According to Zac Boyer of the UConnReport.com, the UConn Huskies and Michigan Wolverines have agreed to a 2-game contract that will start in 2010.

The Huskies will begin their 2010 campaign in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines will come to Rentscheler Field in 2013. UConn will have to move their game with Northeastern that is scheduled for the same time in 2010.

According to Boyer, one of the reasons why UConn agreed to the deal is because Michigan agreed to come to Rentschler Field. I do wonder if Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez was okay with the decision because he’d previously been to the Rent as the coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Folks this is huge for the Huskies to get a Big 10 team to come to East Hartford. Michigan may have been down as of late but I’d suspect they’ll be back up there by the time they come to the Rent.

UConn, Michigan agree to home-and-home [UConnReport.com]

David Ortiz had one hell of a day on Thursday afternoon. About an hour or so before the game, he finds out that he is on the list of MLB Players that tested positive back in 2003.

Then in the 7th, his 3-run homer off former teammate Craig Breslow put the Boston Red Sox out front for good in an 8-5 win over the Oakland A’s in front of 37,919 at Fenway Park.

After the game, Ortiz issued a statement saying that the report is true and he’s going to get to the bottom of what he tested positive for. He really didn’t have too much to say to the reporters other than once he finds out what he tested positive for, he will hold a press conference with the media.

Jon Lester, who has pitched well as of late, had his one inning troubles again  this time. He was roughed up for 4 runs in the 6th inning and saw his pitch count rise tremendously. Lester ended up going 5 2/3 innings, allowing the 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks and had just 2 strikeouts.

Manny Delcarmen allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings while Daniel Bard continues to impress as he struck out 1 in an inning of work. Jonathan Papelbon worked the 9th and allowed just one hit on the way to his 26th save of the season.

Gio Gonzalez shutdown the Red Sox early on after he gave up a run in the 2nd. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 8.

Russ Springer, Mike Wuertz, Breslow and Santiago Casilla combined to give up 5 runs on 5 hits in 2 2/3 innings out of the A’s bullpen.

Ortiz finished with 2 hits (home run, double) and Jason Varitek had a great afternoon at the plate as he was 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs. J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis also added two hits while Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Lowell had the other RBIs.

Ellsbury’s RBI came on a sacrifice fly and he saw his 6-game multi-hit game streak come to an end as he finished with no hits.

Given all of the distractions on Thursday for the Red Sox and having two rough games in a row, it was good to see them comeback and win. Hopefully this builds a little momentum as they head out on a 9-game road trip that starts in Baltimore and stops in Tampa and New York.

John Smoltz looks to rebound from back-t0-back rough outings as he gets the start tomorrow night. He’ll be opposed by Jeremy Guthrie.

After helping the Boston Red Sox to an 8-5 win over the Oakland A’s, David Ortiz issued the following statement about the earlier New York Times report this afternoon.

Today I was informed by a reporter that I was on the 2003 list of MLB players to test positive for performance-enhancing substances. This happened right before our game, and the news blindsided me. I said I had no comment because I wanted to get to the bottom of this.

I want to talk about this situation and I will as soon as I have more answers. In the meantime I want to let you know how I am approaching this situation. One, I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true. Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive. Two, I will find out what I tested positive for. And, three, based on whatever I learn, I will share this information with my club and the public. You know me – I will not hide and I will not make excuses.

I want to thank my family, the Red Sox, my teammates, and the fans for their patience and support.

STORRS, Conn. – Three members of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team have been named among the 25 players on the 2009-10 State Farm Wade Trophy “Watch” List, which was released on Thursday.

UConn senior Tina Charles (Jamaica, N.Y.) and sophomore Tiffany Hayes (Winter Haven, Fla.) join 2009 Wade Trophy recipient Maya Moore (Lawrenceville, Ga.) on the list. Connecticut and Stanford were the only two programs nationally to be represented on the list by three players.

Moore, the reigning consensus National Player of the Year, returns for her junior season after posting a UConn single-season record 754 points in 2008-09. Moore enters her junior campaign already boasting two of the top four single-season scoring efforts in the program’s history and has guided the Huskies to an overall record of 75-2, including two NCAA Final Four appearances and the 2009 NCAA National Championship during her first two collegiate seasons.

Charles, enters her senior season just five rebounds shy of 1,000 for her career and only 273 behind Rebecca Lobo’s UConn career-record total of 1,268, which was established in 1995. Charles was also the Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 NCAA Final Four after posting 25 points and 19 rebounds in the national championship victory over Louisville.

Hayes, along with Charles, spent the summer competing for the 2009 U.S. World University Games Team in Serbia, where she helped lead the United States to a gold medal. Expected to be a fixture in the UConn backcourt during her sophomore season, Hayes has already established herself as one of the nation’s most consistent long-range shooters, which combined with her ability to create her own shot, makes her one of the Huskies’ most versatile offensive players.

