Here’s the new UConn Huskies football commercial that will begin airing shortly in Connecticut.
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Morning Red Sox Delight – 7/28
After two straight nights of offensive explosions, the Boston Red Sox look to wrap up the four-game set with the Kansas City Royals with their third straight win this afternoon at Historic Fenway Park.
Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Royals television market, you can watch the game on FOX Sports Kansas City. 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 hopes to get some of that run support his fellow starters have gotten lately in his 20th start of 2011. In his previous 19 starts, Beckett is 9-3 with a 2.07 ERA. He picked up the win in his only start against the Royals in 2010 after allowing three runs in seven innings. Beckett’s had great success against the Royals in his career as he is 6-0 with a 2.26 ERA in eight starts. Three of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA.
Luke Hochevar makes a team-leading 22nd start for the Royals this afternoon. In his previous 21 starts, Hochevar is 6-8 with a 5.29 ERA. He last faced the Red Sox in 2009 when he went 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA (11 ER/11 IP) in two starts. Overall in his career, he’s made four career starts against the Red Sox and is 1-3 with a 7.94 ERA. Two of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA (9 ER/12 IP).
Click on the read more button below to see tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.
Here are this afternoon’s lineups:
 43-61 |
 64-38 |
||
| 1. Alex Gordon | LF | 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 2. Mitch Maier | CF | 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 3. Billy Butler | DH | 3. Adrian Gonzalez | 1B |
| 4. Eric Hosmer | 1B | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 3B |
| 5. Jeff Francoeur | RF | 5. David Ortiz | DH |
| 6. Mike Moustakas | 3B | 6. Josh Reddick | RF |
| 7. Matt Treanor | C | 7. Drew Sutton |
LF |
| 8. Chris Getz | 2B | 8. Jason Varitek | C |
| 9. Alcides Escobar | SS | 9. Yamaico Navarro | SS |
| Luke Hochevar | SP | Josh Beckett | 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
Ubaldo or Kuroda? Bedard or Harden? Pitching options for Red Sox [Clubhouse Insider]
Buchholz back condition remains a mystery [Clubhouse Insider]
Red Sox offense historically good [CSNNE.com]
Report: Crawford out with strained elbow [CSNNE.com]
Video: Papi’s swing as good as ever [ESPN Boston]
Video: State of the Nation with Gordon Edes [ESPN Boston]
Crawford gets second day off [ESPN Boston]
Crawford out with elbow strain [Extra Bases]
As concern grows for Buchholz, Red Sox explore the market for starters [Extra Bases]
Drew reveals extent of shoulder injury [Extra Bases]
Red Sox reportedly ‘tried’ for Hunter Pence [Full Count]
David Ortiz on M&M: ‘My heart and my blood is with the Red Sox’ [Full Count]
Dan Lyons, Fenway Park’s Manager of Entertainment, Details Evolution of Fenway’s Pregame Ceremonies [NESN.com]
J.D. Drew: Josh Reddick’s ‘Been Great’ and ‘It’s Been Fun to Watch’ Him Grow [NESN.com]
Carl Crawford Sitting Out Second Straight Game, But Elbow Injury Is ‘Nothing Serious’ [NESN.com]
Crawford out again with elbow strain [Projo Sox Blog]
Buchholz’s slow recovery may impact deadline decisions [Projo Sox Blog]
Beckett looks to keep rolling against Royals [RedSox.com]
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo
Hey Hey Hey Albert Haynesworth’s A Patriot
According to several media reports the New England Patriots have acquired former All Pro NT Albert Haynesworth, 30, from the Washington Redskins for a 5th round draft pick.
Haynesworth, a 2002 1st round pick out of the University of Tennessee (15th overall), made his mark in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans where he played for 7 seasons making 2 Pro Bowls and being named a NFL All-Pro twice. Named the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, he left Tennessee after the 2008 season when he signed a huge free agent contract with Washington that was reported for $100 million over 7 years.
Haynesworth, once a dominant force in the middle with the Titans, is expected to regain that form in New England as one of the leagues brutal run stoppers.
