Last Week: 9-2
College
Unlike that school up North that won over Western Michigan in the biggest injustice since the 1972 Olympic Gold Medal game in basketball, Ohio State dispatched its MAC opponent with ease as the Buckeyes scored two touchdowns in each quarter in a 56-3 thrashing of Ball State.
Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, with Jeremiah Smith catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Ohio State will travel to Texas next Saturday for a rematch of last season's Buckeye win.
Honestly, I fell asleep during the game, so I'm not offering a recap.
I do plan on watching an edited replay, and if time permits, I may write about the reserve quarterbacks who each played and threw a touchdown in the win: Luke Fahey and Tavian St.Clair
The PPM has always featured one team from each conference in college football and two games of the week. Perennial favorite Boise State has moved to the Pac-12 from the Mountain West, where the Broncos will replace Oregon State.
This leaves a gap as the Mountain West will need a team; the team selected will be the Wyoming Cowboys.
We also change the "face of the PPM" every season, and this year, I didn't have a standout choice.
So, I selected one person from Entertainment, News, Sports, and Wrestling (not listing the runners-up, as they could be future choices) and asked Fred Landucci to make the call.
Fred selected CNN host and rabid Alabama football fan, Kaitlan Collins, and Collins will be this season's Face of the PPM.
Thanks for the help, Fred!
College Football
Ruiz has been inactive since his August 2024 draw with Jarrell Miller, but he's matched well with Damian Knyba.
The 6'7 Knyba has only one loss, but it was against his best opponent earlier this year, losing in three rounds to WBC champion Agit Kabayel, before Kabayel was named champion following Oleksandr Usyk's vacating all of his titles/
Ruiz needs a win first of all, but an impressive win could go a long way in earning Ruiz a better opponent in his next fight.
The co-feature is interesting with a crossroads middleweight match between popular but untested Vito Mielnicki and former world title challenger Austin Williams.
Williams lost both his bouts against world-class opposition (Hamzah Sheeraz and Carlos Adames) but Mielnicki has fought no one of that status.
On the Katie Taylor undercard, top welterweight contender Paddy Donovan meets countyman Tyrone McKenna.
Donovan is the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Liam Paro.
Boxing Challenge
The New Jersey Devils continue building toward a 2026-27 postseason return, trading two high future draft picks to the Nashville Predators for right winger Luke Evangelista.
New Jersey will send Nashville a first-round pick that originally starts with Colorado, which could be in 2027, 28, or even 29 depending on the conditions at the time, and the Devils' second-round draft choice in 2028 for Evangelista.
The twenty-four-year-old Evangelista is under contract for this season at three million and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Last season, Evangelista produced career highs in points (56) and assists (44) for the Predators while scoring twelve goals for Nashville.
Evangelista is noted for passing more than his shot, and while he's defensively responsible, he's not the most physical forward and can be pushed off the puck.
The acquisition of Evangelista bulks up the forwards, as he'll fit well on either of the Devils' first two lines, but it does mean that the team isn't likely to be complete with their offseason moves, as the Devils have a surplus and a decision to move a forward might pay dividends with extra cap room when the deadline arrives.
Another edition of tributes for some persons of note who have recently left us.
Goodbye to Tommy John at the age of 83.
Known more for the elbow surgery named after him, Tommy John won 288 games in a career that lasted from 1963 to 1989.
John was a slightly above .500 pitcher in seven years with the Chicago White Sox before a 1972 trade to the Dodgers, where he won thirty games in two and a half seasons before the elbow injury that usually ended careers.
John was a better pitcher after the surgery, as he won twenty or more games three times and 164 games post-operation.
Assist to Denise Nicarry with the notification.
Goodbye to John Niland at the age of 82.
The stalwart guard of the late sixties and early seventies Dallas Cowboys, Niland was named All-Pro three times and made six Pro Bowls from 1966-74 before playing one season with the Philadelphia Eagles, after which a knee injury ended his career.
Side note: John Niland is the first 7-11 Slurpee cup that I ever remember receiving as part of the NFL's promotional agreement with 7-11.
Goodbye to O.J. Brigance at the age of 56.
Brigance has the honor of being the only player to achieve a feat that will almost certainly never be repeated.
Brigance is the only player ever to win a Grey Cup and an NFL title and do it in the same city, winning the Grey Cup with the Baltimore Stallions in 1995 and a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001.
In the CFL, Brigance was a feared edge rusher, finishing with twenty sacks for the B.C. Lions in 1993.
As an NFL player, Brigance was mainly used on special teams for four different teams: the Dolphins, Ravens, Rams, and Patriots.
Goodbye to Zolani Tete at the age of 38.
The South African held the IBF Junior Bantamweight title and the WBO Bantamweight championship in a career that spanned 2006-2022.
Tete holds the record for the fastest knockout in a world championship fight when his right hook knocked Siboniso Gonya out in eleven seconds in 2017.
Goodbye to Larry Christenson at the age of 72.
Christenson was the third overall pick of the 1972 MLB draft and, a year later at 19, threw a complete game in his MLB debut for the Phillies.
Christenson spent his entire eleven-year career with the Phillies, winning eighty-three games, with nineteen of those victories in 1977, and won a World Series with the 1980 Phillies.
Goodbye to Tony Mundine at the age of 75.
A middleweight contender in the 1970s, Mundine might be remembered by most as the father of Anthony Mundine, who once held the WBA super middleweight title.
The elder Mundine defeated former welterweight and middleweight champion Emile Griffith and once challenged the great Carlos Monzón for the middleweight title in 1974, losing by seventh-round knockout in Argentina.
However, those rounds came at a price- sapping the stamina of Itauma and changing the attack to wild, looping punches that won rounds but didn't have the impact of earlier blows.
Itauma scored a knockdown in round two with a glancing hook, but Itauma landed many other power punches that Hrgovic was able to essentially shrug off.
In round nine, Itauma was still throwing wild punches, but Hrgovic battered Itauma around, avoiding his desperate counters, and just as the referee moved in to stop the fight, the towel flew in from Itauma's corner.
For Hrgovic, mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez is next, as Sanchez took a large cash-out to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to meet for the IBF title under the condition that he would be next to face the winner.
Itauma suffered a leg injury during the fight, and he'll have to take time to recover, but he's young enough and talented enough to bounce back and become a force in the division.
Lightweight contender Sam Noakes won an easy unanimous decision over former WBO champion Denis Berinchyk in the co-feature.
And in California, super middleweight contender Lester Martinez stopped Luca Planic in ten rounds.
Boxing Challenge
Cleveland added Watson, and Cam Whitmore from Washington and traded Mann (acquired from Charlotte for Schoeder) and a 2027 second rounders (Clippers) to Washington, sent Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers, and their 2031 unprotected first round selection to Denver.
Watson was the final pick of the first round of the 2022 draft out of UCLA by Oklahoma City but has spent his four year career with the Denver Nuggets,
Last season was the breakout season for Watson, who averaged 14 points per game, shooting 49 percent and 41 percent from three-point range.
The rangy 6'8 forward provides both offensive and defensive upside and at 24 (at season's start), Watson is just entering his prime seasons.
If Watson can make another jump similar to his leap last season, he could eventually become an All-Star caliber player.
Watson is under contract for the next three seasons and should step into the startling lineup at the small forward position.
Cam Whitmore could be waived by the Cavaliers, but if he's not, he's an intriging addition.
Whitmore was the 20th pick overall by the Rockets in 2023 from Villanova and spent last season with Washington, averaging nine points and just under three rebounds in twenty-one games due to a shoulder injury.
Whitmore makes over five million per season and his salary on a team that has to stretch every penny at this stage seems to point to Whitmore not spending his season in Cleveland.
Losing Max Strus is a mixed bag for me.
Strus can be extremely effective when he has a hot streak and he's noted for being a plus in the locker room
However, his shot is streaky and I've never loved his defense although it was more due to his limited athletic ability than a lack of effort.
With Strus leaving and the previous departure of Dean Wade, the Cavaliers have removed the two players who frustrated me most from the roster.
Considering the Cavaliers have traded so many future first rounders, trading another one five years down the road does cause some concern but considering the team's all-in status, I can understand the team's decision to move a first rounder at this time.
