Here’s the release from the Rimington Trophy committee that includes UConn Huskies center Moe Petrus on the 2011 Fall Watch List.

July 13, 2011 – The Rimington Trophy committee has released its 2011 Fall Watch List.

The list includes 13 returning players from the 2010 Watch List. In all, there are 43 players on the Watch List. The SEC checks in with the most candidates, with seven players representing the conference. The Big Ten follows with six players being named to the Watch List.

To see the full watch list, click on the read more button below if you’re on the homepage.

The following is a list of those named to the 2011 Rimington Trophy Fall Watch List.

Chris Anzevino	Kent State	6’2″	305	Senior
Eloy Atkinson	UTEP	6’3″	300	Junior
Mario Benavides	Louisville	6’4″;	300	Junior
Philip Blake	Baylor	6’2″	315	Senior
Ben Bojicic	Bowling Green	6’4″	295	Senior
Colin Boss	Middle Tennessee State	6’4″	310	RS Senior
Mike Brewster	Ohio State	6’5″	305	Senior
Terence Brown	BYU	6’4″	330	Senior
Ben Burkett	Northwestern	6’4″	300	Senior
Thomas Byrd	Boise State	5’11”	288	Senior
Mike Caputo	Nebraska	6’1″	275	Senior
Nick Carlson	Wyoming	6’4″	292	Junior
Tom Castilaw	Arkansas State	6’3″	280	RS Senior
Braxton Cave	Notre Dame	6’3″	303	Senior
Trent Dupy	Tulsa	6’2″	285	Junior
Dillon Farrell	New Mexico	6’5″	290	RS Sophomore
James Ferentz	Iowa	6’2″	284	Junior
Dalton Freeman	Clemson	6’5″	285	Junior
Kevin Galeher	Western Michigan	6’4″	312	Junior
Grant Garner	Oklahoma State	6’3″	289	Senior
Garth Gerhart	Arizona State	6’2″	295	RS Senior
Jeremiah Hatch	Kansas	6’3″	332	Senior
A.J. Hawkins	Mississippi	6’3″	313	Junior
Cam Holland	North Carolina	6’2″	320	Senior
Tyler Horn	Miami	6’4″	305	Senior
Grant Johnson	Oregon State	6’3″	293	Senior
T.J. Johnson	South Carolina	6’4″	314	Junior
Ben Jones	Georgia	6’3″	316	Junior
Peter Konz	Wisconsin	6’5″	313	RS Junior
Tyler Larsen	Utah State	6’4″	297	Sophomore
P.J. Lonergan	LSU	6’4″	300	Junior
Joe Madsen	West Virginia	6’4″	300	RS Junior
Kai Maiava	UCLA	6’1″	318	RS Senior
Blake McJunkin	SMU	6’2″	290	Senior
David Molk	Michigan	6’2″	288	RS Senior
Brian Moore	Duke	6’2″	285	RS Junior
Moe Petrus	Connecticut	6’2″	302	RS Senior
Weston Richburg	Colorado State	6’4″	302	Sophomore
Darion Smith	UAB	6’2″	280	Senior
Matt Smith	Kentucky	6’4″	303	Junior
Travis Swanson	Arkansas	6’5″	305	RS Sophomore
William Vlachos	Alabama	6’1″	294	Senior
Scott Wedige	Northern Illinois	6’4″	314	RS Senior

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:

* American Football Coaches Association
* Walter Camp Foundation
*Sporting News
*Football Writers Association of America

Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place Centers in a “mix” of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two Centers. Our policy is to count all players that play primarily the Center position for their respective teams as Centers, even though they maybe listed as guards or tackles on the four All American teams.

The Center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the Center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be honored at Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 14, 2012.

The big story from last night’s 2011 MLB All-Star Game isn’t the fact that if the Boston Red Sox get to the World Series they won’t have home field advantage there. Rather it’s the left knee of one Josh Beckett.

We had learned during the day that Beckett would be second in line to pitch for the American League squad after Jered Weaver. But no one got an opportunity to see Beckett pitch in the game because he felt some soreness in it while warming up. So rather than go out there and pitch through it, Beckett decided it was best to shut it down.

It’s a good thing that Beckett had made Terry Francona a promise that he wouldn’t pitch if he felt anything. But the bad thing of it all is now the fact that the Red Sox really only have one of their original five starters that even healthy in John Lackey. Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and now Beckett are all battling with some type of injury. And that’s not to mention the fact that Daisuke Matsuzaka is out for the season.

You have to believe that when Beckett and Tito said he was fine after throwing a side on Sunday that he was. But given the end result, wouldn’t it have been better for Beckett just make the appearance at the game and not even pitch at all. Even with home field advantage for the World Series on the line, Beckett made the smart move of not pitching.

As for the other members of the Red Sox at the game and that played, Adrian Gonzalez hit the first home run in 208 All-Star at-bats to provide the only run of the night for the American League. The last player to hit a home run in the All-Star Game was J.D. Drew back in 2008 at Yankee Stadium.

Kevin Youkilis added a hit in his only at-bat. Jacoby Ellsbury had a rough night in his first All-Star Game going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. David Ortiz also was 0-for-2 but only struck out once.

