With training camp set to start next week, the Saints have added another veteran running back to the roster. The team inked former Patriots and Giants ball carrier Shane Vereen, who is more of a pass catcher then a true running back. He caught 44 passes for the Giants last season and rushed for 164 yards.

Louisiana Tech, who is picked to finish second in the West Division of Conference USA, appeared at the league’s media day yesterday. The Bulldogs return eight starters on offense, including four of their top five pass catchers. Teddy Veal told Watch ESPN they can be explosive on offense…
Cut 18 (21) “our offense”
Coach Skip Holtz says returning starting quarterback J-Mar Smith has grown mentally.

The Southland Conference Media Day takes place today in Houston. Northwestern State’s Brad Laird and Southeastern’s Frank Scelfo are among the first-year head coaches that will be in attendance. While McNeese and Nicholls State will be among the favorites to win the league.

Meanwhile, at SEC Media Days, Alabama Coach Nick Saban made it clear he doesn’t know who his starting QB will be between two-year starter Jalen Hurts and sophomore Tua Tagovailoa…
Cut 20 (20) we’ll see”
LSU will host Alabama on November 3rd, they’ll likely have their quarterback situation figured out before then. LSU will reportedly play this season without Jamal Pettigrew, who injured his A-C-L.

Former LSU star Alex Bregman continues to show he has that clutch bone. Bregman belted a solo home run in the 10th inning last night to snap a five-five tie and the American League went on to defeat the N-L eight to six in 10 innings. Bregman was named the game’s MVP.

NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo reports the Saints are signing former Giants and Patriots running back Shane Vereen. The 29-year-old caught 44 passes last season and rushed for 164 yards for the Giants.

In the NBA, the Pelicans have signed guard Trevon Bluiett (Trey-von Blue-IT) to a two-way contract. The undrafted rookie out of Xavier in Ohio averaged 18 points a game in four Summer League games.

And ESPN is reporting a blockbuster deal in the Association as the Spurs are getting ready to ship Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. San Antonio will get fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan in return. But there are reports Leonard and DeRozan are not happy about the trade.

LSU’s schedule features two teams that played in last season’s national championship game, Alabama and Georgia. The Bulldogs will visit Death Valley on October 13th. Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart says just because his team won the SEC last season, doesn’t mean it’s automatic they will do it again…
Cut 18 (19) “football works”
It’s been reported LSU will not have tight end Jamal Pettigrew this season, because of a torn ACL. The New Orleans native played in all 13 games last season as a redshirt freshman and caught just one pass, but he was expected to take on a bigger role this season.

College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said today there are no plans to expand the C-F-P beyond the four teams.

Alex Bregman’s reputation as a clutch player continues to grow. The former LSU star hit a home run in the 10th inning last night to snap a five-five tie as the American League went on to beat the National League 8-6. Astros teammate George Springer also homered off the Dodgers Ross Stripling. But Bregman was awarded M-V-P honors. A record 10 home runs were hit in the game. Also, Baton Rouge’s Aaron Nola pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

In the NBA, the Pelicans have signed guard Trevon Bluiett (Trey-von Blue-IT) to a two-way contract. The undrafted rookie out of Xavier in Ohio averaged 18 points a game in four Summer League games.

ESPN is reporting the Spurs are getting ready to ship Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. San Antonio will get fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan in return.

Former LSU standout Garrett Temple is heading to Memphis in a trade. Temple averaged a career-high eight points last season for the Kings.

Day Two of SEC media days in Atlanta featured four teams on LSU’s schedule. Matt Luke will bring the Ole Miss Rebels into Tiger Stadium on September 29th. Luke guided Ole Miss to a 6-6 record as an interim coach last season and likes the direction of his program…
Cut 16 (19) “a lot of fun”
After the Tigers play the Rebels, they’ll visit the Florida Gators in the Swamp for a second consecutive season. Florida went 4-7 last season. Dan Mullen is entering his first season as the head coach in Gainesville and believes he can bring the Gators to the SEC championship game in Atlanta in year one
Cut 17 (16) “years from now”

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron admitted during SEC Media Days it was a mistake to hire Matt Canada as the Tigers offensive coordinator last season. But Orgeron is confident new coordinator and former tight ends coach Steve Ensminger will do a great job…
cut 13 (10) “….with Steve”
Orgeron also told reporters he’s looking to have the never-ending quarterback question solved by the time the regular season starts.

Will Ohio State grad transfer Joe Burrow be the guy that takes the first snap against Miami when LSU opens the season? Tight end Foster Moreau says Burrow is fitting well with his new teammates…
cut 30 (17) “…quarterback situation”
Fall camp begins in about three weeks.

Louisiana Tech has been picked to finish second in the Conference USA’s West Division, while North Texas was tabbed as the preseason favorite in a vote of media members. Florida Atlantic was picked to finish first in the East Division.

