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:
MLB: Red Sox at Tigers, 1 p.m. (NESN, ESPN2; WEEI)
MLB: Marlins at Reds, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
MLB: Dodgers at Padres, 7 p.m. (MLB Network)
NBA: Celtic at Bulls, 9:30 p.m. (TNT; WEEI)
NBA: Knicks at Magic, 7 p.m. (TNT)
NHL: Bruins at Senators, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Rangers at Penguins, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
College hockey: Frozen Four, Boston College vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
College hockey: Frozen Four, Ferris State vs. Union, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
MLS: Revolution at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (CSNNE)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Ravens safety Bernard Pollard, known to Patriots fans as the player who caused major injuries to Tom Brady, Wes Welker and, this past season, Rob Gronkowski, is not happy with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell‘s attempts to make the sport less dangerous.

“It’s getting out of hand,” Pollard told Houston radio station KILT. “This is not powderpuff football, this is not flag football. This is a violent sport. And it’s a fun sport — we all love playing this game. And we’re blessed by God to even go out there and display our talent to the world, but at the same time you can’t sit there and say, ‘We want guts, we want glory, we want heart.’ You can’t give a player heart but at the end of the day you tell him, “Well, hold on, but be careful when you go to make that hit.’ We wear helmets and shoulder pads. That means you’re supposed to go knock somebody around. We ain’t wearing flags.”

Regarding the Saints’ bounty situation, Pollard said he doesn’t care if a team has bounties and called the one-year suspension of Saints coach Sean Payton “outrageous.”

“This is a game, this is a violent game. You can’t take this away,” Pollard said. “You suspend a man for a whole year? You suspend a man for a whole year and now you’re looking for players to suspend? This is outrageous. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

♦ After coaching Kentucky to the national championship Monday, John Calipari insists he has no desire to leave for the NBA, even though the Knicks reportedly have interest.

“Kentucky is the best job in basketball coaching,” Calipari said. “Why would I leave? We just won the national title. We’re chasing UCLA.”

Meanwhile, a player being recruited by Kentucky, Everett’s Nerlens Noel, raised some eyebrows when he recounted a story of walking through Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Final Four weekend and being graciously received by Wildcats fans.

“I’m always just shocked at how dedicated Kentucky fans are,” Noel wrote in a diary for ESPN. “One man asked me if I wanted to take his wife home with me, ha ha. I couldn’t believe it. I was like ‘Nah, I’m good,’ but that’s just how insane the fans were down there.”

♦ At Wednesday’s annual press conference prior to the start of The Masters, August National Chairman Billy Payne refused to answer questions about if and when a woman would be admitted as a member of the club. The topic became relevant again because IBM has a new CEO, Virginia Rometty, and the last four IBM CEOs have been invited to be club members.

“As has been the case whenever that question is asked, all issues of membership have been and are subject to private deliberations of the members,” Payne said. “That statement remains accurate and that remains my statement.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On April 5, 1971, the Cardinals returned to the Red Sox which Rule 5 draft pick who would go on to a stellar major league career (most of it outside Boston)?

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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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY FRIDAY:
No games scheduled

SATURDAY:
NHL: Lightning at Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN)
MLS: Earthquakes at Revolution, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE)

SUNDAY:
NFL: Jets at Patriots, 4:15 p.m. (CBS)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Following comments from University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari that were dismissive of Rick Pitino‘s Louisville program, Pitino responded in an interview with CBS Sports‘ Jeff Goodman. “Four things I’ve learned in my 59 years about people,” Pitino said. “I ignore the jealous, I ignore the malicious, I ignore the ignorant and I ignore the paranoid.”

Added Pitino: “If the shoe fits anyone, wear it.”

