The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Win or Go Home
Break out the pool towel and the sunscreen because it’s not only a big weekend poolside but a big weekend in sports. It’s win or go home in the College World Series finals, Copa America soccer tournament finals and Euro 2016 soccer tournament. We’ll just have to wait and see who’s in and who’s out.
No Brexit here,
The Last Night’s Game Team
College World Series
- Batter up. The College World Series tournament is down to the final four teams who will play each other today for a possible trip to the final game. University of Arizona will play Oklahoma State University (3 pm EST on ESPN2) and Coastal Carolina will play TCU (Texas Christian University) (8 pm EST on ESPN). Arizona and Coastal Carolina have one loss in the double elimination tournament, therefore they will have to beat their respective opponent twice to advance to championship.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- I choose you. The NBA draft took place in Brooklyn last night. The first two picks went as expected, sending LSU freshman Ben Simmons (#1) to Philadelphia 76ers and Duke freshman Brandon Ingram (#2) to Los Angeles Lakers. Check out who your favorite team drafted here.
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
- I can’t turn right. After a Father’s Day weekend break, NASCAR returns Sunday to Sonoma, California (3 pm EST on Fox Sports 1). Sonoma is unique course in that it is one of two road courses on the schedule. A road course is different then the traditional oval course that only has left turns. The road course has multiple turns (like real life driving) that must be navigated carefully.
NHL (National Hockey League)
- What happens here doesn’t stay here. Add professional sports to the list of entertainment options in Las Vegas. The NHL officially announced that Las Vegas will be the home of a new team for the 2017-2018 season. It will be the 31st team in the league and will be owned by Bill Foley, a financial services tycoon, who will pay a $500 million expansion fee. The Las Vegas team does have new digs (T-Mobile Arena on the strip) but it does not have a name yet. We could think of a few winners. Share with us what you’d name them. (PG names of course. Come on, they do have kid friendly activities in Vegas. Sort of).
Soccer
- Win or go home. The next round of Euro 2016 begins on Saturday. One side of the bracket has teams with a combined zero championships. While the other side is full of soccer powerhouses with a combined 10 championships (Team Germany, Italy, Spain, France and England). The underdog Iceland takes on England this weekend. This is Team Iceland’s first time playing in a major tournament and they’re a little excited about their success. Check out the announcer’s call on this goal. It’ll make your day.
- Win or go home, part two. In Copa America Centenario news, Argentina takes on defending champion Chile on Sunday in the championship game (8 pm EST on Fox Sports 1). Team U.S.A. will take on Columbia on Saturday in the third place game (8 pm EST on FX). These games are a little different because they can’t end in a tie. So if a game is tied after 90 minutes of regular play, there will be two-15 minute extra periods. If it’s still tied, then the teams will resort to the always exciting penalty kicks to determine a winner.
- Oh excuse me. The Swedish professional league is making headlines for an unexpected reason. During a game Adam Lindin Ljungkvist had already received one yellow card. He then received another yellow card for “unsportsmanlike behavior,” passing gas too loudly. Two yellow cards in a game equal automatic ejection from the game. In Ljungkvist’s defense he said he has an “upset tummy.” Hooliganism we say!
Overtime
- Famed sports writer Bill Simmons debuted his new sports talk show on Wednesday on HBO. One of his first guests was mega actor and big New England Patriots (NFL) fan, Ben Affleck. Affleck went on a bit of a profanity laced tirade when he was asked about “Deflategate” involving is team and beloved quarterback Tom Brady.
Sideline stat
- In last night’s NBA draft, 15 of the first 30 draft picks were foreign basketball players. That stat set the record for the most foreign players ever taken in the first round. This list includes the number one pick, Ben Simmons, who is Australian but played at LSU.
Coaches’ Corner
- Today we let you be the coach. Former NBA player, Shaquille O’Neal, doesn’t have a spread in ESPN The Magazine’s annual body issue. So he took it upon himself to photoshop his head onto Dwayne Wade’s body (current NBA player and featured athlete). Hilarity ensues. So we ask you, who wore it best? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter @lastnights_game.
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Monumental Moms
Happy belated Mother’s Day to all of our readers who are the unsung heroes we call mom. While your mom might not pick favorites, the Derby does. See how the favorite faired this weekend (we’re not talking about you).
We love our mamas,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS – Know someone who would like to know more about sports? It’s easy to share today’s Rundown below by clicking the share button at the bottom of the page.
The Kentucky Derby
- Running for the roses. The 146th Kentucky Derby was won by the favorite Nyquist, the fourth consecutive favorite to win. Over 167,000 people attended the race at Churchill Downs, the second highest attendance ever. That’s a lot of mint juleps.
- Peaked too early. Danzing Candy, who was picked by our horse racing expert Case, led through the majority of the race but couldn’t hang on for the win.
- The next race on the road to the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes on May 21st.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Happy Mother’s Day. In an annual tradition, players and umpires honored their moms and raised awareness for the fight against breast cancer by wearing pink uniforms and using pink gear during Sunday’s games.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- Pay your respects. Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade violated NBA rules and caused an uproar when he continued to take pregame warm-up shots during the Canadian national anthem.
- Rolling on through the playoffs. Cleveland Cavaliers sweep Atlanta Hawks to advance to the conference semifinals, staying undefeated in the postseason. They will now await the winner of Heat/Raptors series.
- Making his mama proud. Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant tied his career record of 41 points as he led his team to a big victory over the San Antonio Spurs to tie the series 2-2. In case you were wondering, his mom there in the stands blowing her baby boy kisses during the game.
NHL (National Hockey League)
- Lightning strike. Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the New York Islanders this weekend and will play the winner of Penguins/Capitals for Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boxing
- Put ‘em up. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez knocked out Amir Khan in the sixth round of the title fight on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Alvarez win sets up a fight with superstar Gennady Golovkin or “GGG” in the fall. This fight could be the best match up in the last decade.
Overtime
- NASCAR’s Kyle Busch won the Sprint Cup race in Kansas City making it his third win of season. In other news, his brother and fellow NASCAR driver, Kurt Busch’s ex-girlfriend is under investigation for mishandling funds from a non-profit she runs. Patricia Driscoll, who previously accused Busch of assault, used funds to pay off her personal credit card and for vacations to Paris. During a previous court testimony Busch accused Driscoll of being a “trained assassin dispatched on covert missions around the world who once returned to him in a blood-splattered gown.” We can’t make this stuff up.
Sideline stat
- New York Mets’ 42-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon proved that the impossible is possible when he hit his first career home run. Social media blew up with kudos to Colon and Topps has already put this monumental occasion on a baseball card.
Coaches’ corner
- The 2016 Invictus Games started yesterday in Orlando, FL. This is the first time the games have taken place in the U.S. The Invictus Games are a worldwide sporting competition involving wounded, ill or injured military athletes. Prince Harry of England, who served in the British Army, is considered the founder of the event that features almost 500 athletes from 14 countries competing in 10 different sports. The competitions can be viewed on ESPN3 and for an Invictus Game rundown, click here.