SPORTS FOLDEROL

  A NOT-SO-FINE MESS. Editor’s note: We wrote this when it happened then shipped  it off to be saved rather than to the blog. Fortunately – or  otherwise, the choice is yours – we ran across it by accident  … and decided to run it albeit just a bit late.  Hey, if you really want to screw up things, well, the  governing body of international soccer, FIFA, has always  been a willing partner. The latest ahh … f-up … involving  USMNT star  FOLARIN BALOGUN might not be the  greatest but it most certainly has taken away from – possibly  ruined – what has been called ‘’the best futbol tournament of  all time.” To this point it has been an event that has focused on great  plays and great players, its share of upsets and typical if not  overly dramatic controversies that invariably go with The  World’s Most Popular Sport … not to mention such feel-good stories as little old Cape Verde (Pop: 519,418) scaring the game’s big...

  CATCHING UP IS HARD TO DO (but, we’re gonna try) … so here  goes ... A TIP OF THE “It’s Weird Being the Same Age as Old People” cap …  to Virginia, University of, basketball coach  RYAN ODOM  whose  Cavaliers will play Old Dominion U., Nov. 17 at John Paul Jones. Guess he didn’t get the memo ... “Under no circumstance will a team  from a power conference schedule a mid-major … what, and give it a  chance for a big upset … that possibly will keep one of our own from  being selected for the post-season tournament?” The teams haven’t met since 2012 when the Monarchs upset the the Cavaliers 63-61 in Richmond. SPEAKING OF hard to believe …  JEFF KENT’s  Hall of Fame  speech was described as “warm, emotional and well-received” by our  AI source. Come on! That couldn’t possibly be the same J. Kent, who played for the Blue  Jays, Mets, Indians, SF Giants, Astros and Dodgers during a 17-season  MLB career, set a home-ru...

  NOTING FIFA’s LATEST, POSSIBLY GREATEST (but don’t  count on it) WORLD CUP … A LAST LOOK (for now) … It appears  MAURICIO POCHETTINO  will return as coach of the USMNT  … that is, if he can’t find something bigger … like replacing  THOMAS  TUCHEL , embattled boss of the under-achieving Three Lions of England. Or,  returning to the English Premier League where he parlayed the great  HARRY  KANE  into a tough out with no-longer-relevant Totenham Hotspur So, who might be waiting in the wings to become the next boss of the  Americans … if Pochettino, 54, leaves after one year in which the heavily- pumped red, white and blue was left black and blue by Belgium 4-1 in the  round of 16? Among the favorites, according to wish-lists found on-line, are (in no particular order)  JESSE MARSCH ,  PELLEGRINO MATARAZZO ,   GARETH SOUTHGATE ,  JULIAN NAGELSMANN ,  STEVE  CHERUNDOLO  and  PEP GUARDI...