Chuck Solomon/SI
Traina Thoughts: Let's Remember the Time Bob Ley Did His Best Jay-Z Impression
1. A lot of people are going to wax poetic about Bob Ley today after the legendary ESPN anchor announced his retirement. Ley deserves all the praise and all the adjectives heaped upon him. Legend. End of an era. The face of ESPN. The conscience of ESPN. It's all true.
The other sad thing about Ley calling it quits is that it's another case of an important sports television figure from our youth going away, which always pains us. Ever since many of us started watching sports, Bob Ley has been on our televisions. He's been at ESPN for 40 years, joining the company three days into its 1979 launch. But now he's hanging it up and stepping away.
There are many writers out there who will explain the importance of Bob Ley way better than I ever could. So instead, I want to remember one of the great Bob Ley highlights of all time. Here is Bob giving us a reading of the lyrics to Jay-Z's "Blow the Whistle".
On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoyed Ley reading tweets from MLB players on the day Alex Rodriguez got suspended for using PEDs.
2. What would it sound like if Bill Belichick lectured Julian Edelman about doing too many non-football projects? Here's Edelman doing the honors.
3. Rays fan Dick Vitale is not happy with the recent news that the team is looking to split its home games with Montreal and he even dropped a "sucks" in all caps on Twitter!
4. Happy 45th birthday, Derek Jeter.
5. Fresh off his MVP award, Giannis has set a new goal: Grow a James Harden-like beard.
6. This week's SI Media Podcast features a very spirited interview with Seth Rollins. The WWE Universal champion was on fire, defending the WWE from recent criticisms about the product, addressing Dean Ambrose's controversial comments in which he bashed the WWE, and opening up about his relationship with "The Man," Becky Lynch. It is a must-listen for any wrestling fan.
You can listen to the podcast below or on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play.
7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: As I discussed with Seth Rollins on the podcast, a lot of WWE fans right now are unhappy with the current TV product. Just remember one thing, wrestling fans: No matter how bad you may think things are now, we were once treated to this on Monday Night Raw.
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: Everyone enjoy the latest athlete-White House controversy today!
