Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

If you would like to listen to any of the Red Sox minor league affiliates’ games, MiLB.com offers them for free.

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

End-of-season minor-league highlights: Single-A Greenville [Projo Sox Blog]

End-of-season minor-league highlights: Single-A Salem [Projo Sox Blog]

Dodgers Call-Up Former Sea Dog Federowicz [LADodgers.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox

The PawSox were off last night. They begin their best-of-5 series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs tonight in Pennsylvania.

PawSox open pursuit of Governor’s Cup [Providence Journal]

Okajima’s future is up in the air [Providence Journal]

Pawtucket Red Sox 2011 Roster

Pawtucket Red Sox stats

International League 2011 Final Standings

Pawtucket Red Sox website

Portland Sea Dogs:

The season is over for the Portland Sea Dogs.

Portland Sea Dogs 2011 Roster

Portland Sea Dogs 2011 final stats

Eastern League 2011 Final Standings

Portland Sea Dogs website

Salem Red Sox:

The season is over for the Salem Red Sox.

Salem Red Sox 2011 Roster

Salem Red Sox 2011 final stats

Carolina League 2011 final standings

Salem Red Sox official blog

Salem Red Sox website

Greenville Drive:

The season is over for the Greenville Drive.

Greenville Drive’s Christian Vazquez South Atlantic League Player of the Week [GoUpstate.com]

Greenville Drive 2011 Roster

Greenvillle Drive 2011 final stats

South Atlantic League 2011 Final Standings

Greenville Drive website

Lowell Spinners:

The season is over for the Lowell Spinners.

Lowell Spinners 2011 Roster

Lowell Spinners 2011 final stats

NY-Penn League 2011 Final Standings

Lowell Spinners Blog

Spinners website

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The season is over for the GCL Red Sox.

GCL Red Sox 2011 Roster

GCL Red Sox 2011 final stats

Gulf Coast League 2011 Final Standings

Gulf Coast Red Sox website

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

After falling yesterday in extra innings, the Boston Red Sox look to get back to the business of winning baseball games in the second game of a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre tonight.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Blue Jays television market, you can catch the game on Rogers SportsNet. 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 makes his 27th start of 2011 for his skipper Terry Francona. In his previous 26 starts, Lester is 14-6 with a 3.05 ERA. He’s made four starts against the Jays this season and is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He’s made 17 career starts against them and is 9-4 with a 3.27 ERA. 10 of those starts have come at Rogers Centre where he is 5-3 with a 3.69 ERA.

Luis Perez makes his fourth start (33rd appearance) of the season for the Jays. In his previous 32 appearances (three starts), Perez is 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA. All six of Perez’s career appearances against the Red Sox have come out of the bullpen. In those six outings, he has no record with a 7.56 ERA (7 ER/8.1 IP).

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

84-56		70-71
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Yunel Escobar	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Eric Thames	LF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Jose Bautista	RF
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Adam Lind	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Edwin Encarnacion	DH
6. Marco Scutaro	SS	6. Kelly Johnson	2B
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. Brett Lawrie	3B
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	8. J.P. Arencibia	C
9. Darnell McDonald	RF	9. Mike McCoy	CF
Jon Lester	SP	Luis Perez	SP

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

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

Red Sox woes are all about the timing [Clubhouse Insider]

Nation STATion: Goal mining [CSN New England]

Sources: Beckett’s injury a ‘short-term’ problem [CSN New England]

Buchholz feels ‘good’ after long-toss session [CSN New England]

Stark: ‘This could be a big, big deal’ [ESPN Boston]

Schilling: Not sure if Sox built for October [ESPN Boston]

Terry Francona — Boston Red Sox’s Josh Beckett likely won’t make next start [ESPN Boston]

Buchholz continues to make progress [ESPN Boston]

Lester tries to get Sox on track against Jays [ESPN Boston]

As Red Sox stumble, injuries mount [Extra Bases]

Busy afternoon for the Red Sox [Extra Bases]

Ask Nick: Slumps and umps [Extra Bases]

No news yet on Beckett [Extra Bases]

Buchholz closer to throwing off the mound [Extra Bases]

Video: The Red Sox should secure Papelbon now, before the Yankees steal him away, says Ken Rosenthal [FOXSports.com]

Jonathan Papelbon’s secret with the bases loaded [Full Count]

