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Louisiana Tech has a "vacancy" sign outside the men's basketball head coach's office today after Michael White accepted a lucrative offer to replace Billy Donovan as Florida's new hoops coach.
White agreed to a six-year deal worth $2 million per year to take over the Gators program.  White's four seasons in Ruston generated a 101-40 record and three straight conference titles.  In a statement released Thursday, White, a Florida native, said, "I have an incredible amount of respect for the University of Florida and I am so excited to be a Gator. Not only is Florida home for me, but the traditions and success that the Gators have built make this an incredible opportunity."
Louisiana Tech athletic director, Tommy McClelland commented to the Monroe News-Star via text: "We are so appreciative of Mike White and the incredible job he has done with our men's basketball program during the past four years in Ruston."  McClelland said a nationwide search to find White's replacement will begin immediately.
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On Thursday, former LSU offensive tackle, La'el Collins signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys worth a little more than one-and-a-half-million dollars, including a signing bonus of $75,000.  Passed over during the NFL draft due to his name tied to an investigation of a double-homicide in Baton Rouge, Collins had his pick of teams to begin a redemption tour.  He chose the team building an offensive line for the ages.
Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, said, "I've never had this experience in the NFL.  This really became personal. I've never seen anybody have the experience that La'el's had."
Collins missed out on millions of dollars in signing bonus money and much more lucrative salaries for the next three years but put it all in perspective when he said, "I'm still getting paid. And at the end of the day, it's way more than I was getting in college."
Collins may need an additional locker to store the chip on his shoulder.  He uttered a warning to the teams lining up against him this year and beyond. "I guarantee you this. I'm going to give this organization everything that I have and more. This is going to be the best offensive line in NFL history. Mark my words. I feel sorry for whoever I've got to block."
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Byrd and Benton begin their respective best-of-three quarterfinal series this evening, the Yellow Jackets on the road at Brother Martin; the Tigers at home against Teurlings Catholic.
Byrd, behind a complete-game shutout from Andrew Robinson, knocked off Brother Martin 10-0 early in the season.  Jackets head coach, Greg Williams told 1130 The Tiger earlier this week he wasn't sure if Robinson, or Andrew Suggs would get the start today.  Suggs didn't pitch during the second-round sweep of Central last weekend.
The Tigers face a squad accustomed to success at this time of the year. Teurlings Catholic has won two state titles in the last four years along with a final four appearance.  Benton head coach J.D. Stephens tabbed Taylor Craft to start today's game that begins at 6pm.  Future Louisiana Tech Bulldog, Aaron Sheppard will start game two tomorrow at 1pm according to the Shreveport Times.
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Lone Star big league reps Texas and Houston both won Thursday.  How good are things going for the Rangers, whose 5-4 win over Tampa Bay ran their winning streak to four games?  As part of a four-run second inning, the Rangers had runners on second and third with two outs when Rougned Odor struck out on a wild pitch. Instead of ending the inning, Odor reached first base safely, and Elvis Andrus followed with a two-run single.
In Anaheim, the Astros moved six-games in front of the Angels thanks to a three-run rally in the top of the ninth that carried Houston to a 3-2 win in the series opener. Facing former Texas Longhorn, Huston Street in the ninth, the Astros got a game-tying rbi single from Preston Tucker, his first major league hit after being called up from Triple-A Fresno earlier Thursday.  Jose Altuve beat out the relay throw on a potential inning-ending double play, which allowed Jake Marisnick to cross the plate with the winning run.

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