Pau Gasol will have an MRI on his right foot Wednesday. (AP)

Pau Gasol will undergo an MRI on his right foot after straining his plantar fascia in Tuesday’s Lakers win over the Nets. He’s scheduled to have the procedure on Wednesday after the Lakers travel to Boston for Thursday’s game against the Celtics.

Gasol left Barclays Center on crutches. He said he tweaked the fascia in the first half and was playing on it for much of the game.

“I was dealing with it, but that play when I tried to jump off of it and try go block the shot [by Brooklyn's Brook Lopez], just as I took off, I felt a pop in the bottom of my foot on my fascia and I couldn’t get up,” Gasol said. “I’m worried about it.”

“I’ve been dealing with it for a couple months now,” he added. “But I never felt anything like I did tonight. Right now it’s a certain level of strain. We just don’t know how bad it is.”

The timetable for Gasol’s return is uncertain and will likely be determined after his MRI. He has missed 13 games this season due to tendinitis in both knees and a concusion.

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: Magic at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Heat at Pacers, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Lakers at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Manhattan at Siena, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Youngstown State at Detroit, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
NHL: Blues at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NHL Network)
College hockey: UMass-Lowell at Merrimack, 7 p.m. (NESN)
College hockey: Dartmouth at Union, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Terrell Suggs

♦ While 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver continued to apologize for his anti-gay remarks from Tuesday — “That’s not what I feel in my heart,” he said Thursday — Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs went out of his way to say that his team would have no issue with a gay teammate.

“We wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Suggs told reporters in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. “We don’t care. Our biggest thing in the locker room is to just have fun and stay loose. We don’t really care too much about that. We’re a football team. I said it [Wednesday], everybody deserves a certain amount of privacy. Who cares? Whatever a person’s choice is, it’s their choice.”

Added Suggs: “On this team, with so many different personalities, we just accept people for who they are and we don’t really care too much about a player’s sexuality. To each their own. You know who you are, and we accept you for it.”

Culliver spent most of an hour-long media session Thursday trying to mend fences, saying, “I’m sorry if I offended anyone. They were very ugly comments. Hopefully I learn and grow from this experience and this situation. … I treat everyone equal. That’s not how I feel.”

Meanwhile, Seahawks punter Jon Ryan weighed in and opined that commissioner Roger Goodell should suspend Culliver.

Tweeted Ryan: If Chris Culliver isn’t suspended by Goodell then I am absolutely embarrassed to be part of a league that accepts this type of behavior.

♦ Following rumors that the Yankees would attempt to get out from under the final five years of Alex Rodriguez‘ contract, perhaps with the player’s cooperation following his latest PED controversy, the New York Post reports that A-Rod continues to work toward returning to the team following his offseason hip surgery.

“Alex is working diligently on his rehabilitation and looks forward to getting back on the field as soon as possible,” a source told the paper.

The report indicates that the team and the league are being patient regarding Rodriguez’ situation, and preparing for the possibility that an investigation into the South Florida situation ends up failing to prove anything.

♦ CBS Sports NFL studio panelist Dan Marino confirmed a New York Post report that he had an affair with a CBS production assistant in 2005 that led to the birth of a daughter. Marino, who has six children with his wife, agreed to a settlement with the woman and kept the secret from the network and his own agent for seven years.

“This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then,” the Hall of Fame quarterback said in a statement. “We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On Feb. 1, 2004, which Bruin recorded a hat trick in a 4-1 victory over the Penguins and in the process set a team record by scoring six consecutive Bruins goals over three games?

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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:
NHL: Sabres at Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Penguins at Rangers, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
NBA: Grizzlies at Thunder, 8 p.m. (TNT)
NBA: Mavericks at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: UConn at Providence, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Illinois at Michigan State, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Drexel at George Mason, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Penn State at Iowa, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Arizona at Washington, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Arkansas at Alabama, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Oregon State at California, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount, 11 p.m. (ESPN2)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Almost two months after 26 students and faculty at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., were gunned down, a group of 26 students from the school will sing “America the Beautiful” as part of Sunday’s Super Bowl pregame show. The performance will be broadcast live on CBS shortly before Alicia Keys sings the national anthem.

