After a strange day at 4 Yawkey Way, what we inevitably knew was going to happen, happened. Terry Francona is out as manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Here are the statements from the ownership group, Theo Epstein and Francona:

FROM JOHN HENRY, TOM WERNER AND LARRY LUCCHINO ON BEHALF OF THE BOSTON RED SOX:

“We met with Terry Francona, Theo Epstein and Ben Cherington Friday morning to discuss the 2011 season, ways to improve the club in the future, and Tito’s status. During the meeting, Tito, Theo and Ben agreed that the Red Sox would benefit from an improved clubhouse culture and higher standards in several areas. Tito said that after eight years here he was frustrated by his difficulty making an impact with the players, that a different voice was needed, and that it was time for him to move on. After taking time to reflect on Tito’s sentiments, we agreed that it was best for the Red Sox not to exercise the option years on his contract.

We have enormous respect, admiration and appreciation for Tito and the job that he did for eight years, including two World Series Championship seasons and five playoff appearances. His poise during the 2004 post-season was a key factor in the greatest comeback in baseball history, and his place in Red Sox history will never be forgotten. We wish him only the best going forward.”

STATEMENT FROM THEO EPSTEIN:

“Tito and I didn’t know each other when he was hired eight years ago, but over time we developed not only a great working relationship but also a personal friendship that will always be important to both of us. He proved to be an unflappable leader for our major league club, displaying consistency, calmness, hard work, thoughtfulness, a sense of humor, and faith in the players even at the most difficult of times. Without Tito’s commitment over eight years, we would not be the organization we are today. Nobody at the Red Sox blames Tito for what happened at the end of this season; we own that as an organization. This year was certainly a difficult and draining one for him and for us. Ultimately, he decided that there were certain things that needed to be done that he couldn’t do after eight years here, and that this team would benefit from hearing a new voice. While this may be true, his next team will benefit more than it knows from hearing Tito’s voice. I will miss seeing Tito every day in the manager’s office, and I wish him and his family nothing but the best in their next chapter.”

STATEMENT FROM TERRY FRANCONA:

“We met this morning to look back on the 2011 season and to consider the future of the Boston Red Sox, including my involvement with the club. I passed along my frustrations at my inability to effectively reach the players. After many conversations and much consideration, I ultimately felt that, out of respect to this team, it was time for me to move on. I’ve always maintained that it is not only the right, but the obligation, of ownership to have the right person doing this job. I told them that out of my enormous respect for this organization and the people in it, they may need to find a different voice to lead the team.

In my eight seasons as manager of the Boston Red Sox, I have developed a tremendous appreciation for Red Sox Nation. This is a special place with some of the most knowledgeable and passionate fans in all of baseball. They packed Fenway Park for every game and because of them, I had a special sense of pride coming to work every day. I want to thank John, Tom, Larry and Theo for giving me the opportunity to manage this team through some of the most successful years in this franchise’s history. I wish the entire organization and all of Red Sox Nation nothing but the very best.”

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This week:

The UConn Huskies will finish up the non-conference portion of their schedule on Saturday afternoon when they’ll host the Western Michigan Broncos at 3:30 p.m. at Rentschler Field.

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Broncos.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com odds, UConn is favored by three points. The over/under is 44 points.

My prediction is UConn 27 Western Michigan 17

Tickets:

According to Ticketmaster.com, there are still plenty of tickets available for the game.

Getting To The Game:

Here is link for the weather report. Here is all the parking info you will need for the game, this link includes directions to Rentschler Field. Here is a Rentschler Field seating chart and here is some general information for Rentschler Field.

The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent.

At UConn home games, FanFest takes place starting four hours before kickoff up until 30 minutes before the game. This year, it moves to between Gates A and B outside the stadium gates.

The offerings change each game, but activities typically include inflatable games for children, live bands, promotional vehicles and UConn student-athletes from various team signing autographs.

The “Husky Walk” is a chance for fans to welcome the UConn teams as they get off the team buses and head to the stadium. That takes place at approximately two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff between Gates A and B.

Once again this season at the end of home games, the UConn team will sing the “UConn Husky” fight song in front of the student section at Rentschler Field.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Saturday’s game will be televised by SNY in the Connecticut and Northeast region. Bob Picozzi is on play-by-play while former North Carolina head coach John Bunting is on color. It will also be available online at ESPN3.com.

In the Kalamazoo area, the game will be broadcast on WZZM.

The game will also be replayed on SNY in a condensed mode on the “Husky Power Hour” on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be replayed in its entirity on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Radio:

For the 20th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada.

Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines.

The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff, while home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean. 

UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. Here is a  full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network.

Western Michigan Radio:

The game will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network: 96.5 FM (Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan); 96.1 FM (Hollad, Grand Rapids, Muskegon), 94.1 FM (Lansing, Jackson, Battle Creek), and 94.3 FM (Detroit). Robin Hook (play-by-play) and Monty Porter (analysis) will have the call beginning at 11 a.m.

To continue reading the Western Michigan Broncos @ UConn Huskies preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week:

The Huskies went on the road and beat the Buffalo Bulls 17-3. The Broncos gave the Illinois Fightin Illini all they could handle in a 23-20 loss.

