Here's your wakeup call -- a combination of newsworthy and/or interesting tidbits -- for Tuesday, February 26:

AUTO RACING

• James Franco's attempted joke at Danica Patrick's attempt - at least we think it was a joke -- falls flat. (NBC's Off The Bench)
• But she's no joke to NASCAR or Fox Sports: Thanks to her, preliminary ratings for this year's Daytona 500 were up 30 percent from 2012. (AP)

BASEBALL

• At long last, the rank-and-file of the Major League Baseball Players Association are showing the same distaste for drug cheaters as the rest of us . . . and they want to do something about it. (AP)
• Hideki Okajima gets a little teary-eyed -- figuratively speaking -- at returning to the mound in a major-league game, albeit an exhibition, for the first time since 2011. (CSN Bay Area)
• The Jeffrey Loria Marlins Rehabilitation Push, which began with an open letter to fans in several media outlets on Sunday, continues with 30 minutes of grilling from the Miami media. (AP)
• Dontrelle Willis says the shoulder ailment that forced him to leave Monday's game after seven pitches is just "a minor setback" that can be fixed with "some TLC". (CSN Chicago)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

• Bill Self gets his 500th career win in Kansas' 108-96 overtime victory over Iowa State. (AP)
• And he has Elijah Johnson to thank. At least for No. 500, if not for all of the previous 499. (NBC's College Basketball Talk)
• The Big East race gets a little tighter as Marquette knocks off Syracuse. (AP)
• That makes it a rather pedestrian 5-5 over the last 10 games for the Orange, and you can thank -- or blame -- the backcourt for that. (College Basketball Talk)
• Gonzaga moves up to No. 2 in the AP poll, the highest spot its ever held. (AP)
• Yep, that's Louisiana Tech in the Top 25. For the first time since 1985. (AP)
• Brittney Griner is now the fourth all-time leading scorer in women's basketball, as she scores 15 -- and runs her career total to 3,045 -- in Baylor's 86-64 victory at Oklahoma. (AP)
• Somehow, losing to Baylor wasn't enough to knock the UConn women out of the No. 1 spot in the UPS Team Performance Index. (AP)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

• Still think they don't take their football seriously in Alabama? (AP)
• The ACC welcomes Pitt by having the Panthers play defending league champ Florida State in their conference opener. (AP)

HOCKEY

• Are these guys ever going to lose? (CSN Chicago)
• If you thought the loss of Craig Anderson was going to cripple the Senators, just ask the Canadiens about Ben Bishop. (AP)
• Doesn't sound like it'll be a happy homecoming for Alex Semin, not if Troy Brouwer speaks for all the Capitals. (CSN Washington)
• They sure like Braden Holtby, though. (NBC's Pro Hockey Talk)
• On Sunday, the Penguins finally admitted Evgeni Malkin had a concussion. Yesterday, they put him on injured reserve. (AP)
• Martin Brodeur, meanwhile, is day to day with his bad back. (AP)
• The Jets' Zach Redmond is resting comfortably in a Raleigh hospital after surgery to repair a skate cut to his right thigh, suffered in a practice accident last week . . . and which, his family said, could have killed him had it not been for quick work by Winnipeg's training staff. (AP)
• The Sharks' Ryane Clowe gets a couple of games off -- without pay -- courtesy of the NHL. (CSN Bay Area)

PRO BASKETBALL

• Does this surprise you? I mean, really. (AP)
• The Rockets prove, once again, that P.T. Barnum was right. (CSN Houston)
• So much for the Lakers' winning streak. (AP)
• It's official: Derek Fisher's a Thunder once more. (AP)

PRO FOOTBALL

• Tom Brady's contract extension -- the subject of story and song hereabouts as another example of his selflessness and team-first attitude -- is being looked at skeptically by both other teams and agents, who wonder if there are side deals in place to ensure Brady gets compensated in other ways. (NBC's Pro Football Talk)
• One thing we know: The lowering of Brady's average annual salary means Joe Flacco will get less money if the Ravens tag him. (Pro Football Talk)
• Don't worry, Jerry. I have a feeling that if the Cowboys ever win another Super Bowl on your watch, you won't let us avoid giving you the credit. (Pro Football Talk)
• Phony dead girlfriends won't lower your draft stock, but bad times in the 40 will. (CSN Chicago)
• It was the stress, insists Teo. (Pro Football Talk)
• New Browns management couldn't be more open about its Brandon Weeden skepticism, not unless it posted "Help Wanted: Quarterback" signs across northern Ohio. But that doesn't bother Weeden, who says he "completely [expects] to be the starter" next year. (Pro Football Talk)
• If you're looking for defensive linemen, Mike Patterson and Cullen Jenkins are available. (CSN Philly)

TENNIS

• Andy Murray, innkeeper. (AP)