The News Times in Connecticut reports that an anonymous donor provided the money for the trip. “It’s an honor,” an unidentified local parent said.

Choir members from the school recorded “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with Grammy-nominated singer Ingrid Michaelson earlier this month.

♦ The Lakers had won three straight games before losing to the Suns on Wednesday night, but coach Mike D’Antoni still found himself dealing with controversy. The latest issue surrounded center Pau Gasol, who was upset about being benched in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s victory over the Hornets.

Said Gasol: “I’m a competitor, I’m a guy that thinks I bring a lot to the table, and not being on the floor is something that I don’t like, I don’t appreciate.”

Considering the players talked about a renewed focus on team success over individual issues earlier this week following a recent team meeting, D’Antoni was especially disappointed.

“Well, you know, ‘all for one’ didn’t last [very] long, did it?” D’Antoni said. “Forty-eight hour shelf life. That’s not bad. We’ll take what we can get.”

♦ Former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky‘s bid for a new trial was denied Wednesday, as a judge rejected his argument that his lawyers did not have enough time to prepare for his trial last year that resulted in his conviction on child sexual abuse charges.

“I do not think it can be said that either of the defendant’s trial counsel failed to test the prosecution’s case in a meaningful manner,” Judge John Cleland wrote in his 27-page order. “The defendant’s attorneys subjected the commonwealth’s witnesses to meaningful and effective cross-examination, presented evidence for the defense and presented both a comprehensive opening statement and a clearly developed closing argument.”

Sandusky is serving 30-60 years in state prison for the sexual abuse of 10 boys.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On Jan. 31, 1971, in a 6-0 rout of the Blues, Bobby Orr scored twice to become the second defenseman in Bruins history with 100 career goals. Who was the first?

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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.

WEDNESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NBA: Timberwolves at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Nuggets at Hawks, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Mavericks at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Ohio at Memphis, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)
College basketball: Florida at Florida State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Michigan State, 8 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Temple at Villanova, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Penn State at La Salle, 9 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: South Florida at Oklahoma State, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: USC at New Mexico, 10 p.m. (CBSSN)
College basketball: Gonzaga at Washington State, 11 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

Dale Sveum had a tale to tell reporters Tuesday at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)

♦ Cubs manager Dale Sveum revealed Tuesday at baseball’s winter meetings that he was shot in the right ear and back during a recent hunting trip with Hall of Famer Robin Yount. The former Brewers teammates were hunting quail in Arizona when Yount fired a shot and Sveum was hit by the spray pattern from a six-shot.

“The bird got up in front of him, and he lost track of where I was and pulled the trigger,” Sveum said. “I was just looking for birds myself. It was behind me, so I got drilled with pellets in the back one stuck in the ear.”

Sveum, who said there was a lot of blood involved but he wasn’t seriously injured, added that he started calling Yount “Dick Cheney” in reference to the former vice president who shot a friend while hunting.

“You don’t get hit very often,” Sveum said, adding: “It’s not that big a deal.”

♦ The Lakers squandered a 13-point lead with 10 minutes remaining and dropped a 107-105 decision to the Rockets on Tuesday night in Houston. Like the Magic did Sunday night, the Rockets fouled Dwight Howard repeatedly down the stretch, and Howard cooperated, missing 5-of-10 from the line in the last 3½ minutes (8-of-16 overall).

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni defended his decision to keep Howard in the game.

“If you take him out now, then you’ll be taking out a guy that’s going to be your franchise player all the time,” D’Antoni said. “We’ve got other problems to worry about. We shouldn’t be talking about him. He’s doing a [heck] of a job and he’ll work through it and knock them down.”

