When you look at all of the big name opponents that the UConn Huskies football team has played outside of the Big East at Rentschler Field, only Boston College (2003) and North Carolina (2009) come to mind. Of course that Boston College game came when the Huskies were still an independent team and the Eagles were still in the Big East.

Now we’ve seen all of the Big East teams come in since Rentschler Field opened in 2003 and obviously the West Virginia Mountaineers are probably the best of the Big East to come through. But in 2012 when the TCU Horned Frogs come to Rentschler Field, we’ll see something like we’ve never seen before there, a football juggernaut.

If you saw the Huskies play in the Fiesta Bowl in January, you could see the difference between the Huskies and the Oklahoma Sooners in terms of size and skill. And before you get on me, the Huskies were pretty good last year, Oklahoma was just way more better.

The Horned Frogs join the Big East next season from the Mountain West Conference where they’ve been the dominant team. They’ve also been ranked nationally and finished the 2010 season as the No. 2 team in the land after beating Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl.

They are expected to be among the top 10 teams this season and more than likely probably will come in and dominate the Big East for a while starting next year.

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

The reason why UConn gets TCU at home in 2012 is because the Huskies are scheduled for just three Big East home games next year (West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati). They also have five non-conference games on the schedule in UMass, NC State, Buffalo, Maryland and Western Michigan.  The first three of the aformentioned games are at the Rent while the final two are on the road.

With eight games in the Big East regular season and the five non-conference games, the Huskies will have to eliminate one of the non-conference games. Chip Malafronte of the New Haven Register asked on Twitter which of the five do you think goes from the schedule.

My answer to him was Maryland.

Now do we really think Randy Edsall wants to play the school right away where he coached for so many years. Probably not. Honestly, I really thought Edsall would have already eliminated that game from the schedule. With UConn having the need to eliminate a game, it should make it all the more easier for Edsall to get rid of it.

I really don’t see UConn eliminating any of the non-conference home games because two of them are probably wins while the N.C. State game is winnable. New head coach Paul Pasqualoni probably won’t want to give up the Western Michigan game on the road since that should be a win too.

With all of that said, Maryland is the logical answer.

Still while we still have this season to be played, Big East conference home games against West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and TCU along with UMass, NC State and Buffalo, there will definitely some great football played at the Rent in 2012.

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After falling last night in the late innings, the Boston Red Sox look to get back on track in game two of a four-game set with the Cleveland Indians tonight at Historic Fenway Park.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Indians television market, you can watch the game on SportsTime Ohio (STO). And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Josh Beckett makes his 21st start of 2011 for the Red Sox tonight. In his previous 20 starts, Beckett is 9-4 with a 2.17 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Indians this season and is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA (4 ER/11.2 IP).  Beckett has made nine career starts against the Indians and is 4-5 with a 5.04 ERA. Five of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA.

David Huff makes his third start of the season since being recalled from the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. In his previous two outings, Huff is 1-1 with a 0.71 ERA (1 ER/12.2 IP). He’s made two career starts against the Red Sox and is 0-2 with 2.38 ERA (3 ER/11.1 IP). His lone start at the Fens came almost one year ago on August 3rd when he allowed three runs in 5.1 IP. Ironically enough, he was matched up with Beckett in that start last year.

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

54-52		66-41
1. Michael Brantley	LF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Jason Kipnis	2B	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera	SS	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Travis Hafner	DH	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Carlos Santana	C	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Kosuke Fukudome	RF	6. Carl Crawford	LF
7. Lonnie Chisenhall	3B	7. Mike Aviles	SS
8. Matt LaPorta	1B	8. Jason Varitek	C
9. Ezequiel Carrera	CF	9. Darnell McDonald	RF
David Huff	SP	Josh Beckett	SP

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

Notes: Tomorrow night’s starter, Tim Wakefield is celebrating his 45th birthday today. To make room on the 25-man roster for Erik Bedard, who will wear No. 23, Drew Sutton has been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

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

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AT&T improving cell phone coverage at Fenway Park [Boston Globe]

Terry Francona: Clay Buchholz not ruled out for the season [Clubhouse Insider]

Bedard says hello to Red Sox [Clubhouse Insider]

Clay Buchholz aiming for a postseason return [Clubhouse Insider]

Bedard welcomes ‘great opportunity’ with Sox [CSNNE.com]

Dr. M: Dealing with a stress fracture [CSNNE.com]

Sox give official word of Buchholz stress fracture [CSNNE.com]

Video: Is Bedard a rude dude? [ESPN Boston]

SoxProspects.com: July bests and worsts [ESPN Boston]

Lowrie making his way in Pawtucket [ESPN Boston]

The remarkable comeback of Dustin Pedroia [Extra Bases]

Bedard: ‘Last place to first place in a heartbeat’ [Extra Bases]

Sox not ruling out season for Buchholz [Extra Bases]

Red Sox issue statement on Buchholz [Extra Bases]

John Kruk on M&M: Playing in Boston should bring Erik Bedard to another level [Full Count]

Clay Buchholz’s Absence Opens Up Dose of Vulnerability, But Red Sox Are Strong Enough to Win Without Him [NESN.com]

Darnell McDonald Relies Heavily on Music Routine to Maintain Balance, Mentally Prepare for Games [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Not Ruling Out 2011 Return, Says He Would Like to Be Back for Postseason [NESN.com]

Erik Bedard Excited for Chance to Pitch In His Favorite Ballpark, Ready for ‘Great Opportunity’ [NESN.com]

Video: Clay Buchholz Ready to Rehab After Getting Diagnosis on Back Injury, Relieved to Know He’s Not a ‘Wuss’ [NESN.com]

Postseason pitching [Projo Sox Blog]

40-man roster logjam won’t be so severe next year [Projo Sox Blog]

Bedard arrives, excited to join pennant race [Projo Sox Blog]

Scutaro OK after heart-rate scare [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett looks to get back on track vs. Tribe [RedSox.com]

Buchholz diagnosed with stress fracture in back [RedSox.com]

Bedard excited to pitch in first pennant race [RedSox.com]

The Adventures of Ellsbury ‘n’ Elf: When a Blogger Calls [Surviving Grady]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo

If chicks dig the longball, then they certainly are digging Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera right now. Cabrera hit two two-run homers last night to help the Tribe to a 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox.

The first home runs he hit last night came off of Red Sox starter John Lackey who after winning four straight starts wasn’t that great last night. But the biggest surprise of the night came when Cabrera’s second home run of the night came off of Daniel Bard. This was the same Bard who came into the game without allowing a run in 26.1 innings.

But a single, one swing of the bat by Cabrera, a replay of previously mentioned swing and a bruised knee later for a fan, Cabrera ended Bard’s scoreless streak. What’s ironic about it all is the fact that Cabrera was the last one to have an RBI against Bard and that was on May 23rd.

It looked like Lackey was well on his way to a good night on the mound as he set the side down in order in the 1st and 2nd innings. But a Josh Reddick throwing error on an Ezequiel Carrera single changed things. Michael Brantley followed the error with a double and just like that the game was tied at 1-1. And oh by the way, those 1-2-3 innings from Lackey were the first and second of the season. Yes the season.

Sure it wasn’t as bad as some of stinkers in the past but giving up five runs in 6.2 innings isn’t good. I must say though that his fastball was great for the most part. It was the location of his offspeed stuff that cost him.

As you might expect whenever the Red Sox offense gets in a hole early on, they always seemingly respond to help out their starter on the mound for that particular night. They got the runs back quickly as a Kevin Youkilis triple scored Adrian Gonzalez. Two batters later, Carl Crawford gave them a two-run advantage with a solo home run that went to the exact same part of the ballpark where his fly ball against the Royals died.

After Cabrera’s first home of the night in the 6th, Travis Hafner followed that with a solo shot. But Jarrod Saltalmacchia’s two-run blast in the bottom half knotted the game at fives leading the way to Bard’s scoreless streak ending.

With the news of Clay Buchholz being out for the season getting ready to be delivered today, the Red Sox need Lackey to be more consistent than he showed last night. He’d looked pretty good in his past four starts, so we can only hope that this was just a bump in the road.

It’s also quite possible that with the addition of Erik Bedard, who by the way will make his Red Sox debut on Thursday, that Lackey could be pitching his way out of a spot in the playoff rotation should the Red Sox get there. But that remains to be seen right now.

Definitely a tough loss for the Red Sox though as they saw their lead in the AL East shrink to one game since the New York Yankees won last night as well over the Chicago White Sox. And with a three-game set looming against the Yankees this weekend at the Fens, it’d be nice to see the Red Sox start the series with the lead.

We’ll be back later today 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

Sox pitchers get thrown for loss [Boston Globe]

Fighting it, but Lackey 3d man in [Boston Globe]

Buchholz has stress fracture [Boston Globe]

Saltalamacchia gets big break [Boston Globe]

Bedard to get the call Thursday [Boston Globe]

Daniel Bard’s scoreless run ends in Sox’ loss to Indians [Boston Herald]

Mistakes cost John Lackey [Boston Herald]

Unable to fill in big hole [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz under stress [Boston Herald]

Indians take down Sox late, 9-6 [CSNNE.com]

Nation STATion: In honor of Henri Stanley [CSNNE.com]

Bard comes back down to earth in loss to Indians [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Lackey avoids loss in subpar performance [CSNNE.com]

Rapid Reaction: Indians 9, Sox 6 [ESPN Boston]

Bard tagged by Cabrera again [ESPN Boston]

Closing time: Daniel Bard falters as Red Sox fall to Indians [Full Count]

John Lackey so-so with Red Sox set to deliver Clay Buchholz news [Full Count]

Daniel Bard regrets shaking off Salty and watching his streak come to an end [Full Count]

Local stars wearing throwback uniforms gather to raise money for charity [Full Count]

Video: Terry Francona Says Red Sox Pitching Staff Paid for Mistakes Against Indians, Will Give Update on Clay Buchholz on Tuesday [NESN.com]

Video: Marco Scutaro Feeling Better After Leaving Monday’s Game Due to Dizziness, Unsure What Triggered It [NESN.com]

Daniel Bard, Matt Albers Both See Scoreless Streaks End in Loss to Indians [NESN.com]

Video: Erik Bedard, John Lackey Could Compete for No. 3 Spot in Red Sox Rotation Down Stretch, Potentially Into Postseason [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz’s Absence Opens Up Dose of Vulnerability, But Red Sox Are Strong Enough to Win Without Him [NESN.com]

Darnell McDonald Relies Heavily on Music Routine to Maintain Balance, Mentally Prepare for Games [NESN.com]

Lackey, Bard get hammered as Sox fall [Providence Journal]

Buchholz appears done for season [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Bedard gets the ball Thursday [Providence Journal]

The Adventures of Ellsbury ‘n’ Elf: When a Blogger Calls [Surviving Grady]

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 Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother Burning River Baseball.

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

We really shouldn’t be surprised at where the UConn Huskies football team was picked to finish in the Big East this season. After all, there’s a new coach in town and there’s no starting quarterback as of yet.

And that’s not to mention that the two leading rushers on the team are gone (Jordan Todman and Robbie Frey) and leading receiver from 2010, Michael Smith is academically ineligible. Sure UConn won a share of the Big East title last year and went to their first ever BCS game.

But when there’s a lot of questions to be answered before the start of the season, being picked to finish 6th in the Big East this season isn’t a big surprise. Plus haven’t the Huskies been in this situation before as far as the preseason ranking and surprised some people.

Here’s the full look at the 2011 Big East Preseason Football poll which sees as West Virginia as the favorite.

1. West Virgina Mountaineers (21), 188
2. Pittsburgh Panthers (2), 162
3. South Florida Bulls (1), 151
4. Syracuse Orange, 98
5. Cincinnati Bearcats, 96
6. UConn Huskies, 76
7. Louisville Cardinals, 60
8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 33

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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

New injury frustrates former UConn WR Easley [CT Post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

What a Difference a Year Makes [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Date Set for Men’s Basketball National Championship Dinner Celebration [UConnHuskies.com]

Kemba (40 Points) Puts On A Show In Greater Hartford Pro-Am [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video of Montgomery’s 50-foot buzzer beater [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Moore named WNBA Rookie of the Month [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Postgame Comments And Final Stats From The U-19s [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Other UConn related links

W. Soccer. Shufelt Excellent in Summer Action for W-League [UConnHuskies.com]

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