The time is now Boston Red Sox fans. It’s time to find for us to find out if the 2010 version of the Red Sox are contenders or pretenders.

You’re probably saying to yourself, Ian, they’re contenders every year. My answer to that is yes, they usually are but this season hasn’t gone exactly as planned. Then I’ll tell you to take a look at the schedule over the next thirteen days.

The Red Sox will play 11 of their next 13 games on the road and all against quality opponents. They’ll kick off this tough stretch with three games against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit, then head to New York for two games against the Yankees. From there they’ll return to Boston for a brief two game homestand with the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. After the two-game set with the Twins, they’ll start interleague play with three games against the Philadelphia Phillies before heading to Florida for a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Currently, the Red Sox sit in fourth place in the AL East at 18-17, trailing the first place Rays and Yankees by 6½ games. They’re just 1½ games behind the Blue Jays for third place in the East.

And while the Red Sox will miss Tigers ace Justin Verlander while in Detroit, it won’t be no easy picnic there as the Tigers are 12-4 at Comerica Park while the Red Sox are 6-6 on the road.

The Red Sox got some good news yesterday when injured center fielder Mike Cameron said that he would likely join the team in New York on Monday after his rehab assignment in Pawtucket. He’s been out after suffering a sports hernia. The likely candidate to go when he comes back is Jonathan Van Every who still has an option remaining.

Don’t forget tonight’s game will be shown on NESN Plus in the Red Sox television market.

We’ll be back later with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and the news and links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links.

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Papelbon can now be choosy with pitches [Boston Globe]

They’ll have to tough it out [Boston Globe]

Kevin Youkilis: Results trump clubhouse dynamic [Boston Herald]

Jonathan Papelbon delivers a full arsenal [Boston Herald]

Power shortage may prove costly [Boston Herald]

Dustin Pedroia Showing MVP Qualities Thus Far for Red Sox [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

Notes, trends from the Red Sox homestand [ESPN Boston]

Remy on D&C: Ortiz strike call ‘ridiculous’ [Full Count]

It’s now or never for these Red Sox [Full Count]

Red Sox Will Truly Be Put to Test With Grueling Late-May Schedule [NESN.com]

Is it Time for Red Sox Nation to Forgive Johnny Damon? [NESN.com]

Cameron eyes Bronx return to lineup [RedSox.com]

Red Sox look to carry momentum on trip [RedSox.com]

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

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Desi Cullen: Trying Out With Hartford Colonials [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Big East post-spring position rankings: QB [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Other UConn related links

Baseball: Huskies Take on USF at 7:00 p.m. on Friday [UConnHuskies.com]

Tim Wakefield notched his 2,000th career strikeout yesterday and gave the Boston Red Sox seven quality innings but unfortunately it wasn’t enough as Shaun Marcum allowed just two hits in the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 win.

Even though the Red Sox lost yesterday, it was still a pretty respectable 10-game homestand as they finished it up 7-3. They’re still in fourth place in the AL East and are 1½ games behind Blue Jays.

The Red Sox did rally in the 9th for two runs but they weren’t done in the by Kevin Gregg that inning but rather home plate umpire Dale Scott. I was sitting off to the side of the plate but you could tell the pitches he was calling weren’t really strikes. And after seeing the NESN replay on the way out of the ballpark yesterday, it was confirmed.

David Ortiz had a 3-2 count and watched what should have been ball 4 according to the Amica pitch zone replay on NESN. Big Papi took exception to the strike 3 call as he should have. He wasn’t ejected but Terry Francona came out to argue. The next batter, Adrian Beltre had two strikes on him and checked his swing on a ball but but Scott ruled he had gone around. The replay showed he wasn’t near going around. Francona came out to argue that one as well and got about two feet out of the dugout before he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Yes, Scott didn’t help them out at all in the 9th inning but that’s not the reason they lost. The reason they lost was they couldn’t get anything done against Marcum. He was mixing in his fastball with a cutter and that kept the Red Sox hitters at bay. He wasn’t exactly overpowering as his fastball hit 90 mph once but hovered in the 87-89 range all game long.

