Whale Sign Shayne Wiebe to AHL Contract

HARTFORD, January 9, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Whale has signed forward Shayne Wiebe to an American Hockey League contract.

Connecticut WhaleWiebe had been with the Whale on a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement since coming up from the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL November 17.  In 14 AHL games this year, the 6-0, 190-pound rookie has two assists, two penalty minutes and 21 shots on goal.  In 12 ECHL games with Greenville, Wiebe has notched seven goals and five assists for 12 points, along with 10 PIM.

A 22-year-old native of Brandon, Manitoba, Wiebe played 12 games with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps last season (0-4-4, 2 PIM) before finishing the year with the University of New Brunswick (5-7-12, 24 PIM in 11 GP). Prior to turning pro, he played four full seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Kamloops Blazers and Brandon Wheat Kings.  Wiebe’s first pro action was one game with the Whale in 2010-11, following the conclusion of his WHL season with Brandon.

The Whale’s next action is this Saturday night, January 12, when they play the first of back-to-back games in Hershey against the Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the Giant Center, and all of the action can be heard live on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2012-13 AHL season are also available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.

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BBWAA Elects No One to 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

For the first time since 1996 and eighth time in history, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) has elected no one to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

National Baseball Hall of FameThere were 37 players on the ballot with 569 ballots cast. They needed to receive 75% of the vote to get in.

Craig Biggio came the closest with 68.2% (338). Jack Morris, in his 14th year on the ballot, was the next closest with 67.7% (385).

One time Boston Red Sox farm hand and Connecticut native Jeff Bagwell was third in the voting with 59.6% (339).

Other players with Red Sox ties on the ballot were Lee Smith (272 votes, 47.8%), Curt Schilling (221, 38.8%) and Roger Clemens (214, 37.6%).

In order to stay on the ballot, the players needed to receive at least five percent of the votes. There was 19 players who didn't receive the required five percent.

Atlanta Braves great, Dale Murphy, in his final year of the ballot only received 106 votes (18.6%). His only chance of induction will come through the Veteran's Committee.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on July 28th where umpire Hank O’Day, New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and 19th-century player Deacon White will be inducted. Paul Hagen, the J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner for baseball writing, and the late Tom Cheek, the Ford C. Frick Award winner for broadcasting will also be honored over the weekend.

For a full look at the voting totals, please click on the continue button below if you're on the home page.

Name Votes (Pct.) Yrs on ballot
Craig Biggio 388 (68.2%) 1
Jack Morris 385 (67.7%) 14
Jeff Bagwell 339 (59.6%) 3
Mike Piazza 329 (57.8%) 1
Tim Raines 297 (52.2%) 6
Lee Smith 272 (47.8%) 11
Curt Schilling 221 (38.8%) 1
Roger Clemens 214 (37.6%) 1
Barry Bonds 206 (36.2%) 1
Edgar Martinez 204 (35.9%) 4
Alan Trammell 191 (33.6%) 12
Larry Walker 123 (21.6%) 3
Fred McGriff 118 (20.7%) 4
Dale Murphy 106 (18.6%) 15
Mark McGwire 96 (16.9%) 7
Don Mattingly 75 (13.2%) 13
Sammy Sosa 71 (12.5%) 1
Rafael Palmeiro 50 (8.8%) 3
Bernie Williams 19 (3.3%) 2
Kenny Lofton 18 (3.2%) 1
Sandy Alomar Jr. 16 (2.8%) 1
Julio Franco 6 (1.1%) 1
David Wells 5 (0.9%) 1
Steve Finley 4 (0.7%) 1
Shawn Green 2 (0.4%) 1
Aaron Sele 1 (0.2%) 1
Jeff Cirillo 0 (0%) 1
Royce Clayton 0 (0%) 1
Jeff Conine 0 (0%) 1
Roberto Hernandez 0 (0%) 1
Ryan Klesko 0 (0%) 1
Jose Mesa 0 (0%) 1
Reggie Sanders 0 (0%) 1
Mike Stanton 0 (0%) 1
Todd Walker 0 (0%) 1
Rondell White 0 (0%) 1
Woody Williams 0 (0%) 1

No longer on ballot

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Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/9

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It's game day for the UConn Huskies women's basketball team as they are in Washington, DC to take on the Georgetown Hoyas. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised locally in Connecticut on SNY. The game is also available online for a fee at SNYUConn.com. You can also listen on the IMG/UConn Radio Network.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

Mosqueda-Lewis ready for another shot [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Notebook: UConn women at full strength [carl adamec – sny.com]

Mosqueda-Lewis: Pain Leads To Gain [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stokes Goes Through Full Practice Today At Gampel [rich elliott – ct post]

