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 some of the other sports. 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 Football links

The Big East’s best: No. 4 [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East: Five predictions [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Starting quarterback will be game time announcement [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

UConn Lands Big Lineman Rennick Bryan From Hillhouse High [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Practice Closed, DE Jesse Joseph In Knee Brace [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Practice Notes And Quotes (Aug.24) [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

DC also answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Early practice report [Joe Perez – Norwich Bulletin]

Joseph hurt [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Quick camp report [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Football notes: DE Joseph out with knee injury [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

2011 Football Team Preview – Connecticut Huskies [BigEast.org]

Football Nears Completion Of Camp [UConnHuskies.com]

Huskies Ready To Break From Coach Pasqualoni’s First Camp [Hartford Courant]

Malik Golden Chooses Penn State [Hartford Courant]

Starting QB will be ‘game-time’ announcement [New Haven Register]

Hillhouse’s Rennick Bryan commits to Huskies [New Haven Register]

Huskies won’t name quarterback until season opener [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn has something special in Teggart [The Day]

UConn Football Notebook — And then there was two … and a half [The Hour]

Chapman decides to end UConn football career [Westerly Sun]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn Dunn Wrong [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Hey Folks … My Last Post To Say Goodbye Before Handing The Keys To Dom Amore [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Dom Amore, UConn Men’s Basketball Beat Writer, Reporting For Duty [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn recruiting target in international event [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Moore Named Finalist For NCAA Woman Of The Year [UConnHuskies.com]

Eight Huskies Post Double-Figure Scoring on Wednesday in Castellanza [UConnHuskies.com]

Final Full Day in Italy; Lake Como [UConnHuskies.com]

Other UConn related links

W. Rowing. Rowing Walk-On Informational Meetings Set [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Connecticut Women’s Soccer Hosts Colgate and CCSU [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Huskies Set For TCU Tournament [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Soccer. #5 Connecticut: Huskies can be much better this season [Soccer America]

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

After an offensive explosion last night, the Boston Red Sox look to do it again tonight in game three of a four-game set with the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rangers broadcast area, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Southwest. If you don’t live in either market, ESPN2 will have national coverage of the game outside of the Red Sox and Rangers television markets. You can also catch the game online at ESPN3.com. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

After finally picking up his 10th win in his last start, Josh Beckett goes for No. 11 on the season in his 25th start. In his previous 24 starts, Beckett is 10-5 with a 2.46 ERA. He hasn’t faced the Rangers this year and had no record with a 9.75 ERA in two starts against them in 2010.  He’s made seven career starts against the Rangers and is 2-2 with a 5.53 ERA. Four of those starts have come at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington where he is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA.

Matt Harrison is also making his 25th start of the season for the Rangers. In his previous 24 starts, Harrison is 10-8 with a 3.28 ERA. Harrison picked up the win on April 3rd in his only start against the Red Sox this season. In that outing, he allowed one run on five hits in seven innings of work. Harrison has made five career appearances (three starts) against the Red Sox and is 2-0 with a 5.68 ERA.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.

Here are this evening’s lineups:

78-50		74-56
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ian Kinsler	DH
2. Marco Scutaro	SS	2. Elvis Andrus	SS
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Josh Hamilton	LF
4. Dustin Pedroia	2B	4. Michael Young	3B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Mike Napoli	C
6. Jed Lowrie	3B	6. Mitch Moreland	1B
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. David Murphy	RF
8. Jason Varitek	C	8. Endy Chavez	CF
9. Darnell McDonald	C	9. Omar Quintanilla	2B
Josh Beckett	SP	Matt Harrison	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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

David Ortiz ready to ‘go deep’ tonight vs. Rangers [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame notes: Red Sox, A’s bracing for Hurricane Irene [Clubhouse Insider]

Lackey’s win recent stretch is deceiving [CSN New England]

Rangers Present Red Sox With More Frightening Playoff Task Than Justin Verlander, Tigers [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

Olney: Would Cubs target Epstein? [ESPN Boston]

Video: W2W4 in Sox-Rangers tonight [ESPN Boston]

Video: Virtual Pitch breaks down Beckett [ESPN Boston]

Jenks to throw in minor-league game [ESPN Boston]

Storm warning has Sox scrambling [ESPN Boston]

Youkilis (back) to ramp up activity [ESPN Boston]

Drew set for 4-game rehab stint [ESPN Boston]

And down the stretch they come [Extra Bases]

Hot topic: Theo Epstein to the Cubs? [Extra Bases]

Podcast: Injuries and slumps [Extra Bases]

Pre-game notes from Texas [Extra Bases]

Dave Magadan on M&M: Carl Crawford is ready to break out of slump [Full Count]

Terry Francona on The Big Show: John Lackey can ‘be the pitcher we need’ [Full Count]

Red Sox pregame notes: News on Andrew Miller, Steve Prefontaine, Bobby Jenks, J.D. Drew, Mark Cuban and Mother Nature [Full Count]

Arbitration Eligibles: Boston Red Sox [MLB Trade Rumors]

Pawtucket Red Sox Batters Not Fazed By Struggles at Plate, Concentrate on Improving Hitting Approach [NESN.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox Have Opportunity to Reach Playoffs For First Time Since 2008 With Successful Road Trip [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ Rotation Will Reveal Terry Francona’s Priorities Regarding Race With Yankees for AL East [NESN.com]

Red Sox Should Expect Boost With David Ortiz’s Return: A Look Inside the Numbers [NESN.com]

With Hurricane Irene Approaching, Red Sox, MLB Looking at Scheduling Alternatives [NESN.com]

From Rangers’ perspective, Red Sox a better foe than Yankees [Providence Journal]

Miller ready for Thursday test [Projo Sox Blog]

Saltalamacchia happy to be with Red Sox [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox “brainstorming” contingencies for hurricane [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett aiming for second win in home state [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: AP Photo, AP Photo

While all of us backseat managers out there sometimes question the decisions that Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona makes, we do listen to what he has to say about anything and everything. One thing he’s been consistent in saying is that as the Red Sox are a more productive team with Jacoby Ellsbury in and at the top of the lineup.

