1140 Sports July 21

LSU Football Coach Les Miles is making the rounds at ESPN today in Bristol, Connecticut. Miles appeared on SportsCenter this morning and was asked about being picked to finish third in the SEC West. Miles says his team doesn’t pay attention to preseason rankings or polls…
cut 30 (09) “….ranking is”
Miles and the Tigers report for fall camp on August third.

The Ragin Cajuns are picked to finish first in the Sun Belt. That’s according to a poll of the league’s coaches. Finishing behind U-L Lafayette are Arkansas State, South Alabama, Troy and ULM is expected to finish fifth. The Warhawks were six-and-six last season, while the Cajuns were nine and four and finished in a tie for first place in the league. Sun Belt media day is scheduled for tomorrow.

Crews are putting the finishing touches on the Saints new training camp facility in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Black-and-Gold are set to report this Thursday. We’ll likely find out then, if newly signed safety Jarius Byrd will be able to practice once training camp starts. The former Buffalo Bill is coming off back surgery.

LSU has released its 2015 baseball schedule. The Tigers begin the year by hosting Kansas on february 13th. LSU will also travel to Houston’s Minute Maid Park to play in the Houston College Classic. The three teams they’ll play are Houston, Nebraska, and Baylor. The Tigers SEC schedule begins March 13th at home against Ole Miss. And they’ll play the Ragin Cajuns on Wednesday April 1st in the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie.

Tough start on the mound for former LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman yesterday as he allowed five runs in four innings as his Orioles lost to the Oakland As ten to two. The loss drops Gausman’s record to four and three.

Former saints linebacker Jo Lonn Dunbar was arrested over the weekend in Miami Beach, Florida for allegedly getting into a fight outside of a nightclub with NBA free agent Donte Greene. Dunbar played with the Saints from 2009 to 2011 and he’s now a linebacker with the St. Louis Rams.

LRN Newscall for Monday July 21

The three day qualifying period for the November 4th election is now one month away. Michelle Southern reporting…:

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A Shreveport researcher has a grant from the LSU System’s LIFT2 Program to help produce a potentially cancer preventing gum. Eric Gill has more…

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The stalemate over Common Core and what assessment tests should be used in public schools could lead to legal action soon. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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State Farm has announced the hurricane deductible for home owner policy holders will go up from 2 to 5 percent. Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon met with State Farm officials and requested that they allow policy holders in Louisiana the option to buy back down to the two percent deductible in their policy by paying a higher insurance premium…

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He says State Farm allowed policy holders in Mississippi to buy back down to the two percent deductible and he wants the same option for policy holders in Louisiana. Donelon says a typical policy holder with a two percent hurricane deductible on a $150,000 home would pay $3,000 out of pocket before their insurance took effect…

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He says higher hurricane deductibles became prevalent in every coastal state after Hurricane Katrina. State Farm says they are considering Donelon’s request. Donelon says the real solution of this problem is for Congress to enact a bill that creates “Named Storm Deductible Savings Accounts”…

Cut 6 (14) “taxes expense”
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The three day qualifying period for the November 4th election is now one month away. Thus far the US Senate race between the incumbent Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu and Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy has been an extremely close one according to most polls. LSU Political Science Professor Dr. Wayne Parent says it’s a toss up…:

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Parent says we are still a few weeks away before campaigning really starts to ramp up, but the ground work for both Landrieu and Cassidy’s platform has already been laid…:
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In the race for the 6th Congressional District, Parent says even though a majority of its voters tend to vote Republican, former Governor Edwin Edwards will most certainly make the runoff…:
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A Shreveport researcher has received a grant to help produce a potentially cancer preventing gum. Dr. Cherie-Ann Nathan, with the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport, was awarded a $50,000 grant from the LSU System’s LIFT2 Program. Nathan says she will use the funds to help produce a gum that contains curcumin…

cut 10 (08) “prevention of cancer”
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Curcumin is a food substance found in the spice turmeric that reportedly has cancer-preventing qualities. Nathan says curcumin is one of the top selling supplements on the market…

cut 11 (12) “anti-oxidant as well”
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One problem with curcumin is that it is not absorbed well in the stomach. Nathan hopes this gum will allow for direct absorption of the substance and help prevent head and neck cancers. She says, once the gum is manufactured, they will enroll 16 healthy volunteers for a clinical trial…

cut 12 (17) “to the capsule”
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We’re another day closer to the start of the school year and because of the dispute over Common Core a standardized test is not in place for the upcoming school year. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says a lawsuit needs to be filed, so the judicial system can determine who has constitutional authority over education policy…