♦ Eagles defensive end Jason Babin was fined $15,000 for a hit on 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, and he isn’t happy about it. Tweeted Babin: Attn:Guy at the NFL that decides on who and how much players get fined Stop being a puppet, if you want to protect QB’s, get better linemen. Asked about the tweet, Babin said: “That was just meant to be sarcastic. But my main point was the person that decides the fines — I’m assuming they’re supposed to be unbiased and make decisions for themselves according to the rules and regulations — not let outside influences affect their decision-making. You know what they say, ‘One man with courage is a majority.’ ”

Meanwhile, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was fined $7,500 for an unnecessary roughness penalty, but he insists his offending hit came before the whistle. Stated Pouncey: “I’m not changing how I play.”

♦ The University of Alabama fan who is accused of poisoning trees at Auburn might once again be looking for a new attorney. Harvey Updyke Jr. went against his counsel’s advice and recently called in to a radio show to apologize “for all the damage I have done,” leading to attorney Glennon Threatt asking the court for permission to be the fourth lawyer to withdraw from the case. Said Threatt: “He needs somebody he will trust, and he needs somebody he will listen to.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: The seventh of October has not been a successful day for the Red Sox throughout the years. On this date, they lost World Series games in 1946 and 1967, and playoff games in 1986, 1990, 1999 and 2005. They did have one big victory on Oct. 7, when in 1975 they beat the A’s, 5-3, to sweep the three-game ALCS. Who was Boston’s winning pitcher?

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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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY THURSDAY:
NHL: Flyers at Bruins, 7 p.m. (Versus)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ On Tuesday, Brett Favre did a radio interview in Atlanta and said he was surprised that it took his replacement in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, three years to win a Super Bowl title considering how talented the Packers have been since Favre’s departure. NBC football analyst Rodney Harrison responded by calling Favre “classless” and “immature.” Added Harrison of Favre: “Everything he’s accomplished in his career is now diminished. … He’s about himself. He’s about nothing else but himself.”

♦ John Calipari and Rick Pitino are coaching neighbors in Kentucky, but Calipari is doing his best to pretend that his old friend doesn’t exist. Among the recent slights is a comment Calipari made this week about how other states have multiple programs that split loyalties, but Kentucky rules the Bluegrass State. Said Calipari: “There’s no other state — none — as connected to their basketball program as this one. Because those other states have other programs. Michigan has Michigan State. California, UCLA has all those. North Carolina has Duke. It’s Kentucky, throughout this whole state, and that’s what makes this unique.”

♦ The case of Leo Nunez, the Marlins closer who was pitching under an assumed name, might just be the first of many. According a sports activist in the Dominican Republic, as many as 30 other Dominican natives now playing in the majors and minors are using assumed names to conceal their true ages, and there are more impostors from Venezuela, Panama and Nicaragua.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Oct. 6, 1906, which Red Sox player homered in his final at-bat, as he committed suicide before the following season, shortly after he was named manager?

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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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
MLB: Red Sox at A’s, 10:05 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ A 63-year-old woman from Yonkers, N.Y., sued the Yankees, claiming her late uncle designed the team’s top-hat logo in 1936. Tanit Buday claims then-Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert asked Kenneth Timur to make the design, long credited to sports artist Henry Alonzo “Lon” Keller. Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion said there’s no proof of Buday’s claim. “This is a wonderful country, where anybody can sue for anything, even when the allegations are over 70 years old,” McGillion said.

♦ The NBA admitted that a key Thunder basket in Game 1 vs. the Nuggets should not have counted because of goaltending by Kendrick Perkins. In the Denver Post, Mark Kiszla writes that the league must avoid the appearance of showing favoritism toward its stars.

♦ ESPN analyst Bobby Knight apologized to the University of Kentucky and coach John Calipari after implying that some Wildcats players who bolted for the NBA after one college season last year did not attend classes in the second semester. “My overall point is that ‘one-and-dones’ are not healthy for college basketball,” Knight said in an ESPN statement. “I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize.” In the Louisville Courier-Journal, Eric Crawford complains that Knight has yet to admit his facts were wrong.

