Just wanted to apologize to everyone for the lack of posting today. Sometime during the day yesterday, my laptop contracted a virus that intermittently took away my ability to use the internet among other things. The posts that went up today were ones that I already had started working on so I figured I’d post time them back. I decided to skip over doing the Red Sox news & notes post as well as the afternoon delight with the lineups because by the time my computer actually got going it was just about 2 hours ago. Things should be back to normal here now at SOX & Dawgs headquarters. Red Sox recap from today to follow shortly.
Destination Red Sox Nation – 4/11
Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story links and links to team stats and league standings are after the jump.
Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 4/11
UConn Women’s Basketball links
UConn’s Mel Thomas “Heart of a Husky” Book Signing – 4/10 [Hartford Courant]
More on Renee from the Minnesota Lynx [UConn | Women’s Basketball]
For What It’s Worth: 2008-09 UConn Huskies may have been the best women’s team of all time [Providence Journal]
Coach Pushes Lady Huskies to Capture Sixth NCAA Title and Perfect Season [ABC News]
UConn’s Maya Moore Wins Wooden Award [Hartford Courant]
Glad For Chance To See Montgomery Play [Hartford Courant]
No-show UConn fans shameful [Waterbury Republican-American]
Montgomery’s busy week comes to an end [New Haven Register]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Smith on campus [In Storrs Now]
Smith arrives at UConn, likes what he sees [Connecticut Post]
Khalid El-Amin Overseas Highlights [UConn Huskies Basketball]
UConn Football links
UConn’s Beatty not your typical player [York Daily Record]
Donald Brown’s Draft Diary: The Interview Circuit [Hartford Courant]
Dwayne Difton Is A Hoot! [UConn | Football]
Thank You And Heeeere’s John S. [UConn | Football]
Other UConn related links
Baseball: Huskies Fall to Rutgers 5-2 in Game One of Doubleheader [UConnHuskies.com]
Baseball: Huskies’ Hitting Silences Scarlet Knights in 15-4 Series Finale [UConnHuskies.com]
Heavy Hearted Angels Beat Red Sox 6-3
This was a game that you didn’t want to see the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lose and as a Boston Red Sox fan, you didn’t want to see them take the loss on Friday night. But you would understand if they did.
Jered Weaver went 6 2/3 inning, allowing 4 hits as the Angels picked up a 6-3 win over the Red Sox on a very emotional night at Angel Stadium. It’s the 9th straight regular season loss to the Angels for the Red Sox, dating back to last season.
Before the game, the Angels honored Nick Adenhart as well as Courtney Stewart and Henry Nigel Pearson who died tragically in a car accident early Thursday morning.
Tim Wakefield got the start for the Red Sox and a hit a few rough patches early on but settled down as the game went on. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 5 hits while striking out 4. Justin Masterson had a tough night as he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk in an inning of work. Javier Lopez struck out 1 in the 8th.
Weaver only allowed 1 unearned run and struck out 8 Red Sox batters while just walking 2. Scot Shields closed it out for the Angels to pick up the save.
Kevin Youkilis continues to swing a hot stick for the Red Sox as he had 2 hits and an RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury added two hits and David Ortiz had the other RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Wake found himself in a little bit of trouble in the first but did his Dice-K impression and got out of it.
He got the first two outs of the inning before walking Bobby Abreu. With Vladimir Guerrero at the plate, Abreu stole second before working a walk. Wake then hit Torii Hunter to load the bases up but Kendry Morales popped out to George Kottaras to end the threat.
Gary Matthews Jr. led off the 2nd with a walk and went to second on a Jeff Mathis single. Wake got the first out when Macier Izturis grounded into a fielder’s choice with Matthews retired at third. Figgins followed that with a double scoring Mathis to make it 1-0 Halos. Howie Kendrick followed that with a 2-run single to push the lead to 3-0. With Abreu at the plate, Kendrick stole second and then went to third on an Abreu single. Wakefield escaped any further damage when he got Vlad to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
After Weaver struck out Kottaras to start the 3rd, Ellsbury singled and then stole second, going to third on a throwing error by Mathis. Dustin Pedroia worked a walk and Big Papi knocked in Ellsbury with a sac fly to cut the lead to 3-1. With Youk at second, Pedroia stole second but was left stranded when Youk flew out to right.
Wakefield ran into trouble in the 5th when he loaded up the bases but was able to escape by getting the next 3 outs in Morales, Matthews and Mathis.
The Angels added some insurance runs in the 7th off of Masterson.
Abreu led off with a single and stole second with Vlad at the plate. Vlad ended up reaching on an infield single with Abreu going to third. Hunter knocked in Abreu with a sac fly to make it 4-1 Halos. Morales followed that with a double to deep center with Vlad stopping at third. After an intentional walk to Matthews, Mathis singled to left scoring Vlad and Morales to make it 6-1. Masterson got out of the inning when Izturis grounded into a fielder’s choice andFiggins flew out.
Kevin Jepson started the 8th for the Angels and got Kottaras to fly out. Ellsbury followed that with a single and went to third on a Pedroia double. Jepsen then struck out Big Papi but Youk reached on infield single that Figgins threw away allowing Ellsbury and Pedroia to score to cut the lead to 6-3. Shields came in and got Drew to fly out to end the threat.
These same two teams are back at it gain this afternoon at 4:10 on FOX. Brady Penny will make his Red Sox debut and will be opposed by Joe Saunders.
Celtics Cool Off The Heat 105-98
Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce was a monster in the second half, scoring 21 of his 28 points to help the Boston Celtics to a 105-98 win over the Miami Heat at the TD Banknorth Garden. The win coupled with the Orlando Magic’s loss to the NY Knicks gives the Celtics a 2-game lead for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavailiers clinched the top spot tonight so the best the Celtics can do is the 2 seed. Glen “Big Baby” Davis added 22 points and former UConn Husky Ray Allen had 21. Rajon Rondo chipped in with 7 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 31 points and 9 assists while Michael Beasley had 23 points and Jermaine O’Neal had 16. The Celtics have three games left in the season and head out on a 2-game trip that starts out with a matchup in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 PM on ABC. [ESPN.com]
Angels Pay Tribute To Adenhart, Stewart and Pearson
Before tonight’s game with the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim paid tribute to their pitcher Nick Adenhart and his friends Courtney Stewart and Henry Nigel Pearson. Their friend Jon Wilhite remains in critical condition at the hospital.
Here is the video of the pregame ceremonies:
[flash http://ianbethune.com/adenhart.FLV w=416 h=279]
video courtesy of NESN
Maya Moore Wins Women’s Wooden Award
I joked a little bit ago about UConn Huskies sophomore forward Maya Moore having to build an addition on her family home due to all the awards she’s received in her two years in Storrs. She may really have to do it now.
Tonight in Los Angeles, Moore was named the winner of the 2009 John R. Wooden Women’s Award. Moore beat out Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, who finished with 133 votes to Moore’s 176.
Moore swept all of the major postseason honors as she won the Wade Trophy and Naismith Award as well as being named the player of the year by the Associated Press and USBWA (United States Basketball Writers’ Assocation). She was also the Big East Player of the Year for the second straight season and also was a first-team academic all-american.
As good as all these awards are, I’d have to think she’s probably happiest with the NCAA Championship trophy the Huskies won on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
Evening Red Sox Delight – 4/10
While tonight marks the first regular season game for the alternate blue road uniforms and the “Hanging Sox” hats for the Boston Red Sox, it also marks the first game for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim since the tragic passing of their pitcher Nick Adenhart and his friends Courtney Stewart and Henry Nigel Pearson. Their friend and former Cal State Fullerton catcher, Jon Wilhite remains in the hospital.
It’s going to be a hard game to watch as a fan but it’s going to be even more difficult for the Angels and the Red Sox players in a sense. For the Angels, they’ve lost a family member, a teammate, a friend. For the Red Sox, they’ve lost a member of the elite baseball fraternity. And PLEASE let’s not forget the Stewart, Pearson and Wilhite families. They’ve suffered losses as well and they should not be overlooked one bit.
Our friend Texy from Center Field, I think summoned it up very well:
Tonight’s game is going to be difficult.
Not in the athletic sense, of the matchup of abilities on the field of play – but what a family of teammates is going to have to go through just to make it out onto that field of play. To walk past an eerily vacant locker, even though #34 jerseys still hang inside. To gaze across the ballpark as though it were just another day, just another game. To stand on the pitching rubber so recently occupied by a kid who had such a shining future ahead of him just two days ago.
The Angels will pay tribute to Adenhart before the game.
A replica of the tribute patch the team will be wearing has been added to the outfield wall in center field. A 90-second video tribute to Adenhart and the other victims of Thursday morning’s fatal accident will be shown on the scoreboard screens before tonight’s game and a moment of silence will be observed.
Adenhart’s parents, Jim and Janet, are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony.
The patch in tribute to Adenhart will be on the heart of the Angels home and road uniforms. The Angels will keep his locker intact at home and will have a locker set up in his honor at each road game. It should be noted that the moment of silence will also be done in the memory of Stewart and Pearson.
Tim Wakefield gets the ball for the Red Sox tonight. In his career against the Angels, Wakefield is 9-12 with 1 save and a 4.80 ERA in 28 games (23 starts). He is 5-7 with a 4.80 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) at Angel Stadium.
The Angels hand the ball to Jered Weaver for the start. He was originally scheduled to start yesterday but for obvious reasons the game was postponed. In 6 career starts against the Red Sox, he is 1-2 with a 5.35 ERA.
The game is scheduled to start at 10:05 PM EDT and will be broadcast on NESN and MLB.tv. You can also catch the game on the Red Sox Radio Network. NESN’s coverage will start with Red Sox Gameday Live at 9 PM.
Fans show up early to honor Adenhart [Orange County Register]
Angels fan has a great idea [Orange County Register]
Pitching coach Mike Butcher recalls the tragic night [Orange County Register]
Remembering Nick Adenhart [Baseball Prospectus]
Fans pay tribute to fallen star [Projo Sox Blog]
Sox, Angels set for renewal [Tony Mazz]
Sox intend to be ‘respectful’ … and competitive [Extra Bases]
Kottaras to make first big-league start [Projo Sox Blog]
Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
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| 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF | 1. Chone Figgins | 3B |
| 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B | 2. Howie Kendrick | 2B |
| 3. David Ortiz | DH | 3. Bobby Abreu | RF |
| 4. Kevin Youkilis | 1B | 4. Vladimir Guerrero | DH |
| 5. J.D. Drew | RF | 5. Torii Hunter | CF |
| 6. Jason Bay | LF | 6. Kendry Morales | 1B |
| 7. Mike Lowell | 3B | 7. Gary Matthews, Jr. | LF |
| 8. Jed Lowrie | SS | 8. Jeff Mathis | C |
| 9. George Kottaras | C | 9. Erick Aybar | SS |
| Tim Wakefield | SP | Jered Weaver | SP |
1-2
1-2And here is how the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers:
RIP Nick Adenhart, 1986-2009
RIP Nick Adenhart, 1986-2009
Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 4/10
It was a rough opening series for the Boston Red Sox as the Tampa Bay Rays came into Fenway Park and took 2 out of the 3 games. Obviously, Josh Beckett was the best looking starting pitcher in the three games for the Red Sox as Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka didn’t put forth their best efforts.
A good sign right now for the Red Sox is that Jason Varitek is showing signs of life from the left side of the plate as he’s hit two home runs in the 3 games. Of course, it is early in the season where he’s not as worn down as he will be later in the season. But nonetheless, it’s a much better start than he had last year.
Jed Lowrie is giving Julio Lugo every chance in the world to retake the starting shortstop spot. It’s not because of his glove though, it’s his bat as he’s struggling at the plate right now. He’s just 1-for-11 with 6 strikeouts and has left numerous men on base, three times in key situations.
The Red Sox are now on the west coast where we can expect tonight’s game and the whole weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to be played with a heavy heart following the death of of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart who tragically died in a car accident along with 2 of his friends after Wednesday night’s game.
The game tonight will also mark the debut of the “Hanging Sox” caps and the alternate blue road jersey for the Red Sox. The new road uniforms will make their debut tomorrow afternoon on national television. The “Hanging Sox” hats will be worn for every Friday Red Sox game this season.
Lowrie is flailing away so far [Boston Globe]
Daisuke Matsuzaka serves ’em up [Boston Herald]
Rays Hold Off Red Sox [Hartford Courant]
It’s Sox, not Rays, who have something to prove [Providence Journal]
Five Things We Learned: Matsuzaka Still a Man of Mystery [WEEI.com]
Rays have the edge on Matsuzaka, Sox [Boston Globe]
Jed Lowrie takes no offense [Boston Herald]
Lowrie opens with a whimper [Providence Journal]
Everyone gets in on the act for Tampa Bay [Boston Globe]
Kevin Youkilis not easing into it [Boston Herald]
Well-prepared Rays rolled the Dice [Providence Journal]
Rays set to defend [Boston Herald]
Tragedy overshadows game [Boston Globe]
Nick Adenhart gone too soon [Boston Herald]
Sox still setting things up in the bullpen [Providence Journal]
Tim Wakefield back for more [Boston Herald]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times websites.