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.

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UConn Men’s Basketball links

NBA Mock Draft 2011 – Can Kemba Walker Become an NBA All-Star? [Gather.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn recruiting up a storm [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Huskies, Stags To Meet In December [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Travel Advisory for Baseball/Softball Games in Storrs [UConnHuskies.com]

Maya Moore, Kemba Walker Lead Student Processional At Graduation [Hartford Courant]

After another tough loss last night, the Boston Red Sox return to the diamond in the second game of a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.

First pitch for today’s game is at 1:10 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised by FOX to 48% of the country. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

After picking up his first quality start in his last outing, Clay Buchholz will look to end his team’s three-game losing streak. He’s made six starts in 2011 and is 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA. He made one start against the Twins in 2010 (5/19), which is the only time he’s faced them at Fenway, and picked up the win after allowing two runs in eight innings. He’s made two career starts against the Twins and is 1-1 with a 6.57 ERA.

Brian Duensing makes his sixth start of the season for the Twins and first career start against the Red Sox. In his previous five outings, he is 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA. He made two appearances against the Red Sox in 2010 which are the only two career appearances he’s had against them. In those two relief appearances, he had no record with a 3.86 ERA (1 ER/2.1 IP). In his lone Fenway appearance, he didn’t allow a run in 1.1 innings.

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

12-18		14-18
1. Denard Span	CF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Trevor Plouffe	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Justin Morneau	DH	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Jason Kubel	RF	4. Kevin Youkilis	DH
5. Michael Cuddyer	1B	5. Jed Lowrie	3B
6. Danny Valencia	3B	6. Mike Cameron	RF
7. Rene Tosoni	LF	7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
8. Rene Rivera	C	8. Carl Crawford	LF
9. Luke Hughes	2B	9. Marco Scutaro	SS
Brian Duensing	SP	Clay Buchholz	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.

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Something remains amiss with Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Twins rough up Wakefield, Sox [Boston Globe]

Aceves: comings and goings [Boston Globe]

Still tossing and turning [Boston Globe]

Tim Wakefield, sloppy Red Sox stumble to 3rd straight loss [Boston Herald]

Ejected Terry Francona not touched by an Angel [Boston Herald]

Rough evening for Tim Wakefield [Boston Herald]

Staying put: Despite slump, Dustin Pedroia stays in No. 2 spot [Clubhouse Insider]

Wakefield rocked as Sox fall hard again, 9-2 [CSNNE.com]

Francona upset with West’s actions, ejection [CSNNE.com]

Sox notes: Francona shuffles starters [CSNNE.com]

Early notes: Francona shuffles lineup [CSNNE.com]

Rapid reaction: Twins 9, Sox 2 [ESPN Boston]

Francona irked by umpires’ actions [ESPN Boston]

Francona hasn’t heard from league yet [ESPN Boston]

Lineup looks a little different vs. lefty [ESPN Boston]

It ain’t been this bad for 7 years [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Twins 9, Red Sox 2 [Full Count]

Francona on umpire Joe West: ‘I thought he was out of line’ [Full Count]

It’s official: Adrian Gonzalez has Monster pop [Full Count]

Why Clay Buchholz’ blister might bode well [Full Count]

Crawford on Sports Saturday: No second thoughts about coming to Boston [Full Count]

Mike Cameron Admits Fenway Park Has One of the ‘Toughest Outfields’ in Major League Baseball [NESN.com]

Terry Francona Says Umpire Joe West ‘Out of Line’ for Actions Following Ejection [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedroia’s Struggles Continue Following First Day Off of 2011 Season [NESN.com]

Joe West’s Embarrassing Actions Proof That Major League Baseball Needs to Hold Umpires More Accountable [NESN.com]

Which Red Sox Pitcher Will Throw a No-Hitter Next? [NESN.com]

Daniel Bard’s Trio of Shutout Appearances Earns Him Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors [NESN.com]

Will Francona be suspended? [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield pounded; Francona tossed [Providence Journal]

Francona: Ejection wasn’t any of West’s business [Providence Journal]

Some pleasant surprises among Red Sox stats [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Bad mechanics land Jenks on DL [Providence Journal]

Buchholz seeking return to 2010 form [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 news, head over to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer-Press websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Twins Target.

Photo credits: AP Photo, Getty Images

After losing their last two games, the Boston Red Sox look to get back on the track to .500 in the first game of a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins tonight at Fenway Park.

First pitch for tonight’s game is at 7:10 p.m. and the game will be televised by NESN Plus in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Twins television market, you can catch the game on FoxSports North. 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 will step in for Daisuke Matsuzaka who had to pitch during the marathon game on Wednesday. This will be Wakefield’s second start of the season and 10th appearance. In nine appearances (one start), Wake has no record with a 4.08 ERA. Wake made one start against the Twins in 2010, taking the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings. He’s made 27 career appearances (24 starts) against the Twins and is 14-6 with a 4.31 ERA and two saves.

