President Barack Obama attended an interfaith service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on Thursday and delivered an inspirational speech to residents still healing from Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing.

“I’m here today on behalf of the American people with a simple message: Every one of us has been touched by this attack on your beloved city. Every one of us stands with you,” Obama said. “Boston may be your hometown, but we claim it, too. Boston, you’re my home. For millions of us, what happened on Monday is personal.”

Obama said the city has sent a strong message to the rest of the country.

“This doesn’t stop us,” he said. “And that’s what you’ve taught us, Boston. That’s what you’ve reminded us — to push, to not grow weary, to not get faint, even when it hurts. We finish the race. And we do that because of who we are, and we do that because we know that somewhere around the bend, a stranger has a cup of water. Around the bend, somebody’s there to boost our spirits. On that toughest mile, just when we think we’ve hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick up.”

Added Obama: “When the Sox, the Celtics, the Patriots, the Bruins are champions again — to the chagrin of New York and Chicago fans — the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street. And this time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the 118th Boston Marathon. Bet on it!”

As for the perpetrators of the attack, Obama promised retribution.

“Yes, we will find you,” he said. “And, yes, you will face justice. We will find you. We will hold you accountable, but, more than that, our fidelity to our way of life, to a free and open society, will only grow stronger — for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but one of power and love and self discipline.”

President Barack Obama, speaking at a White House press conference Tuesday, said investigators don’t know if Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing was carried out by an individual or terrorist organization, nor do they “have a sense of motivation yet.”

He reiterated his stance a day earlier that those responsible would be brought to justice, and that Boston would be deterred by the attack.

“The American people refuse to be terrorized,” he said.

Obama later gave a short televised speech and said the FBI is investigating the bombing “as an act of terrorism.”

“Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror,” Obama said. “What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why. Whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual. That’s what we don’t yet know.”

The president offered praise to the first-responders: police, fire personnel, race volunteers, runners and spectators.

“If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it: selflessly, compassionately, unafraid,” he said.

Welcome to Friday’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.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Celtics at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Pistons at Heat, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Albany vs. Duke, 12:15 p.m. (CBS; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Mississippi vs. Wisconsin, 12:40 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Temple vs. NC State, 1:40 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Pacific vs. Miami, 2:10 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Cincinnati vs. Creighton, 2:45 p.m. (CBS; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, La Salle vs. Kansas State, 3:10 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, James Madison vs. Indiana, 4:10 p.m. (TBS; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Colorado vs. Illinois, 4:40 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, FGCU vs. Georgetown, 6:50 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Iona vs Ohio State, 7:15 p.m. (CBS; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Villanova vs. North Carolina, 7:20 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Northwestern State vs. Florida, 7:27 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Oklahoma vs. San Diego State, 9:20 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Iowa State vs Notre Dame, 9:45 p.m. (CBS; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Western Kentucky vs. Kansas, 9:50 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Minnesota vs. UCLA, 9:57 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NIT tournament, Arizona State at Baylor, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: NIT tournament, Stony Brook at Iowa, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
NHL: Penguins at Islanders, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
NHL: Red Wings at Ducks, 10 p.m. (NHL Network)
College hockey: Hockey East semifinal, Providence vs. Lowell, 5 p.m. (NESN)
College hockey: Hockey East semifinal, Boston University vs. Boston College, 8 p.m. (NESN)
MLB preseason: Tigers at Nationals, 1 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB preseason: Cubs at Brewers, 4 p.m. (WGN)
MLB preseason: Royals at Angels, 4 p.m. (MLB Network)

AROUND THE WEB:

Jeremy Lin posted this photo Thursday night after Harvard's upset of New Mexico. (AP)

♦ Harvard’s upset of New Mexico late Thursday night might have messed up most of America’s NCAA tournament brackets, but those with Harvard ties were celebrating the win.

The school’s only current NBA alumnus, Rockets guard Jeremy Lin, posted a message and photo on Facebook, writing: YYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you…. #threepointgoggles

Tweeted the Harvard Lampoon: America, we are sorry for messing up your brackets and also your financial system and everything else

Not all Harvard alumni were believers. President Barack Obama predicted a New Mexico win, even though he attended Harvard Law School and is close friends with the father of Crimson sophomore walk-on guard Alex Nesbitt.

