KANSAS CITY – UConn senior Shabazz Napier (Roxbury, Mass.), who will lead the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 this weekend at Madison Square Garden, has been named a Division I first team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Napier, who also was named a first team All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, has led the Huskies to a 28-8 record this season, including two victories in the NCAA tourney. UConn faces Iowa State in the Sweet 16 game Friday night at 7:27 p.m.

Napier — who was joined on the first team by Creighton senior forward Doug McDermott, Arizona junior guard Nick Johnson, Michigan sophomore guard Nik Stauskas, and Duke freshman forward Jabari Parker — leads UConn in scoring (17.8), rebounding (5.9), assists (4.9), steals (1.8), minutes played (34.8), and numerous other categories. He is about to tie the record for most games ever played in a UConn uniform (140).

The 6-1 guard was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was a unanimous choice on the all-conference first team. He is on the final watch lists for the John Wooden Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Senior CLASS Award, and the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year award.

The NABC All-American teams are selected by a vote of member coaches of the NABC, which includes more than 5,000 coaches, and represent the finest college basketball players across the country.

2014 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM

Nick Johnson, Arizona, 6-3, 200, Junior, Guard, Gilbert, Ariz.

Doug McDermott, Creighton, 6-8, 225, Senior, Forward, Ames, Iowa

Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, 6-1, 180, Senior, Guard, Roxbury, Mass.

Jabari Parker, Duke, 6-8, 235, Freshman, Forward, Chicago, Ill.

Nik Stauskas, Michigan, 6-6, 205, Sophomore, Guard, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

2014 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM

Cleanthony Early, Wichita State, 6-8, 219, Senior, Forward, Middletown, N.Y.

C.J. Fair, Syracuse, 6-8, 215, Senior, Forward, Baltimore, Md.

Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, 6-4, 210, Senior, Guard, Yonkers, N.Y.

Russ Smith, Louisville, 6-0, 165, Senior, Guard, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Andrew Wiggins, Kansas, 6-8, 200, Freshman, Guard, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

2014 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM

Julius Randle, Kentucky, 6-9, 250, Freshman, Forward, Dallas, Texas

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, 6-4, 220, Sophomore, Guard, Flower Mound, Texas

Fred VanVleet, Wichita State, 5-11, 194, Sophomore, Guard, Rockford, Ill.

T.J. Warren, North Carolina State, 6-8, 215, Sophomore, Forward, Durham, N.C.

Scottie Wilbekin, Florida, 6-2, 176, Senior, Guard, Winter Haven, Fla.

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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 the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.

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

UConn’s Dolson, Hartley and Stewart Named to All-Region 1 Team by WBCA [sox & dawgs]

Video: KML’s Triple-Double Leads UConn Women Into Sweet 16 [sox & dawgs]

KML’s triple-double lifts UConn to Sweet 16 [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Hartley, Dolson leave Gampel Pavilion in style [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

A Little Taste From Geno Auriemma [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Notes From UConn’s Second-Round Win [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Beating UConn Not As Simple As It May Seem [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Mosqueda-Lewis Makes History With Triple-Double [rich elliott – ct post]

Dolson, Hartley Leave Gampel In Style [rich elliott – ct post]

Mosqueda-Lewis’ triple-double leads UConn into Sweet 16 [jim fuller – new haven register]

Ticket and Travel Information for the Lincoln Regional [uconnhuskies.com]

Game report: UConn women cruise into Sweet 16 [ct post]

UConn’s Mosqueda-Lewis rises again to top of her game [ct post]

KML Scores Triple-Double In Huskies’ Win Over St. Joseph’s [hartford courant]

Dolson, Hartley Make Final UConn Home Game A Sweet Farewell [hartford courant]

Dolson Finishes Gampel Career In Royal Fashion [hartford courant]

Mosqueda-Lewis powers No. 1 UConn into the Sweet 16 [new haven register]

Unbeaten UConn women make quick work of Saint Joseph’s 91-52 [the day]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun to Chris Russo: ‘Not Interested’ in BC Job [dom amore – hartford courant]

Assessing Kevin Ollie’s First Two Years at UConn’s Helm [david borges – new haven register]

ISU’s Hoiberg praises Ollie, ready for Garden crowd [william paxton – ct post]

