Idle Thoughts, while waiting for UConn football (OK, not really), the Yankees to mix in a line drive and for Serena to win the U.S. Open:

Dr. Idle, Dr. I to his close friends, happened upon this the other night:

“Josh Donaldson's walk-off grand slam (Wednesday) night had a 0.55% cWPA (Championship Win Probability Added), the 10th-highest cWPA this year. It's his biggest regular-season hit since 2014. CWPA is how much a moment affects a team's odds of winning a championship.”

The geekery has officially outdone itself, purporting to predict how one swing (in mid-August) can affect a team’s ability to win a championship (that won’t culminate until early November).

As Dr. I has begged in previous editions of Idle Thoughts: Make it stop. Somebody. Please.

• Dr. I found himself behind a student driver on Pequot Avenue in New London the other day.

It got Dr. I thinking: Why would the instructor ever subject a kid to the most treacherous road in the region?

And there was Pequot Avenue in all its splendor, too: walkers and joggers refusing to use the sidewalk, clogging the road. Cyclists in the middle of the road using more hand signals than an NFL referee. Delivery trucks parked at the side of the road near the eateries. The poor kid had the Texas Death Grip on the wheel.

Makes you wonder why so many walkers, joggers and cyclists are morally opposed to the more spacious Montauk Avenue. But at least Montauk is the nightly home to all the dirt bikers who clearly aren’t breaking any laws. Nah.

• Congrats to Joe D’Ambrosio, the forever voice of UConn sports, who returns to the booth Sept. 3 for TV play-by-play of the UConn-Central Connecticut football game.

• The HCS (Human Comments Section) was predictably obtuse last week in its continued criticisms of Brittney Griner.

Dr. I asks: If Griner looked more like Sue Bird or St. Paige of Bueckers, would all of you forward thinkers be as quick to defend Russia?

• If Wednesday from the Addams Family married Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet — and celebrated the occasion at Dairy Queen on the weekend with Tuesday Weld — we would have Wednesday Friday having a sundae on Saturday with Tuesday.

• Line of the week comes from Dr. I’s friend Deb Meyer, a dedicated Providence basketball season ticket holder.

Dr. I made reference to the Giants beating the Patriots. Deb chimed in, “Which time?”

Heh, heh, heh. Never gets old.

• Note: Weaver is an ECC football program this season. And watch out. Jude Kelly, who won state championships at East Catholic and Southington, is the coach.

• The Big Ten just signed a $7 billion media rights deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC. Per published reports, “the deals go into effect in 2023, expire in 2030 and eventually will allow the conference’s soon-to-be 16-member universities to share more than $1 billion per year.”

• Dr. I can’t figure out if this guy Montas reminds him more of Sonny Gray or Javier Vasquez.

• Question for New London: Why does the building at 300 State Street sit between No. 308 and 304?

No, really. It reads, 308-300-304. Dr. I is trying to picture how The Count from Sesame Street would rectify that.

• News item: The 2022 NBA schedule has no games scheduled on Election Day. All 30 teams will play Monday, the day before, on “civic engagement night” to encourage all players, fans and staff members vote in this year’s midterm elections.

• Will the Yankees get a hit off Scherzer or deGrom this week?

• Jim Mora: “I’ve never been a 27-point underdog in my life,” alluding to the point spread for the season opener Saturday at traditional rival Utah State.

Can’t wait to see his reaction to the line the week the Huskies play at Michigan.

• Gov. Lamont’s new communications director is named Anthony T. Anthony.

It got Dr. I thinking about names that repeat. There’s former UConn soccer player Carlos Carlos, former Georgetown center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, former U.N. secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali, Bam Bam Rubble of the Flintstones and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro