The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up

It was an action packed weekend in sports but the big thing to know for your water cooler chat this morning is that Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning will announce his retirement this afternoon. Yes, the delightful hum of the Nationwide jingle and the face of Papa John’s Pizza will call it a day.  

Thanks Peyton it’s been fun (to the tune of the Nationwide jingle…of course).

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NFL (National Football League)

• Denver Broncos' Quarterback Peyton Manning will announce his retirement after 18 seasons today at 1 pm (EST). A few notable career highlights:
• Two Super Bowl appearances
• Five-time NFL MVP
• Leader in touchdown passes (539), passing yards (71,940) and wins (186)
• 14-time Pro Bowl selection (Pro Bowl is the NFL’s all-star game)
• Still possibly one of the funniest Saturday Night Live skits ever

NASCAR (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING) 

• A windy win. From Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski won the Kobalt 400, a race that saw rain and sand storm delays and wind gusts up to 40 MPH. 

PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) 

• Keep on keeping on. Adam Scott won the WGC Cadillac Tournament in Florida for his second straight win. A win seemed impossible as he trailed by six shots with just 13 holes to go. No withdrawals from belly putter here. 

RUGBY SEVENS

• 7-7-7. From Las Vegas, the HSBC Sevens World Series tournament took place this weekend.  Las Vegas is the fifth stop in the series of 10 stops around the world in 10 different countries.  (In case you were wondering, Team Fiji won, with Team USA finishing in fourth place). Rugby Sevens is set to make its debut in the Summer Olympics in Brazil.

UFC (ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP) 

• The odds were against them. The underdog Miesha Tate beat champion Holly Holm by submission (i.e. Holm said no more, I’m done) to win the championship. Tate’s win spoils the anticipated rematch between Holm and Ronda Rousey later this year. (Holm beat Rousey previously).
• Also an underdog, Nate Diaz took down arguably the biggest name in the UFC, Conor McGregor, in the second round to upset the previously undefeated fighter. McGregor’s original opponent dropped out two weeks before the fight due to injury and Diaz stepped in. When asked if he was surprised he won Diaz had to say this.

Overtime

• In 2014 a malnourished, stray dog showed up at the Milwaukee Brewers spring training facility in Phoenix. The team took the dog in and named him Hank. Hank became a fan favorite. Recent photos of Hank surfaced, showing him looking very different then when he arrived. On Friday, the Brewers had a veterinarian release a statement saying dental records and microchip confirm it is the same dog, not an imposter.

sideline stat

• The Iditarod dog-sled race began on Sunday. This year is a little different as Alaska has had a mild winter and race organizers had to bring in snow via train. The 85 teams will race the 1,000 miles to claim the title of the next Champion. The winner is expected to cross the finish line in eight days from now. 

Coaches’ Corner

• What is Rugby Sevens? In short, a Rugby Sevens game has only seven players on the field, instead of 15 in normal rugby. They also play seven-minute halves with a one-minute halftime break. So this is the sport for those who have no attention span and like lots of action and excitement. 

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend a NFL Combine prospect had one of the most embarrassing job interviews of all time that you don’t want to see.

Also something you don’t want to see, remember the gold/white vs blue/black dress controversy? Yes, there’s another one. Is the Adidas jacket white/blue or black/brown? Tell us in the comments.

'Leap' into The Daily Report, 

The Last Night’s Game Team

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PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) 

• Belly be gone. Adam Scott won the Honda Classic yesterday. Scott’s win is significant because this is his first win since the PGA banned belly putters. The PGA claimed the belly putter gave the golfers who used them an unfair advantage. 
• No pants dance. Golfer Gary Woodland's tee shot landed near the water. As opposed to getting his white pants dirty, he stripped down to his skivvies for the shot. Four! 

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) 

• Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 car, won the second race of the NASCAR season in Atlanta. This was more than just another victory; it tied him with legendary driver Dale Earnhardt with 76 career wins. 

NFL (National Football League)

In NFL Combine news:

• Bet is off. Remember when Adidas offered $1 million to any prospect who could beat 40-yard dash record of 4.24 seconds while wearing Adidas shoes? Surprise, surprise, Adidas holds on to their $1 million. (For the record, no one broke that time while not wearing Adidas either).
• Wardrobe malfunction. During the job interview of a lifetime (the Combine), Mississippi State lineman Chris Jones left it all out there on the field. Jones ran the 40-yard dash and then at the end his pants fell off. He flashed everyone and then he fell down. Ego (and more) bruised.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 

• Down but not out. Michael Bisping beat Anderson Silva with a unanimous decision on Saturday night. (Unanimous decision is when the three judges score the fight for the same winner). In a bizarre turn of events, during the fight Bisping’s mouthpiece fell out. The ref can stop the fight and return the mouthpiece. Bisping thought that was happening. Well guess again. He received a knee that knocked him out but not out of the fight. Bisping came back to win.

Overtime

• New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes signed a huge contract in the off-season. It appears he is spending that money on variety of vehicles. Cespedes showed up to Mets spring training in a different car each day last week. Some of the cars included a Lamborghini (that’s been customized to shoot flames out of the tailpipe) and an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione (valued at an estimated $250,000). According to Mets beat writer, Anthony DiComo, Cespedes said he rode a bike in Cuba and walked. "After I got here I saw the possibilities that I can have I want, so I worked hard for it." He sure did. Check out the car show here.

Sideline Stat

• Saturday night’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors was a classic. Warriors beat the Thunder in overtime. Warriors’ Stephen Curry broke his own record of three-point shots made in a season and scored the game winning shot from 38 feet away (essentially half court).  

Coaches’ Corner

• What the heck is a belly putter? A belly putter has a longer than normal shaft/handle allowing the golfer to anchor the club against his belly (hence the name belly putter). These putters give the golfers an advantage because they allow the golfer to stabilize their wrists during the putt.