“UConn Merchandise Sale” And “UConn Club Auction” To Be Held Sunday At XL Center

UConn HuskiesSTORRS, Connecticut (January 13, 2009) — The University of Connecticut Division of Athletics will hold a “UConn Merchandise Sale” this Sunday, January 18, at the West Exhibition Hall of the XL Center in Hartford from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The sale is being held in conjunction with the annual UConn Club Auction and will take place prior to the UConn vs. Seton Hall men’s basketball game, which begins at 2:00 p.m. THE SALE AND AUCTION ARE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. A TICKET TO THE BASKETBALL GAME IS NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND THE SALE OR THE AUCTION.

The sale will feature unused UConn promotional merchandise and apparel from such manufacturers as Nike, Reebok and Aéropostale. Items, which will be priced at 50 to 75 percent below retail, include t-shirts, shorts, jackets, hats, travel bags, sweatshirts and hoodies, sweatsuits, outerwear, game jerseys and footwear.

Cash, check and credit cards will be accepted at the “UConn Sale” and all sales will be final.

The UConn Club Auction will be held at the same time and place and will feature items such as a new Toyota Camry, courtesy of the Connecticut Toyota Dealers, sports memorabilia, travel and leisure packages, tickets to sporting events, theatre and dining gift certificates and electronics.

Boston Red Sox Introduce John Smoltz

New Boston Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz holds up his jersey during a news conference at Fenway Park - AP Photo

During a press conference at Fenway Park this morning, Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein introduced the newest member of the team John Smoltz to the media. (Note: video may load slowly. Here is the transcript of the press conference.)

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video courtesy of NESN

To make room on the 40-man roster for Smoltz, the Red Sox designated David Pauley for assignment. He will wear No. 29 which was worn by hitting coach Dave Magadan, who kindly gave up the number without Smoltz even asking.

Smoltz will get a chance to face his former club, the Atlanta Braves, when they come to Beantown for a 3-game set on June 19th through the 21st.

He will earn a base salary of $5.5 million and can earn another $5 million incentives listed below:

  • $125,000 for his first day on the active roster
  • $500,000 if he’s on the roster the final day of the season
  • $35,000 for each day he’s not on the disabled list after June 1st, up to $4.375 million

Smoltz could also earn $1.375 million if he is named Comeback Player of the Year or wins the Cy Young. There’s also a clause in his contract for $500,000 if he gets traded away.

Five UConn Football Players Participating in Postseason All-Star Games

UConn Huskies Football LogoSTORRS, Conn. (January 13, 2009) — The University of Connecticut football team will have five players take part in upcoming all-star games in January.

Defensive end Cody Brown (Coral Springs, Fla.), cornerback and wide receiver Darius Butler (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and offensive tackle Will Beatty (York, Pa.) will all take part in the Senior Bowl, which takes place on Saturday, January 24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The game will be televised by the NFL Network and the three Huskies will play for the North squad. That team will be coached by Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and his staff.

All three of these Huskies were first team All-BIG EAST picks following the 2008 season.

UConn strong safety Dahna Deleston (East Hartford, Conn.) and defensive end Julius Williams (Decatur, Ga.) will both take part in the Texas Vs. The Nation All-Star Game on Saturday, January 31 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Texas. That game will be televised by CBS College Sports and the “Nation” team will be coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger, now of Florida Atlantic.

Beatty helped anchor a UConn offensive line that allowed junior Donald Brown (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) to be the leading rusher in the country as the Huskies ranked first in the BIG EAST, and 13th nationally, in rushing yards per game at 216.38 yards per game.

Cody Brown was second in the BIG EAST in sacks per game at 0.77 per contest and was also second in the league in tackles for a loss. He made a total of 56 tackles on the season.

Butler made 40 tackles on the season with four pass break-ups and also saw time on the other side of the ball as a receiver for the Huskies with receptions for 123 yards.

Deleston had 60 tackles on the year for UConn with three for a loss and two interceptions, including one that he returned for 100 yards in the Huskies’ 38-20 win over Buffalo in the International Bowl.

Williams had 41 tackles on the season with 11 of them for a loss and six sacks.

Red Sox, Diamondbacks Talking Montero

Red Sox and Diamondbacks talking trade: Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe provides an update on the trade talks between the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks involving catcher Miguel Montero.

Sox and Diamondbacks have yet to settle on compensation for Montero, a 25-year-old lefthanded-hitting catcher who would be a nice match with Josh Bard, a switch hitter who is better from the right side. According to one major league source, the Diamondbacks are seeking only a comparable prospect in return — be it a pitcher or a positional player — but the sides have yet to identify a comparable talent that would make the deal work for both sides.

[Extra Bases]

Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 1/13

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they return home to Gampel Pavilion to host the DePaul Blue Demons at 7:30 PM. The game will be televised locally on CPTV. It’s the first time the Huskies have played at Gampel since December 3rd when they beat Holy Cross 96-37.

John Altavilla of the Hartford Courant and Rich Elliott of the Connecticut Post have notes from yesterday’s women’s basketball practice.

The UConn women’s freshman have leveled off since their hot start to the season.

Geno Auriemma has finally gotten his wish by being able to play Maya Moore at power forward.

Tiffany Hayes has turned into a top sub for the UConn women.

Maya Moore’s growth has shown from this season to last season.

The Huskies may be unbeaten but they are still a work in progress.

Tiffany Hayes and Caroline Doty will continue to fight through their shooting slumps.

Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant answers questions about the UConn men’s team in his weekly mailbag.

David Gillett has his men’s Big East Power Rankings.

The UConn women’s hockey team is No. 10 in the latest USCHO.com Division I Poll.

Celtics Beat Raptors For The Second Straight Night

Celtics Score Team Record 22 Points in OT: Paul Pierce had a season-high 39 points as he led the Boston Celtics to an 115-109 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors in front of a packed house at the T.D. BankNorth Garden. Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 12 rebounds while Ray Allen had 12 points. Brian Scalabrine, starting for the injured Kendrick Perkins, had 11 points and Leon Powe came off the bench to add 10 points. Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors with 23 points and Chris Bosh had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Roko Ukic added 16 points in the losing cause. The newest member of the Boston Red Sox, John Smoltz, was on hand and a received a standing ovation from the crowd. [Celtics.com]

Jim Rice Press Conference

Earlier this afternoon, Boston Red Sox great and the newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jim Rice, held a press conference at Fenway Park.

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video courtesy of NESN

Bill Belichick Comments On Departure of Josh McDaniels

New England PatriotsThe New England Patriots released a statement from head coach Bill Belichick on the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who was named Denver Broncos head coach.

“Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with. Since joining us eight years ago, Josh performed a variety of roles and excelled in every one of them. Between his work on defense, in scouting, player evaluation and coordinating the offense, Josh is a very well-rounded coach whose outstanding body of work speaks for itself. He is the product of a pure football environment which is evident in his approach to the game. On behalf of the entire Patriots organization, we thank Josh for tremendous success in New England and congratulate him and the McDaniels family for this most deserving opportunity for advancement.”

McDaniels received a 4-year contract from the Broncos and will be introduced tonight in Denver at a 7 PM EST press conference.

NCAA Men’s College Basketball Polls – Week 9

The NCAA men’s college basketball polls are out and the Pittsburgh Panthers remain the No. 1 team in the land. The Duke Blue Devils (I can’t believe I wrote their name on the blog) and the Wake Forest Deacon Demons are No. 2 and 3 in the land in each poll, depending on the poll. With Wake Forest’s “upset” of the North Carolina Tar Heels yesterday, the UConn Huskies were fortunate to move up to No. 4 in both polls.

Here’s a look at both polls.

AP Top 25 PVS ESPN/USA Today Poll PVS
1. Pittsburgh (70) 15-0 1,798 1 1. Pittsburgh (29) 15-0 773 1
2. Wake Forest (2) 14-0 1,686 4 2. Duke 14-1 729 2
3. Duke 14-1 1,678 2 3. Wake Forest (2) 14-0 725 4
4. Connecticut 14-1 1,549 5 4. Connecticut 14-1 660 5
5. North Carolina 14-2 1,461 3 5. Oklahoma 15-1 617 6
6. Oklahoma 15-1 1,440 6 6. North Carolina 14-2 611 3
7. Michigan State 13-2 1,356 8 7. UCLA 13-2 576 7
8. Syracuse 16-1 1,232 11 8. Syracuse 16-1 560 9
9. UCLA 13-2 1,222 10 9. Clemson 16-0 528 11
10. Clemson 16-0 1,153 12 10. Michigan State 13-2 503 12
11. Texas 12-3 1,009 7 11. Texas 12-3 421 7
12. Notre Dame 12-3 1,008 13 12. Georgetown 11-3 365 10
13. Georgetown 11-3 908 9 13. Notre Dame 12-3 363 13
14. Marquette 15-2 752 18 14. Marquette 15-2 353 15
15. Xavier 13-2 710 16 15. Arizona State 14-2 328 16
16. Arizona State 14-2 573 20 16. Xavier 13-2 279 18
17. Butler 14-1 521 21 17. Minnesota 15-1 262 19
18. Minnesota 15-1 508 22 18. Butler 14-1 256 20
19. Purdue 12-4 490 14 19. Purdue 12-4 182 14
20. Louisville 11-3 433 23 20. Louisville 11-3 173 21
21. Baylor 13-2 364 23 21. Baylor 13-2 159 23
22. California 15-2 299 NR 22. Villanova 13-3 110 17
23. Villanova 13-3 229 18 23. California 15-2 109 NR
24. Tennessee 10-4 198 15 24. Michigan 13-3 78 NR
25. Michigan 13-3 153 NR 25. Saint Mary’s 15-1 62 NR
Others Receiving Votes Others Receiving Votes
Gonzaga 137, Arkansas 132, Illinois 115, Memphis 86, Saint Mary’s 50, Miami (FL) 25, Florida 25, Wisconsin 24, Brigham Young 18, Davidson 12, West Virginia 12, Boston College 11, Kansas 6, Florida State 5, South Carolina 3, George Mason 2, Oklahoma State 2, Harvard 1, TCU 1, Texas A&M 1, Virginia Military 1, Missouri 1. Arkansas 51, Illinois 47, Memphis 42, Brigham Young 37, Gonzaga 17, Dayton 14, Tennessee 11, Utah State 11, Wisconsin 10, Florida 9, Illinois State 9, West Virginia 7, Davidson 6, Boston College 6, Ohio State 5, Miami (FL) 4, Washington 3, Missouri 2, Texas A&M 1, UNLV 1.
Dropped From Rankings Dropped From Rankings
Boston College 17, West Virginia 25. West Virginia 22, Boston College 24, Tennessee 25