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:
MLB: Red Sox at Orioles, 7:05 p.m. (NESN: WEEI)
MLB: Royals at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. (MLB Network)
NBA playoffs: Pacers at Heat, 8 p.m. (TNT)
NHL playoffs: Kings at Coyotes, 9 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Rangers coach John Tortorella and Devils bench boss Pete DeBoer traded barbs through the media over the weekend, and they ramped up their burgeoning feud in Monday night’s Game 4 in New Jersey. In the third period of the Devils’ 4-1 victory, Rangers forward Mke Rupp drew a penalty for leaving his feet on a hit, and then he gave goalie Martin Brodeur a left to the face as he skated by. That led to the coaches screaming at each other from their benches.

“I didn’t expect it, Rupp or no Rupp. I never got punched like that in my career. First time,” Brodeur said.

Asked if Rupp’s cheap shot gives the Devils license to go after Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist in Game 5, Brodeur took the high road. “No. You can’t start that,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the right way to play hockey. Because they do something, you have to reply and do the same?”

As for the coaches’ confrontation, neither one elected to discuss it afterward.

“This isn’t about John and myself,” DeBoer said. “It’s about the guys on the ice.”

♦ Reds flamethrower Aroldis Chapman was arrested in Ohio early Monday for driving 93 mph with a suspended license, police said. Chapman, who had recorded his first save of the season Sunday night vs. the Yankees and appears to be ready to become the team’s closer, was driving a black 2010 Mercedes S63 when he was detained on Interstate 71 North. He is due back in court June 6.

♦ Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com has a piece in which he debates which quarterback he would choose if it came down to one season, one game or one play. Tom Brady is noticeably absent from his list, which includes one active and one retired player for each category. The selections: Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre for one season, Eli Manning (edging out Brady) and Joe Montana for one game, and Ben Roethlisberger and John Elway for one play.

♦ Real Clear Sports has a list of the top 10 iconic moments in NBA playoff history. Larry Bird‘s steal against the Pistons in 1987 is No. 4. Magic Johnson‘s junior skyhook against the Celtics in the 1987 finals is No. 3. John Havlicek‘s steal to clinch Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia is No. 2. Michael Jordan‘s game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 finals to beat the Jazz for Chicago’s sixth title in eight years is No. 1.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On May 22, 1988, the Celtics and Hawks staged one of the most memorable playoff games in history, with Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins trading baskets in the fourth quarter of a 118-116 Boston victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Lost in the performance of Wilkins (47 points) and Bird (34), a guard for each team finished with a double-double. Which Hawk had 16 points and 18 assists, and which Celtic had 13 points and 10 assists?

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Tiger Woods' golf game might not be the same, but he remains . (AP)

Forbes recently released its list of the world’s most powerful celebrities for 2012, and Tiger Woods remained the top athlete on the list.

The list is based on entertainment-related earnings plus media visibility (exposure in print, television, radio and online). Forbes’ categories are money rank, TV/radio rank, press rank, web rank and social rank.

Woods was ranked 12th overall, down from his sixth ranking in 2011 and No. 5 ranking in 2010. The 36-year-old golf superstar beat out other athletes such as LeBron James (15), Kobe Bryant (27), Peyton Manning (40), Tom Brady (60) and Alex Rodriguez (63) to name a few. Woods brought in approximately $58 million based on pretax gross income earnings from May 1, 2011, to May 1, 2012. Those are the dates Forbes uses as the year marks. Woods also ranked sixth in TV/radio and fourth in press.

Brady ranked 60th on the list, bringing in an estimated $27 million last year. Brady ranked 15th in TV/radio and 14th in press. His wife, Gisele Bundchen, was one spot behind him at 61st, bringing in about $45 million.

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 Raptors, 7 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)
NBA: Lakers at Knicks, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Thunder at Jazz, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Ducks at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NHL Network)

SATURDAY:
NHL: Predators at Bruins, 1 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Canadiens at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
NBA: Nuggets at Pacers, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Suns at Kings, 10 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: UConn at Syracuse, 1 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Cincinnati at Marquette, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Maryland at Duke, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Michigan State at Ohio State, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Harvard at Princeton, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Xavier at Temple, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

SUNDAY:
NBA: Bulls at Celtics, 3:30 p.m. (ABC; WEEI)
NBA: Heat at Hawks, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Jazz at Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: St. John’s at Georgetown, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Illinois at Michigan, 1 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: Boston College at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m. (ESPNU; WEEI)
NHL: Capitals at Rangers, 12:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL: Flyers at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Kevin Youkilis reportedly will marry Julie Brady, sister of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. (AP)

♦ According to the Boston Herald, Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis recently got engaged to Tom Brady‘s sister Julie, a California schoolteacher who has a 5-year-old daughter.

