Traina Thoughts: It's Been 11 Years Since Tony Soprano Was Killed In A New Jersey Diner
1. It’s a summer Friday, things are fairly quiet on the sports media front and the NBA Finals will go out with a whimper tonight, so I’m going to lead today’s Traina Thoughts with something that has nothing to do with sports, but still needs to be recognized because it was seminal moment in television history.
This Sunday, June 10, marks the 11th anniversary of Anthony John Soprano’s death.
All Tony wanted to do was enjoy some onion rings with his family, but some lowlife in a Member’s Only jacket had other ideas.
In case you’re still on the fence about whether Tony was murdered in that final scene of the final episode of the historic HBO series, this masterpiece tells you everything you need to know.
If reading isn't your thing, this YouTube video explains everything that happened in that iconic last scene.
On a side note, there are many things I wish Twitter was around for when they happened -- the O.J. Simpson car chase, Tonya Harding's "team" taking out Nancy Kerrigan, etc. The final seconds of "The Sopranos," when the screen went to black and nobody knew what the hell was going on, might be at the very top of my list. It also would've been fun to see everyone have fun mocking Meadow for being a pathetic parallel parker.
2. Terrell Owens announced Thursday that he would not attend his Hall of Fame induction later this summer. Owens has been vocal in the past about being snubbed by voters the first two years he was eligible because they relied on personal feelings and not just football production. Naturally, after Owens said he was going to pass on being in Canton, Gary Myers of the "New York Daily News" totally embarrassed himself by completely proving Owens' point that writers vote based on how they feel about a player and not just what they did on the field by saying he wouldn't have voted the former Niners and Cowboys receiver in if he knew Owens wouldn't show up for the ceremony.
3. In case you missed it this week, the best thing going in social media today is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Twitter account, so if you’re not following, you might want to change that.
4. "Jimmy Kimmel Live's" Guillermo attended Media Day at the NBA Finals earlier this week and players did not seem amused by his questions and stunts -- except for Swaggy P, of course.
5. Alex Ovechkin just casually carried the Stanley Cup around Vegas' MGM hotel in the wee hours of the morning today.
6. This week's SI Media Podcast features a roundtable discussion with Austin Karp of "Sports Business Journal" and Mike McCarthy of the "Sporting News." Topics include what ABC/ESPN wants for the NBA Finals next season, how the latest round of national anthem controversy will impact the NFL and its broadcast partners, whether ESPN made a mistake in expanding Keith Olbermann’s role, the future of “Get Up,” what is going on with FS1’s daytime shows, future sports gambling shows, the debut of “High Noon” and much more.
7. RANDOM SACHA BARON COEHN VIDEO OF THE DAY: Borat appeared on the "Today Show" in 2006, where Matt Lauer literally turned to Bill O'Reilly for help in getting the character to tone things down. Imagine that.
Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here.And make sure to listen to and subscribe to the SI Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina.
IN CLOSING: There are 90 days left the NFL season opens up on Thursday, Sept. 6 with the Falcons visiting the Eagles.
