Watch Stephen A. Smith battle Stephen A. Smith over Kevin Durant
1. I really, really, really wanted to write about the surreal day that took place at Citi Field on Thursday, with video of GM Brodie Van Wagenen bashing Rob Manfred for protest idea that mistakenly went out to the world on the Mets website; then Van Wagenen’s apology, saying Manfred wasn’t the person behind the idea, it was actually Mets owner Jeff Wilpon; then Wilpon’s release blasting Van Wagenen and spelling his first name wrong twice in said release.
However, my colleague Dan Gartland did an excellent summary of the absurd events in Friday’s Hot Clicks, so I’m going in a totally different direction as we end the the work week.
It’s been a long week, to say the least. If you’d like a quick reprieve from serious and important issues and would like to laugh for just two minutes, allow me to help.
This video of Stephen A. Smith arguing with Stephen A. Smith was uploaded to YouTube last November, but I totally missed it. I saw it for the first time this morning and could not stop laughing.
2. TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy has been on Twitter since only July, but he has made up for lost time by going pedal to the metal ever since. Thursday, he provided us with one of his best and most dead-on tweets about all the disingenuous people who act like they care about what is going on in China, when in reality, they just use it as a weapon for a Twitter argument.
On a side note, Stan’s brother, Jeff, was on the SI Media Podcast a few weeks ago. Stan’s presence in the Twitter world, and Jeff’s vow to never join, was a big topic of discussion.
3. Speaking of Twitter, one thing everyone may agree on is that we need more of Bo Jackson tweeting his own highlights with commentary.
4. This is awesome.
5. A new SI Media Podcast came out Wednesday afternoon, and it features two guests. First up is Sports Business Journal NFL reporter Ben Fischer. Fischer talks about what the league is going through in terms of having fans in stadiums this season, what ABC/Disney will do when it possibly lands two television packages in the new TV deal, what it would take to shut down the NFL season, and more.
Following Fischer, ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson joins the podcast. Jefferson discusses what bubble life is like for the players, shares insight into LeBron James’s personality, talks about transitioning from player to media, and more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.
6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Remember the twins who went viral a couple of weeks ago when they reacted to hearing Phil Collins’s In the Air Tonight?
They recently listened to Whitney Houston’s all-time rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner from Super Bowl XXV and, once again, their reactions are fantastic.
7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Dan Marino fake spike is always fun to watch periodically.
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.