History:

Saturday’s game is just the second-ever meeting between UConn and Western Michigan in the sport of football. The only other meeting was a 41-27 victory by the Huskies on Nov. 1, 2003 at Rentschler Field — in the stadium’s debut year.

Connections:

• There are no players from the state of Michigan on the UConn roster and likewise there are no Connecticut players on the WMU roster.
• WMU head coach Bill Cubit played at Delaware from 1971-74 and UConn dropped three games to UDel during his career, including games in Storrs in ‘72 and ‘74.
• UConn special teams coordinator/running backs coach Clayton White was an assistant at Western Michigan in 2006 working with the DBs as the team played in the International Bowl.
• WMU safeties coach Rich Nagy is a 1987 Trinity graduate was a GA there in 1988…He is a native of Fairfield and his younger brother Charlie Nagy was a baseball All-American at UConn, an All-Star major leaguer for 14 years mostly with the Cleveland Indians and now the pitching coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Connecticut assistant head coach/defensive line coach Hank Hughes was the defensive line coach at Memphis (1998-2000) and coached current WMU defensive line coach Lou Esposito.
• WMU head coach Bill Cubit has faced Cincinnati and West Virginia during his tenure but was not on staff in 2003 when the Broncos last faced Connecticut. Director of football operations Tim Knox and director of medical services Kyle Blecha are the only two members of the staff that were on staff the only other time WMU played UConn.

Other UConn News:

Here are the quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni’s press conference as well quotes from some of the players. You can watch Pasqualoni’s press conference if you have the time.

Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.

UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni has won more BIG EAST Conference games (league contests only) than any other coach in history. Pasqualoni has 62 league wins from 1991-2004 while Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech is second with 57.

With the Sept. 3 win vs. Fordham and Saturday’s win vs. Buffalo, Pasqauloni is also first in league history in overall wins with 109 to top the mark of Beamer with 108. The distant third is Don Nehlen of West Virginia at 61.

Pasqualoni became the first Husky coach since 1923 to win his UConn coaching debut. The last coach to win a Husky debut was Sumner Dole in 1923.

A number of members of the 2011 Huskies were named to preseason “Watch Lists” for 2011. They are:

• Sophomore Tight End Ryan Griffin (Londonberry, N.H.)
  
  • John Mackey Award Watch List
• Senior Kicker Dave Teggart (Northborough, Mass.)
  
  • Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award
• Senior Defensive Tackle Kendall Reyes (Nashua, N.H.)
  
  • Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman in the country
  • Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive player in the country;
  • Lombardi Award, given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in the country.
• Senior center Moe Petrus (St. Laurent, Que.)
  
  • Outland Trophy
  • Lombardi Award
• Senior offensive tackle Mike Ryan (Tamaqua, Pa.)
  
  • Lombardi Award

Connecticut enters Saturday’s meeting vs. Western Michigan with a 17-2 record against opponents from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) since making the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2002. The two losses includes a 30-16 defeat at Temple last year. Prior to that game, Connecticut’s last loss to a MAC opponent came back on Sept. 28, 2002, when it dropped a 24-21 overtime decision vs. Ball State.

UConn’s record vs. MAC teams also includes wins over Ohio in 2009 and Temple in 2008 during the regular season and against Buffalo in the 2009 International Bowl.

Connecticut boasts a 42-19 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to the FBS in 2002.

The Huskies have won 17 of their last 23 regular season non-league games overall with the only blemishes coming via a one-point loss at Virginia (17-16) in 2007, losses to North Carolina in 2008 and ‘09, Michigan and Temple in ‘10 and Vanderbilt and Iowa State in ‘11.

UConn has posted the following records in non-conference regular season games: 6-6 (2002), 9-3 (2003), 4-1 (2004), 3-1 (2005), 3-2 (2006), 4-1 (2007), 4-1 (2008), 4-1 (2009), 3-2 (2010) and 2-2 (2011).

Here are the categories where UConn is ranked in the top 40 in the 2011 NCAA statistics.

• Rushing Defense – 24th at 91.25 yards (Fifth in BIG EAST)
• Pass. Eff. Defense – 10th at 96.44 (First in BIG EAST)
• Total Defense – 14th at 272.00 (First in BIG EAST)
• Scoring Defense – 12th at 13.50 (First in BIG EAST)
• Pass Defense – 23rd at 180.75 (First in BIG EAST)
• Sacks – 14th at 3.25 (Second in BIG EAST)
• TFL – 9th at 8.25 (Fourth in BIG EAST)

Individual leaders

• Rushing – Lyle McCombs, 45th at 91.50 (Third in BIG EAST)
• Sacks – Sio Moore, t16th at 0.88 (Third in BIG EAST)
• Interceptions – B. Jones/J. Johnson, t21st at .5 (t3 in BIG EAST)
• TFL – Kendall Reyes, T21th at 1.63 (Third in BIG EAST)
  Teddy Jennings, T24th at 1.50 (Fourth in BIG EAST)

Notes from this week’s opponent Western Michigan:

Here is video from Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit’s press conference.

Western Michigan’s flight trip to Connecticut is its first plane travel trip since the 2008 Texas Bowl. The 2009 and 2010 seasons marked the fi rst time the Broncos had gone back-to-back seasons with a flight travel trip since the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

Western Michigan is 2-8 against teams currently in the Big East with both all-time wins coming against Louisville (prior to the Cardinals joining the conference).

