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.

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 Men’s Basketball links

Herbst Talks About Practice Facility, APR, etc. [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Calhoun Spins His Spokes, Then Speaks [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Herbst:: Basketball facility a super high priority [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride; Speaks On Number Of Topics [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Susan Herbst On Jim Calhoun, UConn APR, Practice Facility [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

New UConn president walks with Calhoun [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Jim Calhoun Cancer Fundraiser [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn president lends support to Calhoun [CT Post]

Jim Calhoun Makes It Through Bike Ride; Hits On Several Topics [Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun big fan of incoming university president [New Haven Register]

Calhoun sure sounds like he’s ready to lead Huskies again [The Day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Maya Moore Has Helped Lynx Make Progress [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

UConn Football links

Eating Right Key To Preparation [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Roth leads South Carolina to 5-1 victory over UConn [College Baseball Daily]

Baseball. Connecticut Drops Game 1 Of NCAA Super Regional 5-1 [BigEast.org]

Baseball. Huskies Fall To South Carolina, 5-1 In Super Regional [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. UConn baseball team drops opener in Super Regionals [CT Post]

Baseball. For UConn Draftees, Business Can Wait [Hartford Courant]

Baseball. Rough start for Barnes in NCAA tournament [Extra Bases]

Baseball. South Carolina Prevails, Putting UConn Under Familiar N.C.A.A. Pressure [NY Times]

Baseball. USC tops UConn, 5-1, one win from return to Omaha [GoUpstate.com]

Baseball. USC notebook: Morales’ glove work turns momentum [GoUpstate.com]

After extending their winning streak to seven games last night, the Boston Red Sox look to take their second straight game from the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of a three-game set at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

This afternoon’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. and you can watch the game on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Blue Jays television market, you can catch the game on SNET. 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 will make his second start since returning from the DL after a right elbow strain. Lackey has made eight starts in 2011 and is 3-5 with a 7.60 ERA. He’s made one start against the Blue Jays this season and took the loss after allowing nine earned runs in 6.2 innings back on May 11th in Toronto. He’s made 16 career starts against the Jays and is 4-6 with a 5.07 ERA. 11 of those starts have come at Rogers Centre where he is 3-4 with a 4.58 ERA. As a member of the Red Sox, Lackey is 1-3 with a 9.40 ERA (31 ER/29.2 IP), allowing 41 hits, four home runs, 17 walks and four hit batsmen with 16 strikeouts in five starts against them.

Brandon Morrow will make his 10th start of 2011 for John Farrell and the Jays. In his previous nine starts, Morrow is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He has not faced the Red Sox in 2011 and was 0-1 with a 15.88 ERA (10 ER/5.2 IP) in two starts during the 2010 season. Morrow has 11 career appearances (three starts) and is 0-1 with a 6.97 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 today’s lineups:

37-26		32-32
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Yunel Escobar	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Corey Patterson	LF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Jose Bautista	RF
4. David Ortiz	DH	4. Adam Lind	1B
5. Jed Lowrie	3B	5. Edwin Encarnacion	DH
6. Carl Crawford	LF	6. Jose Molina	C
7. Marco Scutaro	SS	7. Rajai Davis	CF
8. J.D. Drew	RF	8. Jayson Nix	3B
9. Jason Varitek	C	9. Mike McCoy	2B
John Lackey	SP	Brandon Morrow	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

Which Red Sox Player Has Impressed You Most With His Performance This Season? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Minor League Director Mike Hazen Excited About Anthony Rizzo’s Padres Debut [NESN.com]

Sox paying close to attention to Jays on the bases [Projo Sox Blog]

Youkilis gets the day off [Projo Sox Blog]

Lackey out to keep streak alive in second start off DL [RedSox.com]

Photo credits: Getty Images, Reuters Pictures

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.

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 Men’s Basketball links

Kevin Ollie Speaks At Husky Sport Event [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Omar Calhoun Sr. On His Son’s Commitment To UConn [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn, Fairfield to renew men’s basketball series [CT Post]

UConn men land another Calhoun, a top recruit for 2012 [CT Post]

New York Guard Omar Calhoun Commits To UConn [Hartford Courant]

Omar Calhoun commits to play for Huskies [New Haven Register]

UConn basketball gets another Calhoun – Christ the King’s Omar Calhoun – who commits to Huskies [NY Daily News]

UConn Huskies win again, land top recruit G Omar Calhoun [Sporting News]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

7 former Huskies on WNBA All-Star ballot [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

“Moore” challenges ahead for ex-UConn star in WNBA play [All Headline News]