The Inside Track report indicates that Youkilis, who married Enza Sambataro in Mexico in 2008 but reportedly parted ways in 2010, was with the Bradys in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. Although, it should be noted that the Herald gossip columnists reported in October that Youkilis was spending time with a different Brady sister, Nancy (a story that was soon removed from the paper’s website).

♦ Giants defensive end Justin Tuck softened his stance on Jets coach Rex Ryan during a Thursday appearance on “Good Day New York.”

“I actually give Rex Ryan a lot of credit,” Tuck said. “Before he got there, people around here, this state, this area, looked at us as big brothers of Jets. And he’s kind of revitalized the Jets organization and it’s just unfortunate he’s not a Giant. But he’s done a great job of bringing the Jets back to the forefront.”

However, Tuck added: “But we have done a great job of winning Super Bowls, and that’s what counts.”

♦ The NHL officially announced that the 2013 Winter Classic will be played in front of an expected 115,000 fans at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium, with the Red Wings hosting the Maple Leafs. There will also be college hockey games at Comerica Park, home of the Tigers.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Feb. 10, 1989, which former Providence College star who went on to a successful NBA coaching career was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame?

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Brady's dejected pose in the immediate aftermath of the Super Bowl serves as the model for the Bradying pose. (AP)

Earlier this season, “Tebowing” — a pose in which someone drops to one knee with his/her head bowed — swept the nation. The pose mocks Tim Tebow‘s signature stance, in which he drops into when praying on the field or sidelines. In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, Tebowing seems to have given way to a new pose: “Bradying.”

This pose mocks the way Tom Brady sits dejectedly with his head down and legs outstretched after losing a game. Although the exact origins of the trend are still unclear, a website dedicated to posting pictures of people Bradying — the aptly named Bradying.com — has collected over 125 entries since Wednesday. The website’s motto reads: It’s all about winning and hair. and winning hair. upload your best Bradying photo.

Submissions include shots of people Bradying at work, home and even one on Hollywood Boulevard, but some of the most hilarious Bradying images are the photoshopped submissions. One image has a picture of Brady in his dejected post-Super Bowl pose sitting on a water slide, a nod back to an image of Brady from last May sliding down a water slide with his long hair flowing behind him. People have also submitted pictures of various animals, including cats, dogs, a panda and a stuffed monkey, in the pose.

The phenomenon is catching on so quickly that, as of Thursday morning, there were already a few columns criticizing the trend. Simon Samano from NFL.com wrote a brief post on the trend, saying it comes from people with “too much time on their hands and nothing better to do” and calls the move lame. Drew Magary from NBC Chicago implores Americans to refrain from Bradying, arguing that the move is unoriginal and done by people who are “behind the times and lame.”

“Just be like me and enjoy the Pats loss by sitting in your TV room and guffawing out loud for a full week,” Magary writes.

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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:
NHL: Bruins at Sabres, 7:30 p.m. (NESN; NBCSN)
NBA: Knicks at Wizards, 7 p.m. (NBA TV)
NBA: Rockets at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: Florida State at Boston College, 7 p.m. (WEEI)
College basketball: Georgetown at Syracuse, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Kansas at Baylor, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Duke at North Carolina, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs wants Tom Brady's wife to keep quiet about football. (AP)

♦ Giants running back Brandon Jacobs offered his take on the Gisele Bundchen controversy, after Tom Brady‘s supermodel wife was videotaped criticizing Patriots receivers following Sunday’s Super Bowl. Bundchen was responding to a heckling Giants fan when she said that her husband could not catch the ball as well as throw it.

Said Jacobs to reporters at Tuesday’s Giants victory parade in New York: “She just needs to continue to stay cute and shut up.”

♦ A Nielsen poll determined that Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is the most disliked athlete in America, ranking ahead of golfer Tiger Woods. Jets receiver Plaxico Burress is third and Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is fourth. Then it’s three NBA players: Nets forward Kris Humphries, Heat star LeBron James and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is ninth.

♦ Lakers star Kobe Bryant will not face charges for an incident at a San Diego church last year. A man had accused Bryant of grabbing him aggressively and taking his phone after thinking the man had taken a picture of the player, then returning the phone after seeing no photos. Bryant denied the allegations. The city attorney’s office said Tuesday that it could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

♦ The University of Memphis is the latest school to switch conferences, as the Tigers will be joining the Big East starting in 2013-14. In The Commercial Appeal, Geoff Calkins runs down the list of reasons why Memphis fans should celebrate the move from Conference USA.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Feb. 8, 1960, who was named the first coach in Patriots history?

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Gisele Bundchen drew heavy criticism for her comments about Patriots receivers. (AP)

Someone has to take the heat when a team loses a big game, and in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, it was Tom Brady‘s supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, receiving some criticism following her comments blaming the Patriots receivers for the Super Bowl loss because of some drops on catchable balls in the fourth quarter.

There is validity to Bundchen’s statement. Eli Manning acknowledged that the Patriots likely would have been able to run out the clock had Wes Welker caught a ball that hit him in the hands (while he leapt), and there were more incompletions on the final series on passes intended for Deion Branch and Aaron Hernandez.

So why, then, with Bundchen’s accurate assessment of the receivers’ fault in the loss, have columns around the nation called for Bundchen to keep her mouth shut?

FoxSports.com columnist Jen Floyd Engel opines that the vitriol is driven from a general belief amongst women that Bundchen is always telling other people how to live their lives.

“Sorry, Gisele, women hate you,” Floyd Engel writes. “What most women find obnoxious about Gisele is how she thinks it is her job to tell us how to live ours better, too.” Read the rest of this entry »

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:
NBA: Celtics at Magic, 8 p.m. (CSNNE, TNT; WEEI)
NBA: Grizzlies at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: Boston College at Virginia, 9 p.m. (ESPNU; WRKO)
College basketball: NC State at North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Indiana at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHL: All-Star draft, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Tom Brady continues to have success on and off the field. (AP)

♦ Bloomberg Businessweek released its annual list of the “Power 100″ athletes — comprising on- and off-field attributes — and Tom Brady ranks third. The Patriots quarterback is behind two other NFL quarterbacks: Drew Brees and runner-up Aaron Rodgers. Brady, whose key sponsors include Under Armour, Audi, Ugg and Stetson Cologne, was fifth last year.

Brady’s counterpart in the Super Bowl, Giants QB Eli Manning, is 15th. The next Boston athlete on the list is Celtics big man Kevin Garnett, at No. 54 (seven spot down from last year). Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski checks in at No. 77, and Wes Welker is No. 95.

♦ Forbes has its list of the most valuable NBA teams, and the Lakers have taken the No. 1 spot from the Knicks. A 20-year television deal with Time Warner Cable that averages $200 million a year helped boost the team’s value to $900 million. The Lakers are followed by the Knicks ($780 million), Bulls ($600 million) and Mavericks ($497 million).

At No. 6 is the Celtics, who also signed a new media deal last year. The C’s extended their agreement with CSNNE 20 years through 2038 and got a 20 percent equity stake in the network. That boosts the team’s value to $482 million, up 7 percent from last year.

♦ Lightning fans are campaigning to save the job of the woman who dressed as the team mascot, Thunderbug. Kelly Frank was fired after an incident with a Bruins fan during a game last week (video below). She sprayed Silly String on the B’s fan’s head. He got mad, pushed the mascot and had to be restrained.

The team said the incident wasn’t the only reason for the dismissal but refused to divulge any more information.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Frank also once performed as the Rays mascot, Raymond, but was fired at the end of the 2008 season.

♦ The NFL will suspend its policy against players tweeting within 90 minutes of games and will provide a computer station on the sideline for players to tweet from the Pro Bowl this weekend.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 26, 1997, the Patriots lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21. Who was the Patriots’ leading receiver, with six catches for 67 yards and one touchdown?

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Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals ended with Tim Thomas and the Bruins celebrating a championship. (AP)

Even though 2011 wasn’t the most successful year for all of Boston’s teams, it certainly was a memorable one. Playoff rivalries were renewed for the Celtics, Bruins and Patriots, while the Red Sox added another chapter to their legacy of heartbreak.

Picking out the 10 most memorable games of the year was not an easy task. The Bruins easily could have dominated this list, with all of their dramatic playoff victories en route to winning the Stanley Cup. But we’ve attempted to include fair representation from all four of Boston’s major pro sports squads, featuring games that were memorable for the local teams’ success or failure.

10. April 8: Red Sox 9, Yankees 6

The Red Sox’ season started much the way it ended, with a sense of impending doom around the corner. After the Sox started the season 0-6, swept by both Cleveland and Texas, the offense finally clicked when the Yankees paid a visit to Fenway for the home opener. Dustin Pedroia hit his first home run of the season and the Red Sox erupted for 12 hits, giving them — and John Lackey – their first win of the season.

