AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: This should come as no surprise to anyone who watches the New England Patriots play every week. The AP has selected New England Patriots lineback Jerod Mayo as the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mayo received 49-of-50 votes with the other vote going to Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers. The 1st round pick out of Tennessee led the Patriots with 128 tackles on the season.
Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 12/31
It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team on this snowy New Year’s eve morning as they will take on the Hartford Hawks at Noon at the XL Center. If you’re heading to the game be careful on the roads and if you decide to stay home, remember you can always catch the game on CPTV.
Heather Buck has officially decided to redshirt this year and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
The UConn women are finally playing a game at home.
Geno Auriemma still sees flaws with his team.
The UConn women are happy to be back home.
Geno Auriemma has been working his team extra hard in practice the past few days.
Former Huskies All-American Sue Bird practiced with the Huskies yesterday.
The UConn men are ready to move on from Monday’s loss to Georgetown.
Here’s a look at some telling numbers in the loss to Georgetown.
The loss to Georgetown doesn’t mean the season is over for the Huskies.
The UConn men’s biggest concern stands 7-foot-3.
David Borges of the New Haven Register has a look at Hasheem Thabeet’s numbers while at UConn.
Jim Calhoun was very truthful about the play of his Huskies on Monday night.
Rob Lunn details the trip to Toronto over at Thoughts From a Fat White Guy.
The timing was right for the UConn football team in getting a bowl game after New Year’s Day.
Rob Lunn filed an entry as a guest blogger over at ESPN.com.
The Huskies arrived in Toronto yesterday ready to prepare for Saturday’s International Bowl.
The UConn men’s hockey team fell to Merrimack 5-2 in the consolation game of the Toyota UConn Classic which was won by Quinnipiac.
Youk In Trouble With State of Massachusetts
Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley not happy with Youk: Apparently Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis forget to register his charity, Hits For Kids, as a non-profit organization with the state of Massachusetts. They have filed the correct papers with the IRS though and are rectifying the situation with the state.
Coakley’s office sent out a letter to Hits for Kids this week notifying the organization it is in violation of state law. All Massachusetts nonprofits are required to file annual reports with the AG’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division to show how much money has been raised and how it was spent.
He (Tom Lee, Youk’s spokesman) added that the nonprofit has registered with the IRS but that Mr. and Mrs. Youk were “so involved with the charity,” they weren’t aware they needed to also register with the state.
First Look At New England Patriots 2009 Schedule
UPDATE: The 2009 schedule has been released.
The NFL has released the New England Patriots schedule for 2009 and by the looks of it, it’s not going to be easy. The AFC East opponents are in bold.
Home:
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- Baltimore Ravens
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
Away:
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New York Jets
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Denver Broncos
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Of their 16 opponents, 6 made the playoffs this year. 5 of those games will take place at Gillette Stadium and 2 of them will be on the road.
I don’t know about what you think but I don’t see an easy game for the Patriots next season. Of course we still have a long way to go until we get to that point.
Without Roy, Trail Blazers Beat Celtics 91-86
Celtics not finding the west to their liking: One game after beating the Sacramento Kings by 45 points, the Boston Celtics took on the Portland Trail Blazers and fell 91-86. The Blazers, who were playing without their star Brandon Roy, were led by Steve Blake’s 21 points. LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 and Greg Oden had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Pierce led the Green with a game-high 28 points and Kevin Garnett chipped in with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists while Ray Allen rounded out the C’s in double-digits with 12 points. The Celtics will return home after a 1-3 road trip to take on former UConn Husky Caron Butler and the Washington Wizards Friday night at the T.D. BankNorth Garden. [ESPN.com]
New England Patriots Sign 5 Players
Here is a press release from the New England Patriots media relations staff concerning the signing of 5 players to future contracts.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots signed five players to future contracts today – defensive lineman Titus Adams, linebacker Angelo Craig, punter Tom Malone, linebacker Darrell Robertson and offensive lineman Ryan Wendell. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed. All five players ended the 2008 season as members of the Patriots practice squad.