Western Michigan’s last game against a Big East team came in the 2007 opener at West Virginia after closing out the 2006 season against Cincinnati in the 2007 International Bowl.

WMU boasts three team members on preseason watch lists (Alex Carder — O’Brien, Manning; Jordan White — Biletnikoff; Kevin Galeher — Rimington).

WMU has two former players on the coaching staff — Ryan Cubit (2004-06) – Quarterbacks; Jake Moreland (1996-99) – Tight Ends.

WMU goes on the road to face a bowl team from the 2010 season six times this year (Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Miami).

WMU has a live horse lead the team onto the field during home games in 2011, marking the first season since 1997. The horse, named Triumph by the fans via an online poll, is ridden by WMU freshman Alyssa Davison. WMU is 2-0 with Triumph so far this season.

Friday UConn Football Links:

Predictions: Big East Week 5 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

What to watch in the Big East: Week 5 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Martin Hyppolite practicing, other Thursday notes [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Recruits Visiting This Weekend, Puyol Talks About Record 54 FG [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Video: Watch Kicker And UConn Recruit Bobby Puyols’ 54-Yard Field Goal [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Thoughts From UConn Coach Pasqualoni Pre-Western Michigan [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Thursday update [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Game Preview – Connecticut Huskies vs. Western Michigan Broncos [BigEast.org]

Military Appreciation Day [UConnHuskies.com]

Top UConn football booster gives his blessing to move to ACC [Danbury News-Times]

McEntee Starting; Huskies Not Pleased With 2-2 Record [Hartford Courant]

Western Michigan’s Rich Nagy Grew Up In Fairfield, Played At Trinity [Hartford Courant]

Huskies need to improve ground game [SNY.tv]

Next Week:

The Huskies will open up Big East play next Saturday afternoon when they head to Morgantown, WV to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.

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

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

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

UConn Football links

The UConn football links can be found in the Friday football links section of the Western Michigan vs UConn preview.

UConn Men’s Basketball links

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

Kemba Walker versus Jimmer Fredette [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Marketing to young athletes can be trouble for all involved [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Moriah Jefferson not expected at First Night [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

W. Soccer. Huskies Take On Notre Dame, Aired On ESPNU [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Soccer. TopDrawerSoccer men’s college team of the week [SI.com]

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

It still hurts folks so I’m not ready to talk about what transpired just yet. And now that someone has poured some salt in the wound in regards to the news that Terry Francona may be out as skipper of the Boston Red Sox, it hurts even more.

You can catch the links from yesterday and the overnight by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Report: Francona Out as Red Sox Manager [SOX & Dawgs]

Why Francona Deserves To Stay [SOX & Dawgs]

Better things to dwell on [Boston Globe]

Sox collapse brings a cold dose of reality to young fans [Boston Globe]

Post-mortem leaves question of Francona’s future unanswered [Boston Globe]

Lackey, Crawford will be key projects [Boston Globe]

A run on errors [Boston Globe]

Red Sox roster status [Boston Globe]

Fundamental changes needed [Boston Globe]

Wrong right off the bat for Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Sox relive history by imploding yet again [Boston Herald]

Let’s play the blame game [Boston Herald]

Red Sox a team in turmoil [Boston Herald]

In closing, Papelbon leads [Boston Herald]

Blame it all on excuses [Boston Herald]

Anatomy of a collapse [Boston Herald]

Tito’s time may be up [Boston Herald]

Fixing John Lackey’s game ‘big priority’ for ’12 [Boston Herald]

Merloni: Either Theo or Tito will probably go [CSN New England]

Nation STATion: Red Sox flawed from the start [CSN New England]

Epstein addresses season full of ‘regrets’ [CSN New England]

Francona speaks on team bonding trouble [CSN New England]

Future for Francona may be up in air [CSN New England]

Schilling: Firing Tito isn’t the answer [ESPN Boston]

Video: Red Sox collapse by the numbers [ESPN Boston]

Olney and Kurkjian on potential Sox fallout [ESPN Boston]

Olney: Reading tea leaves on Theo and Tito [ESPN Boston]

Epstein: Nobody blames Francona [ESPN Boston]

Tito: I don’t have problem with Lackey [ESPN Boston]

Theo: ‘We’d love to keep’ Ortiz, Papelbon [ESPN Boston]

What were the odds? How ’bout 278 million to 1? [ESPN Boston]

Underachieving Boston Red Sox flunked chemistry [ESPN Boston]

Signs point to end for Terry Francona with Boston Red Sox [ESPN Boston]

Moments Carl Crawford, Marco Scutaro and Jonathan Papelbon will never forget [Full Count]

After the crash, Red Sox face unsettled future [Full Count]

Francona, Epstein leave questions about their Red Sox futures unanswered [Full Count]

The Free-Agent Question: Ortiz, Papelbon, Lackey, Crawford and Red Sox decision-making [Full Count]

Epstein: Red Sox failed conditioning test [Full Count]

Greenville Drive alum Ryan Lavarnway gets taste of ‘March Madness’ [GoUpstate.com]

A New Curse Is Born [Hartford Courant]

Injury Excuse Falls Flat for Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox [NESN.com]