Scott Baker takes the hill for the sixth time this season. In his previous five starts, Baker is 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA. He made two starts against the Red Sox last season where he was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He’s made four appearances (three starts) against the Red Sox with all of them coming at Fenway Park. In those four appearances (three starts), he is 0-2 with a 4.35 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 this evening’s lineups:

11-18		14-17
1. Denard Span	CF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Trevor Plouffe	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Justin Morneau	1B	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Jason Kubel	DH	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Michael Cuddyer	RF	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Danny Valencia	3B	6. J.D. Drew	RF
7. Ben Revere	LF	7. Jed Lowrie	SS
8. Drew Butera	C	8. Carl Crawford	LF
9. Alexi Casilla	2B	9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
Scott Baker	SP	Tim Wakefield	SP

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

After recalling Scott Atchison yesterday, he was optioned back to Pawtucket. Alfredo Aceves will take his place 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

Atchison must clear waivers before PawSox return [CSNNE.com]

Jenks: Mechanical flaws caused arm problem [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox early notes: Sox shuffle rotation [CSNNE.com]

Sox swap relievers, tweak rotation [ESPN Boston]

Jenks on injury: ‘We caught it in time’ [ESPN Boston]

Matsuzaka: ‘It was different to get ready’ [ESPN Boston]

Bill Buckner will work the Chicago Cubs-Boston Red Sox game on May 20 [ESPN Chicago]

Saber Seminar coming up in a few weeks [Extra Bases]

Red Sox can’t afford to give games away [Extra Bases]

Cubs release Max Ramirez [Extra Bases]

Pregame chatter [Extra Bases]

Kevin Millar on M&M: ‘You look around, who’s leading that club?’ [Full Count]

Lowell needs another hip surgery [HardBall Talk]

Bill James Appears on ‘The Colbert Report’ to Promote New Book [NESN.com]

Alfredo Aceves Called Up, Scott Atchison Sent Down in Latest Red Sox Bullpen Shuffle [NESN.com]

Bobby Jenks Glad He Caught Injury Early, Hopes to Return to Red Sox in Two Weeks [NESN.com]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Twins and Getting into Gear [Projo Sox Blog]

John Lackey losing confidence in his fastball? [Projo Sox Blog]

Matsuzaka feeling good after Friday relief appearance [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett, Lester flip-flopped in rotation [Projo Sox Blog]

DL’ed Jenks won’t throw again until next week [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield slides back into Boston’s rotation [RedSox.com]

Puppet Red Sends Love From the Basement. Just Like the Red Sox. [Surviving Grady]

Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo

John Lackey sucked yesterday. He even admitted it after the game. That’s all you really need to know.

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

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 news, head over to the LA Times, Orange County Register and LA Daily News websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother, Monkey with a Halo.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Last night in the Foundation Room at House of Blues in Boston, MA, Boston Red Sox aces Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz released their own labels of Charity Wines.

From this initiative, athletes do not profit a single dime. Instead, 100% of their proceeds will raise big league dollars for charity:

– Clay Buchholz: “ChardonClay” benefits the Jimmy Fund

– Jon Lester: “CabernAce” benefits Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Bob Dougherty, the Director at the House of Blues, made the opening remarks to kick off the evening. Andrew Graff, president of Charity Wines then provided background on his company and all they do for great causes. Suzanne Fountain, Director of the Jimmy Fund, and Michael Rubin with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, both presented what they are doing to help fight cancer. Then Heidi Watney led a Q&A session with Lester and Buchholz, as well as took questions from the audience.

The 2011 wines are produced by acclaimed the Selby Winery located in Healdsburg, California. Both wines are expected to retail for about $14 a bottle, and will be available beginning this week and next across Red Sox Nation in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For wine connoisseurs and Sox fans out of these states, wines can be purchased online at www.charitywines.com.

The Jimmy Fund
Clay Buchholz can be untouchable, proven by the no-hitter he tossed in just his second big league start. Yet, he reaches back and connects with those in need across the community. Buchholz is a Co-Captain of the Jimmy Fund, an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, and a portion of proceeds from ChardonClay support the Jimmy Fund in the fight against cancer at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping to raise the chances of survival for children and adults with cancer locally and around the world. Cheers. Learn more at www.jimmyfund.org.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Jon Lester knows the importance of overcoming barriers in life and on the diamond. Less than two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, he pitched the biggest game of his life, helping his ballclub win a world championship. That’s why proceeds from Jon Lester’s CabernAce support Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the development of targeted immunotherapies. This pitch helps researchers maximize the body’s own ability to strike out disease so lymphoma patients can win their own games in life. Learn more at www.fhcrc.org.

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

Coombs-McDaniel … To Be Continued [David Borges – New Haven Register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: Caroline Doty – Rise and Fire Part II [SOX & Dawgs]

Moriah Jefferson “can’t wait” to get to UConn [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Plenty of UConn connections at U.S. Under-19 trials [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Moriah Jefferson Verbally Commits To UConn [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno Auriemma Talks About The Proposed Rule Changes [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno Auriemma Talks About USA Basketball [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Jefferson Gives UConn Incredible 1-2 Punch In Class of 2012 [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

UConn Football links

Handicapping the Big East race [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Masuk-Monroe QB Casey Cochran: A Recruiting Update [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

DC also answered a question in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Casey Cochran Still Searching For The Perfect College [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Softball. StrikeOut Cancer Game Set For Saturday Against Notre Dame [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. No. 20 UConn Baseball to Host USF in BIG EAST Series [UConnHuskies.com]