MetroNorth to run a UConn train on Friday to MSG [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Calhoun ‘not interested’ in Boston College [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Iowa State’s Hoiberg heaps praise on UConn’s Napier [ct post]

Hoiberg: UConn Better Than Team Iowa State Beat In 2012 [hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie thriving in the footsteps of a legend [new haven register]

Napier, Huskies have full attention of Hoiberg, Cyclones [the day]

Other UConn related links

M. Track. Field Athletes Shine as UConn Opens Outdoor Season at Disney World Open [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Lacrosse. Shannon Nee Earns Conference Defensive Player Of The Week Honors [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Track. Bill Morgan To Step Down As UConn Women’s Track & Field Coach [uconnhuskies.com]

Baseball. UConn Drops Midweek Contest At Hartford, 3-2 [uconnhuskies.com]

Baseball. UConn Baseball Vs. CCSU Postponed To April 21 [uconnhuskies.com]

Like UConn? Let Ken Davis tell the story [register citizen]

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STORRS, Conn. – Senior center Stefanie Dolson, senior guard Bria Hartley and sophomore forward Breanna Stewart have each been selected to the All-Region 1 Team as announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on Tuesday, March 25.  This marks the second selection for both Dolson (2013) and Hartley (2012) and the first for Stewart

The WBCA All-America selection committee will select the 10-member WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team from these 52 All-Region picks.

Dolson, a 2013-14 All-American Athletic Conference First Team pick, is averaging 12.3 points and leads the squad at 9.1 rebounds per contest.  She is seventh nationally in field goal percentage and recently became only the fifth Husky all-time, along with Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Rebecca Lobo, and Jamelle Elliott, to register at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.  The 2013-14 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winner, Dolson is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.

Hartley, a 2013-14 All-American Conference First Team selection, is second on the team with 16.4 points per game and 154 assists. She is in the league’s top-five in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals and three-point field goal percentage and has scored 20 or more points 11 times this year.  The USBWA National Player of the Week on January 20, Hartley is only the second Husky all-time, along with Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi, to post at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.

Stewart, who was recently selected as the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference and espnW Player of the Year, is leading the top-ranked Huskies at 19.7 points per game and is second on the squad at 8.1 rebounds per contest.  She ranks in the league’s top-10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, blocks and free throw percentage.

The North Syracuse, N.Y. native was honored as the 2014 American Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21.7 points per game en route to leading UConn to the inaugural title.  The 2013-14 American Conference Preseason Player of the Year has been selected as the USBWA National Player of the Week and is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award.

UConn sports a perfect 35-0 record as it heads into its NCAA Tournament second round matchup against No. 9 seed Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday.  Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Storrs and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

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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 the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.

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

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they’ll take on the St. Joseph’s Hawks for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 in Lincoln, NE at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. You can also catch the game online or your mobile device at WatchESPN. If you live locally in Connecticut and can’t catch the game on television or online, you can always listen to Bob Joyce and Debbie Fiske on the UConn IMG Radio Network.

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

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: Huskies All-Access Looks at UConn Women’s Win Over Prairie View [sox & dawgs]

Saint Joseph’s special to Philly native Auriemma [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

For Dolson, big numbers but one regret [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Happy To Be A Hawk [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Almost Time To Say Goodbye To Dolson And Hartley [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Preview: Saint Joseph’s next in line for Huskies (analysis) [roger cleaveland – waterbury republican-american]

Huskies Made Video To Honor Auriemma [rich elliott – ct post]

Great Pass By Jefferson, No Dunk For Stewart [rich elliott – ct post]

From Recruit To Head Coach, Griffin and Auriemma Go Way Back [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma’s Ties To Gardler Span More Than 20 Years [rich elliott – ct post]

Shields family no strangers to UConn’s Auriemma [jim fuller – new haven register]

Chaos rules in Lincoln bracket [jim fuller – new haven register]

Balanced Attack Helps UConn Shake Off Rust in NCAA Tournament Opener [uconnhuskies.com]

Women’s Hoops Hosts Saint Joseph’s in Second Round Action on Tuesday [uconnhuskies.com]

St. Joe’s relishes challenge of playing No. 1 UConn [ct post]

In Geno’s Mind, Ollie Is No. 1 When It Comes To Seeding [hartford courant]

Picture Perfect: Auriemma Likes UConn’s Maturity Level [hartford courant]

Notebook: A Fond Farewell To Gampel For Dolson, Hartley [hartford courant]

Ties that bind [journal inquirer]

UConn seniors Dolson, Hartley to play one final game at Gampel [new haven register]

Auriemma knows Saint Joseph’s Shields family well [new haven register]

UConn women play for spot in Sweet 16 tonight [the day]

Huskies better when they go through Dolson [waterbury republican-american]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Want To Attend UConn’s Garden Party? It’s Going To Cost You … [dom amore – hartford courant]

Tickets for UConn’s Sweet 16 Game are Expensive — And Going Fast [david borges – new haven register]

MSG is UConn Country [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Men’s Basketball NCAA East Regional Tickets Sold Out [uconnhuskies.com]

Boatright steps up to push UConn to Sweet 16 [ct post]

Thanks To UConn, NCAA Regionals At Madison Square Garden Now More Expensive Than Final Four Tickets [forbes]

In Geno’s Mind, Ollie Is No. 1 When It Comes To Seeding [hartford courant]

MSG tickets in high demand [new haven register]

UConn men can’t wait to return to Garden [the day]

Unlikely heroes step forward for Huskies [waterbury republican-american]

What I Learned From Buffalo: UConn Huskies and Dayton Flyers [si.com]

UConn last remaining hope for Eastern teams [providence journal]

Cyclones’ Sweet 16 foe knows Garden intimately [the gazette]

UConn Football links

UConn Football Springs Back Into Practice [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football 2014 Spring Practice No. 4 Highlights [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About Spring Practice No. 4 [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco on What He Wants To Accomplish [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About The Different Position Groups [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About Where Team Is [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About His Offensive Line [sox & dawgs]

No Real Scrimmages Outside Blue-White, Practices Too Valuable; News, Notes [desmond conner – hartford courant]

McClain, Griffin lead UConn products in NFL pay distribution [jim fuller – new haven register]

Some continuity in offensive line [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Football Returns To Practice [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn football back to work after spring break [ct post]

Diaco: Huskies Had No Trouble Shaking Off Spring Break Rust [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. As Cubs look at third, Olt says defense won’t be an issue [csn chicago]

Baseball. UConn Baseball vs. Hartford Moved [uconnhuskies.com]

Softball. Tuesday’s Softball Game vs. Sacred Heart Rescheduled to May 1 [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

The UConn Huskies football team returned to the practice field for the first time since March 14 and as you might expect, there was a little rust to be removed and maybe a post spring break hangover.

Early on during the media portion of practice, the players were going through a conditioning drill and Diaco wasn’t happy. He made sure to let his team know. They did it again. He was still not happy. Finally, after doing it a third time, he was pleased.

Before the team broke off into individual drills, he spoke to the team and told them to “raise the level of your intensity, raise the level of your focus”.

After practice, he seemed pleased that his charges had done just that especially given the situation of practicing the day after spring break ended.

“A Monday after a spring break always could be a hairy situation for teams across the country but I feel like the team went and handled practice four well, ” Diaco said. “It wasn’t anything that was extraordinary but, I know and the coaches know what it feels like as a player to go on spring break and come back and spring break ends Sunday and to come back on Monday and be electric, it’s just not realistic.”

It did help that he and his staff set up practice to scrape that rust off and get back to the focus of UConn football.

We really set up practice today to not ask the players to have to do that, to really acclimatize a bit and they handled that well,” said Diaco. “They [the players] would be the first to tell you that shaking off the spring break rust took a little bit of time but they did. So it fit the model that the coaches were expecting and we were pleased to have a successful practice four.”

Diaco has a plan in place of where he’d like to see the team after Saturday’s practice where high school coaches from around the state and region will be in attendance.

“I’d like to see the team begin to transition from survival to, for lack of a better word, attack,” Diaco said. “A physical assault and a mental attack, where they’re not just surviving. So by design, we’ll have smart installation. Today was virtually no installation, offense, defense and special teams. It was a shining and polishing, a re-engagement of the first three practices.

“We’ll do the same thing at the end of the week. By Saturday there will be more guys that know what to do and can cut it loose and are cutting it loose. Right now we’ve got a lot of guys that are trying, expending a lot of energy, in a haphazard way. We’d like that to begin more directed and more controlled where we can have guys cutting it loose in a play they clearly know. I’d like to think we can accomplish that by the end of the week.”