Kiah Stokes eager for return to court [jim fuller – new haven register]

Morgan Tuck won't play tonight [jim fuller – new haven register]

Women back at it in Washington [lee lewis – republican-american]

Women's Hoops Takes On Georgetown on Wednesday at 7:30 [uconnhuskies.com]

Diana Taurasi Announced As 2012 USA Basketball Female Athlete Of The Year [uconnhuskies.com]

Maya Moore’s Olympic ring sold at mall store [atlanta journal-constitution]

Geno looks forward to using full UConn roster [ct post]

After First Loss, UConn Looks To Right Ship Against Georgetown [hartford courant]

Huskies have a healthy outlook toward game at Georgetown [new haven register]

UConn TV Timeouts: Stefanie Dolson and Brianna Banks [snyuconn.com]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Wrapping Things Up from Gampel [dom amore – hartford courant]

Career Night for DeAndre Daniels; Bad Hoop by Leon Tolksdorf [david borges – new haven register]

Notes/Quotes from DePaul: “He’s one of the fastest guys I’ve been around.” [kevin duffy – ct post]

Post-game breakdown, video: DePaul [gavin keefe – the day]

UConn's Boatright anxious for this next trip to Notre Dame [john nash – the hour]

UConn 99, DePaul 78 [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Bottled Up [uconn huskies basketball]

UConn men rout DePaul [ct post]

UConn's Daniels bounces back in a big way [ct post]

UConn game at a glance: Rebounding, transition play the keys [ct post]

Bobcats 'centering' team around ex-UConn star Kemba [ct post]

UConn Routs DePaul, 99-78 [hartford courant]

Huskies Finally Win Battle Of The Boards [hartford courant]

Boatright Going At The Season In High Gear [hartford courant]

Huskies clobber DePaul to even Big East record at 1-1 [new haven register]

Huskies put it all together [the day]

UConn races past DePaul, 99-78 [the hour]

UConn Football links

DC answered a question in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

X-A-M to represent former UConn CB [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Still On Recruiting Trail [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. Pauly Named AHA Rookie of the Week; Bartus Goalie of the week [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Andre Blake Named New England Soccer News Player of the Year [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Women's Hockey Upset Bid Falls Short Against No. 6 BU [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Track. Men's Track & Field Hits the Road for Yale Invite on Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Track. Huskies Open 2013 Season at Armory Invite on Saturday [uconnhuskies.com]

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

Video: UConn Men Pound DePaul, 99-78

Coming off the disappointing loss against Marquette a week ago, you knew after a week of practice, the UConn Huskies men's basketball team was going to come out and give everything they had.

They did that and more as it was a complete team effort in a 99-78 rout of the DePaul Blue Demons in front of 9,156 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT on Tuesday night.

The Huskies improve to 11-4 and pick up Kevin Ollie's first career Big East win (1-1). DePaul falls to 10-6 (1-2).

University of Connecticut Huskies forward DeAndre Daniels #2, scores two of his career high 26 points during the second periodAfter being benched in the loss to Marquette for his lack of rebounding effort, DeAndre Daniels bounced back strong. He finished with a career-high 26 points to go along with a team-high tying eight rebounds.

Ryan Boatright added 16 points while Shabazz Napier had a fine all-around game with 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four assists. Even Tyler Olander got into the action with 10 points and five rebounds. Enosch Wolf had a nice game off the bench with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Brandon Young led all scorers in the game with 35 points and had five assists. One time UConn commit, Cleveland Melvin added 18 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots.

This was by far the best game UConn played all season long.

They dominated the glass outrebounding the Blue Demons 49-29. And every time DePaul tried to get back into it in the second half, UConn responded.

This is the type of effort we expected from the Ollie coached team. We've seen it at times this season but not for 40 minutes like Tuesday night.

They'll need to continue this going forward as the competition in the Big East will get tougher. And that will start on Saturday afternoon when they travel to South Bend, IN for a matchup with the No. 17/16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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

DePaul Blue Demons @ UConn Huskies 1.8.13 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Kevin Ollie.

Here are UConn's postgame notes.

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photo credit: richard messina – hartford courant (no. 11 in gallery)

Andrew Yogan Re-joins Whale from Greenville

HARTFORD, January 8, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that forward Andrew Yogan has been reassigned back to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Connecticut WhalePrior to being assigned to Greenville November 29, Yogan skated in 11 games for the Whale, scoring one goal and serving 11 minutes in penalties.  In 15 games with the Road Warriors, the 2010 fourth-round (100th overall) New York Ranger draft pick scored nine goals and added three assists for 12 points, to go along with 14 penalty minutes and a +5 rating.

