1. It was a different Mother’s Day for ESPN’s Jalen Rose this year.
Rose lost his mom, Jeanne, to cancer in February. Sunday’s NBA Countdown paid tribute to the cohost’s mother with a video package that detailed how she came up with the name Jalen and how it became a popular name thanks to her NBA star son.
Following the video, Rose discussed what his mom meant to him, but he quickly broke down in tears after explaining this was his first Mother’s Day without his mother and grandmother.
Maria Taylor comforted Rose in a touching moment while Adrian Wojnarowski brought up how Rose honored his mother last week by helping people in his hometown of Detroit get vaccinated.
You got a real sense of camaraderie between the three, which helped Rose pull things together enough to share a great story about his mom.
“I used to sign ‘Dr. J’ as my autographs when I was little. And people were laughing at me and teasing me. And she was like, ‘You’re gonna make it. You is Dr. J, but ain’t never better than Magic.’ She loved Magic. That’s how she motivated me. ‘You can be whatever, but you ain’t never gonna be better than Magic.’ ”
2. Over the weekend, the twice-impeached former president called Bob Baffert’s horse, Medina Spirit, a “junky.” Today, Baffert went on Fox News and said his horse’s getting into trouble for using steroids is “like a cancel culture kind of thing.” Okie dokie.
3. This apparently has something to do with cryptocurrency, but I don’t know anything about cryptocurrency, so I can’t really say anything else.
4. It’s not just the absurd snag of the comebacker, it’s that Braves pitcher Tyler Matzek effortlessly turned it into a double play.
5. Every year, Dick Vitale holds a gala to raise a ton of money for cancer research. This year, The V Foundation took in $6.5 million. Well done, Dickie V.
6. The latest SI Media Podcast features two interviews. The show kicks off with Ryen Russillo of The Ringer. I recapped a meaty portion of what we discussed in Thursday’s Traina Thoughts. Other topics covered include going from ESPN to The Ringer, deciding to stick to sports, does he ever get sick of podcasting, why Pam Beesly is “evil,” can we take any joy out of this NBA season and much more.
Following Russillo, Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin Malone on The Office, joined the podcast. Baumgartner talks about hosting The Office Deep Dive Podcast, what kind of Dunder Mifflin swag he has, the anniversary of his famous chili scene and how he feels about outlets editing out scenes from The Office. Baumgartner, who is good friends with Aaron Rodgers, also shares his insight on the Packers’ quarterback’s being unhappy with the team.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 66th birthday to the legendary Chris Berman.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
