non-starter [Boston Herald]

Club concerned Bailey’s going to miss a significant amount of time; Beckett appears fine [Clubhouse Insider]

Video: How Bailey, Beckett thumb issues may affect Red Sox pitching [Clubhouse Insider]

Bailey’s absence puts bullpen in full flux [Clubhouse Insider]

More clues in CSI: Bailey [Clubhouse Insider]

Valentine on Schilling criticism: Consider the source [CSN New England]

OverUnder: Red Sox 2012 [CSN New England]

Atchison hoping to make roster last-minute [CSN New England]

Source: Surgery would sideline Bailey ‘three to four months’ [CSN New England]

Sports Tonight: Harold Reynolds looks at the Sox [CSN New England]

Schill: Potential for ‘oil and water’ mix [ESPN Boston]

Bobby V talks Crawford, closer situation [ESPN Boston]

Beckett ‘totally’ expected to make start [ESPN Boston]

Power Rankings: Red Sox at No. 6 [ESPN Boston]

Pitching a work in progress [ESPN Boston]

Takeaways from Fort: Breaking camp [ESPN Boston]

Lucchino: Good thing Schilling’s not in charge [ESPN Boston]

Beckett also getting a second opinion [Extra Bases]

Cook, Ohlendorf dropped from Red Sox roster [Extra Bases]

Beckett expected to pitch; Bailey likely headed to DL [Extra Bases]

Podcast: Injuries and outlook for 2012 [Extra Bases]

Lucchino also takes a shot at Schilling [Extra Bases]

Crisis averted? Bobby Valentine ‘totally’ expects Josh Beckett to be ready for start of season [Full Count]

What Matt Cain’s contract means to Jon Lester and the Red Sox [Full Count]

Ben Cherington talks Andrew Bailey, Josh Beckett [Full Count]

Joey Votto, Matt Cain Contract Extensions Could Have Huge Implications for Red Sox Going Forward [NESN.com]

Victoria’s Secret Breaks Out PINK Red Sox Gear in Time for Opening Day (Photo) [NESN.com]

Daniel Bard to Remain Red Sox’ Fifth Starter Despite Andrew Bailey’s Setback [NESN.com]

Next stop for Cook: Pawtucket [Projo Sox Blog]

Blitz of thumb injuries causing 40-man roster crunch [Projo Sox Blog]

How Bard, Doubront affect the Red Sox payroll going forward [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox awaiting word on Bailey, Beckett [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett headed to thumb specialist in Texas; Valentine expects him to pitch Saturday [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Closer role is an open question [Providence Journal]

Aceves not mad about missing out on rotation [RedSox.com]

Valentine regrets not seeing Crawford in action [RedSox.com]

Energetic Pedroia heart, soul of Red Sox [RedSox.com]

Stumble at the start: Bailey injury adds to long list of wounded Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Source: Bailey injury believed to involve UCL [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Pop quiz: Name these Sox champs [Touching All The Bases]

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.

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 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 Women’s Basketball links

End Of One Road, Start Of Another [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Auriemma Predicts A Return To The Final Four In 2012-13 [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Hayes proud of the journey [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Strong ratings for UConn/Notre Dame game [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Now UConn has a true rival [CT Post]

UConn Women Went Deeper In Tournament Than Many Expected [Hartford Courant]

Sting of Final Four loss eased by upbeat view of future [New Haven Register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Shabazz Napier Talks APR, UConn’s Postseason Ban [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Some Jim Calhoun “News” and Omar Calhoun Real News [David Borges – New Haven Register]

NBA Players in the National Championship Game [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Jim Calhoun Wins Mannie Jackson Award For Human Spirit [Hartford Courant]

Much has changed for Huskies in a year’s time [New Haven Register]

UConn Football links

Lean on workhorse back or split carries? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Video: Big East offensive line preview [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Other UConn related links

M. Tennis. Men’s Tennis Falls at Villanova and Georgetown [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Tennis. Women’s Tennis Rolls Over Villanova, 6-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Nine-Run Seventh Propels UConn Past UMass [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Ferriter Named BIG EAST Baseball Player of the Week [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Seniors Honored at Annual Volleyball Banquet [UConnHuskies.com]

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

Hold up folks. Things are becoming more and more interesting for the Boston Red Sox and the season hasn’t even started yet.

