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: Grizzlies at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE)
NBA: Clippers at Thunder, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Rockets at Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Boston College vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m. (ESPN; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: Florida State vs. Clemson, noon (ESPN)
College basketball: Penn State vs. Nebraska, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Pittsburgh vs. NC State, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: TCU vs. Kansas State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Marquette vs. Seton Hall, 7 p.m. (FS1)
College basketball: Rutgers vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: American at Lafayette, 7:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
College basketball: Virginia Tech vs. Miami, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Texas Tech vs. Texas, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Creighton vs. DePaul, 9 p.m. (FS1)
NHL: Rangers at Capitals, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)
MLB exhibition: Red Sox at Yankees, 1 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB exhibition: Dodgers at Cubs, 4 p.m. (MLB Network)
Soccer: Women’s Algarve Cup, United States vs. France, 1 p.m. (FS1)
Soccer: UEFA Champions, Paris at Chelsea, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)
AROUND THE WEB:
— Darrelle Revis is leaving the Patriots and returning to the Meadowlands, and fellow cornerback Antonio Cromartie might be joining him in the Jets defensive backfield.
Cromartie had a solid year with the Cardinals in 2014 after being released by New York after a disappointing 2013 season. The soon-to-be 31-year-old was involved in serious discussions with Jets brass late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, according to reports in the New York media.
Cromartie, who played for New York from 2010-13 and still owns a house in the area, has shown an interest in playing for new Jets coach Todd Bowles, who worked with Cromartie as defensive coordinator for the Cardinals last season.
“I know their coaching staff, I know everybody, my house is there, so would it be easy? Yeah, it would be an easy choice, if the opportunity presented itself,” he said last month. “But at the same time, I’ve got to look forward to trying to win a Super Bowl, also.”
The Jets also reportedly agreed to a deal with former Browns cornerback Buster Skrine on Tuesday, as they go about rebuilding a defensive backfield that was a huge problem last year.
— Amar’e Stoudemire took a buyout from the Knicks and signed with the Mavericks so he could get another shot at the postseason. It hasn’t been working out well, as Dallas is 5-6 since Stoudemire’s arrival and losing ground in the Western Conference playoff race.
After the latest loss, Tuesday’s 127-94 embarrassment at home vs. the Cavaliers, Stoudemire voiced his frustration.
“I came here to win, and we’re [4 1/2] games out of being out of the playoffs, which is unacceptable,” Stoudemire told reporters. “This is something we can’t accept. We’ve got to find a way to refocus. We’ve got to key into the details of the game of basketball.
“We can’t cheat the game. We can’t screw around in games and practices and joke around all the time and figure we’re going to win games. This is the pros. It’s the highest level of basketball. We’ve got to act that way.”
Rajon Rondo, acquired from the Celtics in December, hasn’t been much of a help. He clashed with coach Rick Carlisle and reportedly is being recruited by Kobe Bryant to sign with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent in the offseason.
The Mavs are 41-25 and in seventh place in the Western Conference. They’ve lost three games by 15 or more points in the last six days.
“We’ve got to pay more attention to detail,” Stoudemire said. “We can’t be making minor mistakes. We made mistakes that second-year players or rookie players make in this league. We’re a veteran team. Guys are 13, 14, 16 years in this league. We should know better than that.
“We should be a much better team than what we showed out there. This is a team that’s competing for a championship that we played against. We should have stepped up to the challenge of competing with these guys and we backed down.”
Said coach Rick Carlisle: “Well, we’re going to find out what we’re made of from here. This is the lowest point we’ve been at. When you get to this point, everyone has to come together.”
— Former Patriots running back Craig James, a hard-line right-winger who works for a conservative group called the Family Research Council, said in a recent interview that the Patriots risk an “implosion” in the locker room if they continue to express support for gay rights. The Patriots signed an amicus brief urging the United State Supreme Court to legalize gay marriage.
“If I were a current player in that locker room and my livelihood depended on me being quiet or losing it because of my belief system, I worry, I wonder,” James said Friday in an interview on Family Research Council president Tony Perkins’ radio show. “So, that’s Satan working on us.”
James, who played for the Patriots from 1984 until 1988, making the Pro Bowl in 1986, was fired from his job as an analyst at Fox Sports after making anti-gay comments during his unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign in Texas in 2012, but he has not softened his stance.
“A locker room is a cohesive deal,” James told Perkins. “A locker room is a place where everybody has different belief systems but you just get along. In my opinion, I look forward to seeing now, if management tells you and the coaching staff tells you that you better not say anything about the other side, you talk about implosion in the locker room. I know the believers I was with, my teammates — and there were a lot of believers in that locker room — we wouldn’t have been quiet for a moment, we would have spoken up.”
ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On March 11, 1976, which Bruins winger scored the 300th goal of his career with a hat trick in a 6-2 victory over the Maple Leafs?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We got the points we wanted. It was good — it wasn’t easy. I thought our first period was our best and after that didn’t play our best, but we got the win and that’s all we need.” — Tuukka Rask, after backstopping the Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the Senators
STAT OF THE DAY: $70 million — Reported worth — with $39 million guaranteed — of the five-year contract Patriots free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis agreed to sign with the Jets
‘NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): Blues defenseman Barret Jackman scores a gift goal on a dump-in from beyond the blue line with a minute remaining to give his team a 5-4 victory over the Jets.
Rangers forward Kevin Hayes goes all out to gain control of the puck in front of the Islanders crease and put it in the net.
Lakers guard Wayne Ellington makes an impressive no-look pass to Tarik Black for a layup against the Pistons.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Ken Hodge
SOOTHING SOUNDS: Cheryl Lynn was born on this day in 1957.