Audible: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says his office has communicated with suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton about his eventual reinstatement, and Goodell did not eliminate the possibility of Payton’s rejoining the franchise before the Super Bowl, though it’s highly unlikely the Saints will be in the game. Payton would like an adjustment on the suspension so it would end at the conclusion of the regular season as opposed to after the Super Bowl, a source close to the coach tells ESPN, which has the full story here.
Off the dribble: In his latest column, The Times-Picayune‘s Peter Finney pleads with New Orleans Hornets owner Tom Benson not to change the franchise’s name to the Pelicans, as Benson reportedly is strongly considering. “Please don’t do it,” Finney writes. “Do not tamper with history. As nicknames go, ‘New Orleans Pelicans’ will forever represent an almost sacred kind of history. BASEBALL history.” Read the full column here.
On deck: LSU Baseball senior outfielder Raph Rhymes and senior first baseman Mason Katz have received 2013 preseason all-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Rhymes was named to the NCBWA first-team squad, and Katz was voted to the third team. LSU opens the season at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15, when the Tigers play host to Maryland in Alex Box Stadium. LSUsports.net has the full story here.
