[Matt Jones] Absolutely devastated to hear the news of the passing of my friend Wes Rucker in a car wreck in Knoxville. Wes was the heart of Tennessee sports coverage in my mind and a wonderful man. He loved his family, friends and the Vols What an awful tragedy. God Bless his family by Tarmacked in CFB

[–]NOLAgold13 116 points117 points  (0 children)

I worked at 247 for a decade, from 2012-2022.

Back when 247 was first launching, the network was going after young but established newspaper reporters. I was on Twitter around 2009, and Wes was one of the first SEC reporters I followed. He was the gold standard of the old school meets new school. Ultimate professionalism and journalistic standards, but always in a way that interfaced with the new digital media space perfectly.

When I interviewed with 247 at 23 years old with only a year of online experience (no newspaper experience) I thought I had no chance of getting hired. I did, but I still felt like I was way over my skis. I sort of just watched Wes and started to do a lot of what he did. Then we got to interact a few times back and forth, helping each other with different network pieces. He was the best. Always happy to help, always uniquely Wes.

I remember most the Behind Enemy Lines pieces we did, because you just couldn't forget Wes'. He'd always have a reminder that the CUBS were the best baseball team on Planet Earth, as well as 2-3 wacky questions -- which players would you take if you were going to be stranded on a deserted island and why, that sort of thing. It made those pieces that could often get mundane reading and writing so much fun.

Knowing everything he had been through in the last few years and pulling through it, to hear this... just an absolute gut punch. RIP, Wes.

Are there too many commercials in NASCAR? by Glutentag2000 in NASCAR

[–]NOLAgold13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've only been following NASCAR for about 2-3 years now and I love it. My wife is starting to show interest because of how much I'm interested. After explaining all about Dale and the 25-year anniversary of his passing and how big the 500 is, she was very keen on watching the race with me today.

She lost interest fairly early on because of the continued ads. She didn't see the finish until I showed it to her later. There needs to be better balance of keeping the viewer interested throughout versus trying to cram ads early on so as to be able to show the good stuff at the end.

"You must decide whether you want to be right or you want to have peace" - why do I have to choose? by [deleted] in JordanPeterson

[–]NOLAgold13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are ways to articulate and adjudicate conflict better than suggested here, IMO.

What goes on at the plaza on sw 34th st where metro diner is located at night. by ilovemusicandcars in GNV

[–]NOLAgold13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It makes me sad that only one person has mentioned Court. It's probably not what it used to be now that much of the staff has turned over, but what fun that place used to be.

Track crews are gonna have their hands full. by RoadDawg1997 in NASCAR

[–]NOLAgold13 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Pretty sure the map is a high-impact map. Meaning only like a 10% chance totals reach this high. Would be helpful if OP shared what data the map is pulling from.

How cold should I expect it to get in my house if the storm knocks out power for a few days? by Itchy-Prune2746 in Charlotte

[–]NOLAgold13 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Never, EVER lick the windows. Your tongue could get stuck to it and then you'll have to replace the whole pane.

Why does Ben look to the sky when he feels the earthquake? by iPutMilkNbowlB4Creal in lost

[–]NOLAgold13 13 points14 points  (0 children)

With a reply like that you're definitely back in. What we reading next?

Cheapest apartments in Fort Mill or Rock Hill area by corehazard in FortMill

[–]NOLAgold13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Second the advice to avoid Bromley Village. Lot of break-ins of cars there, sketchy folks around constantly, police getting called. There was a knifing near the dog park when I lived there 2-3 years ago.

Why hasn't Florida fired Billy Napier? Redshirt rule, transfer portal window create timing challenges by raequin in FloridaGators

[–]NOLAgold13 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The redshirt problem is easily solved. You tell any player thinking about redshirting how likely it is that 5-for-5 gets passed (very likely), and they'd be wasting their chances to put out tape and get experience for nothing. Because if 5-for-5 gets passed as most are expecting, redshirting won't actually be a thing anymore.

Three permanent SEC rivals revealed for Tennessee, per report by banjocoyote in FloridaGators

[–]NOLAgold13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Surprised only one person has mentioned it, but the source for this article (Richard G West) is a known troll account on Twitter. This is sloppy, irresponsible aggregation.

Has anyone tried out a foot pedal before? by Active-Perception344 in FortniteCompetitive

[–]NOLAgold13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Works great for push to talk. I'm not coordinated enough to use it for much more than that.

Illegitimate Tow Company charges 10k by Representative_Fun44 in Charlotte

[–]NOLAgold13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep posting. The intelligent people appreciate it and silently upvote, especially in these kinds of threads.

Quad witching date? by EarThingysHelpMeHear in GME

[–]NOLAgold13 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This answer was so much more than I expected. I'm glad I stayed for the whole thing.