Josh Nicholls Reassigned to Wolf Pack

HARTFORD, March 15, 2014: Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned forwards Josh Nicholls to the Wolf Pack from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Nicholls, a rookie out of the Western Hockey League, played four AHL games during a previous stint with the Wolf Pack, going scoreless with six shots on goal. In 51 games with Greenville, the former Saskatoon Blade has 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points, good for fifth on the team, along with 14 penalty minutes. Nicholls is currently riding a ten-game ECHL point-scoring streak, with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points over that span.

Nicholls, who was a seventh-round selection (182^nd overall) by Toronto in the 2010 NHL Draft, was signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 5, 2013.

The Wolf Pack travel to Albany tonight for a Northeast Division game, taking on the Devils at 5:00 PM at the Times Union Center. All of the action of that battle can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

The Wolf Pack’s next home game is this Wednesday, March 19, a 7:00 PM contest against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger. To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Wolf Pack Slip Past Phantoms In 2-1 Shootout Win

Hartford, CT, March 14, 2014 – Dov Grumet-Morris made 24 saves, and went five-for-five in the shootout, Friday night at the XL Center, helping the Hartford Wolf Pack to a 2-1 shootout win over the Adirondack Phantoms.

The victory, the Wolf Pack’s seventh in their last nine games, lifted them to 26-28-0-6 for 58 points and into a third-place tie in the Northeast Division with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who lost 7-0 in Manchester.

Hartford trailed Friday’s game 1-0 until late in the third period, when a Danny Syvret power-play goal tied the game, and Danny Kristo had the only goal of the shootout. Chris VandeVelde scored the only Adirondack goal, and Yann Danis made 32 saves.

“It was a good win, obviously it took all sixty minutes-plus to win the game but we played hard, had some good chances and eventually we prevailed,” Kristo said.

The Wolf Pack outshot the visitors 10-3 in the first period, but the Phantoms got the only goal of the frame, a VandeVelde tally at 5:36. Jason Akeson was able to thread the puck from below the goal line to VandeVelde at the left side of the slot, and VandeVelde fought off a check and flicked a shot past Grumet-Morris on the far side.

That was the only goal of the game until only 3:44 remained in the third period, when Syvret finally pulled the Wolf Pack into a tie.

With Akeson in the penalty box for hooking, Syvret unleashed a shot from the middle of the blue line that went through a screen, set by Ryan Bourque and Jesper Fast, and flew high into the net behind Danis.

After a scoreless overtime, the goaltenders dominated the shootout. Danis stopped J.T. Miller, Fast, Marek Hrivik and T.J. Hensick in the first four rounds, while Grumet-Morris denied Akeson, VandeVelde Tye McGinn and Nick Cousins. Then Kristo, the Wolf Pack’s fifth shooter, was able to snap a low shot underneath Danis, and Grumet-Morris, who is now 11-1-1 in his last 13 decisions, stopped Kyle Flanagan, with a pad save, for the win.

The Wolf Pack travel to Albany on Saturday for another Northeast Division game, taking on the Devils at 5:00 PM at the Times Union Center. All of the action of that battle can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

Adirondack Phantoms 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 2 (SO)
Friday, March 14, 2014 – XL Center

Adirondack 1 0 0 0 – 1
Hartford 0 0 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Adirondack, VandeVelde 10 (Akeson, McGinn), 5:36. Penalties-Powe Hfd (boarding), 0:21; Delisle Adk (boarding), 15:13.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Syvret Hfd (interference), 6:58; Alderson Adk (tripping), 14:12.

3rd Period-2, Hartford, Syvret 8 (Miller), 16:16 (PP). Penalties-Mathers Adk (cross-checking), 3:07; Akeson Adk (hooking), 15:41; Delisle Adk (boarding), 17:23.

OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Adirondack 0 (Akeson NG, VandeVelde NG, McGinn NG, Cousins NG, Flanagan NG), Hartford 1 (Miller NG, Fast NG, Hrivik NG, Hensick NG, Kristo G).
Shots on Goal-Adirondack 3-9-11-2-0-25. Hartford 10-6-16-1-1-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 / 2; Hartford 1 / 5.
Goalies-Adirondack, Danis 8-10-4 (33 shots-32 saves). Hartford, Grumet-Morris 14-11-5 (25 shots-24 saves).
A-3,826
Referees-Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Paul Simeon (66).

