Butch Jones and Whit Babcock have been friends since 2006 when they worked together for nearly two years at West Virginia University.  But their relationship changed three months ago when Babcock was hired as UC’s Athletic Director and became the head football coach’s boss.

“We laugh about that,” said Babcock.  “We acknowledge that up front – there are certain things that we’re friends on, and then there are other days where I have to tell him something that he doesn’t want to hear and vice versa.   I guess that’s why I wear a tie every day – so that he knows that I’m the boss.”

“Sometimes I have to tell him to loosen that tie up,” said Jones with a laugh.  “But it isn’t difficult because we have mutual respect for each other.  We’re able to separate our personal relationship and our business relationship.”

Their relationship helped produce the contract extension that Jones signed on Tuesday.  The new pact will pay the 2011 Big East Conference Coach of the Year more than 10 million dollars – before incentive bonuses – if he stays at Cincinnati for the next six seasons.

“Whit was extremely proactive right from the very beginning and that meant more to me than anything else in the contract,” said Jones.  “The way our administration was proactive at a very early stage in our season, showed me that they really believe in the foundation that we’re building, and our philosophy for what we want in our football family.”

“If I played a small role – great – but I really think it comes down to the character of our coach,” said Babcock.  “Butch is grateful for the opportunity here and as hard as he sold me on the University of Cincinnati when the A.D. job was open, I know that he cares about it and loves it.  He wants to be a part of building this thing and finishing what he started.”

Jones has won three league championships in his five years as a college head coach, including a share of the Big East title this season.  Next week, he’s expected to sign the most highly-touted recruiting class in school history.  Scout.com currently has Cincinnati’s projected class ranked #23 in the country and #1 in the Big East.

“He’s even better than I thought and I knew he was good,” said Babcock.  “People take for granted that every team plays hard every week and they don’t.  I’m just really impressed with how hard our team plays for him.  That comes from the leader.  It’s an overused term, but they would try to run through a wall for him.”

“I’m definitely excited for the university and the program,” said quarterback Zach Collaros.  “He’s done a great job of installing what he wants in a program which is family and toughness.  I think we’ve come a long way in doing what he wants and it’s only going to get better.  I’ve read that they have a great recruiting class coming in and last year’s class was great, so it’s great that Coach Jones decided to stick around.”

“I know that it doesn’t really affect me because I’m a senior, but he’s taking this program in a good direction and I want the best for the team,” said linebacker JK Schaffer.  “I am absolutely happy that he is signing a contract extension.  I see this program over the next few years climbing even higher than it has over the last four years.”

“I thought it was time that somebody stepped up and said, ‘Hey, we’re committed to being here.’” said Coach Jones.  “I’m excited about what we’re doing in this football program.  We have a lot of things to be proud of, and we’re going to continue to grow, and build, and elevate this program into elite status.”

The contract extension also includes a $250,000 increase to the salary pool for assistant coaches, raising the total to $1.85 million.

“You win with consistency and continuity and I’m excited about what we’re building and the possibilities that we have for the future,” said Coach Jones.  “The big thing for me is being able to continue to attract the best staff in the country and keep them intact and take care of them.”

There is also a sizable increase in the buyout clause that would allow Coach Jones to take another job.  It jumps from $1.08 million to $1.75 million in year one, although Babcock admits that figure probably wouldn’t scare away big budget schools.

“There’s a balancing act there,” said Babcock.  “You want the buyout to be enough so that if the coach leaves, it can help to fund your search for the next coach.  And you want it be a number that gives some people a reason to pause.  But I don’t think you want to have it at such a level that you trap a coach.  If you ultimately have a coach that doesn’t want to be here, do you really want to handcuff him?  There’s a fine line there, but I think it needs to be enough to get people’s attention and to help you – if you do have a coach leave – to conduct the search and get things in place to hire the next guy.

“But my goodness, I look at this contract as a way to have Butch here for a long time and not to figure out what the heck to do when he leaves.  I think his loyalty and love for Cincinnati played a real big role in this contract.”

Cincinnati’s previous two head football coaches – Mark Dantonio and Brian Kelly – each spent three years in Clifton.  As Jones prepares to enter his third season, he often hears from fans who tell him that they hope that he stays at UC.

“I hear that all the time and it means a lot,” said Jones.  “We have a fan base that has been extremely loyal to me since the day that I walked in, and I can’t say enough about the amount of support when things weren’t going as well as we wanted.  To me, that means everything.  This truly is a special place.”

