Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 9/19

Paw Prints Daily Roundup

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team and if you missed my Baylor Bears vs UConn Huskies preview, be sure to check it out.

If you’re heading the game tonight and can spare a few extra dollars, the UConn SAAC will be collecting financial donations for hurricane victims.

Last night on NESN’s SportsDesk, John Chandler did a profile of UConn running back Donald Brown. The video is below.

video courtesy of NESN

Chip Malafronte of the New Haven Register has notes from Thursday’s teleconference that Andre Dixon and Lindsey Witten will play in the game tonight among other things.

The UConn Huskies are fine with not being ranked right now.

Baylor will be the fastest team the Huskies have played this year.

Baylor QB Robert Griffin is carving out his own niche.

Baylor is ready for a heavy dose of Donald Brown tonight.

Neill Ostrout of the Connecticut Post has a look at what to expect when both UConn and Baylor have the ball.

Some of the schools who recruited Donald Brown didn’t see him as a major college running back. Boy were they wrong.

Randy Edsall knew his defense was going to be strong this season.

This will be the first major test for the UConn defense tonight against Baylor.

Lawrence Wilson maintains a low profile for the Huskies.

Randy Edsall and the Huskies did their best to simulate the speed of Robert Griffin at practice this week.

Tonight’s game is an important one for the Huskies.

Tyler Lorenzen got back to the winning formula last week that made the Huskies successful last year.

Plenty of UConn fans were on hand yesterday when Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics NBA Championship Trophy stopped by the State Capitol Building in Hartford.

David Gillett has video of A.J. Price talking about getting ready for this season.

Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 9/19

Kathryn Tappen

While the Boston Red Sox were off yesterday, they still picked up a ½ game in the standings as the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox lead in the wild card standings still stands at 6.5 games as we enter the final 10 days of the season.

With the Twins and the Rays playing each other, the Red Sox need to go out and take care of their own business on the field. It won’t be easy though as tonight they will face A.J. Burnett and tomorrow Roy Halladay.

Jason Varitek isn’t thinking too much about where he’ll be playing next year.

Josh Beckett and David Ortiz are returning to form.

Clay Buchholz will spend his fall pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

Sarasota is doing it’s best to get the Red Sox to come there for spring training.

Jacoby Ellsbury has been a human highlight reel in the outfield this season.

For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant and Providence Journal websites.

In The Red Zone – Dolphins (0-2) at Patriots (2-0) Preview – Week 3

Game Preview Logo

This Week

Dolphins at Patriots - Week 3

The New England Patriots host the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA on Sunday at 1 p .m.

The Patriots are 1-0 at the Razor, 1-0 in the division and 2-0 against the AFC. The Dolphins are 0-1 on the road, 0-1 in the division and 0-1 against the AFC.

Here are the rosters for the Dolphins and the Patriots.

Here are the projected starting lineups for the game.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports is Patriots -12.5. The over/under is 35.5.

My prediction is Patriots 24, Dolphins, 10.  Give the points and take the under.  I am 0-2 against the spread and 1-1 on calling the over/under in 2008.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 153rd consecutive sellout dating back to the 1994 season opener. The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

Tickets to the game, if available, may be purchased through Ticketmaster. You can check the availability here. Many times tickets are released in the last 48 hours prior to the game.

Getting To The Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast for the game from The Weather Channel.

Click for stadium directions, parking information, parking map, specific MBTA train times for this game and a Gillette Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgaiting America. There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack. I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good and for good measure here is one of my own.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages. With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks. You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or by theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or someone’s house moderation is always the key to a great time. Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver. Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

CBS is televising the game regionally and Ian Eagle will do the play-by-play while Solomon Wilcots will handle the game analysis. You can see if you are getting the game and look for your local CBS Station.

Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket has the game on Channel 707.

For those of you overseas here is some general information on NFL Broadcasts for the 2008 season.

Patriots All-Access airs tonight at 7 p.m. on WCVB TV 5 in Boston. It will also be simulcast on the team website at the same time.  Make sure you check out the Patriots Football Network for information on when you can see Patriots All-Access in your market.

