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Professional Tennis (official thread)

One of the top-5 matches I’ve ever seen.

I remember waking up early in Vegas to watch the Borg-McEnroe Wimbledon Final in 1980, which had an epic 18-16 tiebreaker won by McEnroe in the 4th set. Borg then won the final set 8-6 since they didn’t play final set tiebreakers back then. It was also a high quality match, with guys hitting winners on most of the critical points.

The classics:

Borg over McEnroe 8-6 in the 5th at the Wimbledon Final in 1980 with the 18-16 4th set tiebreak;
Nadal over Federer 9-7 in the 5th set at the Wimbledon Final in 2007;
Djokovic over Nadal 7-5 in the 5th set at the Aussie Final in 2012 (longest major final at 5h 53 min);
Djokovic over Federer 13-12, a 5th set breaker after Fed was up 8-7, 40-15 with 2 pts on his serve 2019 Wimb Final;
Alcaraz over Sinner 7-6 in the 5th set, 2025 French Final after Alcatraz saved 3 match points at 3-5 0-40 in the 4th set.

Honorable mention:

Federer over Nadal 6-3 in the 5th at the 2017 Aussie Final after being down 1-3 in the 5th set. Cuz I really wanted that win.
I'd add Sampras/Corretja at the US Open in 1996. Also Connors/Patrick McEnroe US Open 1991 that basically sent Pat to the broadcast booth.

And you can't tell me you don't have any Bill Tiden matches to add to that list. You were plenty old enough to appreciate what you were seeing then.
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NBA Discussion (Official Thread)

Wemby is unreal.
I hope this Wemby phenomenon in a weird way puts some respect back on Wilt Chamberlain too, because the knock I keep hearing from younger people who don't know shit is that "well he (Wilt) did all that just because he was a lot taller than everyone else". Well yes Wemby is 6 inches taller than most everyone...but this shit he can do is crazy. He's already passing like Wilt did at the end of his career too. He is indeed unreal.
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'27 CA SF DeMarcus Henry (Verbal Offer)

We've been hearing from the Chris Henry Jr for football for a lifetime it seems, but first glimmer of his kid brother. Did he stay home with his mother, or did he have a coterie of people looking after him like CHJ did? Guess mom doesn't live in Cincy anymore, or the pundits there might have written a story or two about him. Would be great if he came on board, and roomed with his brother. And laced up his sneaks on the hardwood. Go Bucks!
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Name, Image, & Likeness (NIL) at tOSU

If an ai podcast could take written form, it would look like this, and still inexplicably get traction.
Just a really interesting article (however, I wonder just how factual it really is):

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are among the financially well-endowed teams that the College Sports Commission is trying to limit NIL spending for. While explaining the looming potential split between the SEC and Big Ten from the federal government's new enforcement arm, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger mentioned Ohio State alongside the Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, and TTUN as teams that could be the most affected.

These programs, plus various SEC juggernauts, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the Miami Hurricanes, and others, have money that doesn't come from institutional rev-share pools but instead from third-party NIL deals that secure millions for top recruits.

"As the NCAA’s seven-year congressional lobbying effort reaches its climax — a vote on legislation is scheduled for this week in the House with momentum building for a bipartisan bill in the Senate, too — college sports is on the brink of more revolutionary decisions," Dellenger prefaced before saying, "At the center of it all is the landmark, multi-billion dollar legal settlement of three antitrust cases (House) that, while moving the enterprise into the age of direct athlete compensation, has failed to deliver the stability that many leaders sought — and now it poses a risk to roster stability.

"The new enforcement entity’s scrutiny of third-party NIL deals from the biggest above-the-cap spenders — many of them here (Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Michigan, etc.) — threatens to cripple the league’s wealthy behemoths by putting at risk tens of millions of dollars they guaranteed to their players."

The Ohio State University and the sport's biggest brands have too much power for the sport to change from being NIL-driven

The current administration may have talked up a big game with NIL reform, but like many other aspects of its governance, it probably won't be able to deliver on nearly any proposed promise. That is probably a good thing for College Football, with collective record ratings and revenue soaring, but it's particularly good for schools like the Ohio State University. Not to mention the various millionaire high school kids and their families who are the product of college sports.

OSU has a shady, powerful network behind the scenes that will keep the school competing with the University of Texas year in and year out in revenue, and, ipso facto, recruiting spending. That doesn't appear to be threatened in any way, since the guy at the top, Les Wexner, is connected to the President through nefarious third parties.
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HB Jerry Krall (Rose Bowl Champion, R.I.P.)

