Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from us here at SOX & Dawgs!

My Vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame

This time of year everyone who is a 10-year member of the Baseball Writers Association of America gets to vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately I am not a member of the BBWAA and therefore do not get a vote but it doesn’t mean that as a fan I don’t have an opinion on who should.

Baseball Hall of Fame First as a baseball fan of 40 years I have seen the entire careers of all these players with my own two eyes. I am not relying on stories, hearsay, bad grainy video or scratchy radio recordings to tell me about the players up to induction.

Secondly we are now starting to get into the players who were most influenced by the PED era of the game. Like many writers who are starting to come around I feel that there is a PED era to game that spans from at least 1990-2005, if not slightly before and beyond those years. In fact some feel it still exists today, as there is no agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association to test for HGH. There are HGH tests out there but like the other PED and standard drug testing it must be negotiated into the collective bargaining agreement.

With this I feel the PED era should be looked at as any other era in baseball or any other sport. Are Football Hall of Fame voters going to not vote for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees because they played in an era that featured the pass more than any other and they totally obliterated existing records? No they wont so why should baseball voters exclude players from the PED era?

Some of the players on the ballot or that will be on the ballot in the next few years are admitted PED users. Some were caught, some admitted after the fact. Other players fall under the bubble of speculation of using PED’s. Their names have been linked to various sources, trainers or teams that had heavy PED use but there is no failed test, no smoking gun or needle to actually label them as a PED user.

Then there are players who were no doubt clean but will pay in Hall votes because their numbers don’t pop off the page like another alleged PED user’s numbers. These guy sin any other era would be Hall members but they may lose out because some writers/voters are refusing to vote for anyone in the era regardless or whether they were linked to PED’s or not.

Would I rather see a clean game with no one using PED’s and let the numbers fall where they may? Sure I would but that is impractical as we’ve already experienced at least a decade and a half or an entire generation or players, who played in all or part of the PED era. I think these players should be voted for but that their plaques contain the note in it that played in an era when PED’s ran rampant in the game and that the numbers may be slightly higher than other eras. We already have “live ball” and “dead ball” eras so why not a PED era?

To continue reading and see the 10 players, please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

Now looking at the list of players eligible for a vote for the Hall of Fame I came up with the 10 players I’d vote for. They are in alphabetical order.

1. Jeff Bagwell – A Connecticut native who went to the University of Hartford and was a top Red Sox prospect before being traded away to Houston where he played his entire career and a MVP Award. Some suspect he was a PED user and this speculation will no doubt cost him votes.

2. Craig Biggio – Bagwell’s Astro teammate and one-third of the Killer B’s (Bagwell and Lance Berkman being the others). Played 2B, C and OF in his career, got 3000 hits and nearly 300 HR’s and was always a gamer.

3. Barry Bonds – Probably the most feared hitter I have ever seen with my two eyes. I didn’t see Williams, DiMaggio or Ruth but this guy historians say is the equivalent of this generation. He is listed as the all-time career home run king, the single season home run king and won more MVP Awards than anyone can even hold. At one time was a base stealer and an above average outfielder but as well know he became embroiled in the BALCO scandal and opinions of him and his career changed.

4. Roger Clemens – What can you say about this guy’s career? More Cy Young’s than anyone can hold, 2 World Series rings, over 350 career wins. He is one of the three or four greatest pitchers of all time and if I were a betting man the others would be Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux. The first one is a Hall member the other three will be. Highly suspected of being a PED user, charged with perjury by Congress and beat the rap.

5. Jack Morris – The winningest pitcher in the 1980’s he led three teams (Detroit, Minnesota and Toronto) to World Series titles and this side of Curt Schilling was the best big game pitcher I have ever seen. He didn’t get to 300 wins but he did so much more to earn the honor. He is not linked with PED use.

6. Dale Murphy – Probably the most overlooked two-time MVP in baseball history. This guy played a majority of his years with a bad Braves franchise and he excelled. One of the dangerous hitters in the game during his playing days he is not linked to PED use.

7. Rafael Palmeiro – Now here is the test case. 3000 hits, 500 home runs, wagged his finger at Congress and then failed a PED test and was suspended then basically run out of the game. His numbers have Hall of Fame written all over it. No one who is eligible that has 3000 hits and 500 home runs has ever been excluded from the Hall.

8. Mike Piazza – The best hitting catcher of all-time and he did it in two caverns, Dodger Stadium and Shea Stadium. He was better defensively than most give him credit for and he called a good game. He is linked through the Mitchell report to PED use.

9. Tim Raines – After Rickey Henderson, a Hall member, Raines is the best leadoff hitter in baseball history. Speed, power, decent outfielder, good hitter he did it all and did it well and toiled for many years in obscurity in Montreal.

