1. One of the big reasons networks like to air live sports is because they can use the platform to push their other shows that nobody cares about.
Who can forget all the years Fox used to stuff the stars of their little-watched shows into ballparks and then show them on camera during the game and have Joe Buck act all excited that a D-list celebrity actually attended an MLB playoff game.
Over the years, though, promos for other shows have gotten more complex and high-tech. And networks have gone out of their way to blur the line between what’s a commercial and what is the actual broadcast.
TBS tried this stunt Tuesday night during the Guardians-Yankees game with a truly ridiculous promo for some HBO Max show. (TBS and HBO are both part of the new Warner Brothers Discovery network group.)
What made this particular promo so off-putting is that Bob Costas, handling play-by-play, and Lauren Shehadi, handling sideline duties, were forced to participate in the cringe.
Costas started the nonsense by saying, “We weren’t sure this game was going to be played tonight.” This was a particularly confusing statement for any viewer in New York, because we had picture-perfect weather here Tuesday. But then Costas threw it to Shehadi, and the cringe went to another level.
Shehadi reported that some dragon, which looked like a bird, was gonna breathe fire on the fans and then went into a plug for the show.
I actually felt bad for Costas and Shehadi after watching that.
The awkwardness didn’t end with the promo, though. Costas put the cherry on top of the sundae by explaining to people that the dragon was not real. Good grief, what a trainwreck!
2. Brian Anderson’s call of Yordan Alvarez’s stunning game-winning three-run home run that gave Houston a 7–6 comeback win against Seattle was excellent.
And here’s the call from Astros’ local radio broadcast.
3. We were also treated to another memorable playoff home run call Tuesday. Here is the Voice of the New York Yankees, John Sterling, doing his thing on Harrison Bader’s first dinger as a Bronx Bomber, complete with singing.
4. Get ready to see more Charles Barkley across the Warner Brothers Discovery platforms. The outspoken Inside the NBA host has a new contract.
5. What a time to be alive. If you were on social media Sunday, you surely saw the video of Giants player Darnay Holmes having quite a moment on the sidelines. Now, Holmes is taking advantage of his viral moment.
6. This week’s SI Media Podcast features an outstanding conversation with combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.
The longtime MMA reporter, who also covers professional wrestling and boxing, explained how he’s carved out a successful sports media career after leaving ESPN, the challenges he faced covering MMA while working at Fox and ESPN, why he ended up leaving ESPN, his tumultuous relationship with Dana White, the art of interviewing WWE superstars, what he tries to get out of interviews and much more.
Following Helwani, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for the weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week Sal talks about going viral after declaring that the Mets had the NL East wrapped up in June, I reveal my favorite story of the day, and we give out our weekly NFL best bet.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: This is just an amazing piece of work by this TikToker.
