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Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

Remembering Bill Davidge

The longtime Blue Jackets broadcaster and pillar in the Ohio hockey community passed away Wednesday at age 72

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For Bill Davidge, it was always about the people.

He loved the game of hockey, and may have loved golf just as much, but he loved the people the most.

His time as a player and coach was marked by the relationships he built with his teammates and players. His memorable stint as a Blue Jackets broadcaster and ambassador made every trip to the rink or a charity event into a reunion. Every tee time was a chance to catch up with an old friend or meet a new one.

Davidge, a fixture in the CBJ community for the organization’s first two decades who could best be described as simply “Mr. Blue Jacket,” passed away Wednesday at age 72.

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R.I.P.
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Las Vegas Raiders (official thread)

Packers' Josh Jacobs says former WR Henry Ruggs III trains while in prison, hopeful for second chance in NFL

Ruggs is first eligible for parole on Aug. 5, 2026​

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Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs said he stays in touch with former Las Vegas Raiders and Alabama Crimson Tide teammate Henry Ruggs III, and he revealed that Ruggs is still training and holding out hope of an NFL return.

"I still talk to Henry. Henry still calls me. I still help him out. ... We're still connected. I know his whole family. He's from Alabama. He played with me at Bama. His momma and them taught me how to bowl. ... Keeping up with him and hearing him talk, it brings me spirits, because he's always positive," Jacobs said on "The Pivot Podcast."

"He's positive about everything. He's training. They let him train and things like that, so I'm like, 'When you come out, man, I don't know if you will get a chance.' I've been talking to some people for him. They've been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance. I'm like, 'When you get that chance, man, you better not ever, don't look back, and prove to yourself and prove to everybody that one decision don't define you and who you are as a man.'"

Ruggs, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was speeding early in the morning of Nov. 2, 2021 with alcohol in his system. Ruggs' Corvette hit a 23-year-old woman, Tina Tintor, who died in the wreck. Ruggs, now 26 years old, pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death, a felony, and another count of vehicular manslaughter, a a misdemeanor.
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Henry Ruggs III begins parole process, seeks early release from prison after vehicular manslaughter conviction​

While speaking with the Nevada Board of Parole on Monday, Ruggs expressed contrition over his actions related to a Nov. 2021 collision that left a 23-year-old woman dead.

“Not a minute goes by where I don’t think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community,” Ruggs told the parole board, per AL.com's Mark Inabinett. “I’m a religious person and pray for her family daily."

On the morning of Nov. 4, 2021, Ruggs' Corvette collided with Tintor's car. At the time of the collision, Ruggs' vehicle was traveling 127 miles per hour. Tintor and her dog were killed in the wreck.

Ruggs was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm and possession of a gun under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His blood-alcohol concentration was measured to be .161, two times the legal limit in the state of Nevada.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Ruggs could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted of all the charges. At the trial, Wolfson's office accepted a plea deal with Ruggs, citing concerns over the potential suppression of the results of Ruggs' blood test.

Ruggs was sentenced to from three to 10 years in prison for his role in the accident. On Monday, he appealed to the Nevada Board of Parole to grant him "the privilege of parole so I can prove myself to everyone."

“I take full responsibility for my actions that led to Ms. Tintor’s death and her dog Max,” Ruggs said, per Las Vegas Review Journal.

Commissioners did not announce a decision on whether they would grant or deny parole for Ruggs during the hearing. They said they'll come to a decision in the next few weeks.
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NASCAR (Official Thread)

RCR retiring Kyle Busch's No. 8 car until his son can take over

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Richard Childress Racing is temporarily retiring Kyle Busch's No. 8 Cup Series car -- at least until the late driver's 11-year-old son Brexton is ready to take over behind the wheel.

RCR will run the No. 33 car on the Cup Series circuit beginning Sunday night at the Coca-Cola 600 and for the foreseeable future after the 41-year-old Busch died unexpectedly Thursday. The cause of death has not been released.

Austin Hill is scheduled to replace Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, in the driver's seat at Charlotte Motor Speedway for NASCAR's longest race of the season.

Busch's son, Brexton, is already known for his racing exploits, having won the Tulsa Shootout Jr. Sprint Championship to earn his first career Golden Driller last year.
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2026-27 Ohio State Men's Basketball

Predicting Ohio State men’s basketball’s 2026-27 depth chart​

Which Buckeyes will see the most playing time, and in what roles?

As the calendar now flips to May, the 2026-27 Ohio State men’s basketball team is still over five months away from playing meaningful games, but the roster for next season has mostly settled into place. The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of rumors and reports about which players were transferring where and for how much money, but the chaos the transfer portal brings every spring has settled down to a much slower, duller hum, and we can finally start assessing many teams’ rosters.

Ohio State broke a three-year NCAA Tournament drought this past season, earning an at-large bid to the dance thanks in large part to a late-season surge that saw the Buckeyes win four of their final six regular season games, including ranked wins over Wisconsin and Purdue. They then fell behind TCU by a boatload of points early on in that first-round NCAA Tournament game, stormed all the way back, and ultimately lost in the final five seconds. Season over, just like that.

