Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Pacers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Knicks at Heat, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Thunder at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Boston University at Stony Brook, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Iona at Fairfield, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

SATURDAY:
NBA: Kings at Jazz, 9 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: St. John’s at Duke, noon (ESPN)
College basketball: Marquette at Villanova, noon (ESPN2)
College basketball: West Virginia at Syracuse, 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Texas at Baylor, 1 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Georgetown at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Virginia at NC State, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: St. Mary’s at Brigham Young, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)

SUNDAY:
NHL: All-Star Game, 4 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Cavaliers at Celtics, 6 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Bulls at Heat, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
NBA: Spurs at Mavericks, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Michigan at Ohio State, 1 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Georgia Tech at North Carolina, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, team president Bill Polian (middle) and owner Jim Irsay were all smiles after Manning agreed to a five-year contract last summer. Now, Polian has been fired and Irsay isn't happy with Manning's comments about the team's troubles. (AP)

♦ Two days after Peyton Manning publicly lamented the Colts’ situation, team owner Jim Irsay criticized the franchise quarterback, calling him a “politician.”

“I don’t think it’s in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light, I really don’t,” Irsay told reporters Thursday following the introduction of new coach Chuck Pagano. “The horseshoe always comes first, and I think one thing he’s always known, because he’s been around it so long, is that, you know, you keep it in the family. If you’ve got a problem you talk to each other, it’s not about campaigning or anything like that.”

Manning, who missed the 2011 season following neck surgery, apparently got the message.

“At this point, Mr. Irsay and I owe it to each other and to the fans of the organization to handle this appropriately and professionally, and I think we will. I’ve already reached out to Mr. Irsay,” Manning told The Indianapolis Star. “I wasn’t trying to paint the Colts in a bad light, but it’s tough when so many people you’ve known for so long are suddenly leaving. I feel very close to a lot of these guys and we’ve done great things together. It’s hard to watch an old friend clean out his office. That’s all I was trying to say.

“I just want to keep rehabbing and working hard, and when the time is right for Mr. Irsay and I to sit down, I look forward to a healthy conversation about my future. I’ve worked too hard and have such great respect and have so many great relationships inside the building and out, and it’s incredibly important that those remain.”

♦ What started out as an apparent case of team loyalty over individual glory has spiraled into a major embarrassment for Yale. Quarterback Patrick Witt had announced on Nov. 13 that he would play against Harvard six days later, the same day he had a scheduled interview with the Rhodes scholarship committee, thus ending his candidacy.

His coach, Tom Williams, implied that he faced a similar decision when at Stanford, but that turned out to be misleading at best, an outright lie at worst. Williams, who made similar inaccurate claims on his resume, resigned in December while the school was investigating.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that there was a more compelling reason why Witt did not interview for the award. Witt had been accused of sexual assault by a fellow student, and when the Rhodes Trust learned of the accusation, it suspended Witt’s candidacy.

Meanwhile, Yale’s new coach has been making some news of his own. Tony Reno left his job as a Harvard assistant to return to the school where he had been an assistant for five seasons. He has proceeded to take three other Harvard assistants with him, leaving the defending Ivy League champion Crimson scrambling to rebuild the staff.

“Obviously, it’s an unusual, if not unprecedented, situation,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy told The Boston Globe. “They obviously made lucrative offers to our assistant coaches. That’s why they are no longer working at Harvard.”

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Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

THURSDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Celtics at Magic, 8 p.m. (CSNNE, TNT; WEEI)
NBA: Grizzlies at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: Boston College at Virginia, 9 p.m. (ESPNU; WRKO)
College basketball: NC State at North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Indiana at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHL: All-Star draft, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Tom Brady continues to have success on and off the field. (AP)

♦ Bloomberg Businessweek released its annual list of the “Power 100″ athletes — comprising on- and off-field attributes — and Tom Brady ranks third. The Patriots quarterback is behind two other NFL quarterbacks: Drew Brees and runner-up Aaron Rodgers. Brady, whose key sponsors include Under Armour, Audi, Ugg and Stetson Cologne, was fifth last year.

Brady’s counterpart in the Super Bowl, Giants QB Eli Manning, is 15th. The next Boston athlete on the list is Celtics big man Kevin Garnett, at No. 54 (seven spot down from last year). Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski checks in at No. 77, and Wes Welker is No. 95.

♦ Forbes has its list of the most valuable NBA teams, and the Lakers have taken the No. 1 spot from the Knicks. A 20-year television deal with Time Warner Cable that averages $200 million a year helped boost the team’s value to $900 million. The Lakers are followed by the Knicks ($780 million), Bulls ($600 million) and Mavericks ($497 million).

