SI

Can We Have An Honest Conversation About Ballpark Food?

Over-the-top, super messy concoctions have no place at a stadium.

Jimmy Traina

X.com/DarrenRovell

1. I don’t want this to come off as a “get off my lawn” thing. I’m just trying to be realistic here.

What exactly is the point of this?

Outside of being outrageous and getting people to react on social media, this is just dumb.

How many people would actually want to eat a hot dog wrapped in a cheeseburger quesadilla smothered in brisket, French fries, sauces and a bunch of other crap?

More importantly, how many people would actually want to eat this ridiculous and disgusting concoction AT A BALLGAME?

Between the cost, the mess and what it would do to your stomach, you’d have to be a masochist to ingest this while sitting in a baseball stadium for three hours.

Again, I know this is straight “get off my lawn” stuff, but what’s wrong with a hot dog or nachos or some chicken fingers? Or even better, one of those delicious helmet sundaes? Why the need for over-the-top gluttony while at a ballgame? Never understood and never will. And this is coming from a fat person.

2. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast dropped this morning and it features a conversation with NBC play-by-play man Noah Eagle.

Eagle talks about calling the men's and women's Team USA at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, his extensive resume at just 27 years old, getting into the broadcasting business and the sport he hasn't yet called that he would like to call, what it was like to call an NFL playoff game.

Eagle also explains his desire as a kid to become a TV dentist and shares stories about the legendary Bill Raftery, who he has known his entire life.

Following Eagle, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for our weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include the offseason version of Hard Knocks being a must-watch, Major League Baseball embarrassing itself by putting games on Roku and the Home Run Derby. We also pay tribute to Dr. Ruth, Richard Simmons and Shannen Doherty, who all passed away in recent days.

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

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

3. Fox averaged 7.6 million viewers for Tuesday’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, up 6% from the previous year’s game.

That’s a pretty impressive rating for an exhibition game. Just for perspective, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals this year between the Panthers and Oilers averaged 7.7 million viewers.

4. Are you someone who is excited to watch the Paris Olympics when they begin next week? Well, Peacock has decided to take advantage of folks like you. Just in time for the Summer Games comes a price increase.

5. This is a very interesting thread about a possible legal battle brewing between Lamar Jackson and Troy Aikman over trademark issues surrounding both quarterbacks wanting to use some form of “Eight” as a promotional tool.

6. You never know what to expect at a pro wrestling event. On last night’s AEW show Will Ospreay encouraged a young fan to join him in taking some shots at MJF. The 7-year-old girl’s dad seemed pretty thrilled with the moment.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Foo Fighters played at Citi Field in New York on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, the show was cut short after just 14 songs because of a massive rain/thunder/lightning storm. Here’s a clip of the show ending in the middle of "Everlong" (right after the band performed "Learn to Fly"). Such a bummer for those in attendance.

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 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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