Regis Philbin Did It All, Including Help Launch FS1: TRAINA THOUGHTS

From 'Crowd Goes Wild' to 'Seinfeld' to 'Wheel of Fortune,' we remember Regis

1. I don't know if you have to be a certain age to have an appreciation for Regis Philbin, but if you are a fan of the media business, you know Philbin was an iconic broadcaster.

Obviously, the two jobs at the top of Philbin's résumé were hosting his long-running daytime TV show with Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa and hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

I'm not sure everyone remembers what a phenomenon Millionaire was, but it gripped the country in a way few television programs ever have, and Regis was the perfect host for it.  

When he was done with his talk show and Millionaire, Regis ventured into the sports world.

When FS1 launched and promised to be more "fun" than ESPN, it came out of the gate with Crowd Goes Wild, a panel show starring Regis and featuring Katie Nolan, among others.

RIP regis. I hope there’s a gin with a tonic back and a massive seafood platter waiting for you in the other side (yes, you can box up the leftovers) ♥️

— Katie Nolan (probably) (@katienolan) July 25, 2020

As always, Regis was up for doing anything he can to entertain, such as reading Nas lyrics and joining Twitter.

Regis Philbin Rapping To Nas’s “Take It In Blood” #RIPRegis pic.twitter.com/Zxq0XvBZU4

— Hip Hop Immortal (@HipHopImm0rtal) July 25, 2020

RIP Legend @regis pic.twitter.com/CB4D3FoXm5

— katienolangifs (@katienolangifs) July 25, 2020

Regis was always connected to sports, though, because of Notre Dame and the Yankees. He loved both and talked about both constantly. 

Here is Regis tossing out the first pitch at a Yankees game in 2011—and doing the play-by-play for it.

There are two other Regis-related appearances that must be acknowledged.

His Seinfeld cameo in which he interviewed Kramer about his coffee table book.

And one of the most insane moments in Wheel of Fortune history.

Best Regis Philbin clip that doesn't have Regis Philbin in it that you will ever seen. RIP. pic.twitter.com/BCQ7iVzCut

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) July 27, 2020

2. As I'm writing this, at around 11:30 a.m. ET, Twitter is ablaze with so many hot takes about sports and the coronavirus. There's really only tweet that you need to see, though.

People will dump on MLB but each outbreak is a byproduct of the US’s ongoing failure to contain the disease. Like, how are we really still arguing about masks? Do we hate science that much?

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 27, 2020

3. ESPN got strong ratings for its Opening Day telecast of Yankees-Nationals last Thursday. Fox also had a ratings increase for its coverage of Yankees-Nationals on Saturday. 

Led by last night's Yankees-Nationals matchup, @MLBONFOX scores the top three events of the day. pic.twitter.com/CCI6Jlgu1p

— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) July 26, 2020

4. These are the kind of tweets we need more of these days.

Ok I’m tired of biten my tongue...@cheetah @MikeEvans13_ @chrisgoodwin... ( and the list goes on) ARE NOT a better reciever than me! Faster than me...every day of the week but separation..CHILD PLEASE! https://t.co/rBQwJZWkE3

— Keenan Allen (@Keenan13Allen) July 27, 2020

5. I said Friday that the end of Mike Francesa's tenure at WFAN was sad after he had such a legendary career. I didn't realize at the time that Mike's final show would encapsulate what made the last few years so rough. Because if Mike had a show today, he would claim he never said this.

Our guy @MikeFrancesa left us with a final parting gift yesterday. The Jets "are never gonna get" two #1's for Jamal Adams.

Less than 24 hours later, the Jets got two #1's (and then some) for Jamal Adams. The man was magical until the end. pic.twitter.com/27d8oc0iDc

— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) July 25, 2020

6. The latest episode of the SI Media Podcast features an interview with Joe Buck, who talked about baseball's return, calling games during a pandemic, podcasting, the art of interviewing and much more.

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1987, Rick Astley released "Never Gonna Give You Up." Many years later, Rick Rolling was a craze, and Astley performed the song with the Foo Fighters.

8. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: Here's one for Regis.

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