Traina Thoughts: ESPN, Molly Qerim Offer Laughable Response to Recent Controversy

ESPN did a disservice to "First Take" host Molly Qerim.

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1. Molly, Molly, Molly. Come back to us.

First Take host Molly Qerim was in the news on Monday because a guest on the show did exactly what you'd expect from that guest and said something stupid to her.

For some reason, though, Qerim and ESPN are pretending like this was a shock, even though this is exactly what they wanted.

Following the show, the network released a statement saying the guest's remark to Qerim "was completely inappropriate and we made him aware of that."

Oh, wow. That should definitely teach him a lesson.

"ESPN was really supportive,” Qerim said after the incident. “All the executives had my back. Much appreciated.”

No, Molly, they did not have your back. Because if they had your back they wouldn’t have put the person on in the first place because said person had done this already to Kristine Leahy on FS1. Your network and your show's producers knew this, but that didn't stop them from giving this person a platform.

There's also the fact that there is not one legitimate reason to put this person on your show except for the fact that he's such a buffoon he creates viral moments. That's why your show and network booked him. And that's exactly what your show and network got.

So every person at ESPN needs to please spare us the faux outrage, woe-is-us routine.

And we all know he will be back on the show.

2. A brand new SI Media Podcast just dropped and the guest is Scott Van Pelt. The SportsCenter host talks about the challenges of doing a live show immediately following the NBA Finals and all that goes into it. We also discussed the real story of why he's never been to the ESPYS, how much impact the legalization of sports betting has had and the time he got pranked by a Howard Stern fan on a live SportsCenter. I also asked SVP if he'd have the person from Item No. 1 on his show and his answer was very telling.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play.

3. John Cena attended Tuesday night's Padres game to pay off a $1 bet with San Diego pitcher Logan Allen, who made his MLB debut. Cena explained the origins of the bet in this video:

Tonight, @Logan__Allen earns his dollar from @JohnCena as he makes his Major League debut.

Tomorrow, the dollar gets paid in person. #onedollarbet pic.twitter.com/HKecAkSuS4

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 18, 2019

With Cena watching from a suite, Logan ended up tossing seven shutout innings in the Padres 4-1 win over the Brewers.

"I texted him 'You owe me a dollar... and he said 'See you there.'"

Logan Allen talks about @JohnCena's impact on him as well as the #onedollarbet.#FriarFaithful | @Padres pic.twitter.com/M96h0TpWkI

— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) June 19, 2019

4. The New York Mets have a bad bullpen and the team made several changes to it Wednesday which led to this A+ back page from the New York Post.

5. If you don't want the NBA draft spoiled for you Thursday night, stay off Twitter.

6. I had no idea until this whole Manny Machado kerfuffle that the MLB umpires had a Twitter account. Why? Also, their page is ridiculous. It's filled with tweets highlighting correct calls.

So basically they want credit for doing their jobs.

I just want to know if they read their mentions because MLB umps are the most overly sensitive people on Earth, so that can't possibily go well for them.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: This was the prank call discussed in-depth on the SI Media Podcast with Scott Van Pelt.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

IN CLOSING: Best thing about events like the NBA draft? Fake reporter Twitter accounts that cause anarchy.