The Boston Red Sox went into their American League Divison Series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with hopes of taking at least one of the games in Anaheim. They had the right pitchers on the mound in Jon Lester and Josh Beckett.

Instead, they now find themselves on the brink of elimination heading back to Boston for Game 3 with a pitcher who hasn’t pitched in the postseason in young Clay Buchholz. If there is any advantage for Buchholz, it’s the fact that he’s pitching at home. Sure there will be nerves but he needs to put those aside and quick as the fate of the Red Sox season clearly rests on his right arm.

The Red Sox have been here before in the ALDS. They trailed the Oakland A’s 2-0 in 2003 before coming back to win. Sure it was a different team back then but this 2009 team has the makeup to get it done.

They’ve run into some quality pitching from the Angels  so far. Their starters, John Lackey and Jered Weaver, have gone deep into the games which has allowed skipper Mike Scioscia to use the bullpen how he wants to. The Angels bullpen wasn’t one of the best this season but having Lackey and Weaver go deep has been nothing but beneficial.

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UConn Football links

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team as they are at Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. on ABC in 3% of the country. 60% of the country will get the game on ESPN. If you missed my preview, be sure to check it out.

UConn QB Endres calmly comes home [Connecticut Post]

Huskies Must Clamp Down On Third-And-Long [Hartford Courant]

Huskies’ defense to face challenge in Pitt’s run game [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn ready for first ‘Big’ test at Pittsburgh [New Haven Register]

Games get bigger when Big East season starts [Waterbury Republican-American]

Stakes are raised for Huskies as they open Big East schedule [New London Day]

UConn ‘D’ has been straight-A so far [Journal Inquirer]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Jones, Charles help USA roll 100-81 in Ekaterinburg Tournament [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Former BIG EAST Stars Have a Hand In WNBA Title [BigEast.org]

Other UConn related links

Elsewhere on Stadium Road I: Soccer [TheUConnBlog.com]

Stadium Road II: Field Hockey/Volleyball [TheUConnBlog.com]

Field Hockey’s Loren Sherer Featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd [UConnHuskies.com]

Men’s Soccer Game at West Virginia Postponed [UConnHuskies.com]

No. 7 Field Hockey Blanks No. 10 Massachusetts 3-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

Women’s Volleyball: All Around Effort Leads to 3-1 Huskies’ Volleyball Win Against Marquette [UConnHuskies.com]

Women’s Ice Hockey: Hollstein’s First Goal This Season Gives Huskies 2-1 Win at No. 5 St. Lawrence [UConnHuskies.com]

Women’s Soccer: Late Marquette Goal Hands No. 24/13 Huskies 3-2 Loss [UConnHuskies.com]

After a tough loss last night, the Boston Red Sox get set to do battle with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game 2 of their ALDS.

Tonight’s game, scheduled to start at 9:37 PM, will be broadcast nationally on TBS. NESN Red Sox play-by-play man Don Orsillo will have the call while Buck Martinez will handle the color commentary. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Mr. Soxtober Josh Beckett is on the bump for Terry Francona and the Red Sox tonight. Beckett did face the Angels twice in 2009 and was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He’s made eight career starts against the Angels and is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA. In three career regular season starts in Anaheim, he is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA. In his career, he is 7-2 in thirteen appearances (twelve starts) with a 2.90 ERA in the postseason. Beckett has not lost a postseason game since Game 3 of the 2003 World Series going 6-0 with a 3.04 ERA in eight starts. Seven of those starts have come in a Red Sox uniform where he is 5-0 and has allowed 18 runs in 44 1/3 innings.

Angels skipper Mike Scioscia hands the ball to Jered Weaver in Game 2. Weaver has made two career postseason appearances (one start) against the Red Sox and is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. In eight career games against the Red Sox, he is 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA.