A 6-3, 203-pound native of Coral Springs, FL, the 21-year-old Yogan spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, with Windsor, Erie and Peterborough, prior to turning pro this year.

The Whale’s next action is this Saturday night, January 12, when they play the first of back-to-back games in Hershey against the Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the Giant Center, and all of the action can be heard live on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2012-13 AHL season are also available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.

2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Rankings – Week 10 (Jan. 8)

AP & USA Today Coaches Polls

After enjoying a week at No. 1, the UConn Huskies women's basketball team has fallen to No. 3 in the AP Poll and No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Poll after their loss on Saturday in the latest rankings.

The Baylor Lady Bears return to the top of both polls and are followed by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, UConn, Duke Blue Devils and Stanford Cardinal in the AP Poll. In the Coaches Poll, the Lady Bears are followed by UConn, Notre Dame, Stanford and Duke.

Joining the Irish and Huskies in the top 25 from the Big East are the Louisville Cardinals (15/13).

The Syracuse Orange, DePaul Blue Demons and Villanova Wildcats are among the others receiving votes in both polls. The South Florida Bulls and St. John's Red Storm are among the others receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.

For a full look at the 2013 NCAA Women's Basketball Rankings – Week 10 (Jan. 8), please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM REC PTS PVS RK TEAM REC PTS PVS
1 Baylor (32) 12-1 984 2 1 Baylor (21) 12-1 758 2
2 Notre Dame (2) 12-1 945 5 2 Connecticut (4) 12-1 724 1
3 Connecticut (2) 12-1 907 1 3 Notre Dame (4) 12-1 700 5
4 Duke (4) 13-0 903 3 4 Stanford 13-1 683 3
5 Stanford 13-1 860 4 5 Duke (2) 13-0 678 4
6 Kentucky 14-1 791 6 6 Kentucky 14-1 620 6
7 California 12-1 747 7 7 California 12-1 589 7
8 Penn State 12-2 706 9 8 Penn State 12-2 550 9
9 Tennessee 11-3 667 12 9 Tennessee 11-3 511 13
10 Maryland 11-3 596 8 10 Maryland 11-3 462 8
11 North Carolina 15-1 581 15 11 Purdue 13-2 459 14
12 Purdue 13-2 537 14 12 Georgia 13-2 405 11
13 Georgia 13-2 506 10 13 Louisville 12-3 367 10
14 UCLA 11-2 451 16 14 Oklahoma 12-2 353 16
15 Louisville 12-3 411 11 15 UCLA 11-2 323 17
16 Oklahoma 12-2 388 17 16 South Carolina 13-2 273 15
17 Kansas 11-2 264 21 17 Dayton 12-1 241 18
18 Florida State 12-2 255 19 18 Oklahoma State 11-2 224 12
18 South Carolina 13-2 255 18 19 Kansas 11-2 222 20
20 Texas A&M 12-4 241 24 20 North Carolina 15-1 218 23
21 Oklahoma State 11-2 229 13 21 Texas A&M 12-4 167 22
22 Dayton 12-1 225 22 22 Florida State 12-2 140 21
23 Colorado 11-2 121 20 23 Nebraska 11-4 133 19
24 Miami (FL) 12-2 115 NR 24 Iowa State 11-1 88 NR
25 Iowa State 11-1 91 NR 25 Miami (FL) 12-2 48 NR
Dropped from rankings: Dropped from rankings:
Arkansas 23, Nebraska 25 Ohio State 24, Colorado 25
Others receiving votes: Others receiving votes:
Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 59, Michigan 25, Syracuse 22, Arkansas 14, DePaul 7, Michigan State 7, UTEP 6, Illinois 4, Villanova 3, Texas Tech 2, Wyoming 1 Syracuse 44, Colorado 28, Vanderbilt 25, DePaul 17, Toledo 10, South Florida 5, UTEP 3, Michigan 2, Villanova 2, Ohio State 1, Iowa 1, St. John's 1

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2012 Blogpoll Top 25 – Final Ballot

As many of you know, I am one of the voters in the BlogPoll Top 25. Each week, bloggers across the country representing the various FBS schools get together and put together their own top 25's.

Here at SOX & Dawgs, we are representing the UConn Huskies.

You can check out the ballot I submitted earlier today by clicking on the continue button below if you're on the homepage.


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11 Players Participating in 2013 Red Sox Rookie Development Program

The Boston Red Sox rookie development program kicked off on Monday in Boston.

Here's the release from the Red Sox:

BOSTON, MA– The Red Sox 2013 Rookie Program, including 11 of the club’s top prospects, starts today at Fenway Park.  The week-long program focuses on easing their transition into becoming Major League players with the Red Sox.

