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Wyndham Clark, Mike Tirico, NBC Come Out As Winners at the U.S. Open

Hostile New York crowd created the opportunity for compelling television.
Jimmy Traina|
Wyndham Clark perfectly handled Mike Tirico’s question about the hostile U.S. Open crowd.
Wyndham Clark perfectly handled Mike Tirico’s question about the hostile U.S. Open crowd. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

1. New Yorkers were not kind to Wyndham Clark on Sunday while he was winning his second U.S. Open. In addition to already not liking Clark, fans wanted to see Scottie Scheffler complete the career grand slam.

Those in attendance were not shy about being vocal and letting Clark know they did not want him to win the major.

Three things struck me about this entire scene.

First, Mike Tirico showed how good he is at his job by the way he worded his question to Clark during the post-match interview. Instead of saying, “What did it feel like to get jeered by the crowd,” Tirico asked, “Where did you find the toughness and focus, even though you didn’t have the momentum behind you with a lot of the crowd cheers, to kind of still persevere and keep your focus and keep getting it done?” Tirico’s question led to Clark saying, “New York didn’t really like me. I love you guys. But, you know, I get it.”

Second, I don’t know how you couldn’t have been impressed by how Clark handled the crowd rooting against him. He was excellent in his interview with Tirico. He was even better in his post-match press conference.

Lastly, despite the crowd being anti-Clark, NBC couldn’t have gotten a better moment than Clark being surprised by his dad on the 18th green on Father’s Day.

2. Sports Business Journal reports that Rece Davis will join ESPN’s Wimbledon coverage as a studio host. This is a smart move by ESPN. Davis is one of those people on sports television who automatically elevates an event and gives a “big game” (or in this case, “big match”) feel.

3. There wasn’t a bigger story on social media last week than First Take contributor Vince Goodwill saying the Larry O’Brien Trophy was a “participation trophy.” Yet, I’m supposed to believe that Stephen A. Smith, who IS First Take, didn’t know that Goodwill made those comments? Something ain’t right here.

4. I’ve seen so many people on social media ripping this Phillies fan who, after catching a home run ball, threw one he had brought with him into the stadium back onto the field.

Personally, I think it’s a genius plan because this way he gets to keep the real souvenir.

5. Good stuff here from Tom Brady on being drafted so late and his infamous combine photo.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ABC/ESPN’s lead NBA play-by-play voice Mike Breen.

The voice of the Knicks talks about what it was like to call the closing seconds of New York’s title win in Game 5, where this NBA Finals ranks in his career as a broadcaster and where the OG Anunoby tip-in and 29-point comeback in Game 4 ranks in terms of games he’s called.

In addition, Breen talks about working his first NBA Finals with Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler, what it was like to have Inside the NBA as the pregame, halftime and postgame show for the first time, whether he would have gone with a triple “BANG!” if Jalen Brunson’s three-pointer had gone in at the end of Game 4, Monica McNutt nailing her closing comments after Game 5 on the radio side, his nightmarish travel excursion from San Antonio to New York after Game 5 and much more.

Following Breen, Sal Licata from SNY TV and The Sal Licata Show joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Sal breaks down his trip to San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals and what it was like to watch the Knicks win a championship in person.

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: Happy 73rd birthday to Cyndi Lauper. To this day, it’s still shocking that one of the most popular pop stars at the time got involved in one of the most memorable WWE angles 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 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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