1. Nike's annual "The Opening" combine is going on. Some of LSU's top targets in the class of 2014 have been tearing it up.
2. We've linked to a few of the tidbits from the weekend's Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction, but this one regarding Shaq bears some special mentioning.
"I wasn't supposed to announce this, but I'm going to do it anyway," Dr. O'Neal said. "I had a talk with the powers that be in Baton Rouge, and my plan is to build a Shaquille O'Neal children's hospital. That's my plan, so that right now is in the works, and hopefully it gets done."
Dr. O'Neal said the idea has been discussed for two years, and his goal is to join with Our Lady of the Lake "to build the biggest, freest hospital in the state of Louisiana."
3. Cool piece from our friends at Good Bull Hunting on some of the local breweries over in Texas. I've never tried St. Arnold even though it's pretty easy to find in Baton Rouge. Will have to change that shortly. For the record, if any of the folks at NOLA, Abita, Chafunkta, Parish, etc... would like to have their brews reviewed, my fridge is currently very bare (*coughHINTcough*).
4. On a more random note, UNO's legendary Ron Maestri has decided to throw his back into the coaching game. He's got his work cut out for him after the way things spiraled through the school's uncertain administration. On a sadder one, longtime NOLA radio personality Kenny Wilkerson passed away after a bout with cancer. I always enjoyed his work as a sideline reporter during Saints game broadcasts, and always thought it was a shame how things ended between him and the team. He had a lot of issues later in his life, and hopefully Wilkerson has some peace now.
5. Drew Magary over at Deadspin writes something that's been coming for a while regarding the whole "Patriot Way" in the wake of the Aaron Hernandez case. This encapsulates my feelings pretty much whenever I hear the whole "we just do things differently here" spiel , whether it's from a professional franchise, or a college program.