After hitting a jumper that helped Cincinnati build a 12-point lead before halftime, Sean Kilpatrick looked up in the stands and saw a familiar face:  Former UConn star – and Bearcat-killer – Kemba Walker, now in his rookie season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

“When I hit a three in the first half, he looked at me and gave me a little wink,” Kilpatrick told me.  “He’s a New York guy like me, and having him at the game was big – especially in the middle of the NBA season.  He’s a great player and I’m happy that I got to see him.”

The last time that Kilpatrick saw Walker, the Connecticut guard ended UC’s season by scoring 33 points in the Huskies 69-58 win over the Bearcats in last year’s NCAA Tournament.  But on Wednesday night in Storrs, CT, Sean played the hero by drilling a 3-point shot with 2.5 seconds remaining to give Cincinnati a thrilling 70-67 win.

(You can watch the video here)

“The last time that I hit a game-winning buzzer beater was at White Plains (High School),” said Kilpatrick.  “This one was big and I’m happy that I got the win for the team.”

The sophomore guard could have clinched the win much earlier at the free throw line, but twice missed the front end of one-and-one foul shooting opportunities in the final 1:30.

“It would have been a tragic loss,” said head coach Mick Cronin.  “We started missing free throws when we were up by eight with our best foul shooters getting fouled.”

“That rim did me dirty,” said Kilpatrick.  “The ball was going in and it rolled out.  Coach Cronin said, ‘Don’t worry – just run back on defense.’”

But while Sean was hustling back to guard Jeremy Lamb, the Huskies’ leading scorer didn’t get the ball down the stretch.  Instead, it was UConn point guard Shabazz Napier burying three clutch treys, with the last one tying the score with 9.5 seconds to go.

“When he hit that shot, I just rolled my eyes and thought, ‘Oh no, not again,’” said Kilpatrick.  “When I looked up the scoreboard and saw that it was tied, I was like, ‘Yo!  We have got to do something.’”

Sean took matters into his own hands.  After catching the inbounds pass from JaQuon Parker, Kilpatrick dribbled into the front court, pulled up at the three point line, and calmly sank the game-winner.

“I was going to drive and try to get fouled, but once I saw my man close the lane, I was like, ‘You know what?  I’ve got to take the shot,’” Kilpatrick told me.  “It was plain to see that it was up to me to take the shot, so I took it.”

And he made it, giving the Bearcats their seventh consecutive Big East road win, and their second over a Top 15 team in the last ten days.

“They have a great team full of All-Americans, a Hall of Fame coach, and it was a sold-out arena,” said Coach Cronin.  “When you’re able to come in here and get a win, people are going to stand up and take notice.  That’s what our players want.  They want to be a ranked team whether they say it or not.  They want to be a team to be reckoned with, and they want people to respect them as individuals.  To do that, these are the type of games that you have to win.”

“I hope it opened some eyes, but you can’t really worry about that,” said Kilpatrick.  “It’s all about the Bearcats.”

Walker was clearly impressed.  As Kilpatrick walked toward UC’s team bus after the game, Kemba was waiting by the exit to congratulate Sean and exchange phone numbers.

I asked him what he thought of Kilpatrick’s dramatic shot.

“I was mad as hell,” said Walker.  “But he’s my guy so it’s all good.  He played good, man.”

**********

It was great to see former Bearcat Kenny Satterfield in attendance at Connecticut on Wednesday.  The former UC point guard who helped lead the ‘Cats to their last Sweet 16 appearance in 2001 is still playing professionally in Japan.

Come out and join us for the Mick Cronin radio show on Thursday night from 8 to 9 at the Original Montgomery Inn.  If you can’t make it, I hope you’ll tune in on 700 WLW.

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’m on Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

On the all-time list of people with magic broomsticks, you have:

A)  The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

B)  Quidditch players in the Harry Potter books.

C)  UC assistant basketball coach Larry Davis.

Huh?

OK, so maybe Larry’s broomstick isn’t magical, but it has helped turn Bearcat guard JaQuon Parker from a guy who only made three more 3-point shots than you did last year (he was 3-for-20), to a 58% shooter from beyond the arc this season (15-for-26).

Parker had a mechanical flaw where he twisted his feet in the middle of his shot, so Davis suggested that he practice shooting with a broomstick lying on the floor between his feet.

“At first I looked at him and said, ‘Are you crazy?’  But it’s been good for me,” Parker told me.  “For the first five minutes I kept landing on it.  I never fell down, but it was close.  I stumbled a few times.  He kept telling me that it would really help my shot.  It worked.”

