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 Jets, 8 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Capitals at Penguins, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Nuggets at Thunder, 8 p.m. (NBATV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, North Carolina A&T vs. Liberty, 6:40 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Saint Mary’s vs. Middle Tennessee, 9:10 p.m. (truTV)
College basketball: NIT, Northeastern at Alabama, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: NIT, Niagara at Maryland, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: NIT, St. John’s at Saint Joseph’s, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: NIT, Kentucky at Robert Morris, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NIT, Norfolk State at Virginia, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: NIT, Washington at BYU, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: NIT, Stephen F. Austin at Stanford, 11 p.m. (ESPN2)
World Baseball Classic: Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic, 8 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB preseason: Yankees at Phillies, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Darrelle Revis

♦ The Jets are holding firm in their trade demands for cornerback Darrelle Revis, and the Buccaneers reportedly are losing patience with the negotiations and are almost ready to move on.

The Buccaneers are the only known team involved in discussions about the four-time Pro Bowler, who can become a free agent after the 2013 season and is asking for more than the Jets want to pay.

The New York Post quotes a league source as saying: “It’s amazing. The Jets are going to screw this up.”

The Bucs are said to be hesitant to surrender a first-round pick in next month’s draft, but general manager Mark Dominik said at Monday’s league meetings in Phoenix that nothing has been ruled out.

“If we think it’s in the best interest of the team, we will do something,” Dominik said, via the Tampa Bay Times. “If that’s a player that everybody is speculating [Revis] or maybe it’s a player at a position that nobody has thought about. But certainly, these meetings are very healthy for those kinds of discussions to see if there is a way to get this team better and does that include players or draft picks or a combination? That’s what we’ll look at.”

♦ The NFL, responding to comments from prospects at the scouting combine that they were asked about their sexual orientation, provided training to teams Monday.

“We made a statement immediately when we got that report,” commissioner Roger Goodell said from the league meetings. “We have been following up with the players and their representatives directly. We are also this afternoon working with all of our executives that lead in that position to make sure they understand what you can’t ask and what you can ask.”

Added Goodell: “We’re a professional organization. That’s unacceptable. We will do things the right way. We will give them that education and that training. I hope that will solve the problem.”

♦ Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers suffered a mini-stroke in his hotel room at Dodgers spring training in Phoenix. He recounts his situation and credits the team’s medical staff for saving him by diagnosing his situation and getting him to the emergency room.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On March 19, 1972, which Bruins player scored two power-play goals in a 7-3 victory over the visiting Minnesota North Stars and in the process set an NHL single-season record with 27 power-play goals (he finished the season with 28)?

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The 34-minute power outage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday night was nearly as big of a story as the game itself. Evidently, officials at the stadium have been worried since October about a potential issue occurring at the league’s big game.

A memo from Oct. 15 mentioned tests on the electrical feeders that connect incoming power from utility lines to the stadium showing decay and a “chance of failure.” The documents also show the utility that supplies the stadium expressed concern about the reliability of the service before the Super Bowl. The memo was prepared for the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District (LSED), the state body responsible for the Superdome.

In result of this, authorities authorized spending nearly $1 million on Superdome improvements, including more than $600,000 spent on upgrading the dome’s electrical feeder cable system. All of this work was done in December.

“As discussed in previous board meetings, this enhancement is necessary to maintain both the Superdome and the New Orleans Arena as top tier facilities, and to ensure that we do not experience any electrical issues during the Super Bowl,” read an LSED document dated Dec. 19.

Superdome commission records show a $513,250 contract to replace feeder cables was awarded to Allstar Electric, a company based in suburban New Orleans.

Though this was a very unfortunate moment for New Orleans and the stadium, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he felt that the city did a great job in hosting its first pro football championship in the post-Hurricane Katrina era.

“I fully expect that we will be back here for Super Bowls,” Goodell said. He also added that a backup power system was ready to be used but was unnecessary once the lights came back on.

This was the third consecutive year that the Super Bowl was viewed by over 108 million people. In fact, the 108.4 million viewers made the game the third-most-viewed program in television history, trailing only the two most recent games.

