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ESPN’s John Krasinski Animation Tribute to Bill Belichick Goes Horribly Wrong

Also in Traina Thoughts: Bill Burr was perfect ManningCast guest; Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery reunited; Bailey Zappe’s pop culture connections and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. I am very fortunate to be able to share my opinions on SI.com every single weekday. There aren’t many downsides to having that privilege. However, there are a couple of things that are problematic every now and then. One of those things is sometimes you have to write something negative about someone you like. Today is one of those days.

If you read Traina Thoughts regularly or follow me on Twitter, you know I’m a big John Krasinski fan. I’ve said many times he’s one of my dream SI Media Podcast guests. I even celebrated his birthday in this column last week. But I always keep it real for you guys, so we need to address what ESPN aired Monday night during the Bears-Patriots game.

Let me share my experience with the video at the center of this controversy.

I didn’t see it live on TV. I saw it via Twitter. I clicked on the video and lasted seven seconds. I heard the opening sentence, “I’m from Boston and wicked biased, but I’m here to talk about Bill Belichick, the GOAT in a hoodie,” and I was out.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the animated person in the video was supposed to be John Krasinski. I thought the name plate on the screen was supposed to show that Krasinski was just doing a voice-over for a character. The person in the video looked nothing like the Office star except for the fact that they both have beards.

Between the bizarre animation, over-the-top Boston accent and genuflecting at the feet of Belichick, who would then see his team get blasted by the Bears, the video got a lot of attention. And none of it was good. But a lot of it was funny. Especially the references to Krasinski’s Office character, Jim Halpert.

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2. It wasn’t a completely bad night for ESPN when it came to animation. The hilarious Bill Burr was one of the guests on the ESPN2 ManningCast, and he had a solid little rant about a graphic featuring Don Shula, George Halas and Bill Belichick.

3. A video that circulated on Sunday appeared to show a couple of NFL refs asking Bucs wideout Mike Evans for an autograph. 

On Tuesday morning, the league announced that the refs did not ask Evans for an autograph but refused to say what the refs were seeking his signature for, exactly, which is, in my opinion, very shady and suspect, but also, typical NFL.

4. The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand broke the news Monday that the 2023 NCAA Tournament will be the last one called by Jim Nantz. Ian Eagle will take over as the lead play-by-play person in ’24. This means Eagle will be reunited with Bill Raftery on the main broadcast team, along with Grant Hill. Eagle and Raftery worked together for many years on Nets telecasts and have unbelievable chemistry. 

I recommend checking out this Q&A I did with duo back in 2018.

This is a well-deserved promotion for Eagle, who is as good as any play-by-play broadcaster working today.

5. Everyone is having a field day with the video of Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe singing “Stacy’s Mom” last night.

But the much bigger Zappe story was Joe Buck revealing that Zappe is named after Bailey from Party of Five.

Personally, I’m still not over what Bailey did to poor Jennifer Love Hewitt all those years ago.

6. This week’s SI Media Podcast features a conversation with longtime radio host Chris Russo. The man known as “Mad Dog” talks about his upcoming induction into the Radio Hall of Fame and what it means to him, the career renaissance he has enjoyed over the past year thanks to his weekly appearances on First Take, some of the ups and downs he’s experienced while doing the debate show anchored by Stephen A. Smith and what his role is on the show.

Russo also reveals what happened after he revealed his First Take salary during an interview with Howard Stern and discusses his First Take future. In addition, Russo weighs in on recent sports headlines, including the broadcasts of the MLB playoffs, the NFL’s Thursday Night Football problem, Jim Irsay’s calling out Daniel Snyder and Tom Brady’s current problems.

Other topics covered include the Mount Rushmore of TV shows, Bruce Springsteen and much more.

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

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1986, the ball went through Bill Buckner’s legs, and Vin Scully put on a play-by-play clinic.

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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