Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 2/25

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they are in Milwaukee, WI to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. Tip is scheduled for 7 PM and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

UConn men’s basketball links

John Toner To Be Inducted Into “Huskies Of Honor” [UConnHuskies.com]

Late night in Milwaukee [Connecticut Post]

Knight’s School? [Emeka, Nadav and Corny]

Milwaukee’s Best [Emeka, Nadav and Corny]

Calhoun comments still the Buzz [Matt’s UConn Huskies men’s basketball blog]

Huskies look to get their coach No. 800 [New Haven Register]

UConn tries to extend perfect road mark [Connecticut Post]

UConn men’s game day [Connecticut Post]

Calhoun’s focus on present, not history [Norwich Bulletin]

Villanueva thinks Huskies will top Marquette [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Matches Up Well Against Marquette [Hartford Courant]

No. 2 UConn At No. 8 Marquette [Hartford Courant]

Huskies refuse to dwell on No. 1 [Waterbury Republican-American]

Calhoun Won’t Let Huskies Look Ahead [New London Day]

No. 2 UConn At No. 8 Marquette [New London Day]

UConn women’s basketball links

When Maya Moore has the ball, things happen [ESPN.com]

Huskies Clinch Tie … They Could Care Less [Connecticut Post]

Making the grade [Elm City to Eagleville]

UConn cruises past Villanova [New Haven Register]

UConn recruit Hartley taking it all in stride [New Haven Register]

Charles, UConn Rock Villanova [Connecticut Post]

UConn women seek perfection [Connecticut Post]

UConn women’s report card [Connecticut Post]

Huskies clinch share of title [Norwich Bulletin]

Moore a success off the court as well [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Women Clinch Share Of Big East Title [Hartford Courant]

Moore, Detter Excel In Class, Too [Hartford Courant]

Villanova on chopping block [Tuesday’s Journal Inquirer]

Huskies tie for title, but don’t want to share [Waterbury Republican-American]

Another Walk In The Park For The Huskies [New London Day]

UConn football links

Darius Earns 100 UA Shoes For His School Too [UConn | Football]

Darius Butler finished as a top performer in 2 categories [NFL Combine]

Combine Goes Well For Donald Brown [Hartford Courant]

Three Questions With Cody Brown [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Senior Ceremonies Set For Men’s And Women’s Basketball On Saturday [UConnHuskies.com]

Connecticut Hits the Road Against Hofstra in Women’s Lacrosse [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn’s Outstanding Student-Athletes Honored On “3.0 Night” [UConnHuskies.com]

Celtics Sign Mikki Moore; Signing Starbury??

Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury: The Boston Celtics signed the recently waived Mikki Moore to a contract for the rest of the season yesterday. Moore will provide some frontcourt depth for the Celtics while Kevin Garnett is out. [WEEI.com] The New York Knicks finally reached a buyout agreement with disgruntled point guard Stephon Marbury and it’s believed that he will sign with the Celtics once he clears waivers. I just have to ask why they would want him when they have Rajon Rondo. [ESPN.com]

UConn Women Clinch Share of Big East Title

For the 17th time, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team has clinched at least a share of the Big East title with their 74-47 win over the Villanova Wildcats in front of 8,746 at Gampel Pavilion.

Connecticut's Tina Charles goes up for a shot guarded by Villanova's Heather Scanlon in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009. Connecticut defeated Villanova 74-47. (AP Photo/Bob Child)It was the final regular season Gampel game for the Huskies, who improve to 28-0 (14-0). Villanova falls to 17-11 (9-5). It was the Huskies 36th straight regular season win and their 37th consecutive home win.

Tina Charles led the way for the Huskies with her 8th double-double of the season and 33rd of her career by scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Renee Montgomery added 17 points and Kalana Greene got out of her funk with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Maya Moore lost her streak of 28 straight games in double figures as she only scored 8 points. She did pull down 11 rebounds. Tiffany Hayes added a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with her 6 points.

