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 Hawks, 7 p.m. (CSNNE, ESPN; WEEI)
NBA: Lakers at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL playoffs: Flyers at Penguins, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL playoffs: Red Wings at Predators, 8 p.m. (CNBC)
MLB: Yankees at Red Sox, 3:05 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)
MLB: Reds at Cubs, 2:15 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB: Dodgers at Astros, 8 p.m. (MLB Network)

SATURDAY:
NHL playoffs: Capitals at Bruins, 3 p.m. (NBC)
NHL playoffs: Devils at Panthers, 6:30 p.m. (NHL Network)
NHL playoffs: Senators at Rangers, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL playoffs: Sharks at Blues, 7:30 p.m. (CNBC)
NHL playoffs: Blackhawks at Coyotes, 10 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Nuggets at Suns, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Mavericks at Bulls, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Magic at Jazz, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
MLB: Yankees at Red Sox, 4:05 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)
MLB: Orioles at Angels, 9 p.m. (MLB Network)

SUNDAY:
NHL playoffs: Bruins at Capitals, TBD
NHL playoffs: Kings at Canucks, TBD
NHL playoffs: Penguins at Flyers, TBD, if necessary
NHL playoffs: Predators at Red Wings, TBD, if necessary
NBA: Knicks at Hawks, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Thunder at Lakers, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
NBA: Rockets at Heat, 6 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Hornets at Clippers, 9:30 p.m. 9NBA TV)
MLB: Yankees at Red Sox, 8 p.m. (ESPN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Dwight Howard will have back surgery and miss the remainder of the Magic’s season as well as this summer’s Olympics. Howard, who has missed his team’s last six games, is scheduled to have the procedure to repair a herniated disk Friday in Los Angeles.

“It hurts [emotionally],” Howard told ESPN. “That’s the first thing — it hurts. And then with people saying and thinking I’m quitting on my team. This is a real issue. I tried to play through it and it just made my back worse.”

Meanwhile, the Howard-Stan Van Gundy feud apparently is back in gear, as an Orlando television station reported that Howard called team owner Rich DeVos and said he refuses to play for the coach next season.

Earlier this month, Van Gundy accused Howard of trying to get him fired. Howard denied that accusation and the two met with general manager Otis Smith and declared a truce.

♦ Heat star Dwyane Wade‘s girlfriend, actress/model Gabrielle Union, revealed during an appearance with Conan O’Brien that Wade has banned her from sitting courtside because she’s too much of a distraction. Union, who now sits a few rows back, admitted to yelling at referee Dick Bavetta and insulting players about their weight.

♦ Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia is batting just .063, and apparently he’s a little sensitive about it. When a New York-based media member named Eric Mirlis tweeted that Arencibia ranks behind two players who have yet to play this season — and sent the tweet to the catcher — Arencibia took a shot at Mirlis’ weight. Tweeted Arencibia: please have one more donut, looks like u need it!

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan scored an NBA playoff record 63 points at the Boston Garden, but the Celtics beat the Bulls in double overtime, 135-131. He broke the record of 61 set in 1962, also against the Celtics at the Garden, by which player?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “When you shoot 45 shots on net, you would expect your team to have more than one goal, so there’s obviously some areas that we’re not happy with.” – Bruins coach Claude Julien, after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Capitals

STAT OF THE DAY: 0-for-12 – The Bruins’ power-play numbers in their series vs. the Capitals

‘NET RESULTS: The members of the Heat apparently have been inspired by the dirty play in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as they took a couple of shots at the Bulls during Thursday night’s game.

During Thursday night’s Bruins-Capitals game, Caps forward Alex Ovechkin falls over the boards returning to the bench.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Elgin Baylor, who scored 61 points to lead the Lakers past the Celtics, 126-121, in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA finals

SOOTHING SOUNDS: The late Luther Vandross, known by college basketball fans as the singer of “One Shining Moment,” was born on this day in 1951.

