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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY MONDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Timberwolves star Kevin Love is completing final practices as he prepares to compete in a professional beach volleyball tournament this week in Southern California. Said the 6-foot-10 Love: “I have the timing down with the hitting and my setting’s pretty good. My blocking’s decent just because it’s like playing at the rim in the NBA, but my passing and my serving are subpar. I’m going to get out there a couple more times during the week and try to get it done.”

♦ The Georgetown basketball team, coming off a major brawl in its last game, continued its tour of China with a much more friendly game Sunday. There were no incidents, and fans in Shanghai were cordial and welcoming to the Hoyas, three days after fans in Beijing pelted them with plastic water bottles as they escaped chair-throwing players on the court. “It’s a relief,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “It would be misleading to say the last few days haven’t been trying and stressful.”

♦ Following the most recent incident of fan violence — two shootings at Saturday’s Raiders-49ers game in San Francisco — Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle writes that football needs to allocate some of the money the players and owners split up to pay for more security for the fans.

♦ Sporting News columnist David Steele has a power ranking of the commissioners in pro sports, and he ranks NFL boss Roger Goodell No. 1. David Stern is No. 1 all-time for his work with the NBA, but Steele writes: “He’s not going out on top.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Aug. 22, 1997, which former C Young winner made his debut with the Red Sox?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Speed never takes a day off.” — Red Sox manager Terry Francona, joking Sunday after Jason Varitek hit his first triple in over four years

STAT OF THE DAY: 1.30 — Jon Lester‘s career ERA against the Royals, following Sunday’s 6-1 Red Sox victory

‘NET RESULTS: A member of Patrick Carpentier‘s crew pulls the hair of driver Steve Wallace after the two drivers crashed during Carpentier’s final NASCAR race.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Bret Saberhagen

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Tears for Fears lead singer Roland Orzabal is 50 Monday.

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