Now that the fun of the All-Star break is over, the Red Sox get to enjoy two more days off before starting back up in St. Petersburg on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. With the stretch run coming, the Red Sox need all the rest they can get to help heal some of those nagging injuries.

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

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

Big East position rankings: Special teams [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East coach rankings [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East preseason ballot [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Watch BIG EAST Football Media Day Live Free on BIGEAST.tv [BigEast.org]

Evaluating A UConn Football Position: Defensive End [Hartford Courant]

Looking At A UConn Football Opponent: Syracuse [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Kemba at the ESPYs [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Kemba Walker honored as a role model [New Haven Register]

From Calhoun to Jordan: Speakers Have Nothing But Praise for Kemba Walker, Who Talks About His Future [Patch.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Championship and XL Center Seeking Millionth Fan [BigEast.org]

Some thoughts on Big East/XL Center press conference [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Regional Business Came To Bat To Keep Big East In Hartford [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

A Misconception, A News Item And Future Musings From Big East/XL Center Press Conference [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Hartford Must Keep Proving Itself As Host Of Women’s Big East Tournament [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. Men’s Ice Hockey Announces 2011 Recruiting Class [UConnHuskies.com]

Here’s the release from the UConn Huskies athletic department announcing that Kendall Reyes and Moe Petrus have been named to the watch list for the 2011 Rotary Lombardi Award. Upon examining the list, I noticed that the press release doesn’t include any notes on Mike Ryan who was also on the watch list.

HOUSTON – University of Connecticut senior defensive tackle Kendall Reyes (Nashua, N.H) and senior center Moe Petrus (St. Laurent, Qu.) have both been named to the Official Watch List for the 2011 Rotary Lombardi Award. This is the 42nd year that the Rotary Lombardi Award has named the nation’s college lineman of the year.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense of defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, and linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.

The candidates earned a place on the Official Watch List by earning All-American honors last season, by being named to their respective all-conference first team last season as selected by the conference’s head coaches, by being projected to be an All-American or first team all-conference player for the coming season, or by nomination approved by the nominations committee.

Reyes has played in 37 games over the past three seasons with 29 starts. He was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection last season and a team captain who started all 13 games alternating between end and tackle and started final three games at tackle. He tied for third on the team with 10 tackles for a loss and also had 2.5 sacks.

He has already been named to the Watch List for the Outland Trophy and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Petrus has started 39 consecutive games for the Huskies and the past 26 at center. Last season, he started all 13 games and was a second team All-BIG EAST pick. Petrus has started 26 straight games for UConn at center dating back to 2009 and started all 13 games in 2008 at left tackle for his 39 straight starts. He is a member of the 2010 BIG EAST All-Academic team.

Petrus was also named to the Watch List for the Outland Trophy.

The 42nd Rotary Lombardi Award will be held on December 6-7, 2011 at Reliant Center, Houston, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.rotarylombardiaward.com/.

For a full loook at the 2011 Rotary Lombardi Award watch list, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

