NCAA Women’s College Basketball Polls – Week 13

AP & USA Today PollsFor the 11th straight week in the AP Poll and 13th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team remains the unanimous No. 1 team in the land. And of course with the UConn men holding the top spots as well, Storrs remains the “Basketball Capital of the World” for another week.

AP Top 25 PVS ESPN/USA Today Poll PVS
1. Connecticut (45) 23-0 1125 1 1. Connecticut (31) 23-0 775 1
2. Oklahoma 20-2 1080 2 2. Oklahoma 20-2 744 2
3. California 20-2 1013 3 3. California 20-2 702 3
4. Duke 19-2 964 4 4. Auburn 23-1 655 5
5. Auburn 23-1 924 6 5. Stanford 19-4 641 6
6. Stanford 19-4 880 7 6. Baylor 19-3 621 7
7. Baylor 19-3 855 8 7. North Carolina 21-3 579 9
8. North Carolina 20-3 831 8 8. Texas A&M 18-4 535 4
9. Florida 22-2 759 11 9. Maryland 19-4 519 11
10. Louisville 21-3 711 5 10. Duke 19-3 501 8
11. Maryland 18-4 700 13 11. Florida 22-2 469 13
12. Texas A&M 18-4 613 10 12. Louisville 21-3 432 10
13. Texas 17-5 566 16 13. Ohio State 19-4 316 12
14. Florida State 20-5 490 15 14. Texas 17-5 312 18
15. Tennessee 17-6 445 12 15. Virginia 19-5 303 15
16. Iowa State 18-4 413 21 16. Kansas State 19-3 300 14
17. Virginia 19-5 385 17 17. Florida State 20-5 281 19
18. Ohio State 19-4 371 14 18. Tennessee 17-6 230 17
19. Pittsburgh 17-4 356 22 19. Xavier 20-4 210 21
20. Kansas State 19-3 289 18 20. Iowa State 18-4 204 23
21. Xavier 20-4 219 23 21. South Dakota State 23-2 203 20
22. Notre Dame 17-5 205 19 22. Notre Dame 17-5 194 16
23. South Dakota State 22-2 150 24 23. Pittsburgh 17-4 140 24
24. Vanderbilt 18-6 132 20 24. Vanderbilt 18-6 86 22
25. DePaul 18-6 51 25 25. DePaul 18-6 45 25
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Middle Tennessee State 34, Arizona State 18, Bowling Green 10, Rutgers 8, Michigan State 5, Georgia Tech 4, Mississippi State 4, LSU 3, Oklahoma State 3, Utah 3, Boston College 2, Wisconsin-Green Bay 2, Gonzaga 1, Minnesota 1, Middle Tennessee State 34, Bowling Green 19, Marist 6, Boston College 4, Arkansas-Little Rock 3, Oklahoma State 3, Gonzaga 3, Arizona State 2, Georgia 1, Minnesota 1, North Carolina A&T 1, Virginia Commonwealth 1,
DROPPED FROM RANKINGS DROPPED FROM RANKINGS
None None

Red Sox Afternoon Delight – 2/10

We are just two days away from the Boston Red Sox pitchers and catchers reporting to camp in Ft. Myers. Yesterday saw the arrival of Josh Beckett and Takashi Saito among others joining the players that are already there.

Of course yesterday there was a funny exchange between Beckett and Saito. And as Texy from Center Field says, “who is going to tell Josh that Saito is not from Mexico?”

Classic Beckett!!

John Smoltz arrived today as did Brad Penny. Smoltz was later seen throwing a football around.

Kevin Youkilis also held court today briefly, talking about the ARoid situation and the Red Sox offense.

On ARoid: “It’s an unfortunate thing to hear that,” Youkilis said, when asked if he had watched the interview on ESPN with Rodriguez. “It’s also a good thing that he came out and admitted it.