Haynesworth is not without his baggage though.
In training camp in 2003 he kicked Tennessee teammate Justin Hartwig in the chest and had to be restrained. In 2006 he stomped on Dallas lineman Andre Gurode in the chest during a game and was suspended for five games. Then in 2010 he had several issues between himself and the Redskins coaching staff eventually leading to his exit from the Beltway.
To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Haynesworth has had off the field issues too, having had arrest warrants issued for him over a traffic incident in 2006. The charges were later dropped. In 2009, he was indicted on traffic charges for an accident that led to a man being paralyzed in which he was reportedly driving his Ferrari in excess of 100 mph.
In 2004, a bank took legal action for failure to repay a commercial loan of nearly $2.4 million and filed suit against Haynesworth. In 2010 he was sued for paternity by an exotic dancer in New York State, who asked for $10 million for child support and expenses. And earlier this season he reportedly threw a punch during a traffic altercation in Leesburg, VA.
New England is known in the Belichick-era for taking on troubled players and having them return to form. Two of the Patriots success stories were running back Corey Dillon and wide receiver Randy Moss.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s in his morning press conference refused to talk about the trade other than to say the team was “in the process of acquiring Albert Haynesworth” from the Washington Redskins.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem
Sammy Morris Re-signs with Patriots
The New England Patriots have re-signed free agent running back Sammy Morris to a one-year contract. Morris, who came to New England in 2007 from Miami, has had injury issues since he arrived.
He missed most of the 2007 and 2009 seasons with chest and knee injuries. In 2010 he played a reduced role to BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the New England running scheme.
Morris, 34, the 2000 5th round pick of the Buffalo Bills, is expected to add veteran depth to the backfield which includes Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and draft picks Stevan Ridley and Shane Vareen. It may also include veteran Kevin Faulk, who is currently a free agent.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem
Photo credit: Reuters Pictures
Destination Red Sox Nation – 7/28
Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
If you would like to listen to any of the Red Sox minor league affiliates’ games, MiLB.com offers them for free.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
The Ladder: 7.27.11 [SoxProspects.com]
Red Sox trade chips [ESPN Boston]
Pawtucket Red Sox
The PawSox got their only run of the night on a Lars Anderson home run in a 4-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
Stumbling PawSox drop Third Straight [PawSox.com]
Anderson’s blast off Oswalt not enough [Providence Journal]
Pawtucket Red Sox @ Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 7.27.11 box score [MiLB.com]
International League standings
Stephen Fife picked up his 11th win for the Sea Dogs in a 5-2 win over the Binghamton Mets.
Fife Goes to Eleven [PortlandSeaDogs.com]
Dent backs up Fife for victory [Portland Press Herald]
Sea Dogs Return Home for Fun Filled Four Game Series [OurSports Central]
Portland Sea Dogs @ Binghamton Mets 7.27.11 box score [MiLB.com]
Salem Red Sox:
Salem got a run in the 9th to beat the Frederick Keys 2-1.
Butler comes through in clutch for Red Sox [Roanoke Times]
Butler’s RBI Single In Ninth Propels Sox to Victory [OurSports Central]
Salem Red Sox @ Frederick Keys 7.27.11 box score [MiLB.com]
The Drive were off on Wednesday.
South Atlantic League standings
Lowell Spinners:
The Spinners fell to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 5-3.
Spinners Worn Out By Scrappers [LowellSpinners.com]
Lowell Spinners @ Mahoning Valley Scrappers 7.27.11 box score [MiLB.com]
Gulf Coast League Red Sox
The GCL Red Sox lost to the GCL Orioles 2-1 in a rain-shortened game.