Red Sox Mailbag: Team Fatigue, Clay Buchholz’s Future Role and More Right Field Drama [NESN.com]

Heidi Watney Takes Fans Behind the Scenes at Fenway Park During Rain Delay (Video) [NESN.com]

Daniel Bard’s Sense of Humor, Good-Natured Antics Keep Reliever’s Stress Levels at Bay [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ Current Schedule Offering Daily Reminders of American League’s Elite Young Talent [NESN.com]

Red Sox Nuggetpalooza! [Nuggetpalooza]

End-of-season minor-league highlights: Single-A Greenville [Projo Sox Blog]

You can never, ever have too much . . . [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett won’t make next start [Projo Sox Blog]

Okajima’s future is up in the air [Providence Journal]

Lester seeking first-inning reversal vs. Toronto [RedSox.com]

Weiland to take Beckett’s next turn in rotation [RedSox.com]

Buchholz hopes for mound work next week [RedSox.com]

Red Sox suddenly dangling by an ankle [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Josh Beckett injury could throw Red Sox season into turmoil [USA Today]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, Reuters Pictures

The Toronto Blue Jays may have walked off the field yesterday with the win but that wasn’t the biggest loss the Boston Red Sox suffered. The bigger loss was the fact that Josh Beckett left the game with a sprained right ankle and is heading back to Boston to have it examined.

Beckett was seemingly cruising along through the first 3 2/3 innings. Then with a 2-2 count on Brett Lawrie, who by the way hit the walkoff home run in the 11th, Beckett came up lame after ball three. Manager Terry Francona, the Red Sox trainer and Jason Varitek all went to the mound and without too much discussion, Beckett was out of the game and Alfredo Aceves was warming up.

Before everyone overreacts, as Beckett said after the game, it could be nothing. Tito was already planning on giving him an extra day of rest between his starts so hopefully that’s the case.

The big concern though is the fact that this is his power leg (the one he pushes off the rubber with). Now I’m not saying that this will happen to Beckett but what usually happens when pitchers try to throw with injuries to their legs, they end up hurting their arms (elbow or shoulder). So you can understand why Beckett came off the mound.

Plus with the bigger picture in mind (the playoffs), it’s better to have Beckett get healthy now and be ready for the playoffs.

This is a minor blow to the pitching staff as of right now with the fact Erik Bedard will not make his next scheduled start with knee soreness. It may just be a matter of him being pushed back a day or two but we won’t know that for the next couple of days.

So now we wait until Tito meets with the media before tonight’s game to learn about the status of Beckett’s gimpy right ankle. If you hear a collective yell in New England around 4 p.m. or so, you know the news wasn’t good. But if you feel the wind pick up, you know the news was good as everyone has let out of a sigh of relief.

I guess I should deliver the other bad news as well. With the loss and the New York Yankees win, the Red Sox are now 1.5 games behind the Yanks for first place in the AL East. The lead over the Tampa Bay Rays is seven games in the AL Wild Card and 7.5 games over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

We’ll be back in a later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now, enjoy the overnight links below 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

Three paths divergent: Sox prospects Middlebrooks, Tejeda, Pimentel offer lesson in player development [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Red Sox suffer an extra hit [Boston Globe]

Wheeler finds no relief in walkoff loss [Boston Globe]

Bedard to skip next start [Boston Globe]

Sox pop in wrong spot [Boston Herald]

Sprained ankle may strain Sox [Boston Herald]

Bedard to miss a start [Boston Herald]

Wheels come off this time [Boston Herald]

Sox lose to Toronto in 11 innings, 1-0 [CSN New England]

Beckett sprains ankle, to be examined Tuesday [CSN New England]

Rotation uncertainty cause for concern [CSN New England]

Notes: Wheeler’s recent struggles continue [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 [ESPN Boston]

Notes: Ellsbury runs streak to 10 [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Brett Lawrie’s home run hands Blue Jays 11-inning win over Red Sox [Full Count]

Dan Wheeler lives through the life of a late-inning reliever in Red Sox loss [Full Count]

Video: Josh Beckett Says He Fell in Bullpen Earlier in Day, But Didn’t Feel Injury Until Last Two Pitches of Early Exit [NESN.com]

