Month: June 2023

1. ESPN recently announced that Pat McAfee’s daily show will move to the network as well as ESPN+ and ESPN’s YouTube channel beginning this fall.

McAfee addressed several issues surrounding the deal with me on this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast.

On negative feedback from some of his fans about “selling out” and the potential for his show to change when it begins airing on ESPN:

“Our show stinks. We know that. We understand that. But there’s a lot of people that are incredibly cool and incredibly passionate, and they hang out with us every single afternoon, so I think any change I make, I had to learn through trials and errors, that there’s gonna people that are upset with it because they’re scared they’re gonna lose the thing that they get to hang out with and I am honored that that is how they view our show.

“But my big takeaway after this decision is a lot of our people have been with us for a long time and a lot of the decisions I’ve made, we’ve been through this a couple of different times where it’s like, ‘Hey, the show is gonna remain the show, though, and I would like a little bit more faith in the fact that we understand who we are, we understand what we are and we wouldn’t want to change it for anybody because that would be bad business and it would be bad because we can’t make a better show. We’re a bunch of doofuses that do what we do, and it just so happens to work.

“So I didn’t expect it to be as big of a drawback as it was. I knew that there would be some people, because there’s probably new fans of the show and new viewers of the show who hadn’t been through these types of situations before with our program, but it was big. You’re right. There was positive. There were a lot of people incredibly happy for us. There were a lot of people that were excited about what this means for the future of things. A lot of people were like, ’Next step, next evolution of the show, this is cool,’ but I did not expect the amount of people that were negative about it before even knowing what it was. I know it comes from a place of passion, so I’m honored about it, but it was alarming, Jimmy. It was alarming. I did not expect that many shots to the shins from my own people.”

McAfee also explained that his show will not be doing debates and top-five lists, a staple of ESPN’s daytime programming, when it moves to the World Wide Leader.

He also said that he will continue to have non-ESPN insiders, who are regulars on his current show, such as Ian Rapoport and Shams Charania, on the program when it airs on ESPN.

“I’ve never been told I can only have ESPN people on my show,” McAfee said on the podcast. “That was never even broached by them or by us.”

McAfee also gave us a breakdown on another huge issue facing his show when it goes to ESPN: the cursing.

It’s called journalism.

Apple: https://t.co/ck0BFM8ro8
Spotify: https://t.co/diM3f0ZylZ
YouTube: https://t.co/JOSlIOzg3M pic.twitter.com/rGUWwHCeDo

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) June 1, 2023

Other topics covered with McAfee during the one-hour interview include:

• Why is he leaving FanDuel?

• Did his year as a cohost on College GameDay play a role in his joining ESPN?

• Will he ever go back to the WWE?

• His relationship with Vince McMahon

• How McMahon and the WWE’s Nick Khan helped him make a decision about his show

• Getting a compliment from President Barack Obama

• His new spin on the famous botched fake punt he was a part of

• His weekly Aaron Rodgers interviews

• The person he’d most like to have on his show for an interview

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

2. I never thought for one second that Tom Brady would play for the Raiders, but there has been speculation about whether he will honor his Fox contract and join the network in 2024. The future Hall of Famer reiterated in a new interview with Sports Illlustrated’s Robin Lundberg that he will be going into the booth next season.

Tom Brady is not coming back, from Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/1DrYsyfAkl

— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) June 1, 2023

3. This was a completely ridiculous reaction and take from Phillies broadcasters over the way Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor threw the ball to first base to complete a double play Wednesday night. You have to find more significant things to get mad about.

The NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast didn’t care for how Mets star Francisco Lindor tossed the ball to first base on an easy double play.

“I’m not a big fan. Be a little bit more professional about it.”- Ben Davis ⚾️🎙️ pic.twitter.com/W8LrDF0mJz

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 1, 2023

4. Speaking of the Mets, they have a great radio play-by-play guy in Howie Rose. However, Rose is not great at throwing out a first pitch. But give Rose credit for acknowledging his choke job Wednesday.

“Howie, stick to hockey!”

Keith gave @HowieRose a hard time over his first pitch 😂 pic.twitter.com/mdu0VAcKWt

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2023

5. We love petty, so we enjoyed scrolling this Instagram slideshow from Heat forward Max Strus.

View the original article to see embedded media.