At No. 6 is the Celtics, who also signed a new media deal last year. The C’s extended their agreement with CSNNE 20 years through 2038 and got a 20 percent equity stake in the network. That boosts the team’s value to $482 million, up 7 percent from last year.

♦ Lightning fans are campaigning to save the job of the woman who dressed as the team mascot, Thunderbug. Kelly Frank was fired after an incident with a Bruins fan during a game last week (video below). She sprayed Silly String on the B’s fan’s head. He got mad, pushed the mascot and had to be restrained.

The team said the incident wasn’t the only reason for the dismissal but refused to divulge any more information.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Frank also once performed as the Rays mascot, Raymond, but was fired at the end of the 2008 season.

♦ The NFL will suspend its policy against players tweeting within 90 minutes of games and will provide a computer station on the sideline for players to tweet from the Pro Bowl this weekend.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 26, 1997, the Patriots lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21. Who was the Patriots’ leading receiver, with six catches for 67 yards and one touchdown?

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The Timberwolves made a key move Wednesday in keeping a strong, promising core of young players together in the Twin Cities, as All-Star forward Kevin Love agreed a four-year contract extension with the team.

Tweeted Love: To #twolves fans: I’ll be in Minnesota for 4 more years! Excited to see you when I get back to Minneapolis.

The deal includes a player option in the final year of a four-year deal worth in excess of $60 million, according to ESPN.

Now in his fourth NBA season, Love is averaging 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds per game through Minnesota’s first 17 games this season. For his career, Love has averaged 15.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

Love, a UCLA product, is coming off of a 2010-11 season in which he made his first All-Star team and was voted as the NBA’s Most Improved Player. In addition to his various honors last season, Love also recorded 53 consecutive games with a double-double, the longest streak since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.

Welcome to Wednesday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WEDNESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Pacers at Bulls, 8 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Clippers at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Villanova at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Missouri at Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Duke at Maryland, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Red Wings at Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Kicker Lawrence Tynes (9) and punter/holder Steve Weatherford (5) celebrate after Tynes' overtime kick Sunday sent the Giants to the Super Bowl. (AP)

♦ The rivalry between the Patriots and Giants does not compare to both teams’ dislike for the Jets. On Tuesday, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes took a shot at Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff for comments Westhoff made early in the season about Giants punter Steve Weatherford, a former Jet.

“There were times when he just didn’t do the job. … Wasn’t good enough, in my opinion,” Westhoff said of Weatherford, who averaged 42.6 yards per punt in 2010 for the Jets.

“Unbelievable. That’s the worst statement of the year by any coach in this game,” Tynes said. “How could you say that? You just broke an NFL record for your team and you throw him under the bus. We’re glad to have him. Mike Westhoff is a great coach, but I certainly think he missed on that one.”

Responded Westhoff: “Tynes should mind his own business.”

After switching to the Giants this season, Weatherford averaged a career-best 45.7 yards per punt.

“I think a lot of it has to do with playing for Tom Quinn and being comfortable and being confident and being strong,” Weatherford said. “I think playing for the Jets and playing for that positional coach was draining. I thought it was difficult. It was physically taxing.”

Weatherford said he did not speak to Westhoff when the teams meet in Week 16 and has not spoken to his former coach all year.

“To be honest with you, personally I don’t have anything to say to him,” Weatherford said. “I think I’ve kind of let my play speak for itself. That’s what I was planning on doing. It’s just motivation. It’s kind of like the situation — somebody’s trash is another man’s treasure. I’m trying my best to be Tom Coughlin’s treasure.”

♦ New Astros owner Jim Crane announced Monday that he is considering changing the name of the team as it prepares for a move to the American League in 2013. In the Houston Chronicle, Jerome Solomon writes that Crane should worry about changing the team from a loser to a winner and leave the name alone.

♦ Jeff Fedotin at The PostGame has the story of Mamadou Ndiaye, a 7-foot-5, 310-pound basketball player from Senegal who plays at a a Christian high school in Southern California. “We’ve played with big kids before, but this is … different,” and opposing coach said. “It looks like a dad playing with a bunch of little kids.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 25, 1956, which former Red Sox infielder and manager was elected to the Hall of Fame?

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Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin was suspended without pay for three games Monday for a hit on Penguins defenseman Zbynek Michalek during Sunday’s 4-3 Penguins overtime win. Ovechkin’s hit was ruled illegal as he charged toward Michalek in the corner and left his feet to launch his body “recklessly” into Michalek’s head. Michalek was not injured on the play.

