Earlier reports indicated the Marlins were the favorites to land the 26-year-old Cuban defector, offering a reported $40 million for six years.

MONDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Timberwolves at Magic, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Suns at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Syracuse at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Iowa State at Baylor, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Kansas at Kansas State, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Sharks at Capitals, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
College hockey: Beanpot final, Boston College vs. Boston University, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Terrell Owens

♦ Terrell Owens made a weekend appearance on Dallas radio station KESN as he prepares to join the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League, and the controversial wide receiver insisted that it’s the media’s fault that he is viewed as a troublemaker.

“I think a lot of why I probably didn’t play [in the NFL] this year, everybody keeps talking about the ‘character’ issues,” he said. “The last two or three years relatively I was quiet, knowing that everybody was saying that I had a character issue, I’m disruptive, there’s a lot of hype that comes with me, they’re saying I’m a distraction here and there. That’s all hearsay. If you ask a bunch of my teammates, a lot of it is basically blown out of proportion, the media making me into a fall guy.

“Overall, will I ever admit that I was a bad teammate? Never. I wasn’t a bad teammate. Was I disruptive. No, I wasn’t disruptive. I feel like I have a lot of football left and I’m looking forward to getting back to playing. I think the thing … I didn’t get picked up was that a lot of general managers bought into the fact that the media thinks that I’m this bad guy, this rebel guy, this disruptive guy that divides and messes up team’s chemistry. They won’t allow me to turn over a new leaf. They won’t allow me to be a better person. Anytime anything is brought up about me, they keep talking about things that happened five, six, seven years ago. Why don’t I get a pass? I’ve kind of fallen into that villain category and I can’t get out of that box.”

♦ Former major league star Jose Canseco begins his comeback bid in Mexico, if you believe his tweet from Saturday. Canseco wrote that he was preparing to play for the Triple-A Tigres of Cancun. The 47-year-old admitted steroid user has not played in the majors since 2001 with the White Sox.

♦ Troubled guard Gilbert Arenas, a free agent since being waived by the Magic in the preseason, had a private workout for Lakers officials Sunday in Southern California, according to a Yahoo! Sports report. Kobe Bryant and coach Mike Brown reportedly have been pushing for the team to sign the 30-year-old, who starred for the Wizards before being limited by injuries and a 50-game suspension for bringing a gun into the locker room.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Feb. 13, 1985, the Bruins fired coach Gerry Cheevers. Who replaced him for the remainder of the season?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You have some talented players. Some were injured. Some were probably embarrassed and feel like they have a lot to prove, they maybe feel like they have a chip on their shoulder. Whatever the reason, you’re going to see some guys coming back and probably have pretty good years.” – Terry Francona, talking about the Red Sox on WBZ-TV Sunday night

STAT OF THE DAY: 32, 15, 10 – Points, assists and rebounds for Rajon Rondo in the Celtics’ 95-91 victory over the Bulls Sunday

‘NET RESULTS: Aaron Zinnernan of Division 3 Wabash College throws in a backward shot from the free throw line.

Minnesota high school hockey player Alex Mason gets creative to score a goal on a breakaway.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Harry Sinden

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Peter Gabriel turns 62 Monday.

Cespedes, who defected from Cuba and recently established his residency in the Dominican Republic, with subsequent clearance by Major League Baseball to be a free agent, reportedly toured Marlins Park on Wednesday. The Marlins organization hopes that the next time he returns to the stadium, he’ll be wearing a baseball helmet with the team’s new logo.

For his part, Cespedes expressed a desire to play for the Marlins.

“I’ve seen the players the Marlins have signed lately, and I think this club can compete for the World Series,” Cespedes told the Miami Herald in Spanish.

The outfielder returned to his current home in the Dominican Republic after his tour of the park Wednesday. No decisions have been finalized, as the Marlins are not the only team interested in signing the intriguing free agent, who has been described as a player with enormous raw power, a strong arm and the ability to play all three outfield positions.

Jim Bowden of ESPN recently reported (via twitter) that the Cubs, White Sox, Orioles and Tigers have also shown interest in Cespedes.

Despite the hype over Cespedes, Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is nervous about a $60 million contract that has been talked about regarding the player.

“We went to the Dominican Republic, myself and 10 guys,” Guillen said. ” We went to see this kid. He’s pretty impressive. They compare this kid with a lot of people. They compare this kid with Bo Jackson. Well Bo Jackson wasn’t a baseball player. This kid is a baseball player. They compare him with [Raul] Mondesi. I think Mondesi was better than him. That’s my own opinion. Mondesi has a better arm, faster, but this kid is pretty good,” Guillen told reporters.

Samuel, 31, is due to make $9.4 million in 2012, the fifth season of the six-year contract for roughly $57 million he signed with the Eagles after the 2007 season. The Philadelphia Daily News reports that “the widespread assumption is that Samuel will be traded, although the Eagles certainly have not said so.” The Eagles have both Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at corner, and so Samuel might represent an unneeded luxury item, in which case the four-time Pro Bowler (who missed the final games of this year due to injuries) could be traded (or, presumably, cut).