Radio

The Patriots Rock Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBCN-FM 104.1 in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play and former Patriot Gino Cappelletti does the color.

It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Scott Zolak and Andy Gresh and the pregame show at 10 a.m. along the network.

The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours.

If you are outside of the broadcast area of the stations on the Patriots Rock Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass which allows you to listen to any NFL game live. You can also pick which teams broadcasters you want to listen to.

All NFL games are also available on Sirius Satellite Radio. The Patriots Rock Radio Network call is available on Channel 107, the Dolphins Radio Network has a trio of former Dolphins calling the game including former WR Jimmy Cefalo doing play-by-play and fomer Dolphin TE’s Jim Mandich and Joe Rose with analysis.  Their call is available on Channel 127.

Continue reading →

Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays Pitching Matchups: 9/19-9/21

Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays pitching matchups

Friday, September 19th @ 7:07 PM

Paul Byrd, RHP (11-12, 4.53) vs A.J. Burnett, RHP (18-10, 4.19)

TV: NESN, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Saturday, September 20th @ 1:07 PM

Jon Lester, LHP (15-5, 3.15) vs Roy Halladay, RHP (18-11, 2.77)

TV: NESN

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Sunday, September 21st @ 1:07 PM

Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP (17-2, 2.93) vs Scott Richmond, RHP (0-2, 5.06)

TV: NESN, TBS, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Breaking News: Troy Brown to Announce Retirement

breaking news

Despite some other published reports today WEEI’s Mike Felger said on the air that New England Patriots great Troy Brown will shortly announce his official retirement from football.  Felger said he recently spoke to Brown and he told him he was done.  He said he had a chance to play this season with the New York Jets and turned down their invitation. 

Troy BrownBrown is a lifetime Patriot.  One of the reasons he possibly wouldn’t sign with New York was out of his loyalty to Bill Belichick and to not cross sides in the Belichick-Eric Mangini fued.  Brown has been in Foxboro longer than anyone currently in place.  He was drafted before Bill Parcells took over, he was drafted before the Patriots adopted the flying Elvi logo.  When you think of the Patriots one of the players you think of is Brown.

Drafted out of Marshall in the 1993 NFL Draft, Brown went on to earn the loyalty and trust of not only Parcells, but Pete Carrol and Belichick in finding his way through 15 NFL seasons. 

Brown holds the team record for most career catches with 557, he is second in yardage with 6,366.  He also has more post season catches and yardage than any other Patriot and played in 20 post season games.  Until last season he owned the single season record most catches with 101 he set in 2001.  He is now second to Wes Welker who caught 112 passes last season.  He also has the third highest single season catch total with 97 catches in 2002 and Brown’s 13 100 yard games rank second on the franchise list second to Stanley Morgan who had 39. 

Now it’s being rumored that he will go to work for Comcast Sports Net New England.  With Brown being so outgoing it’s a natural fit and I’m sure like in football he will follow a path that leads him to success in his new endeavor.

BrownIn my mind Troy Brown will be remembered for three things: 

  1. Stripping the ball in the 2006 playoff game in San Diego after an interception.
  2. Running back a punt against Pittsburgh in the 2001 AFC Championship game.
  3. His play on the final drive in Super Bowl XXXVI that led to the Adam Vinatieri field goal.

Brown is a three time Super Bowl champion and an all around team player.  The sad fact of the matter is there was once a day when professional athletics were loaded with guys like Troy Brown.  Now players like him are few and far between. 

Troy Brown will forever be a Patriot.

How Well Do You Know Cinco Ocho?

Cinco OchoIn what’s being hailed as the greatest game show since “Gong Show“, Comcast SportsNet New England is giving us a special Jonathan Papelbon show named “Who Knows Cinco Ocho The Best?”

Do you know what Papelbon’s dog’s name is? Do you know what his favorite alcoholic beverage is? Find out the answers to those questions and more as Javier Lopez, David Pauley and Justin Masterson play “Who Knows Cinco Ocho The Best?”.

video courtesy of Comcast SportsNet New England.