After being shutout for most of the first half, Laura Kurz finished with 17 points to lead the Wildcats. Maria Getty added 9 points and Lisa Karcic chipped in with 7 points for Harry Perretta’s Wildcats.

The Huskies started quickly as theywent on a 7-0 run before Karcic got the Wildcats on the board with a 3. The Huskies followed that with a 9-0 run to take a 16-3 lead. Holding an 18-9 lead, the Huskies went on a 12-0 run to open up a 21 point lead.

That lead swelled up to as high as 25 points at 39-14 with 1:06 to go in the first half.  But Villanova got it back under 20 points as they closed out the half on a 7-0 run to cut UConn’s lead to 39-21.

The Wildcats continued the run in the second half as they scored the first four points of the half.  The Huskies followed that up with a 12-4 run to push the lead to 21 points and never looked back from there.

Good solid win for the Huskies tonight. It was nice to see Kalana Greene bounce back from some dismal performances and play a great game. She’s essential to the Huskies as they go in quest of their 6th national title.

Next up is Senior Night for the Huskies on Saturday night at the XL Center against the Seton Hall Pirates at 7:30 PM.  CPTV will be broadcasting the game and they will be showing the Senior Night festivities.

Continue reading →

Red Sox Evening Delight – 2/24

Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek faces reporters following a baseball spring training workout, in Fort Myers, Fla., in this Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 file photo. Varitek turns 37 in March of 2009 and took a 50 percent pay cut when he signed for $5 million for 2009 with team and player options for 2010. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

We’re just less than 24 hours from the first televised game and about 17 hours until the Boston Red Sox play their first exhibition games of the spring schedule. And we’ve already got lineups if you haven’t seen them yet.

Red Sox vs. BC (1:05 p.m.) Red Sox vs. Twins (7:05 p.m.)
1. Julio Lugo, SS 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Rocco Baldelli, LF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH 3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
4. J.D. Drew, RF 4. Jason Bay, LF
5. Chris Carter, 1B 5. Brad Wilkerson, RF
6. George Kottaras, C 6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. Jonathan Van Every, CF 7. Jeff Bailey, DH
8. Nick Green, 2B 8. Josh Bard, C
9. Angel Chavez, 3B 9. Gil Velazquez, 3B
Scheduled pitchers: Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Kris Johnson, Junichi Tazawa, Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard Scheduled pitchers: Tim Wakefield, Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Ramon Ramirez, Billy Traber and Dustin Richardson

For those wondering why you don’t see Jason Varitek in there don’t worry, he’ll be in the lineup on Thursday. Terry Francona didn’t want him to catch two days in a row this early in camp.

I’m excited for the game tomorrow night (of course the UConn men are on at the same time so I’ll be employing two televisions). As I said earlier in a comment, it will be nice to hear the crack of the bat and the pop of the catcher’s mitt after Wakefield’s done with his two innings.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Red Sox will lose 14 players to the WBC. The good news is the Red Sox only lose two pitchers off the 40-man (Matsuzaka, Lopez). Hopefully Japan doesn’t overuse the reigning WBC MVP.

Before we get into the links from today, there’s some good news to pass along. According to Alex Speier of WEEI, Hideki Okajima won’t become a free agent until after the 2012 season.

Unlike some Japanese players who have clauses that make them free agents upon the expiration of their first MLB contract, Okajima will become arbitration eligible while remaining under Red Sox team control when his contract concludes following this season, according to an MLB source. As such, the Sox can retain him through six years of major-league service time. So long as the Sox continue to renew his contract, and barring a stint in the minors, the 33-year-old would remain with the club through the 2012 season without reaching free agency.

