At the NFL owners meetings, Saints Head Coach Sean Payton gave an update on the situation involving Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler. Based on what Payton said, it doesn’t sound like anything is imminent when it comes to acquiring Butler…
cut 30 (30) “…right now”
Payton also his meeting with former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel during the Super Bowl was just to get to know him. But Payton says there was really nothing else to the meeting.

The Pelicans begin a four-game homestand tonight as they host Dallas. New Orleans has very slim playoff chances with eight games left.

LSU running back Darrel Williams says when his mother told him he was fat, the John Ehret star figured it was time to lose some weight. Williams says he’s dropped a few pounds and it’s helped him have a productive spring…
cut 18 (12) “…three years”
Williams is set to enter his senior season. He’s the primary back-up to starter Derrius Guice.

In college baseball tonight…the Cajuns are at Southeastern Louisiana. At 5 PM, they’ll resume a game that was halted by rain on February 20th and then they’ll play the originally scheduled game at 6 PM. The game that is resuming is tied at four in the 11th inning.

Also tonight…the Colonels host Alcorn State after ending a three-game skid by beating Alcorn 13-5 last night.

At the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Saints Head Coach Sean Payton says he knows Quarterback Drew Brees plans to play two-to-four more years, but that doesn’t mean they won’t draft a quarterback…
cut 30 (23) “…for him”
Payton also said today that they won’t sign Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler to an offer sheet. It’s still possible they could work out a trade for him, but the Saints are not willing to give up the 11th overall pick.

The Pelicans begin a four-game homestand tonight against Dallas.

And new LSU basketball coach Will Wade names former North Texas head coach Tony Benford as his first hire for his new staff.

The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. Etling says he’s been working closely with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada….
Cut 16 (12) “ball too”
Running back Darrell Williams also likes what sees from LSU’s new offense…
cut 19 (10) “…gonna be nice”

LSU baseball fans are probably not in a nice mood today after watching Tulane rally back from a 5-2 deficit to beat LSU seven to six. Northwestern State outscored Lamar 11-9, Nicholls clobbered Alcorn State 13-5, Louisiana Tech trounced ULM 12-3 and the Cajuns defeated McNeese State 3-1. First home loss of the season for the Cowboys.

The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. He believes he’s already seen an improvement in his game with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada teaching him how to become a better passer…:
Cut 17 (18) “grow with it”
The spring game kicks off at 7pm on April 22.

Will Wade has made first hire as LSU basketball coach, with former North Texas head coach Tony Benford joining his staff. Benford, who will serve as assistant coach, comes to LSU after five years as the head coach of the Mean Green, and a career of over 25 years in NCAA Division I basketball. In that career, Benford’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

Tulane made it a tough baseball game for LSU last night as the Green Wave rallied from a 3 point deficit to defeat the Tigers 7-6 on a windy night in Baton Rouge. LSU Junior catcher Michael Papierski ripped a grand slam into left field to lift the No. 6 Tigers to a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. The Green Wave’s Jake Willsey homered twice, and Lex Kaplan added a two-run home run.

UL-Lafayette launched two home runs and held a hot-hitting McNeese baseball team to just two hits on the night to take down the Cowboys, 3-1, and snap a 16-game home winning streak yesterday evening in Lake Charles.

The ULM baseball team could not keep up with host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night as the teams combined for 20 total hits, but the Warhawks fell 12-3 to the Bulldogs in the first of two midweek meetings between the two schools this season.

In the NBA, the Pelicans return to the Smoothie King Center for a 7pm tipoff against Dallas. The Mavericks are in a similar position as the Pels going into tonight’s contest — trailing the last playoff spot by 4.5 games in the Western COnference.

The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. He believes he’s already seen an improvement in his game with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada teaching him how to become a better passer…:
Cut 17 (18) “grow with it”
The spring game kicks off at 7pm on April 22.

Will Wade is close to making his first hire as LSU basketball coach, with former North Texas head coach Tony Benford expected to join his staff, according to Tiger Rag Magazine. In his career, Benford’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

Tulane made it a tough baseball game for LSU last night as the Green Wave rallied from a 3 point deficit to defeat the Tigers 7-6 on a windy night in Baton Rouge. LSU Junior catcher Michael Papierski ripped a grand slam into left field to lift the No. 6 Tigers to a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. The Green Wave’s Jake Willsey homered twice, and Lex Kaplan added a two-run home run.

UL-Lafayette launched two home runs and held a hot-hitting McNeese baseball team to just two hits on the night to take down the Cowboys, 3-1, and snap a 16-game home winning streak yesterday evening in Lake Charles.

The ULM baseball team could not keep up with host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night as the teams combined for 20 total hits, but the Warhawks fell 12-3 to the Bulldogs in the first of two midweek meetings between the two schools this season.

