Things have been relatively quiet lately on news coming out of Beantown involving the Boston Red Sox. In today’s Boston Herald, Rob Bradford brings up something very interesting about the end of the 2008 season.

Why is he looking ahead? Well, the Red Sox will have some big questions to answer. Jason Varitek will be a free agent at the end of the year, Curt Schilling will be retiring and Manny Ramirez could be a free agent if the Red Sox decide not to exercise their $20 million option.

Let’s start with Ramirez’ sudden love for life with the Red Sox, which was on display for at least a few to see immediately following his recent Duck Boat ride. Who would have envisioned the slugger finishing up his latest championship parade, pointing to the retired Sox numbers along the outside of Fenway Park wall and making it clear that he not only wanted to retire a Red Sox, but hoped to have his own number immortalized at Fenway.

If Manny puts up good numbers next year and given who could be on the free agent market at the end of 2008, I definitely think the Red Sox will pickup the option. As far as Varitek goes, since they really have no one who is ready to handle the day-to-day duties behind the plate for the Sox, I could see the Red Sox offering him a 2-year deal. They don’t like to give long-term contracts to older veterans as we know, but after all he is the “Captain” of the Red Sox and it just wouldn’t be the same without him behind the plate.

If the Red Sox were to make a deal with the Twins for Santana, Schilling’s potential replacement could be part of the trade depending on the proposal the Twins were to accept. Either way, the Red Sox will still be in good shape due to the fact that Theo Epstein and company have put together a strong farm system.

In case you were wondering, Kevin Youkilis has already grown back the goatee as evidenced by this picture.

No bluffing on this deal [Boston Herald]

Perry cuts to the chase [Boston Globe]

Here is a look how the former UConn players fared in last week’s play in the NBA.

Continue reading →

Just over a week ago I asked in a Sox & Dawgs poll:

If you had a Hall of Fame vote would you vote for players who have been implicated in the Mitchell Report?

40 people responded that they would vote YES

29 people responded that they would vote NO

29 people responded that they would NEED MORE EVIDENCE EITHER WAY BEFORE VOTING

I think this shows that even with a very small sample that not everyone feels the same way about voting steroid era players into the Hall of Fame.

I voted yes and I did so for this reason. We now know that for a period of 15-20 years we had a steroid era in baseball. While we know now that nearly 90 players were linked in someway to performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) we also can say with pretty much certainty that number is not accurate and is likely very low. With that said we also have no idea truly how many players were on PED’s at the height of the era. I just feel it will be very difficult for the writers to have to pass judgement on players, especially without any proof either way, and that for the most part the playing field was fairly level in the era.

What I think they should do is label the era and explain it and the numbers explosion much like they explain the “deadball era” of the early 1900’s. Then let the writers vote on players of the era. I have always felt that players of certain era’s should be judged against their peers anyhow. But because baseball is more numbers based than any other sport it will probably never happen that way.

Stanley Robinson’s huge first half in which he scored 25 of his career-high 32 points led the UConn Huskies to a 105-60 win over the Maine Black Bears at the XL Center on Saturday afternoon.

Robinson was actually one of three Huskies who recorded double-doubles on the afternoon as he also pulled down 11 rebounds. Jeff Adrien had 19 points and 13 rebounds while Hasheem Thabeet rounded out the double-doubles for the Huskies with 16 points and 10 rebounds. A.J. Price just missed a double-double with 17 points and 9 assists. Gavin Edwards chipped in 10 points as well for UConn.

Junior Barnel led the Black Bears with 16 points. Jason Hight added 7 points while Sean McNally scored 6 points.

The Black Bears (4-7) started out the game with the first four points and held the Huskies scoreless for just over 3 minutes before UConn went on a 7-0 run. After that it was the Mr. Robinson show as he seemed to be inspired by a technical foul he received for taunting. He responded with 3 nasty dunks and some 3-point shots to propel the Huskies to a huge halftime lead at 53-28.

UConn (8-2) started out the second half on a 7-0 run and never looked back as their speed and athleticism clearly outclassed the Black Bears.

The Huskies will now scatter about the country for Christmas and return after the break to face the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Friday, December 28th at 8:00 PM. The game will be televised on CSTV.

Continue reading →

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we don’t expect to hear much baseball news, especially the news surrounding the talks about Johan Santana and a possible trade.

From Newsday’s Kat O’Brien:

“I don’t see it happening with us,” the source said. “We pulled out in Nashville, and we haven’t put an offer back on the table.”

Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner was not quite as adamant that the Yankees are unlikely to acquire the Minnesota ace, saying by phone: “You never know.”

And as Gordon Edes from the Boston Globe said earlier in the week, “time seems on Sox’ side with Santana”.

As I said earlier in the week, the trades for Miguel Cabrera and Dan Haren have made the Twins think they can get more for Santana. We have seen throughout the talks that neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees are willing to budge on their original offers.

If Santana is going to get moved, I expect it to be shortly after the New Year.

