1. Tom Brady recently said that people who accused him of having a conflict of interest as a minority owner of the Raiders who is also Fox’s lead NFL analyst are “paranoid” and “distrustful.”
I’d love to know what Brady has to say about Dan Le Batard.
The podcast host went after Brady, not for a conflict of interest, but for his broadcasting skills, during his Thursday show.
“At this point, the highest-paid broadcaster in broadcasting, Tom Brady, is distracting me during games because he’s still bad at this,” said Le Batard. “It’s not even that he’s neutral or mediocre or milquetoast or just there, and I don’t notice him. I’m noticing, and he’s distracting me with it not being good.”
Le Batard then asked his crew, “Has Tom Brady done anything during any of these broadcasts that you guys remember? Is there anything memorable that Tom Brady is giving the Fox broadcast for that $375 million guaranteed that any of you have from the first four weeks of the season that would indicate that he has improved at this to you?”
This is probably the only problem that comes with making $375 million: People are always going to use that against you. If someone has an issue with Brady’s broadcasting, I’d love to hear specific criticisms without his salary being mentioned. But when you make crazy money, you get a target on your back.
While Brady still hasn’t shown that he has the makings of a No. 1 analyst, I don’t see how he’s “distracting.” I think there’s always been an element of Brady being distracting because he’s Tom Brady, not because he’s so bad as a broadcaster.
Le Batard might not be wrong about his take that Brady is just there. It does feel like that sometimes. Brady seems much more comfortable this season, but, to me, it still feels like he’s holding back a lot during his telecasts.
But Fox couldn’t care less. The Brady hire was more about Fox getting into the Tom Brady business than having the best analyst in the sport.
2. Here are you ALDS and NLDS broadcast crews:
Fox/FS1:
Yankees-Blue Jays: Joe Davis, John Smoltz
Tigers-Mariners: Adam Amin, Adam Wainwright, AJ Pierzynski
TBS:
Cubs-Brewers: Alex Faust, Ron Darling
Phillies-Dodgers: Brian Anderson, Jeff Francoeur
3. What a night for Mac Jones. He put up 342 yards and threw two touchdown passes to lead the Niners to a 26–23 overtime win against the Rams.
He showed off some swag on the field.
Mac feelin' it pic.twitter.com/2YMZjucR3e
— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2025
And major swag off the field.
#49ers QB Mac Jones arrives for #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/F2LFOu1hxY
— Clayton Holloway (@HollowayNFLN) October 2, 2025
4. If you’re a baseball fan, you saw the rough third strike call on San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts to lead off the ninth inning last night
BRUTAL strike three call on Xander Bogaerts would've been ball four pic.twitter.com/h7aiAqNleN
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 3, 2025
What you might not have seen, though, was Padres players going ballistic on the umpires in the dugout after the game.
The Padres went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranded 8 men, and drew just 1 walk.
— The Wrigley Wire (@TheWrigleyWire) October 3, 2025
That’s not something you can pin entirely on the umpires.
pic.twitter.com/rgdfEjtZRW
5. Cam Schlittler was clearly feeling himself a few hours after striking out 12 Red Sox batters over eight shutout innings in leading the Yankees to a 4–0 win over the Red Sox, because he sent this response at 12:45 a.m.
Not this year
— Cam (@Cam32Schlittler) October 3, 2025
6. As a degenerate gambler, I thoroughly enjoyed this ride. Everyone is trying to do gambling content and 99% of it is bad. This was great if you’re a hardcore bettor.
generational stuff is happening.
— Gavin McHugh (@gavinmchughh) October 3, 2025
and no one knows it https://t.co/aRk6hAxGOt pic.twitter.com/Jsb2kWAP7H
7. A brand-newSI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped Thursday, and it features a conversation with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport talks about the life of an insider and whether the offseason is just as busy as the season, while also describing what his day-to-day schedule is like.
In addition, Rapoport explains where we stand on the NFL going to an 18-game schedule and a full-time international schedule, talks about his feelings regarding ESPN buying the NFL Network and the possibility of being colleagues with Adam Schefter. He also shares the full story of what happened at the NFL combine when another NFL reporter confronted him and got in his face in a Starbucks.
Following Rapoport, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss the Mets’ collapse, the Yankees over-reliance on analytics, a schedule change that Major League Baseball must implement, ESPN’s baseball broadcasters, Bad Bunny being announced as the Super Bowl halftime show and more.
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.
8. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 2006, Friday Night Lights premiered on NBC. If you haven’t watched the series, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime. Get to it. Here is the opening scene of the series to whet your appetite.
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 Dan Le Batard Rips Tom Brady’s Broadcasting Skills.
