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: Bulls at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Rockets at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (NBATV)
College basketball: Wake Forest at Boston College, 7 p.m. (NESN: WEEI-AM)
College basketball: Nebraska at Indiana, 7 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Miami at Florida State, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Syracuse at UConn, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Central Florida at Memphis, 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
College basketball: West Virginia at Baylor, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Purdue at Illinois, 9 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Providence at South Florida, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: North Carolina at Duke, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: San Diego State at Colorado State, 10 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
College basketball: Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State, 11 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Oregon at Washington, 11 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHL: Blues at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Yankees manager Joe Girardi meets the media at spring training Tuesday in Tampa, Fla. (AP)

♦ With Alex Rodriguez rehabbing in New York, the Yankees opened spring training in Tampa, Fla., insisting that A-Rod’s latest PED scandal won’t divert their focus from the task at hand.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really come to a Yankee camp where there hasn’t been something that people might call a distraction,” manager Joe Girardi said. “This club’s used to it.

“A lot of times, it’s a two-day event, a three-day event, then the story kind of goes away. It may change for a day or two, but there will be something else that comes up that we’ll have to deal with. Him being in New York has nothing to do with trying to get rid of a distraction. It’s the best place for him to be.”

Added pitcher CC Sabathia: “We’ve dealt with a lot around here since I’ve been here, and this is my fifth year. It’s been a lot to deal with, but you learn to be a professional and go out and do your job.”

Catcher Francisco Cervelli, also linked to the controversial Biogenesis clinic in South Florida that allegedly prescribed PEDs to a number of major leaguers, is slated to address the issue publicly Wednesday.

“Of course that can weigh on his mind, but it’s a distraction that he’s going to have to block out to be able to perform,” Girardi said of Cervelli, who is competing for the starting catcher’s job. “There are other things that come up in a person’s life that can be distracting if you let them be. In a sense, this is a test for him, how he’s able to block this out.”

♦ Four University of Alabama football players were arrested and face charges for their involvement in two violent assaults and robberies of fellow students Monday. According to the police report, linebacker Tyler Hayes, safety Eddie Williams and running back Brent Calloway admitted their participation in the crimes that allegedly also included defensive lineman D.J. Pettway.

The players are said to have punched and kicked the victims, knocking them out, before stealing their wallets and at least one computer. The players then used a stolen credit card to buy snacks from vending machines in a dormitory.

The players, all backups, were suspended by the team, which is coming off its second straight national championship.

“This behavior is unacceptable for any student-athlete at the University of Alabama and not representative of our football program,” coach Nick Saban said in a statement.

♦ The 21-year-old son of Celtics legend Larry Bird was arrested Sunday after allegedly trying to run over his ex-girlfriend with his car. Conner Bird, a student at Indiana University, is accused of throwing a cell phone at the woman and then driving his car at her during an argument.

Bird faces preliminary charges including intimidation with a deadly weapon, battery with injury and possession of marijuana.

“It is a private matter we are hoping to resolve as quickly as possible,” said Bird’s attorney, John Tompkins. “We are happy no one was seriously hurt.”

♦ The international Olympic Committee voted Tuesday to drop wrestling starting with the 2020 Games. Wrestling was voted out from a final group that included modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey, accordion to an Associated Press report.

Eliminating one of the 26 sports allowed the IOC to add a new sport later this year. Wrestling can attempt to be reconsidered for inclusion, but it faces an uphill battle, competing with seven other sports also hoping to be in the 2020 Games: baseball/softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu (martial arts).

“This is a process of renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “In the view of the executive board, this was the best program for the Olympic Games in 2020. It’s not a case of what’s wrong with wrestling, it is what’s right with the 25 core sports.”

Wrestling, which includes freestyle and Greco-Roman events, has been held in every modern Olympics, starting with the Athens Games in 1896. There were 344 wrestlers at least year’s London Olympics, competing in 11 medal events.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On Feb. 13, 1985, the Bruins fired coach Gerry Cheevers. Who replaced him for the remainder of the season?

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Alex Rodriguez

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the club will be sticking with Alex Rodriguez at third base next season.

Girardi, who benched Rodriguez during three of the Yankees’ nine postseason games, said Rodriguez wouldn’t have to compete for the everyday starting position during spring training.

“I expect Alex to be our everyday third baseman,” Girardi said during his end-of-the-year news conference. “What is he going to have to show me? That he is healthy and ready to go.”

Rodriguez was without a hit in 18 at-bats against righties in the postseason and finished the season without a home run in his final 93 at-bats.

Girardi said he would meet with Rodriguez in the offseason to talk about his health and the upcoming season.

The Yankees could try to trade the 14-time-All-Star, but Rodriguez could block any deal. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman previously said that he would consider trade offers for any player but isn’t actively trying to move A-Rod.

Robinson Cano tags out Omar Infante at second base during Sunday's night's ALCS Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. Umpire Jeff Nelson called Infante safe, and Infante went on to score the second run in the Tigers' 3-0 victory. (AP)

While much of America was watching football, a blown call in the eighth inning of the ALCS game at Yankee Stadium aided the Tigers in a 3-0 victory that gave them a 2-0 series lead.

With two outs and Omar Infante at first base, Austin Jackson singled to right field. Nick Swisher fielded it and threw it to Robinson Cano at second. The Yankees second baseman tagged out Infante, who had overrun the bag and was attempting to dive back, but umpire Jeff Nelson called Infante safe.

On the following play, Infante scored on a bloop single to right field. As Yankees manager Joe Girardi came out to make a pitching change, he again argued with Nelson, who then ejected him from the game. A second run scored later in the inning, leaving the offensively challenged Yankees in a 3-0 hole they could not overcome.

After the game, Nelson admitted he blew the call.

“I had the tag late and the hand going into the bag before the tag on the chest,” Nelson said. “The hand did not get in before the tag. The call was incorrect.”

After the game, Girardi didn’t blame Nelson, but questioned MLB for not instituting more instant replay so umpires can take a second look at controversial plays.

“It’s frustrating. I don’t have a problem with Jeff’s effort. I don’t, because he hustled to get to the point. But in this day and age, when we have instant replay available to us, it’s got to change,” Girardi said. “These guys are under a tremendous amount of pressure. It’s a tough call for him because the tag is underneath and it’s hard for him to see. It takes more time for me to argue and get upset than [if] you get the call right. There’s just too much at stake. I mean, we played 235 days to get to this point.”

To see the video of the play, click here.

Alex Rodriguez

An X-ray of Alex Rodriguez‘s hand on Tuesday showed signs the injury is improving.

“It’s definitely better,” manager Joe Girardi said. “The brace will come off. He’s not quite ready to swing, but he will start doing strengthening exercises, so that’s a good sign for us.”

Rodriguez has not played since his hand was fractured on July 24 after he was hit by a pitch. The third baseman, who was throwing a football around Tuesday, said his hand is feeling better.

“So far, so good,” Rodriguez said prior to New York’s game against Texas on Tuesday night.

Before his injury, Rodriguez was batting .276 with 14 home runs and 22 RBIs.

Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia may miss his next start with elbow soreness, the New York Daily News reported.

Sabathia experienced soreness in his elbow after his Wednesday start, a source told the paper.

On Wednesday the lefty pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs in New York’s 12-8 win over Detroit.

“Right now, it’s a low-level concern,” the source said. “Long-term, it’s not a big concern.”

The 32-year-old, who was spotted sporting an ice pack on Saturday, is 12-3 with a 3.56 ERA this season and has won his last two starts. At the moment Sabathia’s next start is scheduled for Monday, when the  Yankees host the Rangers.

“He’s okay,” manager Joe Girardi said on Saturday. “It’s just preventive stuff that all our guys do.”

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:
No games scheduled

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ The Orioles are not pleased with what they perceive to be insensitivity on the part of the Yankees regarding the rescheduling of a game in Baltimore postponed by Hurricane Irene. The Yankees were pushing to cram in another game Friday afternoon in an attempt to avoid losing one of their two remaining days off in September. The Orioles, however, wanted to avoid a doubleheader on Friday partly because they were planning a tribute to Mike Flanagan, who died last week. And with Hurricane Irene affecting millions of people in the area, there was little sympathy for the ballplayers.

The comment that apparently angered Showalter came from Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who said of the decision not to play Friday afternoon: “It’s silly to me.”

“First of all, I felt that some of the stuff was a little disrespectful to Flanny quite frankly,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter told MLB.com. “That didn’t sit with me very well. I can tell you that. … I’m sure if [the Yankees] stopped and thought about it, if the same thing that happened to one of their greats, that they probably would have given a lot of consideration to how they were going to handle that day.”

Added Showalter: “Their opinion on what the Baltimore Orioles should do for their fans and for their organization isn’t really that relevant to me personally. I can tell you that.”

♦ Apparently, the Red Sox aren’t the only major league team with disagreements between players and management about treatment of injuries. All-Star right fielder Andre Ethier complained to The Los Angeles Times about playing through pain, implying that the team was not listening to his concerns. “I keep getting put in the lineup, so what am I supposed to do?” he said.