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

UConn’s Shabazz Napier One of Six For Cousy Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Shabazz Napier (Roxbury, Mass.) has been named one of six finalists for the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, announced today by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The UConn senior guard leads UConn in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals and helped guide the Huskies to 24 victories in the regular season, including 12 conference wins. Napier finished among the top five AAC players in eight different offensive categories.

Joining Napier in the final six are UCLA’s Kyle Anderson, Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, North Carolina’s Marcus Paige, Ohio State’s Aaron Craft and Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet.

The Cousy Award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men’s college basketball. The original list of 47 candidates was narrowed down to the list of six student-athletes by a nationally-based committee.

“The Cousy Award screening committee took on the tough job of choosing from many talented point guardsto determine this list of six players who represent the leadership skills that Bob Cousy exhibited,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Each of these candidates has consistently proven that they are worthy of this prestigious award.”

Napier, who was named the conference’s Player of the Year Wednesday and was a unanimous first team All-Conference pick, has already been named a U.S. Basketball Writers Association first team All-American, the District I Player of the Year, and an All-District selection. The 6-1 guard is on the final watch lists of the John Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, The Oscar Robertson Trophy, and the Senior CLASS Award.

“It was a tough process to narrow down the list of already exceptional point guards to only six, but these six men deserve to be fighting for the award and recognized as some of the greatest point guards in college basketball,” said Ken Kaufman, Chair of the Bob Cousy Award and former president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). “We are excited to see what these six can do for the remainder of the season and recognize the winner at the Final Four.”

UConn’s Kemba Walker captured the Cousy Award in 2011. Other previous winners include Kendall Marshall (North Carolina), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), Acie Law (Texas A&M), DJ Augustin (Texas), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), and last year’s recipient Trey Burke (Michigan).

The final six players in contention for the award will be presented to Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Hall of Fame committee is made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, Sports Information Directors, Hall of Famers and head coaches. The winner of the 2014 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Championship Monday in North Texas as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Breanna Stewart Selected as espnW National Player of the Year

STORRS, Conn. – Sophomore forward Breanna Stewart has been named National Player of the Year by espnW while senior center Stefanie Dolson and senior guard Bria Hartley each earned espnW All-America status, as announced on Friday. Stewart was selected as a First Team All-American while Dolson and Hartley each earned Second Team honors.

View the espnW All-America release here and the Player of the Year release here.

Stewart, who was recently selected as the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, is leading the top-ranked Huskies at 19.7 points per game and is second on the squad at 8.1 rebounds per contest. She ranks in the league’s top-10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, blocks and free throw percentage.

The North Syracuse, N.Y. native was honored as the 2014 American Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21.7 points per game en route to leading UConn to the inaugural title. The 2013-14 American Conference Preseason Player of the Year has been selected as the USBWA National Player of the Week and is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award.

Dolson, a 2013-14 All-American Athletic Conference First Team pick, is averaging 12.4 points and leads the squad at 9.2 rebounds per contest. She is seventh nationally in field goal percentage and recently became only the fifth Husky all-time, along with Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Rebecca Lobo, and Jamelle Elliott, to register at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. The 2013-14 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winner, Dolson is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.

Hartley, a 2013-14 All-American Conference First Team selection, is second on the team with 16.4 points per game and 150 assists. She is in the league’s top-five in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals and three-point field goal percentage and has scored 20 or more points 11 times this year. The USBWA National Player of the Week on January 20, Hartley is only the second Husky all-time, along with Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi, to post at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.

UConn enters NCAA Tournament play with a 34-0 record, marking the sixth time the Huskies begin NCAA action with an unblemished record. The team recently won its 19^th conference tournament title and will compete in its 26^th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

The Huskies will play host to the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament, beginning on March 23 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. Seedings and pairings will be announced on Monday, March 17 on ESPN.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Wolf Pack’s Hughes Enjoying his First Venture away from Home

By Bob Crawford

Hartford Wolf Pack rookie defenseman Tommy Hughes had three years of Major Junior hockey experience prior to joining the Wolf Pack this season, but this year’s Wolf Pack campaign marks the first time Hughes has actually lived away from home.

A native of London, Ontario, Hughes played his entire Ontario Hockey League career with his hometown London Knights, living at home with his parents, Brian and Laurie, instead of with a “billet” family, the usual living situation for a Junior player in a locale away from his hometown.