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Erwin says BESE leaders believe they are the ones who should decide what kind of assessment test is used in public schools, but the Jindal administration believes they should be involved in that process. He says a lawsuit to settle this dispute could be filed by BESE…

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Meanwhile, good government group, the Public Affairs Research Council, has issued a commentary criticizing Governor Jindal for creating a “crisis in education.” PAR President Robert Travis Scott says Jindal’s actions call into question whether he’s a reliable leader…

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Scott says Jindal regularly criticizes the federal government for this type of executive over reach. He says court action could be avoided if the governor could demonstrate he has the skills to work with others

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LRN 16:45 Sportscast July 18th

The LSU Tigers were picked by the media to finish third in the SEC West. Alabama and Auburn are projected to finish one-two, and Ole Miss is expected to finish fourth. The Rebels return nine starters on defense this season and on offense quarterback Bo Wallace is back, as this will be his third season starting in Oxford. Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze believes Wallace could have a big season….
cut 19 (22) “….what he’s doing”
LSU will host Ole Miss on October 25th.

One other LSU football note…fan day has been set for Sunday August 10th at the Maravich Assembly Center and the Carl Maddox Field House on the LSU campus.

Officials with U-L Lafayette have announced the Ragin Cajuns and the University of Tulsa have agreed to a home-and-home football series. The Cajuns are scheduled to visit Tulsa in 2017 and the Golden Hurricanes will return the trip to Lafayette in 2019. The two teams have met nine times in school history and the Cajuns lead the series five to four.

Southern has been picked to repeat as champions of the West division in the SWAC. Grambling is predicted to finish in last place. The Jaguars landed two players on the league’s preseason first team, offensive lineman Anthony Mosley and wide receiver Willie Quinn.

The Pelicans reportedly signed Jimmer Fredette, who played last season with the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings. Fredette averaged nearly six points a game last season. Jimmer won NCAA national player of the year honors with BYU and was the tenth overall pick in the 2011 draft.

The Pels have also reportedly re-signed forward Darius Miller. The six-foot-eight forward was a second round pick of New Orleans in 2012. In 45 games last season, Miller averaged four points a contest.

The LSU baseball team received some good news today. Left-handed pitcher and LSU signee Mac Marshall from Georgia did not sign a professional baseball contract with the Houston Astros. Marshall who was selected in 21st round by the Astros had until four o’ clock Friday to sign a deal with Houston.

LRN 1140 Sports July 18th

Alabama has been picked by the media to win the Southeastern Eastern Conference and many project the Crimson Tide will compete in college football’s new four team playoff. But Bama Head Coach Nick Saban knows his team will face some criticism if they fall short, like they did last season…
cut  17 (19) “…total failure”
SEC Media Days wrapped yesterday with the release of the All-SEC team, which was chosen by the media. LSU’s La’el Collins was a first team selection, while fellow Tigers, Vadal Alexander, Tre’ Davious White, Colby Delahoussaye and Terrence Magee were second team selections.

And the SEC announces they’ve reached a deal with Comcast to carry the SEC Network.

The Pelicans have reportedly reached an agreement with shooting guard Jimmer Fredette on a one-year deal. Fredette was the NCAA National Player of the Year in 2011 and the tenth overall pick in the NBA draft that season. Fredette has not been the scoring threat in the NBA as he was in college, but he made 49-percent of his three-point attempts with the Kings last season.

The Pels have also reportedly re-signed forward Darius Miller. The second round pick in the 2012 draft, averaged four points a game last season. He’ll compete for playing time at small forward this season.

In Summer League action, Charlotte Hornets stung the New Orleans Pelicans 104 to 75. The Pels rookie point guard Russ Smith, had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Courtney Fells also added 19 points. New Orleans final summer league game is tonight.

One other NBA note….former LSU Tiger Glen “Big Baby” Davis is returning to the Clippers on a one-year deal.

In college football news….the Ragin Cajuns and Tulsa have agreed to a home-and-home series. UL Lafayette will play in Tulsa in 2017 and the Golden Hurricanes will visit Cajun Field in 2019.

LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri has called for a Monday press conference. It’s expected Mainieri will introduce the Tigers new assistant coach. Andy Cannizaro, who played at Tulane. The 2015 schedule is also expected to be unveiled today.