Said Howard: “People are going to say whatever they want to say, but at the end of the day, go back and look at the game. The reason we lost was not my free throws. That didn’t lose us the game. Our defense was not there in the fourth quarter.”

The Lakers played with Pau Gasol (tendinitis in both knees), who has come under fire for his inability to acclimate to D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense. According to an ESPN report, general manager Mitch Kupchak told Gasol’s representatives that he will look to trade Gasol if the Spaniard cannot adjust to the new system.

The Wizards recorded just their second win of the season Tuesday night, and it came against the defending NBA champion Heat. With quarterback Robert Griffin III looking on, the Wizards pulled out a 105-101 victory.

Washington, which started the season 0-12 and has been without injured point guard John Wall all season, has defeated Miami three straight times, dating back to last season. But the Heat’s stars aren’t too concerned about the setback.

“Nah, man, there’s not no lesson. This ain’t a lesson for us. We just lost,” LeBron James said. “We’ve seen and been through everything, so we don’t need a loss to be like, ‘Oh, let’s catch ourselves.’ It happens.”

Said Dwyane Wade: “You move on. You learn from it, but yo don’t become a good team by holding on to certain losses — or certain wins.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Dec. 5, 1982, in a 6-4 victory over the Flyers, which Bruins player recorded a hat for the second consecutive day?

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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:
NBA: Thunder at Nets, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Lamar at Purdue, 6:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Texas vs. Georgetown, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Georgia at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Oklahoma at Arkansas, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Western Michigan at Michigan, 8:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Louisville at Charleston, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: NC State vs. UConn, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: UNLV at Portland, 11 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

When the Jets take the field Sunday in Jacksonville, they could be starting Mark Sanchez (left), Tim Tebow (right) or third-stringer Greg McElroy. (AP)

♦ Honestly, it’s not the intention here to write about the Jets’ miseries every day. But it’s impossible to ignore the daily foolishness emanating from New York. Actually, the latest Jets item originates from Seattle, where former Jets (and current Seahawks) receiver Braylon Edwards weighed in on his old team’s quarterback controversy.

Edwards isn’t happy with the treatment former teammate Mark Sanchez is getting, and he let the fans know they should direct their anger elsewhere.

Tweeted Edwards: Don’t blame Sanchez. I played there. Blame the idiots calling shots. Mark is a beast and will [prove] it when given a proper chance.

Edwards didn’t identify who he meant were the “idiots,” but coach Rex Ryan on Monday said he had not yet decided whether to stick with Sanchez, go with third-stringer Greg McElroy, who passed for New York’s only touchdown in Sunday’s 7-6 victory over the Cardinals, or give the ball to Tim Tebow, who is recovering from cracked ribs but said he could have “forced it” against the Cardinals. The Jets play Sunday in Jacksonville, which would be a homecoming for Tebow, a former University of Florida star.

“I feel good about three quarterbacks,” Ryan said. “I think we’re in a lot better situation than probably a lot of teams.

“I just want to make sure I get all the facts,” he added. “It’s a big decision. … So I don’t want to say that there’s a way that I’m definitely leaning. I want to make sure that everybody knows that it’s an open discussion. I want honest feedback.”

♦ The Lakers continue to struggle after their coaching change, with Sunday’s surprising loss to the Magic dropping them to 8-9. This is not sitting well with Kobe Bryant. The veteran star is impatient with teammates such as center Pau Gasol, who has been benched down the stretch of the past two games due to his inability to keep up in new coach Mike D’Antoni‘s fast-paced offense.

“Put your big-boy pants on,” Bryant said after Sunday’s game. “Just adjust. Just adjust. You can’t whine about it. You can’t complain about it.”

Added Bryant: “There’s no excuses to be made, there’s no whining. No putting your head down. We’re here, we have the talent to make adjustments, we have to make them. Period.

