1. Here’s what I wrote in Monday’s Traina Thoughts:

“The MLB All-Star Game is an exhibition. It counts for absolutely nothing. It’s not competitive. The best players play for about two innings, and then they’re on their way home. It’s not a real game. There is nothing on the line.”

If you’re reading this right now, tip your cap to me, give me a standing ovation and acknowledge that I couldn’t have nailed it any better.

I didn’t watch the game, but here’s what I know about what happened Tuesday night: There was a tie after nine innings. Therefore, there was some home run derby-type thing to determine a winner.

I found out who participated in the home run derby-type thing via this tweet from ESPN’s Jeff Passan:

This is simply amazing. The players care so little about the meaningless exhibition (and rightfully so) that they are on a plane flying home while the game is still going on!!!

You can’t even use the “the All-Star Game is a vehicle to grow baseball” nonsense because the best players WEREN’T EVEN IN THE STADIUM TO PARTICIPATE.

Via Passan: "[Aaron] Boone and [Dave] Roberts had a finite group from which to choose. Around half the players were gone from the stadium, already headed home after a long, hot week here."

Players want to make the All-Star team so they can collect a bonus and make $21 million in a year instead of $20 million. Players don’t have any interest in actually playing in, or winning, the All-Star Game.

I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again: I will never, ever understand how on earth anyone would care about a game where absolutely nothing is on the line.

2. I don’t quite understand this analogy, but this seems like some good former-ESPN-on-ESPN crime with Trey Wingo criticizing the network for its reliance on Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee.

I’ve said many times recently that McAfee is absolutey a win for ESPN soley based on the guests he has on his show. On Monday, McAfee had Aaron Judge and Shoehi Ohtani on his show. I live in New York and I’m a die-hard Yankees fan and don’t ever remember Aaron Judge doing a radio/TV interview.

So while people may not like McAfee’s style, he’s bringing some major clout to ESPN whether people want to admit that or not.

3. The Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz rivalry is proving to be good for tennis. Sunday’s men’s Wimbledon final, which started at 11 a.m. ET for the first time, as opposed to the usual 9 a.m. ET time, drew 2.9 million viewers for ESPN. It was the most-watched men’s Wimbledon final since 2019.

4. WNBA refs seem to be even worse than NFL refs, which is saying a lot. Somehow, this was not called a foul Tuesday night.

5. I feel like a bad media person for not knowing how good A’s slugger Brent Rooker is on Twitter, but I am aware now after these solid offerings.

6. We dropped a bonus SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast on Tuesday with independent wrestler Matt Cardona.

The former Zack Ryder discussed carving out a massive career on the independent scene after being part of the WWE Covid-19 roster cuts in 2020 and why he was thrilled at the time when he found out he was released from the company after 15 years there.

In addition, Cardona discussed whether he wants to return to the WWE, what his current relationship is like with the WWE and Triple H, what it's like to have his wife work in the WWE and getting mentioned in a recent promo by John Cena. Cardona also reminisces about his time as Zack Ryder, holding the WWE Intercontinental title for just one day, and his "Z! True Long Island Story" YouTube show being so ahead of its time.

Cardona also talked about his new job on SiriusXM's Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7 channel, hosting the long-running Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, and his love of Disney World.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

And if you missed last week’s excellent episode with ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, make sure you give it a listen.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 57th birthday to the great Barry Sanders.

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 X and Instagram.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB All-Star Game Hits New Low.

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