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Jeff JacobsE-mail
Ellsbury Gets Booed, But Guess Who Won?
April 23, 2014
BOSTON — The signs were there. Oh, the signs were there: "$Ell$bury" and "Sellout" and some others. C'mon, this is Boston. Did anybody with half a brain really believe that Jacoby Ellsbury would be greeted with thunderous adoration when he stepped into the batter's box to lead off the first inning Tuesday night?
America, The Beautiful, On Display In Boston
April 21, 2014
BOSTON — This is a story that starts in Adi Beyani, Eritrea, and in St. Petersburg, Russia. This is a story that ends at the finish line on Boylston Street.
Major Program: Olt, Springer Put UConn In Baseball Spotlight
April 16, 2014
NEW YORK — Mike Olt didn't send an extended text to George Springer on Wednesday morning when he heard that his former UConn teammate finally had been called up to the Houston Astros. He didn't want a response. He only wanted Springer to enjoy his moment.
Bitterness Is In The Air With Tina Charles' Departure
April 14, 2014
UNCASVILLE — This is a total face-lift, a total eclipse of the Sun. Yet before UConn fans and Sun fans go crazy about Connecticut's WNBA team trading away one of the greatest players in State U. history, a league MVP only two years ago, this much you should know:
With Help Of Winning Coaches, Depressing Date Gets New Shine
April 13, 2014
HARTFORD — As the UConn men's basketball coach, one who would later say he isn't going anywhere, stepped up to speak outside the State Capitol on Sunday, thousands of UConn fans began chanting, "Ol-lie! Ol-lie!" No lie, the earth rumbled and it sounded like "A-li! A-li!" in Kinshasa before the Rumble in the Jungle fight against George Foreman.
Diaco Changing The Football Culture At UConn
April 12, 2014
EAST HARTFORD — On Wednesday, he brought them over in full practice gear to the women's national championship victory rally on campus. On Saturday, Bob Diaco brought his players down the Rentschler Field steps through the student section as they took the field for pregame warmups at the annual Blue-White Spring Game.
Capitol Steps: Courant Columnist To Make Good On Boast After UConn Men Win It All
April 12, 2014
And so I walk. ... "Color me not convinced. Call me the Doubting Pitino if you want, but I'll carry this banner from the state Capitol to Gampel Pavilion if UConn wins the national championship."
Ellsbury Gone, But Not Forgotten By Red Sox Fans
April 10, 2014
NEW YORK — Jacoby Ellsbury will get his ring Friday. The ringing in his ears will have to wait until April 22.
They've Been Flawless When It Counted The Most
April 9, 2014
NASHVILLE — History demanded perfection. For without perfection Tuesday night in this state where Pat Summitt ruled as basketball royalty, there would be no history for UConn and Geno Auriemma.
Huskies Climbed To Top Of World One Step At A Time
April 8, 2014
ARLINGTON, Texas — They took the stairs. They took them one step at a time. They took them one by one when there wasn't anything to play for last season and they were the pariahs of the NCAA. They took them one step at a time even after Louisville smoked them three times this season.
UConn's Dominance Shows It Deserves A Bigger Stage
April 7, 2014
NASHVILLE — Numbers are thrown around faster than crumpled up brackets this time of year. Call it one-and-done or, as John Calipari, with the propriety of a snake oil salesman, calls it, "succeed and proceed." Whatever term you choose, Kentucky will start five freshmen Monday night in the national championship game against UConn, and all five could be gone to the NBA in weeks.
From The Ashes Of Nothing To Play For, Ultimate Redemption Is In Sight
April 6, 2014
ARLINGTON, Texas —The team that had nothing to play for last season has a national championship to play for Monday.
Kemba, Shabazz, The Shot, The Promised Land
April 4, 2014
ARLINGTON, Texas — In the end, it is only a shot. The ball leaves the fingertips. The ball nestles in the net. The buzzer sounds. One team wins. The other team loses.
Mix A Dash Of Ollie, A Pinch Of Calhoun, You Get Donovan
April 4, 2014
DALLAS — He built a basketball powerhouse, a multiple national champion, in a place where it never was supposed to happen.
Cherish The Moment, Connecticut: Something's Happening Here
April 1, 2014
LINCOLN, Neb. — Sometimes it comes from the mouth of an outsider. Sometimes it comes from the mouth of an insider.
Numbers Don't Lie; Huskies Dominate The Game
April 1, 2014
LINCOLN, Neb. — A half continent away from Madison Square Garden, the full onslaught of UConn basketball continued Monday night. A half continent away from an ear-shattering Sunday afternoon in an arena players love to call the Mecca of basketball, the full onslaught of UConn basketball continued in a land where football is king.
Kevin Ollie Takes The Stairs, And It's Paying Off
March 31, 2014
NEW YORK — Positioned perfectly at the intersection of resilience and jubilation, Kevin Ollie slowly climbed the ladder to snip the final cord of net that tightly, securely ties the past and present of UConn basketball.
Ollie's Bond With His Players Allows For Playfulness
March 29, 2014
NEW YORK — Kevin Ollie slapped his freshman guard in the face on national television Friday night, the team laughed and the whole thing went viral.
Feeding DeAndre Daniels Satisfies The Whole UConn Team
March 29, 2014
NEW YORK — He missed his first shot. That is being too kind. DeAndre Daniels bricked his first shot, a three-point attempt that would have caved in the south side of Madison Square Garden if it hadn't bashed into the backboard.
Anybody Notice Which College Team Has Foothold In New York?
March 28, 2014
NEW YORK — Each has a story to tell and all of them paid a lot of dollars to tell it. Yet in the end, the message that their passion sends is the same:
Dolson Finishes Gampel Career In Royal Fashion
March 26, 2014
STORRS — With two minutes, 40 seconds remaining in another UConn women's rout Tuesday night, Stefanie Dolson left the Gampel Pavilion floor for the final time. Geno Auriemma briefly threw one arm around her as Dolson went down the line to slap hands with the rest of her teammates.
Dolson Finishes Gampel Career In Royal Fashion
March 25, 2014
STORRS — With two minutes, 40 seconds remaining in another UConn women's rout Tuesday night, Stefanie Dolson left the Gampel Pavilion floor for the final time. Geno Auriemma briefly threw one arm around her as Dolson went down the line to slap hands with the rest of her teammates.
In Geno's Mind, Ollie Is No. 1 When It Comes To Seeding
March 24, 2014
STORRS — Geno Auriemma gets a kick out of it. He clicks on the television, he picks up the paper and there is Kevin Ollie, that noted farmer from South Central LA, talking about planting seeds.
Windsor's Cody Quinn Is Hot As A Pistol, But Cool Inside
March 24, 2014
UNCASVILLE — Tyler Rowe is listed at 5-10, admits to 5-71/2, looks like he should be scared of everything and plays like he is scared of nothing.
Shabazz Wants It All On His Plate, With Extra Onions
March 23, 2014
BUFFALO, N.Y. — As a freshman, he was there to pick up Kemba Walker from behind and hoist him in the air after his unforgettable step-back jumper on Pittsburgh's Gary McGhee in the Big East tournament.
Jeff Jacobs: Jim Calhoun Photobombs Way Into Focus Of UConn's Tourney Snapshot
March 22, 2014
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Satisfied, Jim? The attention is on you.
Jeff Jacobs: This Time UConn Got By Without Its Miracle Worker
March 21, 2014
They were the 11 points that saved the UConn season. They were the 11 points that made this night worth the two years of wishing and waiting by Kevin Ollie and a bunch of guys who had been embarrassed by Iowa State and Royce White in that last NCAA Tournament game in 2012.
Nearing 70, Syracuse's Boeheim Never At A Loss For Words
March 20, 2014
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Forget the bracketologist-in-chief. The sour puss-in-chief said Wednesday he'd pick Michigan State, Louisville, Florida and Arizona to advance to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Just Part Of The Madness: Phil Martelli Is A UConn Foe And A UConn Best Friend
March 17, 2014
STORRS — The first call Geno Auriemma got after he won his first national championship in 1995 wasn't from President Clinton, Governor John Rowland or Jim Calhoun.
Zero Respect: NCAA Shows What It Thinks Of AAC
March 17, 2014
STORRS — The last time the UConn basketball team missed the NCAA Tournament in successive years was 1988-1989. Bill Clinton was still governor of Arkansas. The Red Sox were still cursed. And the "Lethal Weapon" sequels had only reached 2, on their way to 5.
March 15, Where It All Started [We Know The One Team UConn Can't Beat]
March 15, 2014
In this column that appeared in The Courant on March 16, 2014 - after UConn's loss to Louisville in the AAC tournament final - columnist Jeff Jacobs went out on a limb. Read on!
Jeff Jacobs: For Players Like Napier, Kilpatrick, It's Finding Motivation, Wherever It Is
March 15, 2014
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Motivation comes in many forms. Motivation for an athlete, in fact, usually comes in any form he can find it.
Huskies Count Out The Tigers ... Eins, Zwei, Drei
March 14, 2014
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There will be no more Saturday nights in March, magical nights at the corner of 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue and the intersection of Ewing and Kemba. For UConn, Syracuse and some other elite basketball schools, there will be no more Big East tournament on the biggest stage, where every Calhoun rant and every Boeheim frown was dissected by New York drama critics dressed in sports writer khakis.
No Matter Where They Play, The Huskies Will Be Tough To Beat
March 10, 2014
UNCASVILLE — Greatness has no boundaries. Greatness needs no favors.
Corban Wroe Leads Hartford With Heart, Soul And Scoring
March 10, 2014
ALBANY — In his first 84 games at Hartford, Corban Wroe hit a total of 11 three-pointers. In his final 11 games of this season, the junior guard hit 22.
Geno's Son-In-Law Is – Surprise! – A Basketball Coach
March 9, 2014
UNCASVILLE — As he sat there Saturday, a couple of rows behind Andre Drummond at Mohegan Sun Arena, Todd Stigliano got as big a kick as anyone as his father-in-law danced away from a tumble of bodies that threatened to wipe him out.
Don't Look Ahead: UConn's Hockey Future Starts Right Now
March 7, 2014
STORRS — Mike Cavanaugh wanted his UConn hockey team to do things it had never done. That was the motto. He was looking for firsts in the history of the program. First Atlantic Hockey title? Maybe. First trip to the NCAA Tournament? That would be great.
With Mom's Support, Napier Finishes What He Started
March 5, 2014
STORRS — She had done her best to remain composed during the pregame senior night ceremony. She had hugged Kevin Ollie tight and hugged Jim Calhoun just as tight. Afterward, after UConn had outlasted Rutgers, she stood there laughing as she posed with shirtless UConn students with her son's name spelled out on their chests.
Two-Way Athlete: Marcus Cooper Gives, Receives At Bloomfield
March 4, 2014
Wednesday is "Marcus Cooper Day" at Bloomfield High School, and Cooper will have a message for students only six, seven years younger than he is.
Shoni Schimmel's Bark Exceeds Louisville's Bite
March 4, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Maybe it was the magic of the pre-game ceremonies on Senior Night. Maybe it was the lingering magic of shocking Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen last March.
UConn Wins Ugly ... Very Ugly
March 1, 2014
HARTFORD — On a Saturday afternoon when UConn upended No. 11 Cincinnati in a sport we are still trying to identify, there are a few things you should know.
Feat Of A Dancer: Dolson Approaches Curtain Call With A Smile
February 28, 2014
She has a galaxy of stars and an inscription on one foot. When she was 16, Stefanie Dolson and her older siblings Ashley and Courtney decided to get tattoos. A sister thing, Dolson says.
On A Huge Day For Travelers, Charity Still Starts At Home
February 28, 2014
On a day when his company made certain that the Hartford area's one annual major league sports event would remain through 2024, Travelers Chairman and CEO Jay Fishman used the term "collective we."
Coach Tom Moore Has Quinnipiac Basketball On A Roll
February 27, 2014
Ask Tom Moore about his team's seven-game spike and he gives you the 42-game road to maturity. Ask the Quinnipiac coach about the wild Scott Burrell-to-Tate George-style buzzer beater by Umar Shannon at Niagara and he gives you 13 months of growth and a well-beaten path to the weight room.
Day Of Memories For 1999 UConn Team That Started It All
February 23, 2014
STORRS — Larry Brown got a chance to see Jim Calhoun Sunday.
U.S. Hockey Showing Terrible, But No Catastrophe
February 22, 2014
With the future of the neighboring Ukraine hanging in the balance, it would be an 866-mile stretch of truth — the driving distance between Sochi and Kiev — to paint any Olympic defeat as earth-shattering or catastrophic.
It's Time For Us To Practice What Doc Hurley Preached
February 19, 2014
They buried Doc Hurley Tuesday. They did not bury his dream.
Hartford's Connection To 1936 Olympics Goes Downhill Fast
February 17, 2014
WEST HARTFORD — If you're wondering how good of a driver Ivan Brown was hurdling down a mountain in what today would be considered a most primitive mode of travel, well, consider this. Sonja Henie, the world's darling in 1936, would go down the bobsled run at Garmisch-Partenkirchen only with him.
No Apologies From This Dog Lover (And Dog Buyer)
February 16, 2014
His name is Rocket. His father's name is Deuce. His mother is Chloe. And although we are convinced that Rocket doesn't believe he is better than any other dog or cat, we have papers going back five generations to prove he's a purebred Labrador retriever.
UConn-Memphis Rivalry Is Just What AAC Needs
February 15, 2014
HARTFORD — Kevin Ollie was talking about his team's unremitting effort. He easily could have been talking about the entire afternoon.
Uncertainty Is The Name Of All Games
February 14, 2014
NEW HAVEN — You think you know. You don't know.
Jeter Going Out Like A Champ
February 12, 2014
The announcement came on Facebook and it came as a cold, surprising slap to the face. The announcement shook baseball's terra firma from the Bronx to Fenway. Yes, that was what we felt in Connecticut about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
As With Other Monumental Firsts, Sam Needs Our Support
February 10, 2014
The weight of history, the weight of human decency is slowly, surely crushing those with hate in their hearts and suspicion in their souls.
They're Short-Handed, But It Helps That Two Of The Hands Are Stewart's
February 9, 2014
STORRS — Louisville had the best team in the land within five points with five minutes remaining in the first half Sunday at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion. The subject of the UConn women playing short-handed brings no shortage of eye-rolling from opposing coaches nowadays, but the Huskies are short-handed nonetheless.
Donyell Marshall Learning The Ways Of Coaching
February 8, 2014
HAMDEN — Donyell Marshall had 10,716 points and 72.4 million reasons not to pour his heart into coaching. That's how much money Marshall made over 15 years playing in the NBA.
Jeff Jacobs: Cincinnati's Kilpatrick 'Out-Bazzes' Shabazz
February 7, 2014
CINCINNATI — Not saying Sean Kilpatrick has been around forever, but, man, didn't he share the backcourt with Oscar Robertson on the 1960 Cincinnati team?
Star Search? Diaco Dismisses Recruiting Sites' Assessments
February 5, 2014
You can have the escargot. Bob Diaco will take the cheeseburger. More on that later, but first the National Signing Day menu:
Seahawks Shattered Every Part Of Manning's Game
February 3, 2014
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They embarrassed Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos. The truth is they would have embarrassed anybody on this Super Bowl night
Manning's Chance To Secure His Legacy
February 1, 2014
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Sometime after 10 o'clock Sunday, sometime in a seasonable early February night in Jersey, Peyton Manning will emerge from Super Bowl XLVIII as the greatest passer, greatest quarterback, even the greatest football player in history.
Pete Carroll: A Surfer Dude Focusing On Good Vibrations
January 31, 2014
NEW YORK — Pete Carroll used to surf the aisles of chartered flights on a food service tray. When this peculiar act of balance and silliness was recounted during his days as coach of the Patriots, it invariably was used to demonstrate Carroll's battle with maturity.
Ask Welker Tough Questions, He'll Tell You To Drop It
January 30, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Wes Welker, searching for his first Super Bowl victory, was searching for an answer to another inane Super Bowl question when he stopped in mid-sentence.
Sound Judgment: Derrick Coleman's An Inspiration
January 29, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — If Derrick Coleman had taken his assigned seat Wednesday next to Marshawn Lynch at the Seahawks' mandatory media obligation, he would have easily been able to read his reclusive teammate's lips:
Jeff Jacobs: For Richard Sherman, It's The Thought That Counts
January 29, 2014
NEWARK, N.J. — Marshawn Lynch spoke for six minutes at Super Bowl media day, which, by delightful coincidence, equals how many minutes Richard Sherman showed up early to start talking at the same oversized event.
Writer On The Storm: Time To Address Super Bowl Weather
January 27, 2014
NEW YORK — This is the part where I'm supposed to puff out my chest, go old school sports hack and growl about how real football players and real football fans pay no mind to the elements.
Return Of Paul Pierce, KG To Boston Is As Magic As You'd Imagine
January 26, 2014
BOSTON — The first video tribute arrived at 6:59 p.m. Sunday, with 2:25 remaining in the first quarter of a regular-season game that would be anything but regular. With Kevin Garnett, yelping, screaming, spraying chalk, doing push-ups on his knuckles, the video montage would prove every bit as rip-roaring as KG himself.
Daniels Shows His Toughness After Ankle Injury
January 25, 2014
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — With 4:11 left in the first half, DeAndre Daniels went up for a defensive rebound, fell over Ryan Boatright and, man, this Saturday night in Jersey looked as if it was going to end up ugly. Worse than a night, this was something that could ruin a season.
Class At Yale: St. Louis Blues Show Kindness, Honor Mandi
January 24, 2014
NEW HAVEN — Carol Schwartz counted in her head. Let's see. She and her husband, Rick, had been to about a dozen Yale women's hockey games over the years. They'd been to three "White Out for Mandi" nights, too.
Forget New York, Tanaka Will Ignite Powerful Spark In Boston
January 22, 2014
I hear them coming from the southwest. They are yelling, what? They are yelling, "Ma-Kun! Ma-Kun!"
Normally Quote-Phobic Bill Belichick Is Way Too Mouthy About Wes Welker
January 20, 2014
DENVER — Bill Belichick normally runs at all cost from news conference controversy. He spends them mumbling the obvious, tossing a few roses in the direction of the opposition, generally treating the media like a thorny distraction.
Windsor High's 'Pot Roast' Knighton Turns Up Heat On Brady
January 19, 2014
DENVER — Peyton Manning, well, Peyton Manning is filet mignon. Terrance Knighton? He is Pot Roast.
As UConn Watches, NCAA's Power Five Rules
January 18, 2014
As the future of the NCAA became a little clearer Friday in San Diego, the future of UConn athletics grew a little less clear.
Former Whaler Dineen Proud To Be Coach Of Canada Women's Olympic Team
January 17, 2014
It would be a lie to say that Kevin Dineen had this all planned as he sat there at Zetra Ice Stadium awaiting his next shift at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
A Win Tinged With Sadness For Boatright
January 16, 2014
School Spirit: Religion, Sports Can Mix, But Don't Force It
January 15, 2014
Ernest Jones said what he said.
Jeff Jacobs: Gentleman Mike Tyson? Turns Out He Has A Conscience
January 14, 2014
Mike Tyson is happy. Mike Tyson is really happy.
Huskies Pass Composure Test
January 13, 2014
WACO, Texas — It's not easy to stand tall in Texas when one of your guards is 5-8 and the other is 5-7.
Unlike Baylor's Kim Mulkey, Geno Welcomes The Nonconference Challenge
January 13, 2014
WACO, Texas — For Geno Auriemma, it is an Odyssey worth taking. For Geno Auriemma, it is an Odyssey worth facing.
Patriots Use Powerful Running Attack To Beat Colts
January 12, 2014
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — They won by three touchdowns and they advanced to their third AFC Championship game in three years. Sure, Andrew Luck and the Colts showed some spunk for a while. Sure, the team that had staged the second-greatest comeback in NFL playoff history last weekend showed some spine on this Saturday night.
Just Like At UConn, Brown Keeps Surging Forward With Colts
January 10, 2014
An interview with Donald Brown is a little like watching him run the football on NFL Sundays. Nothing much is happening and … wham. He catches you when you aren't expecting it.
Patterson Beat Cancer, And Many Other Odds, To Reach UConn
January 9, 2014
STORRS — Life is about percentages. As one of the six men interviewed late in 1998 by Lew Perkins, Don Patterson had a 16.7 percent chance of replacing Skip Holtz for the head UConn coaching job. Diagnosed with Stage IV tonsillar cancer in 2008, Patterson, according to the American Cancer Society, had a 57 percent chance of being dead after five years.
Recovery Comes One Game At A Time For UConn
January 8, 2014
STORRS — A game that suddenly had become much more important than it had been only a week ago, somehow came down to the last possession. The game came down to stout defense, a tipped ball, a stumble and a steal.
Nut And 3 Nutmeggers: Trio From Connecticut Should Avoid Rodman
January 7, 2014
Dennis Rodman has an excuse. He's nuts.
UConn's Troubles Go Beyond Rebounding
January 4, 2014
DALLAS — Kevin Ollie went on quite the riff Friday about what he had meant a few nights previous in Houston when he said that he was searching for some tough players.
Ollie's Team Visits Site Of Final Four
January 3, 2014
DALLAS — He wanted to give them a sniff. Sure, there was time to kill on the UConn basketball team's trip through Texas. And Kevin Ollie, born 41 years ago in Dallas, is one of those loud, proud, obnoxious Cowboys fans eager to see Jerry Jones' $1.3 billion tribute to sporting opulence.
One Man's Full Hall Of Fame Ballot Starts With Maddux
January 2, 2014
My 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Curt Schilling, Tim Raines and Edgar Martinez.
Yale Holds The Key To All-Connecticut Hockey Tournament
December 31, 2013
Rand Pecknold had gone on a passionate, 424-word roll the previous night about the necessity for an annual all-Connecticut college hockey tournament. So the Quinnipiac coach, who took his team to the national title game in April, mustered only six words when asked Monday if he had anything to add.
LeGarrette Blount Picks Right Time To Make Statement With Patriots
December 30, 2013
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The harder he made it on the Bills, the easier he made it on his teammates. The more punishment he administered with his 250-pound rolling boulder of a body, the less punishment it meant for the rest of his team in the coming days.
UConn Huskies Test The Market (And Win A Game)
December 28, 2013
BRIDGEPORT — Sometimes you've got to knock on a few doors to see who's home. Sometimes you've got to kick a few tires to see who wants to buy and who wants to sell.
2013 Memories: Can't Beat Maria Weselyj's Buzzer-Beater For Mercy-Middletown
December 28, 2013
She calls it the greatest gift she has received. Better than any birthday. Better than any Christmas present. Yet if Maria Weselyj could do it all over again, she would not be on the floor at Mohegan Sun Arena for the final 3.8 seconds of her state championship game.
From The Archives, A Wish For Christmas: Restore Doc Hurley's Good Works
December 25, 2013
A column on Walter "Doc" Hurley by The Courant's Jeff Jacobs that ran on Christmas Day 2013:
Making Room For More Women To Coach College Sports
December 21, 2013
STORRS — The biggest name in women's college sports stopped in mid-sentence and said, "I'm going to look like a jerk no matter what in this. Do me a favor and don't make me look like too big of a jerk."
Time To Take Snow Out Of Equation
December 19, 2013
WEST HAVEN — Southington won its first state football championship since 1998, which, come to think of it, was about the time this CIAC Class LL title game was first scheduled.
Napier Won't Always Be The Huskies' Savior
December 19, 2013
HARTFORD — There is only one Jesus. His name is Shuttlesworth.
KML Makes A Big Splash In Her Return
December 18, 2013
DURHAM, N.C. — The first brace she had tried in practice felt lousy. It was too big. It was too balky.
Rival For UConn Women? You Can Show Up Anytime Duke
December 17, 2013
DURHAM, N.C. — It is 180 miles from Cameron Indoor Stadium to Emerald Isle, N.C., where the Stewart family of Cicero, N.Y, vacations each October on the Carolina coast.
Jacobs: No Chance For NHL In Hartford Without UConn In Plan
December 15, 2013
DELUSIONTOWN — After Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Friday that the state had been in touch with groups interested in bringing the NHL back to Connecticut, commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to announce Christmas Eve an expansion franchise will be awarded to Hartford.
Ansonia Wins Its 19th State Championship In Football
December 14, 2013
NEW BRITAIN — The last time Ansonia did not win a football game, Montrell Dobbs ran 52 times for 311 yards in the 2010 Class S state championship against St. Joseph-Trumbull.
Director Calls Action: Diaco's Energy, Fire Sold Manuel
December 13, 2013
STORRS — Warde Manuel doesn't want this story. He wants the story to be all about Bob Diaco and nothing about Pat Narduzzi. He wants the story to be about what a terrific choice Diaco is as the new coach of the UConn football team and not the process.
Kids Say The Darndest Things, And Often Better Than Adults
December 11, 2013
SOUTHINGTON — You've got to be awfully careful when it comes to writing about high school sports. You've got to remember the athletes are kids playing for the love of the game. You've got to remember they are still learning the lessons of life.
The WNBA Casino Gang Hits The Lottery
December 10, 2013
Mitchell Etess, an old casino man, didn't bother to bring a good luck charm. He already knew the score.
Manuel's Labor: Finding The Right Coach
December 7, 2013
EAST HARTFORD — He said he is sick and tired of talking about what the UConn football coaching search is going to be. Sick and tired of watching game after game to keep track of how potential candidates are performing.
A Fatal Crash, Then A Second Chance For Martin Hyppolite
December 6, 2013
STORRS — Martin Hyppolite remembers the 2000 Buick heading straight at him and that's all he remembers.
Jeff Jacobs: Yanks Spend Crazy Money On Legs, But Need Arms
December 4, 2013
Don't even try to defend the money. The money for Jacoby Ellsbury is stupid. The money is insane.
UConn Men Have Finally Exorcised The Penalty-Kick Demon
December 4, 2013
STORRS — Mamadou Doudou Diouf was talking about penalty kicks, but with his thick Senegalese accent and rapid cadence he was difficult for the New England ear to understand. So the UConn senior striker, one of the most gifted and ebullient athletes on campus, smiled and slowly spelled the word he wanted to stress.
It's A Bird, It's A Plane ... It's Shabazz
December 3, 2013
STORRS — Some kids want to be Michael Jordan when they grow up. Some kids want to be Larry Bird. Some kids want to be Magic Johnson.
Bloomfield Football Team Stays Focused Through Trying Times
December 2, 2013
BLOOMFIELD — One tragedy already had struck over the summer. Jamar Johnson, who was looking forward to his sophomore season at Central Connecticut and had played with so many of these Bloomfield High football players, died following a car crash on Blue Hills Avenue.
Cochran Gets It Done For UConn
November 30, 2013
EAST HARTFORD — After he had popped Rutgers' bubble with bubble screens to Deshon Foxx, after he had hit Rutgers in the gut with passes up the gut to Geremy Davis, Casey Cochran smiled when asked what was his favorite play of this Saturday afternoon.
Many Names To Consider For UConn Football Head Coaching Job
November 27, 2013
STORRS — You want to know the name of the next UConn football coach. We want to know the name of the next UConn football coach. And because we are unable to deliver that name today, you may decide to stop reading right about … here.
Add National Champ To Nancy Stevens' UConn Resume
November 26, 2013
Over three and a half decades, Nancy Stevens has won more games than any coach in the history of NCAA Division I field hockey. Before Sunday, she had not won the one that mattered most.
Patriots Heat Up In Second Half After Stone-Cold Start
November 25, 2013
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Wind gusts on Mount Washington exceeded 100 mph Sunday and the wind chill reportedly dropped to minus-55 degrees. It was far windier and colder at Gillette Stadium. Or at least it felt that way to the Patriots as they walked into the locker room behind 24 points at halftime.
Former Student Fights To Make UConn Safer For Women
November 23, 2013
If Paul Pasqualoni had done the right thing and held Lyle McCombs out for more than 15 minutes of the 2012 Rutgers football game, chances are excellent that Alyssa Palazzo wouldn't have gone to the UConn Office of Community Standards.