Okajima a Red Sox for the long-term [Full Count]

Francona’s daily briefing [Extra Bases]

Varitek will play on Thursday [Projo Sox Blog]

Jonathan Papelbon lets loose on D&C [Full Count]

What you’re missing [Extra Bases]

Ortiz puts on a show [Projo Sox Blog]

Tuesday’s recap [Extra Bases]

Scouting combine moves to Ft. Myers [Full Count]

“Can I have your autograph?” [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox should back Bay [Tony Mazz]

Red Sox spring training property presentations set [The News-Press]

Some minor happenings [Full Count]

Red Sox Lose 14 Players To WBC

World Baseball Classic '09 logoThe World Baseball Classic rosters were announced tonight and the Boston Red Sox will have 14 players participating. There are 6 guys on the 40-man roster who will be playing and 8 Red Sox minor leaguers.

Red Sox 40-man players in WBC

Red Sox minor leaguers in WBC

Javy Lopez will play in WBC [Full Count]

Rosters are set for World Baseball Classic [MLB.com]

Rich Eisen Runs The 40 At the NFL Combine

This may have been the best part of the NFL Combine that finished up today in Indianapolis.

For the 5th time, the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen ran the 40-yard dash in his suit and tie. The funnier part though is after he runs it when Deion Sanders and the crew break it down. Even Boston College’s B.J. Raji is faster than Eisen.

[dailymotion]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8hhq8_eisen-forty_sport[/dailymotion]

Gov. Rell Not Happy With Calhoun

Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (left), Jim Calhoun (right) - AP Photos

Apparently Connecticut governor Jodi Rell is not very happy with the display put on by UConn Huskies men’s coach Jim Calhoun when he was asked about his salary after Saturday’s game.

“I think if coach Calhoun had the opportunity right now, he would welcome a do-over and not have that embarrassing display,” she said, speaking to reporters after a meeting with business leaders and local college officials.

Asked what she considered embarrassing, Rell said Calhoun’s whole tone.

In my opinion, Calhoun had every right to say what he said, no matter the tone. A postgame press conference is neither the time nor the place to be asked such a stupid question. Yes I know the times are tough right now (no one knows that better than me) but I’m pretty sure if you were asked that question, you wouldn’t want to answer it or would give a snide answer back.

Rell: Calhoun’s Response An ‘Embarrassing Display’ [Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun Vs. Ken Krayeske: Not $12 Million Net [Capital Watch]

Adrien, Thabeet On Midseason Naismith List

Jeff Adrien (left), Hasheem Thabeet (right) - AP Photos

UConn Huskies power forward Jeff Adrien and center Hasheem Thabeet are among the 30 names that were released today as midseason candidates for the Naismith Award.

Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, founder of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is awarded annually to the male and female college basketball players of the year.

The Huskies are one of six schools that have 2 representatives on the list.

Here’s your 30 candidates:

  • A.J, Abrams, Sr., guard, Texas
  • Jeff Adrien, Sr., forward, UConn
  • DeJuan Blair, So., center, Pittsburgh
  • Trevor Booker, Jr., forward/center, Clemson
  • Jon Brockman, Sr., forward, Washington
  • Nick Calathes, So. guard/forward, Florida
  • Dionte Christmas, Sr., guard, Temple
  • Earl Clark, Jr., guard/forward, Louisville
  • Sherron Collins, Jr., guard, Kansas
  • Stephen Curry, Jr., guard, Davidson
  • Devan Downey, Jr., guard, South Carolina
  • Blake Griffin, So., forward, Oklahoma
  • Tyler Hansbrough, Sr., Forward, North Carolina
  • Luke Harangody, Jr., forward, Notre Dame
  • James Harden, So., guard, Arizona State
  • Gerald Henderson, Sr., forward, Duke
  • Robbie Hummel, So., guard/forward, Purdue
  • James Johnson, So., forward, Wake Forest
  • Ty Lawson, Jr., guard, North Carolina
  • Eric Maynor, Sr., guard, Virginia Commonwealth
  • Jack McClinton, Sr., guard, Miami
  • Jerel McNeal, Sr., guard, Marquette
  • Jodie Meeks, Jr., guard, Kentucky
  • Patrick Mills, So., guard, Saint Mary’s
  • Tyrese Rice, Sr., guard, Boston College
  • Kyle Singler, So., forward,Duke
  • Jeff Teague, So., guard, Wake Forest
  • Hasheem Thabeet, Jr., center, UConn
  • Terrence Williams, Sr., forward, Louisville
  • Sam Young, Sr., forward, Pittsburgh

It’s good to see Adrien get some more national recognition. If you had to put a face on this UConn team, it would be his. He’s what makes UConn go.

