John Oliver Goes In on Stephen A. Smith: Traina Thoughts

John Oliver tries to explain Stephen A. Smith to non-sports fans.

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1. "If you’ve never heard Stephen A. Smith talk before, just know this: He tends to be loud, wrong and take pointlessly dramatic pauses."

And with that, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver did his best to explain the First Take host in 40 seconds to non-sports fans watching his show Sunday. 

After showing a clip of the hot-taker using his signature dramatic pause, Oliver apologized for springing Smith on non-sports fans. 

2. The first minute and one half of this rant by ESPN's Dan Orlovsky on the incompetence of NFL referees is very, very good.

I love the #NFL but enough is enough. Owners—@getupespn pic.twitter.com/7wmj51AveL

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 15, 2019

3. Lions defensive lineman Trey Flowers, who was called for two fake hands-to-the-face penalties (while Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari had HIS hands on Flowers's face) that helped Green Bay pull off a tainted win against Detroit last night, was, obviously, completely dejected after the game. This raw postgame interview he gave was painful to watch.

Here’s Trey Flowers talking postgame about the two penalties against him in the Lions loss: pic.twitter.com/TwiuzBYcmP

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 15, 2019

4. Full disclosure: I had no idea Adrian Wojnarowski hosted an NBA show called Woj in the House for a Chinese internet company. But apparently that show, which airs in China, has been canceled because Woj "liked" Daryl Morey's tweet last week in which the Rockets GM showed support for Hong Kong. What a world, what a time.

5. If you read Traina Thoughts on a daily basis, you know that every few days I like to remind you that Good Morning Football is the best morning sports show on TV. This is not hyperbole. This is fact. If you don't watch the show, you are missing out on creative, fun, unique content—like this important PSA from Kyle Brandt about getting high.

6. The man who does the best Mike Francesa parodies imaginable is back with a new video in honor of Columbus Day.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Curb Your Enthusiasm made its HBO debut 19 years ago today. In that first episode, "The Pants Tent," Larry had issues with a misunderstanding surrounding a fake erection and the show was off to the races in becoming one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.

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.