If there’s one position on the UConn Huskies football team that has a lot of depth, it’s at the wide receiver position.

Last week, they lost true sophomore Leon Kinnard who decided to leave the program and transfer to FCS school Towson State. Towson’s head coach just happens to be former UConn assistant Rob Ambrose.

Well now you can add another UConn connection at Towson as redshirt junior wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard has decided to transfer there as well according to Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant. He will be eligible to play right away.

Sheppard played in nine games last year, catching one pass for three yards.

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Photo credit: Brooke LaValley – Hartford Courant

Early on last night, it didn’t look like the Boston Red Sox were going to pick up a third straight win as the Minnesota Twins got to Tim Wakefield for five runs. But after the offense woke up, Wakefield left the game in line for his 200th career win.

Unfortunately for Wake, his 200th career win will have to wait until his next start as Alfredo Aceves was touched up for a run in the 8th inning. There was no need to panic though as the Red Sox got two runs in the top half of the 9th to pick up an 8-6 win.

I know we were all disappointed that Wake couldn’t get his 200th win and even the players were as well. While individual accolades are nice, all 25 guys on the Red Sox roster will tell you that a team win is more important. We also can’t get down on Aceves for giving up the run that denied Wake’s 200th.

The man has been there all season long for the Red Sox when they needed him and if it weren’t for him, they probably wouldn’t be in the position they are in. I’m sure no one felt worse than he did last night.

Wake struggled early on but once the offense got going, he settled down in the 6th and 7th to go out in line for the win thanks to David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltlamacchia.

The Red Sox were trailing 5-1 entering the 6th inning and you could see the 5 a.m. arrival time in Minneapolis was wearing on them. Things got started when Carl Crawford led off with a triple off of Scott Baker. The next batter Adrian Gonzalez brought him in with a sac fly. Dustin Pedroia singled and then came into score on Big Papi’s monstrous blast to the second deck in right field at Target Field.

Salty followed that up with a solo home run and just like that the Red Sox had tied the game up at 5. They took the lead in the 8th when Mike Aviles grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Big Papi when Joe Mauer‘s error allowed him to score.

Big Papi became the hero of the game with his fourth hit of the night, a single that easily scored pinch-runner Darnell McDonald. Salty followed that with a double to score Pedroia to provide the final margin. Jonathan Papelbon continued his run of great pitching by going 1-2-3 in the 9th for his 25th save of 2011.

Ortiz had been slumping recently but he’s once again starting to hit the ball. And with the reports that he’s unhappy about his contract status, he’s letting his bat do the talking right now. The Red Sox probably won’t discuss an extension with him while the season is going on and the last thing the Red Sox need right now is a distraction. But as long as Papi takes out his frustrations with the bat and not in the media, things will be just fine.

Marco Scutaro also added three more hits last night after a four-hit effort on Sunday. With Jed Lowrie back in the fold now, those two will probably be competing for playing time at shortstop again. If Scutaro stays hot though, that could all change.

We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. 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

Where have all the homers gone for Adrian Gonzalez? [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Sox put together another late win [Boston Globe]

Reward for long night [Boston Globe]

Could Ellsbury join these leading men? [Boston Globe]

It was a big night for Papi [Boston Globe]

David Ortiz makes Twins pay [Boston Herald]

Pedroia works hard [Boston Herald]

Lowrie hopes to show early form [Boston Herald]

Wake’s quest lingers longer [Boston Herald]

Sox’ late-inning attack spurs 8-6 win [CSN New England]

Notes: Wakefield misses 200th win once again [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 8, Twins 6 [ESPN Boston]

Video: ‘MNB’ crew on Sox offense [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: David Ortiz has big night in 8-6 win over Twins, Tim Wakefield still searching for No. 200 [Full Count]

Video: Josh Beckett Continues to Receive Little Run Support, Which Makes His Dominance Even More Important [NESN.com]

Red Sox Reliever Bobby Jenks Hospitalized, Set to Undergo Colonoscopy [NESN.com]

Video: David Ortiz Continues to Hurt Former Team, Sparks Red Sox Win in Series Opener [NESN.com]

