Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein kept his perfect arbitration record intact as they were able to avoid it with Hideki Okajima by agreeing on a 1 year, $2.75 million deal.

The deal will also pay Okajima a $50,000 bonus each if he appears in 55, 60, 65 and 70 games.

Okajima had originally signed a 2 year deal worth $2.5 million with an option year worth $1.75 million back in late 2006. Because he’s only been in MLB for three years, he was arbitration-eligible with the Red Sox.

He was 6-0 with a 3.39 ERA in 68 games for the Red Sox in 2009. In 198 games, Okajima is 12-4 with a 2.72 ERA and six saves.

The 2010 Red Sox Road Trip presented by Coca Cola will be traveling throughout New England with stops in all six states January 20-25. They are bringing Wally the Green Monster, the 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies and vouchers valid for a special pre-sale of two 2010 Red Sox tickets.

The special pre-sale opportunity will be available beginning at 12 p.m. (noon) ET on Tuesday, January 26 through 12 p.m. (noon) ET on Thursday, January 28.

The stops in Connecticut will take place on January 20th and 21st in Milford and Hartford.

Here are the details for those two stops:

• 1/20: Milford – Milford Recreation Dept. – (Parsons Complex Gymnasium) 70 West River Street from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• 1/21: Hartford – Baseball City, 215 Murphy Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For a full look at all the stops in New England, click here.

My apologies for not posting recaps of the UConn Huskies basketball games. On a rare occasion, I wasn’t able to catch either game so I didn’t want to give a half-ass recap.

Even though the men lost, I still plan to catch the game on ESPN360 later so I can have a better idea of what happened even after reading some of the links that will be posted. The women’s game is on the old trusty computer DVR and I’ll be checking that out one as well at some point soon.

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LOS ANGELES (Jan. 13, 2010) – The top 21 candidates for the Women’s John R. Wooden Award, the nation’s most coveted college basketball honor, were named today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award Committee. Because of a tie in the voting, 21 players were named rather than the traditional 20. Composed of the players who will compete for this season’s player of the year award, the midseason list is based on individual excellence and team record during the first half of the season.

“The depth and breadth of talent in the women’s game is really apparent,” said Women’s John R. Wooden Award Chairman Richard “Duke” Llewellyn. “Many, many players received votes this year, and I am sure we will see players on the ballot who are not even on this midseason list, as they will step up as we get into conference play.”

Just as players who are not on the preseason list are eligible for the Midseason Top 20, players who do not make the Midseason list are still eligible for the national ballot, which will be selected in March and will consist of approximately 20 players, chosen by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board Committee. Players selected to the national ballot will have to be certified by their university as making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.

Among the Midseason Top 20 candidates are returning Wooden Award winner Maya Moore of No. 1-ranked Connecticut (19.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and her teammate, center Tina Charles (17.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg). No. 2 Stanford also had two players selected, center Jayne Appel and forward Kayla Pedersen. Four 2009 National Ballot honorees were named as 2009-10 midseason candidates: Appel, Alysha Clark (Middle Tennessee), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), and Monica Wright (Virginia).

Other intriguing candidates who were not chosen to the preseason list include James Madison’s Dawn Evans, the nation’s leading scorer at 26.4 points per game; Gonzaga’s Courtney Vandersloot, who averages 9.6 assists per game, tops in the country; Baylor’s 6-8 freshman Brittney Griner; and Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, who made headlines last year when she gave up her basketball career at Connecticut to play volleyball closer to home. In her first collegiate hoops season, she is ranked No. 4 in the country in scoring (24.7), and is averaging 9.6 rebounds as well.

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It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they host the Pittsburgh Panthers in a Big East matchup at the XL Center. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

It’s also game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they are in Milwaukee to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East matchup.

Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally here in Connecticut on CPTV. The game is also available on the internet for a fee through Hoop Streams. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.The UConn-Marquette game will be broadcast live on 96.5 WTIC-FM with Bob Joyce (play-by-play) and Kara Wolters (color) on the call.

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For about the past week or so, there’s been a rumor floating around that the Connecticut Sun were going to send Lindsey Whalen back to her home state of Minnesota. In return, the Minnesota Lynx would send former UConn Huskies All-American Renee Montgomery to the Sun.

Well on Tuesday the deal came to fruition as the Lynx sent Montgomery and the No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft to the Sun for Whalen and the No. 2 pick.

The Sun will most likely use that No. 1 pick on another Husky in Tina Charles.

In her rookie season, Montgomery played in 34 games with nine starts. She averaged 9.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

In 34 games (34 starts), Whalen averaged 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. In six seasons in the WNBA, Whalen has averaged 11.6 points.

[flash http://wnba.edgeboss.net/download/wnba/teams/sun/trade.flv]

UConn Football links

Shane Fogarty Hired As Grad Assistant [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Best and worst from Big East bowl season [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

UConn Respected On Recruiting Trail [Hartford Courant]

2010 UConn Football Recruits [Hartford Courant]

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Just two days ago it was reported that the Boston Red Sox found out one of their prized players, starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, hid a groin injury from the team in order that he could pitch for his country, Japan, in the 2009 World Baseball classic last spring. Matsuzaka, who was the tourney’s MVP for the second time, knowingly hid the injury because of the teams’ policy to shutdown players and prevent them from appearing in the WBC.