One day after it was announced that closer Andrew Bailey has a thumb injury, it now turns out that Josh Beckett may have one as well and miss his first two starts of the season.

Alfredo Aceves told reporters that Bobby Valentine told him to be prepared to start against the Tigers on Saturday and in the home opener on April 13.

“[Valentine] said Josh Beckett has an injury in his thumb. That’s what he said and if he doesn’t start the second game, I will start the second game and the first game at home,” Aceves said. “And then he said, ‘For now you’re going to be in the bullpen.’ “

What’s odd about this is the fact that Beckett threw a side session yesterday and there were no reports of any injury suffered during the outing or the fact that his thumb was bothering him at all. He is on his way to San Antonio to have the injury checked out.

So as the quote from Alfredo Aceves says, if Beckett does have to miss time, he’ll make Beckett’s first two starts. And that of course means if Beckett is indeed placed on the disabled list to start the season that Mark Melancon will likely be the closer until Bailey returns.

This obviously not the start the Red Sox had envisioned for the 2012 season.

UPDATE: Beckett told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com in a text message that he expects to make his first start this Saturday.

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

photo credit: AP Photo

The biggest news of the day for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday was supposed to be the announcement of Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard as the fourth and fifth members of the starting rotation. Instead, it was the news of a mysterious thumb injury suffered by Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey.

No one is quite sure how Bailey injured his thumb and I saw a tweet somewhere yesterday that Bailey only found his thumb was injured when he tried to squeeze a shampoo bottle in the shower. So with all of that news, the Red Sox sent Bailey back to Boston for an examination and tests on the thumb.

The Red Sox will wait for those results before making a determination of whether or not Bailey starts the season on the DL. The best guess here is that he does in fact start the season on the disabled list allowing him to be fully healthy for the rest of the season.

While we thought Pedro Ciriaco, Jason Repko and Nate Spears were competing for the final spot on the Red Sox 25-man roster, that final spot could conceivably go to another pitcher instead of a position player.

Alfredo Aceves, who wasn’t happy with the fact that he won’t be starting this season, will be considered to close out games along with Mark Melancon until Bailey returns.

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and skipper Bobby Valentine have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday night to make their decisions on the final roster. It will be interesting to see what they decide on the makeup of the bullpen as well as the final roster. I say final because it’s the end of spring training.

We all know the 2012 Opening Day roster won’t look like the roster will on May 1st. That’s just the way baseball works.

To see today’s lineups as well as the links from the media, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After winning the Mayor’s Cup yesterday, the Red Sox close out Grapefruit League play against the Washington Nationals.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and there is no television or radio coverage of today’s game.

Here are the lineups:

1. Roger Bernadina	CF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Ian Desmond	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Danny Espinosa	2B	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Adam LaRoche	1B	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Xavier Nady	RF	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Chad Tracy	LF	6. Darnell McDonald	LF
7. Wilson Ramos	DH	7. Ryan Sweeney	RF
8. Jesus Flores	C	8. Mike Aviles	SS
9. Steve Lombardozzi	3B	9. Kelly Shoppach	C
Jordan Zimmermann	SP	Aaron Cook	SP

Cook will be followed by LHP Franklin Morales, RHP Mark Melancon and RHP Matt Albers.

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

Thumb injury likely to land Bailey on DL [Boston Globe]

Doubront, Bard put in rotation [Boston Globe]

Issues, right off the bat [Boston Globe]

Thumbs down on Bailey situation [Boston Herald]

Red Sox finally armed but not as dangerous [Boston Herald]

Every pinch counts [Boston Herald]

Surprise injury sidelines closer [Boston Herald]

Beckett expects to make first start [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Bobby Valentine produces some interesting press conferences [Clubhouse Insider]

Now Beckett has a thumb situation; Aceves says he is on call for Game 2 start if needed [Clubhouse Insider]

Bobby Valentine “totally” expects Josh Beckett to start second game [Clubhouse Insider]

Video: Panic time over another thumb injury? [Clubhouse Insider]

Bailey (thumb) returning to Boston for examination [CSN New England]

Pitcher could fill Red Sox’ final roster spot vacancy [CSN New England]

Beckett (thumb) may miss first start of season [CSN New England]

Beckett (thumb) expected to make first start [CSN New England]