You have to admire the job Wakefield did. He’s been jettisoned to the bullpen but all along Francona said he wasn’t a reliever. They wanted to keep him stretched out in case of another injury to a pitcher and it worked to their advantage as it’s still not known when Josh Beckett will make his next start. Wake’s been a true professional about the entire situation and yesterday he did his job. It’s just unfortunate that Marcum was a little bit better than him.

When you’re at the ballpark for the game gives you a totally different perspective. When you watch the game on NESN or any other channel for that matter, you can hear the crowd but you can’t. You know they’re cheering but you don’t know what they are saying. Obviously watching the hitters at the plate is different but when you’ve been around the game for as long as I have, you learn to look at where the catcher catches the ball to know whether or not it’s a strike. Plus you can always read the hitters body language.

On a final note, Mike Lowell is extremely loved in Boston. When he came out to pinch-hit for Jonathan Van Every in the 8th, Fenway Park rose as one and gave him a huge, loud standing ovation. It was such a great feeling to be part of that. And thanks to fc for taking me to the game.

The Red Sox are off today as they traveled to Detroit after the game for a 3-game set that begins on Friday. Clay Buchholz will make the start against Max Scherzer. We’ll have the pitching matchups for series coming up a little bit later as the Tigers haven’t announced their Sunday starter just yet.

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

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

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UConn Football links

How Will Hogan’s Departure Affect UConn? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Can UConn’s receivers make the cut? [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

2010 Football Season Tickets Surpass 20,000 Mark [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Geno and Coach K prep for world championships [CT Post]

UConn coach wins ‘Winged Foot Award’ [WTNH.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Mailbag Question, 5/12: Calhoun’s Voice In Next Coaching Search [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Meet Tyler Olander [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Other UConn related links

Big Ten expansion – The case for UConn [Daily Gopher]

Softball: Vaughan Named To All-BIG EAST Third Team [UConnHuskies.com]

I’ve only got a few minutes here as I’m getting ready to enjoy today’s Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays games but I wanted to take a minute to talk about last night’s game.

If you were watching last night’s game and trying to figure out who the starting pitcher for the Red Sox was that was so dominating on the mound, yes it was Daisuke Matsuzaka. This was the Dice-K which we probably haven’t seen since the 2008 season when he went 18-3.

After struggling in his past two starts, he was an entirely different pitcher last night. Instead of nibbling with his pitches like normal, Dice-K attacked the strike zone with his fastball and mixed in his other pitches well. You have to wonder why he doesn’t do this all the time but we can only hope this gives him the confidence to do it again as he moves forward.

As I said, I’m heading over to the Fens for today’s game so there won’t be a lineup post but you can get those over at Extra Bases.

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

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

Since we missed yesterday’s links, I’ll be adding those in today.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Osiecki Gets AR; 50 Hours Community Service [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Dan Ryan: Playing The Waiting Game [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

DC also answered some questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Looking at the early Big East bowl picture [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Osiecki granted AR in shoplifting case [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

UConn’s Dan Ryan Still Hoping For An NFL Call [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

U-17 invitees [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Cappie on Kalana, Nolan On Geno – And More [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Lewis & Host Of UConn Recruits Invited To Trials [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Former UConn Star Kalana Greene Praised By Anne Donovan [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Mike Anthony answered a few questions in his mailbag [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Ater Majok Television [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn’s Legal Bills In NCAA Investigation Are Soaring [Hartford Courant]

Hasheem Thabeet Punches T.I.D [SwahiliRemix.com]

Other UConn related links

Baseball: Barnes Named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: Springer Homers Twice in 11-7 Win Over Boston College [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: Huskies Continue Success; Remain Nationally Ranked [UConnHuskies.com]

Men’s Ice Hockey: Men’s Hockey Announces Award Winners At Team Banquet [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: Nemeth Lifts Huskies Over Manhattan 5-4 [UConnHuskies.com]