Ovechkin’s suspension will cost him $154,677.75, according to the NHL. The suspension is Ovechkin’s third in the last three seasons (he has also been fined twice for his hits), but it is all the more noteworthy considering Ovechkin is slated to participate in the NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa this weekend.

According to TSN analyst Bob McKenzie, Ovechkin will likely withdraw from the All-Star Game due to his suspension.

“No firm decision’s been made on anything, but all accounts would lead us to believe that there will be some decisions in Washington [Tuesday] with the Capitals, with Ovechkin about this issue,” McKenzie said on TSN show “Insider Trading” Monday night. “I would bet right now that Alexander Ovechkin’s going to want to withdraw from the NHL All-Star Game.

“The sense seems to be that the NHL would not make a big issue if Alexander Ovechkin said he were uncomfortable being at All-Star Weekend as a suspended player.”

Ovechkin has been a participant in the All-Star Game every season since breaking into the league in 2005-06.

Caroline Wozniacki lost to Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open (AP).

It was another major, another loss for Caroline Wozniacki, who fell to Kim Clijsters 6-3, 7-6 (4) in quarterfinal action Tuesday at the Australian Open. Wozniacki will lose her No. 1  world ranking due to the defeat, as she had to reach the semifinals in order to stay in the top spot of the Women’s Tennis Association rankings.

Clijsters, the defending Australian Open champion, will play third-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals of the year’s first Grand Slam. The 28-year-old Belgian is looking to improve her No. 14 ranking with her second Australian Open win and her fifth career Grand Slam win.

Clijsters seemed to be struggling following a difficult fourth-round win over fifth-seed Li Na. Clijsters needed three sets to beat the 29-year-old and sprained her left ankle in that match.

For Wozniacki, the loss in Melbourne adds fire to the criticism of her as one of the world’s top women tennis players since Wozniacki has never won a major. The 21-year-old has reached the finals of a Slam only once in her five-year career, when Clijsters beat her 7-5, 6-3 at the US Open in 2009.

Wozniacki, who is only 21, downplayed her loss Tuesday by expressing confidence that she has plenty of tennis left in her and plenty of time to win a major.

“You know, I will get it back eventually, so I’m not worried,” Wozniacki said. Critics “talk to me like I’m finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out. The fact is I still have quite a few good years in front of me.”

In other action in Melbourne Tuesday, both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal punched their tickets into the quarterfinals. Federer cruised past Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 while Nadal battled to beat Tomas Berdych in a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-3 affair. Federer and Nadal will face each other in the semifinals.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will look to continue his defense of his 2011 Australian Open win when he faces fifth-seeded David Ferrer Wednesday.

Welcome to Monday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

TUESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NHL: Bruins at Capitals, 7 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Wild at Avalanche, 9 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Michigan at Purdue, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Kentucky at Georgia, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Miami at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

Jim Harbaugh has a beef with the officials after the Niners lost to the Giants in the NFC championship game. (AP)

♦ With 2:29 remaining in Sunday’s NFC championship game, Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled the ball on the New York 21-yard line and it was recovered by the 49ers. However, the officials ruled that Bradshaw’s forward progress had been stopped, so the Giants retained possession. That doesn’t sit well with 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who compared the play to the infamous tuck rule call that helped Tom Brady and the Patriots defeat the Raiders in the Snow Bowl 10 years ago.

“In my opinion, that was a fumble,” Harbaugh said Monday. “I’m sure the league will defend it and the officials will defend it. But to me, that play was still going on. There was still struggling by Bradshaw. … I felt like it was analogous with the tuck rule.”

♦ Former Lakers forward Robert Horry offered his take on the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant feud, blaming Phil Jackson for inciting the two players.

“I think Phil Jackson started that feud,” Horry told a Russian sports website. “It happened many times that after team practice he would say, “Kobe said this about Shaq, and Shaq said that about Kobe. … We couldn’t believe how could that happen, because just the day before we saw them together, jumping on one another. Phil liked it when there was conflict of some sort.

“I always tell people; if you look at those championships, you’ll see who were the closest players on the team. Normally those are the guys who are the first to hug each other. And when we were winning, it was always Shaq and Kobe who hugged. I think this will answer your question. Later it was blown out of proportion by the media, and both players started doing something that didn’t make sense.”

♦ Real Clear Sports has a list of the 10 most hyped foreign players. Daisuke Matsuzaka is No. 5, and Hideo Nomo, another Japanese pitcher who spent some time with the Red Sox, is No. 9. Yao Ming takes the top spot, ahead of Pele and Hideki Matsui.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 24, 1971, which Bruin was honored in a pregame ceremony before the B’s beat the Canadiens, 4-2, to extend their home winning streak to 15?