There’s definitely a different vibe around this team then the one that was felt in the fall. But like Diaco has, we can’t look back to the past.

We can only look forward, forward to a solid UConn football team.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs

Just like the UConn Huskies football team and the rest of the students at the school, I took a bit of a spring break myself.

I can definitely say without a shadow of a doubt that mine was no where near exciting as theirs might have been or probably wise. But nonetheless, we are both back and ready to get to work.

The last media interaction with the UConn football team came 10 days ago when they held practice at 6 a.m. New head coach Bob Diaco got their blood flowing early on with the “rodeo drill.”

“The Rodeo is one of four or five drills that we rotate through our full-padded practices that ramp up, in a controlled setting, the principles of football, block destruction, tackling, blocking, running, ball security in a controlled setting,” Diaco said. “All things that need to be present and worked on every day no matter what has happened. …” Pad level, blocking, foot action, hand violence and speed, ball security, shed, wrap up, foot acceleration. Those are things that need to be worked on every day.”

I’ll be honest I wasn’t up there to see it but it was the talk of the locker room after practice.

Oh it was awesome,” linebacker Marquise Vann said. “It’s definitely a change of pace.”

That drill is really fun,” safety Andrew Adams said. “It brings intensity to practice. Everybody gets fired up. It gets everybody going, gets a blood-rush toward the beginning of practice.”

There’s just 11 practices left until the spring game on April 12th. Obviously there’s a lot of work to do offensively and defensively before then.

Diaco did say that he saw improvement from everyone from the first practice to the third practice. Now with the fourth practice on Monday afternoon, I’d expect there to be some rust.

But with Diaco as the head coach, I’m sure that rust will be cleaned up right away.

Kivon Taylor Suspended

During his press conference on the 14th, Diaco announced that QB Kivon Taylor has been suspended indefinitely by the university.

“Mr. Taylor was suspended by the university and the athletic department and the team based on the violation of athletic department, university, team policy,” Diaco said. “It’s indefinite. There are some factors that will get evaluated by the athletic department and sports performance team that will then re-engage Mr. Taylor.”

I’ll have more later tonight or early tomorrow morning on practice number four.

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thanks to John Silver of the Journal Inquirer for the video. Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant also has video up on his Instagram page.

As we learned on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox and David Ortiz had reached an agreement on a one-year extension worth $16 million.

Late Sunday night, the team made it official.

Here’s the release:

FORT MYERS, FL-The Boston Red Sox and reigning World Series Most Valuable Player David Ortiz agreed today on a one-year extension through the 2015 season with a club/vesting option for 2016 and a club option for 2017.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Ortiz, 38, has led the team to three World Championships and has been an All-Star nine times in his 11 years with the Red Sox. Known as “Big Papi,” Ortiz has hit 431 home runs in his big league career.

“With this agreement, we have near certainty that David Ortiz will finish his career in a Red Sox uniform, which is something we have all wanted and that we are all proud of,” said Principal Owner John Henry. “It is difficult to describe David’s contributions to our city both on the field and off the field, and we are so proud to have this ambassador of our game with us as he continues on this road to Cooperstown.”

In the 2013 regular season, Ortiz hit .309 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI in 137 games. The left-handed batter, primarily a designated hitter, led the team and ranked among the top American Leaguers in batting average (6^th), home runs (T-8^th), RBI (7^th), walks (T-7^th, 76), on-base percentage (4^th, .395), and extra-base hits (5^th, 70).

His .564 slugging percentage last season ranked third among all major league qualifiers behind Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera (.636) and Baltimore’s Chris Davis (.634). In the last three seasons from 2011-13, his .972 OPS trails only Cabrera (1.036).

Last October, Ortiz started all 16 games en route to Boston’s third World Series Championship in 10 years, hitting .353 while topping postseason leaders in home runs (5), total bases (36), walks (16), and times on base (34).

Named 2013 World Series MVP after going 11-for-16 (.688), he now owns the best-ever World Series batting average (.455), on-base percentage (.576), and slugging percentage (.795) among players with at least 50 plate appearances in the Fall Classic.

The Red Sox’ career leader in postseason games (73), runs (51), hits (79), doubles (18), homers (17), extra-base hits (37), RBI (56), total bases (152), and walks (57), Ortiz also earned 2004 ALCS MVP honors after winning Games 4 and 5 with walk-off hits in Boston’s historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series versus New York.

