Hope to resolve lockout: Members of the NFL Players’ Association executive board and owners met at a law firm in Manhattan today in hopes of resolving a lockout that began in March. Entering the building were several executive board members, including players association President Kevin Mawae, a former LSU football great and Leesville native, and NFL owners such as Robert Kraft of the Patriots, John Mara of the New York Giants and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys. Lawyers for both sides have gathered the last two days to put together some of the paperwork that will be needed when a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement is struck. Players and owners have been involved in six sets of negotiations around the country over the last several weeks, with pressure mounting to make a deal. Some training camps are set to open in less than three weeks; and the first exhibition game, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions, is Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio. Hall of Fame President Steve Perry has said the plan now is that the game will go on as scheduled.
Will promote literacy with bookmobile tour of EBR: Former LSU basketball star Glen “Big Baby” Davis, now a member of the Boston Celtics, will be back in Baton Rouge later this month to launch his nonprofit foundation with an event, Booking it with Baby. The launch is being done in conjunction with the East Baton Rouge Parish Library—an appropriate choice, as the foundation’s mission is to promote literacy among children. Davis is set to travel across the parish in the library bookmobile July 20 through July 23. He’ll make stops at library branches, BREC summer camps and community centers, discussing with children his love of reading. Davis will also make appearances at Cortana Mall and Perkins Rowe, and he is slated to speak at meetings of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge and the Kiwanis. For more information, check out Davis’ website iambigbaby.com.
Former LSU star missing major tournament: David Toms has withdrawn from the British Open next week at Royal St. George’s because of a hip injury. Toms played only three holes today at the John Deere Classic—all pars—before pulling out of the tournament and notifying the Royal & Ancient that he could not play the British Open. Toms, a native of Shreveport who played golf at LSU, said Wednesday that he was dealing with a bad hip and that it was difficult just to walk around the TPC John Deere Classic.