Said Nesbitt in the days leading up to the game: “If we were to pull off an upset, [the president] would know about it and be excited for sure.”

♦ The Royce White saga continues, as the would-be Rockets rookie tweeted that he’s leaving his D-League team and returning to Houston in order to prepare for next season. White, who battles anxiety disorder, has yet to play for the Rockets this season.

Tweeted White: Have been advised by our team physician it is most logical I be in Houston the remainder of the season. Thank @rgvvipers for having me.

Added White: Working out in Houston to transition to next year has been medically deemed the healthiest option. I’m excited to get to work.

The Rockets, who reportedly did not take part in White’s decision, said only that White is still on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers roster.

Following negative feedback, White tweeted later: Don’t understand the uproar because I’m working out in Houston… Lol relax ppl Showing you’re too high strung over sports.

♦ Lakers center Dwight Howard turned up at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday, working the Delta Airlines check-in counter and taking boarding passes for a flight to Hawaii. Accompanied by the Laker Girls, he also ran a trivia contest.

“I am part of Delta, the team. They are the official airline for the Laker Girls and the Lakers,” Howard said. “This is a great experience for me to come out and enjoy L.A.”

It provided a rare lighthearted moment in what has mostly been a rough season for Howard, due to be a free agent this offseason. He had little to say regarding his future Thursday, only joking: “Will I re-sign with Delta? That’s a good one.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On March 22, 1995, the Celtics raised a number to the rafters in honor of which player?

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President Barack Obama is taking a relatively safe approach to his March Madness picks, choosing Indiana to top Louisville in the title game.

In addition to those two No. 1 seeds, Obama picked second-seeded Ohio State and third-seeded Florida to fill out his Final Four.

“I’m going with Louisville. I know it’s not a surprise pick,” the president told ESPN’s Andy Katz as he wrote in his picks on a board at the White House. “And I’m going with Indiana. These are the two best teams right now. And for the championship I’m going back to the Big Ten. I think this is Indiana’s year.”

Obama picked half of last year’s Final Four correctly, choosing Ohio State and Kentucky, but North Carolina, his choice for the national title, lost in the Elite Eight.

Obama also filled out a bracket for the women’s tournament, which will be revealed in its entirety Friday. His Final Four picks on the women’s side are Baylor, UConn, Notre Dame and California.

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.

MONDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NHL: Predators at Avalanche, 3 p.m. (NHL Network)
NHL: Hurricanes at Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. (NHL Network)
College basketball: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Hofstra at Drexel, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Norfolk State at Hampton, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Bucknell at Lehigh, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)
College basketball: Rutgers at Villanova, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: West Virginia at Kansas State, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Wade MacLeod

♦ Former Northeastern University star Wade MacLeod had a seizure during Sunday’s minor league hockey game at the MassMutual Center in Springfield after he was checked from behind into the glass, and he was in stable condition at an area hospital Sunday night.

MacLeod, a 26-year-old forward for the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, collapsed while he was skating toward the bench. According to the Springfield Republican, MacLeod lay on the ice for several minutes, his legs flailing at times, while medical personnel attended to him.

“We would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming show of support for Wade tonight,” MacLeod’s family said in a statement Sunday night. “Wade is alert, in good condition, in positive spirits, and is resting comfortably at Baystate Medical Center. He will remain at the hospital while he undergoes tests. We are deeply appreciative of all the caring and kind words we have received from family, friends, and fans.”

Adirondack defenseman Brandon Manning received a two-minute penalty for boarding on the play, which occurred late in the second period with MacLeod’s Falcons trailing 2-1. The coaches agreed to suspend the game at that point.

