The college basketball recruiting world had been abuzz the past few days, when one of the top 2012 recruits in the country Andre Drummond was going to make an announcement about his future.

Most of the speculation centered that he may decide to reclassify and come to Storrs, CT to play for his home state UConn Huskies or maybe even head to Kentucky to play for John Calipari. But folks that is not the case at all.

His big announcement was the fact that he’ll go to prep school for another year but it won’t be at St. Thomas More. Instead he’ll do his fifth year at Wilbraham & Monson in Wilbraham, MA.

Now the big question remains whether he’ll turn pro after this season or head to college for what would probably only be a year. His top five schools are UConn, the aformentioned Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville, Georgetown and West Virginia.

The general consenus out there seems to be that Drummond will never set foot on a college campus as far as playing in games and will turn pro after this season as he would be eligible for the draft. Of course depending on how long the NBA lockout lasts, his decision could be affected by that.

But for now, he’ll remain a “kid” and continue to dominate prep ball for another year.

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Photo credit: John Woike – Hartford Courant

With Tim McClelland’s strike zone tighter than a painted on dress, it looked like it might be a long night for Erik Bedard and the Boston Red Sox. But Bedard stuck to his guns and settled down.

And thanks to the shortest hit of David Ortiz‘s 2011 season, a 45 foot infield single, scored Dustin Pedroia in the 7th inning to give the Red Sox a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. That win, coupled with a loss by the New York Yankees, extended the Red Sox lead in the AL East to 2.5 games.

The story though was McClelland’s strike zone.

Bedard was getting squeezed so much that if he were throwing oranges instead of baseballs, he would have made a lot of orange juice. Bedard needed 37 pitches to get through that fateful bottom half of the 1st inning in which he ended up walking four batters, including the Twins second run of the game. The first run had come on a Michael Cuddyer sacrifice fly.

But after that Bedard settled down, made some adjustments as he allowed just two hits the rest of the way while striking out four. Had Bedard not been able to stay calm under pressure, things may have been a whole lot different.

Bedard would leave the game with a 3-2 lead thanks to the help of some of the “role players”.

Darnell McDonald‘s two-run homer in the 5th scored Jason Varitek who had walked to start the inning off of Francisco Liriano. And it would be Varitek who delivered the go-ahead run at the time with an RBI single that scored Jed Lowrie after he had walked with one out in the 6th.

Now I hate to call Varitek a “role player” but that’s exactly what he is these days. But when he’s been in the lineup, he’s been getting the job done most of the time. His ability to call a game is unmatched and on a night where the strike zone is as tight as it was, having him behind the plate can only help the pitching staff out.

The nice thing about the bench players for the Red Sox too is the fact that when they’re in the lineup they usually produce.

McDonald had struggled earlier on in the season because he wasn’t seeing playing time. But after a stint on the DL and a rehab assignment, he’s seen a little more playing time since then. And for the most part, he’s been able to provide some results at the plate.

At 35-21, the Red Sox now have the best road record in all of MLB. Their 72-43 record is tops in the AL and trails the Philadelphia Phillies by 3.5 games for the best in all of MLB.

But what gets me is the fact that since starting the season at 2-10, the Red Sox are 70-33 since then. An absolutely amazing stretch of baseball especially considering the fact that they’ve battled through injuries with the pitching staff.

It just goes to show you how important those “role players”, whether a pitcher or a position player, really have been.

We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy the overnight links from the media 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

Ortiz excels at small ball [Boston Globe]

Filling the final holes [Boston Globe]

Reddick is getting familiar [Boston Globe]

Erik Bedard pitches in [Boston Herald]

Dustin Pedroia takes cover [Boston Herald]

Jonathan Papelbon better than ever [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz gets small hit [Boston Herald]

A healthy bet on Jed Lowrie’s impact [Boston Herald]

Sox come ahead late again, win 4-3 [CSN New England]

Notes: Bedard stays cool and collected on mound [CSN New England]

Papelbon shows his worth again [ESPN Boston]

David Ortiz finds creative ways to add to his RBI total [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Darnell McDonald, Jason Varitek keep things right for Red Sox vs. lefties [Full Count]

Video: Erik Bedard Battles Through Rough First Inning, Says ‘You Got to Bear Down’ in Those Situations [NESN.com]

Video: Jason Varitek Says Erik Bedard Made Good Pitches Despite Small Strike Zone, Got Better As Game Went on [NESN.com]

Erik Bedard Overcomes Early Issues, Takes Positive Step Forward in Second Start With Red Sox [NESN.com]

Darnell McDonald Part of Continued Red Sox Success Against Lefties, Clearing Up Preseason Concern [NESN.com]

Red Sox Mailbag: Josh Reddick Has Earned Right to Stay in Right Field If and When J.D. Drew Returns [NESN.com]

Infield hit by Ortiz drives in winning run [Providence Journal]

Red Sox have three legit MVP contenders in Pedroia, Gonzalez and Ellsbury [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: MLB gives in to Ortiz on RBI [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, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer-Press websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Twins Target.

