SI

Traina Thoughts: The Greatest Show on Earth Is Back and People Can't Get Enough

ESPN sets preseason ratings record thanks to LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors.

Jimmy Traina

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1. The excitement generated by Golden State and the interest in seeing LeBron James in purple and gold paid off big time for ESPN on Wednesday night.

The Warriors-Lakers game from Las Vegas generated the highest rating ever for an ESPN preseason contest.

The people who watched the game got their money's worth too, with the Greatest Show on Earth putting up 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in only one half of playing time, while doing this:

And this:

Everyone has Lakers fever, which will be good business for a lot of entities.

2. WWE superstar John Cena, who just released a children's picture book titled Elbow Grease, came to the podcast studio and was kind enough to give me 90 minutes for the newest SI Media Podcast. We covered much ground, but the highlight had to be our lengthy discussion about whether John Cena is and should be on dating sites, which begins at the 37:30 mark. Here is a full rundown of the podcast, which was a mix of interview and therapy session. 

6:50: His status with WWE.

9:03: His reputation for holding other talent back.

11:10: How being 41 years old has affected his wrestling career.

15:25: Did he have to convince Vince McMahon to let him be a part timer?

16:15: His heated promos with Roman Reigns.

18:15:  Why Roman Reigns has it tough.

22:50: Being “tremendously” misunderstood.

24:09: His new hair do.

25:14: Being insecure about his looks and dealing with criticism

27:00: If he does his own social media and the philosophy behind his unique Instagram account.

35:00: His Total Divas character.

37:30: Can and should John Cena be on dating sites?

45:05: His tireless and historic work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

49:50: His favorite sports teams.

51:30: Dealing with fans in public.

55:12: Recently losing 20 pounds; what he eats each day.

59:11: Feelings on his WrestleMania match with The Undertaker and sitting with fans for most of the show.

1:02: What The Miz does so well and the Miz imitating Cena on Total Divas

1:06 What gets a wrestler “heat” in the locker room?

1:09: Can John Cena go into a bar and have a drink?

1:17: Have I slacked in pursuing an interview with The Rock?

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes. If you enjoy the interview, PLEASE subscribe and leave a review. It's tremendously helpful.

3. Bleacher Report's Simms and Lefkoe recently put Bears running back Tarik Cohen through "the Jewish Combine" and the result was this outstanding video.

4. The video quality is terrible here, but if you want the best take on the Yankees-Red Sox series and the truth about baseball front offices trying to make managers irrelevant, watch MLB Network's Chris "Mad Dog" Russo break it all down as only he can.

5. Texans coach Bill O'Brien was mic'd up for Sunday night's win against the Cowboys. O'Brien, who is one of the worst game coaches in the NFL, showed he isn't all bad, though, because he called for any kind of play to go to DeAndre Hopkins right before the wideout pulled off his double spin move that led to the game-winning field goal in overtime.

6. Thank you, Good Morning Football, for this compilation of Big Man Touchdowns.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, would've turned 73 years old today. We remember the wrestling legend by giving you his greatest promo ever.

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: The coverage of Jimmy Butler's practice session yesterday was a complete embarrassment.

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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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