6. HBO announced Wednesday that it is producing a new documentary on Barry Bonds. When I threw that news out on Twitter, several people replied that they’d like to see former Pirates manager Jim Leyland on the doc to talk about this famous confrontation.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 86th birthday to Morgan Freeman. One of the highlights during quarantine a couple of years ago was the legendary actor narrating a famous scene from the 1980s classic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Best thing you will see on the Internet today: Morgan Freeman narrating the masturbation scene from “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt playing Linda and Brad. pic.twitter.com/nrIcjBEgAH

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) September 18, 2020

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

The NBA Finals are here, and in a matchup few prognosticated before the season, the Nuggets will take on the Heat. Denver finished as the top seed in the West, while Miami squeaked into the postseason as an eight-seed via the play-in tournament. Both, though, have been impressive during the playoffs, toppling conference stalwarts and Hall of Fame talents en route to the championship round.

Before the series tips off, the Sports Illustrated NBA staff makes their predictions for the most important matchups, players, and who will win.

Matchup to watch

Chris Herring: It’s Joker and Bam. As one of the most versatile stoppers in the league, and one of the Heat’s true big men, Bam Adebayo has become a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. But like everyone else in the sport, he’s almost certainly going to have issues guarding Nikola Jokić on his own. What sort of zone coverages will Miami throw at him? Will the Heat force the ball to try to press the ball out of his hands, and make others prove they can get it done? Or is it smarter for Miami to let Jokić be a scorer while shutting off the water for the other four players?

Chris Mannix: Officially, Jokić and Adebayo, but in a way it’s Jokić vs. Erik Spoelstra. Adebayo will draw the Jokić assignment, but he won’t be alone. I expect Miami to mix up the coverages with Jokić and have all five guys bumping, grinding and swarming him on the offensive end of the floor. No one player can defend Jokić. He’s a triple-double machine and one of the NBA’s smartest players. What he’s facing is the NBA’s smartest coach, who will throw everything short of Udonis Haslem (we think) at Jokić to slow him down.

Rohan Nadkarni: Miami vs. the Jokić–Jamal Murray two-man game. Right now, the NBA at large doesn’t really have an answer for what to do when Jokić and Murray screen for each other. It’s a deadly action that can be run a number of ways, from high pick-and-rolls to handoffs, with both players able to screen or handle. Whenever things get tight for the Nuggets, they resort to letting Jokić and Murray cook together, and nobody has a great answer for how to combat them.

I would not be surprised, if at least in the fourth quarter, Miami switches Murray-Jokić actions with Jimmy Butler and Adebayo. But can Jimmy survive with Joker in the post? Can Bam stay in front of Murray without fouling? If the Heat are to have a chance, it starts with having a somewhat reasonable answer for slowing the Nuggets down.

Player to watch

Herring: A key player rejoining his team in the NBA Finals is rare. There are all sorts of questions about the sort of player Tyler Herro is and whether injecting him back into the lineup—against a club with Denver’s level of cohesion—comes with some risks defensively. Still, with the lack of offensive creation outside of Butler, Herro brings something if he’s able to return from his hand injury by the middle of the series.

Mannix: Kyle Lowry. Admit it—you thought Lowry was done. I did. You probably fired up the trade machine to see what the Heat could get for Lowry’s expiring $30 million salary next season. I did. But we have seen shades of the old Lowry, Playoff Lowry, Toronto Lowry this postseason. He’s making shots, playing defense, drawing charges and flashing familiar playmaking skills. If Lowry can dig up some more of that old magic in the Finals, he’ll be a handful for Denver. If he can’t, it will be one of the reasons the Nuggets roll.

Nadkarni: Aaron Gordon will be massive this series. Once again he’ll draw the top defensive assignment in Butler. Gordon will have to stay down on pump fakes and stay out of foul trouble, because while Denver’s options aren’t bad after him, they get dicier in trying to slow down Jimmy. Offensively, Spoelstra undoubtedly watched the Lakers ignore Gordon on the perimeter and find stretches of success. If AG can make the Heat pay consistently, he renders that strategy moot. A strong two-way showing from Gordon would go a very long way in securing the victory for Denver.