“It was a pretty unique experience,” Hughes said this week of staying home to play Junior. “Not a lot of guys can live with their parents when they’re at home, but they obviously take good care of me, and they treated me like they were kind of billeting me, like with having meals prepared and things like that. It was different, but at the same time, it was kind of the same as a billet family, in a sense.”

Nutrition and training meals are such a huge part of the regimen at the higher levels of hockey these days, and Hughes’ mom and dad were right on board as far as making sure his diet conformed to what he was expected to be fueling himself with.

“They’d buy all the chickens and all the pastas,” Hughes said. “I gave them the input and they got the stuff I needed, so that worked out nicely.”

Seems like an enviable arrangement, considering most of his teammates saw their folks only once in a while and didn’t get to keep all their stuff in their boyhood bedrooms. There was no jealousy on the part of the rest of the team, though, Hughes is quick to assert.

“They liked coming over for home-cooked meals,” he said with a chuckle, “and the year before last year, we had four guys who were from London that lived at home. So it wasn’t popular, but there were a few guys in the same position.

Playing with the Knights also afforded Hughes the chance to fulfill a dream of sorts, as he got a chance to wear the colors of a team he cheered hard for growing up.

“I followed them a bunch, we had season tickets, and I watched [current Wolf Pack teammate, and fellow former Knight, Danny Syvret] out there, winning the Memorial Cup,” Hughes said. “It was a huge hockey town, and all the fans were really into it, so it was a great honor to actually wear the jersey when I was old enough.”

The Knights have enjoyed tremendous success under President/Head Coach Dale Hunter and his brother, Vice-President/General Manager Mark Hunter, both former NHL players. Last season, in Hughes’ last year, the team won its third OHL championship in the past nine seasons, and the 2004-05 club that Syvret played on won the Memorial Cup, the championship of all of Canadian Major Junior hockey. The Knights have not had a sub-.500 record since 2001-02, but Hughes did not feel all that success generated an inordinate amount of pressure, even on the “local boy”.

“It wasn’t unbearable or anything,” he said. “Just like any team, their fans are pretty loyal, so they want results. And if you don’t perform, then they’re not going to be too happy, but I think we gave them what they needed and made them happy.”

Playing for the Hunters, too, was a boon for Hughes and his fellow Knights, given the braintrust’s knowledge of what it takes to get to, and have a good career in, the NHL.

“They’re great guys to have leading the organization,” Hughes said. “They obviously are experienced enough to guide us in the right direction, and it’s just a first-class organization, through and through. A lot of great experiences from them.”

Now, however, the Junior days are in the rear-view mirror, and Hughes is truly on his own for the first time. Through camaraderie with his Wolf Pack teammates, though, and solid life skills he learned from his parents, he has weathered the transition with no problem.

“There’s changes, but I haven’t been overwhelmed by them at all,” Hughes said. “So I think they trained me well.

“A lot of the teammates pitch in and do meals together, so I haven’t found it too bad. I think I was well trained growing up with my parents. I was pretty active in the kitchen at some points, so I think that’s helped. I’ve kind of welcomed the experience and change.

“You’re not used to playing with guys that are in their thirties or whatnot, so that’s a bit of an adjustment, but they’ve been great.”

While the Wolf Pack roster does sport some grizzled (compared to Hughes, anyway), over-30 veterans, there is also a large cadre of youngsters, single guys just starting out in the pro game. The majority of those young guns live under the same roof in downtown Hartford, in the “Hartford 21” apartment tower right above the XL Center, and that situation has been excellent for team togetherness.

“That’s really nice, having a bunch of guys in the same building,” Hughes said. “We do meals together and go to watch movies, or just hang out basically the whole day. So that’s really nice, to have guys that you can go to and just hang out with.”

So even though Mom and Dad aren’t as close as the next room any more, Hughes is hardly alone as he faces his first venture outside the family home. Overall, he is upbeat about how it has worked out.

“I guess it’s a lot of responsibility, but I’ve welcomed the change,” he said. “And I wouldn’t say I’ve really missed home, the change has been nice. And I’ll be back there in the summer, so we’ll catch up then.”

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: chris rutsch

Gigantic SOX & Dawgs 2014 MLB Preview – Day 6 – AL East

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2014 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

Also added this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

This preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication. It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the NL East, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central, Wednesday we took a trip around the AL Central and today it’s the AL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

American League East

Last year the AL East produced the World Series winner, a wild card team and should have produced the manager of the year. It has over the last 30 years been the best division in baseball and once again should provide a lot of summer entertainment as the teams’ beat each other’s brains out. The only exception being a year or two ago when all five seemed fairly even. There is some separation now. The Jays have clearly fallen back, while the Orioles have made a couple late moves to try to improve and their best bet is battling New York for third. The Yankees spent a lot of money in a clear effort to reclaim what they feel is theirs and time will tell if they spent it wisely in an effort to catch up to the Rays and the Red Sox. Hold on it’s going to be a great summer.

1. Boston – Manager John Farrell (2nd year/4th Overall)

I don’t know where to begin other than to say John Farrell and his coaches and Ben Cherington and the baseball ops staff delivered one of the most improbable seasons ever in any sport in 2013. Between September 2011 and September 2012 this franchise was a disaster and Cherington righted the ship with the correct field manager and quality people in the clubhouse and rewarded the fanbase with a World Series title. Now they look to be the first team to repeat since the Yankees of 1998-2000. In that time period only the Yankees and Phillies made it back with chances to defend their title and the Rangers were the only other squad with back-to-back Series appearances. It’s a difficult task but hold on and buckle up.

Home Field: Fenway Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1912; Capacity: 37,071 (day) and 37,499 (night)

2013 Attendance: 2,833,333 (5th in AL)

Key Players: 2B Dustin Pedroia; DH David Ortiz; RP Koji Uehara; SP Jon Lester; 1B Mike Napoli

MVP Candidate: 2B Dustin Pedroia

Cy Young Candidate: SP Jon Lester

ROY Candidate: SS Xander Bogaerts and CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

Key Additions: SS Xander Bogaerts, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., C A.J. Pierzynski; INF Jonathan Herrera; RP Edward Mujica; RP Burke Badenhop; CF Grady Sizemore; RP Rich Hill; P Chris Capuano

Possible lineup: Victorino RF; Nava LF; Pedroia 2B; Ortiz DH; Napoli 1B; Bogaerts SS; Pierzynski C; Middlebrooks 3B; Bradley Jr. CF

Possible rotation: Lester, Lackey, Buchholz; Peavy; Doubront

Season Opening Day March 31 at 3 p.m. vs. Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards (ESPN 2)

Home Opening Day/Ring Ceremony April 4 at 2 p.m. against the Milwaukee Brewers

2. Tampa Bay – Manager Joe Maddon (9th year/11th overall)

Last year the Rays dealt pitching for hitting and came away with a standout outfielder and 2013 AL Rookie of the Year in Wil Myers. This year the big rumor has been about them moving former Cy Young Award winner David Price. Price has two years left before free agency and this is about the time in the past that the Rays have chosen to move pitchers. So far Price remains, but for how long is the question? Are teams being asked for too much in return and that’s why? Or have the Rays just not found a deal to their liking? Or are they going to do with Price what they did with Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton and just take them to the end?

They did make some nice additions though in adding C Ryan Hanigan who should help immensely, and brought back RP Grant Balfour and traded for RP Heath Bell which gives them two proven closers in the pen. Whatever they do, they need to once again compete in the AL East with the World Champion Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles so stay tuned.

Home Field: Tropicana Field; Playing Surface: turf/domed stadium; Opened: 1990; Capacity: 34,078

2013 Attendance: 1,510,300 (15th in AL)

Key Players: 3B Evan Longoria; CF Will Myers; SP David Price; SP Matt Moore

MVP Candidate: 3B Evan Longoria

Cy Young Candidate: SP David Price

ROY Candidate: SP Jake Odorizzi

Key Additions: RP Grant Balfour; C Ryan Hanigan; 1B/LF Jerry Sands; RP Heath Bell; 2B/SS Logan Forsythe; RP Brad Boxberger; SP Erik Bedard

Possible lineup: Jennings CF; Zobrist SS; Myers RF; Longoria 3B; Joyce DH; DeJesus LF; Loney 1B; Hanigan C; Forsythe 2B

Possible rotation: Price; Cobb; Moore; Archer; Odorizzi*

*Andy Hellickson had elbow surgery in January not expected to pitch until end of May/early June.

