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So Much Fallout From Tommy Pham Slapping Joc Pederson Over Fantasy Football Dispute

Also in Traina Thoughts: Richard Jefferson is one hell of a colleague; Derek Jeter joins Twitter, Nick Castellanos does it again and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. Let me start by pulling back the curtain for you guys.

Those of us in the content business love outrageous stories. The more outrageous, the better. Reds outfielder Tommy Pham slapping the Giants’ Joc Pederson during batting practice over a fantasy football beef is as outrageous as it gets.

There were only two problems: 1) We don’t condone violence, and 2) That story happened at the start of a long holiday weekend and we couldn’t capitalize on maximum traffic. Despite those two issues, this will still go down as one of the most memorable sports stories of 2022.

In case you missed it, Pham confronted—and then slapped—Pederson in the outfield before Friday’s game in Cincinnati.

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Because the internet never disappoints, we also have a version of the video called by Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

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Initially, nobody knew what prompted Pham’s Will Smith moment.

Then the news broke: Pham was angry about something related to fantasy football.

That information took the story to another level. Pederson, though, is the one who made this one of the more legendary sports stories in recent time by giving two extraordinary interviews.

The precision and detail put forth by Pederson was impressive. He kept you locked in for every word of each ridiculous story. Players don’t give you this much information after winning Game 7 of the World Series.

First, Pederson explained that Pham thought Pederson was “cheating” by manipulating the waiver wire.

Then, in another interview, Pederson explained that Pham was upset by a GIF Pederson sent to the league’s group chat. He even whipped out his phone to show reporters said GIF.

Let’s just call it now: “It is true, I did send a GIF making fun of the Padres, and if I hurt anyone’s feelings I apologize for that,” is one of the great sports quotes of all time.

Pham tried to give us his side of the story, which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

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We also came to learn that Pham ended up quitting that league just a few weeks into the NFL season, which is a HUGE no-no in the world of fantasy sports.

Naturally, Twitter, and others, had a field day with this story. Some of the highlights:

The Mets jumped into the fray by mocking Pham and Pedereson on their scoreboard during Saturday’s game:

A Phillies broadcaster also got in on the action after Pederson was hit by a pitch during Saturday’s game:

I had never seen this video of Pham before, and it’s simply astonishing:

Some more good tweets off the Pederson-Pham saga:

I quit playing fantasy football about five or six years ago and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life, but I’ll be honest: The events of this weekend gave me a little case of FOMO. 

2. ESPN's Richard Jefferson might be the the best co-worker in the world,

3. Nick Castellanos did it again this weekend. The Phillies slugger has the most bizarre skill of any athlete today: interrupting somber/important moments with a home run. 

This first happened when Reds broadcaster was in the middle of apologizing for using an anti-gay slur during a game.

On Monday, Castellanos homered during a Memorial Day tribute bit.

4. AEW's Bryan Danielson (aka Daniel Bryan) has good taste in karaoke music. 

5. Derek Jeter joined Twitter this morning, which is great for people in the content game. However, as a die-hard Jeter fan, it makes me sad he’d subject himself to that cesspool. Obviously, he joined for business reasons, but I wish he would’ve stayed away.

6. This week’s Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina features an interview with Joe Davis from Fox Sports.

Davis talks about taking over this season for Joe Buck as Fox’s lead Major League Baseball play-by-play voice at just 34 years old. Davis also talks about becoming the Dodgers’ lead play-by-play man after Vin Scully retired and how that will help him replace Buck. The versatile broadcaster also discusses being in the mix for Fox’s No. 2 NFL job with Kevin Burkhardt moving into the No. 1 slot.

Davis also explains the differences in calling baseball and football, why it’s important for a booth to have fun and how important it is for him to call a World Series.

The interview closes with a conversation about Davis’s love of grilling.

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I watched the interview in the first minute and 10 seconds of this clip of comedian Bo Burnham this weekend and I can’t stop thinking about it.

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 Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

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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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