Samuel, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Patriots, recorded 34 tackles and three interceptions in 2011. It was the cornerback’s lowest interception total since 2005.

Jeremy Lin is riding an improbable hot streak to social media fame. (AP)For the Lakers, Lin was there for the taking.

Harvard grad Jeremy Lin came off the bench and led the New York Knicks to a 99-92 victory over the Nets at Madison Square Garden last Saturday night. On Wednesday night, he led the Knicks with 28 points and 10 assists over the Washington Wizards in his first start, and he has since inspired the viral spread of Linsanity that is sweeping the nation.

Today, several teams that could have had Lin are regretting their decisions. For the Lakers, against whom Lin scored 38 on Friday to lead the Knicks to a 92-85 win, the point guard was there for the taking.

“I knew who [Lin] was because when he was floating out there, I know Mitch had some interest in him and he brought his name up to me,” Lakers Coach Mike Brown told the Los Angeles Times, referring to General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

When the Lakers passed on Lin, he went to Houston. After a short stay there, he was released and signed over to New York, something that has inspired profound regret in Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Morey now is on the Lin bandwagon, while noting his regret that Houston is among the 29 teams that missed an opportunity to acquire a player who has emerged as a phenomenon.

Morey tweeted: We should have kept [Lin]. Did not know he was this good. Anyone who says they knew misleading U.

In a separate tweet, he said: Finally, really happy for [Lin.] Very hard working, nice, & humble. He has a great, great future.

Even Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob expressed his regret during a radio interview at KNBR in San Francisco.

“I would be lying if I thought … he’d be this good [and] all of a sudden explode on the scene,” Lacob said, according to the New York Post. “It’s a great, perfect situation where he got an amazing opportunity. None of the other guards in New York were playing well. So I give him all the credit in the world, and obviously we wish we had him.”

Lin’s overnight success has awed fans everywhere while leaving those who passed up on him embarrassed.

Of course, the Knicks nearly lost their shot at the point guard as well. As the New York Times documents:

Lin was in danger of being waived again, by the Knicks, before he started his streak on Feb. 3. He had done little to establish himself by that point, although he showed a few glimmers in games against Houston and Boston.

But a crucial decision point was approaching: whether to keep Lin and guarantee his $788,000 contract for the season, or release him. Teams had until Feb. 7 to cut players with nonguaranteed deals, and the Knicks officials considered waiving Lin.

“His expiration date was coming up,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said in an interview earlier this week. “We had to evaluate to see if there was something there or not.”

The guarantee deadline “kind of prompted us” to give Lin more playing time, he said.

Lin was shaky in that Boston game, leaving D’Antoni feeling ambivalent. But he decided to give him another shot the next night against the Nets.

Lin responded with the best game of his career, with 25 points and seven assists off the bench in a victory over the Nets. Two nights later, he got his first start and set the bar even higher, with 28 points and 8 assists.

Suddenly, there was no decision to make. Lin will be a Knick for the rest of this season, and almost certainly beyond.

As the Times goes on to explain, Lin will almost certainly remain with the Knicks beyond this year. As a restricted free agent, New York can match any offer the point guard receives from another team without regard for the salary cap, and so it seems safe for Knicks fans to commit to buying those No. 17 jerseys for some time to come.

A.J. Burnett

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Yankees and Pirates are “moving forward” in talks about a deal that would send pitcher A.J. Burnett to the Pirates.

Burnett struggled to an 11-11 record and 5.15 ERA in 2011. However, he has made at least 32 starts in each of the last four seasons, and he struck out 8.2 batters per nine innings, exactly in line with his career average.

The Yankees reportedly are interested in moving Burnett so that they can clear some payroll and address other needs on the club. Specifically, manager Joe Girardi recently told reporters that he would like to add a left-handed bad to DH and offer some flexibility in the field. Raul Ibanez represents one possible fit.

While the Yankees have shown a willingness to pay much of the remaining $33 million due to Burnett over the next two years (the last seasons of a five-year, $82.5 million deal Burnett signed with New York prior to the 2009 season), there seems to be a remaining financial gap to bridge.

The New York Post’s Joel Sherman tweeted: “Yankees telling  Pirates absorbing $10M of AJ’s $33M isn’t enough, won’t do deal at that level,” Sherman said, adding, “I’m surprised. Thought Yanks would be happy to defray any of Burnett’s $ to move on from him.”

The Pirates have also told the Yankees that they will not include first baseman/outfielder Garrett Jones in a deal, according to the Post-Gazette.

Murray State has the shirt but not the perfect record after Thursday's loss to Tennessee State.

T-shirts and sports never lead to good endings.