Red Sox Doomed by Base Running Blunders in Late Innings [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedrioa to Get Screw Removed From Left Foot on Friday [NESN.com]

Video: Terry Francona, Theo Epstein Not Ready to Discuss Respective Futures With Red Sox [NESN.com]

Video: Theo Epstein Admits Some Members of Red Sox Didn’t Meet Team’s ‘High Standards’ in Regards to Conditioning [NESN.com]

Terry Francona Steps Out of Character, Shares Concerns He Had With Character of Team [NESN.com]

Video: Theo Epstein Not Offering Any Excuses, Not Blaming Any One Person for Red Sox’ Collapse [NESN.com]

Theo Epstein Exonerates Terry Francona for September Swoon [NESN.com]

John Lackey, Carl Crawford Symbols of Red Sox’ Recent Issues With Free-Agent Signings [NESN.com]

If someone has to go, it should be Theo [Providence Journal]

Key players to remain, but changes on the way [Providence Journal]

A unified front on day after the season’s bitter end [Providence Journal]

Francona, Epstein say they saw signs of trouble early on [Providence Journal]

Epstein wants to keep Papi, Papelbon in fold [RedSox.com]

Getting Lackey back on track ‘big priority’ [RedSox.com]

Crawford out to rebound from ‘rough’ season [RedSox.com]

Red Sox, Francona to mull manager’s future [RedSox.com]

Chemistry, conditioning played role in decline [RedSox.com]

Red Sox Organization Forced Into Offseason Under Microscope After Stunning Turn of Events [Tom Caron – NESN.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

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. Late last night, Steve wrote a post about why Boston Red Sox skipper Terry Francona deserves to stay as the manager of the team.

A little while after he posted this, the Twitter world was a buzz with a report from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com stating that Francona was out as Red Sox manager with an announcement coming on Friday.

Terry Francona will meet with Red Sox management on Friday morning, and the expected resolution is that he no longer will be the team’s manager, major league sources say.

While Francona’s departure is not certain, it is the likely outcome, in part because he is pressing for a resolution, sources say. He would not be fired; the Red Sox would simply decline their club options on him for 2012 and ’13.

If Francona is leaving on his own, then I’m okay with this. Could you blame him? Especially with the reports of discord in the Red Sox clubhouse involving the starting pitchers.

We all may not agree with his managerial style at times. But he did what no other Red Sox manager had done since 1918. And that’s win a World Series with the Red Sox. And he won twice.

On Thursday, Tito and GM Theo Epstein held their annual end of the season state of the Red Sox. And with emotions still raw from what happened, the basic nuts and bolts of it all was that Francona would not be made a scapegoat for what happened.

Well if it’s true they aren’t going to exercise the options on his contract, then isn’t that exactly what they are doing. Epstein said that he is ultimately responsible for what happened because he put this club together.

So why isn’t the Red Sox ownership group holding him accountable as well? He put this together. He gave Tito a good squad but in the end, it was a team that lacked chemistry.

How else can you explain the fact the team started 2-10 and finished the season 7-20? You can’t blame Tito for that. The players need to be held accountable.

It’s always a coach or a manager that takes the fall. Why can’t a player take the fall? If one or two or a group of them are the cause of the problem, shouldn’t you fix it? “Firing” the manager isn’t the answer.

Baseball is a business, I understand that. Don’t most businesses fire people who aren’t getting the job done?

Yeah, that’s what I thought too.

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

Photo credits: Getty Images

Well we all know the story so I will refrain from a total rehash of it here.  But before we get into Terry Francona, Red Sox fans of all ages and ahem, hat colors, need to realize something.

The New York Yankees did not owe the Boston Red Sox anything.  Joe Girardi could have trotted out an A-Ball team and that would have been his right.  His job is to prepare his team the best he can for the upcoming playoffs.

If he feels that the resting of key players prior to the playoffs is the way to go then so be it.  I, and Red Sox fans everywhere should, have no qualms with how Girardi decided to run his team the last week or so.

The Red Sox put themselves in that hole because of poor play, plain and simple.  It was not the Yankees job to help get them out of it.  Just like it wasn’t the Baltimore Orioles job to roll over the last two weeks and to credit of the O’s players and staff they didn’t either.

As Bill Parcells said “you are what your record says you are.”  Period. Amen. The Red Sox are the third best team in the AL East.  Look it up.

With that said I truly believe Francona deserves to stay.  His track record, as far as I am concerned, earns him that.  While everyone, including Francona, failed to do things that needed to be done to win games, to place all the blame on the manager is ridiculous.

At times, I felt he under-managed, especially when it came to the pitchers.  There were occasions he left in starters too long, or showed too much trust in some of the relievers and not enough trust in others.  Sometimes for very logical reasons, sometimes for reasons that only he and pitching coach Curt Young fully understand.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Fans, especially in the information age, think they know everything when in fact we don’t.  We know more about our favorite teams and players than we did even a decade ago, but teams, especially the Red Sox, do everything in their power to hide, disguise and skirt the injury issue.  Prime examples of this are the injuries to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz.

Because we as fans are not privy to this information sometimes we don’t know, understand or can’t fully grasp the situation why certain players are used and others are not.

