SPORTS FOLDEROL

Well, which is it? “COMMANDERS STAR RECEIVER  ENDS HOLDOUT“… or … “ Terry McLaurin  Goes on  PUP List as Negotiations Continue” Those were the headlines, one over the other, on a piece  Sunday reporting the 29 year old Washington wideout  turned up at training camp after missing four days that  cost him $200,000 in fines. On the last year of a contract  that pays him about $22 million-plus annually, McLaurin  wants a long-term deal for a lot more money … although  neither he nor management have said exactly how much  or for how long … Or, for that matter, how far apart they  are. A trade remains possible even though McLaurin insists he  wants to remain with the Commanders.  NOW IT APPEARS North Carolina/Chapel Hill is  checking the possibility of leaving the ACC for SEC.  Next? … UNC chancellor  LEE ROBERTS  reportedly  was involved in the conference settlement of suits  brought by Clemson and...

  “ He was more than a great wrestler … more than a  great entertainer. He was the very embodiment of  American optimism.” –   Josh Holmes Wow! Who knew? He was talking about  TERRY BOLLEA , better  known as  HULK HOGAN , undoubtedly best known  of all pro rasslers, who died this week. He was 71 …  and, from the way the news was greeted, you would  have thought Hogan was something special. It would have been un-American (well, almost) if  cable and radio shows didn’t allow themselves to be  hijacked and devote most of their programming for a  day to Hogan … especially the call-ins which  attracted what could only be described as the love-in  of all love-ins … all for a big stiff of a man whose  talent was limited to some fast talk and few, if any,  remarkable or memorable holds, none of which  changed for the duration of a career that began  without fanfare in the deep South, gathered some...

  Believe it or not … Did you see where the Phillies beat the Red Sox on a  walkoff catcher’s interference? And when it was called,  everyone sort of shrugged … no argument, no nothing …  despite the batter,  EMUNDO SOSA , reaching across the  plate to make contact on what was described as a  check  swing . Check the replay. Says here he could have done it  deliberately. Then what? Last time a game ended this way was … 1971 when the  Dodgers beat the Reds on interference by Hall of Fame  catcher  JOHNNY BENCH . ****  Starting another brush fire,  PRESIDENT  DONALD TRUMP  says he wants the Washington  Football Team to drop unpopular  COMMANDERS  and  return to popular   REDSKINS   … which became a casualty  four years ago when former owner DANIEL SNYDER   ignored  polls suggesting otherwise (by large, indisputable  margins) and backed the premise it was offens...

  Add reasons not to watch ESPN or major league baseball  any more: First, your New York Yankees were at it again.  (How does manager  AARON BOONE  keep his job,  anyway?) This time  JORBIT VIVAS  tagged up and ran (jogged?)  into a double play by ignoring third base coach  LUIS  ROJAS ’ motion to slide. OK, so Atlanta rightfielder   RONALD ACUNA JR ., made quite a throw – from  deep in the corner at the warning track – on the fly to  third baseman   NACHO ALVAREZ JR. , who suckered  Vivas into believing he had it made … Then again Rojas,  67, former Mets’ manager (2021-22) and son of ex-MLB  outfielder  FELIPE ALOU , could have been more  emphatic with his signal to slide. Check the replay. He  was pretty darn casual about the whole thing.  Sorry, Jorbit, no excuses, especially for lack of hustle  which has been a Yankees’ trademark in recent years …  Even consummate ...