Traina Thoughts: Chris Berman Is Very Aware of All the Criticism He Gets

ESPN legend Chris Berman has a message for his critics.

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1. Chris Berman is one of those sports broadcasters you either love or hate. There doesn't seem to be much in between. The longtime face of ESPN is well aware of his critics and the various criticisms from his detractions. On the latest SI Media Podcast I asked Berman how he feels about the strong reaction he generates from people who are not fans.

"I don’t poo-poo it, but as long as any of us do the job to the best of our ability. When a critic -- and there weren’t very many -- said 'boy he’s unprepared.' Whoa, whoa, whoa, woooaahhh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 'I don’t like the nicknames.' Fine. 'He’s too loud.' Fine. 'He makes it about himself.' False, but if you want to write that, fine. But you didn’t see me in the '80s and the '90s every night to know that I’m at least true to myself. It’s like if you met me on the street, [and] probably on the air, it’d sound like we’ve been for the last 40 minutes. So I’m not smart enough to be an actor. But if everyone says, 'he’s unprepared, he’s out of touch' – do you know who I talk to during the week? Don’t be writing that. And there hasn’t been a lot of that. People are smart enough for that." 

Berman had more to say about his critics. He also discussed why he'd never join Twitter, the legacy of NFL PrimeTime, whether he wants to get back into hosting an NFL show again, whether he'd ever leave ESPN to join another network and much more. You can listen to the full interview below or download it on iTunes

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2. This is a good tweet by J.J. Watt. Side note: Does Watt look bigger than ever? Good grief.

3. It's always the simplest of ideas that make for the best videos as proven here in this clip of Lions players trying to guess random items by touching them without seeing them.

"I don't like this game" 😂

Can the #Lions guess what's in the box? https://t.co/UKmWtrrmK3

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 12, 2018

4. Definitely rooting for Astros third baseman Alex Bregman to win the Home Run Derby after hearing his mind-blowing strategy for winning the event.

Alex Bregman (@ABREG_1) on the unique strategy he'll use in an effort to win the Home Run Derby: "My key is going to be to hit the homers a little bit lower than the other guys, so it lands sooner, so I don't have as much time to wait in between swings." pic.twitter.com/MC9B5HJMzN

— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) July 12, 2018

5. If you miss Jeff Fisher's mediocrity, you will get a taste of it for one week during the 2018 NFL season. 

Jeff Fisher will be the analyst for the Jets-Jags game on Sept. 30. Beyond that, he might do a little more, but likely nothing big. https://t.co/s0XGq7i7WJ via @nypostsports

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 12, 2018

6. To say this Phoenix meterologist struggled to do her report during a monsoon earlier this week would be a gross understatement. 

7. RANDOM "DUETS" VIDEO OF THE DAY: Rihanna helps Bon Jovi do the honors on "Livin' On a Prayer."

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: With all due respect to Wimbledon, the World Cup an MLB, this weekend is about one thing and one thing only: Sacha Baron Cohen's return to TV Sunday night on Showtime. LET'S GO!