Video: Alfredo Aceves Once Again Impresses Manager Terry Francona Upon Entering Game Following Josh Beckett’s Injury [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett Heading Back to Boston to Have Injured Right Ankle Examined [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ Injury Concerns, Recent Slump Make Survival a Top Priority [NESN.com]

Red Sox Mailbag: Team Fatigue, Clay Buchholz’s Future Role and More Right Field Drama [NESN.com]

Video: Heidi Watney Takes Fans Behind the Scenes at Fenway Park During Rain Delay [NESN.com]

Wheeler yields walk-off homer in 10th [Providence Journal]

Sox hoping for best on Beckett’s ankle injury [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Bedard to skip a turn to rest knee [Providence Journal]

Adrian, Beckett give their all for charity [RedSox.com]

What we know about the Red Sox after latest wave of uncertainty [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 papers, head over to the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and the Globe and Mail 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 Football links

Big East weekend rewind [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East news and notes [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East power rankings: Week 2 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East notebook: USF relishes win; the Cuse relieved [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Thank You UConn Football Fans! [UConnHuskies.com]

One More Look: UConn’s Opening Day Win [UConnHuskies.com]

The Perfect Storms — BIG EAST goes 8-0 in opening week action [The Hour]

The Big East and Conference Realignment [College Football Zealots]

Vanderbilt braces for tougher Week 2 game vs. Connecticut [The Tennessean]

 

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Men’s Basketball NCAA Champions Dinner Tickets On Sale [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Huskies help Sun reach playoffs [Mechelle Voepel – ESPN.com]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Behind The Block – #2 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Kirk Named To BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Jessica Dulski Named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Kim Krzyk Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Diouf Named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Golf. Golf Finishes Play at Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate [UConnHuskies.com]

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

In looking at the depth chart for the UConn Huskies football team for this Saturday’s game against the Vanderbilt Commodores, there are not many changes at all. In fact, the ones that have changed are on the defensive side of the ball and special teams.

As Paul Pasqualoni mentioned during Monday’s Big East Coaches Teleconference, the quarterbacks are still in the same situation they were before. He also expects D.J. Shoemate to be okay and play. That should be interesting either way especially with Lyle McCombs rushing for 141 yards and four touchdowns.

As for the changes, with Jesse Joseph out for the foreseeable future, Teddy Jennings has stepped into the starting spot at defensive end. He had been backing up Joseph but got the start last Saturday with Joseph out. Redshirt freshman B.J. McBryde will back up Jennings.

The one change on special teams sees Taylor Mack taking over the punt return duties from Nick Williams. Mack was backing up Williams last week along with Gary Wilburn.

Everything else on the depth chart is same from last week’s depth chart against Fordham.

For a full look at the depth chart, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

OFFENSE

LT: 71 Mike Ryan (RSr., 6-5, 335)
72 Jimmy Bennett (RJr., 6-9, 306)

LG: 70 Gary Bardzak (RSr., 6-3, 289) OR
69 Steve Greene (RSo., 6-4, 304)

C: 57 Moe Petrus (RSr., 6-2, 302)
70 Gary Bardzak (RSr., 6-3, 289) OR
50 Tyler Bullock (So., 6-4, 298)

RG: 63 Adam Masters (RJr., 6-4, 292)
65 Gus Cruz (RFr., 6-4, 288)

RT: 77 Kevin Friend (RSo., 6-5, 300)
61 Stephen Brown (So., 6-6, 290)

TE: 89 John Delahunt (RJr., 6-3, 247) OR
94 Ryan Griffin (RJr., 6-6, 248)
81 Corey Manning (RJr., 6-5, 247)

WR: 6 Kashif Moore (RSr., 5-10, 175)
84 Tebucky Jones (RFr., 5-11, 186) OR
31 Nick Williams (Jr., 5-10, 185)

FB: 39 Mark Hinkley (RJr., 5-11, 226)
47 Reuben Frank (RFr., 6-3, 238)

QB: 11 Scott McCummings (RFr., 6-2, 218) OR
18 Johnny McEntee (RJr., 6-3, 224) OR
2 Mike Nebrich (Fr., 6-1, 204)

TB: 24 D.J. Shoemate (Sr., 5-11, 219) OR
43 Lyle McCombs (RFr., 5-8, 172)

WR: 83 Isiah Moore (RSr., 6-1, 195)
85 Geremy Davis (Fr., 6-3, 211)