In the NBA, the Pelicans return to the Smoothie King Center for a 7pm tipoff against Dallas. The Mavericks are in a similar position as the Pels going into tonight’s contest — trailing the last playoff spot by 4.5 games in the Western Conference.

The NFL approves a new rule that prohibits players from leaping over the line of scrimmage to block field goals and extra points. If you remember last season, the Saints lost a tough game against Denver when they had an extra point blocked when the Broncos Justin Simmons hurdled over the center and got his hands on the kick and it was return for two points.

At the NFL owners meetings, when asked about acquiring Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said they are kicking the tires and that’s the way to describe it. Loomis also believes the Saints can remain a high powered offense, even though they traded away Brandin Cooks. He points to the Jimmy Graham trade a couple of years ago.

The Pelicans ended a three-game road trip last night with a 108-100 loss to Utah. New Orleans is back in action on Wednesday as they host Dallas. Just eight games left in the regular season and the Pels are 4.5 games back of Portland for the final playoff spot in the West.

At Alex Box Stadium tonight, LSU hosts Tulane. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri expects a spirited contest…
cut 18 (15) “…of the game”
Tulane won both match-ups between these teams last year.

Also tonight, McNeese, who is undefeated at home this season, hosts the Ragin Cajuns and ULM travels over into Lincoln Parish to visit Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are struggling, while the Warhawks have won three of their last four.

Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham reports new LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade is close to hiring former North Texas head coach Tony Benford as a new assistant coach. Benford was recently fired by North Texas. He’s been an assistant at Marquette, Nebraska, Arizona State and New Mexico. In his career, he’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

LSU closer Hunter Newman is showing signs of returning to health. Coach Paul Mainieri says it’s possible Newman will be able to pitch in this weekend’s series against Texas A-and-M. Mainieri says despite Newman’s back injury, he’s seeing improvement out of his bullpen…
cut 17 (20) “….our bullpen”
The Tigers host Tulane tonight.

In other action tonight…the Cajuns are at McNeese State. The Cowboys are 14-0 at home this year. Northwestern State faces Lamar in Natchitoches. ULM and Louisiana Tech meet in Ruston and Nicholls hosts Alcorn State.

Former LSU baseball star Kevin Gausman will start on opening day for the Baltimore Orioles.

Anthony Davis was sensational last night, but it wasn’t enough to help New Orleans beat Utah. The Jazz knocked off New Orleans 108-100 as Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 19 rebounds. A-D had 36 points and 17 rebounds. Jrue Holiday added 19 points. DeMarcus Cousins did not play for a second straight game because of a sprained ankle.

In high school basketball…Atlanta’s Tony Brown has been named the Class C most outstanding player of the year. Brown averaged 25 points a game to help Atlanta win the Class C title. Summerfield’s Mercedes Coleman was named the Class C outstanding palyer of the year in girls basketball. Coleman averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds to help Summerfield win a state title.

Sixth ranked LSU will host instate rival Tulane tonight at the Box as the Tigers begin a five-game homestand. The Bayou Bengals are coming off a 10-6 victory over Florida. They trailed 5-0 in that contest. Coach Paul Mainieri says a win like that can mean a lot during a long season…:
Cut 16 (11) “for our team”
The Green Wave won two games over the Tigers last season.

McNeese infielder Joe Provenzano has been named the College Sports Madness Southland Conference Baseball Player of the Week. The junior hit .500 in the Cowboys’ last four games this past week, going 8-for-16 at the plate.

McNeese is 9-0 in conference action. They’ll host UL-Lafayette tonight. The Cajuns are coming off of a 2-3 week that saw the squad fall out of the Baseball America top 25 while also dropping in the D1Baseball rankings

ULM makes the trip down I-20 today to square off against Louisiana Tech. The Diamond Dogs have lost seven of its last 10 games, while the Warhawks have fallen 6 of its last 10.

Nicholls State hosts Alcorn State, and Northwestern State hosts Lamar.

In Major League Baseball, the Orioles announced Monday that former LSU standout Kevin Gausman will start against the season opener against Toronto on April 3rd. The right-hander was 9-12 with a 3.61 ERA last season.

The Pelicans fell last night on the road to Utah 108-100. Anthony Davis had 36 points and 17 rebounds for New Orleans, which played again without injured center DeMarcus Cousins. Jrue Holiday scored 19, but the Pelicans lost for only the third time in nine games. New Orleans now trails Denver and Portland by 4.5 games with eight games remaining in the regular season.

And the big story in the NFL right now is that the league’s owners, including the Saints’ Tom Benson, has approved the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

The LSU baseball team escaped Gainesville with a victory on Sunday as they railled from a 5-0 deficit to beat Florida 10-6. The Tigers hit three two-run homers in the eighth inning to erase a 6-2 deficit. Beau Jordan hit one of those home runs and finished with 4 RBIs. Cole Freeman smacked a two-run shot over the wall to break a six-six tie. LSU hosts Tulane tomorrow night. The Green Wave is 9-15 on the year.