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There have been a number of reports in the past 24 hours indicating that University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly planned to accept the Buccaneers’ job offer and then changed his mind. On Monday morning, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik confirmed that Kelly will not join the team.

“His heart is with college football and Oregon, and he’s no longer being considered,” Dominik told the Tampa Bay Times.

Kelly reportedly met with Bucs executives last week and canceled a recruiting trip in order to finalize his contract with the NFL team. As the news leaked out Sunday, Kelly apparently had a chance of heart.

Welcome to Monday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

MONDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Magic at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE, NBA TV; WEEI)
NBA: Grizzlies at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Syracuse at Cincinnati, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Texas A&M at Kansas, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Blues at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Peyton Manning might end up in the AFC East if the Colts decide to part ways with the 35-year-old quarterback. (AP)

♦ There’s been widespread speculation that the Jets would make a run at Peyton Manning if the Colts decide to move on from the veteran quarterback. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that another AFC East team is one of three clubs expected to join the hunt. Schefter writes that the Dolphins, Redskins and Cardinals all have interest, and The Miami Herald confirms via team sources that the Dolphins will “aggressively pursue him” if the 35-year-old is cleared medically.

The Colts, who own the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, must decide by March 8 whether to pay a $28 million roster bonus to Manning, who missed the season after having neck surgery.

Manning was in San Francisco Sunday, watching his brother Eli lead the Giants past the 49ers for the NFC championship.

“I’m just proud as a quarterback to watch him compete,” said Peyton, who bought his own tickets to the game and didn’t tell his brother he’d be watching him in person. “And the way he’s played, I’m even more proud that Eli is my brother.”

♦ Controversial former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, who last week signed a deal to play for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League, told GQ magazine he is running out of friends and money. “I don’t have no friends. I don’t want no friends. That’s how I feel,” he said. The 38-year-old said he’s been victimized by bad investments and struggles with child support for four children (with four mothers). When people ask him where he is, he tells them, “I’m in hell.”

♦ Prince Fielder remains unsigned, and a weekend rumor has the dysfunctional Dodgers as a possible landing spot.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 23, 1981, the Red Sox traded Fred Lynn and Steve Renko to the Angels for pitchers Frank Tanana and Jim Dorsey and which outfielder/designated hitter?

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Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Suns at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Lakers at Magic, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Timberwolves at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Green Bay at Cleveland State, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
NHL: Canadiens at Penguins, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
College hockey: Providence at Boston University, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)

SATURDAY:
NHL: Rangers at Bruins, 1 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Sharks at Canucks, 4 p.m. (NHL Network)
NHL: Canadiens at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
NBA: Nuggets at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Wake Forest at Boston College, noon (WEEI)
College basketball: Alabama at Kentucky, noon (CBS)
College basketball: Missouri at Baylor, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: UConn at Tennessee, 4 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Florida State at Duke, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Syracuse at Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

SUNDAY:
NFL playoffs: Ravens at Patriots, 3 p.m. (CBS; WEEI)
NFL playoffs: Giants at 49ers, 6:30 p.m. (Fox; WRKO)
NHL: Bruins at Flyers, 3 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Capitals at Penguins, 12:30 p.m. (NBC)
NBA: Celtics at Wizards, 1 p.m. (CSNNE; WRKO)
College basketball: Virginia Tech at Virginia, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Brewers star Ryan Braun reportedly began his appeal of his positive drug test Thursday, as the National League MVP attempts to avoid a 50-game suspension.

Braun is presenting his case to a three-member arbitration panel, according to the New York Daily News, and he’ll have to prove that “the presence of a prohibited substance in his urine was not due to his fault or negligence.”

Braun will receive his MVP award Saturday at the annual dinner of the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He is expected to give a speech but not take questions from the media.

♦ Mets legend Gary Carter, who has been battling brain tumors for the past year, made a rare public appearance at a charity golf tournament in Florida on Sunday and said, “I’m not feeling all that good.” On Thursday, the family found out that new tumors have appeared on the 57-year-old Hall of Famer’s brain. “He’s having a hard time moving around, but I still believe if anyone can beat this, it’s Gary,” said former teammate Howard Johnson.

♦ Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested in the Dominican Republic when he tried to renew his visa. Officials there claim he has been using a false identity. They say his real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and that he’s 31 years old, three years older than listed by the Indians in their media guide.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 20, 1996, in the NHL All-Star Game at what was then called the FleetCenter in Boston, which Bruin scored with 38 seconds remaining in regulation to give the East a 5-4 victory over the West?

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