“I was trying to find a way a long time ago to help guys that turned their feet when they shot the ball,” Coach Davis told me.  “Once you have everything lined up in a straight line to the basket it’s easy.  I decided to put a broomstick on the floor to force them to stay in a straight line with their feet.  If you don’t, you fall on the broom so that’s how it started.”

After averaging 1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 23 games last year, JaQuon is up to 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 11 games this year.  In games where Parker has made more than one basket, the Bearcats are 8-0.

“When I came back here after the summer, I was really hitting shots,” said Parker.  “The guys were all saying, ‘He can shoot now,’ so I knew I had improved.”

Broomstick aside, there is no mystery behind JaQuon’s dramatic improvement.  It’s the result of many hours of hard work in the gym.

“I told him at the end of last year that we had to have a serious talk about whether he was going to stay at Cincinnati or not,” said head coach Mick Cronin.  “Playing at the highest level means that you have to be totally committed and you have to develop your game on offense.  You can’t just show up at practice and be a good guy and play hard on defense.  You have to be a totally committed basketball player.  He took it to heart and he did it.  You have to give him all of the credit because he did a great job in the off-season.”

“He let me know that if I worked hard, I would be an important piece next season, so I took that seriously,” said Parker.

But even before that conversation with his head coach, Parker realized that he needed to improve his work ethic.

“I think it was the second-to-last game last year,” said Coach Davis.  “We were out doing shooting drills before the game and he looked at me and said, ‘Coach, I blew it.’  I said, ‘What do you mean JaQuon?’  And he said, ‘I didn’t work last summer like I should have.  I have nobody to blame but myself.  That’s not going to happen again.  I’m going to work my butt off and when I come back, I’m going to play.  I am going to play.’”

“When I went home, I worked out with Maurice Riddick who played professionally overseas,” said Parker.  “He’s a real close friend to the family and I got a chance to work out with him every day for the month-and-a-half that I was home.”

“He definitely came back in the fall a much more confident basketball player,” said Coach Cronin.

And while Parker is not likely to remain a 58% 3-point shooter, he’s just as unlikely to go back to being the player who did not make a trey in his last 11 games last season.

“Oh man, it was really tough,” said Parker.  “I think I tried too hard to make shots instead of just going out there and shooting it.  Just seeing the ball go through the net helped me get my confidence back.  It’s a lot more fun when you’re making shots.”

**********

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

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And I’m on Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

As I type this sentence, it is 12:27 on Thursday afternoon – roughly 15 ½ hours since the Bearcats won their 7^th straight game by beating Notre Dame 71-55.

I wonder if Jeremiah Davis is still in the gym shooting.

After every Cincinnati home game, long after the fans have exited and the only people in the stands are members of the cleanup crew, Davis can be seen launching shot after shot after shot.

“I started doing that this year,” Davis told me after the Notre Dame win.  “Things weren’t going the best for me at the beginning of the year and I’m here to play basketball, so I might as well be in the gym.  I’ve definitely noticed a difference.”

Haven’t we all.

The freshman guard from Muncie, IN did not score a point in his first four college games and went 0-4 from 3-point range.  But in his six games since, Davis is averaging 7.0 points in 13 minutes of playing time, and has drilled 8 of 13 treys (62%).

“He loves basketball and he’s not afraid to put in the work,” said head coach Mick Cronin.  “He’s got great parents that have instilled a great work ethic in him.  In recruiting, when you get a chance to meet a kid’s parents, you know what he is going to be about, because you know you’re going to get support from home.  He understands that hard work pays off because that’s what his family is about and that’s what he is about.”

“I appreciate Coach Cronin for saying that,” said Davis.  “Coach Cronin is a great guy too.  Sometimes people misjudge him a little bit, but he’s a great guy.  He’s a coach you definitely want to play for.  That’s why I came here.”

Davis played a key role in Wednesday’s win over the Fighting Irish.  Cincinnati held an 8-point lead when Sean Kilpatrick went to the bench with foul trouble with 10:23 remaining in the first half.  Davis helped UC quickly increase the lead to 13 points by scoring eight points in the next four minutes.

“In the first half after SK got his second foul, Notre Dame went exclusively to the zone,” said Coach Cronin.  “Dion (Dixon) was struggling and Jeremiah Davis gave us a huge lift.  Their zone was effective – we only scored 31 points in the first half – but it would have been even more effective if it wasn’t for Jeremiah Davis stepping up and knocking in some shots and giving us solid defense.”

