SI

A Tree Falling Into His House Wouldn’t Stop This Paul Finebaum Caller

Dealing with a tree in your bedroom can wait when you have a burning question about LSU football.
Jimmy Traina|
A Paul Finebaum caller wasn’t going to let anything stop him from talking to the ESPN host.
A Paul Finebaum caller wasn’t going to let anything stop him from talking to the ESPN host. | ESPN

1. Sports talk radio isn’t what it used to be thanks to competition from podcasts, YouTube and a million other platforms.

But if you’re an old school sports talk radio person like I am, you know there is something special about the medium. It’s live, unedited and there’s always potential for some bats--- crazy moment when a host goes to a caller.

Case in point would be Tuesday’s Paul Finebaum Show. No one could’ve been prepared for what Vance in Georgia was about to say.

“Hey, Paul,” said Vance. “This is an interesting call. About two minutes ago, a tree fell through my bedroom. And I’m a little bit in shock, I guess. I’m in another part of the home, but I heard, and of course, felt this noise.”

Finebaum then questioned Vance’s decision to say on the line instead of dealing with the catastrophe, but the caller would not be deterred.

“I don’t know what else the hell to do,” Vance explained. “Didn’t hurt either one of my dogs. I’m like, well there’s nothing I can do right this second. That’s why I didn’t hang up the phone and panic. So, my point is, didn’t LSU last year, you know these facts and I don’t, didn’t they have the largest portal class or one of the biggest ones coming in?”

This was sports talk radio at its finest.

2. In a very interesting twist, the early NFL game on Sunday outdrew the late game in viewership.

Patriots-Broncos drew 48.6 million viewers for CBS.

Rams-Seahawks managed 46 million viewers for Fox.

In last year’s conference championship games, Commanders-Eagles drew 44.2 million viewers in the early window for Fox and Chiefs-Bills pulled in a massive 57.4 million viewers.

Couple of notes: Half the country being snowed in did not give the ratings a bump, which is surprising. My guess is with the storm being so severe, people may have been busy shoveling and dealing with stuff at home in addition to watching the news for weather updates.

Secondly, people can say they hate the Chiefs and are tired of the Chiefs, but that’s not how the fringe NFL fan feels. So, no Patrick Mahomes, no Travis Kelce and no Travis Kelce’s fiancée, along with no Josh Allen, was a major problem for the NFL this past weekend.

3. I’m not a UFC watcher or follower. To use a line from the great Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, if there was a UFC fight in my backyard, I’d draw the blinds.

But I want to praise Dana White for one thing. Nobody associated with sports will ever admit that money rules everything. So it was refreshing to hear White’s honesty when he was asked about Paramount+ having a lot of commercials during an event over the weekend.

“It’s $8.99,” White told Front Office Sports. “These guys have got to make some money, too,” he said about Paramount.

You may not like that answer, but at least it’s an honest one, which is a rarity in the sports media world.

4. Solid 24-hour run for ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.

On Tuesday, he bragged about his playing skills, which will be on display at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

On Wednesday morning, he broke the news that Giannis will likely be traded.

5. I’m not from Chicago and I’m not a Bulls fan, but I don’t understand how Derrick Rose can be bigger than the greatest player in NBA history. These are all just whacked out statements.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.

Van Pelt talks about whether he will be moving into ESPN’s 5 p.m. slot that used to be occupied by Around the Horn, the pros and cons of that time slot and how close his former partner, Ryen Russillo, came to returning to ESPN and joining him for a new show.

In addition, Van Pelt talks about the controversy involving Jacksonville reporter Lynn Jones complimenting Liam Coen during a press conference, going through a health scare years ago, his addiction to Diet Coke, his favorite Bad Beat of 2025, Super Bowl betting and much more.

Following Van Pelt, SNY's Sal Licata joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss dealing with the cold weather, reactions to my recent podcast interviews with Mike Tirico and Laura Rutledge, the problem with NFL television rules analysts, the NFL conference championship games and Sal’s new show.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Eight Super Bowl wins (six as head coach, two as defensive coordinator) and can make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich. How does Bill Belichick not make the Hall of Fame?

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 Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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