Superdome officials plan to make a bid for hosting the Super Bowl in 2018.

Commissioner Roger Goodell does not have a strong approval rating from NFL players. (AP)

According to a poll of 300 NFL players conducted by USA Today between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2, 61 percent of the players said they disapprove of the job done by commissioner Roger Goodell.

Most of the players’ displeasure centered around increased fines for dangerous hits on receivers and quarterbacks, as well as Goodell’s handling of the Saints’ bounty scandal.

The players were granted anonymity, although Steelers linebacker James Harrison didn’t need it.

“I think it’s obvious that I disapprove,” said the oft-fined Harrison. “I feel like what he’s doing is not totally for the safety of players. … A lot of stuff they’ve done, [such as] fining guys crazy amounts of money for helmet-to-helmet hits and all that and saying you’re doing this for the safety of players — but yet you want to add extra games to the regular season.

“In the true interest of player safety, I would have no issue with it. But that’s not what it’s about. It’s about money. Who hired Roger Goodell?”

Responded league spokesman Greg Aiello: “Roger Goodell has tremendous respect for NFL players and always seeks their views on a wide range of issues. He values their input tremendously in working to make the game better. Roger broke into the league 30 years ago working closely with players, and he hasn’t changed that approach.”

Sean Payton

The NFL announced Tuesday morning that commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated Saints coach Sean Payton, “effective immediately.”

Payton, who was suspended for the entire 2011 season due to his role in the team’s bounty scandal, met with Goodell on Monday. According to the NFL’s release, Payton “acknowledged in the meeting his responsibility for the actions of his coaching staff and players and pledged to uphold the highest standards of the NFL and ensure that his staff and players do so as well.”

Said Goodell: “We had a very productive discussion. Sean fully complied with all the requirements imposed on him during his suspension. More important, it is clear that Sean understands and accepts his responsibilities as a head coach and the vital role that coaches play in promoting player safety and setting an example for how the game should be played at all levels. We are committed to delivering football that fans love and the safety players deserve. Coach Payton agrees and I look forward to working with him going forward to do that.”

Payton released his own statement following the league’s release:

I am thankful today Commissioner Goodell has granted me reinstatement. As I stated back in March, “I, along with Mickey Loomis, take full responsibility for all aspects of our football program.”

I clearly recognize that mistakes were made, which led to league violations. 

Furthermore, I have assured the Commissioner a more diligent protocol will be followed.

Lastly, I feel we have learned from our mistakes and are ready to move forward. I want to thank our owner, Mr. Benson and all of our great fans for the overwhelming support throughout this past year.

I am excited to be back as Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints!

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: Saints at Falcons, 8:20 p.m. (NFL Network)
College football: Louisville at Rutgers, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Spurs at Heat, 8 p.m. (TNT)
NBA: Nuggets at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: Kentucky at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: South Carolina at St. John’s, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Marquette at Florida, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Seton Hall at LSU, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

Jeremy Jacobs' Bruins are valued at $348 million. (AP)

♦ Forbes magazine released its annual list of NHL team values, and it shows that the Maple Leafs are the first hockey team to break the $1 billion mark. The Bruins check in at No. 5, worth $348 million. The list also demonstrates hockey’s inequality, as the top five teams (Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, Blackhawks and Bruins) are valued at an average of $605 million, while the five least valuable (Hurricanes, Islanders, Blue Jackets, Coyotes and Blues) are worth an average of $145 million.

The study indicates that the three most profitable teams accounted for 83 percent of the league’s income, while 13 of the 30 teams lost money. Even if the salary cap were lowered to 50 percent and subsidies from high-revenue teams to their counterparts were boosted $50 million to $200 million, some of the less-successful teams would need to go deep into the playoffs to assure themselves of a profitable year.

The story quotes an industry analyst as suggesting the league move some of its southernmost teams to places such as Quebec, Seattle and Portland, Ore.

“The Sun Belt has had plenty of time prove that the viability doesn’t work,” said Drew Dorweiler of Montreal-based Dartmouth Partners.

