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 Indians, 1:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI-FM)
MLB: Mets at Royals, 4:15 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB: Tigers at Marlins, 7:10 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB: White Sox at Athletics, 10:05 p.m. (MLB Network)
NHL: Hurricanes at Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Lightning at Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Bulls at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. (TNT)
NBA: Lakers at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: Women’s NCAA championship, Syracuse vs. UConn, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
AROUND THE WEB:
— Greg Hardy, who remains a free agent after a rocky season with the Cowboys, insisted that he is innocent of domestic violence despite being convicted by a judge in 2014.
“I’ve never put my hand on any women,” the defensive end told ESPN’s Adam Schefter in a sit-down interview Monday. “In my whole entire life, no sir.”
Hardy said his conviction in the bench trial was “a flimsy situation,” despite the fact that girlfriend Nicole Holder accused him of a violent attack and had visible bruises on her body afterward.
“Pictures are pictures, and they can be made to look like whatever they want to,” he said, adding: “I didn’t say I didn’t do anything wrong. That situation occurred and that situation was handled, but as a man you can’t avoid situations that aren’t your fault or are your fault. … Saying I did nothing wrong is a stretch, but saying I’m innocent is correct, sir.”
Hardy, who played his first five seasons with the Panthers, was suspended 10 games by the league for his transgression, although it was reduced to four games by an arbitrator.
He appealed his guilty verdict and the case was thrown out in February 2015 when Holder refused to cooperate with authorities.
Steve Smith Sr., Hardy’s former Panthers teammate, questioned Hardy’s claims, posting an excerpt from the interview and writing above it: So I guess she Tripped on the carpet or something… my mom is a Survivor #DV and I am advocate against #DV.
— Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe, whom you might remember as the player who allegedly threatened to eat Tom Brady’s children (according to teammate T.J. Ward), might be in some trouble (again).
Wolfe, who was suspended for the first four games of last season due to a violation of the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs, reportedly got into a fight at a Denver nightclub over the weekend.
TMZ Sports has video of the incident, which the website claims escalated when someone talked trash to Wolfe and his friends. The man TMZ identifies as Wolfe is seen throwing a punch, although it’s not clear if it landed. TMZ reports that Wolfe later left the club bloodied after being hit in the face with a glass bottle.
Wolfe, who had 49 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 12 games last season, his fourth in the league, signed a four-year, $36.7 million contract extension in January.
— Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who was in the middle of a nightclub brawl that sent two off-duty police officers to the hospital, will not face criminal charges for the February incident.
McCoy, who played six seasons for the Eagles, and his companions argued with the officers in a misunderstanding about who purchased a bottle of champagne, but Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said Monday that he can’t prove who started the fight. He added that it’s legal to act in self-defense or in defense of others.
McCoy’s attorney claims the player was only trying to break up the fight. He still could face discipline from the league.
ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On April 5, 1978, the Red Sox sold to the White Sox which right-handed pitcher who spent three seasons in Boston and recorded a 0.00 ERA in 6 1/3 innings in the 1975 World Series?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think every shot’s going in, and this one was no different.” — Kris Jenkins, after hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Villanova a 77-74 victory over North Carolina for the NCAA championship
STAT OF THE DAY: 4 — Career home runs on Opening Day for 23-year-old Bryce Harper, who hit one in the first inning of the Nationals’ game against the Braves
‘NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): Here’s your “One Shining Moment” NCAA Tournament video.
Matt Wieters singles home Chris Davis with two outs in the ninth inning for a walk-off win over the Twins.
Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar races back and makes a leaping catch against the Rays.
Reds left fielder Tyler Holt makes a diving catch for the first out of the ninth inning against the Phillies. …
… Then center fielder Billy Hamilton makes an equally impressive catch for the second out.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Jim Willoughby
SOOTHING SOUNDS: Paula Cole was born in Rockport on this day in 1968.
