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

Despite NFL Lockout, Todman, Lutrus Try To Stay In Shape [Hartford Courant]

WVU game 6: Connecticut [Charleston Gazette]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Ater Majok: ‘Whatever Happened, Happened’ [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Boatright Hits the Heights [David Borges – New Haven Register]

A Conversation With Ater Majok [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Alex Oriakhi On His Progress — And The NBA [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Majok back in Connecticut, plays in G.H. Pro-Am [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Kemba Walker at Leinart’s Bowling for Charity [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Majok sheds little light on exit from UConn [CT Post]

Majok Not Ready To Clear Up Mystery Of His UConn Departure [Hartford Courant]

Ater Majok speaks about his journey [New Haven Register]

This ‘food for thought’ is indigestible [Louisville Courier-Journal]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

High praise from Rizzotti [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Taurasi hits milestone [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis: Making A Difference On And Off The Court [USA Basketball]

The first place Boston Red Sox return from the All-Star break tonight at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. They’ll put their six-game winning streak on the line in the first game of a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and you can watch the game on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. If you don’t live in either market you may be in luck as the MLB Network is also supposed to have coverage of the game. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Andrew Miller makes his fifth start of 2011 for the Red Sox and just his second against an American League squad. In his previous four starts, Miller is 3-0 with a 3.57 ERA. His only career start against the Rays came back in 2009 at Tropicana Field as a member of the Florida Marlins. In that start, he took the loss after allowing five runs in 6.1 innings.

David Price makes his 20th start of the season for Joe Maddon’s Rays. In his previous 19 starts, Price is 8-7 with a 3.70 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Red Sox in 2011 and is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA (5 ER/12.2 IP). Price has made seven career starts against the Red Sox and is 4-3 with a 3.43 ERA. Price was scheduled to appear in the All-Star Game but skipped it due to a “turf toe” injury. In his last start, he gave up Derek Jeter‘s 3000th hit.

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:

55-35		49-41
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Johnny Damon	DH
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Ben Zobrist	RF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Evan Longoria	3B
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. B.J. Upton	CF
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Sean Rodriguez	2B
6. Darnell McDonald	RF	6. Casey Kotchman	1B
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	7. Kelly Shoppach	C
8. Yamaico Navarro	LF	8. Elliot Johnson	SS
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Sam Fuld	LF
Andrew Miller	SP	David Price	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against tonight’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

Pregame notes: Beckett to start Sunday, plus Ortiz appeals [Clubhouse Insider]

Beckett cleared to start Sunday [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Ortiz launches appeal of suspension [CSNNE.com]

Sox open second half tonight in Tampa [ESPN Boston]

Beckett still inline to start Sunday [ESPN Boston]

Crawford eager for rehab start tonight [ESPN Boston]

Francona cites progress for injured players [ESPN Boston]

Dice-K with Sox in Fla; says injury worse than expected [ESPN Boston]

Looking back at the first 55.5 percent of the Red Sox season [Extra Bases]

Josh Beckett all set for Sunday [Extra Bases]

Carl Crawford ready to get going [Extra Bases]

Jerry Remy on D&C: ‘Bad timing and late timing’ by Orioles sparked brawl [Full Count]

Trade Deadline: Price for Mets’ Carlos Beltran might be too high for Red Sox [Full Count]

Andrew Miller explains why drop in velocity shouldn’t be a concern [Full Count]

Nomar Garciaparra on M&M: I don’t see David Ortiz leaving Red Sox [Full Count]

Report: Sox expressed interest in Kuroda [Full Count]

Joe Maddon on M&M: Rays not intimidated by Sox, Yankees [Full Count]

Carl Crawford ready to go in Pawtucket, but for just six innings [Full Count]

Sea Dogs All-Stars Stay Loose Off the Field With Call of Duty, ‘The Hangover’ [NESN.com]

Red Sox Secondary Market Tickets Significantly Higher in Second Half of Season [NESN.com]

Vote: Which Red Sox Player Is Under Most Pressure to Bounce Back in Second Half? [NESN.com]

Rays Begin Crucial Homestand Against Red Sox, First of 13 Second-Half Meetings Between Rivals [NESN.com]

Carl Crawford Expects to Play Six Innings Friday in Pawtucket on Rehab Assignment [NESN.com]

Carl Crawford Buys Dinner for Pawtucket Red Sox Before Rehab Game on Friday [NESN.com]

Would Carlos Beltran be superfluous? [Projo Sox Blog]

Epstein talks deadline, Drew [Projo Sox Blog]

Ortiz appealing suspension [Projo Sox blog]

Finally healthy, Doubront ready for call — as a starter or as a reliever [Projo Sox Blog]

Matsuzaka’s ligament was completely torn [Projo Sox Blog]

Miller holding his own in Red Sox’s rotation [RedSox.com]

Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

Martin Bédard

  Shawn Mayne

Larry Taylor

Julius Williams

O’Neill Wilson

Jordan Younger

For the first time since Sunday due to the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox will finally return to the field tonight when they take on their AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays. I think we all wished they had started back up last night but given the amount of injuries the team has now, we’ll gladly take them being back tonight.

The Red Sox will enter the unofficial second half 1.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees who got crushed last night and six games ahead of the Rays. They also will be putting their six-game winning streak on the line.

The local nine leads the league in runs scored (482), team batting avg (.278), on-base percentage (.354), slugging percentage (.456) and OPS (.810). They rank second in hits (872), first in doubles (195) and are third in home runs (107).

Individually, Adrian Gonzalez leads the AL with a .354 batting avg and leads the AL and all of MLB with 77 RBIs. Gonzalez is also 10th in home runs with 17 on the season. He also leads the AL in doubles with 28 and hits with 128. Jacoby Ellsbury leads the AL with 28 stolen bases.

Pitching wise, Josh Beckett ranks fourth in the AL with an ERA of 2.27 while his buddy Jon Lester is in a tie for 8th in wins with 10. As a staff, the Red Sox are 16th in team ERA at 3.92 and are 6th in opponent’s batting average at .239.

One of the things I think we need to watch over the coming weeks is the production of J.D. Drew at the plate. We all know what he can do defensively. But offensively he’s struggled this season. If he doesn’t produce at the plate, we could see his playing time diminish with Josh Reddick possibly getting more at-bats or even see a trade happen closer to the deadline.

I do think if the Red Sox make a trade at the deadline, it’s going to be for a right-handed hitting outfielder. If there’s one glaring weakness on this team right now, it’s the fact that they need a righty off the bench. Darnell McDonald has been playing better late but overall he’s not getting the job done.

Of course the other thing we really need to keep our eyes on is something I’ve talked about over the past two days is the health of the pitching staff. I won’t rehash this but a healthy pitching staff will go a long way towards the Red Sox making the playoffs this year.

But anyways, we finally get to see our Red Sox play again and I’m sure we’re all happy about that.

We’ll be back later with tonight’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

Ortiz decked for 4 games [Boston Globe]

Beckett slated to face Rays [Boston Globe]

Fife delivering after changes [Boston Globe]

Josh Beckett bullish on pitching Sunday night [Boston Herald]

Felix Doubront’s day still coming [Boston Herald]

Kevin Youkilis again a hidden gem among stars [Boston Herald]

Rays right in it [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz must sit out four games [Boston Herald]

Nation STATion: Magic 8 Ball has Red Sox answers [CSNNE.com]

Source: Ortiz to appeal suspension [CSNNE.com]

Down on the Farm: Head is a hit in Salem [CSNNE.com]

Down on the Farm: Ranaudo puts in the work [CSNNE.com]

Beckett confident he’ll make Sunday start [CSNNE.com]

Five keys for the Red Sox’ second half [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Crawford return set for Monday at Baltimore [CSNNE.com]

Projecting Sox decisions on 40-man roster [ESPN Boston]

Video: Panel discusses injury concerns [ESPN Boston]

Sea Dogs’ Tim Federowicz remembers Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard from UNC days [Full Count]

Peter Gammons on M&M: All-Star Game ‘Tough thing to overcome’ [Full Count]

Red Sox prospect Travis Shaw aims to follow All-Star father’s footsteps [Full Count]

Top 10 Second Halves in Red Sox History Include Broken Curses, Impossible Dreams [NESN.com]

Back to work [Nuggetpalooza]

Minor-league talent gives Sox options and roster problems [Providence Journal]

Ortiz, Gregg suspended for role in brawl [Providence Journal]

For once, bullpen not in need of help at trade deadline [Providence Journal]

Epstein won’t rest on laurels as Deadline nears [RedSox.com]

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

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

Big East player rankings: OL [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Huskies Get Commitment From Kicker: Bobby Puyol (Fla.) [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Getting To Know A UConn Football Coach: Joe Moorhead [Hartford Courant]

Malik Golden Still Has UConn On His Radar [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jeremy Lamb & Ryan Boatright Dunk Contest [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn well-represented in All-Star balloting [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Major League Baseball announced on Thursday afternoon that Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz and Baltimore Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg have been suspended for four games each as well as being fined an undisclosed amount. They were the catalysts of the brawl that occurred last Friday night at Fenway Park.

Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Orioles reliever Jim Johnson were fined for taking “aggressive actions” in the brawl.

Orioles reliever Mike Gonzalez was suspended for three games for intentionally throwing at Papi in Sunday’s game while skipper Buck Showalter was suspended for one game because of the actions of Gonzalez. John Lackey was fined for purposely throwing at Derrek Lee on Saturday.

The Red Sox don’t work out tonight until 6 p.m. so we won’t know until later if Papi will appeal the suspension as well as Salty and Lackey appealing their fines.

My best guess is that Papi will appeal his suspension and wait for the hearing in which he’ll get to tell his side of the story. Most likely what happens is that Papi appeals and gets it reduced down to two or three games. But first he has to appeal.

Update: According to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, Papi will appeal his suspension.

To read the full release from MLB, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Here’s the release from MLB:

Major League Baseball has issued the following discipline as a result of the incidents that took place during the July 8th-10th series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Joe Garagiola, Jr., Senior Vice President of Standards and On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement.

Designated hitter David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox and pitcher Kevin Gregg of the Baltimore Orioles each have received four-game suspensions and undisclosed fines for their actions in the Friday, July 8th game, which included inciting the benches to clear on two occasions during the bottom of the eighth inning and fighting during the second bench-clearing incident. Unless appealed, Gregg is scheduled to begin serving his suspension tonight, when the Orioles host the Cleveland Indians, and Ortiz is scheduled to begin serving his suspension tomorrow, when the Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg.

Orioles pitcher Mike Gonzalez also has received a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for intentionally throwing at Ortiz during the bottom of the sixth inning of the Sunday, July 10th contest after warnings had already been issued earlier in the game. Unless appealed, Gonzalez’s suspension is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 18th, when the Orioles are to host the Red Sox. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for the intentional actions of Gonzalez during Sunday’s game. Showalter will serve his one-game suspension during tonight’s game against the Indians.

If any player chooses to appeal, then his discipline will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.

In addition, three players have been fined undisclosed amounts for their actions during the series. Pitcher Jim Johnson of the Orioles and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Red Sox have been disciplined for their aggressive actions during the second bench-clearing incident in the eighth inning of Friday’s game. Pitcher John Lackey of the Red Sox has been disciplined for intentionally throwing at Derrek Lee of the Orioles during the top of the seventh inning of the Saturday, July 9th game.

Photo credit: Getty Images