Former LSU standout Alex Bregman came up one dinger short in defeating Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber in last night’s Major League Baseball Home run derby. Bregman was defeated in the first round, Schwarber ended up losing in the championship round to Bryce Harper, who made a furious rally to win it all in front of his home fans. Tonight is the Major League Baseball All-Star game in DC. Former LSU stars Bregman and Aaron Nola will play in that game.

In the NBA, ESPN reports former LSU Tiger Garret Temple will reportedly be traded from Sacramento to Memphis. The Kings would get Ben McLemore and Deyonta Davis in return.

LSU took its turn at SEC Media Days yesterday, and got peppered with questions about the new offense, and just who will run it in August. Matt Doyle has the story.
Voicer 3 (32) “I’m Matt Doyle”

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says there are no plans to change the current 6-1-1 football schedule format, which means LSU’s annual game against Florida will continue.

Former LSU standout Alex Bregman put on a good show at last night’s Major League Baseball All-Star game but came up one dinger short of advancing to the semi-finals and lost to Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber lost to Bryce Harper in the finals as the Nationals right fielder made a furious rally to win in front of his home fans.

Tonight is the Major League Baseball All-Star game. Bregman will play for the American League All-Stars, while Baton Rouge native Aaron Nola will pitch for the National League All-Stars.

Saints defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen played hero over the weekend as he was the first person to respond to a silver SUV that drove off the fourth floor of a parking garage onto a nearby street in New Orleans. Loewen gathered several others and they flipped the SUV over and helped the driver get out of the vehicle. Loewen says last year he also helped a woman who drove off the road along a highway in Alabama.

The Pelicans have officially added Elfird Payton and Julius Randle to their roster. Randle will fill the void left by DeMarcus Cousins’ departure, while Payton has a chance to be the starting point guard, a spot once held by now Los Angeles Laker Rajon Rondo. New Orleans Head Coach Alvin Gentry says they expect Payton to play well in their uptempo offense and that’s what happened when he was traded to Phoenix last season…
cut 29 (21) “…the basket”

The Pelicans fell to 2-and-1 in Summer League Action yesterday with a 105-97 loss to Detroit. Pels will now get ready to play a Summer League playoff game. An opponent or date hasn’t been decided.

Former LSU star Aaron Nola won his league leading 12th game of the season last night as the Phillies defeated the Mets 3-1 in the second game of a doubleheader. Nola allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings and also supplied the offense with a bases clearing double…
cut 30 (16) “…three run double”
That audio is courtesy of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Nola now has 6 RBIs during his career.

Former McNeese State Head Basketball Coach Dave Simmons has seen his career return to Natchitoches. He’s been named an assistant to Head coach Mike McConathy at Northwestern State. Before a 12-year run as head coach at McNeese, Simmons was the lead assistant at Northwestern when they made two trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and 2006.

The Pelicans have officially announced they’ve signed free agents Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle. The six-foot-nine Randle will replace DeMarcus Cousins and New Orleans Head Coach Alvin Gentry says he’s a player they’ve always liked…
cut 30 (22) “…I really do”
The Pelicans also announced they are bringing back guard Ian Clark.

The Pels dropped to 2-1 in Summer League action with a 105-97 loss to Detroit. Cheick Diallo had 25 points in a losing effort and Trevon Bluiett was just two of six from three-point territory.

The Saints announce training camp will start July 25th at the team’s training facility in Metairie. The first practice open to the public will July 28th.

Former LSU pitcher Aaron Nola is now the only 12-game winner in the National League after striking out 10 as the Phillies beat the Mets three to one in the second game of a doubleheader. Nola also smoked a bases clearing three-run double to supply the only offense for Philadelphia, who ended up splitting the doubleheader with the Mets.

Former LSU Tiger and 2011 NCAA Champion golfer John Peterson’s PGA Tour maybe over. Peterson said if he wasn’t able to retain his PGA Tour conditional status he would call it a career. Peterson performed well this past weekend the Greenbrier but didn’t earn enough points to keep his conditional status.

Former McNeese State men’s basketball coach Coach Dave Simmons is returning to Northwestern State as he’s been named assistant head coach at the Natchitoches school. The 58-year-old Simmons was the lead assistant at Northwestern State from 1999-2006 and helped the Demons reach the NCAA Tournament twice.

The Saints will have players report to training camp on Wednesday, July 25th and the first practice is the next day at the team’s training facility in Metairie. The Black and Gold will put on the pads for the first time on July 28th and that’s the first training camp practice that’s open to the public. On Sunday, August 5th, the Saints will hold an open practice at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium that will include a fan festival on-campus.