“My teammates did a great job of getting me open,” said Davis.  “I just try to be a team player and everything worked out.”

Davis is not the only Bearcat freshman who has made a big contribution during the winning streak.  Jermaine Sanders went 5-for-5 from 3-point range in wins over Wright State and Radford, Ge’Lawn Guyn scored a career-high 11 points against Chicago State, and Kelvin Gaines had 7 blocks in the same game.

“I like our mix right now because our freshman can really help, but there’s not a lot of pressure on them,” said Coach Cronin.  “It might be Jeremiah one game, Ge’Lawn another game, Jermaine Sanders another game…those guys are going to jump up and help us.  But it’s nice that they’re coming off the bench.  Three or four years ago, we were trying to win with Yancy and Dion starting in their freshman year in this league.  You just can’t do it.”

Davis knows his role and is embracing it.

“I’m having fun,” Jeremiah told me.  “I love Bearcat Nation, I love Cincinnati, I love my family and coaches.  It’s a great time right now.  After that brawl, everybody got closer together.  I think you can tell on the court.  We love each other and we’re going to do anything we can for each other.”

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’m on Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

A good friend of mine sent me a text message moments after the Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns in my first regular season game behind the mic.

“Was it as awesome as you thought it would be?” he wrote.

“Better,” I responded.

A great win for the Bengals was accompanied by a fine whine from the Browns after Bruce Gradkowski’s game-winning touchdown pass to A.J. Green with 4:28 remaining.

With Cleveland’s defense just breaking the huddle on 3^rd-and-11, the Bengals used a quick-snap to catch the Browns napping.

“Our coaches knew it would work,” Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham told me.  “That’s why Coach Gruden called it.  We practiced it and he dialed it up at the right time and it was wide-open like he said it would be.”

“Yeah, they quick-snapped us,” said Cleveland head coach Pat Shurmur after the game. “I have to watch the tape, but it’s my understanding that they changed personnel, lined-up and then quick-snapped it. There are rules that go along with that, so we’ll see.  My understanding is when the offense changes personnel, the defense is allowed to do so as well and have time to do it. We’ll see if that actually happened.”

Apparently not.  On Monday, an NFL source told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the Bengals did not have a substitution violation.

“I have not looked at the game tape to determine exactly what happened in terms of substitutions, but it doesn’t sound like they substituted,” my broadcast partner Dave Lapham explained on Monday.  “It’s the umpire’s discretion.  If he sees a substitution by the offense, he puts his foot on the football until he feels the defense has had enough time to match that substitution.  Once he takes his foot off of the football it’s a live game.

“For the Cleveland Browns, it was just a lack of communication – they didn’t get the play called in the defensive huddle in time.  They just kind of looked at the Bengals offense and said, ‘Whoops…this is a do-over.’  It was like a backyard game and they said, ‘We’re not ready.  You have to line-up again.’  It ended up costing them the football game.”

It was A.J. Green’s only catch in his NFL debut, and couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It goes down in history,” said Green with a grin.  “It feels so good to just give back to the fans because they deserve this win.  I’ve told everybody that this team is going to be special.  I’m glad we got this win to start the season off right.  Now it’s time to get back to work.”

* * * * *

One of the standouts on defense in the Cleveland win was safety Reggie Nelson who led the Bengals with 9 tackles and had one of their two sacks.

But immediately after the victory, Nelson was upset about letting Mohamed Massaquoi get behind him for a 56-yard reception that led to Cleveland’s second touchdown.

“Bad eyes,” said Nelson.  “That’s all I’m going to say about that.  We can’t have that on defense.”

“He was happy that we won, but he is his own biggest critic, and he was not happy about his own performance,” said defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle.  “When I went over and tried to talk to him about it, I could sense that, and I just wanted him to realize that I was glad that he was disappointed about the plays that he didn’t make, but he also needed to understand that the plays that he did make helped us win the game.”

Cincinnati obtained Nelson in a trade with Jacksonville just before the start of last season.  After starting five of the last six games last year, Reggie is the clear-cut starter at free safety this year.

“Reggie is a talented athlete and the more experience that he gets in our system, the better he plays,” said Coyle.  “As we’ve gone through preseason, we started to see him get more and more comfortable in his role.  When he can just line up out there and see the big picture of things and just react, he is really a fine, fine athlete.  He’s got good movement, he’s got toughness, and he’s got great ball skills too – we haven’t seen him pick the ball off yet, but that’s coming.”