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

Here’s the release from UConn detailing the UConn Huskies women’s basketball 2011-12 non-conference schedule. The full schedule should be released in early September.

STORRS, Conn. – The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team has announced its 2011-12 non-conference schedule.  The 14-game non-conference slate includes seven opponents that qualified for the 2011 NCAA Tournament and four opponents that finished the season rated in the top-six of the RPI.  In addition to the 14-game non-conference schedule, the Huskies will also play a pair of exhibition contests.

2011-12 women’s basketball season tickets are on sale now.  For more information contact the UConn Ticket Office at 1-877-AT-UCONN or log onto UConnHuskies.com.

Connecticut’s first non-conference showdown will be against Assumption on Thursday, November 3.  The Greyhounds finished the 2010-11 season with a 22-8 overall record and advanced to the Regional Semifinal of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship.

The Huskies will round out the exhibition portion of the schedule with a game against Pace on Wednesday, November 9.  Pace rounded out 2010-11 with a 24-9 record and advanced to the Regional Semifinal of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship.

UConn will open the 2011-12 season on Sunday, November 13 against Holy Cross.  The Crusaders were 10-20 last season and dropped a 117-37 decision to the Huskies in the 2010-11 season opener.  Connecticut is 19-2 all-time against Holy Cross, including 13-0 at home.  UConn has not lost to HC since the 1986-87 season.

Connecticut will then welcome Pacific to the Nutmeg State on Tuesday, November 15.  The Tigers finished 9-22 last season and were the final victory of Connecticut’s record-breaking 90-game winning streak as the Huskies downed Pacific by an 85-42 margin on December 28, 2010.  That game marked the only other contest between the two squads.

The team that snapped the streak, Stanford, is next on the docket for UConn as the Huskies will take on the Cardinal on Monday, November 21.  Connecticut dropped a 71-57 decision to Stanford on December 30, 2010 in Palo Alto.  Prior to that loss, UConn had defeated Stanford three-straight times.

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

The Huskies will remain at home to play host to the 2011 World Vision Classic from Friday, November 25 – Sunday, November 27 at Gampel Pavilion.  Connecticut will welcome Buffalo, Dayton and Fairleigh Dickinson to Storrs for the event and will play the second of the two games each day.  UConn will play FDU on Friday at 7:30, Buffalo on Saturday at 7:30 and Dayton on Sunday at 4:30.  FDU was 14-16 overall and 7-11 in the Northeast Conference last season while Buffalo was 16-15, 8-8 in the MAC.  Dayton had a solid season in 2010-11, posting a 21-11 overall record, including a 9-5 mark in the Atlantic 10 and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Next up for the Huskies is a home game against Towson on Wednesday, November 30.  Towson sported a 9-21 record last year and posted a 3-15 mark in the CAA.  The Huskies eighth-straight home game will come on Tuesday, December 6 against defending national champion Texas A&M in the Jimmy V Classic, which will be hosted by UConn.  The game will mark the first matchup between the Huskies and Aggies.  A&M finished the season with a 33-5 overall record, tied for second in the BIG 12 with a 13-3 mark and finished No. 6 in the RPI.

Connecticut will then hit the road for the first time to face a tough test at Baylor on Sunday, December 18 in Waco, Texas.  Baylor won the Big 12 with a 15-1 record and advanced to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament on the strength of a 35-3 overall record.  The Lady Bears lost to the Huskies by a 65-64 margin at the XL Center on November 16 of last season in a game that pitted the nation’s two top-ranked teams and saw the Huskies improve to 2-0 all-time against Baylor.

From Waco, UConn will travel to Charleston, S.C. to take on the College of Charleston on Wednesday, December 21.  C of C was 9-19 overall last season and registered a 7-13 mark in the Southern Conference.

