Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan was surprised by the death of his father, former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, on Tuesday morning and drove eight hours from Orchard Park, New York to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, after learning of his passing.It was a surprise in the fact that we thought he was doing a lot better, Rex told TheMMQB.com. But he had faced everything. He had just been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease; all those bouts of cancer he has had; numerous strokes; congestive heart failure. He actually beat encephalitis before. He eventually just couldnt take it -- I guess, with all that stuff piling up, it just got him.And you know what, the one thing that is amazing is, he couldnt hear. He could barely talk at the end. His teeth were falling out from all the radiation. He broke his back like three different times -- and he never complained one time. Not one time. He was one tough son of a gun.Funeral services for Buddy Ryan, who was 85, are scheduled for Friday in Lawrenceburg. The longtime NFL coach, best known for coordinating the 1985 Chicago Bears defense, lived on a ranch in Shelbyville, Kentucky, at the time of his death.According to The MMQB, Rex Ryan lobbied internally for the Bills to draft Reggie Ragland this past April because the Alabama linebacker brought more physicality to Buffalos defense and fit the mold of how Buddy Ryans teams would have played.When Dad looked at football players, he would take them in his own image, Rex Ryan said. Thats what he grew up around; thats what he was when he was a master sergeant in the Korean War. Thats what I took, and thats what I want on my football team.The Bills passed on Ragland with the No. 19 overall pick, instead selecting Clemson outside linebacker Shaq Lawson. The Bills then traded up in the second round, from No. 49 to No. 41, to choose Ragland.Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Fake Hockey Jerseys .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. https://www.fakehockeyjerseys.com/ . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Cheap Hockey Jerseys Authentic . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Hockey Jerseys Black Friday .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ricky Nolasco will make his Angels debut Thursday against the Oakland As, three days after coming to Los Angeles in a trade from the Minnesota Twins.Nolasco, who was born in nearby Corona, Calif., was happy to learn he was heading back home to pitch.Im just excited to be back in California and doing what I can to help the Angels win as many games as possible, Nolasco told the Orange County Register.Nolasco, though, was not the reason the Angels traded their top pitcher this season -- Hector Santiago -- to the Twins. Alex Meyer, a hard-throwing, 6-foot-9 right-hander, was the key to the deal. Meyer, however, has yet to reach his lofty potential and was sent by the Angels to Triple-A Salt Lake.Nolasco was more of a salary dump, though the Twins are picking up a portion of his salary. He is making a guaranteed $12 million this year and will receive $12 million next year.After winning 13 games combined playing for the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, Nolasco signed a four-year, $49 million contract with the Twins, but he was a bust. In 2 1/2 years with the Twins, Nolasco went 15-22 with a 5.44 ERA in 57 games (56 starts). He was 4-8 with a 5.13 ERA in 21 starts this year.Nolasco, though, isnt discouraged.I understand what happened there, he said. I feel I pitched better than the numbers say.Likewise, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he believes the 33-year-old right-hander still has some good games left in him.When weve seen him up close, hes always been tough on us, Scioscia said. He spins the balll very well, and he has a fastball that has movement on it.dddddddddddd Hopefully he can put pitches together and get another pitch or try and adapt a little bit and find some consistency. But his stuff is good.In four career starts against the As, Nolasco is 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA.Nolasco will be opposed Thursday starter by Oakland right-hander Jesse Hahn, who will be called up from Triple-A Nashville for the fourth time this season.Hahn went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his first stint with the As, 1/3 with an 8.34 ERA in his second stint, then 0-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his third stint. In eight starts overall, he is 2-4 with a 5.53 ERA.Against the Angels on Thursday, Hahn will have the benefit of pitching under the sun. He is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in four daytime starts this year, as opposed to 1/3 with an 9.92 ERA in four nighttime starts. Thursdays game sort of falls in the middle, scheduled to start at 4:05 p.m. PDT.Hahn also can lean on his two career starts against the Angels, both coming last year, when he went 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA.Though Hahn has not been a mainstay in the As rotation this season, he has accomplished one major goal -- staying healthy. He missed time last year with a strained forearm, which caused some concern.The main objective is just to be healthy, Hahn told the San Francisco Chronicle back in spring training. I got my base a little stronger, and Im hoping to incorporate my legs more. ' ' '