Nelson was a first-round draft pick (21^st overall) by the Jaguars in 2007 after winning the Jack Tatum Award as the nation’s top defensive back at the University of Florida.

“I believe that Reggie has upper-level athletic ability for the position,” said Coyle.  “We just have to get it out of him.  There’s a difference between having the ability and taking that ability into the role of the position.  I think in the preseason, you started to see that occurring, and we saw a lot of it in Cleveland.  It’s the consistency level that he still needs to achieve, but if he does, I really believe that you can compare him with guys that are in the upper-level of safeties in the league.”

* * * * *   

What can I say – I like nicknames.

As the play-by-play announcer for UC, I occasionally called Melvin Levett “The Helicopter”, Darnell Wilks “The Pogo Stick”, Dominick Goodman “The Wizard”, and Tony Pike “The Pistol.”

And yes, even though I am well-aware of the fact that Andy Dalton is not blessed with an Elway-like howitzer, I thought “The Red Rifle” had a nice ring to it.

Your responses have been abundant and amusing.

I would say that based on e-mail and tweets, the feedback has been 60/40 in favor.  However, those of you that don’t like it really don’t like it.

The typical favorable response has been, “Hey Dan…good nickname for Dalton.”  The typical negative response has been, “THAT’S THE MOST IDIOTIC THING I’VE EVER HEARD AND YOU’RE MAKING ME WANT TO BASH MY RADIO WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER.”

Since Dalton says he likes the nickname and Boomer Esiason used it on the The NFL Today this week, “The Red Rifle” lives.

But I promise to use it sparingly, OK?

* * * * *

I will soon be blogging on Bengals.com and will have a new e-mail address, but for now, I’d love to hear from you at dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’m on Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

Someday in the not-too-distant future, Will Middlebrooks could replace Kevin Youkilis as the Boston Red Sox third baseman.  But rather than fiercely protecting his turf, Youkilis could be seen giving Middlebrooks pointers at third base prior to Wednesday’s game between Pawtucket and Rochester at Frontier Field.

“I’ve heard that he’s a great third baseman and a player of the future,” Youkilis told me.  “It’s nothing that I worry about because whatever is going to happen is going to happen.  If I play for the Boston Red Sox for the rest of my career that’s great.  But for me, I just want to have as much fun as I can, try to win as many World Series as possible before I leave, and have no regrets.”

“He easily could not want to have anything to do with me and that’s human nature,” Middlebrooks said.  “But he’s a great guy and acts like he’s one of us.  It’s been a lot of fun to have him around.”

(Photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

Youkilis spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Pawtucket on a rehab assignment (going 2-for-8 with a home run), and the 22-year-old Middlebrooks paid close attention to the 3-time All-Star.

“I’m not in the lineup today because he’s playing third base and I wasn’t going to take any ground balls,” Middlebrooks said.  “But I saw him out there and I said, ‘This is a great opportunity to go be a sponge and ask questions.’  He’s a great guy to talk to because he handles the hot corner pretty well.”

Middlebrooks – currently rated as Boston’s top minor league prospect by Soxprospects.com – has struggled since being promoted from Double-A Portland to Pawtucket on August 19^th.  Will is batting .150 (6-for-40) with no extra base hits in 12 games with the PawSox.   

“Initially, I heard that the biggest jump was from High-A to Double-A, but I would have to say that going from Double-A to Triple-A is a bigger jump,” Middlebrooks said.  “You have older pitchers who have played in the big leagues and they don’t miss over the middle of the plate.  You don’t see many pitches over the middle of the plate – even in hitter’s counts.  You have to learn how to hit that pitch off of the corners. 

“I can’t complain – you probably expect me to be frustrated at this point because I’m hitting some balls hard and not getting anything out of it, but right now I’m gauging my games on quality at-bats.  If I swing at a good pitch and hit it hard, then I did all that I could do.”

Let the record show that in Kevin Youkilis’s first taste of Triple-A ball in 2003, he batted .165 in 32 games with Pawtucket.  There’s a lesson to be learned there too.

* * * * *

The opening game of the two-game series in Rochester was Zoo Night, as the Red Wings wore special jerseys that were auctioned off to raise money for a new exhibit at the Rochester Zoo.

But after seeing the jerseys, I almost thought it was the Red Wings way of wishing me good luck as I leave the International League for a broadcasting position with the Cincinnati Bengals.

(Photo courtesy of the Rochester Red Wings)

See what I mean?

* * * * *

Despite a 4-2 loss in Rochester on Wednesday, the PawSox magic number for winning the IL North was reduced to 2 as second-place Lehigh Valley lost to Scranton/WB.

As a result, Pawtucket could clinch its first division title since 2003 as soon as Friday night, as the PawSox open a 4-game homestand at McCoy Stadium.

Friday is PawSox Card Set night as the first 5,000 fans get the PawSox Baseball Card Set.  It should be a great night at McCoy.

I’d love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’ve finally joined Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

This season, it would probably take less time for Kevin Youkilis to tell you which body parts don’t hurt than which ones do.

(Photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

The three-time All-Star played through hip, ankle, and shoulder pain before finally going on the disabled list on August 18^th with a lower back strain.

“They pulled me in after a game and said, ‘Let’s go get an MRI.’  I needed it,” Youkilis said.  “I couldn’t run well, I couldn’t bend over well, and I’m the type of player that will play through a lot of injuries and I might hurt myself more.  So we went in and got the MRI done and the next day they gave me an epidural.  They gave me the injection to help me out, so I rested for three days because that’s how long it takes for the shot to kick in and get you feeling a little bit better.  After that, for the next seven days we’ve been rehabbing and slowly progressing into baseball activities.

“I tend not to give out all of my injuries because, quite honestly, I never like to use them as an excuse.  Every year you have nagging stuff that bothers you and you’re never 100 percent.  But you find a way, get treatment, and figure it out.  Some days you’re hurting and you pop in a couple of Advil and you go out there and do your job.  Hopefully, I’ll have no problems for September and October and do some great things and stay healthy.

Youkilis and J.D. Drew joined the PawSox on 2-day rehab assignments on Tuesday, and both looked good in Pawtucket’s 8-6 loss at Rochester.  Drew singled in each of his three of his at-bats before leaving the game in the 5^th inning, and Youkilis went 1-for-4 with a walk.  Kevin also lined a shot under the glove of Rochester third baseman Chase Lambin that was scored an error.    

Youkilis was Pawtucket’s designated hitter on Tuesday, so I figured that he would be making frequent trips to the clubhouse to get updates on the opening game of the Red Sox/Yankees series at Fenway Park, but Kevin said that his full attention would be on the action at Rochester’s Frontier Field.

“It’s fun to watch a lot of these young guys because they could be future teammates of mine,” Youkilis said.  “Also, some guys might have questions during the game and I feel like I might be able to help out.  If they have questions about baseball or anything in life, I’ll try to give them a little insight.  And hopefully, I can help them win because they’re in a pennant race too.”

Since Lehigh Valley lost in 14 innings to Scranton/WB, Pawtucket’s magic number for clinching the IL North is down to three.  If the PawSox make the playoffs and go on to win the Governor’s Cup, will Youkilis want a ring?

“I don’t want the PawSox to spend money on a ring for me,” Youkilis said.  “Hopefully I get the proper ring in the 2011 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.”

I’d love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’ve finally joined Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

When Ryan Lavarnway belted 8 home runs during a 10-game stretch in mid-July, his Pawtucket teammates started calling him “Babe”… as in Ruth.

They had no idea what that meant to the 24-year-old slugger.

“I actually have been obsessed with Babe Ruth since I was a little kid,” Lavarnway told me.  “I ended up writing a 20-page term paper about him at Yale.  I read the version of his autobiography that he typed on his typewriter with coffee stains and editing marks on it.  So I have a pretty close relationship with him – as close as it can be since he’s not living and I didn’t actually know him.  It was pretty cool that the guys started joking around like that because I have such affection for him.”

(Photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

After making his major league debut on August 18^th and spending eight days with Boston, Lavarnway returned to the PawSox on Monday and lived up to his nickname with a “Ruthian” home run at PNC Field in Moosic, PA.  The towering shot over the left field wall was Lavarnway’s 31^st HR of the season and helped Pawtucket split a doubleheader against Scranton/WB, winning the second game 2-0 after losing the opener 3-0.

Since Lehigh Valley dropped both games of a doubleheader against Syracuse, the PawSox have a 2-game lead over the second-place IronPigs in the IL North with six games remaining.

“Hopefully, I can get back up (to Boston) after I help Pawtucket clinch a playoff spot,” Lavarnway said.  “I’m going to assume I’m here until I hear otherwise.”

