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Joe Buck Does a Nice Interview: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Joe Buck shares behind-the-scenes details on Kevin Costner, hosting ’Jeopardy!’

Jimmy Traina

1. It’s been a busy and successful couple of weeks for Joe Buck.

The Fox broadcaster called the Cowboys-Steelers Hall of Fame game. He also officially entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the Pete Rozelle Award winner after winning the award in 2020. A week later he called the Yankees–White Sox Field of Dreams game. And his stint as Jeopardy! guest host aired last week.

Buck discussed all this and much more on Thursday’s episode of the SI Media Podcast.

On the Field of Dreams game:

“I’ve had more comments on that in the week since than anything I’ve done in a long, long time. Whatever the [viewership] number was, I’m not calling b.s. on it, but I feel like everybody I know in my life, in fact, people I don’t know, want to come up to me and tell me how cool that was.”

On Kevin Costner’s involvement in the Field of Dreams opening:

“He said, ‘You know, I don’t want to throw out the first pitch, I think that’s too trite. I wanna make this feel cinematic.’ ... He was very particular the way he wanted it done. He was confiding in me to help him get it done. Fox was on board, and getting MLB on board was pretty easy. What you saw was exactly what Kevin Costner wanted to do.”

His reaction to former Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer’s sending an unkind tweet during his week as guest host:

“I wouldn’t know James Holzhauer if he was sitting here in my room. I don’t know much about him. I know about his success on the show, but I don’t know what kind of a guy he is. I couldn’t care less. I’m at the point now where I am so overreacting to Twitter.”

On working with Troy Aikman for 20 years and being the voices of the biggest NFL game each week:

“It’s the only thing you can hope for. Even with the Twitter stuff, ‘You hate my team, and you suck,’ whatever, but at least they know the sound means it’s a game people are gonna be talking about the next day. That’s the ultimate. That, for people my age, it was Madden and Summerall in the NFL, and for baseball it was Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola, and you know when you heard those voices that this was THE game, so when people say that to me ... the one thing we always get separately and collectively is, ‘it really sounds like you two like one another.’ Yeah, we do. And Erin [Andrews], too, and now Tom Rinaldi has joined the group, and Kristina Pink. I don’t feel like there’s the typical TV, you’re hugging somebody to feel the soft spot on their back to stick the knife in. That’s typically how this business works.”

On who should host the Petyon and Eli Manning alternate Monday Night Football telecast:

“Somebody young, somebody willing. And that’s the hard thing. You’re there with Petyon Manning and Eli Manning. Your natural instinct is to overdo it. You wanna take somebody young or really old. I would take somebody that doesn’t need to be there. They wanna be there, but they don’t need to be there. Somebody that can set them up and go get something to eat and come back. I don’t know who that would be, but I’d look for someone in the up-and-coming mold and say if you’re gonna do this, you have to be willing to not talk.”

Other topics discussed during the podcast:

  • The NFL’s new emphasis on taunting penalties
  • Whether he will acknowledge points spreads
  • What he has gotten scolded for over the years
  • Having his consultant tell him to get hair plugs and lose 20 pounds many years ago

And as for the headline on today’s TRAINA THOUGHTS, as we were wrapping up the podcast, Buck asked, “Do I have to worry about James Holzhauer now?”

I explained to him that it depends on my headline, which led to this outstanding exchange:

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

2. With news breaking Wednesday that ESPN will reportedly “remove” Max Kellerman from First Take, I had three thoughts. 

One, using the word “remove” seems like a nice way of saying booted. Two, whenever I saw clips on Twitter of Stephen A. insulting Kellerman and saying things like, “You shouldn't be banned from talking about the NBA,” I assumed it was schtick, but I guess not. Three, Stephen A. really doesn't need a cohost.

3. This is outstanding news.

4. We need much, much more of this from folks in the booth. Brewers broadcasters Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder offered their interpretation of a conversation between two fans, and it was so good.

5. This is a stat line I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. 

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Here was homer No. 40 last night.

6. Aaron Rodgers. So. Intense.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Larry Davis is in the news for being Larry David, which means Larry David is in the news for being awesome.

Yes, this is a story about Larry, in real life, not wanting to do a stop and chat.

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.

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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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