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: Celtics at Nets, noon (CSNNE, ESPN; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Knicks at Lakers, 3 p.m. (ABC; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Thunder at Heat, 5:30 p.m. (ABC; WEEI-FM)
NBA: Texans at Bulls, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Nuggets at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Mississippi at Hawaii, 4:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Indiana State vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: San Diego State vs. Arizona, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
AROUND THE WEB:
‘¦ Colts coach Chuck Pagano, recovering from a battle with leukemia, returned to the team Monday for the first time since taking an indefinite leave on Oct. 1. Pagano will prepare his 10-5 team for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the conference-leading Texans.
“I feel great,” he said. “My weight is back. My energy is back and again, it’s just a blessing to be back here.”
An emotional Pagano said Monday ranks as the second-best day of his life, behind only his wedding, and he thanked assistant Bruce Arians for leading the team to a playoff berth.
“When I asked for Bruce to take over, I asked for him to kick some you-know-what and to do great,” Pagano said. “Damn, Bruce, you had to go and win nine games? Tough act to follow. Tough act to follow. Best in the history of the NFL. That’s what I have to come back to.”
Said team owner Jim Irsay: “I know Chuck is ready for this challenge. In speaking to his doctor multiple times, I know that the time is right for him to grab the reins, get the head coaching cap on and begin the journey. It’s been a miraculous story. It really is a book. It’s a fairytale. It’s a Hollywood script. It’s all those things but it’s real.”
‘¦ Jets coach Rex Ryan, speaking to the media Monday, sidestepped the question of whether quarterback Tim Tebow asked to be taken out of the team’s wildcat package, but he did acknowledge that Tebow was not pleased about being passed over for the starting job following Mark Sanchez‘ benching.
“He was disappointed, there’s no question,” Ryan said. “He was disappointed that he was not named the starter, but with that being said, I’m not going to get into private conversations that I have with players, but it was my decision to use Jeremy Kerley in the wildcat, without question.
“But I’ll say this: I believe if Tim’s number was called, he would’ve went in and played. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”
Tebow is expected to be released or traded after the season.
Meanwhile, the Jets reportedly plan to demote general manager Mike Tannenbaum after the season and have started reaching out to potential replacement candidates.
‘¦ Former Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter — who did his best to get under the skin of the Patriots when he played for the Steelers and Dolphins — was released from a California jail Monday after paying a $70,000 debt to the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Porter, 35, had been arrested over the weekend for allegedly writing a bad check.
Porter played 13 NFL seasons, including the last two with the Cardinals, before retiring this summer.
ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Dec. 25, 1971, the Bruins played on Christmas Day for the final time (that was the last year the NHL had Christmas games), posting a 5-1 victory over the Flyers led by a goal and three assists from which forward?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don’t care who we play or where we play or when we play or the time or the place or the opponent. It’s about us. We’ve lost four games this year. We were pretty capable of winning all four of those games. If it wasn’t for some of our own mistakes that we made, we could have. ‘¦ I have a lot confidence in our team and what we’re doing. I just hope that our best football is still ahead of us.” – Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, during his Monday morning appearance on Dennis & Callahan
STAT OF THE DAY: 1 – Games Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was suspended after arguing with coach Keith Smart in the locker room during halftime of Friday’s loss to the Clippers
‘NET RESULTS: Colton Yellow Horn of the East Coast Hockey League’s Ontario Reign scores a nifty shootout goal.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Ken Hodge
SOOTHING SOUNDS: Jimmy Buffet was born on this day in 1946.