The hardware continues to roll in for UConn Huskies senior All-American Maya Moore as she was named the AP Player of the Year.

Earlier on Saturday, Moore was announced as the winner of the Wade Trophy, Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and was also named to the 2011 NCAA Division I State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team.

This is the second time Moore has won the award and joins Seimone Augustus of LSU and Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee as the only two time winners of the award. She finished second in the voting during her freshman and junior seasons. Moore’s teammate Tina Charles won the award last year.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was also honored as the AP Co-Coach of the Year. He shared the award with Miami’s Katie Meier and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer. This is the first time a major AP award has been shared.

Photo credit: Cloe Poisson – Hartford Courant

OVERLAND PARK, KS – Maya Moore, one of the most decorated student-athletes in University of Connecticut history, has been selected as the 2010-11 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner in women’s basketball. The announcement and trophy presentation were made today by Lowe’s, an official corporate partner of the NCAA®, during open practices for the Women’s Final Four®.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women’s basketball head coaches, national media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

“It is a huge honor to win this award. Just looking at the list of people who have won in the past, it really puts me in great company. Also knowing that this award recognizes more than just performance on the court. It emphasizes the classroom, community and, most importantly, character,” said Moore. “That is why it is such an honor to be recognized for integrity and leadership.  Sometimes those are the things that get taken for granted when recognizing great players and teams.  So it’s just a huge honor, and I’m grateful that I’m at a program where I’m surrounded by terrific coaches and staff and a group of teammates around me every day pushing me to get better and giving me an opportunity to be consistent for them.  I’m most thankful to them for helping me enjoy this during my senior year.”

Moore was recently honored by the College Sports Information Directors of America as the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year. She is involved with Athletes in Action and has attended numerous leadership conferences through the organization. She is also a gifted musician. Moore has been involved with the Children’s Hospital, helping with a teleconference to raise money for sick children as well as visiting children several times. She also volunteered at head coach Geno Auriemma’s charity golf tournament and has helped the Salvation Army.

“Being named as the recipient of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is one of the top honors a student-athlete can receive and Maya is very deserving,” Auriemma said. “Maya is the consummate student-athlete and her involvement in community service makes her a great representative for our team, our university, our state and our game. Maya’s work ethic matches her talent level, and I love when those who work hard are recognized for their efforts.” 

As she finishes her collegiate career, Moore is poised to become the sport’s most decorated student-athlete. Her squad has won two consecutive NCAA titles and posted records of 39-0 during each of those seasons. Moore is a three-time all-American and two-time Wade Trophy award winner. She won player-of-the-year honors as a sophomore and was the 2010 NCAA Women’s Final Four most outstanding player. The Big East player of the year, Moore averages 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Huskies as they compete in postseason play.

“Maya Moore has won player-of-the-year awards, national championships and just about every other accolade a student-athlete can achieve during her four years at Connecticut,” said David Geren, Lowe’s vice president of marketing. “What is most impressive about Maya, though, is her commitment in every aspect of her collegiate career, including academics and community service.”

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

Women’s Basketball 2010-11 Winner

Name	Position	School
Maya Moore	Forward	Connecticut

First Team

Name	Position	School
Erin Anthony	Forward	Army
Angie Bjorklund	Guard/Forward	Tennessee
Kayla Pedersen	Forward	Stanford
Danielle Robinson	Guard	Oklahoma

Second Team

Name	Position	School
Dawn Evans	Guard	James Madison
Amber Harris	Forward	Xavier
Sam Quigley	Guard	DePaul
Liz Repella	Guard	West Virginia
Jasmine Thomas	Guard	Duke

INDIANAPOLIS – University of Connecticut senior Maya Moore is the first-ever three-time winner of The State Farm® Wade Trophy, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. The prestigious award, regarded as “The Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Player of the Year by the WBCA and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

“For the last four years women’s basketball fans have been blessed with the opportunity to watch one of the greatest talents to ever play this game,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “Maya Moore personifies the purity of the game. She represents the best this game has to offer. But even more importantly, Maya is a true scholar-athlete who has excelled both academically and athletically. I am honored to present to her on behalf of the WBCA and the NAGWS the State Farm Wade Trophy for an unprecedented third straight year.”

Moore, who last year joined Seimone Augustus (2005 and 2006) and Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980) as the only two-time recipients of the State Farm Wade Trophy, has posted a 150-3 record at UConn. She has led the Huskies to an NCAA-record 90-game winning streak, four BIG EAST Championships and four NCAA® Women’s Final Four® appearances. Sunday night her team continues its quest for a third national championship in a row, and eighth overall.

A 6-foot forward who is averaging 23.4 points per game this season (19.7 points per game in her collegiate career), Moore became the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer earlier this season and is only the seventh player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to score at least 3,000 career points. She is one of only two players to be selected as a First Team All-American four times. She won the BIG EAST Player of the Year Award three times and was voted as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament in 2010.

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

Equally impressive is Moore’s performance in the classroom. She recently was named BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Capital One University Division All-American of the Year by the College Sports Information Directors of America for the second-consecutive year. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native who sports a 3.7 GPA in an individualized major of sports media promotion, is a three-time Academic All-America pick.

“Moore has had an incredible career, and State Farm is honored to recognize her as The 2011 State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year,” said Pam El, Marketing Vice President for State Farm. “Moore’s dedication and commitment to the game of basketball and her outstanding accomplishments as a student-athlete make her truly deserving of this wonderful award.”

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 34th year, is named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. The award debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women’s national player of the year award in college basketball.

The first recipient of the Wade Trophy was Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State in 1978. Other Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year recipients include many standouts such as Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), DeLisha Milton-Jones (1997), Candace Parker (2007), Ticha Penicheiro (1998), Sue Bird (2002) and Diana Taurasi (2003).

The WBCA and the NAGWS first partnered in June 2000 and for the past ten years have worked together to present The State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year Award. A committee composed of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States selects the winner.

Moore will be formally presented the award during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, April 4, in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women’s Final Four® in Indianapolis.

This was not the start of the season anyone in Red Sox Nation was expecting yesterday from the Boston Red Sox. After all, they were picked to win the AL East and some of the pundits predicted the Red Sox would win 100 games this season.

It was an implosion by Daniel Bard in the 8th inning that would end up costing the Red Sox the game in a 9-5 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday afternoon. And this came after David Ortiz had tied it up with a solo home run in the top half of the inning.

Bard did make a great pitch to David Murphy, a slider down and away. But Murphy got to it and put it down the left field line, hitting the chalk, to start the four run onslaught with two RBIs.

You can’t place the total blame on Bard though. Jon Lester wasn’t exactly his best either. The thoughts of the Nation on Twitter were the same ones we hear every year. Lester’s having a rough April. We know he’s a slow starter but saying he’s going to have a rough April again probably isn’t the right thing just yet.

If he struggles in his coming starts, then yes, Houston, we have a problem. But right now, it’s one start.

His command wasn’t there and his fastball was flat as evidenced by the three home runs he gave up yesterday. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk. And for just the second time in his career, he didn’t strikeout anyone. IAs a matter of fact, the Red Sox pitching staff struck out only one and that was by Bard.

Matt Albers walked one in an inning of work while Dennys Reyes faced one batter, throwing four pitches and walking the batter. Dan Wheeler needed just six pitches to record two outs and Tim Wakefield bailed out Bard by getting the final out of the 8th inning after walking the first batter he faced.

Adrian Gonzalez had a stellar Red Sox debut as he knocked in three runs in his first two at-bats. He also picked up just the second stolen base of his career. Carl Crawford would probably rather forget his debut in a Red Sox uniform as he was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, leaving runners in scoring position in all four at-bats.

Jacoby Ellsbury’s hot spring training rolled over into the opener as he was 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. One of his hits was a rare extra base-hit from a lefty batter off of Rangers starter C.J. Wilson. Kevin Youkilis had a double and RBI and Dustin Pedroia had the other Red Sox hit.

