I DOUBT IT ... BUT ...

Has Russell Wilson become the prima donna that new Denver Broncos’ coach Sean Payton would have us believe? The former Collegiate QB was a fan favorite – after being drafted in the third round by Seattle – but has not lived up to the hype since coming to Denver … and, as a result, is bringing out the worst in just about everyone (including Payton). A story in which Payton said he wished Wilson, whose wife is pregnant with their third child together, would stop kissing babies – a less than subtle knock on Wilson allegedly acting like a politician -- was greeted by such know-nothing comments like: “I don’t care how many sick kids he visits in the hospital … Try winning a game.” To Wilson’s legion of fans here, those are fighting words. Does Lou DiBella really think the Flying Squirrels won’t miss a promotional beat without Todd Parnell in charge? Sure sounded like it after “Parney” announced his … uh, semi-retirement after going full bore here for the past 14 seasons. Parnell is one-of-a-kind, a non-stop fun-loving guy who has been most responsible for the local minor-league baseball team’s success. Period. Paragraph. A long-time boxing promoter who owns the local AA franchise, DiBella also threw an overhand right at The Diamond, referring to it as … “that standard mess of a ball park.” He also said he still believed Richmond will have a new one by 2026 to meet Major League Baseball’s demands – or else. Anyone want to bet DiBella goes 0-for-2 when it comes to predictions? We could be wrong. Hey, it happens. For what proved to be our final scribbling for The Times-Dispatch, we did a piece on WTVR-6’s Lane Casadonte. The plan was to make it the first of a three-part series about what was left of once- thriving local sports coverage on radio as well as television … and Casadonte was all that remained of what used to be serious competition among sports departments at channel’s 6, 8 and 12. We called Casadonte, who has been Channel 6 sports director since 1994, and “Big Al” Coleman, radio (106.1) talk show host for 32 years (and still counting), dinosaurs as in going, going, almost gone … about to become extinct. Well, it appears WRNL-910 is determined to keep local sports gab alive after all. First, they hired Adam Epstein to fill the early-afternoon slot. Now, starting Monday (Sept. 11), “The Station That Frank Soden Made Famous” will feature former Times-Dispatch sports editor Michael Phillips, a newcomer to the profession (10 a.m. to noon). “We’re going to build the plane as we fly it,” he said. “I doubt the first show will win any awards, but I hope they’ll invite me back for day two, and if that gets better, maybe there will be day three … and if that gets better ...” Easy-going, a good listener, Phillips will be the antithesis of Epstein, who is cut from the never-take-a-breath sports junkies mold. Phillips’ first guest will be Parnell, and you can bet MP will let him do most of the talking. That, in itself, will make Phillips unique … a welcomed relief. By the way, he doesn’t have a contract. “I did not want one, and they were willing to acquiesce to that demand,” Phillips said. See, he can be funny, too. A sense of humor always helps. “We’re going to do this for two months … and then we will discuss something long term, if that’s what they want,” Phillips said. “I don’t know what I’m getting myself into. I hope it goes well. We’ll just have a couple of fun months doing radio … and see if anybody wants more.” Count on it. Finally … Are the New York Rangers going to do Zac Jones a favor – at last – by sending him elsewhere? With training camp opening in a few weeks, the native Richmonder from Glen Allen keeps being referred to as “potential” trade bait. Latest mention included the 22 year old among three players likely to go … including over-priced center Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vecesy, a forward who could be replaced on the roster by newcomer Blake Wheeler. What made this somewhat unusual was the writer actually referred to Jones as “a solid defenseman” and didn’t take the usual party line he was too small (5-10, 185) to be effective in the NHL. Jones spent most of the last two seasons in the American Hockey League where he represented Hartford in the all-star game and was unquestionably the team MVP. Until next time ...