Tony Bennett’s World Series Performance of ‘America the Beautiful’ Is a Must-Watch

Also in Traina Thoughts: Season 2 ‘Winning Time’ trailer; Kevin Durant explains what a doc about him would be like; a very good tweet and more.

1. What a run for legendary singer Tony Bennett, who passed away Friday at 96.

Bennett performed numerous times at sporting events over the years, but his rendition of America the Beautiful at Yankees Stadium before Game 1 of the 1998 World Series stands out.

Just a masterly, controlled and powerful performance from start to finish.

In 2010, Bennett had Giants fans in the palm of his hand when he performed his classic “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

2. HBO has released the trailer for Season 2 of Winning Time, which comes out Aug. 6. My biggest takeaway: It’s eerie how much the guy playing Larry Bird looks like Larry Bird.

3. Steph Curry is the subject of a new documentary out today on Apple TV+. When the topic of which NBA star should be the subject of a documentary came up via Twitter on Thursday, Kevin Durant gave a fantastic and brutally honest assessment of why he should not be considered.

Nothing but 2k, texting and watching movies. Nothing more

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 20, 2023

4. The Bengals announced Thursday that Chad Johnson and Boomer Esiason will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor this season. Esiason’s son-in-law, Matt Martin, who plays for the New York Islanders, had the perfect tweet to celebrate the occasion.

A long time coming but glad to see you finally get the recognition you deserve. I love going back and watching your highlights. One of the best to ever do it! Congrats Chad. #RingofHonor https://t.co/7ykBEMcgtO

— Matt Martin (@mattymarts17) July 20, 2023

5. The great Chris “Mad Dog” Russo called me out on his SiriusXM show Thursday because I wrote about Pat McAfee as the top influencer in sports media at the moment. Russo was peeved I didn’t get him or Stephen A. Smith, his First Take partner, “in the mix.”

Here’s legendary radio Hall of Famer @MadDogUnleashed ripping some guy named Jimmy Trainer. pic.twitter.com/16uEW5yerq

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) July 20, 2023

Here’s the thing: McAfee got the main write-up for this feature, which was also in the print edition of Sports Illustrated.

Then I wrote a separate piece on the Top 10 Influential Personalities in Sports Media, and Stephen A. made that list. However, Russo did not, so hopefully I don’t get ripped again if he finds that out. But everyone knows there’s no bigger Russo fan than me.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with the man behind ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio.

Topics covered include the Jets’ over-the-top reluctance to appear on HBO’s Hard Knocks this season, whether Bill Belichick is actually on the hot seat in New England this season, whether the NFL will ever allow fans to purchase games for just a single team, the latest controversy with running backs being devalued and not getting megacontracts and much more.

Following Florio, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week we discuss our night out at a steakhouse, the Miranda Lambert/selfie scandal, whether we should keep reading Apple reviews on the podcast, my bad back, Sal’s reluctance to get a colonoscopy and more.

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

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Tony Bennett’s “Rags to Riches” is a great song and worked so perfectly in Goodfellas.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.