The Red Sox will look to get into the win column tonight when Texas native John Lackey takes the hill against Colby Lewis. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m.

Before we get on to the links, don’t forget to enter to win a $25 SeamlessWeb gift card.

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Pitching imperfect: Opening Day loss offers Sox a reminder [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Lou Gorman; general manager built contending Red Sox teams [Boston Globe]

In tough business, he managed to be sweet [Boston Globe]

Starting block [Boston Globe]

They stumbled over initial hurdle [Boston Globe]

Deep thoughts not for Lester [Boston Globe]

Crawford’s debut a real dud [Boston Globe]

Ortiz gets his timing right [Boston Globe]

Former Sox GM Lou Gorman built great teams, better friendships [Boston Herald]

Arms backfire as Red Sox miss target in Texas [Boston Herald]

Steal reinforced deal [Boston Herald]

Carl Crawford moves on after forgettable debut [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz a bright spot [Boston Herald]

Sure bets Jon Lester, Daniel Bard let Red Sox down [Boston Herald]

Team not so perfect after all [Boston Herald]

Red Sox remember ex-GM Lou Gorman [Boston Herald]

Fans hyped for Red Sox start, resigned to 161-1 record [Boston Herald]

With Rangers, Adrian Gonzalez never had a chance [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox get off on wrong foot with loss to Rangers, 9-5 [CSNNE.com]

One of those days for Red Sox [CSNNE.com]

Everything goes wrong in game Sox need to forget [CSNNE.com]

Rapid Reaction: Rangers 9, Red Sox 5 [ESPN Boston]

PawSox release their Opening Day roster [ESPN Boston]

Francona stresses Salty is No. 1 Sox catcher [ESPN Boston]

Sox have most expensive average ticket: $53 [ESPN Boston]

Reliable arms falter [ESPN Boston]

Gonzalez shines in debut [ESPN Boston]

Bard didn’t follow the blueprint [Extra Bases]

Season’s underway, and spring training stats are meaningless [Full Count]

Charlie Hough on Tim Wakefield: ‘He’s kind of a landmark’ [Full Count]

Postgame Red Sox reaction: Quotes from the clubhouse [Full Count]

Rangers GM discusses ‘error’ that led to dealing Adrian Gonzalez [Full Count]

Lou Gorman Built Red Sox Into Winning Organization, Helped Start Red Sox Hall of Fame [NESN]

Lou Gorman Traded for Bill Buckner and Dave Henderson, Drafted Mo Vaughn and Trot Nixon [NESN]

Daniel Bard Stumbles Out of the Gate in Rare Poor Outing [NESN]

Jon Lester’s April Woes Continue in First Career Opening Day Start [NESN]

Peter Gammons: Red Sox ‘Cruise Control’ Mode From Spring Training Lingers on Opening Day [NESN]

Rangers win with offense and bullpen [Providence Journal]

Texas roughs up Bard as Boston drops opener [Providence Journal]

Gonzalez shows he can hit, field … and steal a base [Providence Journal]

Lou Gorman, former Red Sox GM and proud Rhode Islander, dies at age 82 [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Lester shrugs off tough start [Providence Journal]

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

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.

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

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in the Final Four at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. The game is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:49 p.m. and the game will be nationally-televised on CBS. The game is also available online at March Madness on Demand. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Miller Interested in Colgate Job [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Putting the ‘D’ in DeAndre Liggins [David Borges – New Haven Register]

UConn-Kentucky, the final countdown [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Final Four Friday [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

UConn responds to Miles story [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Mike Anthony has a plethora (10) of blog posts up [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Huskies Run Open Practice At Final Four [UConnHuskies.com]

Calhoun’s experience relevant in this Final Four [CT Post]

Report: Recruit at center of UConn violations ready to talk to NCAA [CT Post]

UConn vs. Kentucky: The matchups [CT Post]

Walker vs. Knight: The matchup to watch [CT Post]

UConn’s 9 great days in March: History and Hollywood [CT Post]

Tireless UConn seeks to claim another national title [CT Post]

UConn basketball gives state sense of identity [Danbury News Times]

