Ric Flair Cuts Harsh Promo on ESPN Reporter Over LeBron James Take
1. Sports reporter and SI Media Podcast regular, Andrew Marchand, likes to regularly tweet #EWTCSM, which stands for Everyone Wants To Cover Sports Media, whenever someone from outside the sports media world jumps in with a strong sports media take.
So I'm going to steal Marchand's schtick today because we had a very notable case of #EWTCSM on Sunday.
After LeBron James ended the regular season with a 28-point, 11-rebound, 17-assist effort in a win against the Pelicans, wrestling legend Ric Flair was FIRED UP. Now, if you're a wrestling fan, you know that once the "Nature Boy" gets rolling, he can cut a promo better than anybody.
It seems that LeBron's masterful performance triggered Flair to go after ESPN's Alan Hahn for calling James "an old man" last year.
Before we go any further, I have to point out one thing. How great is it that Flair ends his tweet with his signature "WOOOOO" line? It just works so well on a tweet like that, especially.
The bottom line, though, is this is a huge win for Hahn. First off, getting called out by Ric Flair is nothing but cool. Even if Flair is calling you an "SOB," it's still cool to get the "Nature Boy" that riled up and make him care that much about you and your opinion.
Secondly, Flair going after Hahn gave Get Up good fodder for its Monday show, where Hahn went right back at Flair.
At first, I was a little taken aback by Hahn being so aggressive toward Flair, but clearly this was all a set up for Flair to appear on Hahn's radio show.
In wrestling parlance, this started as a shoot, but then got turned into a work. And Hahn was the winner.
2. Since we were talking about LeBron in the lead item, we should expand on what he did Sunday. The LeBron vs. Jordan debate is as inane as it gets. However, this graphic that compares what they both did at age 39 is eye-opening.
And here's some more of what LeBron accomplished at 39 years old.
3. Verne Lundquist had quite a sign off from his 40th and final Masters on Sunday. After Jim Nantz saluted Lundquist with some thoughtful and caring words, a choked up Lundquist kept it simple, saying, "Thank you so much, Jim. It's my honor. My privilege."
4. ESPN's Buster Olney gave us some A+ reporting on Sunday Night Baseball. After a Dodgers fan caught a home run ball from San Diego's Manny Machando and then promptly threw it back on the field. However, the fan tried to pull a fast one, and threw back a different ball, while keeping the home run souvenir. After the ESPN cameras busted the fan, Olney went into the stands to interrogate him.
5. Max Homa finished the Masters tied for third at four under par. But he finished first when it came to giving a tournament quote.
6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with author and reporter, Jim Miller regarding ESPN parting ways with senior vice president, Norby Williamson.
Williamson, who was at ESPN for 40 years, has been called out a couple of times by Pat McAfee for being "a rat" and leaking negative stories. Miller explains why ESPN cut ties with Williamson, shares his thoughts on the McAfee-Williamson feud and discusses reaction to Williamson's dismissal.
Miller also talks about the possibility of ESPN buying the NFL Network, the challenges facing ESPN today and more.
You can listen to the podcast by clicking into the tweet below or by visiting Apple and Spotify.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: The big story on Monday morning was that CBS aired a taped Billy Joel concert on Sunday night and then cut it off and ended it right in the middle of "Piano Man" to go to local news. This might be the most confusing ending to a show since The Sopranos.
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 Twitter,Instagram and TikTok.