“I’ll kick everybody’s [butt] in this locker room if that doesn’t happen. That’s the attitude that you have to have.”

♦ George Holscher, 48, became the second man in a wheelchair to bowl a perfect game when he nailed 12 consecutive strikes during league play on Nov. 26 in Virginia Beach, Va.

“I know I said I can’t feel my knees, but let me tell you, they were weak.” he said.

Holscher has a customized wheelchair just for bowling, with more weight, sturdier wheel locks, extra seat support and a bolted-on ball stand. His previous record was eight consecutive strikes until the perfect game brought down the house at the Indian River Lanes.

“Everyone just went crazy,” he said. “It was amazing.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Dec. 4, 1988, which Patriots player recorded his 500th career reception during a 13-7 victory over the Seahawks?

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The USA men’s basketball team defeated Argentina 109-83 to advance to Sunday’s gold-medal match against Spain.

Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant all recorded double-digit points for a USA team that shot 53.1 percent from the field. They also limited Argentina to 44.3 percent from the field.

James led the squad with eight field goals while Carmelo Anthony added another seven from the bench. Durant’s 19 points led the team.

Spain, led by Pau Gasol‘s 16 points, defeated Russia to earn the other berth in the gold-medal game. Russia was winning through two frames before Spain scored 26 points in the third, adding 21 in the fourth to win 67-59.

TRACK AND FIELD: AMERICAN WOMEN WIN 4×100 RELAY

The USA women’s 4×100 relay team took the gold medal with a 40.82 time, defeating Jamaica by a large margin. USA already had a sizeable lead by the time Carmelita Jeter took over the last leg, but she helped her team break the 27-year-old world record by .55 seconds.

In the 4×400 men’s relay, USA finished with the silver medal. By the start of the fourth leg USA was leading the Bahamas. The Bahamas overtook USA’s Angelo Taylor narrowly on the closing leg, winning the gold. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dwight Howard trade rumors are swirling again. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Lakers, Magic, 76ers and Nuggets are in the midst of four-team trade talks that would send Howard to the Lakers.

Wojnarowski outlined that the potential trade could send Howard and Nuggets forward Al Harrington to the Lakers, 76ers guard Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets, Lakers center Andrew Bynum to the 76ers and Lakers forward Pau Gasol along with Nuggets guard Aaron Afflalo to the Magic.

The trade is not imminent, but talks have increased and become more serious over the past week.

Pau Gasol is once again rumored to be on the trading block. (AP)

ESPN.com sources have said that the Lakers are gauging the trade interest around the NBA for Pau Gasol.

These sources are reporting that Los Angeles is looking for a top-10 pick in Thursday’s draft, as well as an established player if they are to trade the 31-year-old. Sources also say they desire a team to pick up the final two years and $38 million owed to Gasol. As of Wednesday afternoon no deal was in the works.

After the Lakers loss in the Western Conference semi-finals last month, president of basketball operations Jim Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak both said that a blockbuster move was unlikely.

Los Angeles has also reportedly shopped Metta World Peace, but are looking for less than Gasol, such as a late first-round pick or cap relief.

Gasol averaged 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season.

Pau Gasol is once again rumored to be on the trading block. (AP)

According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Lakers have a desire to move power forward Pau Gasol.

Lawrence states that the Lakers have used Gasol as their scapegoat for their second-round exit against the Thunder this season along with other past playoff failures. He also writes that the Lakers are willing to trade the 31-year-old even if the return value isn’t equal.

Lawrence cited Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley as a guy who “has always wanted to bring Gasol back.” It was announced this week that Heisley is selling the Grizzlies to Robert Pera, but that sale now is in trouble, according to Lawrence’s league sources. If the sale does fall through, then the Grizzlies will continued to be owned by Heisley.

Gasol has played for the Lakers since moving over from Memphis at the 2008 trade deadline and has helped them win two championships, including one against the Celtics. He averaged 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 12 games this postseason.