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Traina Thoughts: Marlins Twitter Account Gets Super Aggressive During Fight With Rays Twitter Account
1. You don't expect the official Twitter accounts of sports teams to go dark when it comes to humor, but whoever was running the Marlins account on Sunday definitely didn't keep things light during a spat with the Rays' social media team.
Tampa earned a 7-2 win Sunday to complete a series sweep of Miami. However, as most team Twitter accounts do, the Marlins tried to focus on the positive and posted a video Saturday of rightfielder Brian Anderson throwing out a runner at home plate. The Rays' social team seemed to be highly offended by this and went back-and-forth with the Marlins through Sunday when they bragged about sweeping Miami.
Clearly, the Marlins' Twitter person had enough and decided to fire back by connecting the Rays to Steve Irwin's death, which took place in 2006 when he was stabbed in the heart by a stingray.
Forgive the tired cliché, but, holy hell that escalated quickly. Let's hope whoever sent that tweet for the Marlins has today off because clearly he or she needs to chill for a little bit.
UPDATE: And now we have the obligatory apology.
2. More people in the United States listen to Barstool Sports' 32 podcasts than listen to ESPN's 62 podcasts. I know Barstool has its detractors, but that is a remarkable accomplishment when you consider the machine ESPN has behind its podcasts.
3. You win some, you lose some. Indians pitcher Shane Bieber got disrespected by Topps, but shouted by Justin Bieber after improving to 11-4 with a complete-game win against the Angels on Sunday in which he gave up just two runs and five hits while striking out eight.
4. Braves sensation Ronald Acuña Jr. is getting credit for this bat flip after homering Sunday, but it's not really a bat fip. It's more of a celebration and it was tremendous.
5. For about 24 hours, I've been thinking about what I wanted to write about the shootings that took place in our country this weekend. Unlike ESPN, SI has never told me I couldn't write about something or tweet about something. And while I don't want to keep explaining how and why ESPN's "sports only" policy for its employees is so shortsighted and so nonsensical, we saw why it was once again Sunday.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with any of these tweets, just like there was nothing wrong with Dan Le Batard saying "send them back" chants are racist.
I've said this a million times and I'll say it again: Good luck to ESPN and its "sports only" policy in 2020 during an election year.
As for what took place this weekend, there's nothing profound or important that I can add. All I can do is remind everyone that they must vote in 2020. If you don't like what's happening in this country, use the power you have and vote. And if you have a voice, like Philadelphia Union player Alejandro Bedoya, use it.
I'll leave you with two tweets from sports figures that resonated with me over the weekend.
6. The latest SI Media Podcast features two interviews. First up are the radio voices of the Yankees, John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Then, at the 29-minute mark, the senior coordinating producer of Hard Knocks, which begins Tuesday night, joins the podcast to preview the upcoming season.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play.
7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will be in the SI offices Tuesday to tape the SI Media Podcast. In honor of the occasion, let's remember the first time he ever stunned Vince McMahon.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
IN CLOSING: The Yankees are now up to 25 players who have spent time on the Injured List and they are still 72-39 season. You can hate, but you still have to appreciate.