2011 Rotary Lombardi Award watch list:

Player	Pos	School	Player Highlights
Mike Adams	OT	Ohio St.	1st Team All-Big 10, started all 13 games in 2010
Levy Adcock	OT	Oklahoma St.	1st Team All-Big 12, 13 starts at tackle in 2010
Jeff Allen	OT	Illinois	2nd Team All-Big 10, 34 consecutive starts
Alvin Bailey	G	Arkansas	All-SEC freshman team in 2010, started 13 games
Don Barclay	OT	W. Virginia	2nd Team All-Big East honors in 2010
Kelvin Beachum	OT	SMU	1st Team All-CUSA, started all 39 games in his career
Jake Bequette	DE	Arkansas	2nd Team All-SEC, led team with seven sacks in 2010
Nigel Bradham	LB	Florida St.	Led the Seminoles in tackles for the past two seasons
Mike Brewster	C	Ohio St.	1st Team All-Big 10, 3 year starter for the Buckeyes
Tanner Brock	LB	TCU	1st Team All-MWC, led team in tackles with 106
Jaymes Brooks	G	Va. Tech	2nd Team All-ACC honors in 2010
Austin Brown	DT	Miami	2nd Team All-MAC, 27 solos, 10 tackles for loss (TFLs)
Vince Browne	DE	Northwestern	2nd Team All-Big 10, led team with 7 sacks in 2010
Vontaze Burfict	LB	Arizona St.	2nd Team All-Pac 10, led ASU with 90 tackles
Ben Burkett	C	Northwestern	Rimington Award watch list for 3rd straight year
Miles Burris	LB	San Diego St.	1st Team All-MWC, led team with 80 tackles, 9.5 sacks
Thomas Byrd	C	Boise St.	1st Team All-WAC, started 27 games in ’09 and ‘10
Tank Carder	LB	TCU	1st Team All-MWC, 2011 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP
Audie Cole	LB	NC St.	Led team in tackles in ’09, 3rd on team with 86 in ’10
Jonathan Cooper	G	N. Carolina	2nd Team All-ACC, 22 consecutive starts
Quinton Coples	DT	N. Carolina	1st Team All-ACC, 3rd in the ACC with 10 sacks
Jared Crick	DT	Nebraska	1st Team All-Big 12, RLA semi-finalist & 2nd team A-A
Vinny Curry	DE	Marshall	1st Team All-CUSA, 5th in the nation with 12 sacks
Andrew Datko	OT	Florida St.	Four year starter, only missed three starts in career
Lavonte David	LB	Nebraska	2nd Team AP A-A, 1st Team All-Big 12
Ja’Gared Davis	LB	SMU	1st Team All-CUSA, led team with 8 sacks and 15 TFLs
Demario Davis	LB	Arkansas St.	1st Team All-Sun Belt, 63 tackles, 3.5 TFLs
David DeCastro	G	Stanford	1st Team All-Pac 10, anchors OL that gave up 13 sacks
Blake DeChristopher	OT	Va. Tech	2nd Team All-ACC, has made 37 career starts
Joe Duhon	G	So. Miss.	Honorable Men. All-CUSA, started 9 games in 2010
Lonnie Edwards	G	Texas Tech	1st Team All-Big 12, played in 13 games in 2010
Joe Flading	OT	Ohio	1st Team All-MAC, led team with 62 pancake blocks
Joel Foreman	G	Michigan St.	Honorable Men. All-Big 10, 36 career starts at guard
Marcus Forston	DT	Miami	Rebounded from injury in 2009 with 12 TFLs
Jerry Franklin	LB	Arkansas	2nd Team All-SEC, led the team with 95 tackles in 2010
Dalton Freeman	C	Clemson	22 consecutive starts at center, allowed only 2 sacks
Cordy Glenn	G/T	Georgia	Started 36 games at guard over the last 3 years
Stephen Good	G	Oklahoma	Recorded 81 knockdowns on 500 snaps last year
Ben Habern	C	Oklahoma	Honorable Men. All-Big 12, 14 starts at center
Logan Harrell	DT	Fresno St.	1st Team All-WAC, led team with 10.5 sacks (14 TFLs)
Dont’a Hightower	LB	Alabama	2nd Team All-SEC in 2010, 69 tackles
Alex Hoffman	G	Cincinnati	2nd Team All-Big East, started all 13 games
Jaye Howard	DT	Florida	Played in 31 games, 66 career tackles and 15.5 TFLs
Bruce Irvin	DE	W. Virginia	2nd Team All-Big East, 2nd in nation with 14 sacks
Malik Jackson	DE/DT	Tennessee	2nd Team All-SEC, led Vols with 11 TFLs and 5 sacks
Brandon Jenkins	DE	Florida St.	1st Team All-ACC, led the ACC with 13.5 sacks
Tony Jerod-Eddie	DL	Texas A&M	Played in all games since arrival in Aggieland
Luke Joeckel	OT	Texas A&M	Freshman A-A, started all 13 games
Cam Johnson	DT	Virginia	3rd Team All-ACC, 53 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks
Chandler Jones	DE	Syracuse	2nd Team All-Big East, four sacks and 9.5 TFLs
Barrett Jones	G	Alabama	2nd Team All-SEC, 24 career starts at guard
Ben Jones	C	Georgia	4th Team All-SEC, started 12 games in 2010
Matt Kalil	OT	USC	13 career starts at left tackle for USC
Mychal Kendricks	LB	Cal.	2nd Team All-PAC 10, 8.5 sacks, 15 TFLs, 3 fumbles
Jake Knott	LB	Iowa St.	2nd Team All-Big 12, 2nd in the Big 12 with 130 tackles
Peter Konz	C	Wisconsin	Honorable Men. All-Big 10, started 11 games
Luke Kuechly	LB	Boston College	1st Team A-A and All-ACC, led nation in tackles
Shaun Lewis	LB	Oklahoma St.	Big 12 co-Freshman Defensive Player of the Year
Travis Lewis	LB	Oklahoma	2nd Team All-Big 12, led the Sooners with 109 tackles
Brandon Lindsey	DE	Pittsburgh	2nd Team All-Big East, led Panthers with 10 sacks
Trent Mackey	LB	Tulane	2nd Team All-CUSA, led Green Wave with 124 tackles