Top Ten Tuesdays (Delayed Due to HACKERS!): Criminals Shriminals [Yankees Chick]

They should have called it the “DAMN Yankees” ticket package [Home Run Derby]

Good News For Us Erin Andrews Fans This Bowl Season [Awful Announcing]

“Goose” Gossage Speaks Out…. [Peter’s Red Sox Forever]

Holiday With The Stars Schillings [Center Field]

Roger Clemens is Bad for Kids [Babes Love Baseball]

‘07 Clipboards:Readers’ Choice – Comment of the Year [Casey’s Clipboard & Wally’s World]

OK, eBay, this is where I draw the line [Red Sox Monster]

Wither A-Rod? Says No to Drugs, Not On Speaking Terms with Boras… [Oriole Post]

Joba may start season in pen [My Baseball Bias]

This just in: Packers fans wear ugly things [We Are the Postmen]

KEN GRIFFEY JR. IS A PAINTBALLA [You Been Blinded]

Football Players Can Write. Who Knew? [Ladies…]

The Joy Of Victory [SporTech Matter]

Surveying the Foxboro Wintery Mix Tailgate [Townie News]

And for your viewing pleasure, a NSFW Red Sox season wrapup.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=
http://youtube.com/watch?v=My3SgD_mYsM[/youtube]

I know I don’t really talk about the UConn soccer program at all but I did grow up going to games with my parents and neighbors and I’d be remissed not to post this.

UConn junior forward O’Brian White was named the Soccer America Player of the Year after he led all of Division I with 23 goals. He also added 7 assists for 53 points on the season.

The publication’s writers said, “In the long and storied history of Connecticut soccer, there has never been a striker like O’Brian White”

He is also a finalist for the Hermann Award, which goes to the top soccer player in the land.

After his great season, he announced that he was going to return to UConn for his senior season instead of turning pro. Unfortunately for White and the Huskies, they were knocked out of the 2007 College Cup by Virginia Tech 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

UConn did finish the regular season as the #1 ranked team in Soccer America’s final poll.

The UConn Huskies had five players in double figures as they easily beat a scrappy San Diego State Aztecs team 85-53 in UConn’s first official road game of the season late Friday night. The games in the Paradise Jam were counted as neutral court games.

The game was a homecoming game for Charde Houston, who hails from the San Diego area. She scored 6 points and pulled down 5 rebounds in front of her hometown fans.

UConn (9-0) was led by Renee Montgomery who had 19 points. Brittany Hunter had 14 points in just 13 minutes while Mel Thomas had 13 points. Maya Moore and Tina Charles rounded out the Huskies in double figures with 12 points. Charles also had 11 rebounds for her 15th career double-double.

The Aztecs (8-2) were led by Paris Johnson’s 14 points. Coco Davis added 8 points while Jene Morris and Kate Eveland each chipped in 6 points in a losing effort.

UConn will head home for the holidays and return back to action on Saturday December 29th at the XL Center (formerly the Hartford Civic Center) against the University of Hartford. Tipoff is at 7 PM and the game will be on CPTV locally.

Continue reading →

New England Patriots Pro Bowl quarterback Tom Brady was named the Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press. Brady received 51 votes, 18 more than runner up tennis player Roger Federer. Boston Red Sox pitcher and post season hero Josh Beckett got 7 votes and finished in 6th place.

Brady has led the Patriots to a 14-0 record and they are two wins shy of capping a perfect season. They are only the second team in NFL history to win it’s first 14 games of the season, the other is the 1972 Miami Dolphins who finished a then 14-game season undefeated. Miami then won two playoff games and Super Bowl VII and finished 17-0.

Brady has thrown 45 touchdown passes, 4 shy of Peyton Manning’s record while throwing only 6 interceptions. The +39 TD/INT differential is tied for the best in NFL history. Brady is also with in striking distance of setting a NFL record for completion percentage.

Brady is the first football player to win the award since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana won the award in back-to-back seasons in 1989 and 1990. Brady, who grew up in the greater San Francisco area, idolized Montana as a youngster.

Brady was determined though to spread the praise around when told of the award:

“I play in a team sport,” Brady said. “Everybody I play with is responsible for what each of us accomplishes as individuals and for what we all accomplish as a team.”

Brady is known around the NFL as a fierced competitor but respected not only by his teammates but by his opponents as well, who know if you give him the chance he will carve you up and leave you and your team for dead on the field.

Just ask the 14 teams they’ve beaten this year.

The Boston Celtics regained their winning ways on Friday night when they handily beat the Chicago Bulls 107-82 in front of 18,624 at the TD BankNorth Garden. The win gave the Green a NBA best 21-3 record overall and they improved to 13-1 at home.

The Celtics were led by captain Paul Pierce who knocked down 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, Ray Allen had 18 points and 4 assists while Kevin Garnett, Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins all added 12 points each.

The Bulls got 19 points out of former UConn guard Ben Gordon and Aaron Gray chipped in 14 points off the bench for the Windy City crew.

Pierce had 15 of his game high 22 points in the third quarter as the Celtics once again came out after the break and were able to put together a good quarter and put an opponent away. It’s been a trademark of the team most of the season.

Red Sox owner John Henry was sitting courtside for the game as was Patriots TE Ben Watson.

The Celtics next play on Sunday evening at 6:30 at home against the Orlando Magic.