Reports that injured Jayden Daniels will make the best decision for himself and his team this week carry echoes of Robert Griffin III making what he thought was the best decision in 2012, when he rushed back to the field after damaging his ACL, leading to the short-circuiting of a promising career. I’m not comparing Daniels’ sprained knee to RGIII’s injuries. But if you’re the Commanders, why risk a calamity for a Week 3 game against the Raiders? Maybe Daniels recovers in time to make this a non-story. But in trying to protect your franchise player, discretion should be the better part of valor.
Boilerplate: Commanders’ owner Josh Harris dusted off the popular fiction that the D.C. stadium project “will bring lasting economic growth for our city.” That’s what owners and politicians always say while taking taxpayers’ money for a sports palace. Don’t believe it.
Showtime: Going by the eyeball test, Colton Joseph’s evisceration of Virginia Tech’s defense was the best performance by an ODU quarterback since Taylor Heinicke walked the campus.
Idle thought: The Virginia Tech athletics department that’s been crying poverty is now paying someone not to coach.
Spendthrifts: A baseball fan is liable to lose faith in the power of the almighty dollar as the two highest payrolled MLB teams struggle down the stretch — the Dodgers with a flammable bullpen, the Mets clinging to a final wildcard spot.
Numbers game: If — more like when — Aaron Judge hits his 50th home run this month, he’ll match Babe Ruth with four seasons of 50 or more.
Approaching top form: Shohei Ohtani’s eighth-inning home run after no-hitting the Phillies for five innings Tuesday is another reminder that he is one of one.
Picked up trivia: In 1975, Catfish Hunter pitched 30 complete games. This season, all big-league pitchers have combined for 27 complete games.
Almost routine: As a Giants rookie in 2014, Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed TD reception was hailed as the catch of the year. But in today’s NFL, you’re likely to see one-handed grabs almost every week.
Early returns: Two weeks is a snapshot, but a pair of quarterbacks few Fantasy League players would draft — the Giants’ Russell Wilson and Colts’ Daniel Jones — lead the NFL in passing yards.
Wordage: Once again this season, football’s TV voices report on ball carriers getting “positive yardage.” In other words, yardage.
The Rock: In San Francisco for this week’s Laver Cup tennis event, newly crowned U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz happily became a prisoner of the moment with a visit to Alcatraz.
Out of touch: Travis Kelce thought it was a good idea the other day to be photographed in a “Free” Rashee Rice t-shirt. The Chiefs wide receiver is serving a six-game NFL suspension after causing multiple injuries in a road racing Lamborghini accident last year. Kelce needs Taylor’s help with his fashion choices.
Golden boy: PGA golfers who were roundly chastised for accepting Saudi money — it was sportswashing, remember? — might be wondering why the NFL apparently is taking a hands-off approach to the Tom Brady-led Flag Football Classic in Riyadh. Is it because nobody can say no to Brady?
Online trouble: Last week’s column closed with a comment about the NCAA banning three basketball players for gambling violations. Now it’s reported that 13 men’s players from six Division I programs are being investigated for betting on or against their own teams. Get used to more of these kinds of stories.
Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.