Trust issues in the bullpen led Francona and Young to practically burn out Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard.  You saw it before your own eyes Wednesday night when Aceves couldn’t find the plate and appeared gassed before he even threw a pitch.

Why do you think Bard, who spent the first 4 and half months as the premier set up man in baseball, all of a sudden fell apart?  He was relied on too heavily because of poor confidence in other members of the bullpen.

Is that the fault of Francona or Young? Possibly but they can only put out there who they have to put out there.  The failure to get another major league ready reliever at the deadline was a huge mistake.

This team counted on a healthy Bobby Jenks and never saw one and yet never replaced him.

Then there’s the failure of the starters who spent most of September in the showers before the game was half over.  Players play, coaches coach.  They players were on the field and they failed to execute in September and it was ugly.

Young should get to stay as well he is too good of a pitching coach to be one year and done.  I was excited when they hired him after he decided to leave Oakland and I still am.  He has a proven track record and much like a manager or head coach in other sports sometimes it takes a year for the results of your program to start taking hold.

Fans also wanted to see Francona “bunt more” and play “small ball”.  Let me ask you this.  Who on the team, in that lineup is capable of that brand of baseball?  Have you ever seen Crawford bunt?  He’s awful.  Do you want to take the bat out the hands of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez or Kevin Youkilis?

To all of sudden change the way you play the game after 5 months and go against the way the team was built is not the way to win ball games.  You can’t expect players to bunt when they don’t do it.

If you work as a deli clerk is it fair to you for me to say you should be able to handle working in the pharmacy too?  It’s not something you normally do and I wouldn’t expect you to do it well.

I don’t feel the melt down was all on Francona but like the players there are things he can work on doing better.  Francona is a smart guy, he will learn from this.  A guy doesn’t go from being a genius in July to an idiot in September.

The situation he has in Boston is a good one.  He has a seemingly good relationship with most of the players, his staff and the front office.  While there are things they all need to discuss it isn’t so terrible.  Everyone has conflicts at work, they happen in the supermarket business, the engineering business and in sports.  It’s life and you’re still dealing with individuals no matter how much you share of the same philosophies and theories.

There are changes to be made though and it should come in the dismissal of third base coach Tim Bogar.  I haven’t seen this many runners gunned down at home since the days of “Wave ‘em in” Wendell Kim or Dale Sveum.

The third base coach should be someone who has either done it for a long time or was a recent minor league manager.  Bogar was neither when he was given that job after DeMarlo Hale was moved to the bench.

Ron Johnson, the former Pawtucket manager, should be moved from 1^st base coach to 3^rd base coach and then they need to hire a first base coach who can instruct a team on base running technique.

In addition to all the runs lost at the plate, numerous other base running gaffs costs the team big innings and wins along the way.  It started in spring training and continued through out the season.  I still see Darnell McDonald ending the 6^th game of the year in Cleveland by over running 2^nd base.  It seemed like a week didn’t go by without 3 or 4 base running mistakes killing the team.  Luckily most of the season they were able to overcome them with the bats.

But with injuries to Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew, as well as David Ortiz, Jed Lowrie, Marco Scutaro and Dustin Pedroia all led to players trying at times during the season to do more.  How many times this year was Ortiz thrown out on the bases? McDonald? Pedroia?  And what the hell was Scutaro doing in game 162?

These are all fundamental mistakes that hurt.  A loss in April or May is still a loss just as it in September.  In theory, McDonald’s base running gaff in game 6 of the season may have cost the team a playoff spot just as much as the Bogar/Scutaro gaff of game 162.  They are preventable mistakes.

I really think the Sox need to hire Gabe Kapler as the base running/1^st base coach.  There have been fewer players who were as smart on the base paths as Kapler.  He had decent speed but he never had wasted effort and he knew when to rely on what he saw and when to rely on the coach.  The team needs someone like him and I think being not so far removed and the front office’s love for him he would be perfect.  We need less of Ortiz and others getting thrown out by a mile.

As Theo Epstein said “we all failed collectively”.  It’s time to pick up the pieces and get ready to start all over again because before you know it the free agent frenzy will begin and then it will be truck time.  This team is good and they will be back its just going to be a longer winter than what we’ve been used to lately.

Photo credit: AP Photo

This one hurts! That’s all I got for y’all this morning. I’ve got nothing to say right now other than this one hurts!

You can catch the overnight links by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Dead Sox [Boston Globe]

Red Sox nation flies south, brings angst [Boston Globe]

Wakefield wants to come back [Boston Globe]

Plenty of question marks for Epstein [Boston Globe]

Stealth Bombers in Bronx [Boston Globe]

Dream year ends in tatters [Boston Globe]

Seeing it for themselves made it even worse [Boston Globe]

Sox fans left with nothing but long trip home from the bar [Boston Globe]

Longoria, Rays finish a wild-card comeback [Boston Globe]

Red Sox complete collapse [Boston Herald]

Players back Tito [Boston Herald]

Red Sox forever choked [Boston Herald]

Season over for Kevin Youkilis [Boston Herald]

‘Devastating blow’ for Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Carl Crawford’s fitting end [Boston Herald]

Red Sox did this to themselves [Chad Finn’s Touching All The Bases]

Sox miss playoffs after stunning loss [CSN New England]

Scutaro, Crawford come up short in key situations [CSN New England]

