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: Hawks at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Heat at Hornets, 8 p.m. (NBA TV)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Oregon vs. Louisville, 7:15 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Michigan vs. Kansas, 7:37 p.m. (TBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Michigan State vs. Duke, 9:45 p.m. (CBS)
College basketball: NCAA tournament, Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida, 9:57 p.m. (TBS)
NHL: Mighty Ducks at Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. (NHL Network)
College hockey: NCAA tournament, Yale vs. Minnesota, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
College hockey: NCAA tournament, Wisconsin vs. UMass-Lowell, 4:30 p.m. (NESN)
College hockey: NCAA tournament, Niagara vs. North Dakota, 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
College hockey: NCAA tournament, Denver vs. New Hampshire, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
MLB preseason: Yankees at Nationals, 2 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB preseason: Blue Jays at Phillies, 7 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB preseason: Athletics at Giants, 10 p.m. (MLB Network)
AROUND THE WEB:
♦ The NBA on Thursday confirmed what the Timberwolves already knew: Kobe Bryant fouled Ricky Rubio on a 3-point attempt just before the buzzer in the Lakers’ 120-117 victory Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
“Video review by the league office confirmed that Kobe Bryant fouled Rubio while Rubio was in his shooting motion,” the league said on its website. “Rubio should have been awarded three free throws.”
Rubio, who complained to officials after the play, said his team hasn’t been treated the same as more successful franchises such as the Lakers.
“We have to earn the respect,” Rubio said. “But I don’t understand how things go sometimes. We just want to play basketball, play hard as we can and do all the things. Sometimes it’s not fair because we give 100 percent and sometimes we can’t control things. But we have to improve things that we can control.”
Bryant, meanwhile, showed little sympathy. When asked about the play right after the game, he said: “That’s not a foul. You don’t call that [stuff].”
Later, he tried to downplay the importance of the play. If a foul was called, “we’d have went into overtime and won the game,” he said. “Simple as that.”
Meanwhile, Bryant was spotted walking with the aid of a crutch after Thursday night’s game (a 113-103 loss to the Bucks), although he played down the injury, which the Lakers described as bone spurs.
♦ The Mets, stung by Thursday’s news that pitcher Johan Santana has re-torn the anterior capsule in his left shoulder and likely will miss the entire season, were answering questions about some infighting after a recent intrasquad game.
Star pitching prospect Zack Wheeler and 21-year-old infielder Aderlin Rodriguez were involved in an incident during the game last Saturday in Port St. Lucie, Fla., that reportedly led to players taking sides along ethnic lines in the clubhouse.
Rodriguez homered off Wheeler and apparently strutted around the bases, leading to the 22-year-old right-hander hitting Rodriguez his next time up. In the clubhouse after the game, “Some of the American guys and some of the Latin guys were circling and yelling at each other,” a source told the New York Daily News.
The team reprimanded both players. Said vice president of player development and scouting Paul DePodesta: “We’ve talked to everybody involved, and I think at this point it’s done with.”
♦ Former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine has taken steps to file a defamation lawsuit against ESPN. Fine filed paperwork in November, but it had not been reported until Thursday.
In November of 2011 the network reported two ball boys’ claims that Fine sexually abused them. Fine was fired 10 days later, following a third man’s accusation. No charges were filed against Fine.
Fine, 67, has served as a consultant for an Israeli basketball team since leaving Syracuse.
ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On March 29 of which year did the Bruins beat the Rangers, 2-1, to complete a two-game sweep of the Stanley Cup finals and win their first championship?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “These things happen all the time — more than you know — about deals going south for whatever reason. We believed we had a deal and we operated on the premise of the deal. When things were silent — obviously, in my experience, when things go silent, usually something is going screwy from your end. It was. Later that night, around 12, I got a call from Jay [Feaster] saying that it was the player’s choice and he opted to go to Pittsburgh, so we were out. That’s it in a nutshell.” – Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, on the aborted deal with the Flames for Jarome Iginla
STAT OF THE DAY: 50 – Points scored by East Regional top seed Indiana — its lowest output of the season — in Thursday’s 61-50 loss to Syracuse in the NCAA tournament
‘NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk fakes Sharks defenseman Logan Couture off his feet during their game in San Jose. Tweeted Couture, who turned 24 Thursday, after the Sharks’ 2-0 win: Hey @Datsyuk13 really bro? On my bday…cmonnnn.. Someone fix that ice in the corner..
Lakers center Dwight Howard gets a scare from an inflatable version of Bucks mascot Bango.
TRIVIA ANSWER: 1929
SOOTHING SOUNDS: Former Toto lead singer Bobby Kimball was born on this day in 1947.