“Sometimes it’s hard to go out there and admit to something in your past. There’s a lot of people in this world who have done something wrong. Myself, I’ve done things wrong — not in that nature. But it’s tough. I think it’s tough for people in general in life to admit to some of the things they’ve done wrong.”

Youkilis added that he hoped that fans wouldn’t assume that all players are on performance-enhancing drugs, given the recent revelations. He said, “I’ve never done anything like that in my life and I plan on never doing it. … I want the fans really to know that not everyone does it.”

On The Red Sox offense:

“The one thing I always say about baseball and all other sports is one player can’t win a championship,” Youkilis said. “You’ve seen over the years it’s not even the 25-man roster, you’ve got to go all the way into the 40-man roster to win a championship. It’s definitely going to be different in the lineup without Manny Ramirez. He’s definitely probably one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time, and there’s no player in this locker room that has the talent that Manny has, hitting-wise.

“I think the biggest thing is we have a lot of depth still. We have four guys that can go 20-plus home runs.”

I don’t know about you but I’m excited as I can be right now for baseball to start.

Rob over at The Bottom Line asked some questions from various Red Sox Bloggers including myself. Here are the answers to question 1 and question 2.

And So it Begins [Extra Bases]

Testing Rocco Baldelli [Boston Herald]

9 key questions facing the Sox as they head into spring training [Boston Herald]

Youk ready for 2009 [ProJo Sox Blog]

MLB Suffers Another Big Blow

Miguel TejadaIn the wake of the Alex Rodriguez story yesterday, former Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles  and current Houston Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying to Congress about steroids.

Federal prosecutors accused Tejada of making misrepresentations to congressional staffers during an interview in a Baltimore hotel room focusing on the prevalence of steroids in the game.

Prosecutors did not charge Tejada with lying about allegations concerning his own steroids use.

Instead, they accuse Tejada of giving false statements to congressional staffers about his conversations with another player about steroids and human growth hormone.

The charges stem from a conversation Tejada had with former player Adam Piatt about HGH.

It’s being reported that Tejada has accepted a plea deal and will be at the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC tomorrow morning at 11 AM to plead guilty.

Tejada Charged With Lying to Investigators [Washington Post]

Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 2/10

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

UConn women’s basketball links

Jim Fuller of the New Haven Register, John Altavilla of the Hartford Courant, Rich Elliott of the Connecticut Post and Joe Perez of the Norwich Bulletin have some notes on Jessica McCormack’s surgery.

Jessica McCormack’s surgery will be delayed a week due to a throat infection [UConn ¦ Women’s Basketball]

John Altavilla of the Hartford Courant has an update on former Husky Ketia Swanier [UConn ¦ Women’s Basketball]

Former UConn star Diana Taurasi was selected as an All-Star for the Euroleague All-Star Game [Elm City To Eagleville]

No rank and file No. 1’s [Hartford Courant]

After a slow start, the Huskies got up to speed [Journal Inquirer]

Maya Moore was named the Big East Women’s Honor Roll [BigEast.org]

UConn men’s basketball links

Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant, Neill Ostrout of the Connecticut Post,

Rob Lunn has added former men’s basketball walk-on Marty Gagne, who checks in with his first entry, to the FWG staff [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

David Gillett has his men’s Big East Power Rankings [UConn Huskies Basketball]

David Gillett has some video of Hasheem Thabeet from the Michigan game [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Jerome Dyson took Hasheem Thabeet’s best shot on Saturday [Journal Inquirer]

The UConn men are playing above the law [New London Day]

A.J. Price has been encountering some unruly fans on the road [Syracuse Post-Standard]

UConn football links

Brian Bennett has the UConn football team ranked 6th in his early Big East power rankings [ESPN.com]

UConn has already offered a scholarship to Class of 2010 QB Scott McCummings of Natick, MA [Recruiting Planet]

Full ARod Interview With Peter Gammons

Here is the full interview conducted by ESPN’s Peter Gammons with Alex Rodriguez about ARod’s use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Transcript of interview

Selena Roberts statement on allegations made by ARod during the interview:

“The allegations made by Alex Rodriguez are absurd,” said Roberts, in the statement. “I’ve never set foot in the lobby of Alex’s New York apartment building, never spoken to the University of Miami police, and never set foot on his home property or been cited by the Miami Police for doing so.”