GCL Red Sox @ GCL Orioles 7.27.11 box score [MiLB.com]
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 7/28
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
Florida Cornerback Jhavon Williams Commits To Huskies [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
DC also answered a question in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
‘Evening with Paul Pasqualoni’ coming up Tuesday [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]
Summer Kickoff Countdown No. 8: The BCS [BigEast.org]
Orlovsky could be odd man out with Texans [CT Post]
Evaluating A Position On The UConn Football Team: Punt Returns [Hartford Courant]
Waterford’s Hurd ready to make his home in Seattle [The Day]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Rudy Gay: ESPN The Next Round [UConn Huskies Basketball]
Recruiting updates on local ballers [ESPN Boston]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
U.S. falls to Canada [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
U.S. Falls To Canada At U-19s; Will Play In Quarterfinals Friday [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Postgame Comments from Rizzotti, Hartley, Stewart And Tuck [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
Red Sox News & Notes – 7/28
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. John Lackey gives up early runs but somehow manages to pick up the win for the Boston Red Sox.
Well that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night at the Fens against the Kansas City Royals as Lackey would give up three early runs only to see the offense explode again. They would get him a total of 10 runs in the 1st, 2nd and 4th innings.
Now you have to wonder if today’s starter Josh Beckett was thinking that he’ll get some of this support in his start. He’s received 3.71 runs a game while Lackey had gotten 6.41 runs in his previous 16 starts before Wednesday. That figure will again climb.
As it’s been in the past, Lackey struggled with the execution of pitches. He left pitches out over the plate and the Royals took advantage. I guess the entire blame can’t fall on Lackey though as Yamaico Navarro misjudged a fly ball in left that went off the bottom of the Green Monster and that was followed by a Kevin Youkilis error at third.
That tough first inning put the Red Sox in a 3-0 hole. But Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia made sure that gap would be narrowed with back-to-back solo home runs to start the bottom half. And like they’ve done for the better part of the season now, they didn’t stop there.
They would add three more runs in the second and five more in the fourth, four of them coming off the bat of David Ortiz who cleared the bases with a grand slam.
Ellsbury and Pedroia continue their hotness at the plate as they both went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run. Ellsbury also added a stolen base. And even Adrian Gonzalez continues to do the job at the plate as he had a three hit night with three RBIs. Darnell McDonald and Navarro also had two hits.
Right now the main concern for the Red Sox is their starting pitching. Right now, Beckett is the most consistent pitcher the Red Sox have. Jon Lester will probably be back there sooner rather than later. The problems lies that Lackey, Andrew Miller and Tim Wakefield are having trouble. And the news of Clay Buchholz going to see another specialist doesn’t sound good.
The obvious ETA for Buchholz to return is probably late August to early September which is great and all because he’d be fresh for a possible playoff run. But what are the Red Sox to do in the meantime.
I mean the offense is good but how many times are they going to be needed to carry the pitching staff. At some point, the bad starting pitching will come back to bite them in the buttocks. So it will be interesting to see what Theo Epstein and the rest of his brain trust have up their sleeves before Sunday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline.
The Red Sox also get the game back they lost to the New York Yankees on Monday. The Seattle Mariners finally ended their 17-game losing streak with a win over the Yanks on Wednesday afternoon.
We’ll be back in a short while with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the morning. 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
As concern about Buchholz grows, Red Sox explore starting market [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Ortiz slam helps Sox crown Royals [Boston Globe]
Buchholz again is delayed [Boston Globe]
Sox offense takes burden off Lackey [Boston Globe]
Red Sox bats take care of Royals [Boston Herald]
Red Sox remain on lookout [Boston Herald]
David Ortiz keeps up the power [Boston Herald]
Struggling Carl Crawford takes seat [Boston Herald]
Sox pound KC behind Ortiz slam [CSNNE.com]
Ortiz has milestone night in Red Sox uniform [CSNNE.com]
Notes: Lackey settling down in second half [CSNNE.com]
Rapid Reaction: Sox 12, Royals 5 [ESPN Boston]
Lackey escapes with fourth straight win [ESPN Boston]
David Ortiz reaches grand milestone for Boston Red Sox [ESPN Boston]
Closing Time: Powerful July continues for Red Sox hitters [Full Count]
Source: Red Sox still in on Ubaldo Jimenez [Full Count]
David Ortiz: Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are ‘ridiculous’ [Full Count]
Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia Producing ‘Ridiculous’ Numbers Atop Red Sox Order [NESN.com]
David Ortiz Proud to Join Exclusive Club With Grand Slam Against Kansas City [NESN.com]
Ortiz grand slam caps Sox offensive explosion [Providence Journal]
Blue Jays snare Rasmus, and put the A.L. East on notice [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Youkilis plays after all [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 Kansas City Star and the Topeka Capital-Journal websites.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images
Patriots Sign Draft Picks; Rookie Free Agents
The New England Patriots announced this evening the signing of two 2011 draft picks and 12 undrafted rookie free agents as well as a couple of roster moves involving the military reserve list.