The Dodgers responded by sitting Ethier Sunday, but manager Don Mattingly said the situation was a surprise to him. “I was a little taken back by it,” Mattingly said. “I talked to ‘Dre about it to see if he felt that the way it came out was accurate. To me, the way I read it, was that ‘Dre’s been telling us he can’t play and we just said: `Well, you’re playing, anyway.’ And that’s definitely not the case. I would never do that. That’s not part of my DNA.

“To me, that takes a shot at my integrity, the organization, the training staff and Ned. But it really gets back to me, personally – that I would put a guy out there that was hurt and was taking a shot at hurting his career. I would never do that. And I told ‘Dre that, too.”

♦ BYU basketball player Brandon Davies was reinstated Friday after his March suspension for a violation of the school’s honor code, and he does not appear to be bitter. “I’m excited to be back at BYU and look forward to the future,” he said in a statement. “I’m grateful for this opportunity.” In The Oregonian, John Canzano is amazed that Davies returned to the Cougars.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Aug. 29, 2000, Pedro Martinez had a perfect game for eight innings in a beanball-marred game in Tampa. Which Devil Rays hitter ended the bid with a single to open the ninth inning?

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Alex Rodriguez

After Alex Rodriguez said he felt “a little tentative, a little hesitant” playing the field with Triple-A Scranton on Tuesday night the Yankees will take their time bringing back the third baseman to the big leagues. He is working his way back from a torn meniscus in his right knee that he had surgery on in early July

Manager Joe Girardi said Rodriguez will travel with the team to Minnesota for the team’s weekend series with the Twins, and reevaluate the him there.

“Our plans right now are still to bring him to Minnesota tomorrow if everything goes OK,” Girardi said. “We may not activate him. We may just have him go through some things for a couple of days, then wait a couple of days to activate him.”

After playing Wednesday night with Triple-A Scranton, Rodriguez confirmed that he will not be playing with the Yankees on Thursday.

“I’m not playing [Thursday],” Rodriguez said after playing eight innings in his second rehab game with Triple-A Scranton. “I think that’s pretty clear. [Yankees manager] Joe Girardi already talked about that. I didn’t see his press conference, but that’s pretty much confirmed.”

Rodriguez has not played in a big league game since July 7.

A.J. Burnett

Yankees $16.5 million starter A.J. Burnett had another sub-par outing Tuesday night, surrendering four runs in six innings against the Angels. Although Burnett hasn’t recorded a quality start since June 29, manager Joe Girardi told reporters he’s sticking with the right-hander.

In Tuesday’s 6-4 loss, Burnett (8-9, 4.60 ERA) pitched five shutout innings before giving up four in the sixth.

“I haven’t won in a long time,” Burnett said. “I think I’ve pitched a lot of games that I could have won. I think a lot of things are out of my hands and are out of my control. I’ve given [up] three runs in [14] of my starts. If that is not good enough to win, I don’t know what is.”

In Burnett’s one start against the Red Sox this season, he allowed eight runs over 5 2/3 innings. Girardi has explored the option of moving Phil Hughes from the rotation to the bullpen, but he’s apparently unwilling to do the same with Burnett.

Alex Rodriguez

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodgriguez could return to a major league field next week. He is expected to start a rehab assignment Friday or Saturday. Manager Joe Girardi says that the exact date of his return depends on how the rehab assignments go.

“I don’t know if Monday is realistic,” Girardi told the Newark Star-Ledger. “Part of it probably depends on where he starts and how he feels in those next couple of games. But I think next week is realistic.”

A-Rod has been working his way back from knee surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear in his right knee. He has not played in a game since July 7.

“You don’t know how he’s going to feel and you don’t know if he’s going to have his timing,” Girardi said. “You don’t know if he’s going to feel stable on his knee running the bases. You can’t just throw a random number out there. When he’s ready, we’ll have him back, I can tell you that.”

Phil Hughes

Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes could end up in the bullpen for the rest of the season depending on his performance Tuesday night, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

Manager Joe Girardi will have to decide between Hughes and Ivan Nova, and Feinsand reports the skipper is leaning towards Nova for a spot in the rotation.

“Competition is a good thing,” Girardi said. “I think it brings out the best in people, so I think they’re both working hard, going about their business. … You’ve got to look at what your needs are, who’s throwing the ball well and what we need to do. If they both throw the ball the way we want them to, then decisions will have to be difficult on what we do.”

Nova, who will get the start on Thursday, will look to join a shaky back-end of the rotation with Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and A.J. Burnett. Hughes is 1-3 with an 8.24 ERA this season, while Nova is 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA.