I don’t think you will ever see anything like this again. Trinty (TX) was trailing Millsap 24-22 at the end of their Division III football game on Saturday afternoon. They needed 61 yards to score a touchdown to win the game. The only way to do this was with a long hailmary pass and a prayer or to run a hook and ladder or just keep lateraling the ball. They chose the latter and the rest is history.

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

I lost count after 10 but watched it again to count them all. The final total of laterals was 15 and Trinty (TX) won the game 28-24.

Jacoby Ellsbury had four hits with 2 RBIs, Dustin Pedroia had three hits with 2 RBI’s and Daisuke Matsuzaka gave the Red Sox 5â…“ strong innings as they defeated the Rockies 10-5 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series. Dice-K also helped himself with a 2-RBI single in the 3rd inning. Mike Lowell chipped in with two hits and 2 RBIs as well for the Sox.

Although Matsuzaka only lasted a â…“ of an inning more than he had all postseason, they were solid effective innings. Without his strong effort the Red Sox might not have been in the position they were tonight.

Ellsbury led off the 1st with a what amounted to a swinging bunt off of Josh Fogg. Dustin Pedroia had an infield single to get Ellsbury to second. If you were a Rockies fan, you were thinking “ut oh, not again”. No worries though as Fogg rebounded to strikeout David Ortiz. He then got Manny Ramirez and Lowell to fly out.

Kaz Matsui smoked a single off of his countryman, Dice-K, to get things going in the 1st for the Rox. He ended up second base as J.D. Drew failed to pick the ball up for an error. Dice-K made Troy Tulowitzki his first strikeout victim of the night. Matt Holliday then grounded a ball back to the mound. Dice-K went to Lowell at third and they got Matsui in a rundown. Lowell ended up tagging Matsui out as Holliday would stay at first. Todd Helton grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning as the Rockies continued their futility with runners on base.

In the top of the 2nd, Fogg worked around a 2-out double by Julio Lugo. He had gotten Drew and Jason Varitek on ground outs. He finished it off with a strikeout of Matsuzaka.

Dice-K hit Garrett Atkins with a pitch in the shoulder to start the bottom of the 2nd inning. He was able to get around it though when Brad Hawpe struck out for the seventh time in the World Series, Torrealba flew out and Cory Sullivan grounded into a fielder’s choice.

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The Result

The biggest win in UConn football history came today as they beat South Florida 22-15 at a soggy Rentschler Field. This was their first ever win over a ranked opponent and puts them at 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big East. The win should lock up a bowl bid for the Huskies and should also vault them into the Top 25.

UConn was able to slow USF’s star Matt Groethe in the first half and held on for dear life in the second half. They got some big defensive plays, including a Robert McClain interception in the end zone to prevent a touchdown. Andre Dixon was able to pound the ball and tire out the Bulls’ defense.

Scoring Plays

1^st Quarter

• CON – Ciaravino 22-yard field goal – 3-0 UConn

2^nd Quarter

• CON – Lorenzen 3-yard pass to Brouse – kick failed – 9-0 UConn
• CON – Lutrus 23-yard interception return – kick good – 16-0 UConn

3^rd Quarter

• USF – Blocked punt in end zone recovered by UConn for safety – 16-2 UConn
• USF – Groethe 10-yard run – kick good – 16-9 UConn
• CON – Ciaravino 27-yard field goal – 19-9 UConn

4^th Quarter

• USF – Alvarado 47-yard field goal – 19-12 UConn
• USF – Alvarado 27-yard field goal – 19-15 UConn
• CON – Ciaravino 20-yard field goal – 22-15 UConn

Offensive Player of the Game

The offensive player of the game was Andre Dixon. Dixon ran for 167 yards and had 3 receptions for 42 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game

The defensive player of the game was Scott Lutrus. He had 8 tackles and returned an interception 23-yards for a touchdown.

Turning Point(s) of the Game

The Lutrus interception return for a touchdown to put the Huskies up 16-0.

The blocked punt by USF put the Bulls on the board. They then scored a touchdown after the free kick.

Tyvon Branch’s 27-yard kick off return gave UConn the ball with good field position. They drove down and kicked a field goal.

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Here is a look at the lineups for tonight’s World Series Game 3 between the Red Sox and the Rockies. Kevin Youkilis is out of the lineup for the Red Sox tonight as there is no DH in the National League parks.

Red Sox

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Julio Lugo, SS
9. Daisuke Matsuzaka, P

Rockies

1. Kaz Matsui 2B
2. Troy Tulowitzki SS
3. Matt Holliday LF
4. Todd Helton 1B
5. Garrett Atkins 3B
6. Brad Hawpe RF
7. Yorvit Torrealba C
8. Cory Sullivan CF
9. Josh Fogg P

Here is a look at how both teams have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers in their careers:

No one on the Rockies has faced Matsuzaka.

Lineups courtesy of Amalie Benjamin from the Boston Globe.

Batter/Pitcher numbers courtesy of the Red Sox game notes.

I’d like to introduce the new weekly feature here at SOX & Dawgs, Musings From the College Hardwood. This weekly feature will bring you the men’s and women’s top 25 polls along with the news from around the Division I campuses in the country. It will more than likely run on Mondays once the college basketball season gets underway.

Hope you enjoy.