Papelbon’s rare blown save comes at worst time [CSN New England]

Sox problems run deeper than final loss [CSN New England]

WAR makes case for Ellsbury as MVP [ESPN Boston]

Rapid Reaction: Orioles 4, Red Sox 3 [ESPN Boston]

Vent and vote: What now for Red Sox? [ESPN Boston]

A fitting end to Crawford’s rough season [ESPN Boston]

Epstein: ‘We did this to ourselves’ [ESPN Boston]

Jonathan Papelbon at a loss for words [ESPN Boston]

Stunning ending to epic Sox collapse [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Roof caves in as Red Sox finish biggest September collapse ever [Full Count]

Reaction to the Collapse: Red Sox take stock of biggest September swoon ever [Full Count]

Down To The Wire In AL Wild Card Race [Hartford Courant]

Video: Terry Francona – ‘We Needed to Take Care of Business and We Didn’t’ [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox’ September Collapse ‘Inexcusable’ for Team That Was Built to Win This Season [NESN.com]

Jonathan Papelbon Not Looking for Excuses After Blowing Save, Suffering Crushing Defeat in Season Finale [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Can’t Live Up to Lofty Expectations As September Collapse Turns Season Into ‘Complete Failure’ [NESN.com]

Video: Adrian Gonzalez Says Red Sox Couldn’t Take Advantage of ‘Really Good Chance,’ Says Injuries Played Major Role in Collapse [NESN.com]

Video: Theo Epstein – ‘We Have No One to Blame But Ourselves’ [NESN.com]

Theo Epstein, Terry Francona Will Share Heat Following Red Sox Loss As They Search for Answers [NESN.com]

Red Sox Will Be Remembered as One of Most Disappointing Teams in Major League History [NESN.com]

COLLAPSE COMPLETE: Orioles beat Sox, 4-3, and end Boston’s season [Providence Journal]

Many twists and turns on baseball’s final night [Providence Journal]

Instead of a cakewalk, they walk off the plank [Providence Journal]

Sox couldn’t capitalize on their chances in September [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Gonzalez has been there before [Providence Journal]

Baserunning gaffe proves costly to Scutaro [RedSox.com]

Wild ride over: Sox’s playoff dream blown away [RedSox.com]

Crawford’s season ends on sour note [RedSox.com]

Why Terry Francona was one who deserved (and deserves) better [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Baltimore Sun website. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, the Oriole Post.

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 Football links

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

UConn’s DeLeone: a breath of fresh air [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Big East football makeover already starting [CT Post]

UConn WR Nick Williams Brings Needed Spark To Offense [Hartford Courant]

Wilburn believes he’s up to challenge [Journal Inquirer]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn: Drummond Situation Not Major [David Borges – New Haven Register]

It’s become a non-issue for Drummond [Joe Perez – Norwich Bulletin]

Player Profile: Andre Drummond [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn not concerned about Drummond’s appearance in adidas video [CT Post]

Andre Drummond Video Puts Eligibility In Question [Hartford Courant]

CIAC probe follows Dunn video [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn refutes report questioning Drummond’s eligibility [The Day]

Purvis plans announcement for Friday [The News & Observer]

UConn expects Drummond to be eligible [Diamond Leung – ESPN.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Uncanny UConn [Bettina Hansen – Hartford Courant]

Caroline Doty trying to take is one step at a time [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Doty has plenty of help in road to recovery [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Caroline Doty And Her New BFF – The Brace [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Women’s Hoops Launches UConnWBB.com [UConnHuskies.com]

Caroline Doty Back As UConn’s Starting Guard [Hartford Courant]

Caroline Doty embarks on a comeback [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

Big East presidents to meet [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

TBJ Poll: UConn, Notre Dame should be ACC’s top expansion targets [Triangle Business Journal]

M. Tennis. Men’s Tennis At Hartford Moved To October 3 [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Bolles Leads No. 4 Field Hockey Past UMass, 4-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

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

The Boston Red Sox face another must win situation tonight in the season finale with the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

If the Red Sox win and the Tampa Bay Rays lose, the Red Sox win the AL Wild Card. If they lose and Rays win, the Red Sox are going home for the offseason. However, if both teams win or both teams lose, then they’ll play a one-game playoff on Thursday at 4:07 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

Today’s first pitch for game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and can be seen on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN.  Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may also be able to catch the game on the ESPN. The game is also online at ESPN3.com where available. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Jon Lester will be called upon by Terry Francona to keep the Red Sox season alive in his 31st and most important start of 2011. In his previous 30 starts, Lester is 15-9 with a 3.49 ERA. His only start of 2011 against the Orioles came back on April 28th when he gave up two runs in eight innings of work. He’s made 17 career starts against the Birds and is 14-0 with a 2.33 ERA. Nine of those starts have come at Camden Yards where he is 7-0 with a 2.47 ERA.

Alfredo Simon will try and play spoiler in his 16th start (23rd appearance) in 2011. In his previous 22 appearances (15 starts), Simon is 4-9 with a 4.85 ERA. He’s made one start against the Red Sox this season and that came back on July 5th. He took the loss in that start after allowing three runs in 4.2 innings of work. Simon has made seven career appearances (one start) against the Red Sox and is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA (6 ER/9.2 IP).

