THIS SHOULD SOUND FAMILIAR: SABRES CALL UP JONES ... TO BE HEALTHY SCRATCH

 In no particular order of importance …

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before … The Buffalo 

Sabres recalled defenseman ZAC JONES from AHL 

Rochester Thursday for the fifth time this season … and, 

for the fifth time the native Richmonder was a healthy 

scratch Friday against … STOP!

Jones, 25, leads Rochester in scoring with 37 points (31 

assists) in 36 games.

SO DUKE sued DARIAN MENSAH after the transfer 

quarterback from Tulane re-entered the transfer portal, 

apparently bound for Miami, Fla., after agreeing to a two-

year contract at $4 million per with the Blue Devils.

Wednesday it was announced Mensah, who led Duke to 

its first outright ACC championship since 1962, could 

enter the portal … but could not enroll or play for another 

school until a hearing Feb.2 in Durham County Superior 

Court.

CLEMSON FOOTBALL coach DABO SWINNEY

 called out new Ole Miss coach PETE GOLDING for 

“blatant tampering” with linebacker LUKE FERRELLI 

… a transfer from the U. of California who was enrolled 

at Clemson and spent a week there then changed his mind 

when Ole Miss upped  the ante to $2 million.

Swinney said he turned evidence of his charges over to

the NCAA as well as the ACC ... where Ferrelli was 

Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025 when he had 91 

tackles for the Golden Bears as a freshman.

Tigers’ AD GRAHAM NEFF said the school also would 

explore “legal options.” 

WONDER WHAT DEION SANDERS is going to do – if 

anything – now that new LSU coach LANE KIFFIN has 

taken sophomore DT JORDAN SEATON from Sanders’ 

Colorado Buffalos?

Actually, there’s not much he can do except cry big tears 

over losing the player rated third best in the transfer 

portal by someone who does that … for laughs, I would 

hope, given it means absolutely nothing.

“THIS IS a crazy sport … and a [f---ing] amazing life. I 

just love this [stuff] so much,” said MMA’s JUSTIN 

GAETHE after winning (barely) a five-round war 

Saturday night over.

If you’ve never seen Gaethe fight, do yourself a favor the 

next time he does. The wonder is, he’s lasted this long. 

He takes as many blows as he gives yet, invariably, is left 

standing.

HEADLINE SAID it all … “MIKE McCARTHY hire 

shows Steelers are content with mediocrity” … after NHL 

Pittsburgh replaced 19-year coaching veteran MIKE 

TOMLIN with former Cowboys and Packers boss.

Tomlin, a William & Mary alumnus, walked away after 

missing the playoffs for nine straight years. He did win a 

Super Bowl … and was among only three Steelers’ 

coaches since 1972.

A better choice might have been another W&M alum,

 SEAN McDERMOTT, fired (surprisingly) by Buffalo.

SEATTLE IS a 4.6-point choice to beat New England in 

the Feb. 8 Super Bowl. Points over/under is 46.5.

Teams met 11 years ago (hard to believe, isn’t it?) when 

Seattle coach PETE CARROLL set all-time record for 

Super Stupidity. 

With enough time to run a minimum of two plays and the 

Seahawks on Patriots’ one yard line, second down and 

goal to go, he thought he could fool them by having QB

 RUSSELL WILSON throw quick, short, slant pass to 

TE RICARDO LOCKETTE for winning touchdown … 

rather than send big RB MARSHAWN LYNCH off 

tackle.

Rookie DB MALCOLM BUTLER, close to the line 

expecting a run, stepped in front of the intended receiver 

to make the game-saving INT with :26 to go.

“It altered the franchise … a lot of players lost faith in the 

coaches,” said Lockette, four years later.

Final score in Supe XLIX (Feb. 1, 2015) was 28-24 for 

the Patriots’ fourth championship.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO? … Malcolm Butler

He retired in 2024 after playing seven seasons in the NFL 

including three with Tennessee. For what he calls “a 

coach’s decision” by BILL BELICHICK, he did not 

play in Super Bowl LII … but said he would write a book 

about his time in the league and will explain in more 

detail. He also planned to become a comedy writer and do 

some standup as well.

FINALLY … sincere condolences to wife Kate and the 

rest of BILL KING’s family. The former WWBT-12 

sports director died over the weekend. He was 78.

A graduate of the University of Rhode Island (Class of 

‘69), King was a class act who spent six years in charge 

of Channel 12 sports (1980 to 1986) shortly after we 

began a radio-TV column at The Times-Dispatch … and 

proved to be among the absolute best locals to deal with 

… up there with long-time and current sports director for 

WTVR-6, LANE CASADONTE.

King later worked for the city as a director of marketing 

and, since 1996 was involved in sales and marketing for 

senior retirement Westminster Canterbury.

RIP, Bill, RIP.

Until next time ...