Overall prediction (and why)

Herring: Give me Denver in six. I’m petrified to pick against Miami after the way things have gone so far. But I think it’s clear that Denver has been the best club all postseason, and that the Nuggets have the best player—one the Heat will be hard-pressed to find an answer for. The Heat players know their roles so well (though throwing Herro back in could confuse things some), but the Nuggets are so fine-tuned at this point to where it’s beginning to look like destiny for them.

Mannix: Denver in six. Much respect to Miami for getting here. And if they steal Game 1, I reserve the right to revise this prediction. But Denver is so good and playing so well. Jokić won’t be fooled by the Heat’s junk defenses and Murray and Michael Porter Jr. won’t go into the kind of offensive funks we saw Boston fall into last round. I’m tempted to take the Nuggets in five, but in deference to this remarkable run, I’m going to grant the Heat a couple of wins. But unless this lengthy layoff short-circuited Denver’s momentum, the Nuggets will take home the title.

Nadkarni: Nuggets in five. I picked Miami in the last two rounds, but the magic runs out here. The league has no answers for Jokić, and the Heat are so thin in the frontcourt. Bam already struggles with this matchup, if he’s in foul trouble for even a game Miami has a major problem. No team has played as well as Denver in the playoffs, and its defense has exceeded expectations. It feels crazy to pick against the Heat, but in many ways, their season is already a massive success. The Nuggets have looked like a contender from Day 1 of the season. They will get the job done. 

On the rooftop of a swanky hotel on the West Side of Manhattan, it’s clear things are about to change for UCF. A spirited group of alumni gathered to meet with coaches of the football and men’s and women’s basketball teams, and AD Terry Mohajir. The Knights are just about to finish their life cycle in the American Athletic conference and start anew in the Big 12. It’s fitting that they’ve taken their show on the road in the city commissioner Brett Yormark calls home.

The final conference matchup against rival USF will come this weekend at the AAC baseball tournament. UCF’s movement has been noticed across its home state as well: In Tallahassee earlier this month, as Florida State saber-rattled over revenue concerns, FSU AD Michael Alford said the fact that UCF will soon draw more revenue than his own school (and Miami) will in their conference media agreement is “not acceptable.”

The Knights are certainly moving up quickly in the college sports world, continuing to draft off their success on the field, like the 2017 claimed national championship in which they capped the year off by beating their current coach, Gus Malzahn, at his former school, Auburn. On the field in the Big 12, Malzahn knows that things are going to be different, especially with road games at Kansas State, Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Cincinnati, plus a nonconference date with Boise State.

“You have to be deep on the offense and defensive lines,” Malzahn said. “We’ll see about how much quality depth we have. But we do have depth right now. But when you move up leagues or whatever levels, it’s about upfront for the most part, have enough depth to withstand the whole season.”

Malzahn said that the new league will help with recruiting, too; ever since he’s been in Orlando, UCF has lost out on players who simply want to play in a Power 5 league. In Malzahn’s first year, UCF beat Florida in a bowl game, going 9–4, and in his second, it made the conference championship game and went 9–5. It will be a geographical outpost in the new league, with the closest conference opponent being a 13-hour drive, and most of the league based in Texas. The Knights plan to use their location as a strength.

“We have some guys on [our coaching] staff that are from Texas,” Malzahn said. “But primarily, we don’t need to leave the state of Florida and Georgia. We’re hanging our hat on Florida all the way to Atlanta. But if we have a special connection with somebody, like a really good connection in Texas, we’ll recruit. Or Arkansas, which I’m from, and Alabama. But for the most part it’s probably going to be 80% from Florida and Georgia.”

A problem the distance poses is the lack of ties that bind. UCF had a short-lived, vibrant rivalry with USF an hour down the road in Tampa called the “War on I-4.” The two teams will pause their rivalry until at least 2028. The only school with any shred of association is Cincinnati, which, like the Knights, has spent the last few years perennially at the top of the conference.

If UCF’s rise seems quick, that’s because it is. The school’s been around since only 1963 and has been an FBS team since only ’96. There is a massive alumni base, as the school has one of the biggest enrollments in the country (more than 68,000), but that base is young, and it will take time for them to accumulate disposable wealth en masse to donate back. So yes, UCF is new money, but, just like the shiny new skyscrapers in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development a few blocks up the street, they do look the part.