I haven't even watched any of the matches, so the points and results are below
My favorite soft drink is going to change its flavor.
7up has announced plans to change its Lemon-Lime flavor to "Lime-Lemon," with a stronger lime flavor.
Since 7up is my favorite drink, this distresses me, and we shall see if the new taste keeps it in the top position in the rankings.
The new version of 7up is expected to debut at any time.
The Athletic writes about the rebuilding of Sheffield Wednesday as one of the biggest clubs in English soccer, attempting to come back from insolvency.
Sheffield Wednesday was dropped from the Championship to League One for the new season after winning only two of forty-six games in a season that saw the team deducted points for their financial woes.
Sheffield Wednesday is now under new ownership in America's David Storch, who is throwing himself into a task that involves personnel and a decaying stadium, in an effort to avoid dropping further down the ladder to League Two at the end of the season.
A recent meteorite that smashed through the roof of a New Jersey home is reported to contain the building blocks of life.
ABC News reports the meteorite is a CM 1/2 Carbonaceous Chondrite, a rare and primitive meteorite, and is one of the most scientifically valuable meteorites ever recovered.
People Magazine writes of a home for sale in Kentucky that looks like a time capsule from the 1970s.
The condition of the home was described as pristine, with walls and floors covered with bright red shag carpet.
The three-bedroom home was on the market for only one week before selling for 360,000 dollars.
Times of India writes that the Wild Boar problem started in the southern United States, and it traces back to 1912, when a handful of scared boars were imported for a private hunting ranch in North Carolina.
The boars jumped the fence and escaped into the wild, eventually interbreeding with domesticated hogs to develop a tough, rugged hog that became the boar we know today, an ecological destroyer.
Goodbye to Dory Funk Jr at the age of 85.
One half of the only brothers to hold the NWA title with brother Terry, Dory Jr's reign ran from 1969 (winning from Gene Kiniski) to 1973 (losing to Harley Race) and was the second longest to only Lou Thesz.
Dory Jr, held many regional titles and was the key American in dealing with All Japan Pro Wrestling after losing the championship.
Funk's matches with Jack Brisco in the 1970s are considered classics, with the two battling through Funk's title reign and later Brisco's championship period as the challenger.
Funk's solid and deliberate style, with more sports-based interviews, was very much of his time, and as time passed, it was brother Terry, whose wild brawling style and crazed interviews adapted better to the changes in pro wrestling.
Goodbye to Don Nelson at the age of 86.
A standout as a player and as a coach, Nelson won five championships with the Boston Celtics, and although he never won a championship as a coach, his 1,335 wins rank second all time behind Gregg Popovich.
Nelson's number 19 is retired by the Celtics, and his final season saw the Celtics win the NBA title in six games over the Phoenix Suns.
As a coach, Nelson coached for thirty-one years with the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks, and Mavericks and is one of only two coaches to win 250 games with three franchises.
Goodbye to Cozell McQueen at the age of 64.
McQueen's NBA career was brief, consisting of three games with the 1986-87 Detroit Pistons, but McQueen will forever be remembered as the center for the 1983 National Champion N.C. State Wolfpack, who guarded such collegiate standouts as Virginia's Ralph Sampson and Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon.
It is McQueen, who is shown sitting above the rim as the Pack celebrated their miracle win over Houston in the 1983 title game.
Goodbye to Butch Huskey at the age of 54.
Huskey turned down a scholarship to Oklahoma as a tight end to sign with the New York Mets and hit 55 homers in parts of five seasons with the Mets, 24 of those in 1997.
Huskey would play for four teams in two seasons after leaving the Mets in 1999, and his big-league career was over after the 2000 season.
Goodbye to Billy Ray Smith Jr. at the age of 64.
The son of former Baltimore Colts defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith Sr,, Smith was the fifth overall pick from Arkansas by the San Diego Chargers in the classic 1983 NFL Draft.
Smith played his entire ten-year career with the Chargers and had eleven sacks for the Bolts in 1986, but he was never the impact player that you would expect from the fifth overall pick.
Goodbye to Magic Weisner at the age of 27.
Magic Weisner just missed winning the 2002 Preakness Stakes from far off the pace, finishing second with a strong late rally to finish second by half a length to Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem.
The Maryland-bred started the race at odds of 33-1 and likely would have been higher had the Preakness been anywhere other than Maryland.
Magic Weisner would finish fourth in the Belmont Stakes before a win in the Ohio Derby and another second to War Emblem in the Haskell Invitational, after which he contracted West Nile Virus, almost losing his life.
Cleveland agreed to a deal with Mario Hezonja to bring him back to the league after a hiatus that began in the 2019-2020 season, but Hezonja averaged only 7 points and 3 rebounds over his 5 NBA seasons, so not a huge upgrade there.
The Cavaliers trade of veteran guard Dennis Schröder to Charlotte for guard Tre Mann isn't about Mann as much as getting a salary off the roster to possibly land one of the two wings who have been rumored to have interest from Cleveland.
The Cavaliers have been consistently mentioned as a major player in discussions to land Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets and/or Jonathan Kuminga of the Atlanta Hawks, and with Schröder in line to earn 14.5 million over each of the next two seasons, he was the most likely target to create cap space.
Schroder averaged eight points and four assists in thirty games with Cleveland after being acquired with Keon Ellis from Sacramento for DeAndre Hunter.
Schroder will be remembered best by Cleveland fans for his 19 points in game five of the playoffs against Toronto in leading the Cavaliers to a big win.
Charlotte will be the 12th team that Schroder has played for in his NBA career.
Tre Mann is a 6'4 guard who was selected 18th overall by Oklahoma City in the 2021 draft out of Florida.
The twenty-five-year-old Mann averaged 5.5 points and 1.6 assists per game in fifty-three games for the Hornets, averaging twelve minutes per game.
I'm not sure if Mann figures into the Cavaliers' plans for 2026-27, as he could be included in possible deals with the Nuggets or Hawks to help the numbers work.
Should Mann survive the off-season, he will battle Craig Porter for the backup point guard position.
Dublin, Ireland, hosted the only two fights in the boxing challenge last week, and both were dull and hard to get through.
In the main event, Aaron McKenna won a unanimous decision over Etinosa Olina to win the IBF middleweight title, which was stripped from Janibek Alimkhanuly for failing a drug test.
McKenna's win was dull, but Callum Walsh's unanimous decision over Tyler Denny was worse.
Boxing Challenge
The home crowd in Dublin, Ireland, will be biased towards their fighter, Aaron McKenna, who owns a solid win over former junior middleweight champion Liam Smith, but few other noteworthy wins, while his opponent, Etinosa Olina of Italy, lacks any interesting wins, and his win entering this fight was over a fighter with a 19-33 record.
In the co-feature, unbeaten middleweight Callum Walsh meets light-punching Tyler Denny, who has stopped only one opponent in his career.
Boxing Challenge
The vacant WBC title, which was stripped from Shakur Stevenson, will be filled after William Zepeda meets Lamont Roach in the main event.
Zepeda hasn't fought since losing to Shakur Stevenson for this title last July, while Roach hasn't fought since his December draw with Issac Cruz.
I think the pressuring style of Zepeda and the boxer/puncher mentality of Roach make a good mix, and this should be a very close and intriguing fight.
The co-feature pairs IBF champion Raymond Muratalla against former WBC junior lightweight champion Robson Conceicao.
The unbeaten Muratalla earned his best victory in January with his decision win over former Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, while Conceicao has won two lower-level fights in his native Brazil since dropping his title to O'Shaquie Foster.
The hope is perhaps the victors in the two fights can be matched next in a unification fight.
Boxing Challenge
Joshua's next opponent, Tyson Fury, won his warm-up fight over veteran Mariusz Wach when Wach was unable to answer the bell for the eighth round.
Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet sometime in the fall.
In Australia, former junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu won a unanimous decision over comebacking former welterweight champion Errol Spence.
Spence announced his retirement after the fight.
Former junior middleweight and middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade won his ring return with a first-round KO of Douglas Ataide.