10. Sammy Sosa – Over 600 career homeruns and along with Mark McGwire is credited with reviving baseball in the late 1990’s with their chase of Roger Maris’ single season home run record. His contagious smile and joy for the game made millions love him. Now many vilify him because of his links to PED use.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings – Week 8 (Dec. 24)

AP & USA Today Coaches Poll

The NCAA men's basketball rankings are out and the UConn Huskies remain among the others receiving votes in both polls.

The Duke Blue Devils remain No. 1 (there went my Christmas Eve dinner). They are followed by the Michigan Wolverines, Arizona Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals and Indiana Hoosiers in the AP Poll. In the USA Today Coaches' Poll, the top five is the same except for Louisville is No. 3 and Arizona is No. 4.

Joining the Cardinals from the Big East in the top 25 are the Cincinnati Bearcats (8/8), Syracuse Orange (9/7), Georgetown Hoyas (15/18), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21/20) and Pitt Panthers (24/24).

UConn is the only team from the Big East among the others receiving votes.

For a full look at the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – Week 8 (Dec. 24), 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	Duke (63)	11-0	1,623	1	1	Duke (30)	11-0	774	1
2	Michigan (2)	12-0	1,551	2	2	Michigan (1)	12-0	745	2
3	Arizona	11-0	1,463	4	3	Louisville	11-1	682	5
4	Louisville	11-1	1,422	5	3	Arizona	11-0	682	4
5	Indiana	11-1	1,383	6	5	Indiana	11-1	648	6
6	Kansas	10-1	1,309	9	6	Kansas	10-1	642	8
7	Missouri	10-1	1,157	12	7	Syracuse	10-1	559	3
8	Cincinnati	12-0	1,144	11	8	Cincinnati	12-0	543	11
9	Syracuse	10-1	1,140	3	9	Missouri	10-1	537	12
10	Ohio State	9-2	965	7	10	Ohio State	9-2	480	7
11	Minnesota	12-1	878	13	11	Florida	8-2	406	9
12	Illinois	12-1	875	10	12	Creighton	11-1	395	13
13	Gonzaga	11-1	824	14	13	Gonzaga	11-1	391	14
14	Florida	8-2	772	8	14	Minnesota	12-1	345	16
15	Georgetown	10-1	674	15	15	Illinois	12-1	330	10
16	Creighton	11-1	589	17	16	San Diego State	11-1	327	15
17	San Diego State	11-1	557	18	17	UNLV	11-1	240	18
18	Butler	9-2	512	19	18	Georgetown	10-1	217	21
19	Michigan State	11-2	416	20	19	Michigan State	11-2	207	19
20	UNLV	11-1	382	21	20	Notre Dame	12-1	181	22
21	Notre Dame	12-1	337	22	21	Butler	9-2	136	25
22	Oklahoma State	10-1	318	24	22	Oklahoma State	10-1	129	24
23	North Carolina State	9-2	264	25	23	Kentucky	8-3	108	23
24	Pittsburgh	12-1	189	NR	24	Pittsburgh	12-1	97	NR
25	Kansas State	9-2	152	NR	25	North Carolina State	9-2	87	NR
Dropped from rankings:					Dropped from rankings:
New Mexico 16, North Carolina 23					New Mexico 17, North Carolina 19
Others receiving votes:					Others receiving votes:
New Mexico 66, Kentucky 37, Temple 36, Wyoming 28, Virginia Commonwealth 16, North Carolina 16, Wichita State 11, Maryland 7, Oregon 6, Connecticut 6					New Mexico 62, North Carolina 34, Kansas State 22, Virginia Commonwealth 22, Wyoming 20, Connecticut 6, Oregon 6, Temple 5, Maryland 3, Colorado 3, Wichita State 3, Colorado State 1

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Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 12/24

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.

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

UConn Women's Basketball links

Faris responds to Auriemma’s ‘tweaking’ [carl adamec – hartford courant]

On Breanna Stewart And Stanford [john altavilla – hartford courant]

This Is Women’s Basketball: 710 Watch Delle Donne Score 30 [john altavilla – hartford courant]

10 Christmas Gifts From The UConn Women [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Interesting scheduling talk from Geno [jim fuller – new haven register]

Stewart makes it look routine [jim fuller – new haven register]

Auriemma Continues To Speak Out, And Not Just About Basketball [hartford courant]

Three points from Saturday's win over Hartford [new haven register]

UConn Football links

SNY Has "Huskies Power Hour Marathon" On Tuesday [uconnhuskies.com]

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Omar Calhoun Named Big East Freshman of the Week

Omar Calhoun had a good week of basketball for the UConn Huskies men's team. So good in fact, he was honored by the Big East for his efforts.

Connecticut Huskies guard Omar Calhoun drives against Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks guard Ishaq Pitt during the first half at the XL Center. The Big East named Calhoun as the Big East Freshman of the Week on Sunday. They also named Ryan Boatright to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.