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

90-71		68-93
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Robert Andino	2B
2. Dustin Pedroia	LF	2. J.J. Hardy	SS
3. David Ortiz	2B	3. Nick Markakis	RF
4. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	4. Vladimir Guerrero	DH
5. Ryan Lavarnway	C	5. Matt Wieters	C
6. J.D. Drew	RF	6. Adam Jones	CF
7. Marco Scutaro	SS	7. Mark Reynolds	1B
8. Carl Crawford	LF	8. Chris Davis	3B
9. Mike Aviles	3B	9. Nolan Reimold	LF
Jon Lester	SP	Alfredo Simon	SP

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

Notes: Clay Buchholz has been activated from the disabled list. Kevin Youkilis was placed on the 60-day disabled list to make room for Buchholz on the 40-man roster.

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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

Season now all for one [Boston Herald]

Who’s to blame? [Boston Herald]

Lavarnway is the right play [Chad Finn’s Touching All The Bases]

Francona: Red Sox, Rays race ‘good for baseball, not for my stomach’ [Clubhouse Insider]

For Red Sox, it’s all up to Jon Lester [Clubhouse Insider]

Ryan Lavarnway starting again for Red Sox in Game 162 [Clubhouse Insider]

Clay Buchholz available out of bullpen tonight for Red Sox [Clubhouse Insider]

Francona: ‘Writing on wall’ that Kevin Youkilis won’t play again in ‘11 [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox starter for tomorrow still ‘TBD’; Bruce Chen still with KC [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox soap opera continues for now [CSN New England]

Red Sox still looking for starting pitcher [CSN New England]

Papelbon: Only the strong will survive [CSN New England]

Wakefield wants to return to Red Sox in 2012 [CSN New England]

Notes: Sox abandon efforts to bring in pitcher [CSN New England]

Keeping Alfredo Aceves in Bullpen Rather Than Rotation in September Was Somewhat Confusing Decision [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

Can Ted provide some positive energy? [ESPN Boston]

Kurkjian: Predicting the wild-card races [ESPN Boston]

Buchholz still in Baltimore with Red Sox [ESPN Boston]

Comes down to tonight for Sox … maybe [ESPN Boston]

Video: More pressure — Sox or Rays? [ESPN Boston]

Buchholz activated, available in ‘pen tonight [ESPN Boston]

Youkilis unlikely to play again in 2011 [ESPN Boston]

Crawford moved to 8th in order [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox put Kevin Youkilis on 60-day disabled list [ESPN Boston]

Yankees starting Betances (who?) vs. Rays [ESPN NY]

Might Clay Buchholz be in the mix? [Extra Bases]

What can be expected from Jon Lester tonight? [Extra Bases]

Report: Red Sox considering Bruce Chen [Extra Bases]

Buchholz activated [Extra Bases]

Bruce Chen still with Kansas City [Extra Bases]

Sean Casey on M&M: Terry Francona ‘has that calming presence’ [Full Count]

Red Sox travel plans are very much up in the air [Full Count]

Rays’ Uneven Play in September Shows Not All Comebacks Are Created Equal [NESN.com]

Should Ryan Lavarnway Make the Red Sox Postseason Roster If the Sox Make the Playoffs? [NESN.com]

Buck Showalter a Big Reason Why Orioles Are In Great Position to Play Spoiler to Red Sox [NESN.com]

Terry Francona’s Ability to Stick to His Ways As Red Sox Face Do-or-Die Situation an Admirable Trait [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Activated Prior to Regular-Season Finale in Baltimore, Could Be Factor If Red Sox Advance [NESN.com]

Kevin Youkilis Likely Out If Red Sox Advance to Postseason [NESN.com]

Video: Clay Buchholz Hoping to Make Impact Any Way He Can Upon Return to Red Sox [NESN.com]

Video: David Ortiz Stresses ‘One Game at a Time’ Mantra for Red Sox, Says Team Can’t Try to Do Too Much [NESN.com]

Red Sox Place Kevin Youkilis on 60-Day Disabled List Making Room for Clay Buchholz to Be Activated [NESN.com]

Reports: Buchholz could be activated Wednesday, Chen a target? [Projo Sox Blog]

Three days rest [Projo Sox Blog]

Donaldson: It’s a Boston thing [Projo Sox Blog]

Who is Ryan Lavarnway? [Projo Sox Blog]

Michael Bowden called Ryan Lavarnway’s shots — both of them [Projo Sox Blog]

Buchholz activated for finale [Projo Sox Blog]

Crawford back at the bottom of the lineup after all [Projo Sox Blog]

Gonzalez accustomed to late-season drama [Projo Sox Blog]

Youkilis’ season is over [Projo Sox Blog]

Don’t expect crisis to change Terry Francona’s managerial style [Providence Journal]

Season could rest on Lester’s arm [Providence Journal]

Season on line, Sox to turn Lester on short rest [RedSox.com]

With uncertainty in air, Sox ready for anything [RedSox.com]

Red Sox’ rollercoaster season fun to watch, even without watching [SI.com]

2011 Staff Season Wrap-Up, Part 1 [SoxProspects.com]

2011 Staff Season Wrap-Up, Part 2 [SoxProspects.com]

Red Sox fans should like their chances [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

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

Photo credits: Reuters Pictures, AP Photo

With his Boston Red Sox squad reeling over the past month, skipper Terry Francona has been trying some different things out in his lineup hoping for someone to spark the team.

