Batter up: At least three LSU baseball games will be televised by ESPN networks this upcoming season. The Tigers’ April 9 road matchup against Arkansas will be televised by ESPNU, as part of the sports channel’s contract with the SEC. The April 24 game at Vanderbilt will be broadcast by ESPN2, and the April 28 home game against Kentucky will be on ESPNU. ESPN2 will also air the championship game of the SEC baseball tournament on May 29. The Tigers start their season Feb. 18 at home against Wake Forest.
Hot candidate: Dennis Allen, who has spent the last three seasons as the New Orleans Saints’ defensive backs coach, is up for defensive coordinator jobs with the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Times-Picayune says the teams have received permission from the Saints to talk to Allen. Allen, 38, has helped turn the Saints’ secondary into one of the best in the NFL. He has been with the Saints since 2006, starting off as an assistant defensive line coach.
Will work on new labor agreement: The NBA and its players association will meet next month during the All-Star break to make progress on a new collective bargaining agreement. NBA spokesman Tim Frank says the sides will have a negotiating session during the Feb. 18-20 weekend in Los Angeles. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said last week no meeting had been scheduled, and the hectic All-Star weekend might not be conducive to serious negotiations. But he added the owners would be open to sitting down if the players wanted to, and something was set up within the last day. The CBA expires June 30, and though leadership from the sides has continued to meet, there has been little progress toward a deal, creating fears of a work stoppage. With the NBA projecting losses of about $350 million this season, Commissioner David Stern said in October that owners want to reduce player salary costs by about $750 million to $800 million annually.