Melancon: Bailey won’t be ready to start season [CSN New England]

Resetting the Sox roster [ESPN Boston]

Bailey to have thumb examined in Boston [ESPN Boston]

Takeaways from Fort: Ross’ many talents [ESPN Boston]

Looking back at six weeks of spring training [Extra Bases]

Josh Beckett questionable for first start [Extra Bases]

Valentine still waiting for news on Bailey [Extra Bases]

Why left-hander Justin Thomas could be on Red Sox’ Opening Day roster [Full Count]

Sox’ success hinges on Bard, Buchholz [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Andrew Bailey Likely Suffers Thumb Injury in Collision, Discovered Pain Squeezing Shampoo Bottle [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett Suffers Thumb Injury, Alfredo Aceves Prepared to Make Spot Start in His Place [NESN.com]

Alfredo Aceves ‘Fine Now,’ Feels Red Sox’ Commitment to Daniel Bard Hurt His Chances of Starting [NESN.com]

Red Sox set rotation, with Doubront No. 4 and Bard No. 5 [Providence Journal]

Red Sox 2012: Loaded American League ensures a tough road back to postseason [Providence Journal]

Brian MacPherson’s predictions for the 2012 MLB season [Projo Sox Blog]

Tim Britton’s predictions for 2012 [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett getting thumb checked in San Antonio [Projo Sox Blog]

Commitment to Bard meant versatile Aceves had little chance to win spot in rotation [Projo Sox Blog]

“Strike-throwing machine” Atchison awaiting word on fate [Projo Sox Blog]

If Bailey is out, closer picture cloudy for Red Sox [Projo Sox Blog]

Lavarnway optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket [RedSox.com]

Injured right thumb could land Bailey on DL [RedSox.com]

Sox weren’t tempted to move Bard back to ‘pen [RedSox.com]

Beckett gears up for season with side session [RedSox.com]

Red Sox get chance to change conversation [RedSox.com]

Beckett in Texas having right thumb examined [RedSox.com]

Bail-out strategy: A look at potential impact of closer Andrew Bailey’s injury [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Aceves says he may fill in for injured Beckett [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Four Red Sox April Fool’s Day Pranks That Didn’t Quite Work as Planned [Surviving Grady]

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.

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 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 Women’s Basketball links

The End Of The Road [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Chemistry Not A Problem For Jefferson, Stewart And Tuck [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Huskies Had Plenty Of Resiliency Tonight, Not Enough Execution [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Maya Moore brings home another title [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn fell one rebound shy of reaching title game [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn falls to ND in overtime [CT Post]

UConn’s Hayes struggles in defeat [CT Post]

UConn women’s notebook: Back in the game [CT Post]

Irish Get The Last Word, Defeat UConn, 85-73 [Hartford Courant]

UConn Looks Beyond Loss To The Future [Hartford Courant]

Students Tune In As Game Gets Close [Hartford Courant]

Another Battle Fuels The Flames Of A Fierce Rivalry [Hartford Courant]

Huskies fall to Notre Dame in overtime in national semifinal [New Haven Register]

Irish oust Huskies in OT thriller [The Day]

UConn women come just short of a miracle finish [The Day]

Hayes finishes UConn career [Mechelle Voepel – ESPN.com]

Ex-Olympic coaches honored [Mechelle Voepel – ESPN.com]

Irish win game of twists, turns [Graham Hays – espnW]

Notre Dame convincing in the end over UConn [USA Today]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Coach-In-Waiting — Good Idea Or Bad For UConn Men? [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Softball. Huskies Fall To Notre Dame, 7-2 [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Marzi Shuts Down Seton Hall in Weekend Finale, 7-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Lacrosse. Lapham Ties Career Scoring Record; Women’s Lax Falls at Rutgers, 14-5 [UConnHuskies.com]

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

Here are the postgame quotes from the UConn Huskies after their 83-75 overtime loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO on Sunday night.

Transcript courtesy of ASAP Sports

THE MODERATOR:  Joining us is head coach Geno Auriemma and student‑athletes Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson. Coach, an opening statement.

COACH AURIEMMA:  Really not much that I can say.  We put ourselves in the position to win the game.  That last two minutes, minute and a half of regulation was pretty amazing.