Interesting article in Land-Grant Holy Land by Jon Johnston:


Keep in mind this was the standard way of doing business with regards to college athletics for decades. Paying players was something that just happened.

This part of college football history has been completely forgotten, and I have to believe that’s with intent. The NCAA purposely has tried to convince us that their entire history has been about amateurism. Part of the video I’m working on will prove that point.

16 Ohio State players were paid to play football in 1949. Eight of them worked for the State Public Works Department.

When you read that statement, is your first thought that they were committing some kind of NCAA violation?

Because if it is, you would be wrong. This is how things worked then.

This was before the NCAA had any sort of real enforcement or really any rules about how to handle players.

I am convinced that we don't know this part of NCAA history because it's pretty much been buried by the idea that amateurism has existed throughout college football history.

Thoughts?

An Ohio State Football Player Got Paid As A “Tire Inspector” in 1949​


Jerry-Krall-Ohio-State.jpg


I am doing research for a video that is essentially about how we got here.

In other words, how did college football become the mess that it is now with what seems like no rules, no controls, and complete chaos?

Very specifically, I’m researching something called the Sanity Code. The Sanity Code was an attempt by the NCAA to actually enforce rules for the first time regarding how players could be compensated and whether or not they could have scholarships.

I won’t go into detail about that right now. But during the research, I’ve discovered that in 1948-1949, Ohio State had 16 players that had state jobs. In other words, they “worked” for the state of Ohio. They were paid for these jobs because that was a part of doing business back in the day.

This is from an article in “The Capital Times” of Madison, Wisconsin on December 13, 1949.

12_13_1949_Ohio_State_tire_inspectors.webp

Jerry Krall, who was Ohio State’s running back, got $115 per month as a tire inspector. At least that’s what his job title was. That is the equivalent of nearly $1,600 per month today. It’s nowhere near What we’re hearing about NIL in today’s market for college football players, but it’s pretty substantial for the time.

Put it this way, in 1949, a plumber, a journeyman plumber, made around $450 for a month. An experienced electrician made less.
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Urban F. Meyer (3x National Champion, CFB HOF)

Report: Urban Meyer loses grievance over firing, saving Jaguars $30M

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Former Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has lost his grievance against the team regarding receiving the balance of the remainder of his contract after his 2021 firing, according to On3.com.

An independent arbiter ruled the Jaguars were able to fire Meyer with cause and would not have to pay him more than $30 million for the final four years of his contract, which he would have been due had the arbiter ruled the Jaguars fired Meyer without cause, per the report.

The Jaguars fired Meyer on Dec. 16, 2021, ending an 11-month tenure that included a 2-11 record, multiple off-field incidences, and kicker Josh Lambo's allegation that Meyer kicked him in the leg while he was stretching in warmups before a practice during the week of the final preseason game.
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James Franklin (HC Virginia Tech)

Was Drew Allar "highly-rated"?
I can't think of anyone else who might be "highly-rated".
How about Hackenberg? Does he count? He was recruited by and played for 1-2 years under O'Brien.
I was never impressed with either. I was shocked when Hack went pro after 3 years. Not shocked at all that he never played a meaningful down in the NFL. Maybe no plays at all. Then he went to some spring league, led his team to something like 0-4, got dinged up, his backup led the team to victory, and he got benched forever.
Allar might be something in the NFL. He wasn't anything in college.
Was that Franklin's fault? Maybe..
Sackenberg actually wasn't wasn't bad for a true freshman under O'Brien. When Franklin got there he regressed every year.
That said, here's my favorite Hack play of his time at PSU.

Login to view embedded media
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Columbus Aviators (Official Thread)

Just sayin': Yeah, so far they haven't been very good.

The complete UFL standings for the 2026 regular season are as follows:

Team Record (W-L) Note
Orlando Storm 6-2 Clinched Playoff Berth
St. Louis Battlehawks 5-3 In playoff position
DC Defenders 5-3 In playoff position
Birmingham Stallions 4-4 Tied for 4th; holds tiebreaker over Kings
Louisville Kings 4-4 Tied for 4th
Dallas Renegades 3-5 Eliminated from playoff contention
Houston Gamblers 3-5 Eliminated from playoff contention
Columbus Aviators 2-6 Eliminated from playoff contention
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NFL Discussion (Official Thread)

Posted on ESPN's website:

The NFL is expected to award the 2028 draft to Minneapolis during its quarterly meetings this week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday. A formal announcement is likely to come Tuesday following a vote by owners.

