For those UConn Huskies women’s basketball fans who’ve never heard Dick Vitale call a game for ESPN, let’s just say you’re in a for a treat on January 16, 2010.

From ESPN’s Communications Department:

The sixth consecutive season of ESPN’s College GameDay Driven by State Farm® and Saturday Primetime Presented by DirecTV game-of-the-week series will begin Jan. 16 from Storrs, Conn. for the women’s BIG EAST showdown between No. 6 Notre Dame and defending National Champion No. 1 Connecticut. It will mark the first time the show has originated from a women’s game. Two one-hour segments of the show will air at 10 a.m. and at 8 p.m. The game will air on ESPN at 9 p.m.

The Jan.16 College GameDay crew will include Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis, who will be joined by Doris Burke. The Saturday Primetime commentator team will feature Dan Shulman, Burke and Dick Vitale, who, in his 31^st season with ESPN, will be calling his first women’s basketball telecast.

And if you are unfamiliar with his lingo, don’t be afraid to check it out.

While we here in Red Sox Nation are hoping that GM Theo Epstein has something up his sleeve for Jason Bay at the Baseball Winter Meetings, there are some rumors floating around today.

According to Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have opened talks with the free agent left fielder.

The Angels, looking to fill voids with the expected departure of Chone Figgins to Seattle, have opened talks with Bay. The Red Sox are concerned because the Angels have shown a willingness to make major moves on the free agent market.

Meanwhile, Buster Olney of ESPN.com (12:30 PM) is reporting that the Seattle Mariners are no longer interested in Bay since they’re about to sign Figgins. And according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Bay really wanted to play for the Mariners since it’s only about 25 minutes from his home in Kirkland, WA.

Let’s hope the Angels don’t get Bay. Now that they’ve figured out how to beat the Red Sox in the postseason, that’s the last thing we need is for them to have Bay.

Come on Theo, git r done will ya!

For the third straight week, UConn Huskies women’s basketball senior center Tina Charles has been honored by the Big East in some form.

For the second time in-a-row, Charles has been named to the Big East Honor Roll, this time for her efforts in the win over Vermont last week.

In the 84-42 win,  Charles had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. She also added nine rebounds and three assists.

The Huskies return back to action on Thursday night when former Husky All-American and current Hartford head coach Jen Rizzotti brings her Hawks across town to the XL Center. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally on CPTV.

While it’s not the big move everyone is expecting from Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein at the Baseball Winter Meetings, the Red Sox have signed reliever Scott Atchison to a 1 year deal worth $420,000.

According to Dan Roche of WBZ in Boston, the deal also includes two club options.

Atchison had signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox back in 2008 but they sold his contract to the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball (Japan).

In 42 games for the Tigers in 2008, he was 7-6 with a 3.70 ERA and 18 holds. In 75 games in 2009, Atchison was 5-3 with a 1.70 ERA and 30 holds.

He has appeared in 53 games over parts of three MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants. He has a career MLB record of 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA.

For the final time during the regular season, the Big East Conference has handed out it’s weekly honors for football. While no UConn Huskies football players were honored as players of the week, they did have three named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.

Quarterback Zach Frazer, linebacker Scott Lutrus and placekicker Dave Teggart were all named to the Big East Honor Roll for their roles in UConn’s come-from-behind win against the South Florida Bulls on Saturday night.

Frazer was 20-of-30 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Huskies down the field to set up the game-winning 42 yard field goal by Teggart.

Lutrus was all over the field on Saturday night as he led the Huskies with 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

The Huskies are off until January 2, 2010 when they will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, AL.

UConn Football links

On deck: UConn vs. The Head Ball Coach [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Can Marcus Easley Make First Team All BE? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Was That Zach Frazer’s Best Game As A Husky? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

News And Notes From UConn’s Bowl Game Presser [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Papajohns.com Bowl [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]

Week 14 review [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]

Final regular-season Big East power rankings [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]

Quick teleconference update [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Final thoughts on bowls [John Silver Journal Inquirer]

UConn playing the SEC in SEC country [Neill Ostrout – Connecticut Post]

To Birmingham! [TheUConnBlog.com]

It is USC; no, not that USC [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

UConn accepts bid to Papa John’s Bowl [Connecticut Post]

UConn football bowl glance [Connecticut Post]

UConn To Play South Carolina In Bowl [Hartford Courant]

Huskies are ’Bama bound [New Haven Register]

Huskies accept bid to PapaJohn’s.com Bowl [The Day]

UConn earns bowl matchup against South Carolina [The Republican-American]

UConn: Scouting Report [Cocky Talk]

Notre Dame coaching search doesn’t get any clearer [Chicago Tribune]

Pizza in Birmingham: USC draws UConn in PapaJohns.com Bowl [The Herald]

Connecticut reporters asked Edsall until they were blue in the face [The Post-Standard]

Wake Up! And Get Your Tickets To Birmingham [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

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“I’m not going to talk about anything. I’m coaching at UConn, I’m here at UConn. This is just a press conference about the bowl game and that’s what we’re talking about. I don’t think I have to say anything other than that. I’m not making any comment on rumors, innuendo or speculation. I’m not going to address those things, so it makes no sense to even ask it.”

UConn Huskies head coach Randy Edsall on the rumors of the mutual interest between himself and the open Notre Dame coaching job he’s linked to.

“Hardly. Unless something comes across that’s really big, I don’t pay a lot of attention. We’ll be sitting in the dugout in spring training in Fort Myers and I’ll look across and be, ‘How the hell did he get over there?’ ”

Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield when asked about how much he pays attention to the offseason.

As we learned earlier on Sunday afternoon, the UConn Huskies will be heading south to Birmingham, AL to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the PapaJohns.com Bowl at Legion Field on January 2, 2010.

Here is the ticket information for UConn fans. If you’re a UConn fan and are planning on attending the game, please buy your tickets through UConn. They have to sell their allotment of 10,000 tickets and it defeats the purpose getting them somewhere else.

Tickets for the game will be $40 through UConnBowl.com or by calling 1-800-468-2666.

Here is how UConn will be handling the tickets.

If you’re a donor to the UConn Club, tickets will be available on Tuesday, December 8th at different times, depending on your level of commitment.

• Legend, Champion & All-American – call between 9 am-11 am
• MVP,  Golden Husky & Director – call between 12 pm-3 pm
• All other donor categories – call between 4 pm -7 pm

UConn football season ticket holders who aren’t donors can call on Wednesday morning, December 9th, between 9 am-12 pm. Tickets will then be released to the general public starting at 12 pm on Wednesday afternoon.

Once again, tickets for the game will be $40 through UConnBowl.com or by calling 1-800-468-2666.

PLEASE BUY YOUR TICKETS THROUGH UCONN!!!

They will also have ticket and travel packages that will be available and you’ll be able to see those on UConnBowl.com once they are released.

If you need hotel information for the game, Papajohnsbowl.com has you covered.

After an emotional 2009 season, the UConn Huskies football team found out where they will be going bowling and they’ll be heading to Stanley Robinson’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

The Huskies are heading to the PapaJohns.com Bowl to be held at Legion Field in Birmingham on January 2, 2010. They will take on Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The game will start at 2 p.m. ET and be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Once the formal announcement is made, I will post all of the information about tickets and accommodations.