In 1996, John Calipari led UMass to a strong start and coined the phrase “Refuse to lose.” T-shirts were subsequently produced with the slogan, and although the Minutemen made it all the way to the Final Four, they eventually lost.

Earlier this season, Syracuse came out with T-shirts celebrating its 20-0 start to the season. Of course, a few days later, the Orange lost to Nortre Dame.

Even when teams make shirts to convey a sense of perspective despite success, things tend to turn sour. In 2007, Patriots players were seen wearing T-shirts that read “I eat humble pie” during their undefeated regular season. We all know how that story ended.

So, it was only a matter of time before defeat struck Murray State after the school produced shirts that read, “Last of the unbeaten.” On Thursday night, the Racers blew a 13-point second-half lead in a loss to Tennessee State. This loss could be far more damaging than the other examples cited. The other teams that had “wardrobe malfunctions” at least made the postseason (Syracuse is a virtual lock this season). However, the Racers now face the possiblity of being left out of the NCAA tournament, due to the lack of competition in the Ohio Valley Conference. They likely will have to win their showdown with Saint Mary’s a week from Saturday or win their conference tournament in order to guarantee a bid to the field of 64 this March.

Stanford Routt (AP)

The Raiders released cornerback Stanford Routt on Thursday after only one year into a $54.5 million, five-year contract. Routt is the first player to be considered a casualty under the new Raiders regime. The decision ended Routt’s seven-year tenure in Oakland.

Just one year prior to this decision, Routt was given one of the most desirable contracts of any cornerback by former Raiders owner Al Davis, keeping him from becoming a free agent.

Davis passed away in early October, giving new general manager Reggie McKenzie (hired in January) the opportunity to make some changes. Some of the players’ contracts were “out of whack,” McKenzie told reporters at a Jan. 30 press conference that announced the hiring of Dennis Allen as coach.

Injury data suggests that most player injuries happen more during kickoff than in any other facet of the game.

This past season the NFL moved kickoffs up by five yards and touchbacks increased considerably.

The committee also proposed that if a player were to lose his helmet during a play, he would have to stop participating in that play and then sit out one additional play. Rules regarding blocking below the waist and blocking on punt returns also are being considered.

The proposals cannot go into effect until they are approved by the playing rules oversight panel, which will meet on Feb. 21.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Celtics at Raptors, 7 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Lakers at Knicks, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Thunder at Jazz, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Ducks at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NHL Network)

SATURDAY:
NHL: Predators at Bruins, 1 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Canadiens at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
NBA: Nuggets at Pacers, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Suns at Kings, 10 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: UConn at Syracuse, 1 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Cincinnati at Marquette, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Maryland at Duke, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Michigan State at Ohio State, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Harvard at Princeton, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Xavier at Temple, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

SUNDAY:
NBA: Bulls at Celtics, 3:30 p.m. (ABC; WEEI)
NBA: Heat at Hawks, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Jazz at Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: St. John’s at Georgetown, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Illinois at Michigan, 1 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Boston College at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m. (ESPNU; WEEI)
NHL: Capitals at Rangers, 12:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL: Flyers at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Kevin Youkilis reportedly will marry Julie Brady, sister of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. (AP)

♦ According to the Boston Herald, Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis recently got engaged to Tom Brady‘s sister Julie, a California schoolteacher who has a 5-year-old daughter.

The Inside Track report indicates that Youkilis, who married Enza Sambataro in Mexico in 2008 but reportedly parted ways in 2010, was with the Bradys in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. Although, it should be noted that the Herald gossip columnists reported in October that Youkilis was spending time with a different Brady sister, Nancy (a story that was soon removed from the paper’s website).

♦ Giants defensive end Justin Tuck softened his stance on Jets coach Rex Ryan during a Thursday appearance on “Good Day New York.”

“I actually give Rex Ryan a lot of credit,” Tuck said. “Before he got there, people around here, this state, this area, looked at us as big brothers of Jets. And he’s kind of revitalized the Jets organization and it’s just unfortunate he’s not a Giant. But he’s done a great job of bringing the Jets back to the forefront.”

However, Tuck added: “But we have done a great job of winning Super Bowls, and that’s what counts.”

♦ The NHL officially announced that the 2013 Winter Classic will be played in front of an expected 115,000 fans at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium, with the Red Wings hosting the Maple Leafs. There will also be college hockey games at Comerica Park, home of the Tigers.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Feb. 10, 1989, which former Providence College star who went on to a successful NBA coaching career was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “From now on, first question I get on it every day, I’m done interviewing for that day.” – Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, when asked about his latest political controversy

STAT OF THE DAY: 1 – Celtics players who were named to the All-Star team, as Paul Pierce is the team’s lone representative

‘NET RESULTS: Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had a thunderous dunk Thursday night vs. the Kings.

The young woman at the Giants’ victory parade who said she was hoping to see Mark Sanchez explained herself to a TV station.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Lenny Wilkens

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Roberta Flack turns 75 Friday.