Brad Madison	DL	Missouri	2nd Team All-Big 12, 11 TFLs, 7.5 sacks
Jonathan Martin	OT	Stanford	1st Team All-Pac 10, has 24 career starts for the Cardinal
Mike Martin	DT	Michigan	2nd team All-Big 10, six TFLs in 2010
Chris Marve	LB	Vanderbilt	2nd Team All-SEC, led team with eight TFLs
Jonathan Massaquoi	DE	Troy	1st Team All-Sun Belt, 4th in the nation with 13.5 sacks
Matt McCants	OT	UAB	1st Team All-CUSA, 31 career starts
Shea McClellin	DE	Boise St.	1st Team All-WAC, led Broncos with 9.5 sacks
Marcus McGraw	LB	Houston	2nd Team All-CUSA, 156 tackles, 75 solo tackles
Cameron Meredith	DE	Nebraska	2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2010, 64 tackles
Carmen Messina	LB	New Mexico	2nd Team All-MWC, 1st in the MWC with 115 tackles
Ryan Miller	G	Colorado	Honorable Men. All-Big 12, 35 career starts in Big 12
Julian Miller	DT	W. Virginia	Tied for team lead with 14 TFLs
David Molk	C	Michigan	1st Team All-Big 10, started 13 games after 2009 injury
Roosevelt Nix	DE	Kent St.	1st Team All-MAC, 20 TFLs and nine sacks
Trevor Olson	OT	N. Illinois	1st Team All-MAC, NIU’s Offensive lineman of the Year
Kelechi Osemele	OT	Iowa St.	Honorable Men. All-Big 12 (’10), 2nd Team Big 12 (’09)
Donte Paige-Moss	DE	N. Carolina	2nd on the team with 7 sacks and 13.5 TFLs
Corey Paredes	LB	Hawaii	1st Team All-WAC, 14th in the nation with 151 tackles
Nick Perry	DE	USC	12 career sacks in 10 starts, 7.5 TFLs, 25 tackles
Moe Petrus	C	U Conn	2nd Team All-Big East, 39 career starts
Nate Potter	OT	Boise St.	3rd Team AP A-A, 1st team All-WAC (2nd straight year)
Tydreke Powell	DT	N. Carolina	Captain as a junior, finished the season with 47 tackles
Sean Progar	DE	N. Illinois	1st Team All-MAC, 10 TFLs and four sacks
Kheeson Randall	DL	Texas	Honorable Men. All-Big 12, 22 starts, 16 TFLs
Taylor Reed	LB	SMU	Led SMU with 145 tackles, finished 16th in the nation
Riley Reiff	OT	Iowa	2nd Team All-Big 10 honors, 21 consecutive starts
Kendall Reyes	DE	U Conn	1st Team All-Big East, 10 TFLs
Matt Reynolds	OT	BYU	2x 1st Team All-MWC selection, 39 career starts
Travian Robertson	DT	S. Carolina	14 starts, finished the season with 10 TFLs
Keenan Robinson	LB	Texas	Honorable Men. All-Big 12, led in tackles with 106
Adrian Robinson	DE	Temple	1st Team All-MAC, 3.5 sacks for the Owls in 2010
Mike Ryan	OT	U Conn	1st Team All-Big East, 12 starts at right & left tackle
Quentin Saulsberry	G/C	Miss. St.	37 career starts at tackle, center and guard
JK Schaffer	LB	Cincinnati	2nd Team All-Big East, two straight 100+ tackle seasons
Mitchell Schwartz	OT	Cal	2nd Team All-Pac 10, fixture for Cal’s OL, 38 starts
Mychall Sisson	LB	Colorado St.	2nd Team All-MWC in 2010, 38.5 career TFLs
Shayne Skov	LB	Stanford	Honorable Men. All-Pac 10, led team with 84 stops
Jacquies Smith	DE	Missouri	2nd Team All-Big 12, 5.5 sacks in 2010
Bradley Sowell	OT	Ole Miss	2nd Team All-SEC, started 24 of last 25 games
Sean Spence	LB	Miami	2nd Team All-ACC, 111 tackles in 2010
Andrew Sweat	LB	Ohio St.	41 tackles in 2010, 1 interception
Alameda Ta’amu	DT	Washington	Honorable Men. All-Pac 10, five TFLs in 2010
Bruce Taylor	LB	Virginia Tech	2nd Team All-ACC, 15.5 TFLs, 91 total stops
Devin Taylor	DE	South Carolina	1st Team All-SEC, led the Gamecocks with 13 TFLs
Manti Te’o	LB	Notre Dame	21 tackles against Stanford, 133 tackles in 2010
Taylor Thompson	DE	SMU	1st Team All-CUSA, 2nd on team with 5.5 sacks
Chris Thompson	C	Houston	1st Team All-CUSA, 37 starts at G and T, moved to C
Danny Trevathan	LB	Kentucky	1st Team All-SEC, led the SEC with 144 tackles
Jabaree Tuani	DE	Navy	Led the Midshipmen with 15.5 TFLs in 2010
Courtney Upshaw	DE/LB	Alabama	Led the Crimson Tide with 7 sacks and 14.5 TFLs
Joe Vellano	DT	Maryland	2nd Team All-ACC, 10.5 TFLs
William Vlachos	C	Alabama	2nd Team All-SEC, started 27 straight games at center
Bobby Wagner	LB	Utah St.	1st Team All-WAC, 7th in nation with 133 tackles
Chaz Walker	LB	Utah	2nd Team All-MWC, 74 tackles in 2010
Larry Warford	G	Kentucky	2nd Team All-SEC, started all 13 games at right guard
Brandon Washington	G	Miami	1st Team All-ACC, leader of experienced line in Miami
Scott Wedige	C	N. Illinois	1st Team All-MAC, started all 13 games in 2010
Sean Westgate	LB	UCLA	Honorable Men. All-PAC 10, 90 tackles, 11 TFLs
Garrick Williams	LB	Texas A&M	Honorable Men. All-Big 12, 112 tackles in 2010
Korey Williams	LB	So. Miss	Led So. Miss in tackles with 92 and TFLs with 14.5
Billy Winn	DT	Boise St.	2x 2nd Team All-WAC, 9.5 TFLs in 2010
Jerel Worthy	DT	Michigan St.	26 career games, 77 tackles, 17 TFLs, 8.5 sacks
Carson York	G	Oregon	Honorable Men. All-Pac 10, started all 13 games at G
Kevin Zeitler	G	Wisconsin	Honorable Men. All-Big 10, played in all 13 games

BOSTON, MA – The Red Sox Foundation today announced eleven auction items for the 2011 Picnic in the Park fundraiser presented by Ace Ticket, and have opened the auction to proxy bids from fans unable to attend the event in person. Picnic in the Park is the annual charitable fundraiser hosted by the Red Sox Players and their wives benefiting two of the Red Sox Foundation’s charitable programs, the Red Sox Scholars and Red Sox RBI and Rookie League inner city youth baseball programs.

Fans who submit a bid by proxy can still win the items they bid on, even if they are not able to attend the live auction in person. A bid by proxy is possible on any of the donated items, including three that are available for online bidding on redsox.com/picnic, including:

• A VIP set visit to the hit TV show Mad Men
• Hitting Lesson with Red Sox First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez
• A lounger autographed by the Red Sox 2007 World Series team

The online auction for the above three items will close at noon (EDT) on Friday, July 22. At that time, the top three online bidders for each item will be contacted by phone and email by the Red Sox Foundation and offered an opportunity to participate by phone in the final live portion of the auction on Sunday, July 24.

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

Additional Red Sox player experiences are also available for proxy bidding through the Red Sox Foundation by sending an email to picnic@redsox.com or over the phone by calling 617-226-6440. Proxy bidders submitting bids by email or by phone will be asked to submit their highest bid and will be represented at the live auction by a member of the Red Sox Foundation who will bid on their behalf up to their maximum limit. Specific instructions on submitting a bid via email or phone are available on redsox.com/picnic. Additional auction items include:

• Pitching Lesson with Red Sox Pitcher Clay Buchholz
• A lounger autographed by the Red Sox 2007 World Series team
• Batting lessons with Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald and an opportunity to be part of the Fenway Park grounds crew before a game
• A 90-minute massage by the Red Sox players massage therapist Russell Nua at Fenway Park and tickets to a regular season Red Sox game in 2011-2012.
• Meet and greet with Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford, including 4 Grandstand tickets to the game
• An opportunity to play video games with  Red Sox Closer Jonathan Papelbon
• Meet and greet with All-Star first baseman Kevin Youkilis, including 4 Grandstand tickets plus one autographed Red Sox Youkilis jersey
• A personal voicemail recording for your phone by Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek
• A 30 minute personal fielding lesson with Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia

Picnic in the Park will be held one hour after the conclusion of the Sunday, July 24^th Red Sox-Mariners game. Fans enjoy a BBQ picnic on the field at Fenway Park, a chance to get autographs from current Red Sox players, as well as the opportunity to bid on the unique items and experiences during the live auction. Tickets are still available on redsox.com/picnic.

About the Red Sox Foundation:

The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation harnesses the power of Red Sox Nation to support select programs serving at risk children and families across New England. The Foundation’s efforts are primarily focused on our cornerstone programs including the Red Sox Scholars Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring, enrichment programs and a college scholarship to academically talented but economically disadvantaged Boston public school students and the Red Sox Foundation’s RBI and Rookie League youth baseball program serving more than 2,000 inner city teens each summer. The team charity also supports the new Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress disorders and traumatic brain injury, The Dimock Community Center in Roxbury and The Jimmy Fund.

A 501c3 nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises most of its funds through special events and charitable donations. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for the impact of its innovative programs. Last year, the Red Sox Scholars program was recognized by Major League Baseball with the first-ever “MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence.” In 2009, the Red Sox Foundation was also honored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project with the Patterson Award as the nation’s “Best Team Charity in Sports.” The Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation is the team’s Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Meg Vaillancourt. For more information about the Red Sox Foundation, please visit www.redsoxfoundation.org.

Just when it looked like Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez might win the 2011 MLB Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game in Phoenix, AZ, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and his father stole the show.

Gonzalez and Cano had both made it to the finals with Gonzo getting first crack. He would put up 11 in the finale giving him a grand total of 31 home runs on the night. Of course the finals aren’t cumulative so that wouldn’t matter. With his father throwing to him, Cano got hot in the finals and put on a great show. Actually they both did.

But with three outs to spare, Cano blasted his 12th home run of the final round to take the 2011 MLB Home Run Derby honors. The AL had already easily won the team competition as three of their four sluggers made it to the second round.

To me, if it weren’t for Gonzalez and Cano in the first round plus David Ortiz, Prince Fielder and Matt Holliday in the bat-off, it might have gotten boring. While Fielder hit some majestic home runs including the longest of the night, it was really Cano and Gonzalez who kept the fans in it.

It was definitely fun seeing those two go at it. Sure it might have a Red Sox-Yankees rivalry thing but they made it worth watching.

In case you missed it, here’s the highlights of Gonzo’s final round:

In Red Sox news, Terry Francona set his rotation for the first three games after the break against the Tampa Bay Rays. Andrew Miller, John Lackey and Josh Beckett will pitch in those three games.