♦ The New York Times pays tribute to marathon legend Grete Waitz, who died of cancer Tuesday at the age of 57.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On April 20, 1986, the Celtics beat the Bulls in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series, 135-131, in double overtime. in the game, Bulls guard Michael Jordan set an NBA playoff record by scoring how many points?

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According to the New York Post, the Knicks may have interest in pursuing University of Kentucky coach John Calipari to run the front office and coach the team.

The $5 million option for current Knicks president Donnie Walsh has yet to be picked up by owner James Dolan, fueling speculation that a move will be made this offseason.

Calipari had a previous stint in the NBA, coaching the Nets from 1996-99 after leading UMass to the 1996 Final Four (since vacated by the NCAA). He was fired by the Nets 20 games into the lockout-delayed 1998-99 season with the team struggling to a 3-17 start.

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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY FRIDAY:
NBA: Warriors at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
MLB Preseason: Red Sox at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. (NESN)

SATURDAY:
NHL: Penguins at Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN)
MLB Preseason: Red Sox (SS) at Orioles, 1:05 p.m.
MLB Preseason: Marlins at Red Sox (SS), 1:05 p.m. (NESN)

SUNDAY:
NBA: Celtics at Bucks, 9 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
MLB Preseason: Red Sox at Mets, 1:10 p.m. (NESN)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ A high school basketball player in Michigan died Thursday night after hitting the game-winning shot that capped his team’s undefeated regular season. Shortly after he was lifted up by teammates in celebration while fans rushed the court, 16-year-old Wes Leonard of Fennville High School collapsed. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Leonard, a 1,000-point scorer, also was an honorable mention all-state quarterback on the school’s football team.

♦ Steve Mandl, who coached Manny Ramirez at George Washington High School in New York and has been at the school for 27 seasons, is fighting a one-year suspension he received for violating the league’s prohibition on recruiting.

♦ ThePostGame.com blog has the story of two girls from Southern California, Ghazaleh Sailors and Marti Sementelli, who play varsity baseball at different high schools. On Saturday, the two are scheduled to be the starting pitchers against each other, making it the first time two girls take the mound as starters on opposing teams.

♦ The University of Oregon football team is taking some heat for paying $25,000 to a Texas man, Will Lyles, who claims to run a scouting service but reportedly steers players to colleges. Oregon also paid a lesser fee to a former University of New Hampshire player, Baron Flenory, who runs camps and has close relationships with recruits. Flenory played at UNH when current Oregon coach Chip Kelly was an assistant for the Wildcats.

♦ Forbes magazine has a look at the top 10 highest-paid college basketball coaches. Kentucky’s John Calipari is No. 1 at $4 million per year. Next up are Michigan State’s Tom Izzo ($3.4 million) and Florida’s Billy Donovan ($3.3 million).

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On March 4, 1984, which former Red Sox catcher was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

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University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari had some choice words for freshman Terrence Jones during the Wildcats’ loss to Alabama on Tuesday night. Calipari could be seen berating the player during a break in the action with 2:03 remaining. He appeared to call Jones “a selfish mother-[expletive]” toward the end of the one-sided discussion.

Shortly after the game, Calipari apologized via Twitter and Facebook, writing: First of all I want to apologize for my language at the end of the game. I got caught up in the emotion of the game, but that’s no excuse.

He followed that with: Sometimes you don’t realize in the moment that what you’re saying is on national TV. The [Big Blue Nation] deserves better and so do my players.

Here’s the video of the incident.

According to Inside Puerto Rico Basketball blog there has been “communication” between the Dominican Republic Basketball Federation and John Calipari about the possibility of Calipari taking over as coach of the national team.

It is believed that if the Kentucky head coach agrees to the position, it would be a similar deal to that of Rick Pitino, who agreed to coach Puerto Rico’s national team next summer at the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

“Guys like Cal and Rick don’t take jobs like this for the money,” a source told Inside Puerto Rico Basketball. “Guys at that level have made more money then they can spend in their lifetime so the money is not the issue. Taking this type of job doesn’t hurt recruiting or prevent a coach and his staff from running an elite program. In a highly competitive recruiting environment taking a job like this increases exposure for both the coach and the program he is coaching. Most importantly, it helps to develop new recruiting contacts internationally which in today’s game is a must.”