♦ The Saints and Falcons, who meet Thursday night in Atlanta in an NFC South showdown, have a growing feud, and the intensity of it was in evidence Wednesday night. According to tweets from Saints players, the bus picking them up at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport had eggs thrown at it.

Tweeted backup quarterback Chase Daniel: Wow, as we’re boarding buses on the Tarmac @ Atlanta airport, we start getting eggs thrown @ us by airport workers! Guess they do hate us!

Added tight end Jimmy Graham: Bus just got egged after landing in ATL by the ramp workers. Classy! “RISE Up” smh

Some Saints players didn’t seem too offended. Tweeted linebacker Will Herring: First time my bus has been egged by opposing fans! Tomorrow should be fun!! #WhoDatNation

And wide receiver Joseph Morgan: How do eggs make people mad? Cool and hilarious prank #childhood #memories

♦ Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh escaped a suspension for his kick to the groin of Texans quarterback Matt Schaub on Thanksgiving, but on Wednesday he was fined $30,000. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league didn’t suspend Suh because it couldn’t determine intent, but the fine was for unnecessary roughness.

Suh, who has a history of violent play, was on the ground when he stuck out his foot and made contact with Schaub. He insists he did nothing wrong.

“I was dragged to the ground,” Suh said. “A lot of things happen to me. It’s part of the game.”

Added Suh: “It’s a crazy play, it’s one that unfortunately happened. I didn’t even realize it until the end of the game, when I see my Twitter feed, I see my friends telling me about it. Other than that, I can’t do much more about it. I was being dragged to the ground and my foot inadvertently hit the man. But it’s over with and I am moving forward and getting ready to play the Colts.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Nov. 29, 1965, the Red Sox lost three players in the Rule 5 draft: Gary Geiger to the Braves, Bob Heffner to the Indians, and which minor leaguer to the Cardinals who would return years later to manage the Sox?

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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:
College football: Arkansas State at Louisiana-Lafayette, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
NBA preseason: Thunder at Bulls, 8 p.m. (NBA TV)
Women’s soccer: Exhibition, U.S. vs. Germany, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Jets coach Rex Ryan defended his team's play calls in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Patriots. (AP)

♦ Normally brash Jets coach Rex Ryan found himself in unfamiliar position on Monday — defending his team for appearing scared down the stretch of a game against the rival Patriots.

Members of the New York media peppered Ryan with questions about the team’s conservative play-calling on the Jets’ final possession of regulation in Sunday’s overtime affair won by the Pats. After recovering Devin McCourty‘s fumble at the New England 18 with just over two minutes remaining, the Jets ran the ball twice (including a first-down run up the middle by Tim Tebow) before quarterback Mark Sanchez was sacked on third down. New York settled for a go-ahead field goal but left time for Tom Brady to lead the Patriots on a last-minute drive that ended with a game-tying kick.

Ryan brushed off the criticism as unfounded.

“That’s not even close,” he said. “Saying we played scared is somebody who has probably never played the game in his life. I mean, that’s a ridiculous comment because that’s certainly not what we do. Everything we do is to play to win the game.

“If you lose, people have the right to any opinion they want, but to say we were scared, that’s not even close to being accurate.”

♦ Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, who has completed just 58.5 percent of his passes, thrown nine interceptions vs. five touchdowns, and lost five fumbles, was demoted to backup on Monday by coach Romeo Crennel in favor of Brady Quinn.

“I felt like the most impactful move I could make to get everybody’s attention was to change the quarterback,” said Crennel, the former Patriots assistant coach. “I think that will get everybody’s attention, and hopefully that impacts the team because the quarterback position is the one that has the spotlight on him.”

Quinn, a first-round bust who is playing on a one-year contract, will start Sunday’s game against the Raiders and remain as the starter for the foreseeable future.

“Am I going to say I’m happy about the situation? Absolutely not. I’m frustrated,” said Cassel, who was acquired from the Patriots four years ago and given a six-year, $63 million contract by another former Patriots employee, general manager Scott Pioli. “But at the same time, I’m a team captain on this team. I care about this team and again, as we move forward, I’m a big boy. I’m not going to hang my head. I’m going to do what I’ve always done, which is work hard — work tremendously hard.”

♦ NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Town Hall” show, said the league is running out of patience with the Pro Bowl. The NFL allowed the game to continue last season following an appeal from players, but the quality of the performances was lacking in the AFC’s 59-41 victory.

“If we cannot accomplish that kind of standard [of high play], I am inclined to not play it,” Goodell said. “It is really tough to force competition, and after a long season, to ask those guys to go out and play at the same level they played is really tough.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Oct. 23, 2004, the Red Sox opened the World Series with a 9-7 victory over the Cardinals after squandering a 7-2 lead. Who hit the game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning?

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Jonathan Vilma said he will play Sunday against the Buccaneers. (AP)

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who was suspended last week for the remainder of the season by the NFL, said he will come off the physically unable to perform list, practice this week, and play this Sunday against the Buccaneers.

A knee injury placed Vilma on the PUP list in Week 2. He’s struggled with the injury since last season and has undergone three procedures to repair it.

“I’m feeling good, feeling good,” Vilma said. “I know that the media hasn’t seen much of me for a while, but I’ve actually been working out, working hard, training hard so I can get to this point to be able to give our team a chance to win in Tampa Bay.”

Vilma was suspended in connection with the Saints bounty scandal. A panel had dismissed Vilma’s suspension, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated it. Vilma has appealed his suspension in federal court and has asked the judge to ban Goodell from further decisions regarding his suspension. Vilma has asked for an impartial arbitrator to settle the case. The appeal is scheduled to take place the Tuesday after the Saints take on the Buccaneers.

In 2007 the NFL began playing an annual game in London, and one team likes the idea so much that it apparently wants to make it a mainstay in its schedule.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Jaguars and NFL will make it official that the team will begin playing multiple games in London starting next year, according to The Florida Times-Union’s Vito Stellino. The report said both owner Shad Khan and commissioner Roger Goodell will be in attendance.

The Jaguars will switch one of their home games to London, giving them seven regular season home games and two preseason home games in Jacksonville. Khan said he likes the idea of playing in London because he feels it will boost the profile of Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville.

Jacksonville was 5-11 last season and 4-4 at home. The team ranked 24th in total attendance last year.

Jonathan Vilma, who insists that he is innocent in the Saints' bounty scandal, is suing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. (AP)

In the most recent stage of Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma‘s suit against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, a federal judge has delayed ruling on the case.

The U.S. District Judge, Ginger Berrigan, also urged both sides to settle. She can hand down a ruling at any time to allow Vilma to play this season. Berrigan said she believes Vilma’s one-year sentence is too extreme.

Goodell suspended Vilma for a year for his alleged involvement in the Saints bounty scandal. Vilma appealed the decision, trying to return to the Saints this season. He also sued Goodell, citing defamation.

The NFL PA also filed a suit, claiming Goodell made judgments the CBA does not allow him to make.

In addition to Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Scott Fujita, Will Smith and Saints coach Sean Payton have all been suspended for at least three games. Payton was suspended for the season.

On Thursday night, Shannon Eastin will make history when she becomes the first female referee to officiate an NFL game when the Chargers and Packers play in preseason action.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, at an ethics in sports seminar on Wednesday, added his thoughts on the situation and that he’s hopeful that Eastin is the first of many female NFL referees.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for her, and for us,” Goodell said. “She deserves the opportunity, she’s well prepared for it, and I think she’ll do terrific. So we’re excited about that.

“And there are more coming, by the way. We’ve been working along this path to try to properly train and prepare a female official, and now we have the opportunity.”

Eastin has been a college referee for the last 16 years, including the last four as a lead official in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Her opportunity to officiate Thursday’s game comes on the heels of regular officials being locked out after their contracts expired last season, forcing replacement officials to take over for the time being.

“Hopefully this is not going to be long term,” Goodell said. “Hopefully we’ll get this resolved sooner rather than later. But we’re prepared to go forward with the season, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve prepared our replacement officials.”