We’ll be back later today with the lineups, news and notes from the 2011 MLB All-Star Game but for now enjoy 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

Is there life after David Ortiz for the Red Sox? [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Right now, Ortiz has a bright future [Boston Globe]

Star in fixed position [Boston Globe]

Cano turns on the power [Boston Globe]

Gonzo is just out of this world [Boston Globe]

Elite agree: Adrian Gonzalez great [Boston Herald]

Sox look like fall guys [Boston Herald]

Carlos Beltran would be cool with deal to Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Home Run Derby: Robinson Cano powers past Adrian Gonzalez [Boston Herald]

Life without Big Papi? [Boston Herald]

Boras doesn’t expect to talk Ellsbury contract until after season [Clubhouse Insider]

Cano tops Gonzalez in Home Run Derby [CSNNE.com]

Reddick’s All-Star break more enjoyable this year [CSNNE.com]

Source: Nothing to Garza trade rumors [CSNNE.com]

Beltran, Cuddyer possible Red Sox RF targets [CSNNE.com]

All-Star notes: Beckett good to go if called upon [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox Report Card: Mid-year review [CSNNE.com]

Lester: Sox will make sure I’m OK for October [ESPN Boston]

Youkilis: Gregg’s view of Sox not widely held [ESPN Boston]

Video: Sox talk about being All-Stars [ESPN Boston]

Beckett: Weaver deserves to start [ESPN Boston]

For this, Beckett, Lester willing to make nice [ESPN Boston]

Ethier on Pedroia snub: He’ll play better [ESPN Boston]

Video: State of the Nation from Arizona [ESPN Boston]

Wilson predicts a Red Sox-Giants series [Extra Bases]

Ethier on Pedroia: ‘Relax and Laser Show’ [Extra Bases]

Video: Ellsbury honored to be All-Star [Extra Bases]

Gonzalez had a blast in Derby [Extra Bases]

Video: David Ortiz on Home Run Derby [Extra Bases]

Red Sox pitching prospect Pimentel demoted to Salem [Full Count]

A look at breakthrough campaign of diabetic Red Sox prospect Chih-Hsieh Chiang [Full Count]

Ron Washington says Josh Beckett was next in line to start All-Star Game [Full Count]

Beltran: Accepting trade to Red Sox ‘a no brainer’ [Full Count]

Scott Boras on Jacoby Ellsbury: ‘We’re seeing what we expected’ [Full Count]

Heath Bell keeping a close eye on Jonathan Papelbon’s situation [Full Count]

Remember when Justin Upton was going to be a Red Sox? [Full Count]

Adrian Beltre really thought he was going to remain with the Red Sox [Full Count]

Andre Ethier talks reunion with Dustin Pedroia … with the Diamondbacks [Full Count]

How Manny Acta ended up helping Adrian Gonzalez to the finals [Full Count]

Larry David Doesn’t Hate the Red Sox As Much as He Used To, Will Feature Bill Buckner in Upcoming Episode of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ [NESN.com]

Video: Mike Lowell Misses Competitive Nature of Baseball, Says Challenge Now Is Entertaining His Kids Every Day [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury’s Power Surge, Adrian Gonzalez’s Historic Pace Stand Out Among Key Red Sox Stats From First Half [NESN.com]

Video: Heidi Watney Hangs Out by Chase Field Pool Before Home Run Derby [NESN.com]

After tough start, Red Sox live up to expectations [Providence Journal]

Minor-league notebook: Doubront’s making strides [Providence Journal]

If baseball’s All-Star Game matters, then stars should have to play [Providence Journal]

Red Sox’s All-Stars shine brightly in Phoenix [RedSox.com]

What we learned on Home Run Derby Day [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

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

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 Men’s Basketball links

Life is Good for Jim Calhoun [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Lamb Leads Team USA In Scoring At FIBA U19 World Championship [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Freshmen DeAndre Daniels, Ryan Boatright Try Out Pro-Am [Hartford Courant]

Kemba Arrives At Halftime, Scores 32 In Greater Hartford Pro-Am Game [Hartford Courant]

UConn’s Kemba Walker Honored By Middlesex Chamber Of Commerce [Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun has plenty of reasons to smile [New Haven Register]

It’s Jeremy Lamb’s time to shine at UConn [Diamond Leung – ESPN.com]

Highest Paid Players per NCAA Colleges –  2010-2011 NBA Season [Dollars for Ballers]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Bird honored by WNBA [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Fernandes named assistant coach at Fairfield [The Westerly Sun]

Big East women’s tournament extends stay in Hartford [CT Post]

Big East To Extend Relationship With XL Center For Women’s Tournament [Hartford Courant]

UConn Football links

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

No Huskies On This Watch List: Jim Thorpe Award (Best DB) [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

The evilest ice cream flavor ever: ‘Rockin’ Randy’ [The UConn Blog]

UConn Football Player In The Spotlight: Kicker Dave Teggart [Hartford Courant]

Teggart: tarp-puller, mascot, kicker [The Day]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Inks Seven for 2011 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Esposito Named New Haven Register Female Athlete Of The Year [UConnHuskies.com]

After what transpired at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon, there’s absolutely no way that Kyle Weiland forgets about his MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox against the Baltimore Orioles.