Kemba, UConn Focus On Happy Ending [Hartford Courant]

Calhoun Vs. Calipari A Show In Itself [Hartford Courant]

Kemba Walker Made His Mark At Rice High In Harlem [Hartford Courant]

Calhoun 6th On All-Time Win List [Hartford Courant]

Malloy declares ‘Husky Weekend’ in Connecticut [Middletown Press]

From ‘The Shot’ by Tate George to Kemba Walker’s incredible run [New Haven Register]

Is this Calhoun’s best coaching performance [New Haven Register]

Liggins next to face task of stopping Walker [New Haven Register]

UConn playing for title game berth [Norwich Bulletin]

Lamb: A star in the waiting [The Day]

A dream come true [The Day]

Calipari compares Kemba’s star power to Danny Manning [The Day]

As UConn Plays On, Once-Prized Recruit Can Only Watch [New York Times]

Local Star Tyler Olander With UConn at Final Four [Ellington-Somers Patch]

Beverly proud to do little things to help make UConn title-worthy [NCAA.com]

Kemba Walker and the upstart UConn Huskies take their winning postseason ways to the Final Four [NY Daily News]

Kentucky v. UConn: Experiment in young talent vs. experience [USA Today]

UConn Set Its Sights on Third Title Game [Wall Street Journal]

AG rooting for the Huskies [Stamford Plus]

Fatigue is no factor at this point for Connecticut Huskies [Sporting News]

Building UConn’s game plan [Eamonn Brennan – ESPN.com]

Final Four Breakdowns: UConn Huskies [Slam Online]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

A trip down memory lane [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Ct. Gov. Malloy-Ind. Gov. Daniels Bet Chocolate [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Finally, It’s Lorin Dixon’s Time [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

After Walker transfer, UConn women have stuck together [CT Post]

Senior Lorin Dixon Finding Her Groove In Nick Of Time [Hartford Courant]

Freshman duo Dolson and Hartley play key role [New Haven Register]

From Kerry Bascom to Maya Moore [New Haven Register]

Moore stands on big stage one final time [The Day]

Dolson realizes dream with spot at Final Four [Times Herald- Record]

Moore than you know [espnW]

UConn Football links

Friday mailbag [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

South Jersey (Recruits) In The House Tomorrow [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Jon Wholley Talks Linebackers, Joe Moorhead, Quarterbacks [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

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

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Friday Baseball Game Postponed [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. Saturday Softball Start Time Changed [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Lacrosse. Lapham Scores 100th Goal In 14-12 Loss To Georgetown [UConnHuskies.com]

The Boston Red Sox will kickoff the 2011 season this afternoon with a three-game set against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 4:05 p.m. and you can watch the game on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rangers television market, you can watch the game on FOXSports Southwest. And if you don’t live in either market, no need to fret as ESPN will be carrying the game as well. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Jon Lester will make his first career opening day start for skipper Terry Francona and the Red Sox. Lester made 32 starts in 2010 and was 19-9 with a 3.25 ERA. Lester has made seven career starts against the Rangers and is 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA. He’s made two career starts at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. He made two starts against the Rangers in 2010 and was 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA. One of those starts was in Arlington where he picked up the win after throwing eight shutout innings.

C.J. Wilson will also be making his first career opening day start for Ron Washington and the Rangers. He made 33 starts last season and was 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA. He has made 15 career appearances (three starts) against the Red Sox and is 3-1 with a 1.42 ERA and four saves. Wilson made three starts against the Red Sox in 2010 and was 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA.

Click the read more button below for the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links and if you’re on the home page.

