Former Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith to join Big Ten school as consultant
Former Ohio State Athletic Director just couldn't quite get enough of golf and travel, apparently. After riding off into the sunset with retirement a year ago, according to a report from the Columbus Dispatch, Smith will act as a consultant to the Maryland Athletic Department. The post is designed to last six months, and the former AD seemed to welcome the ability to keep his mind active and fresh.
'You have to have something to keep you mentally active,' Smith said to the Dispatch, 'and the consulting and board work keeps me mentally active. Obviously, I'm not working 80-plus hours a week.'
The news makes sense considering Smith will be working with former Ohio State associate athletic director for marketing and communications Jim Smith, who just accepted the position of Athletic Director at Maryland last month. The plan, according to the story, is for Smith to be available for bi-monthly Zoom calls and other impromptu sessions as needed to help Smith navigate his renewed foray into big-time college sports.
'I've got over 40 years of war wounds in this business,' Gene Smith said. 'It'll just be on what he's dealing with at the time.' Two Smiths working together to solve what ails Maryland seems like a match made in 'Terps heaven.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
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They had agreed to a trade during the winter, and the Astros had permission to speak to Arenado, but they couldn't convince him they were still going to contend this year. 'We tried to convince him that we're not rebuilding, that the window is always open with our owner," GM Dana Brown said. 'We planned to compete in 2025 and beyond. He misunderstood the plan." – Teams who have been heavily scouting the Diamondbacks view Merrill Kelly as their best available pitcher ahead of Zac Gallen. Kelly, 36, has a career 2.25 ERA in four postseason starts. Each are free agents after the season, with the Cubs expressing interest as they scour the market for a starter. – Atlanta DH Marcell Ozuna, who has 10-and-5 rights and can veto any trade, is now expected to approve any deal if the team guarantees him everyday playing time. He recently lost his starting job with Atlanta. – The Yankees now have about $66 million invested in former Rockies' third basemen with McMahon and recently released D.J. LeMahieu. McMahon is owed $16 million in 2026 and 2027. – Even with Atlanta All Star second baseman Ozzie Albies' struggles this year, Atlanta plans to pick up his $7 million option this winter, and will at least listen to trade offers for him. Albies also has a $7 million club option in 2027. – The biggest surprise at the trade deadline would be if the Dodgers don't come up with another closer. They have checked in with virtually every team for bullpen help. They also are looking to upgrade their outfield with Michael Conforto's season-long struggles, and have expressed interest in Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader and Cardinals utilityman Brendan Donovan. – There is talk among MLB officials of moving the World Baseball Classic to the All-Star break. – The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks will play a series in Mexico City next April. – Ichiro Suzuki says he will give his Hall of Fame speech in English at Sunday's induction ceremony. – Tigers starter Jack Flaherty's two-year, $35 million contract turned into $45 million when he made his 15th start, triggering an escalator clause. He is now guaranteed $20 million next year but has an opt-out. – The Nationals say that their prized young core of James Wood, C.J. Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and Dylan Crews is staying put. – The Cubs desperately want another starter at the deadline, targeting Mitch Keller of the Pirates, and would include outfield prospect Owen Caissie to make it work. –The Milwaukee Brewers will start listening to offers for starter Nestor Cortes, who completed his last rehab start. – The Texas Rangers still plan to be aggressive at the deadline, believing that if they can just get into the playoffs, they like their chances as much as anyone with their fabulous rotation led by Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. – The Diamondbacks had no intention of trading Josh Naylor so quickly, but the Mariners' offer overwhelmed them, and they quickly moved, acquiring pitching prospects Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi. – The Kansas City Royals are showing little interest in trading starter Seth Lugo and would love to sign him to an extension. – Is there a bigger surprise than the Miami Marlins of late? They have a 24-12 record since June 11 with only the Milwaukee Brewers having a better record in this stretch. – There were nine catcher's interference calls in 2002. There were 56 catcher's interference calls as of mid-week, after a record 100 last season. – Recent history shows that just getting into the postseason as a wild-card team does not provide nearly the same odds of winning the World Series as a division winner. Since 2018 (excluding the 2020 shortened COVID season), 13 of the 15 AL wild-card teams were eliminated in the ALDS. One team lost in the ALCS. The other lost in the World Series. In the NL, eight of the 15 wild card teams were eliminated in the NLDS, four teams lost in the NLCS, two teams lost in the World Series, and one team (the Washington Nationals), won the World Series. – Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz, who has played only 66 games, has pulled ahead of teammate Jacob Wilson in the AL Rookie of the Year race with his four-hour game, going 6-for-6. He is the only player in history to produce at least six hits, six runs and eight RBI in a single game, and tied Shawn Green's record with 19 total bases. 'It's arguably the best game I've ever watched from a single player,' A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters. 'And I say that because I watched Barry Bonds and the season he had [73 homers]. And what Barry did was hands-down one of the greatest seasons you can have. 'This kid continues to just have jaw-dropping moments. And to witness that was pretty special for all of us." Kurtz is now hitting .305 with a 1.060 OPS and has 43 extra-base hits in his first 66 games, a feat only accomplished by Joe DiMaggio. – Remember when the Padres were a season-high 12 games over .500 on May 14. Well, they since are 28-34 and barely clinging to a wild-card berth. – Hall of Fame players in attendance in Cooperstown this weekend offer their best wishes to Ryne Sandberg, battling prostate cancer. Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