Weiland’s afternoon started by seeing him retire four straight batters. He then walked Matt Wieters and made his first mistake of the afternoon when he left a fastball over the plate for Derek Lee who crushed it for a two-run homer to tie the game up at 2. Looking a bit rattled, he gave up a ground-rule double to Mark Reynolds and then an infield single to Nolan Reimold.

After that he gave up three more runs that inning on single, two of them of the infield variety. They weren’t hard hit balls by no means, those had come earlier in the inning. They just happened to find the right spots.

Weiland settled down though for the next two innings although he did hit Reynolds and walked Robert Andino. The 5th inning though was a much different story.

Adam Jones led off the inning with a triple. Weiland then hit Vladimir Guerrero and was promptly ejected due to the fact warnings had been issued earlier in the game after Jeremy Guthrie had hit Kevin Youkilis on a changeup.

Now I’ve never seen Weiland pitch before so I can’t compare his stuff from the minors to his big league debut yesterday. But from what I’ve read about his stuff, you can see that he has what it takes to pitch in the big leagues. It may not have been the debut he was looking for but he did show his resolve after settling down. Where he fits in going forward is anyone’s guess but there’s no doubt he may be able to help the club down the stretch.

Weiland can thank the offense though for keeping him in the game and actually giving him a chance to win before his ejection.

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

Trailing 6-2 entering the bottom of the 2nd, the Red Sox offense exploded for four runs against Orioles starter Mitch Atkins on three home runs.

After a J. D. Drew groundout, Marco Scutaro got the party started with a solo home run. Then after Jacoby Ellsbury flew out, Dustin Pedroia hit a solo shot in the Monster seats. Adrian Gonzalez followed that with a double and then Youk chased Atkins from the game with a two-run homer that tied the game up at 6.

In the 4th inning, Pedroia doubled with one out and went to third on a Gonzo single. Guthrie then hit Youk with the changeup that prompted the warnings. There was definitely NO intent by Guthrie to hit Youk but given what had happened over the past few days, home plate umpire Marty Foster felt otherwise. After that happened, Guthrie would walk David Ortiz to force in the eventual winning run.

The Red Sox would add another run in the 7th on an Ellsbury single.

Enough can’t be said about the job that the Red Sox bullpen did on Sunday afternoon, especially Alfredo Aceves.

Aceves came in for Weiland after his ejection with the runner on third in Jones. All Aceves did that inning was strikeout Wieters and Lee then get Blake Davis to fly out. Aceves then set down the side in order the following two innings as well before giving way to Daniel Bard, who threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th.

Jonathan Papelbon came on in the 9th and worked around a two-out walk to J. J. Hardy by striking out Nick Markakis for his 20th save of the season.

If anyone thought the whole beanball incident was over on Sunday, Michael Gonzalez made sure to let everyone knows the Orioles weren’t happy. Sure Weiland had hit Reynolds and Vlad but there was no intent there just like when Guthrie hit Youk. But what Gonzalez did was uncalled for and should get him suspended.

Gonzalez had come in and struck out the first batters he faced. Then with Big Papi at the plate, he got the first strike on a foul ball. Gonzalez then decided he was going to try and send Big Papi and the Red Sox a message by throwing behind him. Of course this got him ejected from the game. I guess the funny part of it all is that he couldn’t even hit Big Papi.

I’m sure the Orioles were frustrated but doing something stupid like that is what causes injuries. I could see that happening if there was intent earlier in the game but their clearly wasn’t. Instead of moving forward with it all, the Orioles didn’t and to me that just shows the class of their organization. And right now there is none.

If you want me to rub some salt in the Orioles wounds, here ya go. The Orioles are now 18 games behind the first place Red Sox. The win yesterday did allow the Red Sox to enter the All-Star break with the second best record in MLB and they maintained their one-game lead over the New York Yankees.

One more final note in this long-winded post. During the game yesterday, Jon Lester was added to the AL All-Star roster as a replacement for Felix Hernandez. But with Lester on the DL, he was replaced by Ricky Romero. Lester will go to Phoenix though and be a part of the pomp and circumstance.

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

It’s happened before: Why Ellsbury’s amazing return is not entirely surprising [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Rally caps Red Sox’ first half [Boston Globe]

A tossed salad for Weiland [Boston Globe]

This honor gets him going [Boston Globe]

Middlebrooks has the will, finding way [Boston Globe]

Playing it forward [Boston Globe]

Kyle Weiland tossed, but Red Sox rally to win 6th straight [Boston Herald]

Studs and Duds: Plenty of ups and downs at halfway point [Boston Herald]

Star turn for Jon Lester [Boston Herald]

Red Sox still can hit historic highs [Boston Herald]

Players hit break, speed away [Boston Herald]

Umpire’s plate full as tensions bubble again [Boston Herald]

Theo Epstein on Red Sox at break: ‘I think we’re in good shape’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Jason Varitek to Orioles: ‘Kiss my rear end’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox sweep O’s, 8-6 [CSNNE.com]

Varitek: ‘Orioles can kiss my rear end’ [CSNNE.com]

Weiland learns the hard way in MLB debut [CSNNE.com]

Nation STATion: All-Staroids [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Weiland’s debut ejection first since ’08 [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox Report Card: Mid-year review [CSNNE.com]

