Culture

http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=274582&pub=1&div=Sports By Gregg Ellis Daily Journal STARKVILLE - Why leave Kentucky? Why now? After all, he had built the program into a national contender practically overnight, and was about to welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the country to campus this fall. And had he stayed to continue the rebuilding process, he would have received a pay increase that would have made him one of the highest paid coaches in all of college baseball. Those were some of the issues John Cohen faced this past Thursday night as he sat down with his family and weighed the pros and cons of leaving Kentucky for Mississippi State. And they were certainly questions he entertained Saturday afternoon when he was officially introduced as the Bulldogs’ 15th head coach in school history, replacing Ron Polk. But rather than provide his own take as to why the timing was right for change, he felt his wife, Nelle, summed it up best in a conversation he overheard her having with her sister, Alice, explaining the decision to return to Mississippi State. "She said, 'The greatest musicians want to play at Carnegie Hall, and Dudy Noble Field is the Carnegie Hall of college baseball,'" Cohen recalled. And with that, the 200 people in attendance at the Bryan Building erupted with cheers, while at the same time Nelle, who was sitting with daughters Jordan Baker and Avery Lawson, fought back tears. For Cohen, who leaves Kentucky after five years, 175 wins and the school’s first SEC title, it was all about coming home. Growing up in nearby Tuscaloosa, Ala., he played baseball for the Bulldogs under Polk from 1988-90 and has always dreamed of returning to campus one day as the man in charge of the program. Well, that day is today. Northeast Daily Journal 6/8/08

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=8437772&nav=menu123_1 BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The House budget committee agreed that Louisiana should pay the New Orleans Saints and Hornets $26 million in state surplus cash to meet the state's contractual obligations. The dollars for the pro sports teams are tucked into a budget bill that received approval Thursday from the House Appropriations Committee. If the state doesn't meet the payments required by the contracts, the Saints and Hornets could leave the city. Reasons for the shortfall include lower-than-projected revenue from the New Orleans area hotel tax and the state's inability to sell naming rights to the dome. WDAM.com 6/7/08

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/SPORTS/806060325/1006/SPORTS METAIRIE — The New Orleans Saints are wrapping up their latest voluntary training session, known as offseason training activities, at the team's headquarters in suburban New Orleans. The Saints will have one more stint of voluntary workouts before the opening of training camp in late July. The last voluntary practices start June 9-12 Coaches were encouraged this session by the presence of Will Smith, who is unhappy with his current contract and had missed previous voluntary workouts. Although he was limited by a toe injury that occurred during last weekend's mandatory minicamp, the former Pro Bowl defensive end remained at team headquarters while his agent worked on a contract extension. Monroe News Star 6/7/08

http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=27865&SPID=2173&ATCLID=1478372&DB_OEM_ID=5200 BATON ROUGE --On Saturday at 5 p.m. CT, LSU (46-16-1) begins its quest for its first College World Series berth since 2004 when the Tigers face UC Irvine (41-16) in Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regional at Alex Box Stadium. The best-of-three series continues at 3 p.m. Sunday, with a “if necessary” game set for 6 p.m. Monday. The series winner advances to Omaha, Neb. for the CWS, which begins on June 14. All games in the super regional will be carried by the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network. The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM. Live audio of LSU’s games in the super regional may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net. lsusports.net 6/7/08