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette says he wants to be about 11 pounds lighter than he was during his rookie season, when the Jaguars report for training camp next month. Fournette told the Florida Times-Union he wants to weigh 224 pounds. The New Orleans native says that was his playing weight at LSU.

Former Saints cornerback Brandon Browner is facing numerous charges after he allegedly broke into a woman’s home in California, threatened to kill her and fled with a 20-thousand dollar Rolex watch. Police say Browner had a previous relationship with the victim. Browner last played in an NFL game with the Saints in 2015.

Lafayette native’s Daniel Cormier is the second fighter in UFC history to hold two championship belts simultaneously as he won the heavyweight championship on Saturday night. At 39-years-old Cormier says he doesn’t have many fights left in him, but he’ll get into the Octagon to face Brock Lesnar, especially if the price is right…
cut 10 (13) “….and be done”
Cormier says he’ll only fight Lesnar if he’s clean. Lesnar is currently serving a one-year suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

In major league baseball…former LSU stars Aaron Nola and Alex Bregman have been named as All-Stars and will play in the mid-summer classic on July 17th in Wastington D-C. Nola has eleven wins for the Phillies and Bregman has hit 17 home runs.

The Pelicans announced today the free agent signings of Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle are official. Also the team, announced they are bring back Guard Ian Clark, which was reported last week.

Former LSU stars Aaron Nola and Alex Bregman are heading to the Major League Baseball All-Star game for the first time. Nola, who has won 11 games for the Phillies, is a reserve with the National League All-Star team. Bregman is a reserve on the A-L squad and he’s hitting .284 with 17 home runs and 57 RBIs. The All-Star Game is Tuesday July 17th in D-C.

Yesterday in Major League Baseball…Bregman’s 12-game hitting streak came to an end but the Astros defeated the White Sox two to one. While the Rangers blanked the Tigers 3-0. Shin-Soo Choo’s on-base streak is up to 47 games after reaching on an infield single in the ninth inning.

The Pels face the Pistons this afternoon in NBA Summer League Action. New Orleans is 2-0 thanks to the hot shooting of Trevon Bluiett, who had 24 points in a win over the Raptors on Friday and had 26 points in an easy win over the Heat on Saturday. He’s 12 of 18 from three-point territory.

Former Saints defensive back Brandon Browner has been arrested in California on kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment and a violation of a restraining order charges. Authorities say the ex NFL star broke through a locked window of a home and physically harmed and threatened to kill the victim inside the residence. Police say Browner stole a 20-thousand dollar watch before leaving. Browner apparently has a prior relationship with the person in question. The L-A native won Super Bowls in Seattle and New England, but was unproductive in his one season in New Orleans in 2015.

Lafayette native Daniel Cormier won the UFC Heavyweight title on Saturday night by knocking out Stipe (Steep) Miocic (Me-oh-sich. Cormier also owns the Light Heavyweight Championship as well. Cormier says his next fight will be against Brock Lesnar, which could be a big pay day for the former Olympic wrestler.

World Cup Resumes tomorrow with semi-final action, France faces Beligum and it’s England versus Croatia on Wednesday.

The LSU football program has received a verbal commitment from four-star linebacker Donte Starks out of John Ehret High School in New Orleans. Starks also had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and other SEC schools. He’s ranked as one of the top inside linebackers in the country and LSU now has 19 commitments for 2019 and the class is ranked third nationally behind Alabama and Texas A-and-M.

Prized LSU signee Brice Turang has signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. The shortstop from California was taken in the first round by the Brewers and he reportedly receives a three-point-four million dollar signing bonus. It was always considered a long shot for Turang to end up on campus.

The Pelicans are reportedly brining back point guard Ian Clark as he’s signing a one-year, veteran’s minimum cntract. Clark was one of the team’s top guards off the bench last season as he averaged seven points and two assists in 74 games. His role grew on the team after DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn Achilles tendon in January.

Five-time World Champion Brazil was defeated on Friday in Russia as Beligum advances to the semi-finals with a two-to-one victory. Beligum will make its second semi-final appearance in World Cup history. Earlier in the day, France scored an early goal and defeated Uruguay two to one.

In quarterfinal action on Saturday, Sweden takes on England, while Russia faces Croatia.

Back to the NBA….Tony Parker is reportedly leaving San Antonio after 17 years as he’s signing a two-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Parker played in just 55 games last season, averaging eight points and four assists a game. Parker is the Spurs all-time leader in assists with 6.829. He’s also only the third player to play at least 17 seasons with one team before playing with another. Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon are the other two.

And it appears Carmelo Anthony’s time in Oklahoma city is coming to an end. There’s a report the Thunder are looking to trade Anthony or buy out the rest of his contract. He’s owed nearly 28-million dollars next season. Houston is reportedly interested in the 34-year-old, who averaged a career low 16 points a game last season.