1. I don’t need to explain this to most of you, but in case anyone is reading Traina Thoughts for the first time, I’m a fan of Derek Jeter. I’ve interviewed him, I’ve stalked him, and he’s my favorite Yankee of all time.
So while it’s no shocker that I’d give ESPN’s upcoming seven-part documentaries, The captainrave review, let me explain why even non-Yankee fans should tune in.
I watched five of the seven episodes and was pleasantly surprised that almost every topic you could want to cover was covered. While The captain there’s tons of never-before-seen footage like The last danceit really has Jeter opening up like we’ve rarely seen before.
I’ll do my best not to give you full spoilers, but if you don’t want any spoilers at all, stop reading now.
the captain, which debuted at 10:00 PM ET on July 18 after the Home Run Derby, superbly covers Jeter’s entire career, starting with his high school baseball days. That explains how the Yankees were able to take him with the sixth pick in the 1992 draft. He details how Jeter almost didn’t get a chance with the Yankees because the club was considering trading Mariano Rivera to the Mariners for shortstop Felix Fermin, then recalls Jeter’s five World Series victories, as well as devastating postseason losses in 2001 and ’04.
Along the way, Jeter discusses controversies and storylines that have arisen during his 19-year career the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Among the topics Jeter finally spoke about in depth:
- The deterioration of his relationship with Alex Rodriguez
- His surprise that Rodriguez would like to join the Yankees and move from shortstop to third base
- Incident on the pitch with teammate David Wells
- Called out by teammate Chad Curtis for laughing and joking during Mariners scrimmage
- George Steinbrenner’s Concerns About Jeter’s “Parties.”
- The infamous gift baskets
- Being labeled “overrated” by some baseball players
- His rocky relationship with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman
In addition, two of the more compelling parts of the documentary focus on race. Former Yankee Gary Sheffield talks about (and Jeter responds to) his accusation that manager Joe Torre treated black players differently than white players and that Jeter “wasn’t all black.”
Later in the series, a reporter claimed that Jeter was “colorless.” That description doesn’t sit well with Jeter and his family, all of whom answer to the camera.
Every time a sports documentary comes out, a lot of people ask one question: Are we learning anything? When I was tweeting praises about the series last week, I got this question over and over again.
After watching five episodes, I can assure you that you will learn new things about Derek Jeter if you watch The captain.
2. Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has been trending on social media since Sunday because his ex-girlfriend claimed Wilson was intimate with his mother’s best friend.
While two consenting adults are allowed to do whatever they want, people on Twitter are also allowed to joke around. Lots and lots of jokes. Normally this is where I would pull out a bunch of tweets and post them here for your viewing pleasure, but there are too many to go through. Simple as that click this link and go through the fun yourself.
My favorite part of Wilson’s story is that shortly before he got confused on Twitter, Professional football talk missed this story/tweet.
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3. Former CBS Sports sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl has officially been named as Kay Adams’ replacement as host of Good morning, football.
4. Very impressive shot here by Aaron Rodgers on Sunday at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.
5. There is a fine line between confidence and delusion.
6. The last episode of Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features an interview with ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst.
Windhorst talks about his attempt to go viral after a clip of him speculating about a possible trade with the Jazz on First take went viral. Did he know Rudy Gobert was going to be traded when he talked about Utah’s “weird” Royce O’Neal trade? Did the producers say anything to him during his long segment? What was his reaction when Gobert was traded? Got a favorite meme?
Windhorst also discusses his relationship with LeBron James, the one question he’d like to ask LeBron, the one question he’d like to ask Kevin Durant, whether he feels competitive with Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, and more.
Following Windhorst is the weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment with Sal Licata of WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York. Jimmy and Sal discuss Jimmy’s hatred of the hot dog eating contest, college’s shift to college football, Kevin Durant’s trade request, and the day Jimmy tried the overrated pizza in New Haven, CT.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it from Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: If I have one criticism of ESPN’s Derek Jeter documentary, it’s that it didn’t include this clip.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on An apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.