SPORTS FOLDEROL

  They Said It … not always sure why ... “ He has mastered the art of hiding in plain sight.”  Hockey Night in Canada’s  KYLE BUKAUSKAS  was  talking about …  ALEX OVECHKIN ? Don’t ask. Why did  DANIELLE STERN  of The Other Pregame  Show (CBS Sports Network) have a great  Thanksgiving? “Three of my four favorite ‘F’ words:  Family, Football and Food,” she said. To whom was  PHIL MUSHNICK  (New York Post)  referring when he wrote … “He was known to insiders  from four networks as the most disloyal, greedy,  demanding and ungrateful person they ever dealt  with.” Oh, no, say it wasn’t so.  JOHN MADDEN ? “ People ask me, ‘Why were you such a great relief  pitcher? … and I tell them … ‘I had a short memory,’”  said Baseball Hall of Fame 2008 inductee  GOOSE  GOSSAGE . “ He’s the overalls, hard hat, lunch pail, digging the  fence with you type dude.” Army offensive coach   ...

  So, what do you think … was  MARIO  CRISTOBAL ’s reason for not using  CAM  WARD  in the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl,  won by Iowa State 42-41? … The Miami, Fla.,  coach left the media guessing with some mumble  jumble about it being between Ward and him …  Naturally, they jumped to the conclusion it was all  about not risking injury to the All-American  quarterback, who is expected to be among the top  three players chosen in the 2025 NFL draft … and,  at least, he didn’t totally bail on his teammates,  which has become the norm nowadays …  Midway, 13th-ranked Miami led 31-28 … and  Ward did set a record with his 156 th  career  passing touchdown. That obviously was important  to him … All of which sounded reasonable and  was undoubtably true … except there probably  was more, like … what if Cristobal sacrificed  victory at another of a growing list of nothing...

  Thoughts while thinking … Which was more pathetic … Pittsburgh (University of)  coach  PAT NARDUZZI ’s decision to kick a game- tying field goal with his team on the Toledo one yard  line … or … his explanation for not going for the win  in the second overtime of last week’s Game/Above  Sports Bowl? … The favored Panthers of the mighty  ACC lost 49-46 in six OTs to the mid-major Mid- American Conference Rockets … and Narduzzi would  have been better off with “no comment” or, better yet,  “I goofed.” … Instead, he said, “Fourth and one … If  you don’t get it, you lose [and] I don’t want it to end  like that. I want our kids to make plays. I always put it  in the kids’ hands. For a coach to make a decision to  lose the game or win the game, I’m not for that.” …  Then tell us, Mr. Conservative, why do they pay you  those big bucks (2024 salary: $6,699,551)? … if not  for much longer, it says here, even if you...

  Briefly told … promise … FRED LORENZEN  died last week. Hard to believe  he was 89. Was it really that long ago … in the 1960s  and 1970s … that he was NASCAR’s golden boy …  driving Fords for Holman-Moody? Oh, for the good  old days … when stock car racing was still, more or  less, a shade-tree operation … and we were wandering  the pits the day before one of the main events on the  Grand National (now Cup) circuit, in search of a story  for the morning paper … and there was Lorenzen,  working on his car. Most all of the drivers lent a hand  then … Uh, Freddie, do you have a moment? “Sure,”  Lorenzen said, “… as soon as I change this tire.” -------   Wednesday the local stock car racing fraternity  lost iconic, one-of-a-kind  JOE KELLY  … who was a  walking/talking encyclopedia of motorsports  information. He was 88 and, according to reports, had  been in ill health for some time ...

  Say this for your Washington Commanders … They  aren’t for the faint of heart … Or, did you miss  Sunday’s wild and whacky 36-33 victory over the  Philadelphia Eagles … who led 21-7 after one period  … when running back  SEQUON BARKLEY  already  had 109 yards and touchdowns of two and 68 yards …  while the Team Formerly Known as Redskins was well  on its way to turning the ball over five times including  a couple of rookie-like throws for interceptions by   JAYDEN DANIELS ?  “ This is a weird game,” said Fox play by play man   JOE DAVIS  at halftime. By then the favored (by 4 ½  points) Eagles led 21-14 … and had long since lost  quarterback  JALEN HURTS  with a concussion …  There were enough penalties that kept drives alive to  last a season … The Eagles’  A.J. BROWN  exposed  the Commanders’  MARSHON LATTIMORE , who  arrived from New Orleans a few weeks ...