Calhoun averaged 19.5 points in UConn's two wins this week.

He had a career-high 22 points in the 84-50 win over the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks last Monday. In Friday night's 88-73 win over the Fordham Rams, Calhoun had 17 points.

In the two games, he was 14-of-21 from the floor and 6-of-9 from three-point land.

Boatright averaged 23.5 points in the two wins in being named to weekly honor roll.

The UConn men return to action on Saturday, December 29 when they'll host the Washington Huskies at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

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

photo credit: david butler ii – special to hartford courant

Video: Highlights From Patriots 23-16 Win Over The Jaguars

Here are the highlights from the New England Patriots uninspiring 23-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL on Sunday afternoon.

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

Breanna Stewart Named Big East Freshman of the Week

For the second time this season, UConn Huskies freshman Breanna Stewart has been named the Big East Freshman of the Week.

Here's the release from UConn:

STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut women's basketball standout Breanna Stewart has been honored as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week as announced by the league on Sunday. Stewart, the 2012-13 Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, earns the award for the second time this season.

Connecticut Huskies forward Breanna Stewart drives against Hartford Hawks forward Katie Roth. Stewart averaged 24.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week for the No. 2/2 Huskies, which included wins over Oakland and at Hartford. Stewart had 21 points and 13 rebounds against Oakland. She was 10-of-17 from the floor, recorded two blocks and two steals while eight of her 13 boards came on the offensive glass.

She followed that up with a 27-point, seven-rebound effort at Hartford. Her career-high 27 came on 9-of-13 shooting in only 25 minutes of action. She shot 63 percent for the week.

The Syracuse, N.Y. native leads the team at 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and has scored the most points of any Husky in her first 10 games. Stewart's 169 points surpassed Maya Moore's previous record of 165, set in 2008.

Stewart and the Huskies will return to action on Saturday, December 29 when the team heads west to square-off against top-ranked Stanford. Game time is set for 4 p.m. EST and the contest will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

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

photo credit: david butler ii – special to hartford courant (no. 14 in gallery)

Uninspired Patriots Escape with a Win

Wes Welker #83 of the New England Patriots dives for a touchdown during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on December 23, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Uninspired should stand out in that headline as well as here. That’s what Sunday’s effort was by the New England Patriots against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags sporting a now 2-13 record and an anemic defense and pathetic offense should have been cannon fodder for a New England team looking to regain it’s edge after last weeks loss at home to San Francisco.

But no, they barely slipped by a Jaguars team, 23-16 that at least tried. They are severely outmanned both due to injuries and lack of talent. Yet they tried and damn near won. Now wouldn’t that have frosted some holiday balls back in New England?

I sit here writing this and I am not pleased, neither should the owners, staff, players and you the fans. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty anywhere that hard liquor was available.

Maybe they’re just too ready for Christmas and time with their families. Several players have new marriages and babies and that’s well understood but before you go about your holiday you’re expected to show up for your job. They didn’t do that on Sunday it was like they were on a Florida vacation. All of them.

I hope they soaked up some rays on their trip because they flat out sucked. If I had paid to make the road trip and watch them in person I would serious consider calling the office tomorrow and asking them to give me a refund.

I don’t know how else to put it they flat out sucked Sunday and I hope they realize it and do something about it.

I don’t know what’s happened to this team but Sunday they were 4 of 12 on third down, against San Francisco 2 of 15. That’s pretty pathetic by any standard.

This team has work to do Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, Mike Patricia and all the players nobody is excluded. Enjoy your Christmas then get to work because the last thing I want to see is one of those half assed efforts against the Dolphins next Sunday.

Patriots at Jaguars Gamebook includes the box score, all the stats, play by play, drive charts and more.

Patriots at Jaguars Game Recap.

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

Turning Point of the Game

S Patrick Chung’s second INT of the game in the end zone as the clock expired to seal the Patriots win.

Offensive Player of the Game

RB Stevan Ridley rebounded well and had 18 carries and gained 84 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game

CB Marquis Cole had 2 tackles for loss to lead the team. He also made 5 tackles (5 solo), had a pass defensed and 1 INT. He added a 6th tackle on special teams.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

LT Solder

LG Mankins

C Wendell

RG Connolly

RT Vollmer

TE Hernandez

TE Hoomanawanui

TE Fells

WR Lloyd

QB Brady

RB Ridley

On Defense:

DE Ninkovich

DT Wilfork

DT Deaderick

DE C. Jones

LB Mayo

LB Hightower

CB McCourty

CB Arrington

S Chung

S Gregory

DB Cole

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

TE Rob Gronkowski (forearm/hip)
LB Brandon Spikes (knee/ankle)
CB Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring/knee)
DE Ron Brace (back)
OL Markus Zusevics
DE Jake Bequette
RB James Develin

Jaguars

RB Rashad Jennings (concussion)
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (ankle)
CB Antwaun Molden
RB Jonathan Grimes
LB Brandon Marshall
OL Eben Britton
DE Austen Lane

The spread (Patriots MINUS 15.5) WAS NOT covered. The over/under (50.5) WAS NOT COVERED. I GAVE the points (Patriots) and took the OVER. I am now 3-12 vs. the spread and 10 of 15 calling the under/over.