Napier Has All The Deadly Moves
November 22, 2013
NEW YORK — On his last trip to the big city two Fridays ago, Shabazz Napier was saying that he didn't, he couldn't, bring himself to watch the NCAA Tournament last spring.
November 22, 2013
NEW YORK — It undoubtedly was the greatest free-throw exhibition in the 95-year basketball rivalry of UConn and Boston College.
Sexual Assault Allegations At UConn Lead To Many Questions
November 20, 2013
STORRS — The number of feminists who say they hate being lectured about campus sexual assault by stodgy, gray-haired men is equaled only by the number of young men who say they hate being lectured about the "jock culture" by feminists who know little about athletics.
Daniels Has Breakout Game For Huskies
November 17, 2013
STORRS — He finished strong last season. He finished so strong that those last four games in which he averaged 21.3 points, nine rebounds and 3.3 blocks became a giant espresso in the narrative of DeAndre Daniels of Los Angeles.
Mixed Emotions For Suffield Soccer Teams
November 16, 2013
MERIDEN — His girls dejected, in tears, yet terribly proud of their effort in the second half, Dave Sullivan had a question for his Suffield soccer team.
Moriah Jefferson's Sweet Moves The Difference
November 15, 2013
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Her nickname is Bonn Bonn. She probably should be MoJeff or MoJet or MoMach4. Like her uniform number suggests, Moriah Jefferson plays at four times the speed of sound.
UConn's Last Trip To SMU Created Lifelong Memories For Many
November 15, 2013
It was Sept. 16, 1989, a hot Texas night when Southern Methodist University discovered that, yes, there was life after the death penalty. To this day, they call what happened at Ownby Stadium, "The Miracle on Mockingbird."
QB Change? It's Zero Hour For UConn Football
November 13, 2013
STORRS — I've got zero problem with starting Casey Cochran at quarterback Saturday at SMU. Zero.
UConn's Fans Can Feel Mosqueda-Lewis' Pain
November 12, 2013
STORRS — Her right elbow hit the court so hard and she screamed so loud that it sent chills up the UConn bench, down the Stanford bench and all the way to the top rows of Gampel Pavilion.
Early Wake-Up Calls For Hartford, Quinnipiac Teams
November 10, 2013
John Gallagher has a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call for his Hartford Hawks Tuesday in Fort Myers. He doesn't want another one at 7:10, another at 7:15 and yet another at 7:30 a.m.
Trinity's Evan Bunker Makes History In Win Over Wesleyan
November 9, 2013
HARTFORD — He made NESCAC history Saturday with his legs, his heart, his vision. On this crisp November afternoon when Trinity ended Wesleyan's run at history and protected one of small college football's remarkable home streaks, Evan Bunker also grabbed a piece of Trinity lore with his arm.
Yes, Olander For Three! Yes, Napier Still The Man
November 8, 2013
NEW YORK — With just under 12 minutes remaining in a delicious, crazy opener that made the long offseason wait all worth it, Shabazz Napier stole the ball and set up Ryan Boatright for one of those nasty dunks that trumpet the little man's big Boat Show.
Kevin Ollie: Devoted Dad And Coach On A Mission
November 7, 2013
Kevin Ollie, coach, will be in Brooklyn Friday night to face Maryland in UConn's basketball season opener. Kevin Ollie, dad, will not be at the Glastonbury-New Britain football game to watch his son Jalen excel at quarterback for the fifth-ranked team in the state.
The Little Things: Quinnipiac's Anas Can't Wait For Yale
November 6, 2013
He is tied for third in the nation in scoring and tied for first in game-winning goals. He is the leading freshman goal scorer in college hockey. He has won back-to-back ECAC rookie of the week honors. Yeah, yeah, yeah … but let's get after it.
High Stress Levels Just Another Problem For Coaches
November 5, 2013
STORRS — There is no official injury list for coaches. There is no probable, questionable or doubtful. Yet make no mistake, what happened to John Fox and Gary Kubiak are the perils of modern football, every bit as real as the concussions and ACL tears players suffer.
With Champs In The House, Patriots Look Unbeatable
November 4, 2013
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Truth serum time. When Chris Berman convened the 2013 NFL draft on ESPN back on April 25, as you dipped the first of many salted chips into the salsa, would you have believed either one of these scenarios?
Jeff Jacobs: Cherington's Mostly Brilliant Moves Rebuilt Franchise
October 31, 2013
BOSTON — Only moments after the Red Sox had completed one of the greatest one-year turnarounds in baseball history, clinching their first World Series title at Fenway since 1918, David Ortiz broke free of a crowd of teammates and planted a giant team flag at home plate.
Paying Through The Nose For Chance To See Fenway Clincher
October 31, 2013
They paid for their chance to see history. Oh, they paid plenty. Somebody's not going on vacation to Aruba next year. Some kid's college fund just went up in smoke.
Put On A Happy Face: Easy For Ortiz; New Concept For Lackey
October 30, 2013
While the road to Red Sox deliverance from baseball's most pathetic joke in 2012 to its most joyous resurrection in 2013 figures to lead to a wicked celebration in the coming hours, it seems worth pointing out that the road has been paved by a number of individual stories of redemption.
Jeff Jacobs: The Graybeard And The Ace
October 29, 2013
ST. LOUIS — This one didn't end with an obstruction call. This one didn't end with anybody getting picked off first base.
The Last Time Sox Clinched At Fenway? Babe Ruth Was There
October 28, 2013
New England sports history would not remember H.H. Frazee so fondly during ensuing decades, but the Red Sox owner certainly was full of Boston, full of himself after the baseball nestled in the glove of first baseman Stuffy McInnis 95 years ago.
Jonny Gomes May Not Have The Numbers, But He Has The Magic
October 28, 2013
ST. LOUIS — He doesn't pass most of the sabermetric tests. He had struggled mightily all postseason. He didn't have a single hit in the World Series.
Sorry, Red Sox Fans: Obstruction Is Here To Stay
October 27, 2013
ST. LOUIS — After pandemonium had broken out late Saturday night, Jake Peavy, angry, frustrated, lashed out at home plate umpire Dana DeMuth. The Red Sox starting pitcher in an unforgettable third game of the 2013 World Series wondered how DeMuth could possibly have a peaceful sleep after what he kept calling a joke of a call.
No Stranger Way To End A World Series Game
October 27, 2013
ST. LOUIS — They went down the line. Third base umpire Jim Joyce, crew chief John Hirschbeck, home plate umpire Dana DeMuth, each of them considered the question.
Buchholz Has Chance To Change Fans' Perceptions Of Him
October 26, 2013
ST. LOUIS — Clay Buchholz not only has a chance to win a vital World Series game on Sunday night, the lean Red Sox righthander also has the chance to forever change the way so many Red Sox fans view him.
There's Plenty Of Embarrassment To Go Around At UConn
October 25, 2013
This was not a bad week for the national reputation of our state university. This was a horrible week.
On This Night, Craig Breslow Wasn't The Smartest Player
October 25, 2013
BOSTON — Right down to that "giant booger" on Jon Lester's glove, matters had been more than a little goofy through the first 15 innings of the 2013 World Series.
Cardinals Rule The Roost In Mel Roder's West Hartford Home
October 24, 2013
WEST HARTFORD — If a St. Louis Cardinals fan died and went to Redbird heaven, chances are strong it would look exactly like the basement of Mel Roder's home on Avon Mountain.
Buchholz's Status Unclear, But Farrell Says Righthander Will Start
October 24, 2013
BOSTON — In a World Series with no real villains and without a bizarre story line that someone like, oh, Alex Rodriguez could provide, the intrigue over Clay Buchholz will have to do.
After Rout Of Cardinals, Can Red Sox Do It In Three?
October 24, 2013
BOSTON — They swept the Cardinals in four games in 2004. They swept the Rockies in four games in 2007. Two innings into this chilly Wednesday night beer-league rout at Fenway Park, it had to be, just had to be asked.
Red Sox's Breslow On A Mission That's Bigger Than Baseball
October 22, 2013
BOSTON — This story begins with a swollen lymph node in Lesley Breslow's neck when she was only 14 and, for her brother Craig, the story does not end until every kid goes home from the hospital free of cancer, free of fear.
Gronk Returns, But It's Not Enough For Pats Against Jets
October 21, 2013
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Maybe Rob Gronkowski lost the ball in the sun. Certainly, we saw a penalty that is called once in a blue moon decide the game.
Victorino Brings 'Rejubilation' To Red Sox Nation
October 20, 2013
BOSTON — He pounded his chest twice as he rounded first base. He pounded his chest twice more after he rounded third and headed for home.
Battle Of The Sexes In Storrs Has A More Playful Undertone Now
October 18, 2013
STORRS — OK, first off, the all-important dancing star of the individual First Night introductions: I thought Amida Brimah might have edged Big Momma Stef, the bad Dancing Queen herself.
Time To Rethink The Rent's Natural Grass
October 16, 2013
Chad Christen didn't want to make excuses. Neither did T.J. Weist. So in the interest of objectivity it's probably best that the one who spoke out first about poor field conditions Saturday at Rentschler Field was the guy who won the game for South Florida.
With Many Other Options, XL Center Continues To Lose
October 14, 2013
UNCASVILLE — Mohegan Sun will do a great job with the American Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament. Whether it's the WNBA All-Star Game or the CIAC state basketball tournament, Mohegan Sun always does a great job with events at its arena.
The Beards Needed A Boost, And Ortiz Provides It
October 14, 2013
BOSTON — All that stuff about Fear the Beard, and the hard truth is that through two chilly October nights at Fenway Park Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer had cut through the most productive lineup in baseball like Schick and Gillette. All that stuff about the Red Sox being better than anyone at putting the previous night's loss behind them, and all we were getting was déjà vu.
Weist Tries To Take All The Blame For The Latest Loss
October 13, 2013
EAST HARTFORD — In his first game as a head coach — after a quarter-century of stops from Alabama to Michigan to Southern Illinois to Tulsa to Indiana to Western Kentucky to Cincinnati to UConn — T.J. Weist tried to take all the blame.
Moving Company: Speedy Ellsbury, Victorino Set Tone For Sox
October 11, 2013
BOSTON — One led the American League in stolen bases this season. The other led the American League in getting hit by pitches. Some have claimed, somewhat unfairly, certainly callously, that one does not play in pain. The other almost seems to relish the hurt.
Politics Helps Avert Tennis Shutdown In New Haven, But Is It Worth It?
October 11, 2013
Let's be honest. If one of the five existing cornerstone sponsors of the New Haven Open had single-handedly saved the annual tennis event from moving to Winston-Salem, N.C., this wouldn't be getting half the media attention it is today.
Weist Says He Has Confidence In Freshman QB
October 8, 2013
STORRS — T.J. Weist did a fairly expansive job Tuesday explaining why he is casting UConn's football fortunes with Tim Boyle. The interim head coach did an even more honest job in explaining that he is not a fortune teller, interim or otherwise.
How Low Can The Giants Go? It's Anyone's Guess
October 6, 2013
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –– They looked as if they were going to save their season, at least for four more days anyway. Michael Vick went out with a hamstring injury. Eli Manning found Rueben Randle for touchdown passes on back-to-back series. The Giants defense suddenly was jumping around, fired up, as if it was New Year's Eve.
Lackey Finally Gets Some Run Support In Game 2 Win
October 6, 2013
BOSTON — Joe Maddon was the bench coach for the 2002 Angels when John Lackey became the first rookie pitcher to win a Game 7 of the World Series in 93 years. The Rays manager said Friday that he was always grateful to Lackey for the winner's share he got.
It Turns Into A Game Of Chants For Wil Myers
October 4, 2013
BOSTON — By 6:15 p.m., it was the favorite chant at Fenway Park, ahead of "So good! So good!" in the eighth-inning version of "Sweet Caroline." By 6:45 p.m., yeah, it clearly had become the favorite chant in all of Boston, ahead even of "love that dirty water" after the final out of this 12-2 rout.
Jon Lester Just One More Example Of The Red Sox's Turnaround
October 3, 2013
BOSTON — The signs are there, signs for everyone to see and for all New England to embrace. From the runaway beard heading for Mike Napoli's belly button to the "Boston Strong" logo mowed into the center field grass for the postseason, the rallying points run from the ridiculous to the sublime.
No Longer A Big Shot, A Disgraced Tate George Sits In Jail
October 3, 2013
Tate George made the shot. The Shot made Tate George.
Jeff Jacobs: Hey UConn, This Time Make The Right Hire ... Please!
October 1, 2013
After the necessary firing of Paul Pasqualoni Monday, Warde Manuel said he isn't throwing in the towel on this football season. That's great. That is fine and moving oratory for an 0-4 team.
Desperate Times Call For The Rational Measure: Pasqualoni Must Go
September 29, 2013
AMHERST, N.Y. — As Paul Pasqualoni walked off the field after this debacle, this absolute debacle, he didn't even bother looking at Warde Manuel. The UConn athletic director stood there on the sideline, arms folded, and the UConn football coach was close enough to touch him as he walked past.
Fence With Ivy: Yale Relic In Secret Location Before Auction
September 27, 2013
Between you, me and the fence post … I've got pictures. Or at least one picture that appears to verify its authenticity.
'The System' Details Ugliness, Beauty Of College Football
September 26, 2013
WILLIMANTIC — The co-author of one of the most sweeping yet meticulously researched books ever written on big-time college football was back on campus Wednesday. No, Jeff Benedict wasn't at any of the SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 schools, places where he and Armen Keteyian had spent the better part of the past two years.
Jeff Jacobs: Newington's Spencer Parker In National Spotlight For UConn
September 24, 2013
STORRS — Spencer Parker was back home in Newington one weekend during his freshman year at Lasell College when he and his dad tuned into the UConn football game. Parker can't remember the opponent. He remembers vividly what his dad said.
Mariano Rivera's Day A Winner Despite The Outcome
September 22, 2013
NEW YORK — The afternoon had been so sweeping in Yankees pride and nostalgia, so grand in ceremony and testimony, so lavish in gifts, so brash in Metallica guitar riffs, it would have been easy in the giddy possibilities of the day to overlook the silent, dignified intimidation of the greatest relief pitcher in history.