Manning tweeted later: would like to give my best to Wade MacLeod and his family. never had any intention of every hurting another player.. hope for a speedy recovery and see him back on the ice soon. thoughts and prayers to him and his family

MacLeod, who had an assist Sunday, has four goals and seven assists in 20 games this season for the Falcons, an affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. At Northeastern, MacLeod played four years, leading the team in scoring his final three seasons. The native of Coquitlam, British Columbia, totaled 61 goals and 76 assists at NU while setting the school record for games played (149).

♦ Former Mets catcher Mike Piazza wrote in his new book that he took karate lessons to be prepared for a fight with Roger Clemens after the then-Yankees pitcher beaned Piazza in 2000.

Clemens responded Sunday, telling the Houston Chronicle that Piazza wasn’t the only one who wanted revenge, noting that even some of his own teammates had issues with him.

“He’d have to stand in line,” said Clemens, who is serving as a spring training instructor for the Astros. “I think there were about three guys on the Yankees that wanted a piece of me more than [Piazza] did.”

Clemens, who said has not read the book, claims he has become friendly with Piazza after playing with him at golf events.

“Some of these guys, once you get to know some of them, they’re fine. But like I said, there was no intent there,” Clemens insisted of his famous run-ins with Piazza, including the 2000 World Series incident in which Clemens threw a piece of a broken bat at the catcher. “And Mike’s a good hitter and I think he hit every breaking ball I threw to him and he hit them hard. But he’s not the first power hitter who’s got me. So, we had some good times. But, yeah, somebody just texted me the Cliffs notes of [the book], so we thought that was pretty good.”

♦ Tiger Woods might not be the world’s best golfer anymore, but he’s still a major drawing card. On Sunday, he played a round with President Barack Obama at the Floridian, an exclusive yacht and golf club on Florida’s Treasure Coast. The White House prohibited media coverage of the round, which included the participation of Astros owner Jim Crane, who owns the golf club, and outgoing U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

Obama, who is spending Presidents Day weekend in Florida, spent the day Saturday with Butch Harmon, Woods’ former swing coach. That apparently was preparation for his round with Woods, who visited the president in the Oval Office of the White House in 2009.

“Just to see the interaction between the two on the range was pretty neat,” Harmon told Golf Digest. “The President said to Tiger: ‘The last tournament you played was fun to watch. It’s good to see you play well again.’ You could tell he meant it. It just wasn’t a throw-it-out compliment.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On Feb. 18, 1930, which Bruins goaltender set an NHL record for most wins in a season when he recorded his 31st with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Canadiens?

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Welcome to Tuesday’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.

TUESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NHL: Devils at Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Islanders at Penguins, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Hornets at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: North Carolina at Boston College, 9 p.m. (ESPNU; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: Wisconsin at Ohio State, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NC State at Virginia, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Kentucky at Mississippi, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Nebraska at Minnesota, 9 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

AROUND THE WEB:

Ray Lewis

♦ Following the Patriots’ loss to the Ravens in last Sunday’s AFC championship game, Wes Welker‘s wife, Anna Burns Welker, posted a comment on Facebook mocking Ray Lewis for his apparent hypocrisy. Welker noted that Lewis “paid off a family” after being involved in a double murder outside a Super Bowl party in Atlanta in 2000 and has fathered six children with four women.

On Monday, Lewis insisted he has forgiven Burns Welker, who apologized one day after her attack.

“I’ve always been a firm believer of the Good Book, and the Good Book always confirms, even a fool is counted wise until he opens he or she mouth,” Lewis said. “Sometimes people just say silly stuff. And they say it out of emotion.

“Sometimes you need to let the game take care of the game. We lost up there last year, and I didn’t hear one teammate say anything about nobody there because we have respect for that team, that they won it fair and square. So for her to come out and say what she said — listen, I truly forgive her, and I have no hard feelings against her at all, but I believe people just make mistakes and say foolish things sometimes.”

Lewis also acknowledged he has made mistakes in his life, and he appreciates that he has been given an opportunity to win people over.

“I don’t know nobody that’s ever lived a perfect life,” he said. “I have [seen] people that have been through things before. Realistically, most of the time when you find somebody that goes through adversity, you really find out what their true character is. For me, people really now have taken time to find out who I am … and [what] my character is.”