We all know how important it is for Japanese players to represent their country in those tournaments. I’m all for Americans playing for their country and even earning a medal, I think it’s a great thing, but when events like this and the Olympics starting to allow professional players, major league players, to participate it is incumbent upon the athlete to tell his employer about his injuries, real or perceived. The team or organization that is paying him deserves to be able to protect their investment especially these days when baseball players easily command $15, $16, $17 million or more per season.

Matsuzaka is one of these athletes. He should be contractually required to report any injuries to his employer who pays him so handsomely. Matsuzaka came to the Red Sox in November 2006 when the Red Sox were awarded the rights to negotiate with him by submitting a winning bid of $51,111,111.11 to his Japanese team the Seibu Lions. It was the largest bid ever in the baseball posting system and the Sox beat out at least three other teams. After exclusive negotiations they signed Matsuzaka to a 6-year $52 million contract.

In that contract are some incredible perks. They include:

• Boston housing allowance up to $75,000
• One time moving allowance up to $35,000
• The use of a Lincoln Town Car
• Physical therapist
• Massage therapist
• Eight round trip first class airline tickets per year
• Two field box seats
• Red Sox team employee to assist Japanese media
• Uniform number 18
• He cannot be demoted to the minors
• No trade clause

Because of these perks he should be held solely responsible for making sure he is ready to perform for the team that pays him when they need him to play. Matsuzaka all along has been rigid in his demands especially when it comes to his long toss routine between starts. He has, in three years, failed to live up to any of the potential that Red Sox brass and other front offices saw in him. He is consistently hurt, doesn’t pitch beyond the fifth or six inning and allows too many base runners but he feels he should do what he wants.

Well I think it’s time he is allowed to do just that but in another major league city. Get him to waive his no-trade clause and flat out deal him. He is halfway through his contract and he is in my eyes not only a bust but too selfish to be a part of the Red Sox organization. Find some team who is willing to take him, pick up most of his contract and get rid of him. Let him sweat his ball off in Texas or freeze in Minnesota until July. Let him pitch in an empty park in Pittsburgh or play for Cleveland and dodge the midges. It’s time for Theo Epstein, John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino to say enough is enough, we tried but it’s time to move on.

The player failed to exercise good judgment here and it cost the team three months of his services because that groin injury led to a shoulder problem which landed him on the DL from mid June to mid September. He cost the club wins and possible playoff advancement by being selfish and stubborn.

It’s time to say sayonara to Matsuzaka.

For the third time this season and second straight week, UConn Huskies senior All-American center Tina Charles has been honored as the Big East Player of the Week.

In UConn’s three wins last week, Charles averaged 18.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots.

Against South Florida last Monday, Charles scored 14 points and had eight rebounds. In the win over Cincinnati on Thursday, she had 17 points, five rebounds and six blocked shots. On Saturday in the win over North Carolina, Charles scored all of her 25 points in the first half and pulled down 13 rebounds.

Junior All-American forward Maya Moore was also honored as she was named to the Big East Honor Roll. Moore averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, three assists and 2.3 steals in the three wins as well.

The Huskies are back in action on Wednesday night for a Big East matchup in Milwaukee, WI when they take on the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally here in Connecticut on CPTV. The game is also available on the internet for a fee through Hoop Streams. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

Here’s a press release from the Boston Red Sox about the 12 players who are participating in the 2010 Rookie Program that got underway in Boston on Monday.

BOSTON — The Red Sox 2010 Rookie Program began today in Boston. Twelve of Boston’s top prospects are taking part in the two-week program, which is designed to expose the players to the expectations of being Major Leaguers for the Red Sox.

Eleven of the participants in the Rookie Program spent all of 2009 in the Red Sox organization: pitchers Randor Bierd, Felix Doubront, Casey Kelly, Ryne Miller, Junichi Tazawa, Kyle Weiland; catcher Luis Exposito; infielder Yamaico Navarro; and outfielders Ryan Kalish, Che-Hsuan Lin and Josh Reddick. Also taking part will be infielder Jose Iglesias, who was signed as a free agent in September 2009 and played in the Arizona Fall League.

The program includes two workouts daily that emphasize conditioning and strength training as well as concentration on fundamentals. In addition, the players are attending a number of seminars that will focus on the assimilation into Major League life off the field.

A number of individuals will speak to the group, including President/CEO Larry Lucchino, General Manager Theo Epstein, manager Terry Francona, Major League coaches John Farrell and Dave Magadan, sports psychology coach Bob Tewksbury, right-handed pitcher John Lackey, infielder Kevin Youkilis, Hall of Fame baseball writer and NESN reporter/analyst Peter Gammons, and Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

There will also be a public autograph signing with the Rookie Program participants at the Best Buy in the Landmark Center, located at 401 Park Drive in Boston on Monday, January 18 from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Fans making a $20.00 donation to the Red Sox Foundation will be able to take part in the signing on a first come, first served basis.