Beckett looks to pull Sox even in Game 2 [RedSox.com]

Why this Angels team is different, dangerous [Peter Gammons – ESPN Boston]

Game 2 pregame notes [Amy K. Nelson – ESPN Boston]

Sox want Lester in Game 4 [Extra Bases]

In theory, it’s refreshing [Extra Bases]

Getting ready for Game 2 [Extra Bases]

The Red Sox Lineup With Martinez [Full Count]

Pre-Game Notes: Sox Would Like to Use Lester in Game 4 [Full Count]

Terry Francona’s Pre-Game Press Conference [Full Count]

Kevin Millar on D&C, 10/9 [Full Count]

A few thoughts from the TBS talking heads on Sox/Angels [Hacks with Haggs]

Down 0-1, Sox find themselves in unfamiliar territory

Visit Anaheim [Ask 14]

Red Sox – Game 1 Postmortem and Game 2 Preview! [Nuggetpalooza]

Sox counting on Beckett to deliver [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Red Sox: Beckett’s Turn [Paul Doyle – Hartford Courant]

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

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) released its 2009-10 University of Connecticut women’s basketball broadcast schedule today, marking the 15th consecutive year that the network has served as the television home of the six-time NCAA National Champions.

As of press time, CPTV is set to air a minimum of 16 games and nine episodes of The Geno Auriemma Show. Additional UConn women’s basketball telecasts on CPTV will be announced in the near future as broadcast plans are finalized.

UConn women’s basketball broadcasts on CPTV are made possible by founding sponsors, Big Y World Class Market and Yankee Gas and signature sponsor, People’s United Bank.

Veteran play-by-play man Bob Picozzi will call the action for CPTV and Meghan Culmo will provide color commentary. In addition to the game broadcasts, CPTV will be presenting “Off The Court” player profiles, which will be available both during game telecasts and online at CPTV’s UConn web site: cptv.org, keyword: uconn.

In coordination with the annual “Senior Night” ceremony, the public television network will also produce the annual documentary celebrating the seniors, A Tribute to the Class of 2010. This special presentation will air before the annual “Senior Night” game, the date of which will be announced at a later date.

This season, CPTV will also be providing live and on-demand access to CPTV-produced UConn games, The Geno Auriemma Show, and archived games through Hoop Streams, an Internet subscription service. For more information, visit cptv.org, keyword: hoopstreams.

UConn posted the program’s third perfect season in 2008-09 while finishing 39-0 and capturing its sixth NCAA National Championship. The Huskies boast a 347-84 (.805) all-time record in BIG EAST Conference games and have won a combined 32 league titles. The Huskies also became the first team in NCAA Division I history (men’s or women’s) to go undefeated and win each of its games by a minimum of 10 points. Connecticut has captured either the BIG EAST regular season or tournament title in each of the past 16 seasons and boasts an all-time record of 323-8 in games played on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV).

CPTV is the TV Broadcast Home of UConn Women’s Basketball and has been broadcasting the team’s games since 1994. With consistently some of the highest ratings and strongest membership levels of any other program on public television over the past 15 years, UConn Women’s Basketball on CPTV is considered by many to be the most successful local franchise in public television history.

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This week:

The UConn Huskies travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers in the Big East opener for UConn. Gametime is 3:30 p.m. at Heinz Field, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here are the rosters for the Huskies and the Panthers.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com odds, the Panthers are favored by 7.

My prediction is UConn 27 Pittsburgh 24.

Tickets:

As of the time of this post, there are tickets available.

Tickets to game, if available, may be purchased through Pittsburgh ticket office. You can check the availability here.

Getting To The Game:

Here is a link for the directions to Heinz Field if you’re making the trip. Here is a link to the Heinz Field Fan Guide which will answer all your questions about tailgating, parking, and the stadium.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Saturday’s game will be televised regionally by ABC Sports. ABC will be televising three other games in this same time slot — Wisconsin at Ohio State, Baylor at Oklahoma and Oregon at UCLA.

In addition to the markets that will see the UConn vs. Pittsburgh game on ABC, markets that are selected to see the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State game on ABC, will receive the UConn vs. Pittsburgh game on ESPN.

Mike Patrick is on play-by-play with Craig James on color and Heather Cox on the sidelines.

Radio:

For the 18th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada. Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the side lines and Eric Davis on production.

The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff, while home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. For a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network, click here.

Pitt Radio: The game will be broadcast on 94.5 3WS and Fox Sports 970AM in the Pittsburgh area. It’s also available on Sirius channel 91 and XM 203.

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It was a tough loss early this morning for the Boston Red Sox in the first game of their ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A couple of blown calls by the umpires along with one bad pitch by Jon Lester to Torii Hunter was the difference in the game.