And as most games do, it turned on the one great play by a great player.  And then when we got into overtime, we just didn’t have enough.  They just made some huge shots.  We took a chance on making it difficult.  But Brittany Mallory made two huge shots, and that’s who we wanted to shoot the ball.  And, God bless her, she stepped up and made shots.

THE MODERATOR:  Questions for the student‑athletes.

Q.  Stefanie, you played the last (indiscernible) of overtime with four fouls.  Can you talk about your mindset of how you had to play that stretch?

STEFANIE DOLSON:  I just know I had to stay as aggressive as I could without fouling and just be smart, because I knew the team needed me in there to get rebounds and make shots.

And they did a pretty good job just staying aggressive but not fouling.

Q.  Bria, you guys are 0‑3 this year when you’ve given up 70 plus and Notre Dame has done that twice.  What do they do so well on offense?

BRIA HARTLEY:  They stay moving on offense.  I think, even though we’re familiar with them, they stay active and they set a lot of screens.  It’s just us having to talk to each other.  They hit some tough shots.

They were able to score.  And they played a really good game tonight.

Q.  I was hoping you could just take us through the emotions of those final two minutes.  Coach Auriemma was kind of telling us about it already, but from your guys’ perspective as Kelly got those two steals and hit all those free throws, what was it like from your guys’ perspective?

BRIA HARTLEY:  I thought it was great.  I thought we definitely had a lot of momentum going for us.  God bless Kelly, she was able to get that steal after I turned the ball over.  And I think it was just a lot of excitement, and we felt really good going into that first overtime or whatever, but it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to in the end.

Q.  Stefanie, could you talk about your offensive mindset, especially the first half, you did a large part in carrying the team?

STEFANIE DOLSON:  Well, I think Notre Dame did such a good job of being overly aggressive with our guards that they had a lot of tough shots that they had to make and knock down.  So I just had to do a good job screening for them.

That left me open to roll to the basket and got me easy layups.  And towards the end I knew I had to be as aggressive as I could to get our team points, because we gotta give Notre Dame their defense a lot of credit; they did a great job taking away a lot of things.  And we didn’t move around enough.

Q.  Bria, you guys have had great defense all year, team defense.  You guys held Skylar with only two points till late in the first half.  And your teammates were backing you up well, it seemed like.  If she tried to drive, they were there to stop her.  Can you talk about how important it was in that first half to not only how you were playing against her but the team in general?

BRIA HARTLEY:  I think a lot of it is our help when someone gets beat or whatever, someone steps up and someone’s able to stop them, and a lot of it is just us talking and communicating on defense.  Everyone did a really good job of that in the first half. 

To see what Geno Auriemma has to say, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

THE MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Questions for Coach.

Q.  Coach, I think 19 turnovers in regulation time tonight, Notre Dame’s defense or just sloppy ball handling today?

COACH AURIEMMA:  It’s always a combination of both.  Anytime you have that many turnovers, the defense has a lot to do with it and you have a lot to do with it yourself.

We just were not very good offensively.  And I can’t tell you why, because maybe the emotions of the game or maybe for some of our younger guys the game was just too big for them, I don’t know, but there was a lot of standing around, and that’s not like us.  That’s not how we play.

Q.  It seemed like the upperclassmen who all wanted to play well struggled but the younger kids, like Stefanie, Bria, and Kiah, all played great.  Could you talk about what the younger kids brought to the table tonight?

COACH AURIEMMA:  It’s awfully difficult.  And a lot of the teams that have been here before find that out that you’re not going to come here and your freshmen and sophomores are going to necessarily win national championships for you.  It’s very difficult.
And Kelly and Caroline and Tiffany struggled a lot.  And it wasn’t until the last minute, minute and a half, that Kelly started making the plays that Kelly normally makes.

At the end of regulation, I think it was 67, right?  Something like that?  So, again, you’re not going to hold Notre Dame to much less than that, generally speaking.  So our defense was fine for the regulation for the first 40minutes.
We just passed up too many opportunities.  You can’t do that against Notre Dame.  You can’t come away empty handed.  They’re just too good.  You can’t give them that many chances.