Since 1999 the Patriots have the best record in the NFL at 158-65.

New England is 81-47-1 against teams in the AFC South.

Since 2001 the Patriots are 73-17 in games played on Thanksgiving or later.

Since 2001 New England is 44-6 in December games.

The New England defense has forced a turnover in 26 consecutive games dating back to Week 6 in 2011.

The Patriots lead the all-time series 9-1 including playoffs.

The Patriots are 3-1 on the road in the series, the lone road was a playoff game in 1996.

New England has won the last 6 meetings.

Bill Belichick is now 203-108 including playoffs in his career.

Belichick’s 203 wins are good for 7th all-time.

Bill Belichick is 6-2 vs. the Jags in his career including playoffs. He is 6-0 with New England.

Tom Brady is 6-0 vs. the Jags including 2-0 in the playoffs. Overall including playoffs he is 151-44.

Brady has 332 TD passes in his career he is now 5th all-time. Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is 4th with 342.

Brady has thrown at least 1 TD pass in 47 consecutive games. That ties Hall of Fame member Johnny Unitas for the second longest streak in NFL history.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 116 consecutive games including playoffs, 99 as a Patriot. The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

Welker led the team with 10 catches for 88 yards and 1 TD.

RB Danny Woodhead had the other TD catch.

RB Stevan Ridley had 84 yards on 18 carries.

CB Kyle Arrington led the team with 7 tackles (7 solo) and had 1 tackle for loss.

LB Dont’a Hightower had the lone sack for the Patriots.

Hightower, DE Trevor Scott and DE Chandler Jones each had a QB hit.

CB Marquis Cole had 2 tackles for loss to lead the team. He also made 5 tackles, had a pass defensed and 1 INT. He added a 6th tackle on special teams.

S Patrick Chung had a pair of INT’s late in the game to help the team seal the win.

Chung (2), Hightower, Cole, LB Tracy White and DT Brandon Deaderick each had a pass defensed.

S Nate Ebner led the squad with 2 tackles on special teams.

Roster moves this week:

Promoted WR Kamar Aiken from the practice squad.

The Patriots sacked Jacksonville QB Chad Henne 1 time, while Brady was sacked 3 times.

New England is PLUS 23 in turnover differential, 1st in the NFL. The offense has given up 9 INT and 7 fumbles, while the defense has 19 INTs and 20 fumble recoveries.

The Patriots were 2 for 3 (66.6%) in the red zone. They had 2 TDs and 1 FG.

New England was 4 for 12 (33.3%) on third down conversions and 0 for 0 on 4th down attempts.

Jacksonville has never beaten New England in the regular season, they are 0-6.

The Jaguars finished with only 1 win at home the fewest in the 17 seasons on the franchise.

Mike Mularkey is 2-13 in his first season with Jacksonville. He was 14-18 in two seasons with Buffalo for an overall record of 16-31.

He is 0-5 vs. New England in his career.

Jags QB Chad Henne is 1-5 vs. New England in his career, 1-4 with Miami. Overall he is 14-22 (1-4 with Jacksonville).

Jacksonville was 4 for 15 (27%) on 3rd down conversions and 1 for 2 (50%) on 4th down attempts.

The Jags were 1 for 4 (%) in the red zone. They had 1 TD, 1 FG and 2 INT’s.

Jacksonville is MINUS 1 in turnover differential, 16th in the NFL. The offense has given up 14 INT and 9 fumbles, while the defense has 12 INTs and 10 fumble recoveries.

Jeff Triplette was the game referee. The temp at kickoff was 58.

Attendance – 70,251 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville FL.

Post Game Interviews

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots QB Tom Brady post game press conference via patriots.com

This Week in the AFC East

Dolphins beat the Bills, 24-10

Chargers downed the Jets, 27-17

AFC East Standings

Patriots 11-4/5-0

Dolphins 7-8/2-3

Jets 6-8/2-3

Bills 5-10/1-4

Next Week

The Patriots host the Miami Dolphins next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA. Kick off is at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: getty images

Video: Darius Butler Pick Six Off Brady Quinn

For the second this season and third time in his career, Indianapolis Colts cornerback and former UConn Husky Darius Butler has returned an interception for a touchdown.

This time around he did it against Brady Quinn of the Kansas City Chiefs