And you people thought that little soap opera last summer was tough on Houston Nutt. "The problem here," Nutt says of his new job at Ole Miss, "is these guys have grown callous to losing." There you have it -- no more innuendo or double talk, no more overreaching boosters or overzealous fans. It's just plain football in Oxford. And it stinks. "It's not complicated," Nutt says. "It has to eat your guts out when you lose, and right now, it doesn't." Sportingnews.com 4/13/08

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Of all the players the Bears have picked since the NFL Draft was instituted in 1936, there are dozens of names you know and hundreds you’ve never heard of. For every Mike Ditka and Walter Payton, there are countless Frank Dittas and Earl Paytons. But there are also a handful of Bears draftees you know for other reasons. That group includes a pro wrestling legend (Verne Gagne), a four-time American League all-star first baseman (Norm Cash) and a long-time NFL head coach who led the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV (Jim Fassel). Here’s a closer look at some of those picks: Frank Broyles (1946, third round) A University of Arkansas legend, Frank Broyles has spent more than 50 years as a coach, broadcaster and athletic director for the Razorbacks. As a player, he quarterbacked Georgia Tech to four bowl appearances and was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1944. In 17 seasons as Arkansas head coach from 1958-76, Broyles compiled a 144-58-5 record and led the Razorbacks to seven Southwest Conference championships, two Cotton Bowl wins and a national championship in 1964. Broyles, who never played in the NFL, retired as Arkansas’ men’s athletic director effective December 31, 2007. Chicagobears.com 4/11/08

FOOTBALL: Nutt’s summary of spring drills Houston Nutt summarizes spring practice as the Rebels head into Saturday’s Red-Blue game: I’m proud of the way we’ve worked. The terminology changes, coaching changes … it’s not always easy. We’ve just got to keep getting better. There are some times at practice where things don’t go right, and there’s a defeated look that we want to correct. We harp on that. It goes back to that shut-off button, and a lot of little things that we have to correct, but it’s been a good spring. (Are the players better now than at the beginning of spring?) Anybody that has watched consistently would say they’re different, they’re better. Are we there? No, but I just love the start we’ve had. Now we want to turn the corner, be excellent students and finish strong, do all the little things right and have a great summer. We’re better. (The defense really threw a lot at you at the end of practice Wednesday …) There would have been some sacks, but I like sometimes playing good on good and letting them bring the house. I want to see how our guys react. If you come out here and choreograph success it doesn’t do you much good, but if you turn them loose, let them show you the speed of the game, let them see it, it just helps you. You can get back in the film room and really correct. We can be better teachers, and our guys can learn from it.

When Hornets owner George Shinn moved to New Orleans in 2002, one of the first calls he made was to Saints owner Tom Benson. Tony O. Champagne / The Times-Picayune Shinn had read comments from Benson that expressed doubt about New Orleans' ability to support two major league teams. In a message with Benson's assistant, Shinn extended an invitation to "get acquainted" over lunch or dinner. Six years later, he's still waiting to break bread with Benson. To this day, Shinn and Benson have met and spoken only a handful of times, and only in business settings. Despite similar livelihoods, backgrounds and tax brackets, the conversations never have gone beyond simple greetings. "I don't have a relationship with Tom Benson," Shinn said earlier this season. "I wish I did. But I don't."

http://www.folo.us/2008/04/13/yo-doj-folo-us-to-bobby-delaughters-house/ 04-13-2008

DJ – Editorial – 4/13/8 Consider the mortgage interest deduction, for example, as we approach tax day. Or the one for charitable contributions. Or a host of other examples. These policies assume that home ownership and a healthy non-profit sector are good for individuals and society. Their architects and defenders (which, yes, do include vested…

Clarion Ledger 4/13/8 Skinner said he’s not surprised authorities are examining DeLaughter’s finances. The fact DeLaughter will have a $250,882 balloon note after making mortgage payments for 20 years “blows my my mind,” Skinner said. “That’s the most bizarre home deal I’ve heard in my life.”

Clarion Ledger 4/13/8 “I can’t discuss the terms,” the subcontractors’ attorney, Robert Williamson Jr. of Jackson, said last week. But federal court documents say the agreement will pay $695,883.60, the entire amount sought by the subcontractors. Neither Facility Group officials nor their attorney could be reached for comment. Facility Group had a counterclaim in federal…

AP, 4/12/8 “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them,” Mr. Obama responded, according to a transcript of the fund-raiser published on Friday on The Huffington Post. “And they fell through the…

House rejects hotel tax vote A bill that would allow Jackson residents to vote on a hotel tax hike did not clear the Mississippi House today. Tax hike revenue would be used to raise police officers’ salaries. But some legislators protested that it would hurt their pocketbooks. Many stay in Jackson hotels during the legislative…

The Rigsby Gals have gotten disqualified as witnesses . . . again . . . in another case. This time, the order comes from Judge Ozerden’s courtroom in the Kreeger case.