Q.  Your teams are so familiar with each other after playing so much this year, last year.  How do you think that affected this game and maybe ultimately affected the outcome?
COACH AURIEMMA:  Well, what can I say?  It was tough for them to get open shots.  It was tough for us to get open shots.  There were stretches where our defense dominated them.  There were stretches where our defense let us down, or our offense was clicking and then theirs was.  It’s basically the way all the games have gone that we played them.
We said going into this game somebody’s going to make a couple of plays and that’s going to be the difference in the game.  And if we had won in regulation, the play that Kelly Faris made would have won the game.  Instead the play Natalie Novosel made maybe won the game for them.

Q.  Coach, you were down 4 in overtime.  You called a timeout; come out of that, you get a 30‑second violation, looked a little tentative.  What were you trying to do there?  Did you think your team looked tentative at that point?

COACH AURIEMMA:  Well, that’s another issue that popped up.  That was a struggle for most of the season.  When we called that timeout, we knew we were going to get a good shot, because we knew Kaleena or Bria was going to get a good shot.  The only problem is once we inbounded the ball and started dribbling, dribbling and dribbling, then it just kind of deteriorated from there.

And why?  I don’t know.  We did things tonight that we haven’t done in a long, long time.  And I don’t have an explanation for it.

Q.  Geno, the rivalry will go on.  But is there one thing right now, one play, one moment, something that’s really like kicking your butt right now that’s really eating at you about any one thing tonight that you’re taking home with you right now?

COACH AURIEMMA:  Yeah, I would say probably the last play of regulation because the game sometimes hangs on one play.  Kelly steals the ball, misses the layup, and then gets two free throws.  If Kelly missed the layup and makes the one free throw, we’re up three instead of two.  And that changes everything.

I made a huge mistake of taking Kiah Stokes out of the game at that point.  We went with five guards so that we could switch all their screens.  And in the end a defensive rebound would have won it for us.  That’s the part I’m going home with.

Q.  Can you take us through your mindset in the second half with Stefanie and the foul troubles, when to take her out, when to put her back in, what you were thinking there?

COACH AURIEMMA:  Yeah, I thought Stefanie played great.  And there was a lot of talk on the bench among the coaching staff about when to bring her in, how long to keep her out.  But I felt as long as the game was within reach and it wasn’t more than four or five points either way that we could buy some more time for her.

And I figured somewhere around the six‑minute mark, seven‑minute mark we’d be good to go.  I thought Kiah Stokes was really good tonight.  I thought she did a lot of really nice things.  And as long as she kept doing that we would be okay.  I’m really proud of our freshmen and sophomores.  I thought they had really, really good days today.  And they learned a lot.  This will be good for them.

THE MODERATOR:  Thank you, Coach.

If you’re interested, you can also check out the postgame quotes from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

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

We are getting closer and closer to the season and finally the 2012 roster for the Boston Red Sox is starting to take shape.

Earlier in the week, we learned that Mike Aviles would be the starting shortstop as Jose Iglesias was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket. This left just finding out who the fourth and fifth guys in the rotation as well as the 25th man on the roster.

With all four in the rotation competition pitching this week, Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard, Aaron Cook and Felix Doubront, it was thought that we would learn the final two yesterday. Instead, Bobby Valentine elected to wait until today to announce his rotation since he hadn’t had time to talk with all the parties involved.

So without further adieu, here is your 2012 Boston Red Sox starting rotation:

1. Jon Lester
2. Josh Beckett
3. Clay Buchholz
4. Felix Doubront
5. Daniel Bard

Really no surprises here. I’ve said all along that Aceves is better suited from the Red Sox bullpen given his versatility. Cook most likely wasn’t ready yet as he hasn’t gotten to where the others are as far as pitch count.

I’m guessing here that Doubront is the 4th starter and Bard the 5th because Valentine didn’t want to throw lefties (Doubront, Lester) on consecutive days. I’d also like to think that if Doubront or Bard struggle, the Red Sox will give Cook a chance or even bump Aceves into the rotation.

The bullpen, while not officially announced, looks like it’ll be Andrew Bailey, Mark Melancon, Aceves, Matt Albers, Franklin Morales, Michael Bowden and either Scott Atchison or Vicente Padilla. If it ends up being Padilla, the Red Sox would have to make a move on the 40-man roster since he was a non-roster invitee.

It also appears that the 25th spot on the roster is coming down to Pedro Ciriaco, Nate Spears and Jason Repko.