Before we get into the signings I forgot to put in an earlier post that the team is going to let DB Tony Carter go later this week. Bill Belichick informed Carter on Tuesday that the team was going to cut him. He was little used in his time with the Patriots.
The team announced the signings of 5th round draft pick TE Lee Smith, who is regarded as possibly the best blocking TE in the last draft. Smith’s contract terms were not released but it’s believed to be a four-year deal. According to a league source Smith did get a signing bonus of just over $171,000.
The Patriots also signed 6th round draft pick LB/DE Markell Carter to a four-year deal with a signing bonus of $94,000.
While they were working on signing a couple of the draft picks they were also busy stock piling undrafted rookie free agents. The team confirmed the signing of 12 UDRFA’s, 10 of which we listed in a post last night. Of the two additional signee’s one has local ties as the Patriots inked former UMass kicker Chris Koepplin along with former University of Idaho Vandal DE Aaron Lavarias.
The Patriots now have 88 players towards the 90-man roster limit. This is counting the unsigned draft picks and their free agents.
To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Once again in closing here are the most recent time changes for the public practices on Thursday and Friday from Patriots.com:
Thursday
On field sessions will occur from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Patriots Experience will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Both practices will be unpadded.
Friday
On field sessions will occur from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Patriots Experience will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Both practices will be unpadded.
Don’t forget to stay with Sox & Dawgs through out the free agent frenzy we will update you daily on normal roster moves and as needed on larger free agent signings, restructured contracts and trades.
Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem
Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 7/27
After yet another offensive explosion last night at Historic Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox look to make it two wins in a row against the Kansas City Royals in game three of a four-game set.
Tonight’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 Royals television market, you can watch the game on FOX Sports Kansas City. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.
John Lackey goes for his fourth straight win in as many starts in his 17th start of 2011. In his previous 16 outings, Lackey is 8-8 with a 6.28 ERA. While he’s never faced the Royals as a member of the Red Sox, he has made eight career starts against them. In those eight starts, Lackey is 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA.
Bruce Chen makes his 13th start of 2011 and sixth start being reinstated from the disabled list back on June 24th. In his previous 12 starts, Chen is 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA. He made one start against the Red Sox in 2010, picking up a no decision after allowing one run in four innings. Chen has made 15 career appearances (eight starts) against the Red Sox and is 3-5 with a 4.62 ERA. 10 of those appearances (four starts) have come at the Fens where he is 1-2 with a 4.30 ERA.
Click on the read more button below to see tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.