Video: Tim Wakefield Can’t Pick Up 200th Win, But Not Too Upset As Red Sox Still Come Away With Win [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Uses Entire Ballpark in Loud Night Against Twins to Help Put Quiet Slump in Past [NESN.com]

Tim Wakefield Posts Another Quality Start, Remains in Search of Milestone Win [NESN.com]

Red Sox win, but Wakefield forced to wait for No. 200 [Providence Journal]

Lowrie-Scutaro competition renewed in earnest [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Francona defends Varitek’s swing on 3-0 count [Providence Journal]

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 Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer-Press websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Twins Target.

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: UConn CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

What Does Cochran’s UConn Commit Do For WR Malik Golden? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Football Practice Open To Public On Tuesday [UConnHuskies.com]

Keeping Cochran at home a huge step for UConn [CT Post]

Cochran’s Decision Could Influence Golden [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

‘Decision’ for Drummond Approaching Soon [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Gordon Won’t Play for Great Britain [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Player Profile: Michael Bradley [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tina Charles is honored by WNBA again [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

UConn coaches on Dave Solomon [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

David Solomon obituary [BCBailey.com]

RIP Dave Solomon [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Ranked No. 7 In Early Preseason Rankings [UConnHuskies.com]

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

After taking two-of-three from their AL East rivals last night, the Boston Red Sox now embark on a six-game, seven-day road trip. They’ll get it started tonight with the first of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Twins broadcast area, you can catch the game on Fox Sports North.  The game will also be shown nationally (outside of Red Sox & Twins TV markets) on ESPN. Where available, 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.

Tim Wakefield makes his third attempt at career win No. 200 in his 16th start (25th appearance) of 2011. In his previous 24 appearances (15 starts), Wake is 6-4 with a 4.99 ERA. He’s made one start against the Twins and took the loss back on May 6th. In that start, he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings of work. Wake has made 28 career appearances (25 starts) against the Twins and is 14-7 with a 4.54 ERA. He’s made 13 starts in the Twin Cities and is 7-5 with a 4.81 ERA. His lone Target Field start came last year when he took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings.

Scott Baker makes his 21st of 2011 for the Twins tonight. In his previous 20 starts, Baker is 8-6 with a 3.01 ERA. He was matched up with Wakefield on May 6th and picked up the win after allowing two runs in eight innings. He’s made five career appearances (four starts) against the Red Sox and is 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA. He’s never faced the Red Sox at home as all five of his career appearances have come at Historic Fenway Park.

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:

70-43		51-63
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Denard Span	CF
2. Carl Crawford	LF	2. Trevor Plouffe	2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Joe Mauer	C
4. Dustin Pedroia	2B	4. Michael Cuddyer	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Jason Kubel	RF
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Jim Thome	DH
7. Josh Reddick	RF	7. Danny Valencia	3B
8. Jed Lowrie	3B	8. Delmon Young	LF
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Matt Tolbert	SS
Tim Wakefield	SP	Scott Baker	SP

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

With Lowrie returning from the 15-day disabled list, reliever Randy Williams was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for him on the 25-man roster.

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

Draft countdown: Where the Red Sox stand with their top draft picks [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Pregame notes: Bobby Jenks hospitalized; Josh Beckett slows the pace [Clubhouse Insider]

Report: Tazawa to be promoted to Pawtucket [CSN New England]

Notes: Youkilis sits, Lowrie gets start at third [CSN New England]

Nation STATion: Playing the field [CSN New England]

Red Sox-Yankees rivalry dead: How to fix [ESPN.com]

Wakefield goes for 200th again at Minny [ESPN Boston]

Video: Schilling’s take on Red Sox-Yankees [ESPN Boston]

Slow game Sunday night? Francona agrees [ESPN Boston]

Of green lights and 3-and-0 counts [ESPN Boston]

Crawford No. 2, but only temporarily [ESPN Boston]

Jenks in hospital; Williams optioned [ESPN Boston]

Lowrie activated [Extra Bases]

Pre-game notes from Target Field [Extra Bases]

