1. Saturday afternoon, maybe around 1 p.m. ET, I was grabbing a slice of pizza before heading to the beach. While waiting for the slice to come out of the oven, I did a quick scroll of X, and I saw this from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand:

For about the next six hours, I kid you not, I legitimately thought this guy was going to play in the MLB All-Star Game.

It wasn’t until I jumped back on X early in the evening and discovered that Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski and not WWE’s “The Miz” had been named to the All-Star Game.

There are three reasons for my confusion:

1) I’m not that smart.

2) I’m a wrestling fan, so when I hear, “The Miz,” I think of one guy.

3) The MLB All-Star Game is completely meaningless, so having WWE’s “The Miz” doesn’t seem that radical to me.

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.

That’s why I was disappointed in Ron Darling’s take over the weekend.

The excellent analyst who works for Turner nationally and SNY locally, somehow cited “the integrity of the game” when criticizing MLB’s decision to add Misiorowski.

How can an exhibition game have integrity?

Then there was Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, who was all up in arms about Misiorowski’s addition to the NL roster. He told The Athletic, “Major League Baseball is really just focusing on the most marketable players. So the fact that they can have somebody in the game that is going to basically blow out one inning and throw 103, 104 [mph], they’re going to get more eyeballs on baseball. They’re going to think it’s getting more popular.”

I had to read this quote three times to make sure I was grasping it. Castellanos is attacking Major League Baseball for wanting to market its best and most exciting player. And for getting more eyeballs on baseball. OH MY GOODNESS! How horrible! How dare MLB try to cater to fans!

Castellanos also threw in this dig regarding the All-Star Game: “It’s turning into the Savannah Bananas,” Castellanos said.

Yes! Exactly. The MLB All-Star Games have as much on the line as a Savannah Bananas game. And that is nothing.

2. Great calls are a staple of this column. Normally, I feature calls that are simply electric, with a broadcaster hitting another level of energy after a big play. However, a call with absolutely no emotion can also be electric.

Case in point, Tampa Bay’s TV announcer calling a Red Sox walk-off on Friday night. You can’t have less energy than this. And it’s perfect because it sums up the pain, devastation and disappointment.

3. The ejection of Blue Jays manager John Schneider during Sunday’s game against the Athletics was notable for a couple of reasons.

For starters, it’s ridiculous that an umpire is allowed to get physical with a manager, but if a manager gets physical with an umpire, Major League Baseball treats it like a felony.

Home plate umpire Tripp Gibson was totally out of line here.

Second, it’s hilarious that Schneider had to walk across the entire outfield to leave the field after getting ejected since the Athletics play in a minor league stadium.

4. Not that he needs the money, but Charles Barkley could be making a TON of cash just by posting videos of himself mic’d up while playing golf.

5. Warriors guard Buddy Hield had a sad discovery on a recent trip to Italy.

6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast features a conversation with ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.

Orlovsky talks about signing a new, four-year deal with ESPN after being a free agent for a few months, whether he came close to leaving ESPN, why he decided to stay at ESPN and why calling games is ultimately his main goal.

In addition, Orlovsky explains what an NFL Sunday is like for him, how he watches the slate of games and how he breaks down film.

Orlovsky also discusses why he was “furious” when he lost the Sports Emmy for Best Analyst to Barkley, attending the surprise Taylor Swift performance at Tight End University and his notorious food takes.

Following Orlovsky, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss the Yankees airing on Amazon Prime, the Savannah Bananas andThe Bear. In addition, we answer listener emails.

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Live Aid. It’s never a bad time to watch Queen’s set if you need a bolt of energy.

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 No Matter Which ‘Miz’ Is Added to MLB All-Star, the Game Still Means Nothing.

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