SPORTS FOLDEROL

  By the way ... It would not be a stretch to suggest  RYAN ODOM  owes a  lot to “bashful”  MAX SHULGA  who was chosen in the  second round of the NBA draft by Orlando, acting on behalf  of the Boston Celtics … for whom the 2024-25 A-10 player  of the year and playoffs’ MVP should be a welcomed  addition … On arrival at VCU two years ago, Odom found a  group of talented but me-first players. Enter Shulga, who  followed Odom from Utah State … a tough kid who could  pass and shoot but, most of all, helped Odom turn the Rams  into a share-the-ball, cohesive winner. On the day he was introduced as new University of Virginia  coach, Odom reacted to a throw-away line … ‘I doubt you  would be here now without Shulga.” … with instant  agreement. “You are right about that,” Odom siad. ***  Here we thought  COOPER FLAGG  was making a  mistake, getting $31 million in NIL money at Duke and still...

  A bunch of stuff: For the second time this season, your Richmond Kickers  beat defending USL League One champion Union of  Omaha in Nebraska Saturday night, The final was 4-3,  thanks to Richmond native (Deep Run High)  JOSH  KIRKLAND  who had two goals, setting up the other two  … and no thanks to a porous defensive effort in front of  goalkeeper  JAMES SNEDDON  … Omaha (3W-2T-7L)  trailed 2-0 after 14 minutes, 3-1 at the half, and 4-1 in the  51 st  minute on Kirkland’s team-best seventh goal of the  season. But a penalty kick in the 58 th  minute followed by  18 year old substitute  MARK BRONNIK ’s perfect strike  made it a one-goal match with more than 15 minutes  (including stoppage) to go … Omaha, which had  possession of the ball a whopping 71 percent of the time,  kept pressing but Sneddon held firm … despite being  kicked in the head by a glancing blow while down...

  Of several things: With Colonial Downs less than three weeks away from  the start of a 41-day summer meet, it was announced  Monday that  D. WAYNE LUCAS , 89, who conditioned  2025 Virginia Derby-winning American Promise, had  been “diagnosed with severe health issues” and “will step  away from training, effective immediately.” Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, Lucas won 4,967  Thoroughbred races since 1977 when he claimed his first  at Santa Anita. His last came June 12 in a second-level  allowance at Churchill Downs. Horses in the care of Lucas won 15 Triple Crown and 20  Breeders’ Cup races, the most by any trainer. He earned  upwards of $300 million, with 1,105 stakes race victories  including 637 that were graded. His last graded stakes  came in the 2024 Preakness when Seize the Gray finished  first in an upset. American Promise was the fourth choice on the morning  line (12/1) for the March 15 ...

  Hockey, hockey … nothing but hockey ... FRIDAY, your New York Rangers announced they had re- signed a left-handed defenseman … but his name was not   ZAC JONES . Instead, it was  MATTHEW  ROBERTSON , who figures to return to the American  Hockey League where he belongs … while the Broadway  Blueshirts continue to decide what to do about Jones and   K’ANDRE MILLER  … with time running out before  the July 1 start of open-season on free agents, which both  Jones and Miller are. From all indications Miller, a big (6-5, 220) but polarizing  regular, will be traded. The Big Apple press corps, never  at a loss for coming up with source-driven deals (before  the fact) that seldom prove accurate, has had him going to  several teams out West … most recently to the Carolina  Hurricanes, who, at last look, were in the East. Meanwhile, Jones, a smaller (5-11, 185) but popular part- timer from Richmond … the first player bo...