SPORTS FOLDEROL

  ZAC JONES  has heard it all before … how good he  plays when he gets the opportunity … that by now  the New York Rangers defenseman from Richmond  has reason not to believe his lying ears … So why  isn’t he playing more … than 31 games a year ago  when the 5-11, 185 pounder clearly was better  than  ERIK GUSTAFSSON , the veteran  journeyman who was brought in to take Jones’  place on the left side of the third defensive unit? …  Listen to coach  PETER LAVIOLETTE : “Zac Jones  got better every single time he played for us," he  told NHL.com. "... He was fantastic." Sure  sounded like Laviolette might be second-guessing  himself,  keeping Jones a healthy scratch  throughout the  playoffs … when New York,  winner of the  President’s Trophy, which goes to  the team with  the best regular-season record, lost  in the  conference finals to eventual Stanley Cup  champion Florida Panthers … Anyway, here we go  again. Jones goes to training camp expected to  make the top six on

So … NASCAR pulled one of Richmond’s two Cup races  … and shipped it to Mexico City. Who would have guessed? …… .  Speaking of four-wheeled competition … it appears the  four-legged version has its share of  you've got to be kidding  me   rules, too. Bet you didn’t know it’s an offense punishable  by fine and suspension … when a jockey uses his crop more  than six times in one race? It’s true … After urging   THORPEDO ANNA  with – say it isn’t so – seven to an  oh-so-close second in the Gr. I Travers Stakes Sunday, rider   BRIAN HERNANDEZ, JR.,  was fined $1,250 and told to  take a day off for his indiscretion. By the way … horse racing is among the last – perhaps only  – sport where males compete against females, and no one  gets upset about it … that is, of course, as long as a large  wager doesn’t go south … The only girl running against the  boys at Saratoga, Thorpedo Anna lost by a head to favored   FIERCENESS . …… .  Manchester United’s revolving door keeps turning …  latest

  OF ALL THINGS (local soccer, another Ruthian record, Georgia Tech’s remarkable victory): Your Richmond Kickers were up to their old tricks Saturday  night, dropping a 3-0 decision to Union Omaha, which hadn’t  played a USL League One match in two weeks … Former  Kicker  JOE GALLARDO  scored twice for Union after   BRANDON KNAPP  collected what proved the game-winner  in the fourth minute … on a gift goal courtesy of Kickers’  keeper  RYAN SHELLOW  who lost his balance trying to  control a back pass from teammate  JUSTIN SUKOW … and  Knapp swooped in to knock the ball home off Shellow’s foot  for his f irst goal of the season … Gallardo made it 2-0 in the  19 th  minute, converting a penalty made possible when he was  taken down from behind by Sukow deep in the box … A 5-11  midfielder, Gallardo was credited with what just as easily could  have been called an own goal, taking a free kick from 20 yards  that clipped a Kicker and changed direction, going high right  while Shellow was mo

  Of all things (Commanders, Colonial Downs, and ACC): It was about time the Washington football team dumped  receiver  JAHAN DOTSON . You couldn’t help but notice,  even from TV replays, that the former No. 1 draft pick  (2022) from Penn State oftentimes ran the wrong routes.  Otherwise, how to explain Dotson being in the same passing  lane as a teammate, thereby putting more pressure on the  quarterback while making the play easier to defend? …  Worse, he tended to loaf when his number wasn’t called in  the huddle … and he wasn’t known for sparkling open-field  blocking either ... Also, Dotson is one of those wideouts  who makes difficult catches look easy but lacks required  concentration on routine receptions and therefore drops too  many … Sending Dotson to a divisional rival, usually a no- no, is another indication the Commanders believe he is too  flawed to really hurt them. .......  Come on … let’s hear it for Colonial Downs, the  parimutuel  race track “in the middle of nowher

  Raise your hand … if you spend much time watching the ACCNetwork. It became an afterthought for yours truly when the morning show featuring  WES DURHAM  and  MARK PACKER  was dissolved. We were told Durham wanted out to spend more time doing what he does best … play by play … which was reasonable but, nevertheless, removed the one can’t/shouldn’t miss program on the fledgling system under the ESPN umbrella. Obviously, there is little honor … in college athletics. (We   pause  for a big ... DUH!) Otherwise how to explain Clemson  and Florida State suing the ACC over something they agreed to  … then realized  oops, we made a mistake that could cost us a  lot of money , and are asking for to leave the conference without  having to pay a large exit fee (said to be upwards of $500  million) they helped craft? … Now the courts have put the law  suit on pause, hoping the parties will come up with a settlement  on their own … from the song “Fat Chance" by the Dubious  Bros. … Meanwhile,