0-0		0-0
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ian Kinsler	2B
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Elvis Andrus	SS
3. Carl Crawford	LF	3. Josh Hamilton	LF
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Adrian Beltre	3B
5. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	5. Michael Young	DH
6. David Ortiz	DH	6. Nelson Cruz	RF
7. Mike Cameron	RF	7. Mike Napoli	1B
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	8. Yorvit Torrealba	C
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Julio Borbon	CF
Jon Lester	SP	C.J. Wilson	SP

Here’s the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers in their careers:

Refresh often or check back as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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For Darnell McDonald, an Opening Day symbol of arrival [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Season Previews: Boston Red Sox [Babes Love Baseball]

Epstein, Red Sox owners react to death of Lou Gorman [Clubhouse Insider]

Francona not sweating the high expectations [Clubhouse Insider]

Salty, Crawford ready for Red Sox opener [Clubhouse Insider]

Ex-Red Sox GM Lou Gorman dies at age 82 [CSNNE.com]

Quick hits: Opening Day [ESPN Boston]

Sun is shining, the captain is on the field [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox open today vs. Rangers [ESPN Boston]

Tito underscores that Salty is clear No. 1 [ESPN Boston]

From the heart: Sox publicist mourns Gorman’s death [ESPN Boston]

‘Teach your children well…’ [ESPN Boston]

Francona and Washington took the same path to becoming managers [Extra Bases]

The Red Sox Top 20 [Extra Bases]

Terrific man, Mr. Gorman [Extra Bases]

Waiting for first pitch [Extra Bases]

Harold Reynolds on D&C: Red Sox have ‘whole gamut covered’ [Full Count]

Theo Epstein on M&M: ‘Unfair to tie our success … to the payroll’ [Full Count]

Baseball executives mourn former Sox GM Lou Gorman [Full Count]

Top 10 Reasons Why Opening Day Is Greatest Date on Sports Calendar [NESN.com]

Mike Cameron Gets Start in Right Field Over J.D. Drew With Lefty C.J. Wilson Pitching [NESN.com]

Lou Gorman Leaves Behind Unforgettable Red Sox Legacy [NESN.com]

Dennis Eckersley: ‘If [Red Sox] Don’t Win the Whole Thing, This Is Going to Be the Most Disappointing Season Ever’ [NESN.com]

Peter Gammons Excited to See Speedy Duo of Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford [NESN.com]

Opening Day Nuggetpalooza: The Players [Nuggetpalooza]

Red Sox Opening Day Nuggetpalooza! [Nuggetpalooza]

Marco Scutaro hopes number change brings luck change {Projo Sox Blog]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia eager for Opening Day start [Projo Sox Blog]

Aceves dominant in five perfect innings for Pawtucket [Projo Sox Blog]

For these Sox, there are the greatest of expectations [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo

Don’t look out your window this morning, especially if you live in New England, to believe me when I say spring is here. And when I say spring is here, what I really mean is that the Boston Red Sox are getting ready to play some baseball.

Thankfully, the person who does the schedule for MLB thought it was wise for the Red Sox to start the season on the road. It turned out to be a great idea with a little N’oreaster rolling through these parts.

Opening Day is always special, there’s no getting around that. To many, it means skipping work, heading to a local establishment and watching the game. For others, it means getting together with friends online and tweeting about the game while watching it. And for some, it’s just another day (booooo).

But now these games count. It’s game 1 of a 162 game grind and a loss isn’t going to eliminate you from the playoffs. But a win goes a long way in that 162 game grind.

And that’s what we’re expecting from the Red Sox this season. A lot of wins.

General manager Theo Epstein put together a squad that’s left many of his colleagues crying uncle. We know some teams will battle with the Red Sox all season long. And at the end of this wonderful 162 game grind, we can hope the Red Sox will be in the playoffs. They are built to win it all. It’s just a matter of avoiding the serious injuries during the season.

If that can happen, this could turn out to be a wonderful season for the boys in Beantown. Plus doesn’t 04+07=11.

Skipper Terry Francona announced his opening day lineup on Thursday and the only real surprise is the fact that J.D. Drew won’t be in the lineup. But then again, the Red Sox are facing Texas Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson, who is downright nasty on lefties. There are four lefties in the lineup as is so a fifth wouldn’t have been a smart managing move.

Thankfully, J.D. took it like a true professional and will be ready if called upon from the bench.

Now the wait begins until 4:05 p.m. I, for one, can’t wait. Hope you feel the same way.