An All-Star in each of the past four seasons, he leads all of Major League Baseball with nine All-Star selections in the past 10 years from 2004-13.

Last season was the seventh of Ortiz’s career with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI, all with the Red Sox, tying him with Ted Williams for the most in franchise history. No other left-handed hitter has as many 30-homer/100-RBI campaigns over the past 11 years.

With the Red Sox, Ortiz has hit 373 home runs, a total that trails only Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, and Dwight Evans; he is within 10 home of overtaking Evans and Rice for third place on that list. His 1,191 RBI trail that same group plus Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr.

Ortiz also ranks in the Red Sox Top 10 in extra-base hits (5^th, 800), total bases (6^th, 3,191), doubles (5^th, 412), walks (5^th, 901), runs scored (8^th, 993), hits (9^th, 1,630), and games played (10^th, 1,514).

He ranks fourth in team history (min. 3,000 PA) with a .572 slugging percentage and a .962 OPS behind only Williams (.634, 1.116), Jimmie Foxx (.605, 1.034) and Manny Ramirez (.588, .999).

The current extension would take Ortiz through at least a 13th straight season with the Red Sox. Only five position players have been on the team for as many consecutive seasons: Yastrzemski (23), Evans (19), Rice (16), Williams (15), and Jason Varitek (15).

Since joining the Red Sox in 2003, Ortiz ranks second among major leaguers in slugging (.572), trailing only Albert Pujols (.601). The Red Sox signed him as a free agent on January 22, 2003, after Minnesota released him.

Ortiz and Alfonso Soriano are the only major leaguers to tally at least 20 homers in each of the last 12 seasons (starting 2002). He is the only Red Sox player ever to record at least 20 home runs in 11 consecutive campaigns (starting 2003). His 39 multi-homer games are the most in team history, while his 10 grand slams with Boston rank second after Williams (17).

Ortiz has a lifetime .287 batting average (2,023-for-7,057) with 520 doubles, 18 triples, 431 home runs, 1,429 RBI, 1,208 runs and 1,087 walks in 1,969 games over 17 major league seasons with the Twins (1997-2002) and Red Sox (2003-13). His 431 home runs rank tied for 45^th on baseball’s all-time list, sixth among active players, and tied for 16^th in American League history. No other active player has as many regular season walk-off home runs as Ortiz’s 11.

In 2013, Ortiz garnered his fourth career Thomas A. Yawkey Award as the Red Sox MVP in a vote of Boston BBWAA members (also 2004-06). He was the only player to rank among the top five in AL MVP voting in each season from 2003-07.

Among designated hitters, he is the all-time major league leader in hits (1,758), doubles (447), home runs (381), extra-base hits (845), total bases (3,382), and RBI (1,245). Ortiz has earned the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award a record seven times (2003-07, 2011, 2013). His six Silver Slugger Awards as DH (2004-07, 2011, 2013) are the most ever at the position.

He won the 2005 AL Hank Aaron Award, given to the top offensive performer in each league, after leading the Majors with 148 RBI. In 2006, he received the Josh Gibson Award, presented by the National Negro Leagues Museum to each league’s home run champion, after breaking Foxx’s Red Sox single-season home runs record with 54.

Known as much for his heart as his brawn, Ortiz won the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award, Major League Baseball’s highest honor for those who best represent the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field. That same year, he won the Boston BBWAA’s Tim Wakefield Award for his charitable spirit.

He created the David Ortiz Children’s Fund to provide critical pediatric services in New England and in his native Dominican Republic. In the Dominican, he has hosted an annual eponymous golf classic the past four years to benefit his foundation. In Boston, he has provided his time and other resources to Mass General Hospital for Children, donating tickets to patients from the hospital over the last four years as part of his “Papi’s Pals” program.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

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 the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.