NCAA Women’s College Basketball Polls – Week 15

AP Poll, USA Today/ESPN PollFor the 13th consecutive week in the AP Poll and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team are the unanimous No. 1 team in the land.

And for those who follow the RPI rankings, you can check them out as well.

AP Top 25 PVS ESPN/USA Today Top 25 PVS
1. Connecticut (44) 27-0 1100 1 1. Connecticut (31) 27-0 775 1
2. Oklahoma 24-2 1056 2 2. Stanford 22-4 722 4
3. Stanford 22-4 996 4 3. Oklahoma 24-3 683 2
4. California 22-3 897 6 4. California 22-3 661 6
5. Maryland 23-4 877 9 5. Maryland 23-4 633 7
6. Baylor 21-4 859 5 6. Auburn 26-2 616 3
7. Auburn 26-2 848 3 7. Baylor 21-4 596 5
8. Louisville 25-3 834 8 8. Louisville 25-3 544 9
9. North Carolina 23-4 777 10 9. Texas A&M 21-5 528 11
10. Duke 22-4 714 7 10. North Carolina 24-4 501 10
11. Florida State 23-5 681 11 11. Duke 22-4 488 8
12. Texas A&M 20-5 623 14 12. Florida State 23-5 436 12
13. Xavier 24-4 487 17 13. Xavier 24-4 378 16
14. Ohio State 22-5 478 20 14. Ohio State 22-5 352 17
15. Pittsburgh 20-5 443 19 15. Kansas State 21-4 287 14
16. Texas 19-7 389 12 16. South Dakota State 26-2 284 18
17. Florida 23-5 373 15 17. Florida 23-5 262 15
18. Tennessee 19-8 301 13 18. Texas 19-7 251 13
19. Vanderbilt 21-7 297 18 19. Virginia 21-7 207 21
20. Kansas State 21-4 257 16 20. Pittsburgh 20-5 204 22
21. South Dakota State 26-2 255 22 21. Vanderbilt 21-7 181 20
22. Virginia 21-7 223 23 22. Notre Dame 18-7 130 24
23. Notre Dame 18-7 174 24 23. Tennessee 19-8 124 19
24. Arizona State 20-6 157 25 24. Iowa State 19-7 61 23
25. Iowa State 19-7 94 21 25. Bowling Green 23-2 53 NR
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Bowling Green 43, DePaul 28, Middle Tennessee State 10, Purdue 8, Virginia Commonwealth 7, Wisconsin-Green Bay 6, Marist 4, LSU 2, Utah 2, Arizona State (20-6) 40; Middle Tennessee (23-5) 40; Marist (25-3) 16; Virginia Commonwealth (23-4) 7; DePaul (20-7) 4; Wisconsin-Green Bay (23-3) 4; Boston College (18-9) 2; Arkansas-Little Rock (22-5) 1; Gonzaga (22-6) 1; Mississippi State (19-8) 1; North Carolina A&T (20-6) 1; Oklahoma State (15-10) 1.
Dropped out Dropped out
None No. 25 Middle Tennessee (23-5).

Are you Ready For Don & The RemDawg?

NESN Bobbledesk

With NESN getting ready to air it’s first Boston Red Sox spring training game tomorrow night, I thought it’d be a good time to look back at some of the finer moments from the dynamic duo.

And with the Red Sox playing the Minnesota Twins, I thought this clip would be an appropriate start even though Manny Ramirez and Julian Tavarez aren’t part of the team anymore.