He moved Carl Crawford up in the order having him batting second only to see it not work out. He’d also tweaked where a few other guys hit in the lineup and even had Jed Lowrie batting cleanup on Tuesday night in Baltimore.

But the one move he made on Tuesday, precipitated by injuries to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek, turned out to be that spark the Red Sox needed. And it came at the right time when the team needed a win.

Ryan Lavarnway made his MLB start behind the dish last night and delivered at the plate and behind it.

He had two home runs, including a 3-run johnson that put the Red Sox up for good, in their 8-7 win over the Baltimore Orioles. The home runs were the first ones of his career. And oh by the way, he had a good night behind the plate throwing out Adam Jones stealing third and made a great defensive play on a bunt in the 9th inning that prevented the go-ahead run from gettting on base.

With Saltlamacchia probably available tonight, Tito has a decision to make. Does he ride the hot bat of Lavarnway with Jon Lester on the mound? Or does he go with Salty with whom Lester is more comfortable throwing to?

Personally, I thought Lavarnway did a great job behind the plate last night. He wasn’t calling his own game as Erik Bedard did that for himself. When he wasn’t sure of something, he went out to the mound to make sure he and the pitcher were on the right page. I’d also have to think he did a lot of talking with Salty and Tek between innings as well like he did before the game.

My guess is though that Tito may ask Lester who he wants back there. You want him to be comfortable on the mound, especially given what’s on the line tonight. But then again, Tito does like to ride the hot bat when he can.

So what is on the line tonight for the Red Sox.

If they win, they are guaranteed at minimum to play on Thursday. However if the Tampa Bay Rays lose to the New York Yankees, the Red Sox are the AL Wild Card. If the Red Sox lose and Rays win, they’re probably making plans to meet up with me out here in Hawaii.

So in a nutshell, both win or both lose, they play Thursday at 4:07 p.m. at Tropicana Field. If one team wins and one team loses, the losing team is going on vacation.

I’m also going to say that just about everyone who is healthy is available in the bullpen. And yes that probably even includes last night’s bullpen savior in Alfredo Aceves who threw 3.2 innings after Bedard exited after 3.1 innings of work.

While the Red Sox shouldn’t be in this situation, unfortunately it was it is. So even though the regular season isn’t over, the playoffs really start tonight for the Red Sox. They know what they need to do to continue playing, they just have to go out and execute it.

And, I for one, know they can do it.

We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, news and any links from the day. But for now, enjoy the overnight links by click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Papelbon: Sox will be going to Tampa Bay [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Acing the test: How a Yale education prepared Lavarnway to save the Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Cecchini Baseball America’s No. 2 NYPL Prospect [Baseball America]

All square [Boston Globe]

Still tied, one game left [Boston Globe]

Sox fans staggering to the finish [Boston Globe]

Skidding back into the ’70s [Boston Globe]

Aceves comes up aces [Boston Globe]

Red Sox plans are finalized [Boston Globe]

Red Sox play off rookie [Boston Herald]

Despite collapse, it’s exciting [Boston Herald]

Forgiving only in cards [Boston Herald]

Ironman now Alfredo Aceves’ role [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz to stay with Red Sox, may be active Wednesday [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox beat O’s, remain tied for wild card [CSN New England]

Bedard: The pitcher that almost wasn’t [CSN New England]

Lavarnway steps up in big way in must-win game [CSN New England]

Lavarnway: Good hitter, even better house guest [CSN New England]

Notes: Aceves continues to prove worth out of pen [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 8, Orioles 7 [ESPN Boston]

Video: The wild wild-card finish [ESPN Boston]

Aceves shows value out of ‘pen again [ESPN Boston]

Video: Edes and Kurkjian weigh in [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox have one more act in wild-card drama [ESPN Boston]

Ryan Lavarnway unlikely hero in saving Boston Red Sox [ESPN Boston]

Why Joe Biden is rooting for the Red Sox [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Lavarnway provides spark as Sox keep pace with Rays [Full Count]

Lavarnway: ‘This is what you dream about as a kid’ [Full Count]

Vote Human Home Run as Promo of the Year! [LowellSpinners.com]

Video: Ryan Lavarnway Says Weight Hasn’t Been Lifted Off Red Sox’ Shoulders Yet, Ready to Do What It Takes to Earn Playoff Berth [NESN.com]

Video: Alfredo Aceves on Pitching Again Wednesday: ‘If I Wake Up Tomorrow, I’m Good’ [NESN.com]

Ryan Lavarnway Does More Than the Average Fill-In, Carries Red Sox Offense in Crucial Victory [NESN.com]

Ryan gives them hope [Providence Journal]

Aceves remains automatic out of bullpen [Providence Journal]

Season could rest on Lester’s arm [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Francona shuffles lineup in crucial game [Providence Journal]

Aceves helping keep Red Sox afloat in race [RedSox.com]

Why there’s nobody the Red Sox rather have save their season than Jon Lester [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Red Sox manager Terry Francona deserves much better fate than Grady Little [The Star-Ledger]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Baltimore Sun website. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, the Oriole Post.

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

Photo credit: Getty Images