Sports Illustrated statement:

“Sports Illustrated stands by the story and the professional manner in which it was reported. Selena Roberts is a distinguished journalist and her reporting in this case led to Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs.”

Comcast SportsNet adds Lou Merloni; Announces Unique Coverage of Spring Training

Comcast SportsNetFORMER RED SOX AND FRAMINGHAM NATIVE LOU MERLONI JOINS COMCAST SPORTSNET AS ANALYST AND REPORTER

Merloni To Be Featured During Spring Training Coverage and Throughout Regular Season

BURLINGTON, MA – Nine-year Major League Baseball veteran and New England media personality Lou Merloni joins Comcast SportsNet as an analyst and reporter. Merloni, a Framingham native and former Red Sox infielder, will be featured prominently during Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight’s coverage of Red Sox Spring Training and throughout the regular season.

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of pitchers and catchers begins on Thursday, February 12, with live reports by Merloni from Fort Myers. Full squad coverage begins on Monday, February 16, and features two live shows per night that look unlike any other local or national coverage from Fort Myers. Red Sox fans can catch Merloni, hosts Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger, and Red Sox players, coaches and executives each night at 6:30 and 10 p.m. (9:30 p.m. on Thursday), live from the Pink Shell Resort on Fort Myers Beach.

Since retiring from baseball in 2007, Merloni has been a regular contributor on Sports Radio WEEI. Last season, Merloni worked as a baseball analyst on NESN.

“I am tremendously excited about joining Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight. Sports Tonight is unique in this market and the show provides the perfect opportunity for me to show my versatility,” said Merloni. “My role will extend beyond just analyzing the Red Sox performance on the field. They have offered me the chance to do interviews and shoot feature stories.”

Throughout the 2009 season, Merloni will appear at least twice a week during Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from Fenway Park or Comcast SportsNet’s Burlington studios.

“We view Lou Merloni as an up-and-coming star in the New England sports market with skills far beyond his Red Sox roots, and we are delighted to add Lou to our talent roster. With baseball season right around the corner, we will start by leveraging Lou’s baseball knowledge and solid contacts within the Red Sox clubhouse,” said Bill Bridgen, Comcast SportsNet executive vice president and general manager. “We are also working on additional ways to increase his presence on the network beyond Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight as Lou Merloni is one of the rare ex-athletes who can deliver expert analysis, wit and criticisms with impact on TV.”

Merloni’s nine-year career included a six-year stint with the Red Sox from 1998-2003. The Red Sox drafted Merloni in 10th round of the 1993 amateur draft out of Providence College. His career included stops with the Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Continue reading →

What’s Next For ARoid?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbnFA70CQGI[/youtube]

Now that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs,  what’s next for him.

Obviously, there will be much discussion about his numbers that he put up during the 2001-03 seasons in Texas.

  • 2001 – .318 avg, 52 HRs, 135 RBIs
  • 2002 – .300 avg, 57 HRs, 142 RBIs, finished 2nd in AL MVP voting
  • 2003 – .298, 47 HRs, 118 RBIs, AL MVP

We should also look at his numbers with the Yankees.

  • 2004 – .286 avg, 36 HRs, 106 RBIs
  • 2005 – .321 avg, 48 HRs, 130 RBIs, AL MVP
  • 2006 – .290 avg, 35 HRs, 121 RBIs
  • 2007 – .314 avg, 54 HRs, 156 RBIs, AL MVP
  • 2008 – .302 avg, 35 HRs, 103 RBIs

I can understand the dropoff the first year in New York as he adjusted to the limelight but you have to look at the jump in numbers from 2006 to 2007 and then the dropoff in 2008.