Josh Kelly retained his IBF junior middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Caoimhin Agyarko, and Hamzah Sheeraz kept his WBO super middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Simon Zachenhuber in two boring fights on the Joshua-Prenga undercard.
Edgar Berlanga stopped Steven Butler in seven rounds in the Zuffa main event from New York City.
Richardson Hitchins won a unanimous decision over Ricardo Salas, and Jalil Hackett earned a unanimous decision over Sergey Dereyvanchenko in the supporting bouts.
Boxing Challenge
Boxing Challenge
Fury will meet veteran Mariusz Wach, who once challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title but in recent years has become a journeyman.
The fight isn't live-streamed as it is going to be shown eventually on Fury's Netflix reality show.
In Uncasville, Connecticut, former junior middleweight and middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade returns for the first time since his first defeat, a knockout loss to David Benavidez.
Andrade will face unknown Brazilian Douglas Ataide, who has been stopped in three of his five losses.
Boxing Challenge
In the main event, unbeaten super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco stopped veteran Immanuel Aleem in the eleventh round.
Pacheco wore down the durable Aleem with a commitment to body work that had been missing in his recent fights, and his aggression looked more like the rising prospect than the more tentative boxer/puncher, who had settled for decision victories in his last three wins.
Lightweight contender Andy Cruz knocked out late replacement Abraham Montoya in the third round,
Cruz announced after the fight that he was going to move down in weight to the junior lightweight division.
Boxing Challenge
Unbeaten super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco meets trialhorse Immanuel Aleem in the main event.
Pacheco hasn't been exciting in his recent wins, and he's not facing a top contender in Aleem, who lasted the distance with Lester Martinez but was pounded in a lopsided loss.
Former Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz returns to action for the first time since his majority decision defeat in an IBF lightweight title attempt against Raymond Muratalla against late replacement Abraham Montoya.
Montoya is replacing Albert Bell, who was allowed to drop out of the bout to face WBO champion Abdullah Mason.
Boxing Challenge
The Devils found their new addition in right wing Anthony Mantha, who signed a two-year, $ 9.5 million contract to move to New Jersey.
The soon to be 32 year old Mantha is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 33 goals with 31 assists (both career-highs) with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Devils will be the sixth team for Mantha (Detroit, Washington, Las Vegas, Calgary, and Pittsburgh) after a career that has been solid but somewhat disappointing for a player with his size (6'5 240 pounds) and skills.
A first-round pick by Detroit in 2013, Mantha looked to be a potential star when he notched 48 points in back-to-back seasons with the Red Wings, but until his one season with Pittsburgh, Mantha never lived up to his potential.
Mantha has good hands, is a strong skater, and plays with more finesse than a player of his size should; he is likely to be on the first or second line next season.
If Mantha can match his production with the Penguins, the Devils may have found exactly the player that they needed on the wing, but it's fair to question if Mantha isn't coming in at his highest value after a career season.
I'm tentatively optimistic with this signing, but it could go either way.
Goodbye to Anthony Head at the age of 72.
Head was famous for his acting and singing in the United Kingdom, but his two most memorable roles for me were his recent role as West Ham owner "Rupert Mannion" in the Apple series "Ted Lasso", and of course as "Rupert Giles", the "watcher" in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
He also had many roles in voice work, including narrating documentaries and voice work for audiobooks, video games, and animation.
Goodbye to Charles Cioffi at the age of 90.
The long-time character actor was known as the police lieutenant in the 1971 film "Shaft" and appeared in more television series and movies than I can note.
Cioffi also had supporting roles in two of my favorite 80s films as Tom Cruise's father in "All the Right Moves" and as the lead villain (George Grove) in "Remo Williams".
Goodbye to Donald Gibb at the age of 71.
The hulking Gibb was usually cast in roles that made effective use of his size, such as bouncers, bikers, and athletes.
Gibb's most recognized role was as "Ogre" in the Revenge of the Nerds movie series, but he also played linebacker "Dr.Death for all seven seasons of the HBO series "First and Ten".
Goodbye to Joe Negri at the age of 99.