9. April 17, Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Game 1: Celtics 87, Knicks 85

Ray Allen’s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in the game made sure the Knicks’ return to the playoffs (their first appearance in seven years) was a painful one. The Knicks led for almost the entire game, but the Celtics came up big down the stretch (and yes, a questionable call went their way). “Down the stretch we found a way to win,” Paul Pierce said. “And that was because of our experience.” The Celtics went on to win the series in four straight.

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For the final 10 days of 2011, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year in Boston sports. Our next entry in the countdown is No. 5: The Patriots’ playoff loss to the Jets.

Check out our previous entries:
No. 10: NBA lockout
No. 9: NFL lockout
No. 8: Celtics’ playoff loss to Heat
No. 7: Patriots’ acquisitions of Albert Haynesworth, Chad Ochocinco
No. 6: Jacoby Ellsbury’s MVP-caliber season

Tom Brady was not at his best during the Patriots' playoff loss to the Jets. (AP)

For the 2010-11 Patriots, the beginning of the postseason held a lot of promise. That’s because New England went a league-best 14-2 during the regular season, securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC in the process. For the Pats, it was Super Bowl or bust.

Leading the Patriots to their lofty standing was quarterback Tom Brady. He had perhaps the most efficient year of his career in 2010, passing for 36 touchdowns against just four interceptions, the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history. He also set an NFL record by recording 335 straight pass attempts without an interception. For his efforts, Brady was named NFL MVP for the second time of his career.

But in the way of the Patriots’ path to the Super Bowl was their brash AFC East rival, the Jets. New York had beaten the Colts in the first round of the playoffs and moved on to face the Patriots in the divisional round. It was as an enticing matchup as one could hope for in the second round of the postseason.

The teams split the season series. The Jets beat the Patriots, 28-14, in Week 2, in what was a mild early season upset. In Week 13, New England seemed set on revenge and defeated New York resoundingly, 45-3, in a Monday night game at Gillette Stadium. The embarrassing loss only strengthened the Jets’ resolve heading into their playoff rematch.

To no surprise, the week leading up to the game was almost as entertaining as the game itself, as the Jets fired shots at New England while the Patriots tried to remain composed, although they fired some subtle shots of their own.

It began on Monday, Jan. 10, when Jets coach Rex Ryan held a question-and-answer session with the media. He looked back to the 45-3 loss, saying he “was outcoached in that game.” Never one to hold back his true feelings, Ryan went on to say that the upcoming game was all about one thing.

“I recognize this week, this is about Bill Belichick vs. Rex Ryan,” he said. ”There’s no question. It’s personal. This is about him against myself, and that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

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For the final 10 days of 2011, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year in Boston sports. Our next entry in the countdown is No. 9: NFL lockout.

Check out our previous entry:
No. 10: NBA lockout

Robert Kraft and Jeff Saturday share an embrace as NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith looks on at the announcement of the end of the 2011 NFL lockout. (AP)

As the NFL regular season comes to a close, its easy to forget that the league was in the midst of a lockout just a few months ago. But the 2011 NFL lockout was actually the longest in league history, spanning 18 weeks and four days, from March until August.

Throughout the 2010-11 season, the threat of a lockout hung over the NFL, never taking the front stage, but always in the back of the minds of coaches, players, owners and fans alike. The 1993 collective bargaining agreement, which the owners had extended in 2006 by a vote of 30-2, was set to expire after the 2010-11 season.

The extension was originally supposed to last longer, but in 2008, the owners unanimously agreed to opt out of the CBA early. The owners seemed to think that the 1993 extension was unfairly in favor of the players. The deal gave players 59.6 percent of the league’s total revenue.

The timing of the 2006 extension was suspect to some owners as well, as then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was preparing to retire from his position. Many thought that Tagliabue was not willing to risk tarnishing his legacy by getting in a long, drawn-out battle with the players over a new CBA. So then-NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw got Tagliabue to sell the owners on the deal that extended the 1993 CBA and gave the players nearly 60 percent of the revenue.

But with Tagliabue gone in 2008 and Roger Goodell in the commissioner’s office, the owners voted to opt out of the CBA early. Just a few months after the vote, Upshaw died of pancreatic cancer, meaning the NFLPA would not be under his stern leadership for the first time since the 1980s.

That meant that new NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith would have to deal with a group of owners determined to hash out a CBA that would significantly cut the amount of total revenue the players received. In an owners meeting in March 2008, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who fired his own sons, reportedly told his peers, “We signed a [expletive] deal last time, and we’re going to stick together and take back our league and [expletive] do something about it.”

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