Here are this evening’s lineups:
| 43-60 |
63-38 |
||
| 1. Alex Gordon | LF | 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 2. Melky Cabrera | CF | 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 3. Billy Butler | DH | 3. Adrian Gonzalez | 1B |
| 4. Eric Hosmer | 1B | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 3B |
| 5. Jeff Francoeur | RF | 5. David Ortiz | DH |
| 6. Mike Moustakas | 3B | 6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia | C |
| 7. Brayan Pena | C | 7. Marco Scutaro | SS |
| 8. Chris Getz | 2B | 8. Darnell McDonald | RF |
| 9. Alcides Escobar | SS | 9. Yamaico Navarro | LF |
| Bruce Chen | SP | John Lackey | 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
Video: Fear Not, Remy Likes Mike Lowell [SOX & Dawgs]
Red Sox’ OF options dwindling amid reports Beltran, Rasmus traded [Clubhouse Insider]
Source: Red Sox ’still looking’ for OF, but not willing to give up farm [Clubhouse Insider]
Sox looking for arms in depleted market [CSNNE.com]
Buchholz skips bullpen session, will see specialist [CSNNE.com]
Notes: Youkilis talks his way back into lineup [CSNNE.com]
Daniel Bard’s Success Reminiscent of Mariano Rivera’s Early Years [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]
SoxProspects.com: Red Sox trade chips [ESPN Boston]
Can Sox get by without proven lefty in pen? [ESPN Boston]
Youk back in lineup; Crawford, Reddick out [ESPN Boston]
Thank Reddick for no Beltran [Extra Bases]
Pregame notes on Buchholz and the lineup change [Extra Bases]
Jerry Remy on D&C: ‘The key is getting [Clay] Buchholz back’ [Full Count]
Red Sox held the line on potential Carlos Beltran deal [Full Count]
Adrian Gonzalez on The Big Show: Home Run Derby did not hurt swing [Full Count]
Terry Francona on the Big Show: ‘We’re walking a fine line’ with Andrew Miller [Full Count]
Top 10 All-Out Effort Athletes List Includes Hot-Hitting Dustin Pedroia [NESN.com]
Report: Red Sox Still Considering Ubaldo Jimenez, Erik Bedard, Other Starting Pitchers [NESN.com]
Clay Buchholz’s Latest Delay Not Worrisome, But Could Alter Plan Prior to Trade Deadline [NESN.com]
Baseball has turned into cricket [Projo Sox Blog]
With Rasmus deal, Blue Jays fire warning shot [Projo Sox Blog]
Former Colorado teammate impressed with Morales’ poise [Projo Sox Blog]
Facing Royals, Lackey seeks fourth straight win [RedSox.com]
The Ladder: 7.27.11 [SoxProspects.com]
Photo credits: AP Photo, Getty Images
Patriots And Free Agency
On Monday evening the NFL released a complete list of the players who are free agents. Here is the breakdown of New England Patriots free agents:
Unrestricted
RB Kevin Faulk
K Shayne Graham
OL Matt Light
DB Brandon McGowan
RB Sammy Morris
OL Quinn Ojinnaka
DB Jarrad Page
RB Fred Taylor
DE Gerard Warren
LB Tracy White
Restricted
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Franchised
OL Logan Mankins
According to Yahoo! Sports those players they feel are likely to stay with New England are: Mankins, McGowan, Page, Warren and White. Those they think are likely to look elsewhere include: Light, Morris, Taylor and Graham. While they think Faulk and Ojinnaka could go either way depending what the Patriots are willing to pay and what another team may offer them. Faulk is going to need to prove to whoever is interested that he is fully recovered from his AL injury that ended his 2010 season.
To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
According to Chris Gasper of the Boston Globe, the team may have an interest in LB Matt Roth (Browns); DE/LB Mathias Kiwanuka (Giants); LB Manny Lawson (49ers); WR Braylon Edwards (Jets); DE Marcus Spears (Cowboys); DE Shaun Ellis (Jets) and RB Ricky Williams (Dolphins).
To me, the Patriots seem to be very silent, which isn’t unusual, right now they are only allowed to negotiate with the player’s agent. I think Belichick wants to be able to get to end of the week when teams can actually talk to the players and get a feel for them personally. This will allow them to see how they fit into this puzzle that he has created and continues to tweak on a yearly basis. The one thing about this franchise, they never do anything in haste. Everything is always well thought out and I’m sure in some case several options are explored before decisions are made.
Just a reminder that the Patriots practices on Thursday and Friday are open to the public. This is from the teams website:
Thursday
Practices – 9:30-11:30am and 3:30-5:30pm
Patriots Experience 11:00am – 4:00pm
Both sessions are unpadded practices
Friday
Practices – 9:30-11:30am and 3:30-5:30pm
Patriots Experience 11:00am – 4:00pm
Both sessions are unpadded practices
For more information on Patriots Training Camp visit http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/ or call the Training Camp hot line at 508-549-0001.
Keep with Sox & Dawgs all through the free agency blitz and training camp as we will keep you up-to-date with all the latest happenings.
Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem