An Unlikely Hero

From the moment the Boston Red Sox signed Stephen Drew, he was hated. He was immediately lumped into a category with his lifeless brother J.D. and was responsible for pushing aside the opportunity for Jose Iglesias to start at shortstop. On top of that, the Red Sox gave the injury prone infielder a huge $9.5 million contract, despite having missed about half of his team's games over the last two seasons (combined 165 regular season appearances). I was lukewarm about Drew in the beginning, perhaps giving him too much credit, and then Spring Training happened.

I'm Back...Again!

After a 2 ½ year hiatus from writing, I have decided to return at my original home, The Life of a Sportsaholic. This "re-launch" is purely selfish in nature. The blog was originally designed as an avenue for me to vent, rant, dig, analyze, and just plain express my thoughts and feelings on one of my life's greatest passions: sports. If others read my thoughts, that was, and still is, just a great bonus. That initial focus remains as true today as it did a number of years ago. I welcome followers and readers and encourage comments and opposing opinions. Hopefully you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!

UConn Sweeps Big East Awards After Huge Win

Photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

For the past 6 years, when the UConn vs. West Virginia game pops up on the Huskies schedule, I have a gut feeling that the game will end poorly. For 6 years now, I have been right. In 2009, the Huskies gave up a huge 50+ run to Noel Devine in the final minutes to blow their lead and for the 6th straight time, my hopes were shattered. On Friday night on ESPN2, I had a gut feeling again that maybe this was exactly the game the Huskies needed to turn their below .500 record around and make a push for a bowl game. With 1st string, relegated to 3rd string, back to 1st string QB Zach Frazer and a plethora of injuries throughout the club, the team needed to play a solid game on both offense and defense. After falling behind 10-0, the Huskies defense gained momentum and stepped up when they needed them the most for a thrilling OT victory, 16-13. It is now official, in it's short span in Division 1/FBS, UConn has beaten every team in the Big East at least once. (more after the jump)

Box Out, Frazer to Start

Photo: Autumn Driscoll / Connecticut Post

After suffering a head injury during the Louisville game last week, QB Mike Box was unsure about his playing status for this Friday night’s contest against the West Virginia Mountaineers. We found out today that in fact Mike Box is out for this week's game and Zach Frazer will return to the field and take snaps under center once again. After starting the first 3 games for the Huskies in 2010, Frazer was replaced by Cody Endres during the Buffalo game. Since that point, Frazer fell to 3rd on the depth chart and is now returning due to suspension and injury. There was a report that Frazer was dropped on the depth chart due to his poor attitude when he was benched on September 25th, but regardless, he now needs to step up and lead this team to victory.

Spy Forces UConn to Practice Indoors

In a ridiculous twist, the UConn football team had to practice indoors the last few days, but not because of inclement weather. Randy Edsall moved his practice indoors because some information from a practice earlier in the week was posted publicly without permission from the University. It appears someone has been spying on the UConn practices and has been coming away with some in-depth information about plays and formations. In a week leading up to the biggest game of the year for the Huskies on Friday night on ESPN2 against West Virginia, this is a scary and disturbing revelation. This is not the 1st or last time a team will spy on another team (if in fact it is another team spying on them), but it is a dirty and troubling act. Edsall has moved his practices indoors for the time being and is trying not to let this story distract his team. (more after the jump)

Nagy Gets Nod in Arizona

The UConn baseball program has never been a force in NCAA athletics with the exception of a few strong seasons and some individual stars mixed in over the years. One of the most well-known UConn baseball products is 14-year major league veteran Charles Nagy, who retired from playing in 2003. Since 2009, Nagy has been the pitching coach for the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland's AAA affiliate), but has just gotten his break in the majors. Nagy was named the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach on Tuesday and will look to take the knowledge he gained from his 297 major league starts and apply it to a fairly young pitching staff. Born in Bridgeport, Nagy is not only a UConn alum, but a home grown CT product and in the baseball world, there aren't many that fit into that category.

UConn Goes Hunting for Mountaineers

With their season on the rocks after 2 tough losses in the Big East, the UConn Huskies have an opportunity to jump right back to .500 overall and 1-2 in the conference on Friday night. The catch? West Virginia is coming to town and in the 6 years these 2 teams have matched up, UConn is a whopping 0-6. Not a great omen for a team that is struggling at the moment and is currently starting their 3rd different QB this season, but a home game on a Friday night on national TV (ESPN2) may be just the right recipe for their 1st victory against the West Virginia Mountaineers and their 1st victory in the conference in 2010. Long shot? Perhaps, but if the team comes in with the relaxed, have fun attitude I keep hearing about this week, they have a chance.