Culture

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/sports-14/1211761447136110.xml&storylist=alabamanews HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — The LSU Tigers once seemed a longshot to even make the Southeastern Conference tournament, and were snubbed when the postseason honors came out. They're hard to ignore now. Tournament MVP Blake Dean hit a two-run homer and the Tigers scored the final seven runs to beat Mississippi 8-2 on Sunday, win a school-record 20th game in a row and claim their first SEC tournament title since 2000. "In the middle of the season, we were fighting just to get into this tournament," said Ryan Schimpf, who had a two-run double. "To come out on top was just a tremendous accomplishment." LSU (43-16-1), which took the lead with a five-run fifth, matched Vanderbilt (2007) and South Carolina (2000) for the second-longest winning streak in SEC history. al.com 5/26/08