While we as Red Sox fans want to blame the crappy umpiring job by first base C.B. Bucknor and home plate umpire Joe West, we need to be realistic here. Angels starter John Lackey threw a whale of a game.

Lackey used to be the Red Sox’s bitch in the playoffs but not last night. Lackey’s stuff was nasty as he was on the mound for the first time in eleven days. He was able to keep the Red Sox hitters off balance and pitched in the 8th inning as he picked up his first win in the playoffs since his rookie season in 2002.

Lester, on all accounts, wasn’t that bad either. He matched Lackey pitch for pitch early on. But things changed for Lester in the 4th when West called a definite strike a ball. Although Lester rebounded in the inning, it really seemed to unnerve him a little in the 5th.

He allowed leadoff double to Erick Aybar, who went to third on a Chone Figgins sac bunt. After a walk to Abreu, Hunter took a fastball out over the plate and planted it in the rock pile in center. After that, Lackey settled in as he worked out of a jam in the 6th. Lackey allowed just four singles and Darren Oliver came in and finished the Red Sox off.

This was the first time since 2002 that the Red Sox had been shutout during a playoff game.

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Courtesy of Osneaker.com, here’s a look at a limited release of the Nike Hyperize Supreme UConn basketball sneaker.

UConn Football links

Football news and links will be coming up shortly in the UConn-Pittsburgh preview post.

UConn Women’s Basketball links

ESPN headed to “First Night” [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Lorin Dixon goes to school about basketball – and life [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

USA Basketball Heads To Russia With BIG EAST Flair [BigEast.org]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn and Georgetown Featured On ESPNU’s Coverage of Midnight Madness [BigEast.org]

A.J. Price’s Layup in Taiwan [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Jacob’s Team Foundation Basketball Camp [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Men’s Soccer: Huskies Look for Fifth Straight Win LIVE on FOX Soccer Channel [UConnHuskies.com]

WVU HOSTS NO. 13 UCONN WITH FIRST PLACE AT STAKE [The Daily Athenaeum]

Women’s Volleyball: Volleyball Returns to Gampel with a Pair of BIG EAST Matches This Weekend [UConnHuskies.com]

Women’s Ice Hockey: Huskies to Face Two Nationally Ranked Opponents in Women’s Ice Hockey [UConnHuskies.com]

In what’s becoming an annual rite of passage during October, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will begin play in the 2009 American League Division Series at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Tonight’s game, scheduled to start at 9:37 PM, will be broadcast nationally on TBS. NESN Red Sox play-by-play man Don Orsillo will have the call while Buck Martinez will handle the color commentary. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Just like last year, Jon Lester gets the pelota from skipper Terry Francona in Game 1. He’s faced the Angels twice in the postseason, both coming last year and is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in fourteen innings. Lester didn’t face the Angels in 2009 and is 1-1 with a 7.78 ERA in four regular season starts. In two regular season starts in Anaheim, Lester is 1-0 with an 8.64 ERA.

John Lackey will start Game 1 for Mike Scioscia and the Halos tonight. He’s made three career postseason starts against the Red Sox and is 0-2 allowing eight earned runs in 19 2/3 innings. He’s made fourteen career regular season starts against the Red Sox and is 3-7 with a 5.25 ERA.

In case you missed the 2009 Boston Red Sox ALDS Roster, don’t forget to check that out.

Another first for Bard [Extra Bases]

Getting closer [Extra Bases]

Beckett: ‘No issues at all’ [Extra Bases]

Pregame notes: Francona talks to media [Amy K. Nelson – ESPN Boston]

Next-level stats for Red Sox-Angels [ESPN Boston]

Lackey a West Coast A-Rod? [Clubhouse Insider]

Francona Ill as Sox Playoffs Begin [Clubhouse Insider]

When Roger Clemens Made Casey Kotchman Cry [Full Count]

Scioscia on Ortiz: ‘As Dangerous As He’s Ever Been’ [Full Count]

Beckett ‘Looking Forward to Doing What I’m Supposed to Do’ [Full Count]

Prediction: Red Sox will handle Angels in five games [Hacks with Haggs]

Varitek to catch Game Two? [Projo Sox Blog]

Okajima healthy and ready for action [Projo Sox Blog]

Delcarmen not frustrated with absence from roster [Projo Sox Blog]

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