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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: Exhibition: Boston vs. NY Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (ESPN, WEEI-AM 850)NBA: Brooklyn at Boston, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)NHL: Boston at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)AROUND THE WEB:
-- The Celtics are taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus outbreak, including having a doctor visit the Auerbach Center on Monday to educate the team.
"We just had a doc in here today to talk about it, to give the facts about it," Brad Stevens said. "We're treating it, from our standpoint, a lot like we would if a player got the flu, if somebody were to come down with that. He gave all the facts and all the data and all the stats, how to treat it, how to avoid it, all that stuff."
“You’re hopeful that it doesn’t hit anybody, but inevitably, I think our medical facilities here will be well-prepared for that,” Stevens continued. “Certainly, our doctors are great. We feel well-prepared for it.”
Blazers guard CJ McCollum announced Saturday he is “taking a break” from signing autographs with the spread of coronavirus in Oregon and Kemba Walker said Monday he might do the same.
“It’s getting serious, I’ll tell you that much,” Walker said. “Everybody just needs to be a little cautious. I’m pretty sure I’m still going to sign some autographs, but maybe I’ll just walk around with my own marker.”-- Panic over the spread of the coronavirus has also led some to urge the NCAA to hold upcoming March Madness games without fans in the stands.
A players' advocacy group is asking NCAA officials to consider holding both the men's and women's tournaments this month at crowd-less arenas.
"There should be a serious discussion about holding competitions without an audience present," the National College Players Association said in a statement. "In the wake of the emerging Coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA and its colleges should take precautions to protect college athletes.”
The group is also urging schools to not hold athlete press events or meet and greets to limit possible exposure.
In a statement, the NCAA said, "NCAA staff continues to prepare for all NCAA winter and spring championships, but we are keenly aware of Coronavirus and will continue to monitor in coordination with state/local health authorities and the CDC."