The Patriots finished up the 2009 draft today with two picks in the 7th round.
With the 23rd pick in the 7th round (232nd overall), the Patriots took QB/WR Julian Edelman from Kent State. The Patriots drafted him as a wide receiver and he could maybe fill a role in some type of “Wildcat” formation.
With their final pick in the draft (234th overall), the Patriots took defensive tackle Darryl Richard from Georgia Tech.
The Boston Red Sox look to complete a sweep of the New York Yankees tonight that would give them a perfect homestand at 9-0. They swept a 4-game set from the Baltimore Orioles and a 2-game set from the Minnesota Twins.
The game is scheduled to start at 8:05 PM on ESPN and ESPNHD. You can also catch the game on the radio on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.
Justin Masterson will make his second start in place of the injured Daisuke Matsuzaka and he’ll be looking to get the Red Sox their 10th straight win. He has faced the Yankees five times in his career (1 start) and is 0-2 with a 4.82 ERA.
The Red Sox will face an old foe in Andy Pettitte who they’ve seen only 32 times (30 starts). He is 16-8 with a 3.74 ERA. Since rejoining the Yankees in 2007, Pettitte has gone 3-3 with a 5.80 ERA in nine starts (10 appearances) against Boston (49.2IP, 32ER).
As noted earlier, the Red Sox had to make a move this afternoon to give themselves some depth in the bullpen tonight. They recalled Michael Bowden from Pawtucket and sent Gil Velazquez back there. Bowden will be sent back to Pawtucket after the game to make room for Julio Lugo who will be activated tomorrow.
Sox notes [Extra Bases]
Lugo should return tomorrow vs. Cleveland [Projo Sox Blog]
Youkilis at short? [Projo Sox Blog]
Bowden surprised by callup, but ready if needed [Projo Sox Blog]
A little extra help for Ortiz [Projo Sox Blog]
Tek Throws Out First Pitch for Little League [Fenway West]
Jason Varitek promotes Massachusetts Teachers Association literacy campaign [Red Sox Monster]
Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
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| 1. Brett Gardner | CF | 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 2. Derek Jeter | SS | 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 3. Mark Teixeira | 1B | 3. David Ortiz | DH |
| 4. Nick Swisher | LF | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 1B |
| 5. Robinson Cano | 2B | 5. J.D. Drew | RF |
| 6. Jorge Posada | C | 6. Jason Bay | LF |
| 7. Hideki Matsui | DH | 7. Mike Lowell | 3B |
| 8. Melky Cabrera | RF | 8. Jason Varitek | C |
| 9. Angel Berroa | 3B | 9. Nick Green | SS |
| Andy Pettitte | SP | Justin Masterson | SP |
And here is how the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers.
It’s not too often you hear of a long snapper getting drafted but hey they play a vital role on teams too.
With the 25th pick in the 6th round (198th overall), the Patriots took long snapper Jake Ingram from the Hawai’i Warriors. They also took defensive lineman Myron Pryor from the Kentucky Wildcats with the 34th pick (207th overall) in the 6th round.
The Patriots will have two picks in the 7th round.
Boston Celtics: Ben Gordon hit a 3-pointer to force a second overtime and the Chicago Bulls held the Boston Celtics off at the end to win 121-118 to tie the series at 2. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 29 points and Ray Allen added 28. Rajon Rondo picked up his second triple-double of the series with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists but it just wasn’t enough. He had a chance to win at the end of the first overtime but his shot hit the rim. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Gordon had 22 points and John Salmons had 20. The series now shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday night at 7 PM. [ESPN.com]
During the past two games, the Boston Red Sox have had to use their bullpen a little more than they’ve wanted to. The only relievers who didn’t throw in yesterday’s game were Javier Lopez and Hunter Jones.
With Julio Lugo returning to the team tomorrow, the Red Sox have sent Gil Velazquez back to Pawtucket and have recalled Michael Bowden to Boston. Bowden will be used out of the bullpen tonight and most likely be sent back after the game to make room on the roster for Lugo.
In three starts for the PawSox this year, Bowden is 1-0 with 0.64 ERA in 16 innings of work. Bowden made one appearance in the big leagues last season picking up the win after allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk in 5 innings of work against the Chicago White Sox.
With their only pick in the 5th round (170th overall), the New England Patriots have selected offensive lineman George Bussey from the Louisville Cardinals.
Bussey will provide some more depth for the offensive line.
The New England Patriots announced via their Twitter page that they have traded veteran cornerback Ellis Hobbs to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 5th round picks (137, 141) in this year’s draft.
Hobbs was set to be a free agent at the end of this season and will join former Patriot Asante Samuel in the secondary.
The Patriots then traded those two picks from the Eagles to the Baltimore Ravens for a 4th round pick (123) and a 6th round pick (198).
With the 123rd overall pick (4th round) that they acquired from the Ravens, they picked up another offensive lineman in Rich Ohrnberger from the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The New England Patriots entered the 3rd round of today’s draft with four picks but at the end they only selected two players because of trades.
They traded their first pick in the 3rd round (73) to the Jacksonville Jaguars for their 2009 7th round pick (232) and a 2010 2nd round pick.
With the 83rd pick (19th in the 3rd Round), the Patriots took wide receiver Brandon Tate from North Carolina. Tate missed the latter part of the 2008 season with some torn knee ligaments but should be ready to compete for a position on the Patriots. Tate could also help out on special teams as a returner.
The Patriots then picked up another 2nd round pick in 2010 when they traded their 3rd round pick (89th overall) to the Tennessee Titans. They now have 3 picks in the 2nd round of next year’s draft.
The final pick for the Patriots in the 3rd round (97th overall) was a compensatory pick and couldn’t be traded. They used that pick to take outside linebacker Tyrone McKenzie from the South Florida Bulls.
The Patriots won’t pick again until the end of the 5th round unless a trade is made.
There’s not really too much say about yesterday’s Boston Red Sox win other than that it was an ugly win. Bad starting pitching from both teams and yes we even saw a rare Dustin Pedroia error.
Josh Beckett just didn’t have it yesterday. He may have been too ramped up after not pitching for a week due to being suspended for throwing at Bobby Abreu. His stuff wasn’t sharp and his command and location were definitely not there. But Josh is a professional and we all know he’ll be able to put the outing behind him and move forward.
Mike Lowell may not be able to run fast but the bat and glove are still there. Did anyone expect him to be leading the team with 22 RBIs and be second on the team in home runs with four, which is good for a 3-way tie for second on the team with Jason Bay and Jason Varitek? All Lowell is doing right now is showing the Red Sox they made the right decision in not offering Mark Teixeira more money during the offseason.
Hopefully Justin Masterson will be able to give the Red Sox some innings tonight as the bullpen availability is looking slim tonight as Javier Lopez and Hunter Jones didn’t throw in the marathon yesterday.
Wildly successful [Boston Globe]
Down 6-0, Red Sox Come Back To Batter Yankees [Hartford Courant]
Red Sox bounce back to beat up Yankees [Boston Herald]
Boston prevails in a back-and-forth slugfest [Providence Journal]
Strange day has us dazed [Boston Globe]
Teixeira? Red Sox Happy To Have Lowell [Hartford Courant]
Dustin Pedroia struggles [Boston Herald]
With a weary bullpen after the last two nights, Sox send Velazquez back to Pawtucket [Providence Journal]
Some qualities are irreplaceable [Boston Globe]
Josh Beckett runs into trouble [Boston Herald]
Pedroia puts different spin on two rare mistakes [Providence Journal]
Yankees hear groans of relief [Boston Globe]
Mike Lowell’s value clear to Red Sox [Boston Herald]
It started bad, and only got worse for Beckett [Providence Journal]
Masterson aiming to rise with his sinker [Boston Globe]
Drama of Sox-Yankee series is sure to get even better [Providence Journal]
Ace gets flushed [Tony Massarotti Blog]
A beefy grinder [Full Count]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the NY Post, NY Daily News, Newsday and Lo Hud websites.
It was an absolutely banner day yesterday for the UConn Huskies football program as they saw four draft picks go in the first four rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft, including Donald Brown making UConn history by going 27th overall in the 1st round to the Indianapolis Colts.
And what does it say about the UConn football program when they tie for the second most picks on the first day with The Ohio State Buckeyes. Only USC had more players taken, five in all, on day one. That’s right, UConn had more draft picks than the likes of Florida, Florida State, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.).
This big draft class for the Huskies should do wonders for recruiting down the road.
UConn Football links
UConn Football Commercial From NFL Draft [SOX & Dawgs]
Darius Butler Draft Video And Media Transcript [SOX & Dawgs]
Video: Donald Brown Goes No. 27 Overall To The Indianapolis Colts [SOX & Dawgs]
THE GUY THEY WANTED [Colts.com]
Colts President Bill Polian and Head Coach Jim Caldwell speak on drafting Donald Brown [Colts.com]
Colts use No. 27 overall pick to add UConn RB Brown [Indianapolis Star]
Colts send Addai a wake-up call with this first-round pick [Indianpolis Star]
What Brown can do [Arizona Republic]
New York Giants select Connecticut offensive tackle William Beatty with final second-round pick [The Star Ledger]
Day 1 ends with a big, young tackle [NY Daily News]
The Impact: Running Back Donald Brown [New York Times]
Three BIG EAST Players Tabbed In First Round Of NFL Draft [BigEast.org]
These local selections hit close to home [Boston Globe]
Beatty drafted by Giants in second round [York Daily Record]
Patriots find similar traits in draftees [Attleboro Sun Chronicle]
Colts say Brown a perfect fit [AP via Louisville Courier-Journal]
Patriots make it secondary [Boston Herald]
Patriots prefer to go for seconds [AP via Cape Cod Times]
Colts add ‘game breaker’ Donald Brown in first round [Terre Haute Tribune-Star]
Colts defy experts at NFL Draft [Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel]
Darius Butler choice does it for Edsall [Boston Herald]
Pats pick two players from the ‘neighborhood’ [Providence Journal]
Patriots use their plethora of second-round picks to bolster their defense [Providence Journal]
Darius Butler analysis [Reiss’ Pieces]
Darius Butler, the new Asante? [The Point After]
Four Huskies Taken In First Day Of NFL Draft [UConnHuskies.com]
An historic day for UConn [Ramblings from The Runway]
Donald Brown Makes UConn Football Relevant [Hartford Courant]
Brown Leads UConn Parade Of Players Picked [Hartford Courant]
Quantum Vertical Leap For UConn, Edsall [Hartford Courant]
Huskies Have Second-Most Players Taken On Day 1 [Hartford Courant]
Historic Husky: Colts make Brown their No. 1 pick [Waterbury Republican-American]
Brown heads UConn draft class [Norwich Bulletin]
RB Brown first of four from UConn selected [New Haven Register]
RB Brown, 3 other Huskies drafted [Connecticut Post]
Colts select UConn’s Brown in first round; Pats take Butler in second [New London Day]
Four Huskies Drafted On Day 1 [New London Day]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Top Draft Pick: Hasheem Thabeet [UConn Huskies Basketball]
Other UConn related links
Baseball: St. John’s Slips Past Huskies 8-7 [UConnHuskies.com]
Softball: Huskies Split Doubleheader With St. John’s [UConnHuskies.com]
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