George Steinbrenner on David Letterman Shows How Wild Things Were in the ‘80s

1. During a conversation that I had Tuesday with Tony Reali for this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina (out tomorrow), we talked about how much we love seeing a video in our Instagram and TikTok feeds from a moment we either forgot about or never knew about.

A perfect example of this is when I was recently scrolling through TikTok and caught a clip of George Steinbrenner talking about Rickey Henderson on David Letterman’s old NBC show.

Here’s what’s notable about this clip:

Old-school, 12:30 a.m. Letterman was the best.
Owners do not just randomly go on talk shows anymore.
An owner would NEVER go on a show and say “they’re not all mental giants” when talking about his players.
Imagine what the reaction would be in 2026 if a player (Henderson) missed a game because he didn’t know a two-day strike had ended.

This clip is just another reason among millions why the 1980s were the best. Here is Steinbrenner’s full appearance on Letterman, which includes Dave trying to get George to call Billy Martin to tell him he’s fired.

2. Everyone on social media has been going crazy about this segment that aired during last night’s MLB All-Star Game. I watched it and thought it was three minutes too long, but that’s just me.

Trading cards
Playing catch
Meeting your idols

This is so much more than a game. This is baseball ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HsoXKBRQtL
— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2026

3. The trailer for I Play Rocky came out today. The movie, which is set to be released in November, is about Sylvester Stallone’s mission to get Rocky made with him starring in it. This looks like a first-nighter in the theaters. The actor who plays Stallone, Anthony Ippolito, looks like he has an Oscar nomination in his future.

4. Caitlin Clark delivered again. Sunday’s Fever-Aces game on NBC drew 2.64 million. It was the most watched WNBA regular season game since 1998.

5. For someone who loves to complain about how much I hate the marriage between sports and streaming, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand delivered a gift to me on Tuesday.

Fandango? The app where I buy movie tickets? Fandango? Really?

⚽️🇩🇪📺🎟️NEWS: Germany's Bundesliga's US rights are moving from ESPN to USA Network & Fandango, The Athletic has learned.

What are the financials and the changing landscape of live sports rights. (w/@SebSB)https://t.co/OuZf3BHX9b
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 14, 2026

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina, which comes out early tomorrow, features an outstanding conversation with Tony Reali.

To hold you over until Thursday, catch up on any recent episodes you may have missed.

Last week’s show was an all-Mailbag edition.

Two weeks ago, Rich Eisen joined SI Media With Jimmy Traina.

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 75th birthday to Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

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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