Added Lewis: “For someone who has been through adversity and found his way out and really just showing what my true character is and who I am as a person.”

♦ Days after President Barack Obama said football needs to be safer for parents like him to consider allowing their kids to play, hard-hitting Ravens safety Ed Reed agreed.

“I am with Obama,” Reed said. “I have a son. I am not forcing football on my son. If he wants to play it … I can’t make decisions for him. All I can do is say, ‘Son, I played it so you don’t have to.’ ”

Reed added that football’s medical system needs major improvement.

“We’ve got some leaks in it that need to be worked out,” he said. “Every medical training room should be upgraded; training rooms can be a lot better.

“When you’ve got the president talking about it, you’ve got something.”

Meanwhile, Kristin Cavallari, who is engaged to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, said she will push their 5-month-old son to a sport other than football when he gets older.

“I will try to steer Cam in a different direction, maybe a sport that isn’t so aggressive,” she said. “Maybe baseball — something where he doesn’t have to get hit.”

♦ The Jets reportedly have had internal discussions about former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the 2007 No. 1 overall pick who struggled to stay focused and in shape and was out of the NFL after the 2009 season. Russell is planning to attempt a comeback after being out of the game the last two seasons.

New general manager John Idzik told New York sports radio station WFAN on Monday that he wants to challenge incumbent Mark Sanchez, whose contract makes him difficult to trade. Idzik recently got a chance to meet Sanchez and let him know where he’s coming from.

“Yeah, I’m comfortable with Mark being a Jet,” Idzik said. “I told him as well, we’re going to add competition. … It’s going to help make Mark and everybody else better.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 29, 1996, the Red Sox sent outfielder Lee Tinsley, reliever Ken Ryan and minor league outfielder Glenn Murray to the Phillies for which pitcher (and two minor leaguers)?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We’re in the White House right now, which is like, ‘Mama, I made it.’ ” – LeBron James, as the Heat visited President Obama to celebrate their 2012 NBA championship

STAT OF THE DAY: 23 – Consecutive penalty kills for the Bruins to open the season

‘NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): A player for the Russian Professional Basketball League team Unics Kazan makes a pass to his coach on the sideline. The alert coach makes a quick pass to another player.

Magic big man Glen Davis catches Gerald Wallace as the Nets forward goes in for a layup and gives him a lift to the baseline.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Heathcliff Slocumb

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Charlie Wilson, former lead singer of The Gap Band, was born on this day in 1953.

Welcome to Tuesday’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.

TUESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Celtics at Bulls, 8 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Timberwolves at Heat, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Winthrop at Ohio State, 7 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Richmond at Kansas, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Michigan State at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Western Kentucky at VCU, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Miami at Central Florida, 8 p.m. (CBSSN)
College basketball: Stanford at NC State, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Jacksonville State at Nebraska, 9 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ The Jets’ hopes of making the playoffs were ended Monday night with a brutal 14-10 road loss to the Titans. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw four interceptions but was in position to win the game after a 19-yard punt gave New York the ball at the Tennessee 25 with 47 seconds remaining. However, Sanchez couldn’t handle a low shotgun snap on first down and the Titans recovered the fumble.

ESPN play-by-play caller Mike Tirico summed it up best, saying: “That’s the way this game should end, that’s the way the Jets’ season should end: Ugly, and a loss.”

Said Jets coach Rex Ryan: “Obviously, it’s a devastating loss, out of the playoffs, and it hurts beyond belief. I think the thing that really hurts the most is we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves.”

Sanchez (13-for-28 for 131 yards) had a passer rating of 32.6, lower than Tim Tebow (39.6), who was 0-for-1 and rushed three times for 15 yards. Sanchez turned over the ball on each of his team’s final three possessions.

“It doesn’t feel good hurting your team like that,” Sanchez said. “It’s not a winning formula. It never feels good.”

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who was predicting a playoff berth a month ago, was in no mood to talk after the loss that dropped the Jets to 6-8.

“Guys, no questions,” he told reporters. “I’m going to tell y’all the truth. This [bleep] has got to stop. Just being real.”

♦ A walk-on long snapper for the University of North Alabama was dismissed from the team after he made a racially offensive reference to President Barack Obama on Sunday night.

Referring to Obama’s speech from Newtown, Conn., that caused NBC to cut away from its coverage of the Patriots-49ers game, Bradley Patterson tweeted:

Take that [n-word] off the tv, we wanna watch football!

UNA director of athletics Mark Linder later tweeted that Patterson no longer is a member of the team.

Patterson’s Twitter account was closed shortly after his tweet.

♦ Major League Baseball is attempting to produce hats with padding so that pitchers will be safer. Baseball officials are considering adding a Kevlar lining to help avoid concussions when balls are struck back toward the mound.

“Since we started looking at the concussions a few years ago, we’ve actually been talking about this and looking for products,” MLB medical director Gary Green told The Washington Post. “But unfortunately there has not been any product that can withstand the impact at the major league level. And I think the fact that we’ve had several [incidents] in the last two years has really given us more impetus to see if we can get this developed quicker.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Dec. 18, 1986, which Bruins forward recorded his ninth (and final) career hat trick and added two assists in a 6-5 loss to the Hartford Whalers?

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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:
NFL: Patriots at Jets, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
NFL: Texans at Lions, 12:30 p.m. (CBS; WEEI-FM)
NFL: Redskins at Cowboys, 4:15 p.m. (Fox; WEEI-FM)
College football: TCU at Texas, 7:30 pm. (ESPN)
College basketball: West Virginia vs. Marist, noon (ESPN2)
College basketball: Vanderbilt at Davidson, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Pacific at Xavier, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Drexel vs. Saint Mary’s, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: UTEP vs. Oklahoma, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Memphis vs. VCU, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Clemson vs. Gonzaga, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Rice vs. Georgia Tech, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Oral Roberts vs. Loyola Marymount, 9 p.m. (CBSSN)
College basketball: Northern Iowa vs. Louisville, 9:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Drake vs California, 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Texas State vs. Charlotte, 11:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Nets forward Reggie Evans became the first NBA player to be fined by the league for flopping when he was hit with a $5,000 penalty Wednesday. Evans picked up his second flopping violation of the season during Tuesday night’s 95-90 loss to the Lakers. His first one came against the Celtics last Thursday in Brooklyn’s 102-97 victory.

Tweeted Evans: Feel like the FEDS looking at the Boi. #iaintlyin!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joked Warriors coach Mark Jackson: “Congratulations to Reggie. He’ll go down in history. For $5,000, [to get] a place in history? That’s not bad. That’s not bad at all.”

He’s the flop against the Lakers.

And here’s his dive vs. the Celtics.

♦ As if Marlins ownership isn’t getting enough flak for trading away the majority of its talent, now pitcher Mark Buehrle is taking a parting shot at the team. Buehrle insists he and shortstop Jose Reyes, who both were sent to the Blue Jays, had been told they would not be traded for at least several seasons after they signed long-term deals with the club last year.

“I’m upset with how things turned out in Miami,” Buehrle said in a statement through his agent. “Just like the fans in South Florida, I was lied to on multiple occasions. But I’m putting it behind me and looking forward to moving on with my career.”

Marlins president Larry Beinfest responded by saying that he made no such promise and did not know of anyone else in the front office who did. The team has not given a full no-trade clause since the current ownership team led by Jeffrey Loria took over in 2002.

♦ According to a Nielsen survey, more Americans would prefer Tim Tebow as a Thanksgiving dinner guest than President Barack Obama. Tebow was chosen by 23 percent of individuals, while Obama received just 5 percent (although it should be noted that Obama was not on the ballot and had to be written in). Big Bird tied with Tebow.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Nov. 22, 1979, which Bruin recorded his eighth career hat trick in a 7-4 victory over the Nordiques?

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Welcome to Tuesday’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.

TUESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
MLB: Blue Jays at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)
MLB: Tigers at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. (MLB Network)
Tennis: Wimbledon, 7 a.m. (ESPN2)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ President Barack Obama usually gets a warm reception in Democrat-heavy Massachusetts, but on Monday he found out that tweaking Red Sox fans is not the way to go. Obama, speaking at a Symphony Hall fundraiser, was booed for thanking Boston for sending Kevin Youkilis to the president’s favorite team, the White Sox.