Games against Red Sox in 2014: April 29-May1; May 30-June 1; September 23-25; May 23-25; July 25-27; August 30-September 1.

3. New York – Manager Joe Girardi (7th year/10th overall)

They failed to make the post season last year for only the second time in the Derek Jeter era and there’s a lot of pressure on both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman to get back. They dipped big into the free agent market signing Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran and in mid January they reeled in Japanese free agent Masahiro Tanaka and inked him to a 7 year/$155 million contract.

Even after spending $491 M on those players above they still will have Kelly Johnson at third and Brian Roberts at second, both signed as free agents but neither are impact guys. In fact Roberts hasn’t played more than 77 games since 2009 when he was in 159 games for Baltimore. Their starting lineup doesn’t have one guy under age 30 and there’s only two guy on the bench in their 20’s, C Francisco Cervelli is 28 and IF Eduardo Nunez is 26.

Jeter has announced this is his last season and you wonder if he can stay healthy for the first time since 2011, Alex Rodriguez is gone for the season with a PED suspension and there are still questions about the pitching. A third place battle with Baltimore is about as good as I see them doing unless some of these guys have monumental years.

Home Field: Yankee Stadium III; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2009; Capacity: 50,291

2013 Attendance: 3,279,589 (1st in AL)

Key Players: 1B Mark Teixeira; P C.C. Sabathia; CF Jacoby Ellsbury; RF Carlos Beltran; SS Derek Jeter

MVP Candidate: 1B Mark Teixeira

Cy Young Candidate: SP C.C. Sabathia

ROY Candidate: SP Masahiro Tanaka

Key Additions: C Brian McCann; CF Jacoby Ellsbury; RF Carlos Beltran; SP Masahiro Tanaka; 2B Brian Roberts; INF Kelly Johnson; RP Matt Thornton; RP Andrew Bailey

Possible lineup: Ellsbury CF; Jeter SS; Beltran RF; Teixeira 1B; McCann C; Soriano DH; Gardner LF; Johnson 3B; Roberts 2B

Possible rotation: Sabathia; Kuroda; Tanaka; Nova; Phelps

Games against Red Sox in 2014: April 22-24; August 1-3; September 26-28; April 10-13; June 27-29; September 2-4.

4. Baltimore – Manager: Buck Showalter (5th year/16th overall)

In 2012 the Orioles were dominant in one run games. In 2013 that trend reversed itself and it helped sink them. So what do they do? They trade one of the most effective closers in the last two years Jim Johnson for an infielder who played 8 games last year but is under control until 2016. I bet Buck Showalter’s head exploded. But I don’t think you can lay blame on GM Dan Duquette for that move as it has owner Peter Angelos and his tight purse strings all over it. He didn’t want to pay Johnson who had 101 saves between 2012-13 and is a Super 2 in arbitration and is looking at getting $10 million for 2014. He may possibly have kept them out of the hunt with this move.

The O’s lineup should keep them in games, especially with the late addition of Nelson Cruz on a one-year deal. The pitching is what should worry people as the bullpen seems decent but the question I really have is the rotation. In Mid-February they added SP Ubaldo Jimenez with a 4 year/$48 M deal so that will help. Even though he becomes the top of the rotation guy but he still isn’t a true #1 and there are still a bunch of 3’s and 4’s in the O’s starting five.

Home Field: Oriole Park at Camden Yards; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1992; Capacity: 45,971

2013 Attendance: 2,357,551 (8th in AL)

Key Players: DH/OF Nelson Cruz; CF Adam Jones; C Matt Wieters; 1B Chris Davis; SP Ubaldo Jimenez

MVP Candidate: CF Adam Jones

Cy Young Candidate: SP Ubaldo Jimenez

ROY Candidate: SP Kevin Gausman

Key Additions: SP Ubaldo Jimenez; RP Suk-Min Yoon; OF Nelson Cruz; LF David Lough; 2B Jemile Weeks; INF Michael Almanzar; RP Ryan Webb; RP Edgmer Escalona; RP Brad Brach; OF Xavier Paul; 1B Chris Marrero; SP Johan Santana

Possible lineup: Markakis RF; Flaherty 3B; Davis 1B; Cruz DH; Jones CF; Weiters C; Hardy SS; Lough LF; Weeks 2B

Possible rotation: Jimenez; Tillman; Chen; Norris; Gausman

Games against Red Sox in 2014: April 18-21; July 4-6; September 8-10; March 31; April 2-3; June 9-11; September 19-21.