Several players graduated and ran out of collegiate eligibility, including the program’s all-time leading scorer, Bruce Thornton.

Several others, including three former Ohio Mr. Basketball Award winners -- Gabe Cupps, Colin White, and Devin Royal -- opted to transfer out of the program.

To replenish the roster, head coach Jake Diebler and his staff -- which, as of today still has a vacancy -- brought in four players via the transfer portal as well as two freshmen in the 2026 recruiting class. While it remains possible that Ohio State could bring in an additional player before the team reports, it seems more likely that the group currently assembled will be the group we see on the floor against BYU on November 2 in Salt Lake City.

With that said, here’s my current prediction for Ohio State’s depth chart next season, which (obviously) includes a starting lineup.

Point Guard

Starter: Justin Pippen
Other options: Curtis Givens, John Mobley Jr.

Shooting Guard

Starter - John Mobley Jr.
Other options - Jimmie Williams, Curtis Givens

Small Forward

Starter - Anthony Thompson
Other options - Jimmie Williams

Power Forward

Starter - Amare Bynum
Other options - Andrija Jelavic, Anthony Thompson, Alex Smith

Center

Starter - Josh Ojianwuna
Other options - Andrija Jelavic, Ivan Njegovan, Amare Bynum
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tOSU Recruiting Discussion

Ranking of all of Ohio State's incoming transfers:

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Where top Ohio State additions rank in final 247Sports transfer portal rankings

While some of these additions are with an eye to the future, the expectation is that many will help the Scarlet and Gray in the upcoming season. Ohio State lost 12 starters from last year's team and saw 36 players depart via the transfer portal, leaving voids to fill.
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Ohio State Men's Lacrosse (2025 B1G Champs)

The Coach Liam Gleason Humanitarian Award is a national honor established in January 2026 by the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) along side the family, former coaches, and close friends of the Late Liam Gleason. The award honors the memory of Gleason, the beloved Siena University men's lacrosse head coach who tragically passed away at age 41 in December 2025 due to an accidental fall. It recognizes individuals who exhibit exceptional leadership, unwavering support for teammates and staff, outstanding sportsmanship, and meaningful community involvement.

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Impending Assistant Coach Vacancies

Hey, please clear away the fog for me. I know that there have been numerous asst coaches hired to backstop LJsr. Eventually he'll hang 'em up, and the thought was there would be an individual trained to succeed him. And those numerous asst coaches have all left to take other jobs. OK, does tOSU have someone in place? Or is it going to be find the best guy out there when he finally rides into the sunset? I've lost track.
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Name, Image, & Likeness (NIL) at tOSU

Interesting take, as was pretty certain that NIL was NOT in anyway connected with the university. Ours or anyones. Supposedly an independent outside organization for purposes of funneling non-school contributions to players. Or somesuch. Not naive enough to believe there was zero interplay between the NIL organization and the school, or AD or team, but dotted line, not direct line. Also believe Wexner, for whatever reason, was 'anti-sports', but am unaware of any funding from Les for players. Other teams have a 'whale' who wholeheartedly supports their sports efforts, bet you can name several. Don't believe tOSU has a whale, but many smaller donors. And, a NIL contract (believe) is for length of stay at the school, and the outside contributions are one-time, making (to me at least) a disconnect of continuity. The leap-of-faith assumption is that if one person stops making contributions, another will rise up to take their place, at a hopefully larger presence. Recollect that a Florida QB left, as his NIL contract was not fulfilled, and his university was NOT on the hook. Anyway, very much a stick wicket, and the NCAA (stands for No Consistency At All), hasn't got either the cojones nor staff to make meaningful enforcements. Stay tuned.
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2027 GA DL David "DJ" Jacobs is a Buckeye!!!

I’d be really curious to see a survey taken amongst a high volume of recruits to see how many actually care about tradition/history at this point.

I’m not saying they don’t; but I’m not 18 anymore and my kid is only 8 and she probably won’t play college football so I’m just genuinely curious where that ranks at this point.

Anyway back to the player; my bad. He’s good. There.
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OG Luke Montgomery (All B1G, All American, National Champion)

Gotta love the attitude. When one assumes that this year (and past several) is actually an interview for the NFL, one would hope they all do their best. Keeping QB upright, not allowing sacks, all will be laid bare for the NFL scouts, who put together their draft lists (and these lists will be kept tightly to the vest, probably more so than nuclear launch codes). Wish all these guys well, believe all will be upper classmen, and therefore eligible for the draft. Hope we work in some youngsters so there's some experience when these guys go on to the NFL next year. Go Bucks!
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'27 OH CG Kameron Mercer (Cincinnati Verbal)

Maybe this guy fits the case of 'a man's gotta know his limitations'? Very surprising, to me and a bunch of posters above. If this guys is still a 5* with all the limitations noted above, then wow. Gotta believe, and hope certainly, that over the course of next couple of years, the performance of the Buckeyes on the hardwood will catch his eye, and that Diebs and Co will continue to stay in touch with this kid. But for now, he's got his scholarship wrapped up.
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