“I guess I should not have brought up baseball,” he said after the strong reaction. “I understand. My mistake, my mistake. You’ve got to know your crowd.”

♦ Spurs guard Tony Parker said the eye injury he suffered during a fight between singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake‘s entourage at a New York City nightclub was extremely serious.

“I almost lost my eye,” Parker said in a story on his website, noting that he had to have an operating to remove a shard that had “penetrated 99 percent” of his left eye.

Parker is in Paris, where he is supposed to be practicing with France’s Olympic team, but he said he needs to get clearance from a specialist in New York before he can participate in the Summer Games.

♦ Anthony Davis, expected to be the No 1 overall NBA draft pick Thursday, has trademarked the phrases “Fear the brow” and “Raise the brow” in reference to his pronounced eyebrows that meet in the middle of his head.

“I don’t want anyone to try to grow a unibrow because of me and then try to make money off of it,” Davis told CNBC. “Me and my family decided to trademark it because it’s very unique.”

A University of Kentucky representative said the school monitored companies’ attempts to capitalize on Davis’ brow during his championship season with the Wildcats.

“We sent a half-a-dozen cease-and-desist letter,” said Jason Schlafter, UK’s associate athletic director for marketing. “But towards the end of the season, people were getting really creative.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On June 26, 1998, the NHL held an expansion draft to stock the Predators franchise. Which player was selected from the Bruins but eventually returned to Boston to coach the B’s?

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Welcome to Tuesday’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.

TUESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NHL: Bruins at Lightning, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Hurricanes at Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Heat at Magic, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Western Kentucky vs. Mississippi Valley State, 6:40 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Iona vs. BYU, 9:10 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NIT, UMass at Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: NIT, Dayton at Iowa, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NIT, Savannah State at Tennessee, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: NIT, Akron at Northwestern, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: NIT, LSU at Oregon, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NIT, Texas-Arlington at Washington, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: NIT, Cleveland State at Stanford, 11 p.m. (ESPN2)
MLB preseason: Red Sox at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. (WEEI)
MLB preseason: Mets at Cardinals, 1:10 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB preseason: Rangers at Indians, 4 p.m. (MLB Network)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ President Barack Obama and British Prime Minster David Cameron will attend Tuesday night’s NCAA play-in game in Dayton, Ohio, between Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State. The two leaders will take part in a live halftime interview with analyst Clark Kellogg.

The White House said the trip will showcase the tight relationship between the two allies. Ohio also is considered a swing state for the upcoming election.

Republicans criticized the trip.

“While showing off our amazing college basketball teams is great, many Americans struggling to find jobs, dealing with soaring gas prices, or concerned with our rising deficit and debt would probably like the president spend at least as much time dealing with those issues,” said Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

The president made his NCAA tournament picks for ESPN, and they will be unveiled Wednesday. He has not revealed whether he predicted Harvard — where he attended law school — to pull off an upset of Vanderbilt on Thursday.

♦ Bulls point guard Derrick Rose led his team to a 104-99 victory over the Knicks on Monday, but he was not happy after the game. Rose is frustrated that he’s not getting calls from the officials.

“I’ve got to be the only superstar in the league that’s going through what I’m going through right now,” he said. “But I can’t say too much about it.”

In the fourth quarter, Rose had an aggressive dunk. Asked about it, Rose said: “I don’t usually dunk it, but I was just mad I wasn’t getting any calls.”

♦ The Indians pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona struck a deal to have false identity charges dropped in exchange for his participation in a work program in the Dominican Republic. Carmona, whose real name is Roberto Hernandez, is 31, three years old than the age he claimed. Carmona, who went 7-15 last year, is due $7 million this season.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On March 13, 1971, who became the third player in Bruins history (and fifth in NHL history) to record 100 points in a season when he scored a goal in a 6-3 victory over the Canucks in Vancouver?

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