5. Toronto – Manager: John Gibbons (2nd year/7th Overall)

2013 was a huge bust for the Blue Jays, the blockbuster deal with Miami went nowhere for the most part all though they did get one of MLB’s most electric leadoff men in SS Jose Reyes. This year they are back to where they have been for most of the past 20 years near or at the bottom of the division. Let’s see what they can do after staying away from any big trades or free agent movement. Injuries right out of the gate killed their start last year and Gibbons was given a pass but he has to be feeling some heat to finish better than 74-88.

Home Field: Rogers Centre; Playing Surface: turf/retractable roof; Opened: 1989; Capacity: 49,282

2013 Attendance: 2,536,562 (6th in AL)

Key Players: RF Jose Bautista; SS Jose Reyes; 3B Brett Lawrie; SP R.A. Dickey

MVP Candidate: RF Jose Bautista

Cy Young Candidate: SP R.A. Dickey

ROY Candidate: 2B Ryan Goins

Key Additions: C Dioner Navarro; SP Liam Hendriks; C Erik Kratz; SP Rob Rasmussen

Possible lineup: Reyes SS; Cabrera LF; Bautista RF; Lind DH; Encarnacion 1B; Rasmus CF; Lawrie 3B; Navarro C; Goins 2B

Possible rotation: Dickey; Buehrle; Morrow; Happ; Drabeck

Games against Red Sox in 2014: May 20-22; July 28-30; September 5-7; April 25-27; July 21-24; August 25-27.

Tomorrow, in our final day, we will look at the big winners in 2013.

photo credits: getty images; getty images; getty images, getty images, getty images

There’s a New Island in Massachusetts

Less than twenty-four hours after the New England Patriots lost free agent CB Aqib Talib to the Denver Broncos on a ridiculous 6 year, $57 million contract, they found his replacement.

Bill Belichick and company went out and signed free agent CB Darrelle Revis to a one year, $11.5 million contract with an option for 2015. Revis gets $10 million in salary and a $1.5 million signing bonus.

This is a win-win situation for both the team and the player. The Patriots didn’t kill their cap space, got a Top 3 game changing defensive player in his prime and pissed off the New York Jets. For Revis he gets paid, goes to a good team who is in the race every year and has the chance to hit the open market again in another year. For both they also get to see how the fit works and if a long term situation is possible.

Revis, 28, was the New York Jets first round pick out of Pittsburgh in the 2007 NFL Draft. He is a 5-time Pro Bowl selection and 3-time First Team All-Pro.

In six seasons with New York he had 19 INT’s, 3 of them he returned for TD’s including a career long 100-yard INT return for a TD against Miami in 2011. He also had 97 passes defensed. But after 6 personally successful seasons in New York he wanted out and wanted to get paid and was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to last season.

With the Buccaneers he had 2 INT’s and 11 passes defensed in 16 games to bring his career totals to 21 INT’s and 108 passes defensed in 95 NFL games.

His best season was 2009 in which he had 6 INT’s, returned 1 for a TD and defensed 31 passes in 16 games for the Jets. Now he brings that to New England.

Against the AFC East opponents here are his career stats

Opponent	Games	Sacks	Tackles	Assists	INT	Yards	TD
New England	11	0	25	7	2	0	0
Miami	9	0	15	2	5	101	1
Buffalo	9	2	31	9	5	26	0
New York	1	0	1	0	0	0	0

With all the Patriots division opponents employing quarterbacks with very little NFL experience those totals should grow some in 2014.

As Mr. Rourke might say…”Welcome to Revis Island.”

photo credit: getty images

Red Sox Make First Cuts of 2014 Spring Training

FORT MYERS, FL – Prior to today's game against the Twins, the Boston Red Sox made the following roster moves:

Right-handed pitchers Anthony Ranaudo and Alex Wilson, infielder Garin Cecchini, and outfielders Bryce Brentz and Alex Hassan were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Right-handed pitchers Matt Barnes, Miguel Celestino and Noe Ramirez, left-handed pitcher Henry Owens, catcher Blake Swihart, and infielders Heiker Meneses and Travis Shaw were reassigned to minor league camp.