Adams, 25, spent the entire 2008 regular season on the Patriots practice squad. He was originally selected by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Nebraska. The 6-foot-4-inch, 305-pound defensive lineman has not played in an NFL game, but has been signed by the New York Jets (2006 training camp), New York Giants (2007 offseason), San Diego Chargers (2007 training camp) and Cincinnati Bengals (2007 practice squad). He was released by the Bengals on July 7, 2008 and was signed by the Patriots on July 24, 2008.
Craig, 23, was a member of the Patriots practice squad from Dec. 3 through the end of the 2008 season. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of the University of Cincinnati. The 6-foot-5-inch, 242-pound linebacker was released by the Bengals in the final preseason roster cutdown on Aug. 31, 2008. He was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad on Sept. 3, 2008 and was released the following day.
Malone, 24, had two stints on the Patriots practice squad in 2008 – from Sept. 10 to Sept. 15 and from Nov. 26 through the end of the season. He was also on the Patriots practice squad late in the 2006 season and was with the team for its 2007 training camp. He was signed to the Patriots practice squad on December 20, 2006, and was signed to the active roster on January 23, 2007 before being released on Aug. 22, 2007. The 6-foot, 205-pound punter was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie free agent on May 5, 2006, out of the University of Southern California.
Robertson, 22, was a member of the Patriots practice squad from Nov. 17 through the end of the 2008 season. He was originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent following the 2008 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4-inch, 246-pound linebacker was released by the Cowboys on Aug. 30, 2008. He was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on Sept. 9, 2008 and played in two games for Edmonton, recording six tackles before being released on Sept. 29.
Wendell, 22, was a member of the Patriots practice squad from Sept. 24 through the end of the 2008 season. He was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Fresno State on May 2, 2008. The 6-foot-2-inch, 275-pound guard/center was with the Patriots throughout their 2008 training camp and was released on Aug. 26. Wendell was a four-year starter at Fresno State and was a first-team All-WAC selection as a senior in 2007.
Another One Bites The Dust
Adios Shanahan: The Denver Broncos have fired their head coach Mike Shanahan after they saw their playoff hopes go out the door when they lost their last 3 games. Shanahan was 24-24 over the past 3 seasons. He finished with a record of 146-91 including the playoffs during his 14 years as head coach. He was the second longest tenured coach behind Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans. He has won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the Broncos back when John Elway still played. [Denver Post]
NCAA Men’s & Women’s College Basketball Polls – Week 7
The polls are out for the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the UConn Huskies men’s team is currently still No. 2 only because the men’s polls came out before last night’s loss. Expect them to drop next week. The UConn women retained their firm grasp on the top spot in both polls heading into 2009.
| Men’s ESPN/USA Today Poll |
PVS |
Women’s ESPN/USA Today Poll |
PVS |
| 1. North Carolina (31) 12-0 775 | 1 | 1. Connecticut (31) 11-0 775 | 1 |
| 2. Connecticut 11-0 737 | 2 | 2. North Carolina 13-0 743 | 2 |
| 3. Pittsburgh 12-0 715 | 3 | 3. Texas A&M 10-0 704 | 3 |
| 4. Oklahoma 12-0 683 | 4 | 4. Texas 11-0 677 | 4 |
| 5. Duke 10-1 651 | 5 | 5. Oklahoma 9-2 642 | 5 |
| 6. Wake Forest 11-0 598 | 6 | 6. Notre Dame 10-1 588 | 6 |
| 7. Texas 10-2 531 | 8 | 7. Baylor 11-1 584 | 7 |
| 8. Georgetown 9-1 510 | 9 | 8. Stanford 9-3 506 | 8 |
| 9. UCLA 10-2 496 | 10 | 9. California 9-2 490 | 9 |
| 10. Notre Dame 9-2 453 | 11 | 10. Auburn 13-0 483 | 10 |
| 11. Purdue 11-2 398 | 15 | 11. Duke 10-1 481 | 11 |
| 11. Syracuse 12-1 398 | 14 | 12. Tennessee 9-2 445 | 12 |
| 13. Villanova 11-1 351 | 16 | 13. Louisville 12-1 442 | 13 |
| 14. Arizona State 10-1 346 | 17 | 14. Rutgers 8-2 378 | 14 |
| 15. Michigan State 9-2 308 | 18 | 15. Virginia 11-2 333 | 15 |
| 16. Clemson 12-0 293 | 20 | 16. Maryland 10-2 319 | 16 |
| 17. Gonzaga 8-3 285 | 7 | 17. Ohio St. 10-2 288 | 17 |
| 18. Louisville 8-2 223 | 19 | 18. Kansas St. 11-0 249 | 18 |
| 18. Tennessee 8-2 223 | 21 | 19. Vanderbilt 11-2 206 | 19 |
| 20. Baylor 10-1 194 | 22 | 20. Florida 12-1 187 | 20 |
| 21. Minnesota 12-0 181 | 23 | 21. South Dakota St. 13-1 165 | 21 |
| 22. Xavier 9-2 169 | 12 | 22. Pittsburgh 9-2 126 | 23 |
| 23. Ohio State 9-1 158 | 13 | 23. Oklahoma St. 9-2 79 | 24 |
| 24. Michigan 9-2 66 | NR | 24. Georgia Tech 10-2 52 | 25 |
| 25. Marquette 11-2 55 | 25 | 25. New Mexico 11-1 25 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes | Others receiving votes | ||
| Brigham Young 43, West Virginia 41, Butler 37, Memphis 33, Dayton 32, Saint Mary’s 26, Davidson 12, Arizona 10, Missouri 9, Illinois 8, Illinois State 6, Stanford 6, Florida 5, LSU 4, Texas A&M 3, Florida State 2, Utah State 1. | Wake Forest 20; Arizona State 17; Iowa State 10; DePaul 8; TCU 8; Xavier 8; Marist 7; Houston 6; Gonzaga 5; Wisconsin 5; Purdue 3; UCLA 3; Florida State 2; Georgia 2; South Alabama 2; Mississippi State 1; South Florida 1. | ||
| Dropped From Rankings | DROPPED OUT | ||
| Memphis 24. | Arizona State, 22. | ||
Josh Bard Signing Official
Bard back with Red Sox: Tony Massarotti reports that the deal between the Boston Red Sox and Josh Bard is official now. The deal is for 1 year, $1.7 million and has incentives that could bring the deal to $2.5 million. Most of the contract is non-guaranteed. He also adds that this DOES NOT eliminate the Red Sox from trying to re-sign Jason Varitek. [Extra Bases]
Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 12/30
David Borges of the New Haven Register, Matt Stout of the Norwich Bulletin, Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant, Neill Ostrout of the Connecticut Post all have some postgame notes from the UConn Huskies loss to Georgetown last night.
There was a lot of blame to be passed around after the loss to Georgetown last night.
Hasheem Thabeet’s off night didn’t help the UConn Huskies.
Jerome Dyson was off the mark last night.
Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant has some extras from last night’s loss to Georgetown.
Hasheem Thabeet came up short in last night’s loss.
Jeff Adrien was named to the Big East Men’s Honor Roll for his play last week.
David Gillett was not surprised by the loss last night.
Hasheem Thabeet went missing against the Hoyas last night.
Georgetown won the battle of the whistles last night.
UConn men’s basketball recruit Jamal Trice was in on an official visit last night.
Tina Charles was named to the Big East Women’s Honor Roll for her play last week.
Phil Cardis of the Journal Inquirer has a preview of the UConn women’s game against the Hartford Hawks tomorrow.
Roger Cleaveland of the Republican-American had a Q&A with former Husky Mel Thomas.
Here are some pictures from the Mel Thomas book signing in East Haven, CT last night.
The UConn men’s hockey team rallied to tie No. 11 Air Force 2-2 in the Toyota UConn Classic.
UConnBowl.com will be featuring live chats and blogs from the players once they arrive in Toronto.