McNeese is 9-0 in the Southland after sweeping a series from Nicholls. The Cowboys have won 16 straight games at home. The Colonels and Southeastern Louisiana are 5-4 in league play. The Lions have lost five in a row as they were swept by Houston Baptist.

Louisiana Tech is now 1-5 in Conference USA. The Bulldogs dropped two of three to Charlotte. Tech hosts ULM tomorrow. The Warhawks won their series over Little Rock and the Cajuns won their series over Troy and UL Lafayette is 4-2 in league play.

Former Tigers Quarterback Brandon Harris posted on Facebook that he’ll transfer to North Carolina once he graduates from LSU this summer. Harris started 15 games for the Bayou Bengals over three seasons and he’ll be eligible to play for North Carolina this fall.

Former Saints running back Deuce McAllister has been named an athletic consultant for St. Martin’s Episcopal School in New Orleans. McAllister will continue to serve as color analyst on the Saints Radio Network.

And the big story in the NFL today is that the league’s owners, including the Saints Tom Benson, has approved the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Raiders will play in Oakland this season and possibly longer as a 65-thousand seat domed stadium will be built in Sin City.

The Pelicans pummeled the Denver Nuggets 115 to 90 last night. They did it without DeMarcus Cousins who has an ankle injury and he’s listed questionable for tonight’s game against Utah. New Orleans is four-games back of Portland for the final playoff spot in the West.

A big come from behind win for the LSU Tigers yesterday. Trailing 6-2 in the eighth inning, the Bayou Bengals belted three two-run homers to take an 8-6 lead. Beau Jordan’s two-run blast tied the game at six. Here’s how it sounded on the LSU Sports Radio Network as Chris Blair has the call…
cut 30 (14) “…Gainesville”
A couple of batters later, Cole Freeman clubbed his first home run of the year to give LSU the lead and the Tigers went on to win 10-6.

McNeese is now 9-0 in the Southland after sweeping Nicholls. The Cowboys clipped the Colonels 11 to 8 yesterday to stay perfect at home. Nate Fishbeck got the scoring going as he drove in three runs with a double and and finished with 4 RBIs on the day.

Former LSU quarterback Brandon Harris says he plans on transferring to North Carolina. Harris made a trip to the Tar Heel state over the weekend and the Bossier City native said in a facebook post that he looks forward to playing for Coach Larry Fedora at UNC. He will be be able to play for the Tar Heels next season, once he graduates over the summer.

And unless something strange occurs, NFL owners are expected to approve the Raiders desire to move to Las Vegas. It will take 24 yes votes from the 32 owners.

The Pelicans easily defeated Denver last night 115 to 90 to help keep their slim playoff chances alive. DeMarcus Cousins did not play because of a right ankle sprain, but they didn’t need the big guy. Anthony Davis led the way with 31 points and 15 rebounds. It’s the 14th time he’s scored more than 30 points and had more than 15 boards in a game this season. So New Orleans, is now four games back in the loss for the final playoff spot in the West. The Pels are at Utah tonight. Cousins is listed as questionable.

Florida was on the verge of sweeping LSU on Sunday afternoon in Gainesville, then the Bayou Bengals erupted for six runs in the 8th inning for a 10-6 win over the Gators. Cole Freeman clobbered a two-run homer to give LSU an 8-6 lead in the 8th inning. Chris Blair had the call on the LSU Sports Radio Network….:
CUT 25 (20) “of the year”
LSU is 18-7 overall, 4-2 in the SEC. They host Tulane on Tuesday night and then Texas A&M comes to the Box for a three-game series starting Thursday night.

No. 15 UL-Lafayette defeated Troy 7-2 on Sunday in Alabama to claim the Ragin Cajuns’ 5th straight series win this season. Also in the Sun Belt, ULM got a 7-1 victory yesterday over Little Rock as the Warhawks took two of three in the series.

Elsewhere in college baseball, Houston Baptist completed the sweep of a Southland Conference series against Southeastern with a 6-3 win Sunday at Husky Field. McNeese stays perfect at home following an 11-8 victory over Nicholls to complete the conference sweep of the Colonels. The Pokes have a 9-0 league record. Tulane was defeated 12-10 by Stetson Sunday in New Orleans.

In the NBA the Pelicans soared past the Denver Nuggets 115-90 in a must-win game for New Orleans. Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds which helped make up for the absence of DeMarcus Cousins who didn’t play because he was hurt. The Pels are now 11th in the West with nine games remaining.

A report by Delta Waterfowl finds the number of duck hunters declining nationwide. Luke Laborde with the LSU School of Natural Resources says we’re seeing a similar trend in Louisiana. He says they have research to indicate youth are less interested in Sportsmans Paradise.
Cut 14 (11) “an iPad”
Laborde says LSU and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are doing what they can to get more people interested in duck hunting.