Ask Nick: Will Sox re-sign Ellsbury? [Extra Bases]

Joel Sherman on D&C: Alex Rodriguez a ‘terrible, terrible decision-maker’ [Full Count]

Chris Singleton on M&M: Erik Bedard ‘has the mindset and the mentality to be able to pitch in Boston’ [Full Count]

Red Sox Send Yankees Home With Lingering Doubts About CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett’s Excellence Continues to Be Overshadowed by Late-Game Drama From Red Sox [NESN.com]

Red Sox Outfield Illustrates Shift in Philosophy Away From Power to Speed and Defense [NESN.com]

Have the Twins Been Baseball’s Biggest Disappointment This Season? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Embark on Difficult Stretch of Schedule That Should Prove More Challenging Than the Last [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ AL East Lead, Jacoby Ellsbury’s Inclusion in MVP Talks Enough to Rile Up Yankees Fans [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ AL East Lead, Jacoby Ellsbury’s Inclusion in MVP Talks Enough to Rile Up Yankees Fans (Page 2) [NESN.com]

Red Sox Activate Jed Lowrie for Series Opener in Minnesota, Option Randy Williams to Pawtucket [NESN.com]

Ryan Kalish, Junichi Tazawa Make Returns to Pawtucket [NESN.com]

Josh Reddick Earning Right to Play Every Day, While Shortstop Trio Gives Terry Francona Plenty of Options [NESN.com]

Five key points from a dramatic Yankees series [Projo Sox Blog]

Kalish, Tazawa join PawSox [Projo Sox Blog]

Youkilis gets a day off, Pedroia next? [Projo Sox Blog]

Jenks hospitalized, undergoing tests [Projo Sox Blog]

Why Jason Varitek swung at a 3-0 pitch [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield takes third crack at milestone victory [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

During this series, there’s a chance to see baseball history as Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield goes for career win No. 200. Also, Minnesota Twins DH Jim Thome is just two home runs away from 600 in his career.

Click here for ticket availability

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

One day when Josh Beckett takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox, he’s going to get more run support than he needs with the way he’s been pitching this season. But if you ask Beckett, it’s not about individual numbers, it’s whether or not the team wins the game.

Well thanks to Josh Reddick delivering the third walkoff hit of the week, the Red Sox picked up a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the New York Yankees on Sunday night at Historic Fenway Park.

With the win, the Red Sox regained sole possession of first place over the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers do hold a seven-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the wild card.

If it weren’t for Marco Scutaro and Dustin Pedroia earlier in the game, the Red Sox may not have had the opportunity to win the game. With Jed Lowrie being activated before tonight’s game, Scutaro could be facing decreased playing time coming up. But on Sunday night, he came through with a four-hit effort.

But none was bigger than a leadoff double in the 9th off of the Godfather of closers in Mariano Rivera. After Jacoby Ellsbury sacrificed him over to third, Dustin Pedroia brought Scutaro home with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2. Pedroia had been 0-for-10 with five strikeouts and two walks before that.

Even with an off day today for the Yankees, their skipper Joe Girardi decided to bring in Phil Hughes in the 10th rather than have Mariano pitch another inning. Hughes got Kevin Youkilis to fly out for the first out but David Ortiz doubled. Darnell McDonald came in to pinch-run for Big Papi.

The Yanks decided to intentionally walk Carl Crawford, who had another three hits on the evening, to set up the heroics for Reddick.

One bad pitch from Beckett to Eduardo Nunez cost him the lead but other than that, he was outstanding on the bump. His curveball was just downright filthy. He was able to use that effectively to get him the final out of his outing to strikeout Don Mattingly Eric Chavez.

Beckett went six innings on a hot and humid night at the Fens, throwing 101 pitches. He allowed six hits, the one run, with two walks and five strikeouts. Matt Albers gave up the go-ahead run at the time on a home run by Brett Gardner but Dan Wheeler, Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard picked him up with Bard getting the win after the walkoff hit by Reddick.

