Traina Thoughts: Everyone Really Hated the NCAA Tournament Selection Show
1. During these insane political times, we all hear the same sentence over and over every single day: "The country is so divided. The country is so divided. The country is so divided."
For two hours Sunday night, though, the country was not divided. Everyone came together to voice their total displeasure with the new format of the NCAA tournament selection show.
Moving from CBS to TBS for the first time ever, and from New York City to Atlanta, the show's format—announcing the teams in alphabetical order first and brackets second—left viewers irate. The telecast also featured technical glitches that only added fuel to the fire.
The amazing thing about all this is that the event should be nothing but an absolute layup for whichever network airs it: Get on TV, babble for 5-10 minutes with the typical useless analysis and then pump out the brackets. Don't get cute. Don't add bells and whistles. Don't try to spice it up. Just stick to the formula.
Of course, CBS/Turner signed an eight-year, $8.8 billion deal with the NCAA in 2016 to air the tournament, so this means executives have to try to make everything around it "special" instead of just giving fans what they want. The result of that dopey logic is below:
One thing on that last Mike Greenberg tweet: There's no way on earth he tweets that if ESPN ruins a show, so that's a little weak.
2. The Cavs lost to the Lakers last night, but LeBron still put on a show with two ridiculous passes (even though one did not lead to a bucket).
3. It's a good thing the New York City tabloids don't overreact to things.
Call me crazy, but I'm not going to trade one of the best receivers in the game because he smoked a blunt during the offseason. Of course, the pro trade-Odell crowd will cite that he was a "distraction" long before this video was posted on Friday, but it's still a ridiculous overreaction to something that really isn't a big deal.
4. I would love to know what Facebook is paying Tom Brady for his "Tom vs. Time show that airs on the social media platform. The Patriots' QB actually appeared on Good Morning America Monday to promote the series finale.
5. An episode of ABC's Black-ish has reportedly been shelved thanks to "creative differences." The show in question was to feature a debate about players kneeling during the national anthem.
6. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton got a kick out of breaking a press box window with a foul ball on Saturday.
7. RANDOM WRESTLING VIDEO OF THE DAY: Vince McMahon accuses NY Post writer Phil Mushnick of "journalistic stalking." The best part is at the very end when Vince goes from serious lecturer to over-the-top wrestling announcers.
The best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts. And check Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast, "Off The Board," on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher.
IN CLOSING: I've never felt more low as a human being than when I watched the O.J. Simpson interview last night.
