1. Sports fans want two things. First and foremost, they want to see their teams win. When a team isn’t winning, all a sports fan wants is hope.
Hope was on full display in a San Antonio bar Tuesday when the Spurs won the draft lottery, which means phenom Victor Wembanyama.
I’m not sure the Spurs’ winning an NBA title would get this reaction. Everything about this video is perfect. The buildup, the tension, the payoff.
SPURS WIN
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) May 17, 2023
SPURS WIN
PANDEMONIUM
BIENVENUE A SAN ANTONIO VICTOR WEMBANYAMA pic.twitter.com/demSoxfTfn
There's another reason why those Spurs fans lost their minds when their team won the rights to Wembanyama. The bar, The Roo Pub, promised to pick up everyone's tab if San Antonio won the lottery.
This is at The Roo Pub in San Antonio. They said they’d cover every open tab in the packed bar if the Spurs got the top pick.
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) May 17, 2023
The reaction was priceless, and something I’ll remember for the rest of my days.https://t.co/LcD8PXkqn1
The only thing better than hope for a sports fan is hope and free booze.
2. You probably know by now that The Pat McAfee Show is headed to ESPN beginning this fall. If you didn’t watch McAfee’s official announcement, you should, because it’s better than pretty much anything you see on sports TV. Just so well done.
Hello beautiful people...
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 16, 2023
We appreciate and love you all.. together we've truly changed the game.
🗣🗣 #UpToSomethingSZN UPDATE: pic.twitter.com/Yv8SpyNH0E
3. Just 24 hours after cheating accusations were flying about Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, he made the Blue Jays pay by not only hitting a monster go-ahead home run but also by breaking their maple leaf.
Aaron Judge is literally doing damage. pic.twitter.com/mPrcPJDkDh
— MLB (@MLB) May 17, 2023
4. If you’ve ever wanted to hear Stephen A. Smith talk about getting into an argument with a former girlfriend, but then getting tempted by her “voluptuous” figure while he tries to break down what lust is, you’re in luck because he did that on the latest episode of his Know Mercy podcast.
Trying out a new segment…dating advice from Stephen A. pic.twitter.com/q1rJTf7BJZ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 16, 2023
5. I covered all your questions about the NFL putting a wild-card playoff game exclusively on Peacock in this week’s SI Media Mailbag. I also answered your questions about ESPN vs. TNT when it comes to NBA studio shows, sports-talk radio, The Sopranos and more. Check it out here.
6. This week's SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ABC-ESPN lead NBA play-by-play man Mike Breen.
Breen, who is about to call his 18th NBA Finals, talks about how wide open this year’s playoffs have been, his longtime partnership with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, and the impressive depth of NBA broadcasters across the networks.
Breen also discusses what his relationship is like with LeBron James and James’s still going strong at 38 years old, whether he ever thinks about giving up calling Knicks games, his signature “BANG!” and “WAY OFF” calls, how he used to hook up Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden and much more.
Following Breen, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Sal explains the disaster he had to deal with while trying to watch a Knicks playoff game. We also read recent Apple reviews listeners left for SI Media With Jimmy Traina.
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.