Hat tip to Texy over at Center Field.

“I Am Cal Ripken”

Manny "I am Cal Ripken" Ramirez

Manny "I am Cal Ripken" Ramirez

Those were the words of former Boston Red Sox and current Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez after skipper Joe Torre asked him if he wanted a day off on Thursday.

“I mentioned a day off to Manny [Ramirez] and he said he doesn’t need a day off and that was the end of that conversation,” said Torre, who earlier said he hoped to give Thursday’s game off for Ramirez, who hasn’t missed a game since his July 31 acquisition. “We’ll keep playing him, and if we continue to win, we’ll deal with it later.”

Manny seems to have forgotten that Cal Ripken played 2,632 consecutive games before taking a day off and even played through some nagging injuries.

And for what it’s worth, Rick Reilly thinks that Manny should stay in Los Angeles in his “Life with Reilly” segment this morning on SportsCenter.

[flash http://ianbethune.com/manram.FLV w=425 h=300]

Paw Prints – Baylor Bears (2-1) @ UConn Huskies (3-0) Preview

Paw Prints - UConn Football

This week:

Baylor Bears @ UConn Huskies

The UConn Huskies will be looking to go 4-0 for the second straight season when the Baylor Bears come to Rentschler Field Friday night for a non-conference tilt on the gridiron. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM.

Here are the rosters for the Bears and the Huskies.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Yahoo! Sports Odds, the UConn Huskies are favored by 12 points. The over/under is 50 points.

My prediction is UConn 31 Baylor 21

Tickets:

As of the time of this post, there are a limited amount of tickets available for the game.

Getting To The Game:

Here is link for the weather report. Here is all the parking info you will need for the game, this link includes directions to Rentschler Field. Here is a Rentschler Field seating chart.

The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent. And some alternative tailgating rules can be found here.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Friday’s game with be televised nationally by ESPN2 with Sean McDonough on play-by-play with Chris Speielman on color and Rob Stone is the sideline reporter.

The game can also be seen live online via ESPN360.com — ESPN’s signature broadband sports TV network. The game is available completely free to any student on campus (in fact, to any student on any U.S. college campus — nearly 18 million people).

Radio:

For the 17th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada. Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines.

UConn Football Magazine with Bob Joyce will begin at 5:30 PM and go until kickoff. Nathan will also serve as a features producer for “UConn Football Magazine,” the halftime show, and also play host to a post-game call-in show after home games with Joyce filling that role for road contests. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. Here is a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network.

Baylor Radio:

All Baylor football games are broadcast live on the Baylor/ISP Sports Radio Network; Waco’s 1660 ESPN Radio is the network’s flagship station. Live streaming audio and GameTracker also are available for all Baylor football games online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the CBS College Sports network.

All Baylor games are available on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 161, Family Net.

Continue reading →

UNH Installs Blue Turf Field

Blue Turf Field at the University of New Haven - UNH photo

I don’t know about you but whenever I try to watch a Boise State football game on the blue turf, my eyes go nuts trying to adjust to the color of the blue field.

Well now we have our second blue turf field and it’s been installed right in my backyard. The University of New Haven recently reinstated their football program and when they make their debut again next season, they too will be playing on blue turf field at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium.

The Chargers used to be a Division II independent team back in the day and now will be a member of the NE-10.

The field is located on UNH’s North Campus and was put in on the old soccer field. The soccer teams along with the women’s lacrosse team now play at Kayo Field.

For more about the blue turf field, head over to the NCAA.org.

Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 9/18

Paw Prints Daily Roundup

All of your UConn Huskies football news can be found in the game preview which will be coming up shortly.

If you’re in the Hartford area today, don’t forget to head over to the State Capitol Building to check out Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Championship Trophy.

A.J. Price was back on the court playing with his teammates on Tuesday.

David Gillett has a player profile of former Husky Caron Butler.

The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team has 10 former players on WNBA rosters in the playoffs.

Men’s soccer player Karl Schilling was named a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award.

Women’s soccer player Brittany Tegeler was named a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior Class award.