A long-time music teacher at various universities in the Pittsburgh area, Negri's claim to fame was in his recurring role in Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood as "Handyman Negri" in the program's "Land of Make-Believe".
Negri appeared on the program first in 1968 and was a regular until the show's final episode in 2000.
Goodbye to Claudine Longet at the age of 84.
Longet was a singer and actress who appeared on many network television shows in the sixties and seventies, and was a singer who had two top forty hits.
Longet was married to singer and television host Andy Williams before a 1970 divorce and a controversial role in the death of Olympic skier Spider Sabich in 1976.
Longet was convicted of negligent homicide but would only serve thirty days and pay a small fine.
We begin with the Athletic's piece on former ABA players who are still trying to receive some pension payments from the NBA, fifty years after the NBA absorbed four ABA franchises.
The current list of twenty-three former ABA players who don't qualify for the "recognition payments" that ABA players agreed to four years ago includes Artis Gilmore, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, and Dan Issel, and they won't get the extra payments because the NBA says they already receive an NBA pension.
The four players I mentioned likely don't need the money, but I'd bet some of the others could certainly use the supplemental help.
The Smithsonian writes of an attempt to help the Eastern Box Turtle by radio telemetry.
The strategy is to track, capture, and release turtles to see how far they travel, and what are some of the issues they face in the wild, to try to figure out a strategy to stop the population decline.
I remember as a child seeing box turtles all the time, but I haven't seen one in the wild for years.
My favorite potato chips in the world used to be Jones Potato Chips, located in Mansfield, Ohio, but a 2017 regulation change forced the company to stop using partially hydrogenated oil, and it changed the flavor.
When I visited Ohio after the change, the chip that catered to Jones's fans was Ballreich's, but in recent years, Ballreich's disappeared from the shelves when I visited and was replaced by Conn's from Zanesville, Ohio, which I thought was even closer to the old Jones flavor.
I buy plenty of Conn's to bring home (Original Wavy for the Boss, Salt and Vinegar for me) on trips, but a Facebook post about an article from the Richland Source grabbed my interest.
Commenters on the article said the old taste was back with Jones (as referenced in the article), and I'm anxious to buy some to see if the former champion has a chance of reclaiming their crown as the best chip in the world!
Our next note comes from the Athletic, which discusses the future of the Seattle Kraken as the NBA expands to the Emerald City in the coming years.
The Kraken have missed the playoffs in four of their five seasons and haven't managed a foothold as an organization, as the Las Vegas Golden Knights have done in their existence.
Seattle is a basketball city first, and the Kraken's best chance was to grab success before the NBA returned.
Mason gave away the first half of the fight to Bell, who fought somewhat cautiously but effectively in picking Mason apart from the outside, but Mason began to work the body of Bell, and it was Mason dominating the second half of the fight.
Mason led on the three official scorecards entering the final round, but I had the fading Bell ahead by one point, with his early lead being whittled to a point.
Mason would drop Bell twice in the first forty seconds, with the referee ending the fight without a count after knockdown number two.
The stoppage was thought to some to have been a little early, but I don't think Bell had the legs to survive for another two and a half minutes anyway.
Mason has become a can't-miss champion with his explosive punching power, somewhat questionable chin, and ability to rally from behind.
Top Rank still shouldn't be in a hurry to match him against the elite in the division, but I think they have a coming star in Abdullah Mason.
In the co-feature, touted Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington made his first defense of the WBC featherweight title a successful one with a unanimous decision over Rene Palacios, but didn't dazzle in the victory.
In fact, the most exciting part of a dull twelve rounds was when Palacios buzzed Carrington in the eighth round, with Carrington hitting the floor after what was ruled a punch to the back of the head.
Carrington was the easy victor 118-110, 117-111 (my score), and 116-112, but he may have caused more questions than answers.
Boxing Challenge:
The Devils will be the seventh team in the soon-to-be thirty-four-year-old Rittsch's career, and he's generally been the second or third goalie on the roster, as he is expected to be in New Jersey.
Rittsch started last season well with the New York Islanders, but faded as the season progressed.
The fast start helped Rittsch's statistics, finishing with a record of 14-10-3 with two shutouts in thirty games.
