Former football player and Marine Phillip Banks saves baby’s life with amazing catch

1. Phillip Blanks was a wide receiver at Saddleback College in California and played at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan.

He also served in the United States Marines Corps for four years.

All of that experience paid off in the ultimate way on July 3 when Banks caught a three-year-old boy who was thrown out of a burning apartment building in Phoenix.

While the 3-year-old survived thanks to Blanks, the boy’s mother died in the fire. Thankfully, Blanks was able to prevent another death.

“Ultimately, this is my job,” Blanks told MLive.com. “It was all fast, it was a blur. It was tunnel vision as I was running. I didn’t see anything but the baby.”

Blanks also told L.A.’s ABC7, “There wasn’t much thinking. I just reacted.”

That’s a legit hero.

2. A brand-new SI Media Podcast is out and it features a conversation with Jemele Hill, who was announced this week as one of the producers on an upcoming ESPN docuseries about Colin Kaepernick. Hill talks about Kaepernick consulting her about joining forces with ESPN after her rocky exit from the network. Hill also explains why she doesn’t think ESPN gave her and Michael Smith a fair shot at hosting the 6 p.m. SportsCenter and talks about the hypocrisy of NFL owners and much more.

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

3. We told you yesterday that MLB was charging $60 for MLB.tv this year. We’ve said several times already that the package should be free for this fake season and that blackout should also be lifted in 2020, but clearly MLB has no interest in getting some good PR for a change. 

Instead, we have fans getting shafted left and right. For example …

The cost for the Extra Innings television package isn’t any better, either.

It’s just amazing that baseball never gets these things right.

4. The sad/hilarious photos of meals being given to NBA players in the Orlando bubble continue to roll in.

Jazz center Joe Ingles is looking on the bright side of things.

5. We told you Wednesday that we thought Mike Golic got shafted a little bit when ESPN announced wholesale changes to its national radio lineup. 

Now comes word from Golic’s wife that he offered to join Mike Greenberg on Greenberg’s new show, for Mike and Mike 2.0, but ESPN declined Golic’s offer.

6. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: ESPN announced today that it will produce a multipart 30-for-30 on the 1986 Mets, with Jimmy Kimmel and Cousin Sal serving as two of the producers. 

This news gives me the opportunity to say something that needs to be said: Every single MLB team should make a music video every season.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: And since we’re talking about the 1986 season …

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 Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.