Following the Christmas break, the Huskies will return home to take on Fairfield.  That contest is scheduled for Thursday, December 29 but may be moved to Wednesday, December 28 as that is the first week of the BIG EAST men’s basketball schedule and the league reserves the right to schedule the UConn men to play on December 29.  Fairfield put together a 17-13 record last season and went 10-8 in the MAAC.

Connecticut will play its final non-conference home game on Monday, January 16 when the team squares-off against North Carolina.  The Tar Heels finished 26-8 in 2010-11 and were 8-6 in the ACC.  The Heels are one of six non-conference opponents that advanced to the 2011 NCAA Regional semifinal.  UConn is 6-5 all-time against UNC and has won four-straight meetings.

The Huskies will take on another ACC opponent when the team travels to Durham, N.C. for a showdown with Duke on Monday January 30.  The Blue Devils were the RPI’s second-ranked team last year following a 29-3 overall record.  Duke posted a 12-2 ACC record, tied Miami for the regular-season championship and won the conference tournament.  Duke’s season ended with a 75-40 defeat to UConn in the Philadelphia Regional Final on March 29, 2011.  The Huskies are 7-3 all-time against Duke and have won four-straight vs. the Blue Devils by an average of 32.5 points per game.

UConn’s final non-conference game will be a February 13 tilt at Oklahoma.  The Sooners were 21-11 last season and finished in a tie for third with a 10-6 record in Big 12 action.  A Sweet 16 team last season, OU is 0-9 all-time against the Huskies.

Game times, television coverage and BIG EAST Conference contests will be announced at a later date.  Schedule information is subject to change.

2011-12 Non-Conference Schedule Notes
– Seven of UConn’s 14 non-conference opponents qualified for the 2011 NCAA Tournament
– Three opponents won or shared their league’s regular-season title
– Four opponents finished ranked in the top-six of the RPI
– Six opponents finished ranked in the top-21 of the RPI
– Two opponents advanced to the 2011 Final Four and Texas A&M won the National Championship
– Four opponents advanced to the 2011 Elite Eight
– Six opponents advanced to the 2011 Sweet 16
– Four true road games, 10 homes games

This week’s SI cover boy, Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, may need to look over his shoulder for a little because of a prank he pulled last week on David Ortiz.

We all remember when Big Papi stormed into Terry Francona’s press conference all pissed off about the official scorer taking away an RBI from him in the game the night before. Well it turns out that the whole thing got started when Pedroia made a comment to Big Papi.

Here’s what Pedroia told CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty:

Pedroia told Ortiz that John Henry and Theo Epstein ordered the official scorer to take away Ortiz’s RBI in an effort to keep Ortiz’s stat totals low and therefore give him less leverage when it comes time to negotiate a new contract.

While Pedroia may have taken things a little too far, you have to admit that he got Papi pretty good. But he needs to remember one thing.

Revenge is a dish best served cold and you know Papi will find a way to get him back. Then I’m sure we’ll all be laughing again.

Haggerty: Pedroia pranked Ortiz about lost RBI [CSN New England]

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Photo credit: Getty Images

Here is this week’s cover of Sports Illustrated which features Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the cover.

Here’s the article that goes with the cover as well (definitely a must read):

The Muddy Chicken Hits It Big [Tom Verducci – SI.com]

H/T to Ben Kaplan & Fang’s Bites

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

If there’s one position on the UConn Huskies football team that has a lot of depth, it’s at the wide receiver position.

Last week, they lost true sophomore Leon Kinnard who decided to leave the program and transfer to FCS school Towson State. Towson’s head coach just happens to be former UConn assistant Rob Ambrose.

Well now you can add another UConn connection at Towson as redshirt junior wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard has decided to transfer there as well according to Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant. He will be eligible to play right away.

Sheppard played in nine games last year, catching one pass for three yards.

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

Photo credit: Brooke LaValley – Hartford Courant

Early on last night, it didn’t look like the Boston Red Sox were going to pick up a third straight win as the Minnesota Twins got to Tim Wakefield for five runs. But after the offense woke up, Wakefield left the game in line for his 200th career win.

Unfortunately for Wake, his 200th career win will have to wait until his next start as Alfredo Aceves was touched up for a run in the 8th inning. There was no need to panic though as the Red Sox got two runs in the top half of the 9th to pick up an 8-6 win.

