1. You had about as full a sports day as you possibly could’ve had Sunday.
J.J. Watt nicely summed up the smorgasbord of sports with this tweet in the morning.
Later that night, SI Media Podcast regular Andrew Marchand smartly pointed out what the Sunday sportsfest felt like.
The NBA’s busy day included four playoff games that started midday and ran deep into the night.
For TNT’s Charles Barkley, though, it was all a little too much. Chuck tried to sneak in a Sunday nap, but he was not discreet enough about his snooze. Shaq called him out at halftime of the Wizards-Sixers game, and it was highly entertaining.
Barkley started to give his thoughts on what took place in the first half, but Shaq quickly cut him off and explained that Charles should not opine on the game because he didn’t see it.
It was a great live TV moment, because you can see the confusion on Barkley’s face when Shaq interrupts him and then exposes the footage of Barkley catching some zzz’s.
Ernie Johnson then had the perfect response, asking Barkley, “From what you were able to see in the first half, what did you think?”
2. The single greatest thing from the entire weekend was not Phil Mickelson winning the PGA championship. It was this text Phil’s mom sent to Phil’s sister, Tina.
3. Bat flips aren’t only about height and distance. Attitude is a key factor in providing fans with an excellent bat flip. No one has this down better than Fernando Tatis Jr., as he proved once again Sunday.
4. Nuggets coach MICHAEL Malone was quick to correct ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth on Sunday night when she began an interview by calling him “Mike.” I don’t know whether Malone’s intention was to be salty, but he definitely came across that way to me. How about just going with the flow and letting Hubbarth know you prefer “Michael” off-air or after the game?
5. Jazz star Rudy Gobert wasn’t even in the game when he executed this masterful flop Sunday night.
6. A brand-new episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast dropped Thursday morning.
First up is New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand. Topics covered with Marchand include Marv Albert’s upcoming retirement and who will replace him as TNT’s lead NBA play-by-play broadcaster, what happened between TNT and Chris Webber, highlights of the 2021 NFL schedule, whether Tom Brady vs. the Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 4 will set a ratings record, what the merger between Time Warner and Discovery means for sports fans, ESPN’s six-part documentary on Derek Jeter and much more.
Following Marchand, CNN TV analyst and executive producer of The Story of Late Night docuseries Bill Carter joins the podcast to talk about the six-part show currently airing on CNN. Carter sheds light on the Jay Leno–David Letterman battle, the Johnny Carson–Joan Rivers feud, the changes in late night over the years and much more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Saw this dude doing karaoke on TikTok over the weekend and was pretty blown away by the pipes.
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.
