LSU’s Paul Mainieri has decided to stay in Tiger Town after speaking with Texas athletic officials about their head coaching vacancy. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says Texas’ interest in Mainieri will likely result in him getting a pay raise at LSU…
cut 16 (10) “….Paul’s Mind”
Mainieri just completed his 10th season in Tiger Town. He’ll have a good team coming back next season as he’s only losing one position player and that’s Jake Fraley. LSU’s starting middle infielders, Cole Freeman and Kramer Robertson, have both said they are coming back, despite being selected in last week’s Major League draft.

Louisiana Tech could lose baseball coach Greg Goff, who just led the Bulldogs to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Kendal Rogers of-d-1 baseball-dot-com says Goff is high on Alabama’s list to become the next head coach of the Crimson Tide.

A very hot three=day minicamp has ended for the Saints today. Running back Mark Ingram is coming off a season where he caught 50 passes and rushed for 769 yards, but his season was cut short, because of a shoulder injury. Ingram says he wants to play in all 16 games this year…
cut 18 (14) “….left off”
Former Saints running back Deuce McAllister will replace Hokie Gajan in the Saints radio broadcast booth. McAllister filled in for Gajan for a couple of games last season when Hokie was undergoing cancer treatment.

In other NFL news…Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Riveria has reportedly agreed to a three-year 19.5 million dollar contract extension.

And LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles says he’s in Cleveland for tonight’s game six of the NBA Finals . Miles says it’s a Father’s Day gift from his kids.

Multiple outlets are reporting LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri has been contacted by Texas about its head coaching vacancy and he has interviewed with Longhorn athletic officials. Mainieri just completed his 10th season as the Tigers’ skipper and his current contract with LSU runs through 2018. Mainieri has yet to comment publicly. There are some who suggest Mainieri could be using this opportunity as a way to get a pay raise from LSU.

In other LSU baseball news…shortstop Kramer Robertson says he’s returning for his senior season.

LSU star running back Leonard Fournette is the men’s recipient of the SEC Sportsmanship Award. Fournette earned the award for his action in support of the people of South Carolina who suffered through an unprecedented flood last Fall. Fournette came up with the idea to auction off the jersey he wore during the South Carolina game. The jersey auction raised 101-thousand dollars, the most ever generated for an auction by an active college student-athlete.

The Saints final minicamp practice is today. The linebacker unit looks much different from last year. James Laurintatis and Nathan Stupar are two big additions. Stupar says he’s been impressed with recently acquired linebacker Craig Robertson, who started nine games in Cleveland last season….
cut 17 (22) “…that group”
A couple of other Black and Gold notes, the Patriots and Saints will hold a pair of joint practices ahead of their August 11th preseason game. And former running back Deuce McAllister will replace Hokie Gajan in the Saints radio broadcast booth.

And LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles says he’s in Cleveland for tonight’s game six of the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavs. Miles says it’s a Father’s Day gift from his kids.

Replacing the late, legendary Hokie Gajan as Saints radio color analyst will be none other than New Orleans’ all time leading rushing, Deuce McAllister. The Black and Gold legend will permanently join Jim Henderson in the broadcast booth. Gajan died in April after a long battle with cancer.

Plans are being drawn up to reconfigure seating in Tiger Stadium to allow visiting bands to perform at halftime shows. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Saints have one more mini-day practice today and then they take a break until training camp starts in late July at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. New Orleans linebacker James Laurinatis says it’s been a good off season as the coaching staff has found ways to make the team better…:
Cut 16 (25) “or whatever”
The Saints will open the 2016 preseason at the New England Patriots on August 11th.

LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson says he is going to stay in school for his senior season, and not enter the pros. He made the announcement on Twitter that he’s looking forward to a special senior year.

The NCAA says it will serve beer for the first time inside the stadium in Omaha for the College World Series which starts Saturday.

In the NBA finals, the Cavs and the Warriors face off again in Cleveland for Game 6. Golden State leads the series 3-2.

Lafayette community business leaders honored former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning on Wednesday, as he received the Evangeline Area Council Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award.

LSU announces they’ve developed a plan to allow halftime performances of visiting bands. The plan involves re-configuring the seating areas in the South End Zone so visiting bands may take a more direct route to the field, which will reduce congestion on the sidelines and enter the field in a precise manner.

The Sun Belt Conference has announced that it’s men’s and women’s basketball championships will remain at the New Orleans Lakefront Arena through 2019. The league also announced that the formate for the 2017 championship will include all 12 members. The men’s tournament will run from March 8th to the 12th. The title game will be played at noon on Selection Sunday.

In college football, Tulane announced today that it’s home opener against Southern on September 10th will kick-off at 7 PM and it’s contest against UL Lafayette on September 24th will start at either 6 or 7 PM. And Nicholls has announced its home game against Lamar has been moved to Thursday, November third.

Former LSU infielder Ryan Schimpf and member of the 2009 national championship team made his major league debut last night for San Diego and recorded a double and scored a run in the Padres five to two loss to Miami. Schimpf was hitting .355 with 15 home runs for Triple-A El Paso.

Former LSU hitting coach, Turtle Thomas, has announced his resignation as the head coach at FIU. He’s been the skipper of the Panthers the last nine seasons. FIU went 29-and-29 this past season.

Southeastern Louisiana first baseman Jameson Fisher has been named the Southland Baseball Player of the Year. The Zachary native hit .424 and drove in 66 runs for the Lions. He reached base at least once in his last 51 games of the year. Fisher was selected in the fourth round by the White Sox and signed with Chicago, so he’s not coming back to the Lions.

The Saints three-day minicamp continued today without defensive end Hau-oli (Ha-Hoo-Lee)Kikaha, who will likely miss the 2016 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee for a third time. Kikaha was expected to be one of the Saints top pass rushers in 2016. Potential replacements on the roster are third year pro Kaism Edebali and Obum Gwacham, who appeared in nine games as a rookie last season. Coach Sean Payton says there’s no rush to sign a veteran pass rusher, but that could change…
cut 17 (16) “….not signed”
Robert Meachem is on the field for the Saints as he’s trying to make the Black and Gold after not playing last season. He’s wearing number 12, which was previoulsy worn by Marques Colston.

Former LSU baseball Tiger Ryan Schimpf made his major league debut last night as he was called up to the big leagues by San Diego Padres. The third baseman had a double and scored a run in a five-two loss to Miami. Shimpf was hitting .355 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs at Triple-A El Paso.

Two LSU signees have signed professional deals. Pitcher Riley Pint has received a 4.8 million dollar contract from the Rockies who selected him with the fourth overall pick and the other is pitcher Kyle Weatherly from Garland, Texas, who was selected in the 8th round by Toronto.

In college football, Tulane announced today that it’s home opener against Southern on September 10th will kick-off at 7 PM and it’s contest against UL Lafayette on September 24th will start at either 6 or 7 PM.

And Parkway quarterback Justin Rogers has picked up an offer from Mississippi State.

Saints head coach Sean Payton has confirmed that second-year defensive end Hau’oli (Ha-Hoo-Lee) Kikaha will likely miss the season after he tore the A-C-L in his left knee. It’s the third time he’s torn that ligament in his knee. Payton says Kikaha is gathering medical opinions on what kind of procedure will be required, but the coach doesn’t think it will end his career…:
Cut 16 (21) “that’s encouraging”
Kikaha was expected to be one of the Saints top pass rushers in 2016. The Saints began their three day mini-camp Tuesday, but heavy rain forced them inside of the indoor facility. The team gets back to work tomorrow with an 11AM practice for day two of mini-camp.

Former LSU shortstop Alex Bregman has been named to the Texas League All-Star team.

The LSU baseball team lost two pitchers Tuesday. It’s reported that Riley Pint, the No. 4 overall pick in last week’s MLB draft, will sign a $4.8 million dollar deal with the Colorado Rockies. Kyle Weatherly signed with the Blue Jays. 6 Tiger signees were taken in the draft.

Juniot right-handed pitcher Braden Bistro of Louisiana Tech was drafted by the New York Yankees. He’s foregoing his senior season with the Bulldogs.

Former LSU women’s basketball standout and graduate assistant LaSondra Barrett has been hired as an assistant coach at Florida International University.

The final softball polls are out and LSU is ranked 3rd in the USA Today-NFCA Division One Coach Poll. UL Lafayette was eliminated by the Sooners in the Super Regionals and the Lady Cajuns are ranked 12th.

In local MLB news, former LSU star Ryan Schimpf was called up by the Padres from Triple A El Paso and started him at third base last night against the Marlins. This is Schimpf’s first trip to the majors. He’s batting 6th for San Diego against Miami.

The Saints held their first mini-camp practice today. Safety Jairus Byrd, who has battled his fair share of injuries, was participating with the ones during drills. Wide Receiver Robert Meachem was on the field as well on a tryout basis. He was wearing number 12, which former Saint Marques Colston wore for the last decade.

Former LSU shortstop Alex Bregman has been named to the Texas League All-Star team. The former first round pick of the Astros is hitting .313 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs for Double-A Corpus Christi.

The final softball polls are out and LSU is ranked 3rd in the USA Today-NFCA Division One Coach Poll. The Tigers were 52-10 and lost to eventual national champion Oklahoma in the semifinals. UL Lafayette was eliminated by the Sooners in the Super Regionals and the Lady Cajuns are ranked 12th.

The Saints began a three-day minicamp at the team’s training facility in Metairie today. As long as there are no thunderstorms, fans will be able to attend the practices. They’ll get a chance to see if backup quarterback Garrett Grayson has improved over last year, who will be lining up at defensive end opposite of Cam Jordan and the new draft picks, like second round pick Michael Thomas.

LSU first baseman Greg Deichmann has told the Baton Rouge Advocate he will return to the Tigers next season. Deichmann was drafted in the 26th round by Minnesota. Right-handed pitcher Riley Smith announced on Instagram that he plans on signing with Diamondback after he was selected in the 31st round by the Diamondbacks, despite a 7.66 ERA. And LSU outfielder Antoine Duplantis was named a second-team all-american by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

And the SEC will have a team in the College World Series. Florida blanked instate rival Florida State seven to nothing to punch their ticket to Omaha.

McNeese State has a new softball coach. James Landreneau has been promoted to be the head coach after serving as the Cowgirls hitting coach and recruiting coordinator since 2013. During his four years at McNeese, the Cowgirls have compiled a record of 157-66. He replaces Joanna Hardin, who took the head coaching job at Virginia.

Today, tomorrow and Thursday the New Orleans Saints will hold mini-camp practices at the club’s facility in Metairie. Each session, which run from 11am-1:20pm, is open to the public. This will give fans a chance to come check out the players as they compete for roster spots. Gates open at 10:15am.

The NFL Network is reporting that former New Orleans Saints guard Ben Grubbs could be retiring due to a persistent neck injury. Grubbs, who’s been playing for the NFL for 9 years, spent three seasons in New Orleans and earned a Pro Bowl berth with the Black and Gold in 2013. He was traded to the Chiefs in 2014 and was released last season when he failed a physical.

In other NFL news, authorities say former NFL defensive lineman Bryan Robinson was found dead in a hotel room over the weekend. The cause of death is not known according to cops. Robinson played 14 years in the NFL, six of those with the Chicago Bears.

In college baseball, LSU first baseman Greg Deichman, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Baton Rouge Regional, will reportedly return to the Tigers’ for his junior season. Right hander Riley Smith said on Instagram that he’s decided to skip his senior season and sign with the Arizona Dimondbacks.

Tiger Antoine Duplantis got another honor from the National collegiate Baseball Writers Association Monday as he was named to a second team All-America.

Florida grabbed the last spot in the College World Series following a shut out game against Florida State Monday. They will play a team LSU fans are familiar with, Coastal Carolina, on Sunday night. TCU also advanced after beating Texas A&M.

LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones announced Monday that Al Pinkins, is leaving the program to pursue another coaching opportunity. Jones now has to hire two coaches for his staff.

In the NBA finals, LeBron James and the Cavaliers stayed on top of the Warriors to avoid elimination with a 112-97 victory in Game 5 Monday night.

There are some sad and tired LSU Tiger baseball fans today as they saw their team get swept in the Super Regional series against Coastal Carolina. The Bayou Bengals stranded a dozen base runners in a 4-3 loss to Coastal. LSU’s season ends with a 45-21 record and Coach Paul Mainieri says it will take a lot of work in the offseason for this team to get back in this position again…
cut 20 (16) “…our attention”
One of LSU’s hottest hitters in the postseason, Greg Deichmann, tells the Baton Rouge Advocate that he will be back next season. Deichmann was selected in the 26th round by Minnesota. LSU is expected to lose juniors Jake Fraley and Jared Poche, who were both drafted.

The Shreveport and Monroe Times reports that Louisiana Tech pitchers Phillip Diehl and Braden Bristo will sign with the Yankees. Diehl and Bristo were both drafted by New York last week.

LSU announced today that assistant men’s basketball coach Al Pinkins is leaving the program to pursue another coaching opportunity. Pinkins spent just one season with Coach Johnny Jones. David Patrick and Ronald Dupree are two other assistants who have also left during the offseason. Robert Kirby was hired to replace Patrick. This will be Kirby’s second stint at LSU.

In the NBA, Former New Orleans Hornet David West has declined his player option with the San Antonio Spurs. The 35-year-old will reportedly mull over his future, after he averaged seven points and four rebounds last season. There is a chance West can re-sign with the Spurs.

Tonight is Game Five of the NBA Finals, with a win the Warriors can win their second straight world championship.