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: Thunder at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE)
NBA: Pacers at Heat, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Rockets at Timberwolves, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
NHL: Bruins at Maple Leafs, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL: Kings at Ducks, 10:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
College football: Ball State at UMass, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
College football: Kent State at Bowling Green, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Soccer: Exhibition, Netherlands vs. Mexico, 2:25 p.m. (ESPN2)
AROUND THE WEB:
— Niners defensive tackle Ray McDonald addressed the media Tuesday, one day after authorities said he would not be charged following his Aug. 31 arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence, and said he remains with his fiancee despite their issues.
The Santa Clara County district attorney’s office said McDonald was not charged due to “insufficient evidence.” The office’s report indicated the woman struck McDonald, and he forcibly restrained her during he ensuring scuffle and attempted to remove her from the house. The injuries McDonald’s fiancee suffered were minor and “consistent with restraint rather than an attack.” McDonald’s fiancee, who was 10 weeks pregnant at the time of the incident, did not cooperate with the investigation.
“I’m not the kind of guy [who] would put my hands on a woman like that,” McDonald said. “My teammates know it. My friends know it. Everybody knows what kind of guy I am.”
McDonald, who also had an incident with his fiancee in May after which he admitted firing a gun into the ground while leaving their home, said it’s not fair to compare him to other troubled NFL players such as Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.
“I’m not those other guys,” he said. “I’m just not. I know what kind of person I am. [The 49ers] know what kind of person I am. And that’s why they let me play all the way up to this point.”
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.McDonald, who had stayed quiet since his arrest, acknowledged the issue affected his ability to focus on the field.
“I wouldn’t be human if it didn’t bother me,” he said. “I knew the truth would come out. I knew it would eventually come out, but as far as me playing, it didn’t affect me a whole lot, but it was weighing on my mind a little bit. I had all this stuff that people were saying about me that I knew wasn’t true. I just had to keep my mouth shut and let the whole process play out.”
— Lakers guard Wayne Ellington Jr. released a statement through the Lakers expressing his devastation over the death of his father, who was found Sunday night shot in the head in the driver’s seat of a car in Philadelphia.
Ellington, who was granted an indefinite leave of absence by the team, said he and his family were “devastated by the news of my father’s murder.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he learned of the news on Sunday night, after the team’s first win of the season.
“Driving home all I did was think about [Ellington],” Scott said before Tuesday’s game. “It’s really just very said news.”
Added Scott: “This is our livelihood, but this is still just a game. This thing that’s happened to Wayne is real life. It kinds of puts everything in perspective. I think all of us, every now and then, during the game, after the game, before the game, will have Wayne on our mind.”
— The Cowboys activated defensive tackle Josh Brent on Tuesday, with his 10-game suspension imposed by the league having come to an end.
Brent, who was convicted of intoxication manslaughter in the death of his teammate Jerry Brown, has not played since Dec. 2, 2012, six days before the accident. He has been practicing for the past two weeks for his return.
“Really, it’s just his football readiness,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s been away from it for a little bit, but he’s working hard. He’s trying to get his body right. You can see his football instincts and feel for the game coming back, but he still needs to practice and get himself acclimated to football.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been consistent in his backing of Brent, who also received support from Brown’s family.
“He had some experiences since he’s last been on the field … that make him appreciate every second he gets to be on the football field and gets to be contributing and he’s got some real goals,” Jones said. “He wants to help that little girl very much, which is Jerry Brown’s daughter.”
ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On Nov. 12, 1942, which Bruin became the youngest player in NHL history when he took to the ice one month before his 17th birthday for a 3-1 loss in Toronto? Hint: He later coached the B’s.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “They don’t have anyone on defense. … They just don’t have any players on the defensive side of the ball. Therefore, they don’t have a chance.” — NBC Sports NFL analyst Rodney Harrison, during his weekly appearance on Middays with MFB on Tuesday, discussing the struggling Bears, whose defense has been woeful in consecutive losses to the Patriots and Packers
STAT OF THE DAY: 13,421 – Career missed shots for Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who on Tuesday passed Celtics legend John Havlicek for the most in NBA history
‘NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): Hornets guard Gary Neal drives for what appears to be a game-tying layup against the Trail Blazers, but it comes a fraction of a second after the buzzer.
Mavericks players Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler are ready to provide “Maverick justice” as “Chandler and Chandler.”
Randy Moss recalls a memorable meeting Deion Sanders before he was drafted.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Armand “Bep” Guidolin, who played four seasons in Boston and coached the Bruins for half of 1972-73 and all of 1973-74
SOOTHING SOUNDS: Neil Young was born on this day in 1945.