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

Video: UConn Women Blow Out Prairie View A&M, 87-44 [sox & dawgs]

Huskies cruise to first-round NCAA win [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Notebook: Huskies present Geno with birthday video [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Notes From UConn’s 87-44 Win [john altavilla – hartford courant]

A Little Something Postgame From Geno [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stewie Exhibits Maturity By Shaking Off Slow Start [rich elliott – ct post]

Playful side of UConn emerges [jim fuller – new haven register]

Stewart, UConn women wallop Prairie View [ct post]

UConn’s starting 5 mesh of talent and confidence [ct post]

As Expected, UConn Romps In First Round [hartford courant]

UConn’s Quest For Ninth Title Doesn’t Play Well Everywhere [hartford courant]

St. Joseph’s Wins To Set Up Meeting With UConn [hartford courant]

Geno, UConn enjoy birthday blowout against Prairie View [new haven register]

UConn women roll in tourney opener [the day]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Video: UConn/Iowa State Sweet 16 Preview [sox & dawgs]

Video: Huskies Head To MSG For Sweet 16 [sox & dawgs]

A Look at Iowa State, UConn’s Opponent in Sweet 16 [david borges – new haven register]

UConn learns next NCAA opponent [gavin keefe – the day]

Men’s Basketball East Region Ticket Information [uconnhuskies.com]

Napier’s supporting cast makes it sweet for UConn [ct post]

Huskies Aren’t Complaining About Their No. 7 Seed Now [hartford courant]

While Napier Sat, UConn Men Managed In Win Over Villanova [hartford  courant]

Samuel delivered for the Huskies Saturday night [the day]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. UConn Picks Up First Conference Win At USF, 4-2 [uconnhuskies.com]

Softball. Huskies Swept by Bulls in Sunday Loss, 8-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Just like it should be, David Ortiz will finish up his career as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

According to multiple media reports, the Red Sox and Big Papi have agreed on a one-year extension worth $16 million. The deal also includes vesting options for 2016 and 2017 based on plate appearances.

You could argue that Dustin Pedroia is the heart and face of this Red Sox team. You could argue that same fact about Big Papi. Either way, you’re not wrong.

Ortiz has spent 11 years with the Red Sox and has been named an All-Star in all but two of them. He’s the only player left from the 2004 World Series Championship team and has been a part of three during his tenure in Boston.

With the exception of an injury riddled 2012 season, Big Papi has put up strong numbers throughout his time in Boston.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: getty images

The Shaw’s/Star Market WEEI Red Sox Radio Network looks much the same as it has for the last few seasons as Dave O’Brien and Joe Castiglione return for their 8th season together in the booth as the primary announcers for Boston Red Sox baseball.

In the absence of either O’Brien or Castiglione you will hear from fill-ins Lou Merloni a former Red Sox player and current midday host at WEEI-FM or Boston Celtics announcer Sean Grande.  All the games will be broadcast from the team’s flagship station WEEI-FM 93.7 in Boston to its network affiliates through out New England, New York, New Mexico and Wyoming.  As well as having all the home games carried along the XM Satellite Radio network.  You can also listen to Dave and Joe via MLB AtBat14 app on your smartphone or tablet.

O’Brien, a New Hampshire native who enters his 8th season in Shaw’s WEEI booth, is probably the most familiar amongst the Red Sox radio crew for the non-Red Sox or non-baseball fan in the crowd due to his heavy schedule with ESPN.  In addition to his duties as the Red Sox lead announcer, Obie does the Monday night games for ESPN with Rick Sutcliffe and Aaron Boone.  Prior to joining the Red Sox, O’Brien was the play-by-play announcer for the Florida Marlins radio network from 1993 to 2001 until he left to go to ESPN.  While at the World Wide Leader he has called in addition to baseball, World Cup Soccer, college basketball, NBA, MLS and the women’s college basketball Final Four.  He has also called games for the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons and the University of Georgia.  He is now the owner of three World Series rings, having called the Red Sox title years in 2007 and 2013 as well as the 1997 Florida Marlins.

Castiglione, a Hamden CT native, joined to Red Sox broadcasts in 1983 and has worked with such luminaries as Bob Starr, Ken Coleman and Jerry Trupiano in his 32 seasons.  Castiglione, who grew up a Yankees fan, has become well known in Red Sox lore for his call of the final out of the 2004 World Series, which ended the team’s 86 year drought without a championship.  When he is not in the radio booth you can usually find Joe teaching sports broadcasting at Northeastern University.  He has also called games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers in his career. As with Obie, Joe C. has himself three World Series rings having called the Red Sox title years in 2004, 2007 and 2013.

Merloni, a former MLB player from 1998-2006 with the Red Sox, Angels, Indians and Padres began his broadcasting career in 2008 as an afternoon fill-in on WEEI.  He then spent the 2008 season with NESN covering the Red Sox as a studio analyst before moving onto Comcast Sportsnet New England in 2009. In 2011 he was named a midday co-host at WEEI and in 2013 he started as a part-time color analyst on Red Sox games and was added as a third voice in the booth for the ALCS and World Series.

Grande, who in 2009 became just the 3rd man to call 1,000 NBA games before age 40 was hired by the Red Sox in 2013 to be a fill-in for O’Brien when he is absent due to his ESPN duties.  In his career, he has called basketball, football and hockey games for Boston University and Boston College football and hockey on the radio.  He spent 7 years at WEEI the last three as Sports Director before leaving in 1998 to be the voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA).  He returned to Boston in 2001 to be the voice of the Celtics.  In addition to those duties he has also worked for the Providence Bruins, Harvard University, MLS, Fox Sports Net and ABC Sports.

John Ryder is entering his 2nd season hosting the Red Sox pre-game and post-game shows on the Red Sox Radio Network, he also handles “”Sox Talk”  the call in show that airs during rain delays in the game.  When not involved with Red Sox baseball, also is the scoreboard flash anchor for the Planet Mikey show, handles hosting Celtics Rewind and has a weekend show on the flagship station.

Over the air the Red Sox Radio Network has nearly 60 stations in 9 states.

Here is a list of all the affiliates for the Shaw’s WEEI Red Sox Radio Network in 2014:

State/Station	Frequency	City
Connecticut
WTIC	AM 1080	Hartford
WILI	AM 1400	Willimantic
WGCH	AM 1490	Greenwich
WLAD	AM 800	Danbury
WINY	AM 1350	Putnam
Massachusetts
WEEI	FM 93.7	Boston
WVEI	AM 1440	Worcester
WWEI	FM 105.5	Springfield
WEII	FM 96.3	Cape Cod
WSAR	AM 1480	Fall River
WBEC	AM 1420	Pittsfield
WBSM	AM 1420	New Bedford
WMRC	AM 1490	Milford
WBOQ	FM 104.9	Beverly
WPKZ	AM 1280	Fitchburg
WNAW	AM 1230	North Adams
WCRN	AM 830	Worcester
WSBS	AM 860	Great Barrington
Rhode Island
WVEI	FM 103.7	Providence
New Hampshire
WZEI	FM 101.5	Meredith/Lakes Region
WEEY	FM 93.5	Keene/Swanzey
WQSO	FM 96.7	Rochester
WTSL	AM 1400	Hanover
WTPL	FM 107.7	Concord/Hillsboro
WNTK	FM 97.7	New London
WGAM	AM 1250	Manchester
WGHM	AM 900	Nashua
WFTN	AM 1240	Franklin
WPNH	AM 1300	Plymouth
WFYX	FM 96.3	Walpole
WCNL	AM 1010	Newport
WLTN	AM 1400	Littleton
WMOU	AM 1230	Berlin
Maine
WPEI	FM 95.9	Portland/Saco
WZON	AM 620	Bangor
WJJB	FM 96.3	Portland
WDEA	AM 1370	Ellsworth
WHOO	FM 100.1	Houlton
WDME	FM 103.1	Dover/Foxcroft
WQDY	FM 92.7	Calais
WSYY	AM 1240	Millinocket
WEGP	AM 1390	Presque Isle
WKTL	FM 99.3	Farmington
WALZ	FM 95.3	Machias
WLOB	AM 1310	Portland
WYBA	FM 105.5	Rockland
Vermont
WMXR	FM 93.9	Woodstock
WCVP	FM 101.3	Burlington
WSTJ	AM 1340	St. Johnsbury
WYSB	AM 1380	Rutland
WIKE	AM 1490	Newport
WBTN	AM 1370	Bennington
WCVR	AM 1320	Randolph
WCFR	AM 1480	Springfield
WDEV	FM 96.1	Waterbury
WDEV	AM 550	Waterbury
WLVB	FM 93.9	Morrisville
New York
WOFX	AM 980	Albany
WRSB	AM 1310	Canandaigua
WASB	AM 1590	Brockport
WCKL	AM 560	Hudson
New Mexico
KDEF	AM 1150	Albuquerque
Wyoming
KSGT	FM 93.3	Jackson
KSGT	AM 1340	Jackson