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Get used to that sight pictured up above Red Sox Nation. Red Sox pitchers will be batting for the next two games definitely and in an if necessary game 5. Daisuke Matsuzaka was 0 for 4 at the plate this season and Jon Lester didn’t have any at-bats. Basically if you’re the 8th hitter in the Red Sox lineup you might see an intentional walk or two since the pitcher will be batting behind you in the game. This will more than likely happen if there is a runner on base when the 8th place hitter comes up.

Terry Francona hasn’t completely settled on his lineup just yet for tonight’s game, but he did state yesterday that David Ortiz will play first base and Mike Lowell will play third. This means that Kevin Youkilis will find himself on the bench, at least to start the game. It does hurt the Red Sox a little bit when you have to take your #2 hitter out of the lineup. But I am not sure it makes a difference with the way the Red Sox are rolling right now.

Speaking of Matsuzaka, he will become the first Japanese-born starting pitcher to start a World Series game. Hideki Okajima was the first Japanese player to pitch in a World Series with his appearance in Game 2. We will need Matsuzaka to give us at least 6 good innings tonight and have the bullpen do the rest of the work. I fully expect the crowd to be a rowdy one and it should be a great game. So before college football starts, let’s take a look at the headlines from the Boston area and Denver media along with Curt Schilling on this rainy morning in Red Sox Nation.

Up 2-0 and a mile high [38 Pitches]

Time for Rockies to pull plug on humidor [Yahoo Sports]

Matsuzaka tries to become a trophy pitcher [Boston Globe]

FBI opens investigation into ‘attack’ on Rockies ticket system [Denver Post]

Behind Dice-K, Red Sox seek Mile High clubbing [Boston Herald]

If gyroball exists, it is no match against Coors Field [Rocky Mountain News]

With Humidor, It’s Coors Light [Hartford Courant]

Coors Field: It’s bigger and smaller than Fenway [Pro Jo]

Drew has gone from fans’ target to a hit [Boston Globe]

Rox look to reclaim offense [Denver Post]

Chance presents itself [Boston Herald]

Faith in purple reduced to hope [Rocky Mountain News]

The Shift Is On For Shaken Rockies [Hartford Courant]

Red Sox Nation migrates west [Pro Jo]

For more headlines and stories, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant, Providence Journal, Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News websites.

Super sexy Texy from Center Field shows us what it’s like to be Matt Holliday.

The very elegant and beautiful Yankees Chick wants Joe Girardi to be the manager of the Yankees.

Succulent Sooze from Babes Love Baseball gives us a Jeff Reardon update.

The sexiest USC fan on the planet, Gridiron Goddess, has her college football picks for the week.

The Starter Wife over at Ladies… found a picture of Lego Matt Holliday.

Dan from Red Sox Monster shows you why CapeCast is using witchcraft.

The Fanhouse shows you why you shouldn’t fight Zdeno Chara from the Boston Bruins.

Roto-World has the greatest Jonathan Papelbon story ever told.

Richie Rich from Home Run Derby has Jimmy Kimmel’s PSA for Red Sox fans.

Anthony from the Oriole Post has some of his favorite photos up from the 2007 season.

We Are the Postmen tells you why Eduardo Perez is worse than Emmitt Smith.

The Big Lead tells us Michael Strahan is dating Eddie Murphy’s ex.

And last but certainly not least, Fitzy from the Townie News has his latest “Wicked Pissah” webcast, a World Series preview.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5eElCz0ZWuc[/youtube]

And on one other front, Anthony from the Oriole Post is hard at work getting a website together for our radio show, The Hits Keep Coming… Once it’s done, we will make an announcement.

Anthony Alvino, the driver in the Carlee Wines hit-and-run on the campus of UConn, pleaded no contest on Friday to charges of misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility. He will be sentenced to a maximum of four years in prison.

Wines died on January 22nd, two days after the car Alvino was driving struck her. Alvino had been drinking along with two other people in the car. His girlfriend, Michelle Hall, told him to run. Alvino was not a UConn student and had been on campus visiting Hall.

The plea agreement he struck with the district attorney calls for a sentence of 10 years in prison, with the last 6 years being suspended. He will also have five years of probation upon leaving prison.

Personally, I think he should have gotten a lot more than that. What kind of message does that send to the students of UConn? That you can drink and drive, run from the scene after hitting someone and kill them? He should have been made an example of for his stupidity of leaving the scene of an accident. He needs to take responsibility for his actions. Our justice system is what it is and I am sure the Wines’ family is not happy with this decision.

We all remember the three ALCS games in Cleveland and how the crowd incessantly twirled those damn white towels. No matter what was going on it was a twirl fest. In the NLCS it was the same thing in Colorado. 50,000 nitwits twirling the white towels and no doubt it will happen in Colorado again for the World Series as the Rockies “pink hats” try to twirl the team back into contention. I am hoping they twirl those towels so fast that all levitate like helicopters and disappear.

But what you may not know was that last night prior to Game 2 DHL, the delivery company that uses Kenny Lofton in their commercials, handed out 35,000 yellow towels with their logo on them to fans entering Fenway Park. I don’t know about you but I never even saw one getting twirled or even used as a napkin to mop up the clam chowder drippings. Hell I didn’t even know they gave out towels until this afternoon when the guys on WEEI’s “The Big Show” mentioned it on the air. If you were at Fenway last night, I personally want to thank you for doing your part in making Red Sox fans look less like the asshats they’ve been accused of becoming. As you’ve heard many coaches say over time “you need to act like you’ve been there”. So thanks again for leaving the twirling to the crowd of bandwagon jumpers at Coors Field.