While he said during the interview that he hasn’t done anything else, I do have to wonder if he did something in 2007, possibly HGH since it’s undectectable.

The numbers for ARod will always be in question now because he was supposed to be the one who took over the records doing it cleanly. Now that will never happen.

I will say this. I am glad that he came out and admitted it rather than take the Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens route of denying. In the end, people will forgive him but they will never forget especially since he’s supposed to be the greatest player of our generation.

ESPN will have the full interview with Peter Gammons and ARod on the 6 PM EST edition of SportsCenter.

NCAA Men’s College Basketball Polls – Week 13

AP Poll, USA Today/ESPN PollFor the second week in a row, the UConn Huskies retain the No. 1 spot in the land. The Big East Conference has 4 of the 10 spots in the AP Poll and 3 of the 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.

While many people, including myself, talk about teams holding the top spot in the land, the only time it really matters is in April after the championship game.

Remember you’ll be hearing about your favorite teams’ RPI rating as we get closer to the NCAA Tournament.

AP Top 25 PVS ESPN/USA Today Poll PVS
1. Connecticut (67) 22-1 1,795 1 1. Connecticut (30) 22-1 774 1
2. Oklahoma (3) 23-1 1,710 2 2. Oklahoma (1) 23-1 735 2
3. North Carolina (2) 21-2 1,672 3 3. North Carolina 21-2 711 4
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 1,583 6 4. Pittsburgh 21-2 689 5
5. Louisville 18-4 1,423 5 5. Duke 20-3 604 3
6. Duke 20-3 1,350 4 6. UCLA 19-4 554 12
7. Wake Forest 18-3 1,242 7 7. Louisville 18-4 553 7
8. Memphis 20-3 1,237 14 8. Wake Forest 18-3 541 6
9. Michigan State 19-4 1,214 13 9. Michigan State 19-4 521 14
10. Marquette 20-3 1,137 8 10. Memphis 20-3 486 15
11. UCLA 19-4 1,131 15 11. Clemson 19-3 456 10
12. Clemson 19-3 1,097 10 12. Marquette 20-3 446 8
13. Villanova 19-4 989 17 13. Villanova 19-4 416 16
14. Xavier 20-3 893 9 14. Xavier 20-3 375 9
15. Butler 21-2 762 11 15. Butler 21-2 346 11
16. Kansas 19-4 751 21 16. Kansas 19-4 300 24
17. Missouri 20-4 395 NR 17. Utah State 23-1 258 22
18. Arizona State 18-5 389 24 18. Arizona State 18-5 214 23
19. Gonzaga 17-5 361 18 19. Missouri 20-4 162 NR
20. Purdue 17-6 353 12 20. Illinois 19-5 143 21
21. Utah State 23-1 317 25 21. Gonzaga 17-5 124 18
22. Illinois 19-5 303 23 22. Syracuse 18-6 115 20
23. Syracuse 18-6 280 20 23. Purdue 17-6 114 13
24. Ohio State 17-5 216 NR 24. Washington 17-6 86 25
25. Florida State 18-5 182 NR 25. Florida State 18-5 62 NR
Others Receiving Votes Others Receiving Votes
LSU 167, Washington 135, Texas 106, Florida 66, Minnesota 43, Dayton 31, California 16, Kansas State 8, West Virginia 8, South Carolina 7, Davidson 7, Miami (FL) 7, Utah 4, Arizona 4, San Diego State 2, Siena 2, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 1, Boston College 1, Green Bay 1. Ohio State 55, Texas 50, LSU 50, Dayton 34, Minnesota 30, Florida 26, Davidson 9, Utah 9, South Carolina 7, Saint Mary’s 5, Brigham Young 5, California 3, San Diego State 3, Penn State 2, UNLV 1, Arizona 1.
Dropped From Rankings Dropped From Rankings
Texas 16, Minnesota 19, Washington 22. Texas 17, Minnesota 19.