Lavarnway did well in his first major league stint, batting .304 with 2 2B and 3 RBI in 7 games with the Red Sox. 

“I’m pretty happy about it,” Ryan said.  “I’ve been getting some grief about not hitting a homer up there from just about everybody that I know, but I had a great time, we won some games, and I was happy to be there.  Hopefully I get back up there and help the team win.”

Naturally, Lavarnway was subjected to some good-natured rookie hazing.

“I had to carry water bottles and drinks for the guys on the bus and hand them out – that was about it,” Ryan said.  “Major league baseball for the players is definitely a fraternity and the fact that they kind of make you earn your way makes you feel like you belong once you’ve served your time.”

According to Lavarnway, he has to spend at least seven days with Pawtucket before he’s eligible to return to Boston.  Manager Terry Francona publically stated that Ryan will be recalled as soon as possible, so Lavarnway is likely to rejoin the Red Sox on Monday, September 5^th in time for a 7-game road trip to Toronto and Tampa Bay.  Since his first major league games were in Kansas City and Texas, Ryan is looking forward to eventually getting to play in a big league game at Fenway Park. 

“I’m definitely excited about my first experience at Fenway,” Lavarnway said.  “The Fenway faithful have been great to me coming up through the minor leagues with all of the support they’ve shown, so I’m excited to get up there for that.”

It’s about time there was another Babe at Fenway Park.

* * * * *

The PawSox will look to take another step toward their first division title since 2003 as they open a 2-game series at Rochester on Tuesday at 7:05. Pawtucket is expected to have Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew in the lineup as they begin brief 2-game rehab stints. 

I hope you’ll join us for radio coverage beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and pawsox.com.

I’d love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’ve finally joined Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

What’s gotten into Daniel Nava?

(Photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

In his last 14 games, the 28-year-old outfielder has blasted 7 home runs in 68 at-bats (after hitting 3 HR in his first 348 AB).  Since Nava always pays close attention to nutrition, his power surge cannot be attributed to suddenly increasing the spinach or salmon in his diet.  In fact, Michael Bowden is the only player on the team that rivals Nava for the title of “healthiest eater.”

“I smoke Bowden – he’s got nothing on my healthy eating habits – I would like that to be on the record,” Nava said with a laugh.  “All joking aside, Bowden is actually a very healthy eater.  Nothing has really changed for me.  I don’t try to hit home runs so when they do go out it’s a nice surprise.  Sometimes you just go through streaks and I’m just trying to be as relaxed as possible.  That’s one thing this year has really taught me because I was pressing a lot in the beginning.  It’s been a good thing to learn that that’s what I need to do to put myself in a good position to hit.”

After batting .326/.416/.504 at the minor league level in his first 3 years in the Red Sox organization, Nava opened this season by batting .159 with 0 HR in April.  His batting average didn’t climb above The Mendoza Line for good until May 27^th.  While Nava’s overall stats are still not what he’s accustomed to, Daniel has lifted his average to .264 (.367 OBP) with 24 doubles, 1 triple, and 10 home runs.

“The challenging part was trying so hard to put things together and getting the exact opposite result,” Nava said.  “I felt some expectations and I just pressed.  Struggles definitely have a benefit to them and I’m glad that this season has happened.  I’ve learned a lot about just getting back to who I am.”

One of Nava’s recent home runs came at Fenway Park in the “Futures at Fenway” event on August 20^th.  Daniel launched a shot to deep right-center in his first at-bat – much like the grand slam he hit in his big league debut last season.

“It was kind of funny,” Nava said.  “When I got back to the dugout, guys had some things to say about that.

“(Hearing about the grand slam) brings back good memories and reminds me of the road that I’ve taken to get to this point.  At the same time, if you ask anybody, if you get a shot up there and you make a good impression or even a bad impression, you want to get up there again and contribute in some way.  So I’m happy and grateful that it happened, but I’d love to get back up there and not have that be the only thing.  But at the same time, if that is the only thing, it’s not something that I’m going to complain about.”

While Nava has not received a big league call-up so far this season, it has been a great year in other respects.  Daniel got engaged during the all-star break, and is looking forward to doing some wedding planning when the season is finished.

“I’m driving back home to California and I’m going to enjoy my drive and then I’m going to spend as much time as I can with my fiancé and work on the wedding,” Nava said.  “I’m going to spend about a month relaxing and then I’m going to get back into it and start getting ready again.”

Something tells me that they’ll have a fat-free wedding cake.

