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: Mavericks at Thunder, 8 p.m. (TNT)
NBA: Knicks at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: Harvard at Boston College, 7 p.m. (WEEI)
College basketball: Vanderbilt at Marquette, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College football: Champs Sports Bowl, Florida State vs. Notre Dame, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College football: Alamo Bowl, Washington vs. Baylor, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is in a dispute with the IRS. (AP)

♦ The Internal Revenue Service is suing Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner to recover $670,000 it paid to the family to settle a dispute over the family trust’s 2001 and 2002 tax bills. George Steinbrenner agreed to a settlement in 2007, but the IRS claims his son missed the deadline to receive the refund when he waited until August 2009 to file the necessary paperwork.

The suit, filed in Tampa federal court, indicates the filing was 5 1/2 months too late.

Stated a Steinbrenner spokeswoman: “We are reviewing and have no comment.”

♦ Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had an altercation during the second quarter of Wednesday night’s 98-95 road victory over the Grizzlies. After Westbrook yelled at teammate Thabo Sefolosha for not shooting an open 3-pointer, his teammates tried to calm him down. At the next timeout, Durant and Westbrook got into a shouting match on the bench and had to be separated. They appeared to patch things up when they returned to the floor and communicated well thereafter.

“We’re going to disagree sometimes, like I’ve always been saying,” Durant said. “But I’m behind him 110 percent, and he’s the same way with me. And you seen when we came on the floor we clicked and everything started to work from there.”

Westbrook, who finished the game shooting 0-for-13, left the arena without speaking to reporters.

♦ During a dinner for University of Oregon players at a Beverly Hills steak restaurant as part of the lead-up to the Rose Bowl, Ducks offensive lineman Mark Asper performed the Heimlich maneuver on a patron who was choking on his food. Asper, who stands 6-foot-7, 325 pounds, is an Eagle Scout who was prepared to step in after watching another individual be unsuccessful in dislodging the food.

“I stood up and patted him on the back and said, ‘If you don’t know what you’re doing, I do, because I’m an Eagle Scout,’ ” Asper said. “So I ripped in there.”

After a cautious first attempt, Asper used a little more force to get the job done.

“The guy seemed a little old,” Asper said. “I didn’t want to break his ribs or anything. Then he seemed like he could handle a full-force heave so I popped it out.”

♦ The mother of Shannon Stone, the Rangers fan who died after falling from the stands while reaching to catch a ball tossed his way by Josh Hamilton, asked Hamilton to continue to throw balls to fans.

Said SuZann Stone: “Shortly after the accident, there was some discussion about whether foul balls should be thrown into the stands to the fans. I wrote to Josh Hamilton, and I said: ‘Please, don’t stop throwing those balls. Because that’s so important. That’s why daddies bring their little boys to the ballgame is for memories like that. Please don’t stop.’ ”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On. Dec. 29, 2007, the Patriots completed the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history with a 38-35 victory over the Giants. Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Randy Moss to break the NFL record for touchdown passes (50) and receptions (23) by an individual. Which other Patriot scored two touchdowns that day?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m feeling good. This is my first healthy offseason I’ve had since I’ve been in the big leagues.” – New Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey

STAT OF THE DAY: 46-24 – The Hornets’ advantage over the Celtics in points in the paint Wednesday night

‘NET RESULTS: This young White Sox fan is not pleased when given a Cubs Pillow Pet for Christmas.

University of Oklahoma freshman basketball player James Fraschilla (son of Fran) has a trick shot video.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Running back Laurence Maroney, on a 6-yard run in the third quarter and a 5-yard run in the fourth

SOOTHING SOUNDS: The late Rick Danko, best known for his work with The Band, was born on this day in 1942. Here he is singing lead on “This Wheel’s on Fire,” a song he co-wrote with Bob Dylan.

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