A few odds and ends related to Hawaii sports:

♦ Former Saint Louis Crusader Jordan Yamamoto is back on the Miami Marlins’ 30-man roster. The coronavirus-stricken club had as many as three spots to fill in their starting pitching rotation, and Yamamoto, who just barely missed the cut at the start of the season, should be able to address part of their needs. Unfortunately, he gave up 4 runs in his first start on Thursday, giving up a pair of home runs to the Orioles. He did not get a decision.

♦ Former Rainbow Warrior cornerback Rojesterman Farris has been waived by the Atlanta Falcons. The rookie player was signed by the team as an undrafted free agent this past March.

♦ Another UH alum, wide receiver JoJo Ward has survived the first round of cuts with the Arizona Cardinals. Ward is one of eight undrafted free agents still on the roster.

♦ Jahlani Tavai had a solid rookie campaign with the Detroit Lions in 2019, and DetriotLions.com reports the team expects more of the ex-UH linebacker this season. “He’s now entering year two, and that’s typically when we see a pretty good jump in young players in terms of their physical and mental development,” said the report. On an unrelated note, Tavai had a fireworks mishap on the Fourth of July. He took a firecracker to the face. “Don’t do this at home, kids,” he later posted.

♦ NFL Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner on ex-UH QB Cole McDonald: “You see some good things. I think the biggest thing when I watched Cole was just kind of the up-and-down inconsistency of play, and that to me is something you always watch when a guy gets to the next level. If you can’t play at a consistent level or be consistently accurate at the college level, how do you become that at the NFL level? He’s got some play-making ability, but it just didn’t show up consistently in college. [His throwing motion] is really wacky, especially when you watch it at the combine, watching him throw, it’s all over the place. It’s hard for me to see a guy with loose mechanics like that being able to become consistent and accurate, but I guess that stranger things have happened. I know he’s worked with Jordan Palmer, who talks highly of him and thinks he has a chance.”

♦ UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski isn’t too thrilled about the prospect of a third fight with Hawaii’s Max Holloway. His quote: “What, we’re just gonna keep fighting until Max wins?”

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