1. ESPN's Bob Ley retired in 2019 after taking a sabbatical in 2018 after 40 years with the company. The landscape of sports media has undergone massive changes since Ley stepped away from SportsCenter, Outside the Lines and being one of the faces of the World Wide Leader.
Ley shared his thoughts on many of those changes as well as his memory of longtime ESPN colleague Chris Mortensen, who passed alway last week, on the most recent episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina.
Ley talks about whether he got out of the industry at the right time, why it was a no-brainer for ESPN to get in business with Pat McAfee and how Stephen A. Smith is able to get away with venturing far out of the sports world.
Ley also explains why one of the first things he did after retiring from ESPN was cutting the cord, shares which recent stories he would've liked to cover and how he keeps up with sports news in retirement.
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 Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.
2. Do we have a gambling scandal on our hands?
On Thursday, the line for the UAB-Temple game was UAB -1.5. During the day, the line jumped to UAB -8. When the game tipped off, the line was UAB -7. UAB ended up covering easy, blowing out Temple 100-72.
The only way a line moves that much in one day is if there is an injury or suspension, but, my colleague Pat Forde, who has the full story on this controversy, noted that there were no such things for Temple.
I don't know enough—or anything, to be honest—about either team, but it also seems odd to me that UAB would've been 1.5-point favorites to begin with when UAB was 18-11 going into the game and Temple was 11-18.
Of note:
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 8, 2024
There were no late-breaking injuries or suspensions that could affect a line as much as this one was.
@2ndChancePoints noted the unusual line shift leading up to the game.
This is why conferences hire firms like U.S. Integrity.
Before UAB/Temple tipped... @2ndChancePoints sniffed out the the unusual line move and discussed it with me & @meJVT on @VSiNLive Primetime
— Tim Murray (@1TimMurray) March 8, 2024
"It's weird to see it a second time with Temple..."
UAB beat Temple, 100-72 https://t.co/xY8uv1PCdB pic.twitter.com/5cmoQVr7ui
3. Speaking of gambling, I owe a big apology to ESPN play-by-player Tom Hart.
In Thursday's Traina Thoughts, I posted this clip about a wild gambling moment in Thursday's Tennessee-South Carolina game and wrote, "I also have to point out that ESPN play-by-player Tom Hart did a bad job here by saying, 'the follow slam means nothing.' Oh, it meant a lot, Tom. A LOT."
South Carolina +5.5 bad beat of the year candidate 😭 pic.twitter.com/XJkpIID4oY
— br_betting (@br_betting) March 7, 2024
Hart emailed me to defend himself and let me know that the clip posted online cut off before he finished his call. The full call from Hart was, "It means nothing for the final outcome, but it is important for some."
I besmirched Hart on two fronts here. I knocked him for acting like the betting line didn't matter and didn't give him credit for actually slyly addressing the betting line.
Terrible job by me, especially since I enjoy Hart's work on the SEC Network during the college football season.
Random take: A very underrated crew that’s always a good listen is Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic on SEC Network.
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) August 10, 2022
4. I truly hope Saints wideout Michael Thomas doesn't end up getting cut by the team because he will look like a complete fool after tweeting these things about The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com columnist Jeff Duncan.
Jeff Duncan is a hoe. Trying to stay relevant so let’s speak on it. The Saints leak information to him to try to ruin players value but see I’m not broke so I can speak on it. He is broke so he need clicks. Go look at all his articles that never end up being true.
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) March 7, 2024
look like he take them salt things
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) March 7, 2024
5. I'm gonna predict this doesn't end well.
NEW: The Miami Marlins are allowing flags, drums, and all musical instruments into games this season.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) March 7, 2024
Pots and pans are not permitted though. pic.twitter.com/1kqHJqfHef
6. I honestly don't understand why one human being would watch this, but I'm sure it will be huge.
JAKE PAUL VS. MIKE TYSON
— Netflix (@netflix) March 7, 2024
LIVE on Netflix #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/WW6Wi3bKM9
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: In honor of Bob Ley's appearance on this week's SI Media Podcast, let's remember the time Ley had to read Jay-Z lyrics on SportsCenter.
And now with the music.
