Shortstop Donnie Murphy sprinted out of the batter’s box and rounded the first base bag, his eyes focused on the right field wall. As the baseball left the Zephyrs Field, he raised his right hand to the raucous home crowd.

Dana Stumpf, owner of the New Orleans Jesters, hopes to develop the team into a Major League Soccer club.

Never before has the team faced the expectations that come with being defending champions, and Payton knows it.

After flying over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, two Cabinet officials joined Gov. Bobby Jindal in angry criticism of BP for failing to stop the ongoing spill and said the government was considering taking emergency measures to prevent oil from reaching Louisiana’s fragile wetlands.

Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, and Ken Salazar, the interior secretary, expressed their frustration with BP. They were accompanied by Louisiana’s two U.S. senators.

Tulane coach Rick Jones opened the door and quietly walked out of the clubhouse. He saw the media, but looked down at the ground. Jones already knew what questions would be asked.

As the clock ticked down in a scoreless game, Kenneth Farrell, coach of the New Orleans Jesters, was as restless as the crowd at Pan American Stadium in City Park. Farrell knew that chances for his team to score against the Regals FC of Houston were fading quickly, despite several good opportunities.

Tulane’s season turned from optimistic to bleak within the first 35 minutes of Saturday’s season finale. The University of Central Florida scored six runs in the first inning, a lead that expanded into a 17-6 season-ending loss for the Green Wave at Turchin Stadium.

Tulane’s season looked all but over when designated hitter Gunner Wright stepped to the plate in the seventh inning, his team down three runs to the University of Central Florida. A loss would have eliminated the Green Wave from postseason play.

The sound was sharp. Loud. Aggravating. Describe it any way you want, but Tulane reliever Drew Zizinia knew the baseball was never coming back. And neither was Wednesday’s game.

Give the New Orleans Zephyrs credit for this in Tuesday’s afternoon game: They took advantage of the Sacramento River Cats miscues. In a game where the River Cats had two errors and three wild pitches, the Zephyrs turned those mistakes into a 12-2 win at Zephyrs Field.