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

UConn Football links

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

Easley: An ESPN Star Thursday [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Big East expansion worry-o-meter [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Head coach speaks to commerce group [Norwich Bulletin]

Edsall discusses draft picks, Big East’s status [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Game on with WNBA Star Renee Montgomery [FitSugar]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

C.J. Leslie picks N.C. State [News & Observer]

Other UConn related links

Baseball: Olt Honored Nationally [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: Huskies Fall to Central Connecticut 7-3 [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: A Jolt from Olt [New Haven Register]

Earlier on Thursday, I linked to an article from the Wall Street Journal entitled “Last Stand for UConn’s Calhoun“. Now normally, I read just about everything I link to but with my time being short this morning, I was unable too.

And after finally reading it, I really wish I had read it earlier.

According to the WSJ, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team could be facing NCAA sanctions after their investigation presumbly into the Nate Miles and Josh Nochimson situation, has found recruiting violations.

In another setback for the coach, a person familiar with the matter said a representative from the NCAA, which has been investigating Mr. Calhoun’s program for possible recruiting violations, has informed the school that investigators have found violations and will be issuing a report in the near future.

The article also says that Calhoun and the university are very close to getting his signature on the contract he announced he had agreed too.

If you missed it, be sure to check it out. It’s a great read.

For some unknown reason, Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester has gotten off to bad starts in the months of March and April in his career. He went into his start on Thursday night against the Toronto Blue Jays hoping that his last start in April could be build some momentum towards the month of May.

And Lester did just hat as he allowed one hit to help the Red Sox to a 2-0 win and a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays in front of 15,276 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

The win for the Red Sox gets them to .500 on the season at 11-11. The Blue Jays fall to 10-12.

Lester was just plain filthy in his outing. He mixed in all of his pitches and moved them all around the plate. This was the Lester we’ve seen before and we can only hope it continues in his next start. He finished with 11 strikeouts and the lone hit came in the first inning off the bat of Vernon Wells.

The bullpen was once again outstanding as Daniel Bard struck out the side after former Red Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez led off the 8th with a double. Jonathan Papelbon struck out one in the 9th to pick up his seventh save of 2010.

Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre and Darnell McDonald all had two hits for the visiting nine from Boston with McDonald knocking in Beltre with a single in the top of the 7th. The other run for the Red Sox came in off the bat of Dustin Pedroia, whose sacrifice fly plated McDonald in the 6th inning.

It’s the second straight series win for the Red Sox and they now head to Baltimore for another weekend three-game set. They played last weekend with the Red Sox taking two-of-three. A weekend sweep in Baltimore would be nice as the Red Sox will return home next week to host the Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays.

After a day off on Thursday, John Lackey will make his second straight start against the Orioles on Friday night. He’ll be opposed by David Hernandez in the 7:05 p.m. start at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays 4.28.10 box score

After watching Brandon Knight, Josh Selby, Corey Joseph and Doron Lamb sign elsewhere, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball program was hoping that they could secure C.J. Leslie out of Holly Springs, North Carolina.

Leslie, was in Storrs this weekend for an official visit, has spurned UConn though as he has chosen to attend North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

The Huskies do have commitments from small forward Roscoe Smith, power forward Tyler Olander and point guard Shabbazz Napier. But the Huskies were hoping to get at least one more top flight recruit.

And since that happen, you have to wonder if Jim Calhoun’s illness this season that caused him to miss time hurt the recruiting process. You know it’s a cut-throat business and we had heard rumblings that recruits were being told Calhoun wasn’t coming back.

He still hasn’t signed his extension yet but we do know that it’s been agreed upon. He had hoped when he announced it that it might help recruiting but obviously that didn’t happen.

So the questions remains, has Jim Calhoun lost his touch in recruiting or is Storrs just not the place to be anymore?

The Red Sox have won six out of their last eight games. Even if the way some of these games have been won doesn’t instill the fans with a lot of confidence, it’s never a bad thing to add another “W.”

Each one of the last six victories has been by only one run. Twice that one run was caused by a bases-loaded walk. So far this year, all but one series victory has been over a team in last place in their division. The Red Sox starters have an average 5.23 ERA. Despite defensive up-grades in the off season, the team has committed a shocking 14 errors.

That’s a lot of negatives. But it is April. If there ever was a time to make mistakes and work out line-up kinks and tweak the rotation, it is now!

Besides, it hasn’t been all bad so far. Winning a 13-12 slug-fest like the April 26 game in Toronto shows that the offense (not predicted to be the team’s strong point) can step up when needed. Winning two games because of walks seems to point to good decision making at the plate.

Even if the present seems slightly cloudy, the future does look bright. How much will the team improve with Matsuzaka out to redeem himself, Wakefield’s knuckle ball dancing out of the pen, and Lester’s typical post-April success? Not to mention the return of Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury to the line-up!

Let’s play ball!

Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays 7:07 p.m Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON SP: Jon Lester vs Brett Cecil TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 4/28 [SOX & Dawgs]

From this point forward unless the demand picks up or it’s requested, I won’t be doing the Gameday Open Threads for Red Sox home games. During the previous threads when the Red Sox are at home, you can hear the crickets coming from your computer screen.

I know most of the ones who are coming are regulars from Center Field. If you could please spread the word to the others who chatted during the games there, I would deeply appreciate it. I miss the old days like you do in those threads so let’s try to make it as good. Mi casa es su casa.

Enjoy the chat folks. I’ll be back around 8 p.m or so and will join ya’ll then.

After a solid outing from Clay Buchholz in a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last night, the Boston Red Sox look for a sweep tonight at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:07 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game can be seen in the Blue Jays television market on Rogers Sports Net.. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester makes his fifth start of the season for Terry Francona and looks to turn around his dismal start to the season. In his previous four starts, he is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA. He enjoyed good success against the Blue Jays in 2009 as he was 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in four starts. He’s made nine career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-3 with a 3.03 ERA. In five starts at Rogers Centre, Lester is 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA.

Brett Cecil makes his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on April 23rd. In his only start of 2010, he got the win after allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Rays. He’s made two career starts against the Red Sox and is 0-2 with a 12.00 ERA.

Lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, and links after the jump.

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

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

The secret to Mike Lowell’s pinch-hitting success [Clubhouse Insider]

More Consistent Pitching Will Help Red Sox Compete With Yankees, Rays [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

Martinez will DH tonight; Ortiz out [ESPN Boston]

Youk, dissected [ESPN Boston]

By the numbers [ESPN Boston]

Frandsen designated by Red Sox [Extra Bases]

What to expect from Alan Embree [Extra Bases]

Ortiz back on the bench [Extra Bases]

Remy on D&C: ‘No flow’ for Sox early in season [Full Count]

Francona on D&H: ‘Trying to do the right thing’ [Full Count]

Popular opinion? Ortiz’ days with Sox are numbered [Full Count]

Poll Shows Red Sox Are More Hated Than Yankees [NESN.com]

To make room for Alan Embree, INF Kevin Frandsen designated [Projo Sox Blog]

For reliever Scott Atchison, a bittersweet ending [Projo Sox Blog]

One a lonely number for Red Sox, Jays [RedSox.com]

After the marathon game on Monday, the Boston Red Sox bullpen was taxed. They would need a Herculean effort from Clay Buchholz on Tuesday night to prevent having to use the bullpen even more.

And with his spot in the rotation secure, Buchholz delivered that big effort and more in the 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Buchholz found himself in a jam in the first but was able to work out of it and only give up one run. After that, he took matters into his own hands, pitching almost flawlessly the rest of the way.

For the first time all season and maybe in a long while, he looked very relaxed on the mound as I guess that comes from having that security of his spot in the rotation. He had excellent command of all of his pitches and worked them all around the strike zone.

The opposing starter in Shaun Marcum was equal to the task as he allowed just one run over seven innings. But for him, his bullpen couldn’t keep the game tied.

Once again we saw something we thought we’d never see happen, David Ortiz being hit for in a crucial situation.

The Red Sox had loaded up the bases on Scott Downs on singles by Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez and a walk to J.D. Drew. As he was strolling to home plate, Big Papi was recalled to the dugout with the lefty Downs still on the bump. Terry Francona summoned Mike Lowell and Cito Gaston countered with his closer, righty Kevin Gregg.