Nashville is expected to be named host of Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 by the NFL owners, who will vote for the city on Tuesday during the spring league meeting, sources told the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
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Developed Here

Developed Here: Ohio State’s 25 NFL Draft Picks Over Last Two Years Prove It’s More Than Just A Motto

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Developed Here.

It might just seem like a simple hashtag on social media, one of the mottos for the football team, or a cliché statement, but for Ohio State, the last two NFL drafts back up that it’s one of the best programs in all of college football in developing talent.
Development has always been key for a team to reach its maximum potential. That was the case before the transfer portal era and remains the case now, as well, even if the portal allows teams to fill holes where said team might have missed on an evaluation or didn't get the development from a player that it was expecting.

The Buckeyes have not only been able to develop prospects immediately out of high school, but also ones that they have added through the portal. It's turned into the perfect recipe for Ohio State, one that Ryan Day and Co. continue to lean on.

To take a closer look at this, we broke down Ohio State's 25 NFL draft picks over the last two years, which tied an NFL record (Georgia, 2022-23), to see how long each selection played for the Buckeyes.

OSU's NFL Draft Picks the Last Two Years and No. of Years in the Program
YEAR PLAYER ROUND DRAFTED YEARS AT OSU TRANSFER?
2025 CARNELL TATE 1 3 NO
ARVELL REESE 1 3 NO
SONNY STYLES 1 4 NO
CALEB DOWNS 1 2 YES
KAYDEN MCDONALD 2 3 NO
MAX KLARE 2 1 YES
DAVISON IGBINOSUN 2 3 YES
WILL KACMAREK 3 2 YES
LORENZO STYLES JR. 5 3 YES
CADEN CURRY 6 4 NO
ETHAN ONJANWA 7 1 YES
2025 EMEKA EGBUKA 1 4 NO
DONOVAN JACKSON 1 4 NO
TYLEIK WILLIAMS 1 4 NO
JOSH SIMMONS 1 2 YES
QUINSHON JUDKINS 2 1 YES
TREVEYON HENDERSON 2 4 NO
JT TUIMOLOAU 2 4 NO
CODY SIMON 4 5 NO
LATHAN RANSOM 4 5 NO
JACK SAWYER 4 4 NO
TY HAMILTON 5 5 NO
JORDAN HANCOCK 5 4 NO
DENZEL BURKE 5 4 NO
WILL HOWARD 6 1 YES
For an easier breakdown of those numbers:
  • Of the school record and draft-high 14 picks Ohio State had in 2025 (one short of the record set by Georgia in 2022), 11 spent at least four years with the Buckeyes, with 12 being in Columbus for multiple years.
  • Of Ohio State's four first-round picks in 2025, three spent four seasons at OSU and all four were with the Buckeyes for multiple years.
  • Of Ohio State's draft-high 11 picks it had in 2026, nine spent multiple years in Columbus, including seven that were Buckeyes for 3-4 seasons.
  • Of the four first-round picks OSU had in 2026, all of which were selected in the first 11 picks, each one donned the scarlet and gray for multiple years, with three representing the Buckeyes for 3-4 seasons.
In total, 13 of Ohio State’s 25 draft picks over the last two years were Buckeyes for at least four years and 21 were in Columbus for multiple years. Nine of the 25 transferred into Ohio State, but five of those nine were Buckeyes for multiple years.

Number of Years Spent at Ohio State by 2025-26 NFL Draft Picks
YEARS NO. OF DRAFT PICKS
1 4
2 3
3 5
4 10
5 3
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QB1 Julian Sayin (All B1G, B1G Frosh of Year, All American, National Frosh of Year, National Champion)

And this will be his third OC in three seasons. Cannot see any major changes being made by Smith, probably mostly tweaks, rather than directional changes. Kinda like the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mode. We always hear, that the TE will get more involved, and we'll do the RPO more, or hit the underneath receiver who's at speed type of things. Maybe the OC will give formations that look like pass, but are runs, and vice versa. Dunno. Just going to enjoy the show. tOSU can/will out talent most of the B10, and hopefully show well in it's only major OOL game, Texas, and then await the playoffs, where the caliber of team we're facing is on the same level as the Buckeyes. Go Bucks
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