Possibility of no games in 2020 angers MLB players, who go off on commissioner
1. Last week, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said, "unequivocally, we are going to play Major League Baseball this year."
Monday, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said, "I'm not confident. I think there's real risk, and as long as there's no dialogue, that real risk is going to continue."
As soon as Manfred's comments, made to ESPN, became public yesterday, players tweeted and subtweeted about Manfred, the current negotiations and the state of baseball.
There was some solid GIF usage and we tip our caps to those players.
2. I told you in yesterday's Traina Thoughts that ESPN's documentary on Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, Long Gone Summer, was a complete waste of time. Reporter T.J. Quinn, who was one of the talking heads in the doc, posted a lengthy Twitter thread yesterday about steroid and the 1998 season. His thread is exactly what the doc should've been. Click into it and check it out.
3. In reviewing Long Gone Summer, I also said the network would've been better off doing a 30-for-30 on Ken Griffey Jr.
Shortly after my column went up, MLB Network announced that it will air a Ken Griffey Jr. doc this Sunday night at 8pm ET. Why can't all my requests get answered this easily?
4. Who on earth knows if/when we'll get a baseball season again, but this is a good nugget from Sports Business Journal. When the game resumes, TBS's Sunday afternoon game will be gone and the network will most likely air a game on Tuesday night's instead.
5. The latest Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features an interview with Nate Burleson from Good Morning Football and CBS Sports. Burleson talked about the events in the United States since the killing of George Floyd, how he feels about cops, how his grandfather being killed by a cop shaped him as a kid, what he tells his kids about dealing with the police, the Drew Brees controversy, Vic Fangio saying racism isn't a problem in the NFL, whether he was ever uncomfortable in an NFL locker room, and much more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.
6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: In honor of Tuesday...
7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: Eric Davis and Ray Knight got into one of the best baseball fights you'll ever see during a 1986 Reds-Mets game.
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.