Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup, where we’ll get you caught up on what’s going on in the sports world and beyond.

Portions of disgraced referee Tim Donaghy’s book, “Blowing the Whistle,” have been published on the web, and this makes for some compelling reading. The book has been shelved by the publisher, apparently due to the threat of legal action by the NBA. But Deadspin printed a number of excerpts, including this:

Studying under Dick Bavetta for 13 years was like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation. He knew how to marshal the tempo and tone of a game better than any referee in the league, by far. He also knew how to take subtle — and not so subtle — cues from the NBA front office and extend a playoff series or, worse yet, change the complexion of that series.

Donaghy accuses Bavetta of routinely making calls against teams that were building leads for the sole purpose of trying to keep games close.

Also:

To have a little fun at the expense of the worst troublemakers, the referees working the game would sometimes make a modest friendly wager amongst themselves: first ref to give one of the bad boys a technical foul wouldn’t have to tip the ball boy that night. … After the opening tip, it was hilarious as the three of us immediately focused our full attention on the intended victim, waiting for something, anything, to justify a technical foul. If the guy so much as looked at one of us and mumbled, we rang him up. Later in the referees’ locker room, we would down a couple of brews, eat some chicken wings, and laugh like hell.

And:

If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, “Kobe’s got two fouls. Let’s make sure that if we call a foul on him, it’s an obvious foul, because otherwise he’s gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player.”

Donaghy goes on to make specific allegations of biased refereeing — sometimes for reasons as silly as the officials betting each other to see who could go longest without making a foul call. Any player who ever disagreed with a referee is going to have a field day with this.

BASKETBALL: Even Donaghy would have had a difficult time keeping last night’s game close. The Celtics dominated the Bobcats to the tune of 92-59. Paul Flannery has Three Things We Learned, leading off with Rasheed Wallace fitting in nicely at the start of the season. Mike Petraglia has Charlotte coach Larry Brown admiring the Celtics’ effort. Kevin Garnett left midway through the third quarter after hitting the floor but is fine.

The Cavaliers fell to 0-2 with a loss in Toronto. Tuesday night, TNT had its most-watched opening night ever, thanks to the Celtics-Cavaliers and Lakers-Clippers doubleheader.

BASEBALL: Chase Utley hit two home runs and set a postseason record by reaching base for the 26th consecutive game, and Cliff Lee pitched a complete-game gem to give the Phillies a 6-1 victory over the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series. Alex Rodriguez struck out three times, in case you were wondering. Lou Merloni checks in with his analysis.

Yankees fans can take solace in the news that George Steinbrenner made a rare appearance at Yankee Stadium. And tonight they can vent their frustration by yelling at Phillies Game 2 starter Pedro Martinez, who yesterday talked about the 2003 Don Zimmer incident and his return to the Bronx.

Terry Francona appeared on Dale & Holley yesterday and talked about Brad Mills leaving his side and heading for Houston. Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay checks in for a chat on WEEI.com at noon today.

The McCourt saga in Los Angeles continues to get uglier, with Frank now accusing Jamie of adultery.

FOOTBALL: Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

The Chiefs suspended Larry Johnson until Nov. 9.

Boston College players expressed surprise at the decisions by Josh Haden and Justin Tuggle to transfer.

HOCKEY: Patrice Bergeron is emerging as a quiet leader of the Bruins.

HISTORIVIA: On Oct. 29, 1977, this Celtic became the second player in NBA history with 10,000 field goals. Who is he?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don’t know if you realize this, but because of you guys in some ways, I might be at times the most influential player that ever stepped in Yankee Stadium. I can honestly say that.” — Pedro Martinez, talking to reporters yesterday in New York

STAT OF THE DAY: 18 — The most points the Bobcats scored in any quarter last night against the Celtics. Charlotte scored 13 in the first quarter, 18 in the second, 10 in the third and 18 in the fourth for a total of 59, a franchise record for fewest points.

AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED TRANSCRIPT OF THE DAY: Here’s a new feature we’re debuting. In WEEI.com’s audio on demand section, we have an automatically generated transcript feature for radio interviews. As it notes, the automated transcript “may not be 100 percent accurate.” In fact, often times it’s way off. But it’s interesting nonetheless.

Yesterday, Red Sox manager Terry Francona appeared on Dale & Holley and was asked what kind of manager Brad Mills will be with the Astros. According to the automated transcript, Francona replied:

“The auto mall. I’d don’t want Big East he could not complete recaps coaches don’t. Have a war on that you know you don’t want to be.”

For the record, Francona actually said: “You know, I don’t know. I know one thing, he’s cheap. He’s not going to pay for any cabs for his coaches. You’re going to have start working on that.”

‘NET RESULTS: Here’s Pedro Martinez with his good luck charm from the 2004 playoffs, 2-1/2-foot Nelson de la Rosa. The mini Dominican passed away in 2006, so Pedro must have found a new lucky friend considering how well he and the Phillies are doing this postseason.

HISTORIVIA ANSWER: John Havlicek, who reached the milestone during a 103-98 loss at Cleveland

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Cedric Maxwell was called “Cornbread” in his younger days, but in his prime with the Celtics we also knew him as the “Rubberband Man.” So, to honor Max, here’s a memorable clip of Lynda Carter, aka Wonder Woman, performing “Rubberband Man” on “The Muppet Show.”

And here’s the real version, by the Spinners.

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