So after missing three games after being hit by a pitch in Friday night’s game in Kansas City, Ellsbury returned to the lineup against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night and announced his presence with authority.

He led off the game with a single and wasted no time with Marco Scutaro at the plate by stealing second base. He would eventually come around to score on an Adrian Gonzalez two-run homer. And in the 5th inning, he made a great running catch which earned him a tip of the cap from the starter John Lackey. Yes, you read that right. 

The boost provided from Ellsbury was just part of a nice offensive night for the Red Sox as they beat the heat and the Rangers 11-5. And with that win coupled with a New York Yankees loss to the Oakland A’s, the Red Sox are back in a tie for first in the AL East.

The offense made sure that Lackey had enough run support (secretly I think Josh Beckett was jealous of it). They scored two runs in each of the first innings and added a single run in the 4th. They put the final touches on the outburt in the 8th with four runs.

It’d been a long time since Gonzo had hit a home run, July 30th to be exact. In that time, he saw Ellsbury pass him in home runs. But with two home runs last night, the 2-run johnson in the 1st and a solo shot in the 4th, he now has 20 on the season and is two behind Ellsbury. Oh and he added another hit as well to finish with three hits to increase his AL-leading average to .346.

Every member of the starting nine had at least one hit last night. Besides Gonzo’s three-hit effort, Jed Lowrie, Ryan Lavarnway and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had two hits each.

Once again, for the most part, Lackey was pretty good at the mound. He hit a rough patch in the 3rd inning when he gave three of the runs back. But with the offensive support he had that little bump in the road didn’t hurt him.

With David Ortiz returning to the lineup tonight, the offense gets a little better. Hopefully they can do what they did last night again tonight in the sweltering heat of Texas.

We’ll be back later today with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and more for this evening’s game. But for now enjoy the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Lackey proves cool in the heat [Boston Globe]

Ortiz gets medical clearance [Boston Globe]

Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez lead Red Sox past Rangers [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz on heels of return [Boston Herald]

John Lackey finding playoff form [Boston Herald]

Ryan Lavarnway glad to be unknown commodity [Boston Herald]

Sox snap funk, beat Rangers, 11-5 [CSN New England]

Return men: Ellsbury back, Ortiz to follow [CSN New England]

Notes: Gonzalez ends HR drought with two [CSN New England]

Lackey: ‘My arm is feeling good’ [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox offense gets welcome reinforcements [ESPN Boston]

Ryan Kalish sidelined again, potentially jeopardizing season [Full Count]

Closing Time: Adrian Gonzalez homers twice as Sox down Rangers [Full Count]

John Lackey rekindles memories of Jack Lazorko, and John Lackey [Full Count]

Video: Adrian Gonzalez Homers Twice in Blowout Win, Says He’s Starting to Find His Timing Again [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Prospect Garin Cecchini Feels Connection to Jimmy Fund One Year After Making Eye-Opening Donation [NESN.com]

Adrian Gonzalez Ends Home Run Drought, Signals Potential Offensive Outburst [NESN.com]

Boston finally unleashes Texas TNT [Providence Journal]

Expansion of roster will give Sox a boost [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: McDonald’s bat coming to life [Providence Journal]

Lavarnway gets bonus sessions of Camp Tuck [RedSox.com]

Saltalamacchia impressing former manager [RedSox.com]

The three players who might carry the Red Sox to where they want to go [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Is Lackey making a comeback? [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Dallas Morning News, ESPN Dallas and Ft. Worth Star Telegram websites.

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

Photo credit: Getty Images

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 some of the other sports. 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 Football links

Video: Looking for a leader — UConn [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Practice report: UConn [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

New Developments At Rentschler Field Includes More Parking [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Former UConn OL Will Beatty After Giants-Bears Game [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

DC answered a plethora of questions in his mailbox [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Auburn, Boise State among 10 teams with huge holes to fill [SI.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

NCAA Sanctions for UConn Men’s Basketball [UConnHuskies.com]

Exclusive: Kris Dunn Will Commit To PC Wednesday [GoLocalProv.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Go Shopping With Maya Moore – And She Pays! [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Maya Moore Makes Cut For NCAA’s Woman Of The Year Award [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno, Lobo Express Their Feelings Regarding Summitt’s Diagnosis [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Day Seven in Italy; Huskies Visit Pisa [UConnHuskies.com]

Dolson, Hartley and Hayes Named to Preseason Wade Watch List [UConnHuskies.com]

Pat Summitt Has Early-Stage Dementia; Auriemma ‘Shocked And Saddened’ [Hartford Courant]

Maya Moore is a bobblehead [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Hosts Annual Media Day/Coaches Clinic [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Nationally ranked UConn returns lots of talent [Norwich Bulletin]

M. Soccer. Leeman likely to redshirt 1st year at UConn [Norwich Bulletin]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Ranked No. 4 In Kookaburra/NFHCA Preseason Poll [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn president makes move to clear athletic missteps [The Hour]

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