Rittsch finished with a goals allowed average of 2.76 and a save percentage of .894 for the 2025-26 season.
Rittsch joins veteran Jake Allen and prospect Nico Daws in the Devils goalie room, and honestly, I'm not confident that is enough to get it done between the pipes.
If I'm New Jersey, I'm not giving up on adding to this position because I think it needs it.
Bell replaced former IBF junior lightweight champion Joe Cordina, when Cordina wasn't allowed to enter the country due to a previous criminal conviction.
Mason is entering this fight off a tremendous victory in a war over Great Britain's Sam Noakes last November.
Bell is unbeaten but is stepping up in quality competition, and in his twenty-eight wins, he has stopped only nine opponents.
I think Bell will win a few rounds and show his skill, but eventually Mason's power will wear Bell down and stop him in the late rounds.
Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington will also be making the first defense of his title, the WBC featherweight champion, against unbeaten Rene' Palacios.
Carrington stopped Carlos Castro in nine rounds in January to win the vacant title.
The unbeaten Palacios won his biggest fight last time out with a split decision win over Suliaman Segawa.
Boxing Challenge
Goodbye to Bob Horner at the age of 68.
The power-hitting infielder was the first overall pick in the 1978 draft by the Atlanta Braves from Arizona State and was moved directly to the majors without playing in the minors.
Horner not only avoided struggling, but he was also named National League Rookie of the Year, hitting twenty-three homers in eighty-nine games.
Horner would hit 218 homers in nine years with the Braves before a contract dispute saw Horner sign with the Yakult Swallows for one season before returning with the St.Louis Cardinals. Still, shoulder injuries held him to only sixty games in the final year of his career.
Goodbye to Dave McGinnis at the age of 74.
McGinnis was a long-time assistant coach before taking the head job with the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2000 season.
Despite an overall record of 17-40, McGinnis was popular with players and fans with his exuberance and energy. McGinnis was fired following a 4-12 season in 2003.
McGinnis would be an assistant with the Titans and Rams from 2004-2016 before moving into the color analyst position on the Titans radio network.
Goodbye to Charle Young at the age of 75.
Young made the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons after the Eagles took him in the first round of the 1973 draft from USC, and was named either first or second team All-Pro in those years.
Young's receptions were never the same after the Eagles traded him to the Rams before the 1977 season for Ron Jaworski, but he was a solid player for the Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks in the final ten seasons of his career, winning a Super Bowl with the 1981 49ers.
Goodbye to Tony Davis at the age of 73.
Davis left Nebraska in 1976 as the school's all-time leading rusher and in 1973 became the first 1,000-yard rusher under Tom Osborne.
Davis was taken by the Bengals in round four of the 1976 draft and spent three seasons with the Bengals, three with the Buccaneers, and one with the USFL's Boston Breakers.
Goodbye to Dennis Condrey at the age of 74.
"Loverboy" Dennis Condrey was part of the greatest tag team in the history of professional wrestling (my opinion) with partner "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton and manager Jim Cornette to comprise the Midnight Express.
Condrey was a veteran of the three Tennessee territories before getting his big break in 1983 with Mid-South Wrestling, with Eaton and Cornette using the name "Midnight Express" for their team, which Condrey and Randy Rose had used before the move to Mid-South.
Condrey and Eaton would win and lose the NWA world tag team titles against the Rock N Roll Express before Condrey's famous 1987 disappearance, which would lead to Stan Lane as Condrey's replacement in the Midnight Express.
Condrey returned to wrestling with Randy Rose in the AWA, winning the dying federation's tag team titles as the original Midnight Express before moving to the NWA with their famous studio attack on the Jim Cornette version of the Express.
Goodbye to Miguel Canto at the age of 78.
The long-time holder of the WBC flyweight title in the 1970s, Canto defended his title fourteen times from 1975 to 1979.
Known for his silky smooth boxing, Canto lacked any type of power and scored only fifteen knockouts in his sixty-one victories.
Canto lost his title in South Korea to Chan-Hee Park in 1979 but nearly regained it in the rematch, also in South Korea, drawing with Park in a controversial decision.