While I totally understand the situation, I wasn’t sure about the move. After all, Big Papi was hitting .313 (5-for-16) off Downs with a home run and an RBI. Either way, the move worked out for the Red Sox as Gregg walked Lowell on four pitches to force in the winning run.

It was also nice to Ramon Ramirez put his struggles aside to save the Herculean effort of Buchholz. With basically the entire bullpen not available, Ramirez did the job. Hopefully a good outing like this will put his ship sailing back in the right direction.

The Red Sox, who called up Alan Embree last night, have designated Kevin Frandson for assignment according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports via his Twitter page. The move frees up a spot for Embree on the 40-man roster.

We’ll be back later with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and afternoon links for now enjoy the overnight links from the local Boston media.

Buchholz gets win — and ‘save’ [Boston Globe]

Plugged back in, crackling good [Boston Globe]

Castro gives way to Embree in bullpen [Boston Globe]

Clay Buchholz two good [Boston Herald]

Sox recap: Clay Buchholz delivers [Boston Herald]

In outfielders’ defense, stat made error [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz on the right track [Boston Herald]

Postgame notes: 117 pitches for Clay [ESPN Boston]

Sox playing it close, but winning [Extra Bases]

Ortiz wants to play ‘two or three more years’ [Full Count]

Closing Time: Red Sox 2, Blue Jays 1 [Full Count]

Drew had another bout with vertigo [Full Count]

Beltre says ‘Thank you’ to Buchholz [Full Count]

Buchholz was Huge [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Clay Buchholz Shows His Resilience in Toronto [NESN.com]

Maturing Clay Buchholz Shines on Mound Over Eight Innings [NESN.com]

Top 10 Lessons the Red Sox Can Learn From the Bruins [NESN.com]

Have Red Sox Become Too Businesslike for Their Own Good? [NESN.com]

Embree says he’s satisfied as he gets set to join Boston [Projo Sox Blog]

Report: Red Sox sign Dominican outfielder [Projo Sox Blog]

Buchholz’s gem gives bullpen a breather [Providence Journal]

Delcarmen comes to the fore as pen falters [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Despite plate success, Varitek won’t DH [Providence Journal]

Cameron, Ellsbury hit off tee [RedSox.com]

Wakefield following normal routine [RedSox.com]

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

And if you must read the enemy papers, head over to The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Toronto Sun websites.

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

UConn Football links

BIG EAST Completes Bowl Lineup [BigEast.org]

Mailbag April 27: Should Difton And Lang Redshirt? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

A Couple Of Your Questions On The Bowls [Desmond Conner –  Hartford Courant]

Big East mailbag [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Former Huskie Desi Cullen Sheds Some Light on Life as an NFL Kicker [Rob Lunn – NESN.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

No Surgery For Samarie Walker; No Interest in Marie Mungedi [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno To Speak At Neag School Of Education Ceremony [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

No Surgery Yet For Walker [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Charde Houston On Plane Involved In Bomb Scare [Hartford Courant]

Jones assumes role as leader [Norwich Bulletin]

Good coaching pays off in investing [Cabot Wealth Advisory]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Last Stand for UConn’s Calhoun? [Wall Street Journal]

Other UConn related links

Baseball:  Huskies Overcome Deficit, Defeat Bryant 14-6 [UConnHuskies.com]

Alan Embree had said he would opt out of his contract on Friday if he wasn’t called up to the Boston Red Sox before then.

Well now he doesn’t have to worry about that as Terry Francona announced after Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays that Embree had been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. He’ll take the place of Fabio Castro on the Red Sox 25-man roster.

The Red Sox will still need to make a corresponding roster move in regards to the 40-man roster before activating Embree.

In eight games for the PawSox this season, Embree has no record with a 3.68 ERA (3 ER/7.1 IP).

The move now gives the Red Sox three lefties in their bullpen. The other two are Scott Schoeneweis and Hideki Okajima.

The Red Sox will need to make another move on Saturday when Daisuke Matsuzaka is activated from the DL. My money is on them releasing Schoeneweis but that’s just pure speculation on my part.