Before we get on to the links, don’t forget to enter to win a $25 SeamlessWeb gift card. 

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

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25 Red Sox, 25 Questions: Predicting the performance of the 2011 team [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

This spring wasn’t hot for Youkilis [Boston Globe]

No doubt that Lester is worthy [Boston Globe]

Compliments from Wilson lefthanded [Boston Globe]

Catchy name [Boston Globe]

O’Brien gets extension at WEEI [Boston Globe]

Sox are for real [Boston Globe]

Sox again team for fans to rally around [Boston Herald]

Baseball stars share favorite recipes [Boston Herald]

Spotlight’s on Jon Lester [Boston Herald]

Lining up the lineups [Boston Herald]

Easy lineup for opener [Boston Herald]

Mike Cameron’s the man in right field [Boston Herald]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a better place [Boston Herald]

New Sox, no big deal, says C.J. Wilson [Boston Herald]

Five keys to the Red Sox’ 2011 season [CSNNE.com]

Taking the hits: Why Ortiz continues to play ball [CSNNE.com]

This Opening Day Red Sox aim for .500 [CSNNE.com]

Cameron on opening day: ‘Carpe diem, right?’ [ESPN Boston]

One more thing on Red Sox’ side: Math [Extra Bases]

Red Sox make more minor league cuts [Extra Bases]

How Far Will Red Sox Go in 2011? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Depth Provides Variety of Possible Lineups Against Every Opponent [NESN.com]

Terry Francona, Red Sox Feeling Confident and Comfortable Heading Into Opening Day [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury, Fenway Dominance, Harnessing Swagger Among 25 Keys to Red Sox’ 2011 Success [NESN.com]

Red Sox ready to put spring training behind, and begin facing up to expectations [Providence Journal]

Rangers have potential to ruin Red Sox’ season-opening party [Providence Journal]

Odds are this Sox season will be one to watch [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Iglesias to start season with PawSox [Providence Journal]

Simulated game goes fine for Dice-K [RedSox.com]

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

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.

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

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

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tonya Cardoza Not A Candidate At Virginia [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Burke, Lawson, Lobo And Peck Weigh In on Final Four [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Huskies Arrive in Indianapolis [UConnHuskies.com]

1990-91 team built foundation for UConn women’s greatness [CT Post]

5 memorable moments for Calhoun and Auriemma [CT Post]

Calhoun, Auriemma may not be friends, but they’re certainly winners [CT Post]

The Glory Of Maya And Kemba [Hartford Courant]

This Might Be Geno Auriemma’s Best Season Of Coaching At UConn [Hartford Courant]

Lynx Expected To Take Maya Moore With First Pick [Hartford Courant]

Kelly Faris in right state for Final Four [New Haven Register]

Maya Moore to Minnesota all but official [New Haven Register]

Like Aggies, will fourth time be charm for Notre Dame? [The Day]

When UConn Meets Notre Dame, the Fourth Time Will Be the Charm [New York Times]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Tale of the Tape: Cal vs. Cal … [David Borges – New Haven Register]

What if Knight Had Chosen UConn, Instead? [David Borges – New Haven Register]

This place is, well, humongous (report from Houston) [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Final Four Thursday [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Video potpourri from Houston [Lee Lewis – The Republican-American]

Mike Anthony has a plethora (14) blog posts up [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Miles briefly breaks his silence in Slam [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

The Tournament so far [CT Post]

Top 10 players in UConn history: One man’s opinion [CT Post]

Walker has earned his place on UConn’s wall of honor [CT Post]

5 memorable moments for Calhoun and Auriemma [CT Post]

Calhoun, Auriemma may not be friends, but they’re certainly winners [CT Post]

The Glory Of Maya And Kemba [Hartford Courant]

Final Four A Show, But Mostly A Business Trip [Hartford Courant]

Up And Down Season With Remarkable Results For Jim Calhoun [Hartford Courant]

From ‘The Shot’ by Tate George to Kemba Walker’s incredible run [New Haven Register]

Brandon Knight could be playing alongside Kemba Walker, not against him [New Haven Register]