Boston Red SoxNine of the participants were in the organization for all or part of 2012: pitchers Drake Britton, Allen Webster, and Steven Wright; catchers Dan Butler and Christian Vazquez; infielder Xander Bogaerts; and outfielders Jackie Bradley, Bryce Brentz, and Alex Hassan.  Also taking part will be pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and infielder Brock Holt, who were both acquired by the club after the season.

The program includes two workouts daily that emphasize conditioning and strength training as well as concentration on fundamentals. In addition, the players are attending a number of seminars that will focus on the assimilation into Major League life off the field.

A number of individuals will speak to the group, including Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Sam Kennedy, Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington, manager John Farrell, special assistant to the General Manager Jason Varitek, Major League coaches Greg Colbrunn and Juan Nieves, strength & conditioning consultant Mike Boyle, mental skills coordinator Bob Tewksbury, and Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

A number of individuals will speak to the group, including Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Sam Kennedy, Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington, manager John Farrell, special assistant to the General Manager Jason Varitek, Major League coaches Greg Colbrunn and Juan Nieves, strength & conditioning consultant Mike Boyle, mental skills coordinator Bob Tewksbury, and Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

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2012 NCAA Football Rankings – Postseason

AP and USA Today Coaches Polls

Fresh off their resounding win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Discover BCS National Championship game on Monday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide finish the college football season as the No. 1 team in the land.

They are followed by the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, Notre Dame and Georgia in the AP Poll. In the USA Today Coaches Poll, they are followed by Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia and the Texas A&M Aggies.

The Louisville Cardinals are the only team from the Big East to finish in the top 25 of both polls (13/13). The Cincinnati Bearcats are among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll but finished No. 22 in the Coaches Poll.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are among the others receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.

To see the final 2012 NCAA Football Rankings – Postseason, please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

AP Top 25 USA Today Poll
RK TEAM REC PTS PVS RK TEAM REC PTS PVS
1 Alabama (59) 13-1 1475 2 1 Alabama (56) 13-1 1400 2
2 Oregon 12-1 1358 5 2 Oregon 12-1 1322 3
3 Ohio State 12-0 1302 3 3 Notre Dame 12-1 1253 1
4 Notre Dame 12-1 1288 1 4 Georgia 12-2 1213 5
5 Georgia 12-2 1230 6 5 Texas A&M 11-2 1171 9
5 Texas A&M 11-2 1230 10 6 Stanford 12-2 1167 8
7 Stanford 12-2 1169 8 7 South Carolina 11-2 1064 10
8 South Carolina 11-2 1038 11 8 Florida State 12-2 942 12
9 Florida 11-2 933 4 9 Clemson 11-2 916 13
10 Florida State 12-2 922 13 10 Florida 11-2 886 4
11 Clemson 11-2 889 14 11 Kansas State 11-2 841 6
12 Kansas State 11-2 871 7 12 LSU 10-3 775 7
13 Louisville 11-2 781 22 13 Louisville 11-2 772 18
14 LSU 10-3 756 9 14 Boise State 11-2 633 15
15 Oklahoma 10-3 615 12 15 Oklahoma 10-3 600 11
16 Utah State 11-2 456 18 16 Northwestern 10-3 580 17
17 Northwestern 10-3 443 21 17 Utah State 11-2 444 20
18 Boise State 11-2 419 20 18 Texas 9-4 398 25
19 Texas 9-4 358 NR 19 Oregon State 9-4 366 14
20 Oregon State 9-4 303 15 20 Vanderbilt 9-4 248 NR
21 San Jose State 11-2 243 24 21 San Jose State 11-2 244 24
22 Northern Illinois 12-2 227 16 22 Cincinnati 10-3 186 NR
23 Vanderbilt 9-4 180 NR 23 Nebraska 10-4 175 21
24 Michigan 8-5 147 19 24 Northern Illinois 12-2 156 16
25 Nebraska 10-4 119 23 25 Tulsa 11-3 11 NR
Dropped from rankings: Dropped from rankings:
UCLA 17, Kent State 25 UCLA 19, Michigan 22, Wisconsin 23
Others receiving votes: Others receiving votes
Baylor 95, Penn State 90, Cincinnati 78, Oklahoma State 42, Tulsa 34, UCLA 31, Arkansas State 28, UCF 9, TCU 9, Wisconsin 6, North Dakota State 1 Michigan 101, UCLA 75, Baylor 52, Oklahoma State 36, Wisconsin 18, UCF 15, Arkansas State 13, Arizona State 10, Rutgers 9, Kent State 5, Louisiana Tech 2, Arizona 1, Ohio 1

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