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 33rd year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women’s national player of the year award in college basketball. This highly prestigious award, regarded as the “Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

The 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four, in San Antonio, Texas, April 2-6.

Full list of players after the jump.

Continue reading →

After watching Brad Penny struggle early on last night and being unable to recover, the Boston Red Sox look to gain a split of their series with the Oakland A’s this afternoon at Fenway Park.

The game this afternoon will start at 1:35 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the A’s television market, you can catch the game on Comcast SportsNet California. 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.

Jon Lester looks to even up the series for Terry Francona this afternoon. Lester is 9-7 with a 3.79 ERA in 20 starts this season. He’s faced the A’s once this season back in April and took the loss after allowing 6 runs in 6 innings. He’s made 7 career starts and is 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA against the A’s.

Bob Geren trots out yet another rookie in Gio Gonzalez. He’s made 8 appearances (5 starts) this season for the A’s and is 2-2 with a 7.75 ERA. He’s never faced in the Red Sox in his career.

Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on 2003 Doping List [New York Times]

Halladay rumor roundup: Sox, Jays are not close to a deal [Extra Bases]

Ortiz endorses a V-Mart deal [Extra Bases]

Pregame weather update [Extra Bases]

Latest Victor Martinez trade rumors [Extra Bases]

State of the Sox: Daisuke, Smoltz and the Deadline [38 Pitches]

Bard and Masterson’s Shared Journey to the Majors [Full Count]

Analysis: How Halladay, Gonzalez, and Martinez would help the Red Sox [Tony Massarotti]

And here is how the hitters have fared against this afternoon’s starting pitchers.

After watching the bullpen implode last night, the Boston Red Sox will look to recover and get a win tonight at Fenway Park.

The game tonight will start at 7:10 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the A’s television market, you can catch the game on Comcast SportsNet California. 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.

Brad Penny looks to complete 7 innings for the first time this season for Terry Francona. Penny has made 19 starts and is 7-4 with a 4.71 ERA. He hasn’t faced the A’s yet this season and has only faced them once in his career as a member of the Florida Marlins. He picked up the win in that start, as he allowed 1 runs in 7 innings back in 2003.

Rookie Brett Anderson has made 18 starts for Bob Geren this season. He is 5-8 with a 4.32 ERA. He’s faced the Red Sox twice in his career and is 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA. His last time out versus the Red Sox back on July 6th at the Fens, he fired a complete game two-hit shutout.

Globe 10.0: Better to keep Buchholz or trade him? [Extra Bases]

Francona: ‘This will blow over’ [Extra Bases]

Globe 10.0: Make the big trade? [Extra Bases]

With Phillies landing Lee, are Sox frontrunner for Halladay? [Extra Bases]

Halladay, Martinez or Gonzalez? [Extra Bases]

Ortiz: ‘That’s my baby girl’ [Extra Bases]

Francona: “It was a good step today talking to Dice.” [Extra Bases]

Highlights from Terry Francona’s appearance on Dale and Holley [Full Count]

Rumor Mill: Sox forerunner for Indians’ Martinez [Full Count]

Rumor Mill: Sox Westmoreland and Kelly off limits [Full Count]

Sox clear air with Dice-K [Clubhouse Insider]

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

Clay Buchholz and Lindsay Clubine have a lot going for them in life. Buchholz is a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (at least for now) and Clubine is a Deal or No Deal Model and also hosts Get Out! on HDNet among other ventures.

So when someone asks them for a little help on Twitter, you might expect them to say no. But that is not the case in this story.

Pete (aka @trystag on Twitter) is married to a nurse who works in Hospice care. For anyone familiar with Hospice care, you know that most of the patients usually don’t have that long to live.

One of her patients, Norman, is a WWII veteran who fought in the “Battle of the Bulge”. He has very few family and doesn’t have visitors often. Norman is about 90 years old and has cancer. He’s a HUGE Boston Red Sox fan and told my wife that he hasn’t been to a game in many many years.

My wife wanted to do something nice for Norman. She started asking around if anyone could get a baseball with an autograph from ANY Red Sox player. It didn’t matter who signed it, but she wanted something from the Red Sox to give to him. It was a couple weeks after she started looking that she finally mentioned it to me. I said, “Let me ask on Twitter if anyone I know can help out.”

Pete didn’t have much luck but it was suggested to him that he try Lindsay on Twitter. He did just that and got in touch with her. After some talks with Lindsay, she got a ball signed from Clay and she also arranged to have Clay call Norman.

Let’s just say the whole thing was a rousing success for Pete and his wife. I’d rather not spoil the whole story here because it’s a very moving one and best told by Pete on his site.

But kudos to Lindsay and Clay for such a wonderful gesture. They may be famous but they are human just like you and me.

The Awesomeness of Clay Buchholz and Lindsay Clubine [NEDMUG.com]