Goodbye to Claude Lemieux at the age of 60.
The scrappy and controversial Lemieux was known for his ability to get under his opponents' skin and for his excellent play in the postseason.
Lemieux won four Stanley Cups, two with New Jersey and one each with Colorado and Montreal, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the 1995 champion Devils.
Lemieux was an underrated scorer, scoring 25 goals or more nine times in his career, with a high of 41 in 1991-92 with New Jersey.
Lemieux scored 379 goals in his career, with eighty more in postseason play.
Goodbye to John Garrett at the age of 74.
Garrett played for four teams in the WHA and three others after the merger with the NHL and finished his WHA career with a record of 148-151, the most losses for a goaltender in league history.
Garrett became an analyst after his retirement with the Vancouver Canucks. In recent years, Garrett covered other teams for Rogers Sportsnet.
Goodbye to Stacey King at the age of 59.
An All-American at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to the National title game. King was a firsr round draft choice by the Chicago Bulls in 1989.
King would play for three championship teams with the Bulls and would play for four other teams before retiring in 1999.
King has spent the last twenty years in various roles with the Bulls local broadcast team as a beloved figure in the Chicago area.
Markstrom was acquired from Calgary to give the Devils stability in the net, but instead delivered erratic play in his two New Jersey seasons.
Markstrom played well in his first season, but wasn't good at all last season, finishing with a 3.07 GAA and a .883 save percentage, and will turn 37 in January.
The Devils will likely test the market for a veteran goaltender as only Jake Allen remains on the roster.
Crookshank played only last season in Newark, joining the team from the Ottawa Senators and scoring one goal in eight games.
Crookshank spent most of the season with AHL Utica, where he scored 24 goals in sixty games.
The thirty-two-year-old Evan Rodrigues is a solid two-way forward who scored eleven goals with twenty assists in sixty-nine games, and Jesper Boqvist returns to the Devils after a four-goal and nine-assist season in Florida.
Ben Steeves scored twenty-three goals last season for AHL Charlotte and, at twenty-four, has time to break through for the Devils and, at a minimum, will be a key contributor for AHL Utica.
The versatility of Rodrigues will allow him to plug in as a third-line center and penalty killer, and he can move up and down the lines if injuries become a factor.
Boqvist will likely take over the role of Paul Cotter on the fourth line after Cotter was allowed to leave via free agency.
Former GM Tom Fitzgerald signed Markstrom to a two-year contract extension last year, and trading him allows the Devils to take his entire contract off their books.
Trading Markstrom now for a decent return could be a good idea, as a slow start for Markstrom could have made him untradable, which would have stuck the Devils with a large cap blow.
New Jersey also signed Utah Mammoth center Barrett Hayden to a one-year offer sheet valued at 4.7 million.
Utah will have one week to match Hayden's offer.
Hayden scored ten goals with fifteen assists last season with the Mammoth.
Ennis dropped Zayas in the first and fifth rounds before finishing Zayas in the seventh, but was forced to survive in the third round when Zayas appeared to have Ennis in trouble.
While Ennis was far ahead on my card at the time of the stoppage (59-53), Zayas had his successes as well in a fight that will be considered for fight of the year.
Ennis's promoter, Eddie Hearn, stated Zayas has a rematch clause should he activate it, but before the fight, Zayas stated he was likely to rise to 160 pounds, so a rematch is not guaranteed.
Ennis seems most likely to meet IBF champion Josh Kelly in a unification fight unless a more lucrative ( and long-awaited) fight against Vergil Ortiz.
Kelly is also promoted by Matchroom.
Two prospects notched impressive KO wins as the co-features as Emiliano Vargas stopped Bryce Mills in four rounds and Ben Whittaker swatted Richard "Popeye" Rivera aside in two rounds.
In the main event from Zuffa on Paramount Plus, former WBC junior welterweight champion Jose Valenzuela avenged a 2022 knockout loss to Edwin De Los Santos with a second round stoppage.
Boxing Challenge
Boxing Challenge WBC Welterweight Title, 12 Rds Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn Ramon Malpica: Garcia KO 8 TRS: Garcia KO 4 Vince Samano: Cruiser...