All of them bring a different dynamic to the team but I’m guessing it’ll be Ciriaco based on his speed. He’s now scored from second base on sacrifice bunts twice this season and that’s something Valentine likes. The one thing to remember though is that more than likely the 25th man on the team will also be the one to go when Carl Crawford returns from his wrist injury in late April/early May.

Finally, if you thought Ryan Lavarnway would start the season in Boston, your guess would have been wrong. He was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket this morning. Something tells me though that it won’t be long before he’s in Boston to stay.

To see today’s lineups, as well as the links from the media, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After tying the Tampa Bay Rays 7-7 yesterday, the Red Sox return to JetBlue Park to host their spring training cross-town rivals, the Minnesota Twins. The Mayor’s Cup is on the line as the Red Sox hold a 3-2 lead and a win would give them the title after losing it last year.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. You can also listen to the game on your radio at 680 AM WRKO.

Here are today’s lineups:

1. Denard Span	CF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Jamey Carroll	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Chris Parmalee	DH	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Ryan Doumit	C	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Danny Valencia	3B	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Sean Burroughs	1B	6. Cody Ross	LF
7. Luke Hughes	2B	7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
8. Trevor Ploufee	RF	8. Ryan Sweeney	RF
9. Ben Revere	LF	9. Mike Aviles	SS
Carl Pavano	SP	Vicente Padilla	SP

Padilla will be followed by RHP Scott Atchison, LHP Justin Thomas

Pavano will be followed by RHP Alex Burnett, LHP Matt Maloney, RHP Jared Burton and RHP Casey Fien.

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

His voice still carries [Boston Globe]

Pitch calls to be revealed today [Boston Globe]

Fenway Park is part of us all [Boston Globe]

Ranking the major league managers [Boston Globe]

Chasing his chance [Boston Herald]

Red Sox’ minor attraction [Boston Herald]

Round barrier broken [Boston Herald]

Bobby Valentine to deliver rotation [Boston Herald]

Why the Red Sox took so long to decide on their starters [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Ben Cherington on the Red Sox spring: “We feel good about it and also feel it’s not perfect” [Clubhouse Insider]

Bobby Valentine: Daniel Bard is No. 5 starter, Alfredo Aceves unhappy with bullpen assignment, mystery injury concern in bullpen [Clubhouse Insider]

Closer Andrew Bailey now has thumb injury, Opening Day in jeopardy [Clubhouse Insider]

Daniel Bard hopes lessons learned from spring struggles lead to regular season success [Clubhouse Insider]

Doubront, Bard named to starting rotation [CSN New England]

Battle for final roster spot continues for Red Sox [CSN New England]

Cherington: Crawford ‘continues to progress’ [CSN New England]

Little change in roster, big change in culture [CSN New England]

Source: Bailey bothered by thumb injury [CSN New England]

Takeaways: Roster spot roulette [ESPN Boston]

Doubront, Bard in rotation; concern for Bailey? [Extra Bases]

Lavarnway to Pawtucket but roster not complete [Extra Bases]

Questions about Andrew Bailey’s health as Red Sox set rotation [Full Count]

Felix Doubront Named Red Sox’ No. 4 Starter, Calls Bobby Valentine’s Decision ‘The Best News’ [NESN.com]

Jason Repko Eyeing Utility Role on Red Sox Roster After Impressive Spring [NESN.com]

Alfredo Aceves Not Happy With Bobby Valentine’s Decision to Put Him Back in Bullpen, According to Red Sox Skipper [NESN.com]

Injury Questions Surround Andrew Bailey After Bobby Valentine Discusses ‘Health Situation’ in Red Sox Bullpen [NESN.com]

Prospect destinations: Ranaudo to Portland, Boegarts and Bradley Jr. to Salem [Projo Sox Blog]

Felix Doubront the No. 4 starter, Daniel Bard the No. 5 [Projo Sox Blog]

Lavarnway optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket [Projo Sox Blog]

Valentine hints at “health situation” in bullpen [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox poised to regain prominence on farm [RedSox.com]

Red Sox’s final roster spot up for grabs [RedSox.com]

Lester tunes up for Opening Day start [RedSox.com]

Red Sox talk to Cubs about Carpenter’s injury [RedSox.com]

Doubront, Bard round out Red Sox rotation [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.

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