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: Pistons at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Rockets at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
NHL: Coyotes at Blues, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
MLB: Yankees at Rays, 3 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB: Giants at Diamondbacks, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
MLB: Royals at Angels, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

SATURDAY:
NBA: Celtics at Pacers, 7 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Magic at 76ers, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Nuggets at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Sabres at Bruins, 4 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Blackhawks at Red Wings, 1 p.m. (NBC)
NHL: Flyers at Penguins, 4 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL: Capitals at Rangers, 6:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL: Kings at Sharks 10:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
College hockey: NCAA final, Ferris State vs. Boston College, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
MLB: Red Sox at Tigers, 4:05 p.m. (Fox; WEEI)
MLB: Yankees at Rays, 7 p.m. (MLB Network)

SUNDAY:
NBA: 76ers at Celtics, 6 p.m. (NBA TV; WEEI)
NBA: Bulls at Knicks, 1 p.m. (ABC)
NBA: Rockets at Kings, 9 p.m. (NBA TV)
MLB: Red Sox at Tigers, 1:05 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)
MLB: White Sox at Rangers, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Coach Jim Calhoun and UConn won't appear in the 2013 NCAA tournament after losing their final appeal. (AP)

♦ The NCAA on Thursday denied the UConn men’s basketball team’s final appeal of its ban from the 2013 NCAA tournament due to its failure to meet academic standards. UConn argued that it has shown improvement over the past two seasons, but the NCAA wouldn’t budge.

The school said it’s hoping the rule will be changed in time for it to submit more recent test scores.

“While we as a university and coaching staff clearly should have done a better job academically with our men’s basketball student-athletes in the past, the changes we have implemented have already had a significant impact and have helped us achieve the success we expect in the classroom,” coach Jim Calhoun said in a statement. “We will continue to strive to maintain that success as we move forward.”

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy called the NCAA’s rejection “absolutely outrageous.”

“It’s as if they’ve decided to get UConn, one way or the other,” he told The Associated Press. “UConn should have done a better job. But in point of fact, they are doing a better job. The results are already there. You know, grade the test.”

♦ Dwight Howard might remain in Orlando after this season, but if he does it seems highly unlikely that Stan Van Gundy will be his coach.

In a strange situation Thursday after the Magic’s morning shootaround in New York, Van Gundy told reporters that he learned from high-ranking team officials that Howard has asked for the coach to be fired.

“I know he has,” Van Gundy said. “That’s just the way it is. Again, I’ve been dealing with that all year. It’s not anything real bothersome. You go out and do your job.”

Howard then arrived on the scene and put his arm around the coach and the two men shared an awkward moment, promising to focus on winning games. Howard, as he has done before, denied requesting his coach’s removal.

“Whatever happens at the end of the season is not under my control,” Howard said. “I am a player for the Magic. I am not the GM. … I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything. Our main concern is winning. So, all the other stuff should stop.”

Van Gundy said later that he, Howard and general manager Otis Smith met Thursday afternoon and “are ready to move forward.”

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

♦ The University of Arkansas put football coach Bobby Petrino on administrative leave Thursday night after learning that the 51-year-old married coach was riding with a 25-year-old female employee of the football program when he crashed his motorcycle over the weekend.

“I have been in constant pain, medicated and the circumstances involving the wreck have come out in bits and pieces. That said, I certainly had a concern about Jessica Dorrell‘s name being revealed,” Petrino said in a statement released by the school. “In hindsight, I showed a serious mistake in judgment when I chose not to be more specific about those details. Today, I’ve acknowledged this previous inappropriate relationship with my family and those within the athletic department administration.”

Added Petrino: “I will fully cooperate with the university throughout this process and my hope is to repair my relationships with my family, my athletic director, the Razorback Nation and remain the head coach of the Razorbacks.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On April 6, 1973, the designated hitter made its major league debut in the Opening Day game between the Red Sox and Yankees. Ron Blomberg of the Yankees was the first DH to get a plate appearance. Who was the Red Sox’ first-ever DH?

Read the rest of this entry »

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 Kings, 10 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Heat at 76ers, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Spurs at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Texas vs. Cincinnati, 12:15 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, NC State vs. San Diego State, 12:40 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Alabama vs. Creighton, 1:40 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Virginia vs. Florida, 1:40 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, St. Bonaventure vs. Florida State, 2:45 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Belmont vs. Georgetown, 3:10 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Vermont vs. North Carolina, 4:10 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Norfolk State vs. Missouri, 4:40 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Saint Louis vs. Memphis 6:50 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Lehigh vs. Duke, 7:15 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Ohio vs. Michigan, 7:20 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Purdue vs. St. Mary’s, 7:27 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Long Island vs. Michigan State, 9:20 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Xavier vs. Notre Dame, 9:45 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, South Florida vs. Temple, 9:50 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Detroit vs. Kansas, 9:57 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NIT, Northwestern at Washington, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
College hockey: Hockey East semifinals, Providence vs. Boston College, 5 p.m. (NESN, NBCSN)
College hockey: Hockey East semifinals, Maine vs. Boston University, 8 p.m. (NESN, NBCSN)
MLB preseason: Twins at Red Sox, 7:05 p.m. (WEEI)

SATURDAY:
NBA: Celtics at Nuggets, 9 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Spurs at Mavericks, 9 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Kansas State vs. Syracuse, 12:15 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Gonzaga vs. Ohio State, 2:45 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Murray State vs. Marquette, , 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Vanderbilt vs. Wisconsin, 6:10 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, VCU vs. Indiana, 7:10 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Iowa State vs. Kentucky, 7:45 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Colorado vs. Baylor, 8:40 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, New Mexico vs. Louisville, 9:40 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NIT, UMass at Seton Hall, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Flyers at Bruins, 1 p.m. (NESN, NHL Network)
NHL: Blues at Lightning, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
College hockey: Hockey East championship, 8 p.m. (NESN, NBCSN)
MLB preseason: Orioles at Red Sox, 1:35 p.m. (WEEI)
MLS: Revolution at Sporting KC, 8:30 p.m. (CSNNE)

SUNDAY:
NBA: Magic at Heat, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Trail Blazers at Thunder, 9:30 pm. (ESPN)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, third-round games (CBS, TBS, TNT)
College basketball: NIT, Northern Iowa at Drexel, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NIT, Bucknell at Nevada, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: NIT, Iowa at Oregon, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
NHL: Penguins at Flyers, 12:30 p.m. (NBC)
NHL: Capitals at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
MLB preseason: Red Sox at Rays, 1:05 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

Mark Sanchez finally answered the unnamed teammates who criticized him this offseason. (AP)

♦ Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez lashed out at the unnamed teammates who criticized him following the team’s disappointing finish to the 2011 season, calling the comments “a gutless thing to do.”

“If you’re not going to put your name on something, why waste anybody’s time?” said Sanchez, who last week signed a three-year, $40 million extension. “Obviously, they had strong opinions about it, but not strong enough to say who they are.”

Sanchez, who has been quiet almost all of the offseason while reports came out about problems between him and receiver Santonio Holmes, took some responsibility for the issues.

“I don’t want to speak for Santonio, but I know I underachieved,” Sanchez said. “I think there were some things I could’ve handled better with him and our communication.”

That said, Sanchez insisted the “feud” is not nearly as bad as it’s been portrayed, and he and Holmes have talked about how it’s been overblown.

“It was something where we just kind of smiled,” Sanchez said. “When I first saw him, it was like, ‘Man this kind of took on a life of its own.’ He said, ‘You’re telling me.’ ”

♦ Former Giants teammates Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey had an interesting exchange on Twitter Thursday. It started when Toomer wrote that Shockey was a “bad teammate, worse person” after hearing speculation that the tight end might want to return to New York as a free agent.

Shockey responded by accusing Toomer of urinating on his ex-wife’s clothes and later calling him an idiot.

Answered Toomer: Thanks 4 proving my statement about being a bad person.

♦ After agreeing to stay in Orlando through next season, Dwight Howard professed his loyalty at a Thursday press conference. “I’m not like those guys, or those people they’re trying to paint me as,” Howard said, with the assumption that he was referring to LeBron James and friends in Miami. “I’m too loyal. That’s not my nature.”

He got support from Hornets guard Jarret Jack, who tweeted: S/O to @dwighthoward for being loyal and not following this whack trend in the league of dudes trying to team up. #standonyourown2.

That got a response from Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who tweeted: Loyalty hahahahaha.

Wade will get a chance to make a statement on the court Sunday, as the Heat host the Magic.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On March 16, 1960, the Red Sox made a trade with the Indians, sending which catcher who chose to retire instead, negating the deal?

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With the NBA’s second half set to begin and with the trade deadline just over two weeks away, trade rumors surrounding Magic center Dwight Howard are likely to reach a fever pitch, and Orlando is doing its best to quell any speculation surrounding its big man.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s All-Star Game, the Magic denied (via the Orlando Sentinel) a rumor that they have a deal with the Lakers and a third team that would send Howard to Los Angeles to play alongside Kobe Bryant.

The rumor said that the Magic would send Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson to the Lakers in exchange for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. A third team, the Raptors, could also be a part of the deal, with Toronto sending Jose Calderon to the Magic, according to the report.

The 26-year-old Howard is fresh off his sixth All-Star appearance. This season, he is averaging 20.1 points and 15.3 rebounds per game.

When the Magic visited New Jersey on Wednesday, the Nets made no effort to hide their interest in center Dwight Howard, posting placards of the soon-to-be-completed Barclays Center in Brooklyn along the center’s path to the arena. That’s not all the team is doing apparently. According to Sports Illustrated, Nets GM Billy King is also prepping three and four team trade options to try and land Howard before the March 15 deadline.

For what it’s worth, Howard has remained mum on his immediate future, saying that he’s content where he is in Orlando and is simply preparing for the All-Star game, despite all of the chatter and past actions that indicate otherwise.

“The situation right now is All-Star weekend,” Howard said to the Orlando Sentinel. “That’s the only thing that matters right now. This is the moment. This is All-Star weekend.

“We’re going to have fun and we’re going to enjoy ourselves. All that stuff can go on after All-Star weekend. But for right now, my focus is on having a great time, being a great host to all these great players that you see around us.”

Dwight Howard's future in Orlando remains a big question mark. (AP)

The principals are similar: once-in-a-generation dominant center, career opportunities beyond basketball, free agency and the Magic.

Yet Shaquille O’Neal believes the predicament facing soon-to-be free agent superstar Dwight Howard is not the same as the one he faced in 1996. Despite leaving the Magic 16 years ago to join the Lakers, O’Neal said on Tuesday if Howard were to leave Orlando it would be a “travesty.”

Shaq believes his decision to flee the Magic kingdom made sense because Los Angeles offered a better situation, but Howard’s choice is different due to the new collective bargaining agreement that allows the Magic to offer the 26 year-old the largest contract.

Howard’s larger-than-life personality — which is similar to Shaq’s — has led many to believe he wants to work on things beyond basketball such as acting. O’Neal had the same aspirations. He appeared in several movies, most notably “Blue Chips,” and even produced rap albums. A bigger market, such as Los Angeles, could provide a bigger platform for Howard to display his personality.

“I don’t know if he doesn’t like the organization,” O’Neal said. “I don’t know if he wants to go to a bigger city where he can get more endorsement deals, he can do movies. No one really knows the problem.”

O’Neal said Magic general manager Otis Smith will probably try to deal Howard before free agency in order to get some value in return. However, fellow TNT analyst Steve Kerr felt otherwise.

“I would be inclined towards playing it out and trying to keep Dwight, because it’s so hard to get equal value, and given that Dwight seems to say something new every week, I think there’s still a chance that they could re-sign him,” Kerr said. “I think you have to exhaust every opportunity or every possibility before you make a trade that you might later regret.”

With the Lakers sitting in second place in the Pacific Division with a  14-11 record, there have been rumbles that the perennial contenders could make a move to boost the team before the trade deadline. Both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum have hinted at the possibility of the team making a trade. Kobe Bryant added more fuel to that fire when he acknowledged the possibility of changes in the Lakers lineup during a radio appearance on ESPN’s “Max and Marcellus” show on Wednesday.

“I’m sure they’ll do something,” Bryant said of Lakers trade possibilities. “They’ll tweak something. I don’t know what. But I’m sure they’ll do something.”

One of the rumored targets for L.A. has been Dwight Howard, who has publicly asked to be traded away from Orlando. Before the Magic’s game against the Heat Wednesday, however, 85-year-old Orlando owner Richard DeVos Sr. said he is hoping the Magic will not trade Howard.

“I don’t gamble on that, I just plan on him staying,” DeVos said when asked to put a percentage on the chance of Howard staying in the long-term.

“We like to think we’re making headway,” DeVos said of negotiations with Howard “But I don’t know. He probably won’t know until the end and I won’t either.”

According to a CBS Sports report Wednesday evening, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is looking into attending a Gilbert Arenas workout later this week. Arenas was waived by the Magic after last season, his first full season since serving a 50-game suspension for bringing guns into the locker room in December 2009. Arenas would be another option at point guard for the struggling Lakers, although Arenas has only played in 117 games in the last four seasons due to knee injuries and the suspension.

Arenas, a three-time All Star, had one of the best games of his career against the Lakers. In 2006, Arenas, then a Washington Wizard, put up 60 points against the Lakers in a 147-141 Washington victory. The performance set a Wizards record for points scored by one player in a single game.

It's been a long year for Magic center Dwight Howard. (AP)

Over the past several months, speculation has run rampant over where Magic center Dwight Howard may ultimately land. According to Howard, one more team can be added to a seemingly ever-expanding list: the Bulls.

After his Magic lost 93-67 to the Hornets Friday, Howard told the Chicago Tribune that he would be open to teaming up with Bulls point guard and reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose in Chicago.

“If I could play with Derrick right now and God wanted that to happen, it will happen,” Howard said to the Tribune. “It has nothing to do with me not playing with Derrick Rose. I love him. That’s my brother.”

With the report, the Bulls now join a list of oft-mentioned potential Howard suitors, a group of teams that includes the Lakers, Nets and Mavericks, among others.

Howard, a five-time NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, is now in his seventh season with the Magic, the team that drafted him with the first overall pick in 2004. Through 20 games, Howard is averaging 20.2 points and 15.5 rebounds per game.

According to an ESPN report, Dwight Howard will ask the Magic to to trade him to the Nets. New Jersey is rumored to have offered a package that includes young center Brook Lopez and two first-round draft picks in exchange for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, who is owed $34 million over the next three years.

Howard and New Jersey point guard Deron Williams reportedly spoke during the lockout about teaming up with the Nets, who will move to Brooklyn after this season.

The Nets also reportedly are pursuing free agent center Nene as a backup.

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:
NHL: Flyers at Sabres, 7:30 p.m. (Versus)
College basketball: Central Connecticut at Michigan State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Arizona at Florida, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Xavier at Butler, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Nick Saban has been a success in the college ranks but struggled in the NFL with the Dolphins. (AP)

♦ Former Patriots running back Heath Evans related a story to a Miami radio station that does not paint a flattering picture of University of Alabama coach Nick Saban. Evans was in Dolphins training camp in 2005 when Saban was in his first year as Dolphins coach. Evans said teammate Jeno James collapsed after a practice, “vomiting all kids of stuff that would make a billy goat puke, eyes rolled in the back of his head.” As Evans and teammates attended to James, Saban walked by, stepped over the convulsing player, and, without a word, continued on and headed upstairs. James was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Recalled Evans: “Saban calls a team meeting about 10:30 that night, comes down and says, ‘You know, the captain of the ship can never show fear or indecision, we’ve always got to have an answer, and so I had to go upstairs, that’s why I walked over Jeno like that, I had to collect my thoughts and decide what’s best for our team.’

“And I’m thinking to myself, I think along with Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas and Yeremiah Bell and all these other guys, going, ‘Did he, does he really believe what he’s just saying?’ He showed no human emotion for one of his best players. He literally stepped over him when four or five grown men are trying to carry Jeno to the training room.

“And at that point honestly, you know, I was only there, you know, for seven weeks of that football season before he cut me, and let me say this: That was the best thing that ever happened to my career, because obviously A) they had to pay me, and B) Bill Belichick picked me up and I learned more football than I ever thought I’d know – but that deciding moment kind of right there of how Nick Saban handled that, I think it always showed the team that ultimately he doesn’t really care about any of us players.”

♦ There has been speculation that Los Angeles has been trying to lure the Vikings from Minnesota. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Vikings, speaking at a hearing before state legislators, said another U.S. city has contacted the team in the past year about relocating, but he did not reveal the name. “We would let that city speak for themselves,” vice president of stadium development and public affairs Lester Bagley said. “I don’t think it’s out place to say who it is.”

Meanwhile, the Vikings announced that thousands of tickets remain unsold for two upcoming games, putting their 142-game sellout streak (including preseason, regular season and playoffs) in jeopardy.

♦ Despite witnesses coming forward to say Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was driving recklessly when he crashed his car into a tree early Saturday morning in Portland, Ore., police there said Tuesday they do not plan to further investigate the incident, which did not lead to a citation for Suh. Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson said that because the crash did not involve an intoxicated driver, traumatic injuries or vulnerable road users, it does not meet the department’s investigation criteria.

♦ Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide is retiring after calling Dwight Howard following a night of drinking and pleading with the center to stay in Orlando. Vander Weide acknowledged making the 1 a.m. phone call, admitting he “maybe should have waited until the morning. … Maybe Dwight thought it was inappropriate to talk business after a couple of glasses of win.” Alex Martins was promoted from president to CEO to take Vander Weide’s place.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Dec. 7, 1978, the Red Sox traded Bill Lee to the Expos for which player?

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