Getty Images
Traina Thoughts: You Won't Believe the Latest National Anthem Controversy in Sports
1. Who's up for another national anthem controversy? Well, this one isn't so much a controversy as it is a wacky story about a bizarre person.
See the sign on the top of this story? You've all seen it many times throughout your lives whenever you enter a stadium or arena for a concert, ball game or any other type of show or major event.
However, because our country is so messed up right now and we live in insane times, said sign has become a big issue for one "singer."
Apparently, someone named Alishia Wolcott refused to sing the national anthem at a Reno Aces (Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate) game this week because she was not allowed to bring her gun into the stadium.
In a long diatribe on Twitter, Wolcott said "I WILL NOT sing our National Anthem at a place that seeks to strip me of my second amendment rights!!!"
Of course, no one has stripped her of her second amendment rights and she still has the right to bear arms, but, this is the Age of Trump, so why bother with facts? Plus, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of stadiums and arenas, if not all, ban guns and weapons, for this to now be an issue for her seems highly suspicious.
So, to recap, a "singer" with 13 Twitter followers at this moment did not perform the national anthem at a baseball game because the stadium would not let her have a gun on her during the game.
Welcome to America in 2018.
2. The latest SI Media Podcast features interviews with ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy and Something To Wrestle With podcast host, Conrad Thompson. The conversation with Van Gundy touched on just about everything: why he thinks tanking is a scandal, not strategy; why the Western Conference Finals are the NBA Finals; why he doesn't like comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan; what LeBron doesn't get enough credit for; how whining in the NBA became an epidemic; why replay is awful for all sport;, being tired of senior dance crews; his hatred for people who shoot T-shirts into the crowd; whether he'd ever coach the Knicks again; why it's so hard to rebuild in the NBA; once calling Phil Jackson "Big Chief Triangle"; working with Marv Albert and Mike Breen; what he learned as an announcer after being a head coach; the time he stopped paying attention to a game so he could talk about Rihanna (and how he makes no apologies for it!); whether he's ever heard from ESPN or the NBA about something he said on air that they didn't like; what he said to a ref to get his only career ejection; his infamous leg grab during a Knicks-Heat fight; feuding with Howard Stern; and more.
Thompson joins the show at the 52-minute mark to give all the details on his wildly popular podcast joining the WWE Network. You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes. Please don't forget to subscribe.
3. Mets broadcaster, new Twitter user and "Seinfeld" star, Keith Hernandez said the following on a local radio show Friday morning about his commute from Citi Field to his home in Sag Harbor on the east end of Long Island: "To be quite honest with you, the Suffolk County police who patrol the Long Island LIE, they know my car and I've been known to go 80 all the way home, which means I get home in an hour and 10 minutes."
A quick Google maps investigation shows that's 93.6 miles from Citi Field in Queens to Sag Harbor should take 1 hour and 57 minutes. It's good to be Keith Hernandez.
4. Here are your NBA first-round playoff odds. Heat +380 might be the best value on the board.
San Antonio Spurs: +700
Golden State Warriors: -1100
Washington Wizards: +475
Toronto Raptors: -650
Miami Heat: +380
Philadelphia 76ers: -475
New Orleans Pelicans: +175
Portland Trail Blazers: -210
Milwaukee Bucks: +145
Boston Celtics: -165
Indiana Pacers: +510
Cleveland Cavaliers: -720
Utah Jazz: +120
Oklahoma City Thunder: -140
Minnesota Timberwolves: +1500
Houston Rockets: -3000
5. The NBA has released a 15-minute YouTube video of the best mic'd up moments from the regular season.
6. He can run, too.
7. Is Rusev gone from the WWE? Is this whole thing a work or a shoot? So many questions, not enough answers.
8. RANDOM WRESTLING VIDEO OF THE DAY: After today, I'm going to put the Random Wrestling Video of the Day on hiatus and do something different in this spot. It will definitely come back some time down the road. But since this will be the last one for a while, of course, I need to post something with The Rock, so here is my all-time favorite Rock backstage interview.
[youtube:https://youtu.be/mW6Kv9dFRDo]
Traina Thoughts is 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 right here. And make sure to listen to and subscribe to the SI Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina.
IN CLOSING: Early prediction: the Rockets will win the NBA title.