UConn Football links

UConn OT Mike Ryan: Shooting For 320; “Offense Will Be Fine” [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

LFG Camp (Pasqualoni And Hughes Worked) Raises $80,000 [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Looking Back At A UConn Football Game From 2010: Huskies Beat Pitt [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. UConn Won’t Change Approach At South Carolina: Win And Advance [Hartford Courant]

Baseball. Penders, Cholko: A Connecticut Baseball Genealogy [Hartford Courant]

Baseball. Nothing Could Be Finer Than To Be In Carolina [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. UConn baseball looking to leave its own mark [CT Post]

Baseball. UConn overcomes odds [New Haven Register]

Baseball. Chatham standout improves performance as UConn pitcher [Daily Record]

Baseball. Weekend preview: Gamecocks prepare to host Huskies in Super Regional [Garnett and Black Attack]

Baseball. Know Your Baseball Enemy: UConn [Leftover Hot Dog]

With the bad weather that was in the NYC area on Thursday night, the Boston Red Sox starter for Friday night Clay Buchholz couldn’t fly ahead to Toronto. Given the late start and the fact he’s had back issues over his past starts, there might have been a little reason to worry.

Well it turns out there was nothing to worry about as Buchholz returned to form as the Red Sox picked up their seventh straight win as they beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1. Their lead in the AL East stays at two games as they Yankees won last night.

We all know Buchholz has a beautiful 12-to-6 curveball. Well that curveball was on last night and Buchholz used it effectively. He had command of all of his pitches and that lovely curve of his set up his fastball and cutter. When he can do that, he’s almost unhittable.

He gave the Red Sox seven solid innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. The win for Buchholz ended a string of four straight no decisions. Buchholz has not lost since April 26th against the Orioles and the Red Sox are 8-1 in his last nine starts. It was also his fifth quality start in his last six starts.

Friday night also brought the return of the Laser Show in Dustin Pedroia who had missed Thursday’s game in the Bronx after undergoing a procedure to determine the severity of the pain in his knee. It didn’t look like anything was wrong with him at all as he returned to the lineup with a 3-for-4 night adding an RBI.

The tablesetter, Jacoby Ellsbury, continued his recent hot streak of late. He added three more hits to raise his average to .316 on the season. Adrian Gonzalez also did his thing last night adding two hits and two RBIs to the cause. With those two RBIs, Gonzalez now leads all of MLB with 57 on the season.

The Red Sox starters now have gotten the wins in their last five starts. Right now, all three things are clicking for the Red Sox, the starting pitching, the bullpen and the hitting. And with that, the Red Sox have won seven straight games.

This is the team we expected to see at the beginning. We won’t even revisit the past anymore as we should solely be focused on the future.

And right now that future is looking bright like the sun.

We’ll be back in a short while with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now, enjoy the overnight links 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

For Red Sox, all is right against lefties [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Red Sox run win streak to seven [Boston Globe]

Pedroia returns with a plan [Boston Globe]

Rizzo’s prospects look bright [Boston Globe]

Vita Pedroia [Boston Globe]

Red Sox no tired act [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz joins the Big 3 [Boston Herald]

Red Sox happy for Padres’ success [Boston Herald]

Dustin Pedroia benefits from procedure [Boston Herald]

Red Sox continue to roll, beat Blue Jays, 5-1 [CSNNE.com]

Buchholz energizes worn-out Red Sox [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Ellsbury keeps on scorching in June [CSNNE.com]

Video: Lucchino on Ortiz, Sox-Yankees [ESPN Boston]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 1 [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 1 [Full Count]

Video – Dustin Pedroia on Knee Injury Scare: ‘I Kind of Lucked Out’ [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Gives Road-Weary Red Sox a Necessary Boost in Series Opener at Toronto [NESN.com]

NHL Tells Bruins They Can No Longer Wear Red Sox Hats During Interviews [NESN.com]

Buchholz bounces back to bottle up Jays [Providence Journal]

Pedroia plays despite knee pain [Providence Journal]

Long-coveted pitcher now in Sox organization [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: After bout with illness, Saltalamacchia returns to lineup [Providence Journal]

Francona sticking with Wakefield in rotation [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.

And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and the Globe and Mail websites.

Photo credit: AP Photo

After sweeping the team from the Bronx for a second time this season, the Boston Red Sox head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the first of a three-game set tonight at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. and you can watch the game on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Blue Jays television market, you can catch the game on SNET. If you don’t live in either market, you are in luck as the game will be broadcast on the MLB Network. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Clay Buchholz looks for a win after taking four straight no decisions in his 13th start of 2011. In his previous 12 starts, Buchholz is 4-3 with a 3.82 ERA. He’s made one start against the Jays in 2011 picking up a no decision after allowing three earned runs in five innings of work back on April 15th. He’s made 11 career appearances (10 starts) against the Jays and is 6-3 with 2.73 ERA. Six of those career starts have come at Rogers Centre where he is 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA.