DEFENSE

DE: 48 Trevardo Williams (Jr., 6-1, 231)
26 Marcus Campbell (Sr., 6-3, 231)

DT: 4 Twyon Martin (RSr., 6-2, 273)
53 Ryan Wirth (RJr., 6-2, 268)

DT: 99 Kendall Reyes (RSr., 6-4, 295)
59 Shamar Stephen (RSo., 6-5, 315)

DE: 98 Teddy Jennings (RJr., 6-5, 248)
97 B.J. McBryde (RFr., 6-4, 277)

LB: 3 Sio Moore (RJr., 6-1, 232)
32 Jefferson Ashiru (Fr., 6-1, 210)

LB: 33 Yawin Smallwood (RFr., 6-2, 229)
36 Michael Osiecki (Fr., 6-1, 238)

LB: 28 Jory Johnson (RJr., 6-1, 227)
46 Marquise Vann (Fr., 6-0, 225)

CB: 7 Dwayne Gratz (RJr., 6-0, 195)
21 Gary Wilburn (RSr., 5-11, 197)

S: 15 Jerome Junior (RJr., 6-1, 215)
2 Gilbert St.Louis (So., 5-11, 183)

S: 25 Harris Agbor (RSr., 5-11, 199)
16 Byron Jones (RFr., 6-1, 187)

CB: 5 Blidi Wreh-Wilson (RJr., 6-0, 192)
29 Taylor Mack (So., 5-9, 169)

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: 38 Dave Teggart (RSr., 6-0, 203)
13 Chad Christen (RSo. 6-2, 211)

P: 86 Cole Wagner (RSo., 6-2, 211)
13 Chad Christen (RSo. 6-2, 211)

H: 13 Chad Christen (RSo., 6-1, 201)
86 Cole Wagner (RSo., 6-2, 211)

DS: 67 Adam Mueller (So., 6-1, 207)
66 Dominick Manco (Fr., 6-1, 251)

KR: 31 Nick Williams (Jr., 5-10, 185)
16 Byron Jones (RFr., 6-1, 187)

PR: 29 Taylor Mack (So., 5-9, 169)
31 Nick Williams (Jr., 5-10, 185)

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

As surprise last minute starter at running back for the UConn Huskies on Saturday afternoon, Lyle McCombs made the best of it in the 35-3 win over the Fordham Rams. He ran for 141 yards and four touchdowns replacing D.J. Shoemate who missed the game with an ankle injury.

McCombs was rewarded for his efforts as well as he was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on Monday morning.

Pitt Panthers running back Ray Graham was named the Big East Player of the Week while South Florida Bulls safety Jerrell Young was named the Big East Defense Player of the Week. West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Tavon Austin picked up Big East Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Joining McCombs on the Weekly Honor Roll were Pitt  defensive tackle Chas Alecxih, USF kicker Maikon Bonani, Syracuse Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith.

McCombs and the Huskies are back in action this Saturday night when they travel to Nashville, TN for a non-conference matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

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

Photo credit: Tia Ann Chapman – Hartford Courant

After losing 2-of-3 to the Texas Rangers, the Boston Red Sox hope to have better luck north of the border. They’ll try to do that as they kickoff a four-game set this afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Blue Jays television market, you can catch the game on Rogers SportsNet. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Josh Beckett looks to right the ship for the Red Sox in his 27th start of 2011. In his previous 26 starts, Beckett is 12-5 with a 2.54 ERA. He picked up the win in his only start of the season against the Blue Jays. In that start back on April 16th, he picked up the win after allowing one run in seven innings of work. He’s made 15 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-6 with a 6.57 ERA. He’s had a tough time at Rogers Centre where he is 1-2 with a 9.28 ERA in six starts.

Henderson Alvarez makes just his sixth MLB start since being called up on August 10th by the Blue Jays. In his first five starts, he is 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA. Today’s outing will mark his first career start against the visiting nine from Boston.

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

84-55		69-71
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Mike McCoy	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Eric Thames	LF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Jose Bautista	RF
4. David Ortiz	DH	4. Adam Lind	1B
5. Kevin Youkilis	3B	5. Edwin Encarnacion	DH
6. Carl Crawford	LF	6. Kelly Johnson	2B
7. Josh Reddick	RF	7. Brett Lawrie	3B
8. Jason Varitek	C	8. Jose Molina	C
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Dewayne Wise	CF
Josh Beckett	SP	Henderson Alvarez	SP

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

Ryan Lavarnway has been called back up from Triple-A Pawtucket. This was the first day he was eligible to be called up since he had to wait 10 days after being sent down. Nate Spears and Kyle Weiland have also been called up from the PawSox. Drew Sutton was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Spears.

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

Jenks done for season, Bedard (knee) to be skipped [Clubhouse Insider]

Francona: Jenks out for season [CSN New England]

Ailing knee forces Bedard to skip next start [CSN New England]

Video: State of the Nation with Gordon Edes [ESPN Boston]

Video: Recapping the Sox-Rangers season series [ESPN Boston]

Video: AL East race: Red Sox or Yankees? [ESPN Boston]

Jenks likely done for ’11; Bedard to skip start [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox pregame notes: Bedard to skip next start [Extra Bases]

Erik Bedard says plan to skip start is precautionary and resembles ’05 ailment [Full Count]

Waking up was hard to do for Conor Jackson Monday morning [Full Count]

Red Sox Reportedly Skipping Erik Bedard in Rotation Due to Lingering Knee Pain [NESN.com]

Ryan Lavarnway, Nate Spears, Kyle Weiland Called Up by Red Sox [NESN.com]

Bobby Jenks Declared Out for the Year, Just as Absence Begins to Have Impact [NESN.com]

Video: Minor League Reinforcements Arrive at Just Right Time for Red Sox [NESN.com]

Ryan Lavarnway to Rejoin Red Sox on Monday, While PawSox Teammates Eye Postseason [NESN.com]

Video: Blue Jays Prospect Brett Lawrie As Good As Advertised Since Coming to Majors [NESN.com]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Blue Jays and Sleeping Giants [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox to skip Bedard Friday [Projo Sox Blog]

Jenks likely done for season [Projo Sox Blog]

Hideki Okajima pondering future — including possible retirement [Projo Sox Blog]

Ortiz, Youkilis swap spots in order [Projo Sox Blog]

Spears earns first big-league call-up [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox ready for finishing stretch vs. AL East [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Reuters Pictures, 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

What we learned in the Big East: Week 1 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East bowl projections [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Pasqualoni Presser Notes [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Former UConn QB Michael Box Headed To Indiana (Pa.) Univ. [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Report Card: Fordham [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Recruit Bobby Puyol’s Dwyer (Fla.) Team On ESPN Today [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

One man’s opinion on the three quarterbacks [John Nash – The Hour]

Sunday wrap [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

UConn-Fordham, the day after [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Video: 2011 UConn Football Rentschler Field Intro Video [SOX & Dawgs]

Two Former Huskies Join NFL Practice Squads [SOX & Dawgs]

Linemen lead the way for Huskies [CT Post]

With Just Three Penalties, UConn Off To A Clean Start [Hartford Courant]

Small in stature, Lyle McCombs plays big on field [New Haven Register]

‘D’ was dominant, but UConn offense wasn’t too bad either [The Day]

D.J.’s d-jection might not last for long [The Hour]

UConn Notebook — Fordham’s in the past, focus turns to Vandy [The Hour]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Alumni Profile: Ray Allen [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Kemba Walker to visit Boys & Girls Club of Stamford [ShorelinePlus.com]

College basketball’s hardest workers [Rivals.com]

Other UConn related links

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Falls To No. 25 Virginia Tech, 1-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. No. 4 Field Hockey Upends No. 8 Penn State in Overtime [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Diouf Leads No. 4 Huskies Over No. 7 California, 4-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

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

Apparently Boston Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey is a magician and had us all fooled. He had been 7-2 in his last 10 starts of which only three were quality starts. So after another shellacking of Lackey on Sunday, this time by the Texas Rangers in their 11-4 win, are the curtains slowly but surely closing on his act?

If you had to choose right now between Lackey, Erik Bedard, Tim Wakefield and Andrew Miller for a third starter behind Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, who are you going to choose? With Lackey, Wake and Miller you really don’t know what you’re going to get. While the same goes for Bedard, he’s been pretty consistent on the mound for the Red Sox since coming over in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.

Without a good third starter, the Red Sox will have a tough time getting out of the division series. And you have to hope the can win the division as I’m pretty sure they don’t want to play the Texas Rangers or face any of their lefty pitchers.

