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: Raptors at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)
NBA: Mavericks at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Cincinnati at UConn, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Clemson at Miami, 7 p.m. (NESN)
College basketball: Texas at Kansas State, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Rangers coach John Tortorella is known for speaking his mind and not backing down to anyone, and apparently it doesn’t matter even when dealing with the team’s owner. After James Dolan told the media Tuesday that the first-place Rangers were “pretty close” to winning a Stanley Cup, Tortorella called out his boss.

“Right now up to this point we’ve done a pretty good job — we just have to go about our business,” Tortorella said after the Rangers shut out the Predators, 3-0, and Dolan had left the room on Madison Square Garden’s fifth floor. “Like I have my owner up here talking about a Stanley Cup. That’s a bunch of bull—-. We need to take one game at a time.”

♦ Oilers forward Taylor Hall slipped on a puck during pregame warmups Tuesday night and ended up colliding with two teammates and getting a skate across his face. Hall, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken to a hospital for stitches above his eye. The No. 1 pick in 2010, Hall was taken one spot before the Bruins grabbed Tyler Seguin. Hall has scored six goals in his past nine games.

“This is one of those fluky things. It just happens,” Oilers coach Tom Renney said. “Not much we can do about it.”

♦ A man was shot and killed at a restaurant inside a Vancouver hotel where the U.S. women’s soccer team is staying as they compete in an Olympic qualifying tournament. A team spokesman said no players witnessed the shooting.

Tweeted goalie Hope Solo: Saved by our instant yoga session. Was about to walk to starbucks when all hell broke loose in the lobby of our hotel! Life is precious…

♦ Former Titans coach Jeff Fisher, named last week as coach of the Rams, was first at the scene of a serious car crash Sunday in Brentwood, Tenn., and aided two injured teenagers until medical personnel arrived. On a 911 tape, a woman who called for help can be heard recognizing Fisher. “Hi, coach Fisher. Hi. We need you. Right now!” she said. “There’s coach Fisher. That’s Jeff Fisher, from the Titans. So hold on. We need him. Immediately.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 18, 1973, the Red Sox signed their first designated hitter, with the position set to debut that season. Which veteran was obtained to fill that role?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Carl will be our everyday left fielder for the bulk of the 2012 season. We’re not ruling out opening day, but we’re not going to put a timeline on it. Carl will be ready exactly when he’s ready. There’s no one who works harder than Carl. We’re confident he’ll be back and playing soon. We just don’t know when.” – Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, announcing that Carl Crawford had left wrist surgery Tuesday

STAT OF THE DAY: 48 – Points in 47 career games against the Bruins for Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier, who had a goal and an assist in Tuesday night’s 5-3 Tampa Bay win

NET RESULTS: Pennsylvania State Senator Jack Corman gets emotional during a speech in which he defends fired Penn State coach Joe Paterno. Said Corman: “Sixty years of his life work was all lost in a matter of days because of a rush to judge everyone’s actions.”

TRIVIA ANSWER: Orlando Cepeda, who went on to hit .289 with 86 RBIs in 142 games in his lone season in Boston

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, who died in 1991, was born on this day in 1941.

Leave a Reply