Had the Red Sox not left a small village on the basepaths against Yankees starter Freddy Garcia, this game could have been over much earlier with the way Beckett was pitching. After playing the hero on Saturday, Ellsbury struggled on Sunday as he left eight men on base of the 12 the team left on during the game.

Unless something funky happens, these two teams should be heading to the AL playoffs later this season. Obviously they won’t matchup with each other until the ALCS at the earliest. So while this is just the regular season, the Red Sox winning last night continued their mastery of the Yankees this season (10-2).

We all know the playoffs are a different animal. But finishing in first place and holding home field advantage in the playoffs can hold a lot of weight for the local nine in the postseason.

We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. 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

Five Things We Learned on a night of a rare Red Sox rally [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Richly deserved [Boston Globe]

We’ve learned a lot about these rivals [Boston Globe]

Billionaire Slim cashes in on invite [Boston Globe]

At first, they’re a pair [Boston Globe]

Lowrie coming along for the ride [Boston Globe]

Red Sox walk off on top [Boston Herald]

Josh Reddick: The kid’s all right [Boston Herald]

Jed Lowrie healthy addition [Boston Herald]

Carl Crawford takes right turn on left [Boston Herald]

Four-sighted Marco Scutaro [Boston Herald]

Yankees decide to sit Jorge Posada [Boston Herald]

Sox beat Yanks in walkoff style, 3-2 [CSN New England]

Beckett continues to dazzle despite no decisions [CSN New England]

Lowrie to be activated Monday [CSN New England]

Scutaro, Reddick play bigger than their bodies [CSN New England]

Notes: Francona proud of Sox’ 1-4 hitters [CSN New England]

‘His feel for the game is phenomenal’ [ESPN Boston]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 3, Yankees 2 [ESPN Boston]

Scutaro comes through under the wire [ESPN Boston]

Beckett solid, but 10th win still elusive [ESPN Boston]

Reddick was firing on all cylinders [ESPN Boston]

Video: Postgame analysis [ESPN Boston]

Reddick caps classic [ESPN Boston]

State of the Nation: Sox-Yankees Special [ESPN Boston]

FanSpeak: Talking with Sox fans [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox-Yankees must mean another Jorge Posada drama [Full Count]

Closing Time: Josh Reddick walks off in 10th, gives Red Sox AL East lead [Full Count]

Josh Beckett improves on impressive resume against Yankees [Full Count]

Mariano Rivera takes defeat like a Hall of Famer would, with dignity [Full Count]

Daniel Bard’s 2011 season reminiscent of Mariano Rivera’s 1996, could closing be next? [Full Count]

Watching Josh Reddick grow up into a very smart Red Sox player [Full Count]

Terry Francona Marvels at Top Four Hitters in Red Sox Order, Each of Whom Overcame Injury to Remain Star [NESN.com]

Marco Scutaro, Josh Reddick Part of Productive Night for Bottom Half of Red Sox Order [NESN.com]

Sox win in walk-off to reclaim AL East [Providence Journal]

Ellsbury proving it in the clutch [Providence Journal]

These are difficult days for Yankees’ Posada [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Lowrie expected to return Monday [Providence Journal]

Beating Rivera now may help Red Sox later [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 New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times and The Journal News websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, NYY Stadium Insider.

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

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

Who will the Huskies drop? I hope it’s not Maryland [Chuck Banning – The Day]

Masuk QB Casey Cochran Commits To UConn [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Masuk Coach John Murphy: Casey Cochran “A State Kid” [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Masuk QB Casey Cochran On His Decision To Go To UConn [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Cochran’s commitment impact [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Masuk QB Cochran commits to UConn [CT Post]

Masuk QB Casey Cochran Commits To UConn [Hartford Courant]

Huskies get commitment from Masuk QB Casey Cochran [New Haven Register]

Masuk QB Cochran (40 TDs) chooses UConn [The Day]

Other UConn related links

Remembering Dave [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

For My Friend, Dave Solomon [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Sad day in Connecticut [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Solomon was more than a competitor, he was a friend [CT Post]

State Loses An Essential Sports Voice With Death Of Dave Solomon [Hartford Courant]

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