Jim Calhoun, John Calipari not the best of friends [New Haven Register]

Jeremy Lamb lets his play do the talking [New Haven Register]

Would a third national title be enough for Jim Calhoun? [New Haven Register]

Huskies reflect on their journey to Houston [The Day]

Things could have turned out different for these freshmen [The Day]

UConn scored with Mass. assist [Boston Globe]

Connecticut’s Jeremy Lamb making up for the pain his father caused Jim Calhoun [The Star-Ledger]

UConn’s Kemba Walker is the Leading Man at the NCAA Final Four [The Springfield Republican]

UConn’s Run Began in New York [Wall Street Journal]

A three-step plan for containing UConn’s Kemba Walker — maybe [Sporting News]

Huskies, more than ever, are Calhoun’s own [NBC Sports]

UConn Football links

Sio Moore wants to be next great UConn LB [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. UConn Baseball Clinics [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Baseball to Host St. John’s this Weekend [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. Huskies Drop Cold One To Quinnipiac, 7-3 [UConnHuskies.com]

STORRS, Conn. – It was announced by the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. that UConn junior guard Kemba Walker (Bronx, N.Y.) has been presented with the Bob Cousy Award as the Nation’s top point guard. Walker will lead UConn against Kentucky in the Final Four on Saturday, April 2 at 8:49 p.m. Eastern time. The game will be televised on CBS.

The award is presented annually to the nation’s top point guard and is named for former Boston Celtic and Hall of Famer Bob Cousy. The other 2011 finalists included Norris Cole (Cleveland State), Jimmer Fredette (BYU), Nolan Smith (Duke) and Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin).

“I am thrilled that Kemba has been named the winner of the Bob Cousy Award. He is having one of the great seasons ever in college basketball history,” said Jim Calhoun, head coach of the Huskies and member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2005. “Beyond the stats, game-winning shots and accolades, he epitomizes the leadership that a great point guard must have and what he has done to lead our young team to a BIG EAST Championship and to a spot in the Final Four has been unforgettable.”

Walker has already been named a First-Team All-American by the USBWA, the Associate Press and Sporting News Magazine. Walker is still a finalist for the prestigious Wooden Award and NABC Player of the Year.

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Walker has filled the stat sheet averaging 23.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. The Bronx native set a new UConn single-season record with 931 points this year. On the season, he’s one of two players (Norris Cole – Cleveland State) to average over 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Among other records broken during Walker’s outstanding season include; Minutes total and per game (1,466 – 37.6 mpg), free throws attempted (302), free throws made (247) and field goals attempted (705). Walker also ranks second all-time with 305 field goals made, fourth all-time in single-season scoring average (23.9) and second in UConn history with 490 career free throws. He ranks seventh all-time with 1,749 career points.

Walker is also a finalist for the Naismith Award, presented to the nation’s top player. AT&T wireless customers — and sports fans on other wireless networks — will be able to text their votes for the player of their choice by texting VOTE to 345345. Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 2, 2011. AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, allowing even more fans to participate. Other wireless carriers must opt-in for their subscribers to participate. Standard messaging rates apply. Fans are allowed one vote per 24-hour period.

En route to the Final Four, UConn defeated No. 14 Bucknell in the NCAA Second Round, 81-52, before advancing past No. 6 Cincinnati in the NCAA Third Round, 69-58. UConn then earned a trip to the Final Four with a 74-67 victory over No. 2 San Diego State in the Sweet 16 and a thrilling 65-63 result over Arizona in the Elite Eight.

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona released his 2011 Opening Day Lineup for tomorrow’s game against the Texas Rangers.

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Carl Crawford, LF
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
6. David Ortiz, DH
7. Mike Cameron, RF
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
9. Marco Scutaro, SS

SP – Jon Lester

I guess the only surprise here is the fact that J.D. Drew is not in the lineup. But considering the fact that Rangers starter C.J. Wilson is really tough on lefties, I can understand why Francona chose not to use Drew.

Boston Red Sox @ Texas Rangers Pitching Matchups: 4/1-4/3