In the discourse of a week, how much of what we’re told to believe by experts is not even believed by the experts?

John Madden, off air, claimed to dislike all the chest-pounding and trash-talking. He said he didn’t like show-offs. Who does? Yet on the air, over forced laughs, he said he loved the biggest all-about-me guys — Deion Sanders and Randy Moss, for two — as great entertainers.

Of course, Madden’s big-selling video games were — still are — loaded with excessively brutal images and showboating, a primary come-on as seen in commercials and on the packaging. Madden made an added fortune encouraging the young to believe what he doesn’t believe.

Others? Why do they even bother?

Friday, the Yanks were down, 5-0, in the first, when Alex Rodriguez took an inside first pitch that was called a strike. On YES, Rodriguez was seen questioning the umpire. Also on YES, Paul O’Neill said this about that:

“That’s the count I don’t think umpires understand. Strike one or ball one changes the whole at bat.”

OK, but what was O’Neill suggesting? Umps should call the first pitch differently from all others? Wouldn’t he prefer that umpires “understand” all pitches the same — as balls or strikes?

In the fourth, the Jays’ Edwin Encarnacion homered to make it 8-1. Instead of quickly circling the bases, he took his time, extending his right arm as if a bird were perched on it. “Walk-the-parrot” is the latest in ESPN-rewarded check-me-out attention-grabs.

“Does that bother you, Coney?” O’Neill asked David Cone. And it likely bothered O’Neill, or he wouldn’t have asked.

What we know personally and professionally about Cone is he must hate it; hate it as a former pitcher, a dad, a sportsman and a right-headed human.

But he couldn’t or wouldn’t say it for fear of condemnation as out-of-touch with an anything-goes, bereft-of-sport sports world, so he took the modern media path and pandered to it, blessed wrong as right:

“Nowadays, it’s a different game. Buck Showalter had an interesting comment about it: Modern ballplayers are responsible for this, about governing their play. If they’re OK with it, he’s OK with it. …

“Some of it has been good for the game. The old days of keeping your head down and not showing anyone up — that’s a thing of the past. And in some ways, that’s a good thing. You still want to respect the game, but there’s a fine line there and you know when you cross it.

“If you hit a home run into the upper deck and you want to ‘walk the parrot,’ go ahead, walk the parrot. … It’s definitely a more lenient attitude toward the display of emotions, which for, the younger generation is a good thing.”

Really? Immodesty — often rehearsed and planned — is a good thing? The most conspicuous rewards such “natural enthusiasm” reaps are brawls, personal fouls and striking home-run poses — posing doubles and into singles.

Forgive me, but I don’t believe a word of what Cone or Showalter said; I believe that they believe that it stinks, that showboating has no tangible or next-generation upside, leaving our sports in further decay.

Let the record show that the record is unlikely to show that what nearly was one of the all-time awe and shockers — Jacksonville State winning at Auburn, Saturday — was in some large part derailed by a bad behavior call against JSU.

With 3:06 left, Auburn fumbled — “put the ball on the turf,” according to SEC Network/ESPN’s Dave Neal — at the JSU 13, then JSU’s Brandon Bender was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, perhaps for over-walking the parrot.

JSU, further backed up, and soon a bad punt gave Auburn short field position from which to tie the score then win in overtime.

Breaking: News we only just witnessed

While ESPN considers itself breathlessly innovative, it only succeeds in reinventing the flat tire.

Saturday on ESPN2, Buffalo running back Anthone Taylor, against Penn State, broke free for 29 yards, that total dutifully noted by play-by-player Beth Mowins. At that, up pops ESPN’s “Big Play Tracker” graphic: “Anthone Taylor 29-yard run.”

Does ESPN not recognize such as redundant, excessive and just plain stupid?

During ABC/ESPN’s Oregon State-Michigan game, Michigan was about to punt when a graphic appeared identifying the punter, the probable returner and all sorts of other stuff. That’s an ESPN option play: Watch the punt or read about it.

Then there were ESPN’s all day/night breaking news! “Alerts.”

A this-just-in “Final Alert” brought, “Georgia Tech 65, Tulane 10.”

And even somewhat legit breaking news is exploited to promote ESPN.

Saturday’s repetitive crawl: Miss. DB Tee Shepard ejected for targeting in 3rd Q on FRES [Fresno St.] WR Keyan Williams. Shepard will miss first half of next week’s game vs. Alabama — 9:15 ET, ESPN.”

Ch. 11, Saturday and Sunday, aired a half-hour, NFL-specific DraftKings infomercial, shamelessly hosted by brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber. The message: Bet on NFL players, get rich!

The 49ers, the latest to dismiss decades of tradition and instant recognition, will wear black uniforms for Monday night’s game against the Vikings on, fittingly, ESPN.

Some calls can be simply perfect

Vin Scully, last week, after a line drive nearly nailed Dodger first base coach Davey Lopes, said he was distressed to see that Lopes’ helmet did not include earflaps.

An overhead shot then showed Lopes jumping out of the way. Scully didn’t hesitate: “Well, I suppose if something fell from the sky, Lopes would be protected.”

Mets’ radio voice Howie Rose, after mentioning that Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game, added “and Vin Scully called a perfect game.”

YES’s Michael Kay, Friday, dropped his “See ya” to make a tight, telltale call of a Jays’ home run in the first to make it 5-0: “A two-run homer for Justin Smoak, and a nightmare for Luis Severino.” Perfect!

NBC’s boxing, Saturday, include a mystery transmission of what sounded like one half of a phone conversation: “Yeah, right. Knowing Lou, he’s probably taping it to sell abroad. Yeah? … Oh, he’s great. Yeah he was running HBO sports. … Yeah.” Likely reference to promoter Lou Di Bella, former head of HBO boxing.

Reader Lou Polevoy: Aldon “911” Smith, signed by the Raiders, has been provided his sixth second chance. Outside of the NFL, at what job could he be repeatedly rehired?

Francesa Tout of the Day: CBS pregame panelist Tony Gonzalez Sunday on the Colts: “I’m telling you, this offense is going to be unstoppable. You might as well give that MVP trophy to Andrew Luck right now.”

Down 24-0 at the half in Buffalo on Sunday, the Colts lost 27-14.