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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Mariners, 6:40 p.m. (NESN, WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ CBS Sports NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe announced he will “step aside” from his broadcasting duties while a domestic situation is addressed. Last week, Sharpe had a restraining order taken out against him for allegedly forcing a woman to have sex with him, stalking her and making multiple threats on her life. A hearing has been scheduled Monday in an Atlanta court. Sharpe, a former standout tight end with the Broncos and Ravens, appeared on “NFL Today” last weekend, but with more details emerging, he announced that he decided to step aside “until this matter is resolved.”

♦ Reggie Bush announced Tuesday that he will forfeit his Heisman Trophy. Chris Dufresne at The Los Angeles Times writes that the former USC star still needs to make a public apology for the NCAA violations that led to this.

♦ With the latest accusations against a John Calipari-coached player — this time its former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe involved in a grading controversy — Pete Thamel in The New York Times writes about Calipari’s past looming larger at Kentucky.

♦ Chuck Culpepper in The New York Times has a feature on former Harvard guard Jeremy Lin as the player prepares for training camp with the Warriors.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Sept. 15, 1979, which Red Sox player hit for the cycle (in order, no less) and in the process became the first player in major league history to hit for the cycle in both leagues?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The rapport that I have here with this organization, the coaching staff and the fan base, it’s a lot of positives out there when dealing with me. I don’t really want to try to make it an individual thing, but I guess it has been over the last couple of days.” — Patriots receiver Randy Moss

STAT OF THE DAY: 6 — Seasons with 30 or more home runs for David Ortiz, tying him for second with Manny Ramirez (behind Ted Williams‘ eight) for most in Red Sox history

‘NET RESULTS: Here’s the latest gruesome sports injury — a soccer player breaking his ankle.

A high school football player loses a battle with a goalpost.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Bob Watson

SOOTHING SOUNDS: Country legend Roy Acuff, who died in 1992, was born on this day in 1903.

Pistons coach John Kuester started out as a head coach at Boston University, succeeding Rick Pitino. (AP)

As the Celtics continue to battle the Lakers in the NBA finals, news has surfaced that C’s assistant coach Tom Thibodeau will be named the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls. While it will be tough to see Doc Rivers’ right-hand guy depart after three successful years with the team, many may not realize he got his coaching start here in Massachusetts. Although it was years ago and before he became a defensive mastermind in the NBA, Thibodeau was once the head coach at Salem State College, his alma mater. In honor of Thibodeau’s well-deserved opportunity with the Bulls, here is a list of current or former NBA head coaches who once were college head coaches in New England, ranked in order of their success in the NBA.

10. tie, Satch Sanders, John Kuester and Doggie Julian

Sanders won eight NBA championships with the Celtics before he took the head coaching position at Harvard. His four-year stint with the Crimson (1973-77) led him back to the Celtics, where he served as an assistant to Tom Heinsohn, then head coach for parts of two seasons (1977-78 and 1978-79), although he had an uninspiring 23-39 record.

Kuester was an assistant to Rick Pitino at Boston University before he took over for him in 1983 to become the youngest head coach in NCAA Division 1 history. From there he has spent time with eight NBA teams, including the Celtics, Magic and Cavaliers, mainly serving as an assistant coach. He just finished his first season as head coach of the Detroit Pistons with a record of 27-55.

Julian may be most well known for his coaching stint with Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders to the NCAA title in 1947. One of the members of that team, Bob Cousy, helped Julian come close to winning the title again the following season, but HC lost in the semifinals. He was courted by the Celtics after his time at Holy Cross but found very little success in the NBA, amassing a less-than-stellar 47-81 record before being let go in 1950. He then returned to college, guiding the Dartmouth program from 1950-67. Read the rest of this entry »