The announcements were made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

With these moves, the Red Sox now have 46 players in big league camp, including 35 players from the 40-man roster, and 11 non-roster invitees.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Video: 2014 UConn Football Pro Day

Here are videos from the various testing and drills that the former student-athletes from the UConn Huskies football team did during their NFL Pro Day at the Burton Family Football Complex in Storrs, CT on Tuesday, March 14, 2014.

(rather than embed 34 videos, I created a playlist of all of them)

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Gigantic SOX & Dawgs 2014 MLB Preview – Day 5 – NL East

We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

Also added this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

This preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication. It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

Yesterday we looked at the AL Central, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central and today it’s the NL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

National League East

The NL East has two guys managing their first full big league seasons in Matt Williams (Washington) and Ryne Sandberg (Philadelphia). Both had distinguished MLB careers, Williams as a third baseman with the Indians and Diamondbacks and Sandberg had a Hall of Fame career with the Cubs, although he played 13 big league games with the Phillies. Can that success as players translate to the dugout? The organizations hope so as Washington is trying to rebound and Philadelphia is attempting to regroup. Atlanta will be solid as always but lacking a true ace in the rotation it may be hard to keep up while Miami and New York look for improvement on the field.

1. Washington – Manager Matt Williams (1st year)

The Nationals have this two-year window on the players under contract before a bunch of them become free agents. Look for them in the next two seasons to do whatever they can to get to the World Series. They have a very good rotation, one of best in baseball, a solid bullpen and lineup with nice balance and good defense. They faltered early last year and the playoff push fell short after a wonderful 2012. Look for a year in 2014, in which they rebound and make a serious championship push.

Home Field: Nationals Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2008; Capacity: 41,418

2013 Attendance: 2,652,422 (6th in NL)

Key Players: RF Bryce Harper; LF Jayson Werth; 3B Ryan Zimmerman SP Stephen Strasburg; RP Rafael Soriano

MVP Candidate: RF Bryce Harper

Cy Young Candidate: SP Stephen Strasburg

ROY Candidate: CF Brian Goodwin

Key Additions: Mgr. Matt Williams; SP Doug Fister, OF Nate McLouth; RP Jerry Blevins; C Jose Lobaton

Possible lineup: Span CF; Harper RF; Zimmerman 3B; Werth LF; LaRoche 1B; Desmond SS; Ramos C; Rendon 2B

Possible rotation: Strasburg; G. Gonzalez; Zimmermann; Fister; Detwiler

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

2. Atlanta – Manager Fredi Gonzalez (4th year/8th overall)

Last year despite the disaster that was B.J. Upton the Braves won the NL East. It will be hard for them to repeat again in 2014 with two good Upton’s as B.J.’s younger brother Justin returns for a second year with the club as well. Dan Uggla is a weight around their neck at second and they are counting on Evan Gattis to replace Brian McCann who left for the Bronx. Gattis has the bat the question is his defense. As always the pitching in Atlanta will go a long way toward carrying them. They now have the new best closer in baseball in Craig Kimbrel, the dude is flat out nasty but the rotation lacks a true ace and that will hold them back.

Several spring injuries in the starting rotation, Kris Medlen (possible TJS), Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy have made them look for some extra depth. The day before this was scheduled to be published they signed SP Ervin Santana to a 1-year/$14 M contract.

Home Field: Turner Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1996; Capacity: 49,586

2013 Attendance: 2,548,679 (8th in NL)

Key Players: LF Justin Upton; RF Jason Heyward; SP Mike Minor; 1B Freddie Freeman; RP Craig Kimbrel

MVP Candidate: RF Jason Heyward

Cy Young Candidate: RP Craig Kimbrel

ROY Candidate: 2B Tommy La Stella

Key Additions: SP Ervin Santana; C/OF Ryan Doumit; RP Luis Vasquez; SP Gavin Floyd

Possible lineup: Simmons SS; J. Upton LF; Freeman 1B; Gattis C; Heyward RF; Johnson 3B; B. Upton CF; Uggla 2B

Possible rotation: Minor; Santana; Teheran; Beachy; Wood

Games against Red Sox in 2014: May 28-29; May 26-27

3. Philadelphia – Manager Ryne Sandberg (2nd year)

If you listen to closer Jonathan Papelbon there’s a leadership issue in the clubhouse in Philly and no true leader has been identified. With the signing of Roberto Hernandez (nee Fausto Carmona) I’m not sure they can identify the players. The revolving outfield continues this year, the starting pitching is older and not as deep as it once was and 3/4 of the infield is suddenly old. New manager Ryne Sandberg who took over last August needs to make an impression and give this team an identity besides old and whiney. Luckily their top two prospects are pitchers and both are in Triple A and could make some impact this year.

Home Field: Citizens Bank Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2004; Capacity: 43,651

2013 Attendance: 3,012,403 (4th in NL)

Key Players: SS Jimmy Rollins; 2B Chase Utley; 1B Ryan Howard; SP Cliff Lee; SP Cole Hamels

MVP Candidate: 1B Ryan Howard

Cy Young Candidate: SP Cliff Lee

ROY Candidate: P Jesse Biddle

Key Additions: Mgr. Ryne Sandberg; SP A.J. Burnett; OF Marlon Byrd; SP Roberto Hernandez; C Wil Nieves; RP Brad Lincoln; IF Reid Brignac; OF Bobby Abreu; IF Ronny Cedeno

Possible lineup: Revere CF; Rollins SS; Utley 2B; Howard 1B; Ruiz C; Brown LF; Byrd RF; Asche 3B

Possible rotation: Lee; Hamels*; Burnett; Kendrick; Gonzalez

* Hamels will start season on DL look for Roberto Hernandez to fill the slot until his return.

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

4. Miami – Manager Mike Redmond (2nd year)

The one thing you can say about the Marlins is change is ever present. In come FA’s C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 3B Casey McGehee, 2B Rafael Furcal and 1B Garrett Jones. Among the players moved out were 1B/LF Logan Morrison to Seattle and CF Justin Ruggiano to Chicago (NL). With Furcal and SS Adeiny Hechavarria the middle infield is solid defensively, outfield is pretty good, starting pitching is extremely young and they hope Salty can add some leadership and the championship pedigree from Boston.

Home Field: Marlins Park; Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened: 2012; Capacity: 36,742

2013 Attendance: 1,586,322 (15th in NL)

Key Players: RF Giancarlo Stanton; SP Jose Fernandez; C Jarrod Saltalamacchia; LF Christian Yelich; SS Adeiny Hecchavarria

MVP Candidate: RF Giancarlo Stanton

Cy Young Candidate: P Jose Fernandez

ROY Candidate: OF Jake Merisnick

Key Additions: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia; RP Carlos Marmol; 2B Rafael Furcal; 1B Garrett Jones; 3B Casey McGehee; RP Carter Capps; IF/OF Jeff Baker

Possible lineup: Furcal 2B; Yelich LF; Stanton RF; Jones 1B; Saltalamacchia C; McGehee 3B; Ozuna CF; Hechavarria SS

Possible rotation: Fernandez, Turner, Eovaldi, Alvarez; Koehler

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

5. New York – Manager: Terry Collins (4th year/ 10th overall)

I’m not sure what these guys are doing. They signed FA’s LF Curtis Granderson, SP Bartolo Colon and RF Chris Young to go with 3B David Wright. They lost their best starter Matt Harvey to Tommy John surgery in October and this squad just underwhelms me. They have their top two prospects targeted for break out years in C Travis d’Arnaud and RP Zack Wheeler but after that the next best prospect for the franchise is in AA. This team is a basement dweller again and is ripe to be blown up and soon.

Home Field: Citi Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2009; Capacity: 41,922

2013 Attendance: 2,135,657 (13th in NL)

Key Players: 3B David Wright; LF Curtis Granderson; SP Bartolo Colon; SP Zack Wheeler

MVP Candidate: 3B David Wright

Cy Young Candidate: SP Bartolo Colon

ROY Candidate: SP Zach Wheeler

Key Additions: LF Curtis Granderson; SP Bartolo Colon; RF Chris Young; OF Eric Young Jr.; SP John Lannan; C Taylor Teagarden; RP Kyle Farnsworth

Possible lineup: C. Young RF; Murphy 2B; Granderson LF; Wright 3B; Davis 1B; d’Arnaud C; E. Young CF; Tejada SS

Possible rotation: Colon, Neise, Gee; Wheeler; Lannan

Games against Red Sox in 2014: None

Tomorrow, in Day 6, we will preview the AL East.

photo credits: getty images; getty images; getty images, getty images, getty images