SoxProspects: HR-hitter Brentz finding groove [ESPN Boston]

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

Lester gets All-Star nod [ESPN Boston]

Francona on pitch to Ortiz: Somebody could get hurt [ESPN Boston]

Tito was right: Weiland’s debut memorable [ESPN Boston]

Despite setbacks, 2011 Boston Red Sox have lived up to preseason hype. [ESPN Boston]

The Globe’s Michael Vega on the Red Sox’ sweep of the Orioles [Extra Bases]

Sox-Yanks collision course? [Extra Bases]

Terry Francona just wants to get away… to Mohegan Sun [Full Count]

Closing Time: Red Sox 8, Orioles 6 [Full Count]

Terry Francona is just a little suspcious of Mike Gonzalez [Full Count]

Middlebrooks making a powerful statement [Full Count]

Jason Varitek: We have young players, too so ‘kiss my rear end’ [Full Count]

Ex-Sox prospect Fuentes: Being traded for Gonzalez ‘was huge’ [Full Count]

These Calls Make You Wonder [Hartford Courant]

Video: Adrian Gonzalez Happy Red Sox Are in First Place Going Into All-Star Break, But Knows There’s Still Work to Be Done [NESN.com]

Umpire Marty Foster Overreacts in Ejecting Kyle Weiland From Major League Debut, Shows Lack of Feel for Game [NESN.com]

Red Sox Put Exclamation Point on Wild First Half With Come-From-Behind Win Over Orioles [NESN.com]

Video: Terry Francona Surprised Warnings Were Issued When They Were Against Orioles, Says Pitch Behind David Ortiz ‘Makes You Think’ [NESN.com]

Boston closes out first half on a high note [Providence Journal]

Weiland’s debut is one for the history books [Providence Journal]

Umpires were out of control in Sox-Birds tiff [Providence Journal]

For minor-league players, eating healthy is hardly easy [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Shopping smart at the trade deadline [Providence Journal]

Break comes at a good time for Red Sox [RedSox.com]

Red Sox, Rays to start second half with key battle [RedSox.com]

While on course, Red Sox still had their share of pleasant surprises [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE,  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.

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 Men’s Basketball links

The Skinny on DeAndre Daniels … [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Lamb’s Tip-In Gives U.S. Win [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Boatright And Daniels At The Pro-Am [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Player Profile: Jeremy Lamb [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

U-19 team starts final preparations tomorrow [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Hartford And The Big East Are Back In Business [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

After taking the first three games from the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox look to complete the sweep this afternoon at Fenway Park while trying to stay in first place by themselves heading into the All-Star break.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and you can watch the game on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

After being drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame, Kyle Weiland will make his MLB debut today. He’ll start in place of the injured Jon Lester. Weiland has made 17 starts for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and was 8-6 with a 3.00 ERA. With the PawSox, Weiland has struck out 99 batters in 93 innings while walking 37 and allowing 69 hits.

Mitch Atkins makes just his second start of the 2011 season for the Orioles. In his only start against the Texas Rangers back on July 5th, he picked up a no decision after allowing one run on eight hits in six innings of work. He’s never faced the Red Sox in his brief MLB career that started with the Chicago Cubs.

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

36-51		54-35
1. J.J. Hardy	SS	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Nick Markakis	RF	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Adam Jones	CF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Vladimir Guerrero	DH	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Matt Wieters	C	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Derek Lee	1B	6. Josh Reddick	LF
7. Mark Reynolds	3B	7. Jason Varitek	C
8. Nolan Reimold	LF	8. J. D. Drew	RF
9. Robert Andino	2B	9. Marco Scutaro	SS
Mitch Atkins	SP	Kyle Weiland	SP

No one on either team has faced this afternoon’s starting pitchers.

Scott Atchison was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for Weiland on the 25-man roster. The Red Sox didn’t have to make a move to add Weiland to the 40-man roster as they had an open spot after the trade of Mike Cameron earlier this week.

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

Video: Big Papi Gives Wakefield a Kiss [SOX & Dawgs]

Who’s better late [Boston Herald]

Ageless wonder [Boston Herald]

Josh Beckett to start All-Star Game [Clubhouse Insider]

Notes: Beckett (knee) fine after side session [CSNNE.com]

Josh Beckett of Boston Red Sox cleared to pitch for AL in MLB All-Star Game [ESPN Boston]

Crawford could be back July 18 [ESPN Boston]

Pregame notes: Beckett cleared to pitch in All-Star Game [Extra Bases]

Video: Terry Francona Eager for Up-Close Look at Kyle Weiland [NESN.com]

Kyle Weiland’s Journey Took Him From New Mexico Swimming Pool to Fenway Park Pitching Mound [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Offense Rounding Into Force It Was Expected to Be When Season Began [NESN.com]

Beckett will pitch in All-Star Game [Projo Sox Blog]

Carl Crawford to play for PawSox on Friday and Saturday [Projo Sox Blog]

Behind Weiland, Red Sox eye sweep [RedSox.com]

Video: Will Middlebrooks talks about playing in the Futures Game [RedSox.com]

Francona tells Weiland to enjoy himself [RedSox.com]

Photo credits: AP Photo, AP Photo