SPORTS FOLDEROL

  Lots of stuff … starting with non-sports-but-important-sports-related news … In case you missed it, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, at one time the South’s best (by far) newspaper, will no longer be available in print, effective year’s end. It will become strictly an on-line operation because that’s where people prefer getting their news, weather, sports, etc., management said. QUESTION: Can the Richmond Times-Dispatch be far  behind?                                  * * * * * * * * So St. Christopher’s offensive lineman  DARIUS GRAY ,  the last of the five-star recruits to commit, chose South  Carolina over LSU … with Clemson, Ohio State and  Tennessee also-rans among his final five. How much are  the Gamecocks of  SHANE BEAMER paying him? That  should be the first question … especially after he said he  liked Beamer so much, and USC Nation treated ...

  While Saturday’s attendance apparently was best in a long time, no way did Richmond Raceway have a  sellout for NASCAR’s Cook Out 400. That is, unless  tickets were sold but not used for about one-fourth to  one-third of the available seats at Strawberry Hill. Then again, despite all the hoopla, the question (as  always) still remained: what exactly is a sellout these  days? NASCAR stopped announcing official figures  long ago … and there was no indication how many  actually were on hand for this race either. At one time, when  PAUL SAWYER  was turning the  original half-mile dirt track into a three-quarter-mile  paved showpiece, crowds in excess of 100,000  reportedly were commonplace. Since then capacity  has wavered … down to as low as 51,000, which  hasn’t been reached in a while.  SAY THIS for  LORI WARAN , who was hired as  track president to fail, given lack of any previous  experienc...

  Lots of stuff … Still pretending it is the last word in undergraduate  athletics, the NCAA fined the Michigan football  program what could reach as much as $30 million  and (among other things) suspended coach   SHERRONE MOORE  a third game – of his  choosing, naturally – for stealing signs in 2023 …  while  JIM HARBAUGH , now in charge of the NFL  Chargers, was coach of the Wolverines. Raise your hand if you think Michigan will pay a  penny, much less a six-figure payoff ... when the old  rules meant to protect amateur athletics no longer  apply. The laughter you hear … SPEAKING OF WHICH … Adidas will pay the  University of Tennessee $100M in a 10-year deal to  become the exclusive apparel provider for the  school’s athletic teams … starting July 1, 2026 when  UT’s agreement with Nike runs out. Volunteers football reportedly is valued at $1.37  BILLION, ninth highest overall … Adidas  previ...