Speaking of the playoffs, the Red Sox loss coupled with a win by the New York Yankees increases their lead to 1.5 games in the AL East. The lead in the AL Wild Card is down to eight games over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yesterday, I talked about Felix Doubront and how he had a chance to be the go-to lefty in the Red Sox pen. Given a high leverage situation when Lackey left the game with the bases loaded, Doubront failed miserably.

He allowed a single, walk, sacrifice fly, walk and a triple and by the end of the 6th inning, the local nine went from being down 2-0 to losing 9-0. Matt Albers came in and bailed out Doubront and actually pitched better in his 1.2 innings of work. Hopefully this outing turns things around for Albers. Lord knows the Red Sox need any help they can in the bullpen from players not named Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.

Kevin Youkilis looks to be getting out of the slump since returning from the DL as he had two hits. David Ortiz added two hits and an RBI while Marco Scutaro had a hit and two RBIs. Darnell McDonald knocked in the other Red Sox run.

While the Red Sox got two of those runs off of Rangers starter, lefty Matt Harrison, it was a little too late. They’ve had a really tough time getting anything going against the Rangers lefties lately so something needs to change. Hopefully seeing two lefties in the upcoming four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays can help exercise future demons.

Since the Red Sox are playing an afternoon game (1:07 p.m.) this afternoon in Toronto, we’ll be back in a short while with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now, enjoy the overnight links below 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

Texas-sized trouble? Rangers a major October obstacle for Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Tough sixth inning dooms this Lackey mission [Boston Globe]

Jackson involved in run-in in right field [Boston Globe]

Sox are messed with by Texas [Boston Globe]

John Lackey without answers as Rangers rout Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Dubious effort for Felix Doubront [Boston Herald]

Kevin Youkilis stops post-DL drought [Boston Herald]

John Lackey bends, breaks [Boston Herald]

Red Sox rocked by Rangers, 11-4 [CSN New England]

Lackey, Doubront dominated by Rangers bats [CSN New England]

Napoli’s blast one of Fenway’s longest [CSN New England]

Notes: Jackson (knee) leaves after collision [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Rangers 11, Red Sox 4 [ESPN Boston]

Bullpen wall 1, Conor Jackson 0 [ESPN Boston]

Napoli HR travels to rare climes [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox giving fans cause for concern [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox notes: John Lackey and Alfredo Aceves effectively wild and Josh Reddick ‘pretty sore’ [Full Count]

Closing Time: Rangers continue to batter Sox in win at Fenway [Full Count]

Familiarity brings futility? Lackey continues struggles vs. Rangers [Full Count]

Rangers make their biggest pitch against the Red Sox [Full Count]

Video: Conor Jackson Sore From Crashing Into Right-Field Wall, But ‘Checked Out Fine’ After Game [NESN.com]

Rangers Get to John Lackey in Series Finale, Potentially Clearing Up ‘Game 3’ Dilemma [NESN.com]

Red Sox-Rangers Playoff Encounter Would Lack Drama If Regular Season Is Any Indication [NESN.com]

Video: Peter Gammons Says Red Sox Fans Should Be Worried About Texas Rangers’ Pitching, Which Is Much Better Than People Think [NESN.com]

Texas lays a smackdown on Lackey and Boston [Providence Journal]

Jackson left battered and bruised after collision with fence [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Minor league playoffs can be a major test [Providence Journal]

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

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Dallas Morning News, ESPN Dallas and Ft. Worth Star Telegram websites.

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

Photo credit: Getty Images

When NFL squads made their final cutdowns yesterday, seven former members of the UConn Huskies football team found themselves on rosters while eight were looking for jobs. On Sunday, two of them found work on NFL practice squads.

Former Husky linebackers Greg Lloyd and Scott Lutrus will be in the NFL this season just on the practice squad though.

After being cut by the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that drafted him in the 7th round in the 2011 NFL Draft, Lloyd was officially added to the Eagles practice squad roster on Sunday.

Lutrus, who had been signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars and cut by them on Saturday, was signed to the practice squad of the St. Louis Rams.

Finally, according to former Huskies defensive lineman, Rob Lunn aka The Fat White Guy via Twitter, former Husky lineman Zach Hurd is working out for the Cleveland Browns.

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

Photo credits: Patrick Raycroft – Hartford Courant, John Woike – Hartford Courant