I know we were all disappointed that Wake couldn’t get his 200th win and even the players were as well. While individual accolades are nice, all 25 guys on the Red Sox roster will tell you that a team win is more important. We also can’t get down on Aceves for giving up the run that denied Wake’s 200th.

The man has been there all season long for the Red Sox when they needed him and if it weren’t for him, they probably wouldn’t be in the position they are in. I’m sure no one felt worse than he did last night.

Wake struggled early on but once the offense got going, he settled down in the 6th and 7th to go out in line for the win thanks to David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltlamacchia.

The Red Sox were trailing 5-1 entering the 6th inning and you could see the 5 a.m. arrival time in Minneapolis was wearing on them. Things got started when Carl Crawford led off with a triple off of Scott Baker. The next batter Adrian Gonzalez brought him in with a sac fly. Dustin Pedroia singled and then came into score on Big Papi’s monstrous blast to the second deck in right field at Target Field.

Salty followed that up with a solo home run and just like that the Red Sox had tied the game up at 5. They took the lead in the 8th when Mike Aviles grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Big Papi when Joe Mauer‘s error allowed him to score.

Big Papi became the hero of the game with his fourth hit of the night, a single that easily scored pinch-runner Darnell McDonald. Salty followed that with a double to score Pedroia to provide the final margin. Jonathan Papelbon continued his run of great pitching by going 1-2-3 in the 9th for his 25th save of 2011.

Ortiz had been slumping recently but he’s once again starting to hit the ball. And with the reports that he’s unhappy about his contract status, he’s letting his bat do the talking right now. The Red Sox probably won’t discuss an extension with him while the season is going on and the last thing the Red Sox need right now is a distraction. But as long as Papi takes out his frustrations with the bat and not in the media, things will be just fine.

Marco Scutaro also added three more hits last night after a four-hit effort on Sunday. With Jed Lowrie back in the fold now, those two will probably be competing for playing time at shortstop again. If Scutaro stays hot though, that could all change.

We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy the overnight links from the media 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

Where have all the homers gone for Adrian Gonzalez? [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Sox put together another late win [Boston Globe]

Reward for long night [Boston Globe]

Could Ellsbury join these leading men? [Boston Globe]

It was a big night for Papi [Boston Globe]

David Ortiz makes Twins pay [Boston Herald]

Pedroia works hard [Boston Herald]

Lowrie hopes to show early form [Boston Herald]

Wake’s quest lingers longer [Boston Herald]

Sox’ late-inning attack spurs 8-6 win [CSN New England]

Notes: Wakefield misses 200th win once again [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 8, Twins 6 [ESPN Boston]

Video: ‘MNB’ crew on Sox offense [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: David Ortiz has big night in 8-6 win over Twins, Tim Wakefield still searching for No. 200 [Full Count]

Video: Josh Beckett Continues to Receive Little Run Support, Which Makes His Dominance Even More Important [NESN.com]

Red Sox Reliever Bobby Jenks Hospitalized, Set to Undergo Colonoscopy [NESN.com]

Video: David Ortiz Continues to Hurt Former Team, Sparks Red Sox Win in Series Opener [NESN.com]

Video: Tim Wakefield Can’t Pick Up 200th Win, But Not Too Upset As Red Sox Still Come Away With Win [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Uses Entire Ballpark in Loud Night Against Twins to Help Put Quiet Slump in Past [NESN.com]

Tim Wakefield Posts Another Quality Start, Remains in Search of Milestone Win [NESN.com]

Red Sox win, but Wakefield forced to wait for No. 200 [Providence Journal]

Lowrie-Scutaro competition renewed in earnest [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Francona defends Varitek’s swing on 3-0 count [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, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer-Press websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Twins Target.

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

Photo credit: Getty Images

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as 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

Video: UConn CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

What Does Cochran’s UConn Commit Do For WR Malik Golden? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Football Practice Open To Public On Tuesday [UConnHuskies.com]

Keeping Cochran at home a huge step for UConn [CT Post]

Cochran’s Decision Could Influence Golden [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

‘Decision’ for Drummond Approaching Soon [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Gordon Won’t Play for Great Britain [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Player Profile: Michael Bradley [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tina Charles is honored by WNBA again [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

UConn coaches on Dave Solomon [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

David Solomon obituary [BCBailey.com]

RIP Dave Solomon [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Ranked No. 7 In Early Preseason Rankings [UConnHuskies.com]

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