After not getting a win in 28 previous games, Jo-Jo Reyes goes in search of his third straight win tonight for former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. In his previous 12 starts in 2011, Reyes is 2-4 with a 4.16 ERA. His lone career start against the Red Sox came back on April 16th at Fenway Park. In that start, he suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs in three innings of work.

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 tonight’s lineups:

36-26		32-31
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Mike McCoy	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Corey Patterson	LF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Jose Bautista	RF
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Adam Lind	DH
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Juan Rivera	1B
6. Jed Lowrie	SS	6. J. P. Arencibia	C
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. Aaron Hill	2B
8. Mike Cameron	RF	8. Rajai Davis	CF
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	9. Jayson Nix	3B
Clay Buchholz	SP	Jo-Jo Reyes	SP

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

With Salty back from illness, the Red Sox have optioned catcher Luis Exposito back to Triple-A Pawtucket. He’s been replaced on the 25-man roster by reliever Michael Bowden.

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

Anthony Rizzo’s debut ‘awesome’ for Red Sox’ farm director [Clubhouse Insider]

Yanks need to improve to keep up with Sox [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Pedroia (knee) right back in the lineup [CSNNE.com]

Stark: ‘Free Agent Meter’ is running [ESPN Boston]

Sox look to extend win steak tonight in Toronto [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz mixes up message, media [ESPN Boston]

Podcast: Schilling on Ortiz, Gonzalez and more [ESPN Boston]

Pedroia, Salty ready to go; Dice has surgery [ESPN Boston]

A big fan cheering Rizzo from afar [Extra Bases]

Pregame notes from Rogers Centre [Extra Bases]

Kevin Millar on M&M: David Ortiz ‘has changed this city forever’ [Full Count]

Red Sox prospect Weiland’s career takes a right turn against lefties [Full Count]

Mo Vaughn’s MVP Season Helps 1995 Red Sox Team Capture AL East Crown [NESN.com]

Red Sox Among Winners, Yankees Among Losers in 2011 MLB Draft [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedroia’s Historic Season Not Enough, As 2008 Red Sox Fall to Upstart Tampa Bay Team [NESN.com]

Adrian Gonzalez Line Drive Gives White Sox Pitcher Jesse Crain Nasty Bruise (Photo) [NESN.com]

Which Member of Red Sox Was Best Player of the Week? [NESN.com]

Michael Bowden Recalled From Pawtucket, Luis Exposito Optioned Prior to Series Opener in Toronto [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Angry With Media After Being Hit by Pitch in Thursday’s Game [NESN.com]

Friday Nuggetpalooza! [Nuggetpalooza]

Outfield prospect Alex Hassan turning heads with plate approach [Projo Sox Blog]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Blue Jays and Joey Bats [Projo Sox Blog]

Saltalamacchia not 100% but in lineup [Projo Sox Blog]

Francona, Sox happy for Rizzo [Projo Sox Blog]

Hill, Matsuzaka come through surgeries [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox intend to disrupt Reyes’ win streak [RedSox.com]

Maybe these Red Sox were as good as we thought they were [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Photo credits: AP Photo, Getty Images

If you had placed a bet that UConn Huskies men’s basketball head coach Jim Calhoun was going to retire after winning the 2011 NCAA Championship, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you’re going to lose.

Just a few days after getting a commitment from one of the nation’s top recruits for the 2011 class in DeAndre Daniels, Calhoun got another one for the 2012 class. And ironically enough he shares the same last name.

Omar Calhoun, a 6’5″ guard out of Christ the King High School in New York City, the same one that produced Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Lorin Dixon for the UConn women, gave the UConn men a verbal commitment to play his collegiate basketball in Storrs, CT starting in 2012.

Here’s what the younger Calhoun had to say to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog:

“Yes, I committed to the University of Connecticut,” he said by text. “After spending quality time with Coach [Jim] Calhoun and the rest of the coaching staff, Coach [Kevin] Ollie and Coach [Glen] Miller and touring the campus my family and I felt UConn is the perfect place for me to continue my higher education academically as well as athletically.”

Sure things can change for Coach Calhoun but at least for now, we’ll probably be watching him patrol the sidelines for the next few seasons. And if recruits know he’s staying, the likelihood of more great recruits coming to Storrs increases.

Photo credit: NY Post