* * * * *    

Thank heavens that the PawSox stay at a nice hotel in Scranton.

Due to Hurricane Irene, the PawSox and Scranton/WB Yankees were unable to play on Saturday and Sunday meaning that the team is basically marooned at its hotel before returning to action in a doubleheader on Monday at 5:35.

Lehigh Valley won at Louisville on Saturday night, meaning that the PawSox have a 1-game lead in the IL North with 8 games to go.

Ryan Lavarnway is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday after being optioned from Boston over the weekend, and the PawSox are also expected to have Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew join the team for brief rehab stints on Tuesday and Wednesday in Rochester.

The PawSox return home for their final 4-game homestand of the regular season on Friday.

I’d love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I’ve finally joined Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

When Will Middlebrooks – the Boston Red Sox top-rated minor league prospect – got promoted from Double-A Portland to Pawtucket last Friday, one of his first phone calls went to New England Patriots rookie quarterback Ryan Mallett.

(Photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

“It definitely was because I had to sleep somewhere,” Middlebrooks said with a laugh.  “Ryan was one of my best friends growing up and that’s who I’m living with right now.  It’s about a 20 minute drive, but he won’t let me pay him anything for rent so I’m not going to argue with him.”

Middlebrooks first weekend with the PawSox was a whirlwind.  He had fewer than 2 hours of sleep following an all-night bus trip with the Portland Sea Dogs on Friday when he was told to packs his bags and drive to Pawtucket.  On Saturday, the PawSox bused back-and-forth to Boston for a game at Fenway Park, followed by an afternoon game at McCoy Stadium on Sunday.  Perhaps it should have been no surprise when the sleep-deprived Middlebrooks went 0-for-11 with 6 strikeouts in his first three Triple-A games.

But the 22-year-old third baseman said that he wasn’t concerned about the slow start before going 2-for-4 in Pawtucket’s 3-2 win over Syracuse on Monday.

“You would think that I am, but I’m really not worried,” Middlebrooks told me.  “I’m up here having fun and I’m getting settled in.  I know I can hit, so it’s not a problem.  Sunday night was my first full-night of sleep I guess you could say and I feel like a new guy today – I can tell you that.”

Middlebrooks is having an exceptional season, batting a combined .296/.340/.525 with 26 doubles, 21 HR, and 86 RBI in 104 games for Portland (96 games), Pawtucket (4 games), and Single-A Lowell (4 game rehab stint).  After beginning the season as Boston’s 13^th-best prospect according to SoxProspects.com, Will has climbed to the top spot on the list.

“It’s an honor with all of the good players that we have in this organization for people to think that highly of me,” Middlebrooks said.  “It goes back to the coaching that I’ve had and the teammates that I’ve been able to learn from.  It’s all come together as far as my approach and my plan is concerned.”

Middlebooks was a 5^th round draft pick out of Liberty-Eylau HS in Texas, and turned down a baseball/football scholarship at Texas A&M to sign with the Red Sox in 2007.  Will was a star quarterback on the high school football team – just like his current roommate Mallett.

“I think we met in about 6^th grade in a little town called Hooks, Texas – where (former Heisman Trophy winner) Billy Sims is from actually,” Middlebrooks said.  “Our dads coached together and we were the little ball boys on Friday nights for the football team.  We always hung out together through middle school and high school, but we were both quarterbacks so we went to separate high schools.  But we still spent a lot of time with each other and competing against each other and it was a lot of fun.”

Middlebrooks was in attendance on August 11^th at Gillette Stadium to see Mallett’s spectacular pre-season debut for New England, when the Patriots third-round draft pick went 12-for-19 for 164 yards and a TD pass in a 47-12 rout of Jacksonville.

“We played at noon that day and had an off-day the next day, so I was able to drive down and watch him play,” Middlebrooks said.  “He loves the situation that he’s in.  Of course he would love to come in and play right away, but he wants to learn and get better and there is no better duo to learn from than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.” 

Mallett has reached the NFL and now Middlebrooks is one step away from the big leagues.

“I really wasn’t expecting to get promoted to Triple-A this late in the season,” Will said.  “You play for a promotion and to get better every day, so it felt good to get the call.  I was extremely sleepy, but extremely excited at the same time.”

* * * * *

The PawSox have a 1-game lead in the IL North with 13 games to go as they conclude a homestand against Syracuse on Tuesday at 7:05.  I hope you’ll join us for radio coverage beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and pawsox.com.

I’d love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
 
And I’ve finally joined Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.