Huskies Nearly Pull Off The Upset
September 22, 2013
EAST HARTFORD —If they played like this every game, they wouldn't be 0-3. If they played like this every game, Paul Pasqualoni wouldn't be 10-17 since taking over in 2011 and his job wouldn't be hanging by a thread or two.
For UConn, It Simply Does Not Get Any Bigger
September 21, 2013
Biggest home game in UConn football history. If those seven words mean nothing to Michigan and their fans today, maybe they will mean plenty to them by Sunday morning. If those seven words don't mean much more to UConn fans, well, let that stand as testament to how far the dream has fallen in only a few years.
Warde Manuel: Michigan Man Has Hard Decisions To Make At UConn
September 18, 2013
STORRS — The man he admired, the coach who could make the world shake, walked into his family's home in New Orleans. Warde Manuel's mom was ready for Bo Schembechler's recruiting visit that January more than a quarter century ago.
Can This Be As Good As It Gets For UConn's Defense?
September 17, 2013
STORRS — These are the numbers that scream problems. These are the numbers that make UConn fans go, "Oh, Sio," "Oh, Trevardo," and, "Oh, no, here comes Michigan."
Eli's Picks? It's Not His Choosing
September 16, 2013
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning had a goal this NFL season. Beat big brother? Sure. Win the Super Bowl? Of course. How sweet would it be to win a third Super Bowl in your home stadium?
Just Be Glad The AAC Schedule Is Coming Up
September 15, 2013
EAST HARTFORD — He stepped off the team bus a couple hours before the game, and the TV cameras caught Randy Edsall hugging old friends like he was a politician running for governor of Connecticut.
After Second Mistake, Tyler Olander Needs To Smarten Up
September 13, 2013
The first time he was a college kid on spring break acting like a stupid college kid on spring break. The second time it is more.
Patriots Survive A Frustrating, Maddening Game Against Jets
September 13, 2013
It was as intriguing as it was maddening. It was head-scratching. It was ugly. And we're talking about the offense of the winning team.
Edsall Vs. Pasqualoni? Bring Your Own Boos To The Rent
September 10, 2013
STORRS — Tim Willman, whose family lives down the street from his former coach, went to UConn because of Randy Edsall. For a very different reason, so, too, did Ryan Donohue.
Point, Nadal In Case For Best Ever
September 10, 2013
NEW YORK — America had barely begun dinner late Monday afternoon when John McEnroe announced from his CBS booth that, "This is a huge match for our sport."
The Jets Are 1-0! The Jets Are 1-0! Think Super Bowl
September 8, 2013
Rex Ryan, full-time head coach, part-time court jester, was on ESPN Radio the other day saying, "There's a lot of negative talk surrounding our football team, which I think is pretty comical. People don't know our team."
Putting Up Football Scores, And The Red Sox Are Doing The Tackling
September 7, 2013
Huff. Miller. Marshall.
For Geno, Does Coaching Women's Basketball Ever Get Old?
September 6, 2013
STORRS — Between the UConn opener in November and the Olympic gold medal game in August 2016, Geno Auriemma might be favored to win every game he coaches.
Pitching Still A Sore Spot For Resurgent Yankees
September 6, 2013
NEW YORK — They don't have the pitching to pull this off. Sorry, Yankees fans.
Jeff Jacobs: It's September, And Red Sox Are Proving Doubters Wrong
September 4, 2013
We keep hearing how the Red Sox have no ace. We keep hearing how it will cost them when it matters most.
Sergio Garcia Wilts Under The Pressure Again
September 2, 2013
NORTON, Mass. — Tiger Woods lost his FedEx Cup point lead. Sergio Garcia just lost it.
The NCAA: Using Its Cheap Labor To Kick Off Labor Day Weekend
August 31, 2013
The college football season opens on Labor Day weekend in 2013, and the timing is as fittingly pathetic as it is ironic. While the holiday was established 119 years ago after the Pullman Strike to celebrate the contributions of the working class, this kickoff weekend only further points up the insatiable greed and ineffectual enforcement of a billion-dollar industry built on unpaid labor.
A Dismal Opener To A Crucial Season
August 30, 2013
EAST HARTFORD — Dismal. Yes, dismal. It's the one word that springs to mind. In fact, it's the only word that springs to mind.
For Quick Start, Whitmer Must Slow Down And Eliminate Risk
August 28, 2013
STORRS — Chandler Whitmer knows some things.
Watching Those Kardiac Kids From Westport Does A Heart Good
August 26, 2013
There had been no shortage of such stories in my writing past.
Celebrating The 'Fierce Five'
August 17, 2013
HARTFORD — They stood there together inside the Society Room on Pratt Street. As cameras whirred, they stood there smiling amid the applause, unfurled like the American flag. Aly Raisman dressed in red, Jordyn Wieber in white and Kyla Ross in blue.
After London Disappointment, Maroney Turns Focus To Rio
August 15, 2013
HARTFORD — Gymnastics, McKayla Maroney conceded, is confusing.
The Book-K On A-Rod In His Stadium Return: 0-For-4
August 10, 2013
Opinions are like, well, opinions are like camera phones. Everybody has one and all 46,545 fans at Yankee Stadium seemed to break them out at 8:15 p.m. Friday for a photo of Alex Rodriguez as he walked to home plate in the Bronx for the first time in 299 days.
A-Rod: A Liar And A Cheat
August 5, 2013
Eventually, the A-Rod circus will leave town. Eventually, the tragic clown that Alex Rodriguez has become will have to put down his bottle of seltzer water and wipe all that makeup and silly red lipstick off his face.
After Dust Settles, Aresco Says AAC (And UConn) Will Be Fine
July 30, 2013
NEWPORT, R.I. — The five super conferences are breaking away from the NCAA. UConn is forever stuck on the outside. Repeat. UConn is doomed. UConn will drop football. UConn will be playing in the Northeast Conference in basketball.
Listen To The Best: Bring Back The UConn-Tennessee Matchup
July 27, 2013
Diana Taurasi got the biggest ovation Saturday. Candace Parker got the sterling silver Tiffany trophy.
Tina Thompson — And Her Lipstick — Have Left A Mark
July 26, 2013
UNCASVILLE — It began her freshman year at USC. Tina Thompson played OK in the first exhibition game and then much better than OK, scoring 23 points in the second.
Bill Belichick Shows His Human Side
July 24, 2013
Over 22 minutes, Bill Belichick said Aaron Hernandez's name once. He said it at the beginning of a news conference that drew about 200 media members Wednesday to Gillette Stadium, and the Patriots coach never said it again.
It Even Affects The Pros: Hot Day Means Brain Freezes
July 20, 2013
BOSTON — Maybe it was the 90-degree heat, and we're not only talking about Hiroki Kuroda's fastball here. Maybe we can blame some of this stuff on the final day of an oppressive heat wave.
Frustrations Abound For Yanks, Sox
July 19, 2013
BOSTON — Brent Lillibridge, 29 and looking, oh, 19, shook his head in the cramped visiting Fenway clubhouse and smiled at the uncertainty of baseball.
Jeff Keith Continues The Journey To Cure Cancer – On One Leg
July 19, 2013
Jeff Keith had his right leg amputated when he was 12. He went on to captain the Fairfield Prep ski team and play goal for the Boston College lacrosse team. He ran across America on one leg.
Despite Gathering Clouds, Mo's Night To Shine
July 16, 2013
NEW YORK — The bats, balls and just about every piece of baseball memorabilia imaginable were lined up neatly, precisely on a long table inside the American League clubhouse.
Jeff Jacobs: It Starts With Harvey, And It Hopefully Ends With Rivera
July 15, 2013
NEW YORK — This isn't about the season, for the 2013 baseball season might not end up happily in New York. Nor is it necessarily about the careers of two pitchers who should bookend the 84th All-Star Game at Citi Field.
Dan Gaspar Has A Chance To Be Part Of Something Big In Iran
July 13, 2013
Dan Gaspar answered a question about the biggest misconceptions that Americans may have about Iran, not with a story of suffering, but with a story of suffrage.
Elena Delle Donne Has Answered Any Doubters
July 12, 2013
UNCASVILLE — She didn't get the biggest ovation during the visiting team's introductions. Swin Cash did. Then again, Elena Delle Donne didn't hit the newsstands nationwide Friday sans, well, sans Chicago Sky uniform in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue.
Jeff Jacobs: Something Old, Nothing New: Jeter Still Special
July 11, 2013
NEW YORK — Derek Jeter begged like a kid in an ice cream shop and pleaded like a Washington lobbyist for a quick return from Scranton to the Bronx. There were those in the New York media, too, who campaigned on the Yankee captain's behalf.
Give More Young Guys A Shot At The Bigs
July 10, 2013
The voting ends at 4 p.m. Thursday and let's be abundantly clear. Whoever the fans pick for the final two spots in the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote is swell by me.
Jeff Jacobs: HR Derby Offbeat Fun Amid Serious Hopes And Dreams
July 10, 2013
Bill Dowling thought for a moment about this night's intersection of minor league baseball and home run derby — the very definition of creative high jinks — broke into a big smile and shouted, "We are not a circus!"
Marlon Starling Looking For That Next Chapter In His Life
July 4, 2013
Marlon Starling has found himself in all sorts of fascinating places in his 53 years. He has found himself in the ring twice with Mark Breland and Floyd Mayweather Sr. He has found himself in the ring with Michael Nunn, Lloyd Honeyghan and, on Sept. 15, 1989, he found himself in front of 7,788 fans at the XL Center defending his WBC welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Yung-Kil Chung.
Taurasi, Griner Fitting Together Nicely For Phoenix Mercury
June 29, 2013
UNCASVILLE — If Diana Taurasi, who'll never be anybody's second banana, resents the idea of not being one of the "3 To See," No. 3 sure didn't show it Saturday night.
Only Pillar Left Standing From Glorious Celtics? Rajon Rondo
June 28, 2013
Aaron Hernandez Had Everything – Except Courage
June 26, 2013
As he walked out of the front door of his $1.3 million McMansion on Wednesday morning, handcuffed under his white T-shirt, it struck me that Aaron Hernandez looked like he had alligator arms.
Bruins Melt In The Garden Heat
June 25, 2013
BOSTON — They played until the Boston days turned to 95 degrees and the Boston nights turned into a steam bath. They played until the TD Garden ice turned to the river Charles.
Travelers Champion Ken Duke Knows Plenty About Backbone
June 23, 2013
CROMWELL — Ken Duke knows plenty about backbone. When he was 14, it was determined he had a 26 percent curvature of his. After wearing a steel brace 23 hours every day for two years, even on the local golf courses of Arkansas, the news only grew worse.
Graham DeLaet Playing For Calgary, For Canada
June 22, 2013
CROMWELL — He has a leather-covered Calgary Flames yardage book in his pocket. His caddie has a Whalers cap on his head.
U.S. Open Souvenirs Include Frazzled Nerves, Battered Egos
June 21, 2013
CROMWELL — He doesn't have it yet, but Justin Rose expects it soon enough. Yes, the wicker basket from Merion will be in the mail.
Nice Guy Finishes Last: Kyle Bilodeau Doesn't Mind
June 20, 2013
Nobody had a worse score. Nobody had a bigger smile.
Heirloom Roses: A Father's Day Tribute To Justin's Dad, And A Gift From His Son
June 19, 2013
On Wednesday, three days after he had conquered Merion and three years after TPC River Highlands had conquered him, Justin Rose settled into his chair and revisited his moment at the 113th U.S. Open.
Chris Williams Latest In Line Of Young Players At Travelers
June 18, 2013
Chris Williams spent the final hours of his amateur golf career as a spectator. He walked five holes Saturday at the U.S. Open following his college teammate, Cheng-Tsung Pan, after he had walked 36 holes at Merion with a club in his hand the previous two days.
Bruins' Game 3 Win As Easy As Paille
June 18, 2013
The T-shirt in support of one of Boston's great role players is as clever as it is profane.
Lefty, Hockey And The Thin Line Between Praise and Over-Glorification
June 17, 2013
The thinnest line in sports writing has less to do with winning and losing, and certainly much less to do with any degree of criticism. It strikes me on this great Father's Day sports weekend that the thinnest line is the one between the appropriate amount of praise and excessive adulation.
Jim Penders: UConn Is Worth The Time For Connecticut Talent, School Is Worth It For All Talent
June 16, 2013
It is a PowerPoint presentation by a college baseball coach to entice top players to choose college baseball. From that perspective, it can be viewed as biased and self-serving.
Jeff Jacobs: George Blaney A New England Treasure
June 14, 2013
Dee Rowe has known George Blaney longer than just about any of us. It must be a hundred years, the godfather of UConn athletics said, before settling on nearly 60. Rowe was coaching Worcester Academy back in those days and he used to play college freshmen teams.
50 Cent Fills The Boxing Impresario Bill
June 12, 2013
When the hands on the clock climb toward midnight at 50 Cent's Birthday Bash on July 5 at the Connecticut Convention Center. When the hands climb toward the actual birthday of Curtis James Jackson III, we may find it appropriate to consider three men who share his July 6 entry into the world.
Boxer's Rebellion: Chad Dawson Doesn't Listen
June 11, 2013
Chad Dawson didn't listen to John Scully when Scully trained him before the Andre Ward debacle last year. So we shouldn't be surprised if Dawson ignored Scully before he climbed into the ring with Adonis Stevenson Saturday in Montreal.
Triple Crown Schedule Too Much For Today's Thoroughbreds
June 8, 2013
ELMONT, N.Y. As Palace Malice began to move easily, powerfully at the three-eighths pole, Gary Stevens, aboard Preakness champion Oxbow, saw Mike Smith. More than that, Stevens saw Smith with way too much horse.
Sun Didn't Impress, In Many Ways, For Mike Thibault's Return
June 7, 2013
Mike Thibault, always thoughtful, always prepared, almost always specific, quantified how many times he had thought about this game.
Trying To Make Sense Of The Holowaty Mess At Eastern
June 6, 2013
On the night of April 25, Bill Holowaty sounded deeply wounded and foreboding.
Injecting Some Truth? Don't Count On It
June 5, 2013
Lance Armstrong lied. Pete Rose lied. Marion Jones lied. Mark McGwire, who alternately saved baseball and trashed baseball, lied.
It Was a Great Day for Bloomfield High School's Demario Gray, but a tough one for Northwest Catholic's Sarah Gillespie
June 4, 2013
He takes a picture. That's right. Demario Gray uses his index fingers and thumbs to form an imaginary camera. He snaps a mental photograph. And then he jumps like nobody else in the state.
Connecticut's First Family Of Baseball
June 3, 2013
Thursday was laundry day for Jim and Joan Penders. And then there was the matter of getting to Walgreen's to extend some medications.
One Mess On Each Side Of The Hudson
June 2, 2013
This is A Tale of Two Messes — well, actually three messes, but three doesn't fit the tired sports writing metaphor. Besides, I'm not sure that "mess" fully describes the inane garbage that comes out of the mouth of Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee.
Sabathia Gets Hot, And Heat Is Off The Yankees
May 31, 2013
— They didn't draw a walk in the three previous games, and that had happened only once since 1916. Already, staring at a five-game losing streak, the more reactionary of Yankee fans were looking for scapegoats to walk the plank.
It's Good To Be Matt Harvey These Days
May 29, 2013
Life is good these days for the big kid from Fitch High. He's king buddies with Rangers goalie King Henrik Lundqvist. He tools around in a spiffy Escalade. On the mound, he's nearly unhittable, so much so even Doc Gooden came out to watch him Tuesday night.
UConn's Anthony Marzi: A Story Of Redemption
May 27, 2013
He wanted the ball. He wanted the freakin' ball.
Krug An Unlikely Hero For Bruins
May 26, 2013
BOSTON — Playoff legends arrive in all sizes and shapes and this one has rolled off the assembly line from Michigan via Providence at 5 feet 9 — maybe — and 180 pounds.
Gay, Lesbian, Does It Really Make A Difference In Recruiting?
May 24, 2013
When Brittney Griner, one of the defining players in women's basketball history, came out as gay in April, the sporting world seemed to yawn, offer a collective shrug and forget about it in one news cycle.
For Francona, The Love Returns
May 23, 2013
BOSTON — He loves the ballpark again. Not Fenway or Yankee Stadium or Progressive Field specifically — Terry Francona loves them all again.
Bruins Fourth Line Powers 2-1 Win Over Rangers
May 21, 2013
NEW YORK — Sometimes the King wins. And sometimes the serfs win.
These 0-2 Rangers Look To Be In Worse Shape Than The Last 0-2 Rangers
May 19, 2013
— The Rangers have been down two games to none before. Heck, the last time it happened was only two weeks ago.
Steady Cano Making Case To Be A Keeper
May 18, 2013
Three times Saturday, Robinson Cano flashed a smile as big as Jay-Z's when he sees his wife, Beyonce, after a long day at the office.
Chara Looms Large As Bruins Take Game 1
May 17, 2013
BOSTON — As each Bruins defenseman goes down, he seems to grow taller and taller.
Ex-Whalers GM Emile Francis Remembers Fierce Rangers-Bruins Rivalry
May 16, 2013
Before there was a Game 1 between the Rangers and Bruins in 1973 at Boston Garden, there was a Stanley Cup Final Game 1 between the teams there in 1972.
Bruins Stunner: 'We Saved The Best For Last'
May 14, 2013
Their hockey souls were lost and so was their hockey season. They were gone. They were history.
If You Want Rangers-Bruins, Look To Lundqvist
May 12, 2013
NEW YORK — They haven't met in the playoffs in 40 years. They haven't meant when it has really mattered since Emile Francis was coach and Glen Sather was one of his Rangers players. They haven't meant since Orr and Espo were in Boston and Don Cherry was still coaching Rochester in the AHL.
Wherever There's Joy, There's Asaph Schwapp
May 12, 2013
He would be named Asaph. In January of 1987, Evelyn Schwapp found in the Old Testament the name of King David's chief musician, one appointed to raise the sounds of God's joy. She had been a member of the Glory Chapel choir in Hartford and more than anything in the world Evelyn loved to raise those joyful sounds.
UConn's New Hockey Coach Says He's Here To Win Championships
May 9, 2013
STORRS — Most guys go to Disney World after they've won championships. Mike Cavanaugh was offered the job as architect of UConn's hockey future as he was pulling into the place with his family.
New UConn Hockey Coach Has A Big Fan
May 7, 2013
When news broke Tuesday that long-time Boston College associate coach Mike Cavanaugh would be the man leading UConn into its hockey future, two names immediately popped into mind:
Verrazano: The Bridge Connecting Connecticut To The Derby
May 2, 2013
Verrazano, an awesome equine bridge between balance and size, was bred to run. Heading into the 139th Kentucky Derby, that part is undeniable. Bryan Sullivan is another story. He still chuckles when he thinks about that day 16 years ago at Monmouth Park.
Celtics Delay Funeral That Knicks Had Planned For Them
May 1, 2013
NEW YORK — They showed up Wednesday at Madison Square Garden wearing black. They left wearing some egg on their faces.
XL's Bedfellows Bring Puzzling Name Change
April 30, 2013
Thoughts and some juicy Connecticut building speculation while we await the American Athletic Conference to announce its move of the annual UConn women's basketball tournament from the XL Center to the Mohegan Sun.
Jason Collins Has No Team, But He'll Always Be A Trailblazer
April 30, 2013
He is smart. He is a Stanford man.
Napier Question Answered; Wolf Question Still Needs To Be
April 27, 2013
A day after the Boston Marathon bombings, Shabazz Napier was looking into a WTNH camera and talking eloquently, soulfully about the pain of his hometown. It was then that Napier paused for a moment and said, "I always tell my close friends that the one thing in life you never do is tell your future."
Celtics Can't Match Pregame Heroics
April 27, 2013
This Friday night began with such emotion, so much genuine emotion, it was a spitting shame to see what the home team had become.
By The Numbers, Mets Have A Gem In Harvey
April 24, 2013
He isn't the kid from Mystic anymore. He is a New York event. He isn't the fresh-faced Fitch High kid in his T-shirt fishing at Watch Hill, not anymore. His face is on T-shirts nowadays, hawked all around Citi Field, the face of hope for the Mets franchise.
Bill Holowaty Must Retire
April 23, 2013
In a 1998 feature story that appeared in The Courant, Bill Holowaty said, "I have never done anything to hurt anybody. I'm a competitive SOB, but I'm not vicious."
Sports No Salvation For Alleged Bomber
April 21, 2013
After a marathon that danced with joy and ended in horror, surely we see what sports can mean to a city. By now, after pregame tributes marked by an anthem singer's fist pumps and the most appropriate f-bomb in New England history, yes, we see how sports can serve as the great stage to unite a region and lift its spirit.
For An Exhibition, UConn Football's Blue-White Game Didn't Show Much
April 21, 2013
There were only a few thousand fans in the stands.
Bombings Hit A Race That Is Peaceful At Its Heart
April 16, 2013
Amby Burfoot was a little more than a half mile from the finish line Monday, running happily with childhood friends from Groton, when suddenly a human traffic jam confronted him.
For Yale's Jeff Malcolm, One Very Happy Birthday
April 14, 2013
Quinnipiac had the Hobey Baker finalist, ECAC player of the year and first-team All-American goalie. Quinnipiac had Eric Hartzell, who coach Rand Pecknold called the best player in the nation, even when this night was done.
College Hockey Star Was Born On Backyard Pond
April 12, 2013
Eric Hartzell had a 4 1/2-acre pond in his backyard growing up in Minnesota. His dad, Kevin, would wake up on frigid Saturday mornings, look out the window and there was Eric, skating around by himself, not as a goalie, just skating and skating, fiddling with a hockey stick and a puck.
Miller Is The Leader Of This Pack
April 11, 2013
— He wore a "C" on his Yale jersey, and on this magical Thursday night in Pittsburgh Andrew Miller would wear a "VM" on his head.
Playing For Connecticut's Hockey Future
April 11, 2013
This is a big day for Yale hockey.
UConn's Greatness Arrives Earlier Than Expected
April 10, 2013
NEW ORLEANS — We heard greatness was coming, as sure as the distant whistle of an oncoming train. As sure as Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, we all knew it was coming.
Auriemma And Walz? Wiseguys, But Good Fellows
April 8, 2013
He didn't want to talk about equaling Tennessee's eight national championships. He didn't want to talk about catching Pat Summitt, or John Wooden and taking that long, forever arm-and-arm walk with history.
Behold The Metamorphosis Of Breanna Stewart
April 8, 2013
— In a frank and prophetic moment during the NCAA Bridgeport Regional, Geno Auriemma pulled away the curtain on his great freshman's psyche.
UConn Women Will Win This One, In First 39 Minutes
April 7, 2013
They won't win this one in the last minute. They won't have to.
UConn's George Blaney Explains How To Stop Syracuse, Louisville
April 6, 2013
Nobody could be more defensive at the 2013 Final Four than Mark Emmert, but Syracuse and Louisville are going to give it a try.
The Root Of Yale's Trip To The Frozen Four
April 5, 2013
Moments after a handful of Boston College players had finished their NCAA media session last weekend in Providence, they heard a commotion and rushed to watch a replay on a writer's laptop.
Connecticut Hoop Coaches Agree: Rutgers' Mike Rice Was Way Out Of Line
April 4, 2013
Mike Rice had to be fired. He repeatedly demeaned young men. He abused his position of authority. He not only violated the ideals of coaching, he ran roughshod through the boundaries of common human decency.
An Ice Cold Rivalry Hardening In Southern Connecticut
April 2, 2013
There may be, as Kevin Bui claims, a number of Quinnipiac guys who know current Yale players. Yet as six of the Bobcats made their way into the media room Tuesday at TD Bank Sports Center, not one of them admitted it.
Baylor's Loss To Louisville Is UConn Women's Gain
April 2, 2013
On Sunday night, we saw the past and it was Baylor.
Quinnipiac's Pecknold Rewarded For Long Drive To Get Peca
April 1, 2013
PROVIDENCE — Rand Pecknold isn't exactly sure where he went to get him, but he is sure where Matthew Peca is taking the Quinnipiac hockey team.
UConn's Freshmen Rush To Center Stage
March 31, 2013
BRIDGEPORT — As Elena Delle Donne jogged off the court and through the tunnel Saturday, strains of "My Old Kentucky Home" filled a sold-out Webster Bank Arena. And while Delle Donne might have had nothing more to do with Kentucky than facing that commonwealth's great public university in her final college game, there was something fitting and appropriate in the wistful melody played by its school's band.
Quinnipiac Hockey Out To Earn Some Respect
March 29, 2013
Quinnipiac is the No. 1-ranked hockey team in the nation, yet it seems as if none of the experts are picking the Bobcats to win the national championship.
Hartford's Rohan Brown Enjoying Run With La Salle In Sweet 16
March 27, 2013
The farther the La Salle basketball team has gotten from Philadelphia the louder and livelier the celebrations have gotten on the other end of cellphones, Instagrams and the rest that 21st century social media have to offer.
Mosqueda-Lewis Coming To Grips With Greatness
March 25, 2013
The last time the UConn women's basketball team failed to get to the Sweet Sixteen was March 1993. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis wasn't born yet.
Elena Delle Donne Is Not One For 'What Ifs'
March 25, 2013
If she had played at UConn, Elena Delle Donne would have been a rock star, not only in Delaware, but everywhere. If she had stayed at UConn for more than two days, she not only would have had won two national championships, she could have run the table.
For Quinnipiac Women, Strong Start, Poor Finish, Valuable Lesson
March 23, 2013
Lisa Lebak hit a three. Ellen Cannon hit a three. Cannon stepped back and hit an even longer three with such a high, looping arc that meteorological patterns around our nation's capital surely had to be altered.
Bobcats At Their Worst; Bears At Their Best
March 23, 2013
One coach said his team hadn't played any better all season. The other said his team hadn't played any worse.
In Torrington, Social Media Make Horrific Incident Even Worse
March 21, 2013
Don't fool yourself. Steubenville, Ohio, is in all our backyards.
LeBron Was Just Too Much For The Celtics
March 19, 2013
— With Kevin Garnett out sick, Jeff Green was making the Miami Heat sick. Green drove it down the Heat's throats for 43 points. The Celtics not only went on a 17-0 run in the first half, they led by as many as 17. With the TD Garden reaching near deafening heights, the Celtics led by as many as 13 with only 8:27 remaining.
Quinnipiac: Becoming A Giant
March 17, 2013
— No matter how many times you make the drive, whether it's the first time or the hundredth, you turn off I-91, travel a few miles west on the connector road. You look up and …
The Kid From NYC Comes To Granby, Helps The Little School That Did
March 17, 2013
John Buser wanted to make a point to his son, Brett, about a basketball game, and he ended up with one of those intensely personal moments that help carve a young man's future.
An Intense Court House: Busy Weekend For Fabbris And Saccas
March 15, 2013
Calling from the car late Friday afternoon on her way to Albany, the mom said this weekend is going to be crazy. Ten minutes earlier, her daughter used the same word.
Biggest Drop Of Offseason For Pats? Welker
March 13, 2013
Robert Kraft said the other day that he loved Wes Welker and hoped he'd remain a Patriot for life — "just like Tom Brady." On Wednesday, we found out the Patriots' love for the best slot receiver in football didn't even extend as far as a two-year contract that would have given Welker $3.5 million less annually than he made last season.
An Irish Win, And A Wake Of Sorts
March 12, 2013
UConn's final possession may have been the worst in a big moment in the history of the program. Skylar Diggins stole the ball. Notre Dame stole UConn's heart. Again. Again. Again.
UConn vs. Notre Dame, One Last Time
March 11, 2013
In the greatest rivalry in women's college basketball history, UConn and Tennessee played 22 times in the 12 years between 1995 and 2007.
Hartford's Two Basketball Coaches Set The Example
March 10, 2013
ALBANY, N.Y. — John Gallagher stood there at halftime Sunday inside SEFCU Arena, warmup pants, sneakers, black Hartford hoodie, sipping a cupful of coffee and two teaspoons of wisdom.
Napier Key To UConn's Future Hopes
March 9, 2013
As everyone at Gampel Pavilion watched a video tribute to a team that, on paper, had little to play for and instead gave and gave each game as if it had everything in the world to play for, Shabazz Napier began to feel the shiver of emotions.
I'm Thinking Of A Number
March 8, 2013
We know an awful lot about the numbers. What we don't know about are the numbers.
Hoosiers: The Real Story Is Just As Sweet
March 6, 2013
The sign on I-74 jumped out of the darkness at a lonely Connecticut traveler Saturday night only hours after UConn had lost in Cincinnati, 40 miles to the southeast.
UConn Doesn't Have What It Takes In Big Games
March 5, 2013
You say you want a defining stat? OK, we'll give you a big, fat, sweaty, disgusting defining stat. UConn turned the ball over 35 times.
UConn Lets It Get Away At The End
March 2, 2013
CINCINNATI — This was a UConn team held together by duct tape, bandages and lots and lots of heart. If any UConn fan wants to stop here, wants to chalk up this game without Shabazz Napier as proof positive that these Huskies always play with determination and perspiration, well, you can stop reading after the next sentence.
Big East's Breakup Not The End Of The World For UConn
March 1, 2013
In my favorite line from one of my favorite movies, "The Shawshank Redemption," Morgan Freeman's character Red goes on about how he has been in prison so long that he didn't think he could ever make it on the outside. Tim Robbins' unforgettable character, Andy Dufresne, thinks for a second, stares at his buddy, and says to Red:
Daniels Does It All, But UConn Falls Short
February 28, 2013
STORRS — It was a night, a crazy, nutty, heart-pounding night, when we found out again how good Otto Porter Jr. is.
Bobby V: New Frontier For A Well-Traveled Pioneer
February 26, 2013
FAIRFIELD — We know why Bobby Valentine is here. This is one more step on his path to spiritual enlightenment, a path that includes doing everything, everywhere in one lifetime, culminating one day with Bobby V's repainting Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and becoming The Most Interesting Man in the World in Dos Equis commercials.
Squash World Spinning On Its Axis Again As Trinity Reclaims The Title
February 24, 2013
— A lifetime of competitive emotion can be squeezed into that claustrophobic, glass-encased rectangle. And for Johan Detter of Trinity, so much of that thrill and agony has been found on squash court No. 3 — Shen Court — on the fourth floor of Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
Quinnipiac Hockey's Jordan Samuels-Thomas Owes It All To 'The Mighty Ducks'
February 23, 2013
Jordan Samuels-Thomas had to leave home to find out how much he missed home. And if that sounds like something out of a Disney movie, well, that's probably a good a place to start.
Coach Faris' Daughter
February 22, 2013
It would make for a delicious metaphor to assert that Kelly Faris plays as if there is no scorebook.
Napier's The Joyful King Of Overtime
February 21, 2013
There is a certain, unmistakable joy that Shabazz Napier has brought to this UConn basketball season. During what could have been a dour year when the Huskies play for nothing more tangible than a strong regular season record, Napier has played as if his life depended on each January and February outcome.
UConn's Downfall Was Giving Baylor A Second Chance
February 19, 2013
HARTFORD — He warned us that this was never about Stefanie Dolson trying to beat Brittney Griner. He warned us that this was always about UConn beating Baylor, about the help Dolson would have to get from her teammates.
Baylor's Kim Mulkey Guilty Of Underplaying This One
February 18, 2013
Yes, this game is an important measuring stick. No, it is not the national championship. Yes, this game is wonderful showcase for women's college basketball. No, it is not the national championship.
Napier And Boatright Struggle In Loss To Villanova
February 16, 2013
Something good was going to happen for those two UConn guards. The 15,165 fans knew it. Shabazz Napier knew it. Heck, Jay Wright knew it.
UConn Carving Out A Memorable Season
February 13, 2013
To get too wrapped up in the lost rivalries is to miss what is in front us now.
UConn's Kevin Ollie Faces Landmark Decision In Enosch Wolf Case
February 13, 2013
On the September day he was introduced as the UConn basketball coach, a day he carried in a most impressive and emotional way, Kevin Ollie needed to fight back tears when his attention turned to his daughter Cheyenne.
Unstoppable Team, But Conference Realignment Is Worse Than Any Storm
February 10, 2013
— If only it were as easy as one team bus getting stuck in the snow Saturday night. If only it were as easy as some of the boys vainly trying to push the bus free. If only it were as easy as getting a second bus and a long five-hour, 15-minute ride.
Flacco's Branford-Based Agent Joins Post-Super Bowl Whirlwind
February 10, 2013
"Hang on one second," Joe Linta says suddenly over the phone the other night from his Branford home.
Bruce Marshall At Peace With Decision To Step Away From UConn Hockey
February 8, 2013
For years, Bruce Marshall dreamed of his players' receiving athletic scholarships. For years, he dreamed of UConn's upgrading its hockey program and joining the elite schools in his sport.
A Good First Step In Improving The XL Center
February 7, 2013
Global Spectrum won control of the XL Center for the next decade and Rentschler Field for the next seven years because of a superior capital investment structure.
Tommy Myers: A Purebred Husky
February 6, 2013
— It was summer camp 1982 and Norm Myers was walking back from the old UConn football facilities to McMahon Residence Hall. Peggy Walsh, who still holds the UConn women's basketball record for most rebounds in a game, was moving in for her freshman year.
Secrecy On XL Center, Rentschler Plans Isn't Helping Matters
February 3, 2013
— The lack of substantive public debate on the future of two of the state's most public structures worries me. In fact, it bothers the hell out of me.
Down Early, Quinnipiac Hockey Gets Up Big Time For 6-2 Win Over Yale
February 2, 2013
Yale scored one on the power play. Yale scored another one on the power play.
News And Views From Half-Baked Jake, Super Bowl Edition
February 1, 2013
This is Half-Baked Jake, Super Bowl edition. Warning: Numerals subject to appear in their Roman form.
For A Team With Heart, Postseason Ban Weighs Heavy
February 1, 2013
— You watch a team so badly outrebounded. You watch a team destroyed on the offensive boards. You watch big man after big man head to the bench with five fouls. You see that team outscored by 13 points on the free throw line.
What Should UConn Do? Sit Tight
January 29, 2013
If conference realignment has taught us anything, it's this. Believe nothing you hear, half of what you read and even after the news conference, hold your breath. More change is coming.
It's Too Soon To Heal The Ray Allen Hatred
January 28, 2013
Ray Boucher of Fitchburg, Mass., was leaning against one of the posts inside North Station late Sunday morning when he looked up from his cellphone.
College Hockey's Hottest Goalie Also A Hot Prospect
January 27, 2013
He has kept his net cleaner than anyone in college hockey. Yet when it comes to filling the net, Eric Hartzell admits he is no match for his mom.
Time For NCAA To Start From Scratch, Chart A New Course
January 26, 2013
This isn't about the good guys and the bad guys anymore. There always will be good guys and bad guys.
Geno Auriemma Calls Kelly Faris' Effort 'Game For The Ages'
January 21, 2013
— Geno Auriemma, a Hall of Fame coach who has seen it all, done it all over nearly three decades in Storrs, knew when he had witnessed something special.
Ravens Crush Patriots' Second Half Miracle
January 21, 2013
— He had never lost a game when leading at halftime at home. Tom Brady was 67-0 in such situations with the Patriots and, really, there was little reason to believe the quarterback who has won more playoff games than any in NFL history wasn't going to be 68-0.
Napier Gives It A Go, But Pitt Is Able To Stop Him
January 19, 2013
This was not the cheerleader Kevin Ollie of his first few months on the job. This was not the Ollie of Ollie-isms. There was no talk of stairs and escalators on this day. There was no talk about a time to seed and a time to harvest.
Ray Lewis Has Grown, But Never Escaped His Past
January 19, 2013
There is the suit we see, and the suit we do not see. It has been that way for 13 long years now. And with Ray Lewis' retirement party scheduled for Sunday in Foxborough, it figures to remain that way forever.
Manti Te'o Story A Hoax, Not A Tragedy
January 18, 2013
Let's back up a moment to early October and a piece Gene Wojciechowski did for ESPN's "College GameDay." To this moment, it remains one of the most powerful voices in spreading the gospel of Manti Te'o's strength and love and virtue.
Jeff Jacobs: No Sympathy For Lance's Tour de Fraud
January 16, 2013
Nobody on Earth could tell Lance Armstrong's story better than Lance Armstrong. Nobody on earth is less morally and ethically qualified to tell it than he is.
Siva's Foul Mood Didn't Last Too Long
January 15, 2013
Peyton Siva doesn't particularly like Louisville's latest national ranking. The Cardinals' senior point guard doesn't like the view from on top, doesn't like looking down at the rest of college basketball, not in January anyway.
The Winning Team: As Always, It's Brady-Welker
January 14, 2013
— J.J. Watt may have spit on the Patriots' midfield logo before this AFC divisional playoff game, but it is Wes Welker who continues, game after game, year after year, to spit in the face of football convention.
Ollie, After Win Over Irish, Talks About Reaping What Is Sown With Olander
January 13, 2013
Flush with a most fruitful victory over a ranked team on the road, Kevin Ollie, that noted farmer out of South Central Los Angeles, was talking about reaping what is sown.
Jeff Jacobs: Reign Delay - Nobody Gets In Hall This Year, And That's Good
January 9, 2013
In the 144-year narrative of our national pastime, five men have hit 60 home runs in one season. Henry Aaron never did it. Willie Mays never did it. One did it three times.
Boatright Going At The Season In High Gear
January 9, 2013
There was a Boat Show, but he swears that on the play of the night there was no showboat.
Soccer Stars Give Newtown Kids Something To Smile About
January 8, 2013
This was Chris Canetti's idea. This is Marcus Tracy's hometown.
From The Orphanage To Punt, Pass & Kick Finals
January 7, 2013
— A year ago, he was still sitting in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, one of five million Ethiopian orphans and vulnerable children. To be honest, sitting is probably the wrong word. For as the one-line description of Matiwos in his adoption portfolio read, "Lives to play, not to sit."
Notre Dame Shows Its Tough Side, And UConn Doesn't
January 6, 2013
STORRS — If Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis hadn't missed the wide-open three with six seconds left, we're not having this conversation.
Despite Famous Dad, UHart's Nate Sikma Is His Own Man
January 4, 2013
— Nate Sikma does impersonations.
At Casino, Sun Betting On Anne Donovan
January 3, 2013
There is a small yet uncomfortable — even agonizing — difference between winning big and winning it all. On Thursday, a day when she was named the coach of the Connecticut Sun, Anne Donovan insisted she's comfortable squeezing all 6 feet 8 of her frame into that tight space.
Foul Poll: Coaches, Experts On Both Sides Of Issue After UConn Loss
January 3, 2013
The officials blew it at the start of overtime. They met and discussed it. They still got it wrong. Afterward, they admitted it. No argument.
2012: A Year For Skepticism In Sports
January 1, 2013
With varying degrees of failure over a decade and a half, I have used my Half-baked Jake, ellipsis-pocked humor for my year-in-review, year-in-preview column. For example …
Dolson Sets The Tone For Powerful Win
December 29, 2012
PALO ALTO, Calif. — The beauty of the Stanford women's offense is rhythm and preparation. When it works it looks as in sync as the San Antonio Spurs and the Radio City Rockettes. On those days, the Cardinal could be sponsored by Arthur Murray Dance Studios.
Stanford vs. UConn Gets Short Shrift From ESPN Networks
December 28, 2012
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Is it a slap to the face of women's college basketball that the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown between Stanford and UConn ended up being relegated to ESPNU?
Watch Ogwumike's Right Hand And Watch For Bruises
December 28, 2012
Watch the right hand of Chiney Ogwumike.
Northwest Catholic's Mike Golic Jr. Riding Success At Notre Dame
December 27, 2012
Mike Golic Jr. has been growing the beard since training camp in August. It has gotten long. It has gotten bushy. You could hide the Notre Dame leprechaun in there. Heck, you could almost hide Golic's old man.
Newtown Coach's Whiteboard's Moment Of Fame Captures A Nation's Grief
December 24, 2012
NEWTOWN — Steve George had used that whiteboard to diagram his plays. He had used it to draw X's and O's to score on Oxford. He had used it to draws X's and O's to defend against Masuk.
Jen Rizzotti Keeps Her Options Open, Shuts Doors When She Wants To
December 22, 2012
Jen Rizzotti had just finished talking to reporters about Hartford's extraordinary pregame ceremony, about the Newtown massacre and was still dabbing tears from her eyes when she sat down at Chase Family Arena.
Kevin Ollie's New Year Might Very Well Start With A New Deal
December 21, 2012
When UConn began a national search for a new athletic director last January, President Susan Herbst used two words when asked what qualities she was looking for in that person.
UConn Is Down, But Jim And Geno Still Fighting
December 20, 2012
The UConn women had routed Oakland by 72 points Wednesday night, and now here was Geno Auriemma talking about how he had planned to teach at the school's international branch campus in Florence, Italy, this spring.
Athletes Who Use Guns Must Use Their Influence In Wake Of Newtown Massacre
December 17, 2012
Some of the best hunters and anglers in the world are to be found on the rosters of American professional sports teams. Some of the best hunters and anglers in the world are to be found enshrined in Cooperstown, Canton and Springfield. They are respected as both sportsmen and sportsmen.
Let's Have Hugs, Prayers And No More Need For Tributes
December 17, 2012
John Prior saw the news flash across CNBC on Friday and it staggered him.
Hey, Cooperstown! Here's One Hall Of An Explanation Of My Ballot
December 15, 2012
First, my 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame vote:
No Sympathy For Big East
December 13, 2012
If the Big East football schools had shown a modicum of foresight over the years, if they had demonstrated any sense of committed leadership and the backbone to follow their own collective dream, we wouldn't be writing this in December 2012. But we are, and here it is:
Patriots Turn Texans From Contenders To Pretenders
December 11, 2012
We probably should have guessed the Houston Texans were in trouble when Andre Johnson called the game the biggest in the history of his franchise. We definitely should have guessed the Texans were in trouble when they decided to wear matching letter jackets for the road trip to New England.
Arnold Dean: A Kinder, Gentler Era Of Sports Talk
December 10, 2012
Arnold Dean never called himself the "Dean of Sports." It was radio hucksterism, it was presumptuous, and he knew it. If the three-word brainchild of a station producer was to be his legacy, well, it would be an orphan from his lips.
Hand-Madison Deserves No. 1 Ranking
December 9, 2012
EAST HARTFORD — They are the first team in Connecticut history to win the state title twice in one season. And if they aren't, man, nobody has ever proved their worth more definitively, more vividly, over the course of a season than the Hand-Madison Tigers.
Half-Baked Jake Rocks The Vote, Hall And Heisman
December 7, 2012
Half-baked Jake is back in all his half-bakedness …
Weight Can Be A Touchy Subject For Female Athletes
December 7, 2012
On my first day as sports columnist for The Courant, after 15 years covering the NHL, I approached one of the most admired women's basketball players in the world. I had a question.
Herbst Battles To Get UConn Into Big East Tournament
December 4, 2012
NEW YORK — Susan Herbst says she isn't giving up.
NFA Flies From Under The Radar
December 4, 2012
EAST HARTFORD — He has a junior running back who is being recruited by many of the Top 10 colleges in the nation. He has a team that until recently wasn't even ranked among the Top 10 in the state.
Feeling The Crushing Pain Of 'A Cruel Game'
December 3, 2012
For five minutes, maybe even 10, they were scattered across the field at Morrone Stadium.
Season Ends In Disappointing Fashion
December 2, 2012
EAST HARTFORD — The day started with renewed hope and the temporary traction gained by the first victory ever against a Top 25 team on the road.
UConn, And Its Supporters, Must Make The Program Bigger
November 30, 2012
If you ever have been on the Duke campus, you have appreciated the dramatic illustration of Gothic architecture known as the Crowell Quad Clock Tower. Well, forget it, Connecticut.
The Difference? It All Comes Down To Football
November 28, 2012
They had the television market, the province of 21st century greed, and they had the academics, the province of 19th century purity. Those in power at Connecticut's flagship university were hopeful that they would help carry the day for admission into the ACC.
Rooting For Johnny McEntee
November 27, 2012
— He walked in as a walk-on, he'll walk out as a walk-on. Johnny McEntee started 12 games at quarterback for the UConn football team. He finished the only road victory over a Top 25 opponent in program history.
Giants Answer Critics With Rout Of Packers
November 26, 2012
— As the days and hours of the Giants bye week lingered, the pressing question became one of comparative fatigue. What was more tired? Eli Manning's throwing arm? Or the Giants' performance every November?
UConn's Defense Carries The Day Against Louisville
November 24, 2012
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After this game was over, after Teddy Bridgewater's wrist was fractured and he could barely walk, after UConn had enjoyed one of the finest football victories in program history, sackmaster Trevardo Williams made an observation that spoke to both his unit's resilience and its joy.
Donn Cabral — Our Guy In The Manchester Road Race
November 22, 2012
— Thousands of bystanders stood there curbside, yelling and holding up signs and cups of ale and playing electric guitars. In other words, they were doing what they do every Thanksgiving at the Manchester Road Race.
Every Tweet Sets Off Rumors About Conference Expansion
November 21, 2012
On Monday, Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News tweeted, "Realignment source: UConn to ACC could happen as soon as Tuesday."
Thibault Did Almost Everything For Sun
November 20, 2012
He didn't do what Van Chancellor did four times. He didn't do what Bill Laimbeer did three times, Michael Cooper did twice or seven others did once.
In Storrs, Waiting By The Phone For The ACC
November 18, 2012
The sun rose high over eastern Connecticut on Sunday. Storrs had a different look to it. Storrs had a different feel to it.
Connecticut Kids Living Their UConn Soccer Dream
November 17, 2012
Their families and coaches brought them to Storrs when they were 9, 10, 11 years old. Long before they grew their first whiskers, Max Wasserman, Colin Bradley, Sean Weir — Connecticut's kids — wanted to play soccer at UConn for the coach with all the whiskers.
Trying To Figure Out Who Will Manage XL Center
November 16, 2012
As a sports story, this isn't as sexy as Howard Baldwin's loud, failed notion that if you give him a remodeled XL Center, he'll bring you the NHL. Nor is it nearly as blah as management behemoths bidding against each other for the right to turn the lights on and off at the state's largest sporting arena.
Let's Dial Down The Ugly MVP Discussions
November 16, 2012
Miguel Cabrera led the American League in batting average. Mike Trout was second. Advantage, Miggy.
R.J. Evans Steady As A Rock Of Ages
November 14, 2012
Do his teammates tease R.J. Evans about his age?
Before Ollie Gets Extension, Let's See Him Extend Winning Ways
November 13, 2012
— If there is a cautionary tale in this early basketball season, surely it is to be found in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. UConn didn't have one vote in the preseason balloting among the national media.
Bills' Easley Continues To Show Amazing Patience
November 12, 2012
— Marcus Easley stepped out of the shower in the cramped visitors' dressing room late Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. He maneuvered past Steve Johnson, squeezed around reporters interviewing Donald Jones, stepped over his equipment bag and, finally, the former UConn star found his locker.
A Battle Of Wits As Quinnipiac Beats Hartford, 65-61
November 11, 2012
Tom Moore was talking about marbles. A hyperkinetic basketball coach talking marbles? You've got to think he was talking about losing them, right?
Keep Feeding The Bear, UConn
November 10, 2012
It doesn't matter if Pittsburgh had its heart broken in a three-overtime loss last weekend at Notre Dame. It doesn't matter if initially it looked as if the Panthers forgot to pack their hearts for the flight to Connecticut.
Big Start For Ollie; Big Finish For Pasqualoni?
November 9, 2012
This weekend is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning for UConn.
Every Move She Makes Is Worth Watching
November 8, 2012
We're paraphrasing Sting and the Police here, not the sting of the UConn campus police. Still, it is scant exaggeration to say that every breath the UConn women take, every move they make, every step they take, we'll be watching them.
NYC Marathon Would Do Well Without CEO Mary Wittenberg
November 4, 2012
I cry at marathons.
A Depressing Loss To The Usually Hapless Bulls
November 4, 2012
Two years ago, with Dave Teggart holding his hands aloft in the grandest of poses, this had been the scene of the greatest moment in the history of UConn football.
Central's Vinales Works Hard Every Day To Get Better
November 2, 2012
Out of nowhere Thursday at the Connecticut 6 Tip-Off Breakfast, Howie Dickenman dropped the Walter Ray bomb.
Kevin Ollie Takes The Steps, Not The Escalator
November 1, 2012
STORRS — The words arrived 11 minutes into Kevin Ollie's introductory speech and they have carried so much impact since the day he was named UConn basketball coach that even his captain is taking them literally.
In Battle Of Unbeatens, Numbers Go Bantams' Way
October 28, 2012
The numbers were impressive, even a little scary. Middlebury led the NESCAC with 479 yards offense per game. Middlebury led the NESCAC with an average of 35 points. Middlebury led the NESCAC by a mile with 384 yards passing. And …
Hundreds Simply Hoping To Help Save A Life
October 27, 2012
They showed up Tuesday at the Eastern Connecticut Sports Center. There were a hundred of them, students and student-athletes, and they wanted to help one of their own.
Raising Rates (Men) And Lowering Rims (Women)
October 27, 2012
Don't lower the rim of expectations.
DeLeone On Defense About His Offense
October 25, 2012
For 26 minutes and 10 seconds Thursday, I worked over George DeLeone pretty good. Pressed him on why his line hasn't blocked and his team can't run. Asked him straight out if the dual job of UConn offensive coordinator and line coach is too much for him.
Red Sox Go With Safe Choice In Farrell
October 23, 2012
I wonder. Will the Red Sox ultimately be remembered for hiring the wrong manager from Connecticut?
McCourty Doesn't Fumble Gratitude For Teammates
October 21, 2012
— We figured that Devin McCourty owed some of his teammates dinner. A nice cut of prime rib for Mr. Prime Time Tom Brady maybe, for impeccable efficiency in answering his critics on that last-minute drive in regulation. A big Maine lobster, surely, for Steve Gostkowski for nailing a 43-yard field goal to send the game into overtime and then a 48-yarder to win it.
Yankees Need To Get Younger, Better
October 21, 2012
Curt Schilling was saying the other day on ESPN that he has seen thousands of players sign baseballs with their telephone number and toss them to pretty women in the stands.
After Loss To Syracuse, UConn's Offense Getting More Offensive
October 20, 2012
This one was worse than any bar stool argument over play-calling. This one was worse even than the offensive line's inability to block anyone with a pulse.
For Now, UConn-Bound Walsh And Hand-Madison Sitting On Top Of The World
October 18, 2012
MADISON — He scored five touchdowns last week in the most-anticipated Connecticut high school football game in years. His Hand-Madison Tigers beat the No. 1 team in the state hands down in the second half, ending Xavier-Middletown's 30-game winning streak.
Kevin Ollie Receives Highest Of Praise From Rick Pitino
October 17, 2012
If Kevin Ollie is looking for the highest endorsement possible, he needn't stop at Jim Calhoun. He can find it with one of Calhoun's natural-born adversaries.
Geno Auriemma Talks About Expectations For New Basketball Season
October 16, 2012
STORRS — Geno Auriemma's media sessions, especially the ones near the start and end of each basketball season, are an Italian meal. The tasty stuff just keeps coming and the meal lasts forever.
Bad Calls Only Go So Far To Explain Yankees' Malaise
October 14, 2012
— Early Sunday, Derek Jeter broke his ankle near second base and he screamed in pain. Later Sunday, umpire Jeff Nelson broke open the game with a botched call at that base and New York screamed in disgust.
UConn Kicker Has Bad Day, But Stands Tall In Defeat
October 13, 2012
EAST HARTFORD — He had worn pink socks pulled up almost to his knees during this afternoon. And now those pink socks, reminders of the fight against breast cancer, seemed pale next to Chad Christen's cheeks.
CC Sabathia Proves He's The Yankees' Ace
October 12, 2012
CC Sabathia stands nearly as tall and probably twice as wide as the Yankee Stadium right-field foul pole that Nate McLouth did or did not hit in the sixth inning of this early October night.
Sun Stink Out Casino In Season-Ending Loss To Fever
October 11, 2012
This was not the supposed to be the story line. This was not supposed to be the story line at all.
Masterful Move By Girardi The Genius
October 11, 2012
At 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, Joe Girardi became a genius. Either that, or like millions of other Yankee fans, he finally had seen enough of Alex Rodriguez. Maybe the bigger truth is Joe Girardi just couldn't take it anymore.
Who's Sorry Now? McCombs Apologizes; Pasqualoni Meanders On
October 9, 2012
STORRS — Steve Addazio was talking the other day about how he, Paul Pasqualoni and a cadre of young coaches at Western Connecticut used to work deep, deep into summer and autumn nights in the '80s.
Great QBs, But Pats' Running Game Is Real Story
October 8, 2012
The comparisons not only are inevitable, they seem absolutely necessary. You cannot put Tom Brady in one uniform and Peyton Manning in the other on a given Sunday without drawing contrasts, without arguing who is greater and why.
More Trouble For Lyle McCombs
October 7, 2012
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — At one end of HighPoint Solutions Stadium, behind an end zone UConn could only dream of reaching on this frustrating Saturday, are printed the words, "Birthplace Of College Football." And since that November day in 1869 when Rutgers beat Princeton 6-4, one matter always has rung true.
Catchings Contained, And Big Night For White
October 5, 2012
Seventy-five seconds into the WNBA Eastern Conference finals, Tamika Catchings was going to score 75 points, grab 75 rebounds and block 75 shots.
Bobby V.: You Knew From The Start It Would End Badly
October 4, 2012
Many great ideas have sprung from our town since Adriaen Block arrived on the Connecticut River in 1614. Larry Lucchino's idea to bring Ben Cherington along to meet Bobby Valentine at the Hartford Club last Nov. 3 wasn't one of them.
Two Teams — One Held It Together And One Simply Broke Apart
October 3, 2012
NEW YORK -- Bobby Valentine was making his last weekly radio appearance of the 2012 baseball season on ESPN New York when Michael Kay asked him if he believed Wednesday also would be his last game as manager of the Red Sox.
Wrecking Ball: Huskies From Jersey Want To Destroy Rutgers
October 2, 2012
STORRS — Dwayne Gratz grew up in Piscataway, five minutes from Rutgers' football stadium. He needed five seconds to bare his feelings Tuesday about his state university.
Sox Fans Just Praying This Season Will End
October 1, 2012
Bobby Valentine has a better guess where he'll be Thursday than the Yankees do.
A Win, But Not Much Excitement
September 30, 2012
EAST HARTFORD — Ho.
Goaltender Andre Blake Has No. 2 UConn Off To Fast Start
September 29, 2012
The numbers are as wild as the hair. And, make no mistake, the numbers are pretty wild.
Marlins Give Adam Greenberg Of Guilford A Chance
September 28, 2012
Adam Greenberg found out late on Sunday. That's when Marlins general manager David Samson offered him the chance to play against the Mets Tuesday in Miami. That's when Greenberg knew he would get the one official at-bat that had eluded him since he was struck down by the first major league pitch he faced. Hit in the head that hot July night in 2005, this pitch from Samson would hit the kid from Guilford in the heart.
Some Real Heroes Visit The UConn Football Team
September 26, 2012
Some messages are about resilience. Some are about teamwork. And then there are messages a man like Mike Zacchea can deliver.
Goodell's NFL Vision Fades, And The Replacement Refs Are Lost
September 25, 2012
The situation with the scab officials has grown so bad, so profoundly ugly, that Roger Goodell has resorted to a charade as his No. 1 strategy. His league, once the best sports league anywhere, has become a laughingstock and Tuesday the NFL commissioner demonstrated he is willing to add to the farce.
No-Win Situation, So UConn Didn't
September 23, 2012
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — This was a game of mistakes, starting with scheduling the game in the first place. This was one of those no-win games, and UConn went ahead and accepted permission not to win.
Asjha Jones' Health Important For Sun To Make Playoff Run
September 21, 2012
UNCASVILLE — Their Achilles' heel could be the Achilles' heel. Or it could be a collective lack of past playoff success.
Jeff Jacobs: UConn Needs To Look Beyond East Hartford
September 21, 2012
UConn football could use the Green Monster. UConn football could really use the green monster.
No Longer Coach, Jim Calhoun Will Still Be Paid Nicely At UConn
September 19, 2012
Jim Calhoun isn't going to stomp the sidelines at any more UConn games, but he will continue to be paid as if he were among the highest-paid basketball coaches in the nation. In fact, he will earn more not to coach the Huskies this season than he did to coach them last season.
In A Month Of Wild Assumptions, Girardi's Feeling Good About Yankees
September 16, 2012
— Joe Girardi sat there Sunday at Yankee Stadium, rubbing his head, considering Eduardo Nunez, considering Derek Jeter, considering Rafael Soriano's 40 saves after Mariano Rivera was lost. And then the Yankees manager, who doesn't smile enough, broke into a smile.
Dealing With Ex In Sickness And In Health
September 16, 2012
Maybe there was no escaping the imposing vision of Randy Edsall, 20 feet tall on the two giant video boards at Capital One Field. Maybe there was no escaping Edsall's voice booming as Paul Pasqualoni tried to speak over the former UConn football coach during their postgame interviews.
Calhoun: Guts And Glory
September 14, 2012
STORRS — The reality of 40 cold New England winters are behind him. We begin with the Jim Calhoun legend now, and when legend becomes fact, they say, print the legend.
Calhoun's A Legend; Get A Legend To Replace Him
September 12, 2012
We knew the toughest man in the room, the most competitive man in the gym, the greatest college basketball coach in New England history would battle until the end. We knew he'd go the full 15 rounds.
Randy Edsall, 'The Deserter,' His Usual Rehearsed Self
September 12, 2012
Randy Edsall had his one-liner as ready as that inside handoff on first down that used to go for 2 yards and a cloud of vanilla.
Jets' Shocker Involves Tim Tebow, Of Course
September 10, 2012
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — You knew a Jets quarterback was going to get booed in the season opener. You just knew it. But who could have guessed it would be Tim Tebow when the home team was ahead by two touchdowns in the first half?
Any Good Lines Lately?
September 9, 2012
EAST HARTFORD — It starts with the offensive line. And it starts with a good line.
Saturday Might Cap Off The Summer Of Serena
September 7, 2012
NEW YORK — Obviously, it was some of the loudest tennis ever played. There was more sustained shrieking than at a Justin Bieber concert. Yet in enduring the late summer heat, humidity and a swirling wind, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova also gave New York the sort of gritty and competitive match that would do both of them proud.
Big Job For UConn Coaches? Get Nick Williams The Ball
September 6, 2012
— It was during a special teams meeting last September that George DeLeone emphasized a point many UConn football fans already had made since the days of Randy Edsall.
It's Back Down To Earth For Giants
September 6, 2012
Tom Coughlin wants to "Build The Bridge." That was his calling card in the preseason. That has been his clarion call for the 2012 Giants season.
A Heel And A Cheat
September 5, 2012
As a consolation prize, maybe UConn can play in a make-pretend national basketball tournament for players who attend make-pretend classes and earn make-pretend grades.
McIlroy Takes Another Bite Of Fame
September 4, 2012
The ball hung on the right lip of the cup. It refused to drop. Absolutely refused to fall.
Yankees Refuse To Panic As Orioles Stay Close
September 2, 2012
Curtis Granderson and his team-leading 34 home runs left in the second inning for New York Presbyterian Hospital. Tight hamstring was the word.
Welcome To The Next Level UMass
August 31, 2012
I don't think we're in the Yankee Conference anymore, UMass.
I Think, Therefore I Scam
August 29, 2012
This is a philosophical debate on Lance Armstrong. We'll be getting into Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, David Hume …
Dawson Fighting Ward, And Perceptions
August 28, 2012
He agreed to drop to Andre Ward's weight class.
UConn QB Chandler Whitmer Seeing A Childhood Dream Come True
August 26, 2012
— It turns out his first spoken word wasn't "mama" or "dada." So when Chandler Whitmer was asked Sunday about when he first dreamed of becoming a Division I starting quarterback, his explanation wasn't entirely surprising.
After Blockbuster Trade, Time For Patience
August 26, 2012
Can you handle it, Red Sox fans?
Wozniacki Retires From Semifinal Match Without Showing Much Pain
August 24, 2012
NEW HAVEN — The only discernible wince of pain on this Friday would be on the face of tournament director Anne Worcester. She was disappointed. Understanding, but disappointed. And who in Worcester's position wouldn't be?
New Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco Proud Of Connecticut Roots
August 23, 2012
Mike Aresco's sister Joanne thought he might be a sports writer.
Roger Clemens: An Annoying Skeeter
August 22, 2012
There are three places I have no interest in seeing a 50-year-old Roger Clemens: Cooperstown, N.Y.; on a pitcher's mound; or in front of a microphone … unless he finally has decided to hold a press conference to apologize for being a juicer.
Fame Can Be Fleeting In World Of Gymnastics
August 21, 2012
At the invitation of Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, Chuck Steedman joined the whirlwind media tour by the "Fierce Five" last week in New York. Fresh off a flight from London, America's gold-medal darlings did the "Today" show. They lit the Empire State Building red, white and blue and had their photos taken on the 103rd floor parapet.
Equality? Yes. Five Sets For Women? No
August 20, 2012
NEW HAVEN — Petra Kvitova recoiled at the question. Should women play five sets in the tennis majors like the men?
Lester Wins, Helped To A Degree By Yalies
August 18, 2012
In a season when the greatest rivalry in sports has been the Red Sox vs. themselves, let this stand as more than a left-handed compliment:
Valentine Fiddles While Fenway Burns
August 17, 2012
NEW YORK — Bobby Valentine said he doesn't read it and he doesn't listen to it.
Give Howard Baldwin Credit For Trying, But The NHL Dream Is Dead — For Now
August 6, 2012
Major league dreams, it turns out, came with minor-league bills Howard Baldwin could not pay. And 2 1/2 years after Baldwin stuck his hockey banner back into downtown Hartford's soil, we can safely say the NHL isn't walking through his door.
This Seals It: Calhoun Will Be Back
August 5, 2012
The way I figure it, the scalpel used on Jim Calhoun's fractured hip during surgery Saturday night may as well be used to engrave in stone that he'll 100 percent, for sure, take-it-to-the-bank return for his 27th year asUConn men's basketballcoach.
Big East Conference Needs To Find Some Stability
August 1, 2012
You look at the schools that will play football in the Big East beginning in 2013. You look at the final Associated Press poll from last season.
Red Sox Awash In Disconnects
July 29, 2012
Carl Crawford says he needs Tommy John surgery.
There Was Nobody Faster In 1952 Than Hartford's Lindy Remigino
July 28, 2012
Holding two Olympic gold medals in his 81-year-old hands, Lindy Remigino breaks into laughter. The medals show their age. The stories do not. The stories never grow old.
Ichiro, Meet The Bleacher Creatures
July 28, 2012
Ichiro didn't get it the first time. After he had been traded by the Mariners earlier in the week, visiting Yankee fans at Safeco Field began their familiar Roll Call.
Jeff Jacobs: In Nailing Penn State, Did NCAA Open Pandora's Box?
July 24, 2012
NCAA justice was swift for Penn State, conveniently swift, unprecedented and not all together blind to public relations. There also could be no misunderstanding the severity of the punishment.
Walter Harrison Cites Fairness In Defending NCAA's APR Reporting Process
July 18, 2012
This will not be another exercise in tearing down the NCAA or UConn. This will stand as Walter Harrison's rebuttal to people like me who argued that not only are the latest academic data the fairest data, the implementation of the latest data is entirely feasible.
Finally, A Day To Celebrate Hockey In Hartford
June 29, 2012
It was 1989 and Todd Krygier, a little-known NHL newcomer, was sitting among a handful of Canadian teammates on the Whalers team bus. They wanted to know where he was from, so the American kid told them.
Touching Moments At NBA Draft
June 28, 2012
NEWARK, N.J. — Andre Drummond held his mom's hand.
Jeff Jacobs: Never A Doubt Webb Simpson Was Coming To Travelers
June 20, 2012
CROMWELL — He passed on Letterman. He passed on Leno. He didn't pass on the Travelers Championship.
Michael Thompson Is Rising Toward Top Of PGA Tour
June 19, 2012
Michael Thompson lived last week on the crookedest street in the world, which is entirely fitting given his profession. He arrives in Connecticut this week all too aware that no sport puts you on the crookedest street of emotions like golf.
Nov. 23: Bobby Valentine Will Be Fun With Red Sox, But It Won't End Well
November 24, 2011
This started Nov. 3 at the Hartford Club. And make no mistake, it would end spectacularly. This started with an arranged meeting before a World Affairs Council event on Prospect Street. And the prospect of it ending in flames on Yawkey Way isn't really a prospect at all.
Shooting Makes Fermi Coach, Manchester Officer Beeler Appreciate Father's Day More
June 19, 2011
Edmanuel Reyes, a deranged man with two pistols and a 12-gauge shotgun, would spray 100 or so bullets at arriving police officers, at their vehicles, at surrounding houses. One of those bullets that ugly late May afternoon in Manchester would pierce officer Bill Beeler's left shoulder, going clean through him.
Kemba Walker Embraced The Process
April 13, 2011
STORRS — Jim Calhoun was using Charlie Villanueva as a comparison, but the truth is the UConn coach could have inserted the names of hundreds of college basketball players. The difference with Kemba Walker, Calhoun insisted, is he didn't have to learn how to work.
UConn's George Blaney Not Just Along For The Ride
April 9, 2011
By his own calculation, UConn associate coach George Blaney had been to 36 Final Fours before 2004. He sat on the board of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. That meant Blaney always had good seats.
Finale Built Brick By Brick
April 6, 2011
Sure, it was a rock fight. Yet to focus on the rock is to miss the fact that the UConn Huskies moved a mountain over 28 glorious days.
Three For Calhoun In The Blink Of An Eye
April 5, 2011
HOUSTON — In one of those simple, brilliant leads that occasionally grace the sports pages, Courant beat writer Michael Arace sent 17 words back to Connecticut from St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 29, 1999.
Calhoun Vs. Calipari A Show In Itself
April 2, 2011
Coaches, players, Cinderellas, old New England turf rivals, they were all at a banquet to honor their Final Four achievement Thursday night when Jim Calhoun decided the time was ripe to play the "My Three Sons" card.
They're Riding High Out Of The West Again
March 27, 2011
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The three-pointer by Derrick Williams that would have ended this jubilant, most improbable UConn season bounced off the rim. Kyle Fogg kept the rebound alive and the three-pointer by Jamelle Horne that would have ended this jubilant, most unusual nine-game run bounced off the rim again.
With Jeremy Lamb, March Comes In Like A Lion
March 25, 2011
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kemba Walker blinked. College basketball's omniscient guard, the god who sees all, knows all, does all, blinked.
Not Women's Or Men's, Just Greatness
December 22, 2010
Tina Charles flew in from Russia. Kemba Walker, Randy Edsall, Richard Blumenthal — the who's who of Connecticut — descended from all parts Nutmeg. In the middle of Geno Auriemma's postgame press conference on this historic night, even the President called.
Sebastian Gambling Case Is No Surprise
November 19, 2010
News that Joe Schlosser, aka longtime radio bad boy Sebastian, was arrested this week on sports gambling charges came with all the shock of the sun rising in the East.
Howard Baldwin Knows It Wouldn't Pay To Fight For Two Letters
September 21, 2010
The old Howard Baldwin probably would have fought this fight. In those days, the 30-year-old blond WHA rebel would be told he shouldn't do something by the hockey establishment, do the opposite and then dare the old codgers to do something about it.
Watson Triumphs On A Day That Had It All
June 28, 2010
If you saw the pitching wedge Bubba Watson topped from a fairway bunker into the water on the 17th hole, you saw a piece of it. If you saw his monster drive on 18, the one that bounced off the cart path 396 yards into Travelers Championship legend, yes, you saw another piece.
Micheel Has Special Delivery For Ill Mother
June 27, 2010
— The ball has traveled from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast and it remains in a safe spot in Shaun Micheel's golf bag. The three-iron from 239 yards turned into only the second double-eagle in the 110-year history of the U.S. Open, and considering it occurred on Father's Day, any other time Micheel would gladly have presented the ball to his dad.
Rebuilding The Love Of The Game
June 26, 2010
— Seems like such a great life, doesn't it? Courtesy car is waiting at the airport. Mint chocolate is on the hotel pillow. Wake up and rub elbows with the big boys on the range.
Thursday Usually A Day For Dreamers At Travelers
June 25, 2010
Thursday in Cromwell can mean only one thing.
At The Travelers Championship, Wounded Soldiers Get Many Thanks
June 24, 2010
You watch Dan Nevins make his way slowly up the 18th fairway on two prosthetic legs. You look at Dan Perry's face, a face that has paid the price, a face that breaks into a huge smile after he chips in at the second hole at TPC River Highlands.
Howard Baldwin Makes First Move
March 20, 2010
Howard Baldwin is back and this time he insists he's not leaving. He has moved into an office at 100 Pearl Street and dug in for long days of work. Maybe the address is only fitting. For Baldwin will continue to swim out in the sea of his biggest dreams, 100 percent committed to finding the great pearl in the mouth of the whale.
Dobratz Always Had Time For Kids
February 10, 2010
They met skiing at Powder Ridge. Ray was months out of Maloney High in Meriden, soon to head for basic training in the National Guard. Paula was a Newington girl, still in high school.
Dixon's Journey Made Him A Leader
January 3, 2010
Andre Dixon took us into his locker room. Randy Edsall took us into his heart.
Aug. 26: UConn Football, Expect Big Year From Howard
August 26, 2009
Jasper Howard is a talker. He talks to his mom in Florida twice a day. He talks to the wide receivers in drills, oh, twice a minute.
Money, Allegations Squeeze Romanticism
April 3, 2009
For days I have been unable to get the thought out of my head. It creases my brain when I'm awake. It arrives in black and white footage in my dreams.
Greed? Arrogance? It's Waist Deep
March 26, 2009
First off, Coach, it wasn't a blog. The investigative piece was the result of six months of industry by Yahoo! Sports, one of the world's most visited websites. Calling it a blog, whether by intention or ignorance, sounded dismissive and the last thing you and UConn need today is to come off dismissive.