Blake Griffin

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The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up

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Grace was not the key word of the weekend in sports as bizarre injuries ran amok.

Caffeine in hand this morning and we’re buzzing like bees at a Cubs spring training game. 

Sweeter than honey,

The Last Night’s Game Team

MLB (Major League Baseball)

  • Freak accident. Milwaukee Brewers Reliever Will Smith (no not THAT Will Smith) tore a ligament in his knee while attempting to take off his cleats after a game. He expected to miss "significant time.” 

  • Buzz off. A swarm of bees were the cause of a delay in the Mariners vs. Cubs spring training game on Sunday. Cubs’ outfielder Jason Heyward was surrounded by a swarm and stung several times. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Was the crime worth the time? Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin has been medically cleared to resume basketball activities after a quad injury and broken hand have kept him out since Christmas Day. Since he has been cleared from his injuries he must now serve his suspension for punching a team equipment manager outside a restaurant in January. Griffin will be back on the court on April 3rd. Clippers clinched a playoff spot with a win last night.  

NCAA Basketball (College)

  • Not so fast. Going into to Saturday all four #1 seeds were still in the NCAA tournament. The picture looked a little different by Sunday night. Oregon (#1) lost to Oklahoma (#2) and Kansas (#1) lost to Villanova (#2).

But wait there’s more! Syracuse (#10) beat Virginia (#1) to secure their place in the Final Four. North Carolina, who beat Notre Dame (#6) on Sunday, is the only #1 ranked team to make it to the Final Four. The Final Four is this weekend.

  • Orange fever. Both Syracuse’s men and women’s basketball teams secured a spot in their respective Final Four tournaments for 2016. The men won the National Championship in 2003 and this is the first ever trip for the ladies.  

PGA (Professional Golfer’s Association)

  • At the top. Jason Day surpassed Jordan Spieth to claim the spot as #1 ranked golfer in the world after winning the Dell Match Play Tournament in Austin, Texas. Day is not a newcomer to the spotlight as he was ranked #1 last year but he had a humble beginning. Growing up Day was so poor that his first golf club was one his father pulled from the town dump.

Overtime

  • In the spirit of Easter, the Houston Cougars changed up a drill during spring practice by dressing up in bunny costumes. No bunnies (or football players) were harmed in the making of this video.

Sideline stat

  • University of Connecticut women's basketball team won their Elite Eight game, handing Mississippi State a 98-38 loss. The UConn ladies will play Texas (#2) tonight. So far they have outscored their tournament opponents 296-138. 

Coaches’ Corner

  • Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey injured himself in the game vs. Wisconsin last week. No it wasn’t from his rebound skills but from stepping awkwardly on the grip pad (which the players’ use so their shoes have a better grip on the court). He reportedly pulled a calf muscle. Apparently the luck of the Irish wasn’t shining on Brey or his team. They lost to North Carolina last night.

The Rundown: Five Things You Should Know About The NBA All-Star Game

Have you recovered from your Super Bowl nacho cheese hangover? Not Cam Newton. He’s still bitter about Sunday and doesn’t care who knows it. 

The NBA All-Star Game is this weekend in Toronto and we’re sharing the five things you need to know to be in the know.

Buzzer beater,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five things you should know about the NBA All-Star Game

  1. The game will take place in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th at 8:30 pm (EST) on TNT.
  2. Saturday night’s excitement features the much anticipated skills competition, three-point contest and slam dunk competition.
  3. Historically, the coaches of the two teams are from the two teams that played in the NBA Finals the previous year, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.   
    • The Cavaliers fired their head coach who coached in the Finals last year, so new head coach, Tyronn Lue, will coach team.
    • The Warriors head coach Steve Kerr coached in last year’s All-Star Game (no coach can coach two years in a row), therefore San Antonio Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich will lead the West this year. (It’s a little complicated. Here's a full explanation on why). 
  4. Sting will perform during halftime of the game.
  5. This is Kobe Bryant’s last All-Star Game. Despite his declining stats this season he was the fans' leading vote-getter for the game.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

NBA (National Basketball association)

  • Do the time for the crime. Clippers announce forward Blake Griffin will be suspended for four games without pay and then they will hold his pay for one additional game on top of that. Griffin’s suspension stems from his altercation with an equipment manager on a team road trip in January. His suspension will start once he returns in a month from the broken hand sustained in that incident. His five game paycheck is estimated to be $859,442. The fine is considered a charitable donation and will benefit disadvantaged youth in L.A. 
  • No love lost. New York Knicks announce their head coach, Derek Fisher, has been relieved of his duties. Fisher’s record in less than two seasons was not stellar, 40-97 (wins-losses). We’re sure Matt Barnes was ecstatic to hear the news. 
  • Super Shaq. Not to be outdone by the Lakers (who announced last week they were immortalizing him in a statue), Miami Heat announced they will retire Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neal’s #32 jersey at the start of the 2016/2017 season. Shaq played on the Heat from 2004-2008 and won an NBA Championship in 2005-2006 season.

NCAA basketball (College) 

  • Standing on top. Villanova University is ranked #1 for the first time in school history. This is unlikely to last as they are the sixth team to assume the #1 ranking this season, the most ever to this point in the season.

NFL (National football league)

  • Show me the money. A record $132.54 million was wagered on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas sports books. The sports books profited record $13.31 million.
  • #HotRef. A star was born on Sunday at the Super Bowl but he didn’t play in the game. The Pippa Middleton of the game was the head referee, Clete Blakeman. The hashtag #HotRef became a trending topic during Sunday’s game. He even stopped by to visit Hoda and Kathie Lee on Tuesday.

Soccer

  • These boots are made for walking. Fans of the Premier League’s Liverpool staged a walk out of their game against Sunderland at the 77th minute (to signify the 77 euros it cost per ticket) to protest the rise in the price of tickets to the games. The ticket price increase was announced earlier this week to help offset costs of Liverpool stadium renovations. Tickets are expected to increase as much as 30%, although Liverpool announced that 64% of ticket prices will stay the same or be reduced.

Overtime

  • In news that will want to make you put down your morning donut and start doing crunches, the Sports Illustrated (SI) swimsuit cover will be revealed Saturday night. Last year’s honor went to Hannah Davis. SI’s swimsuit issue is making waves this year as it features plus-size model Ashley Graham. 

Sideline Stat

Coaches’ Corner

  • What exactly is involved in the NBA All-Star Game’s skills competition? According to the NBA, the three round competition includes dribbling, passing and shooting. Here’s a highlight reel from last year’s excitement.

The Rundown: Five Things You Should Know About The Pro Bowl

Happy Hump Day! Just think if you were an NFL Pro Bowler you’d be in Hawaii right now drinking strawberry daiquiris, working on a tan while prepping for Sunday’s game. Although it’s probably more likely they’re running wind sprints and doing push ups sans daiquiris. On second thought, we’ll take our morning coffee with a cool winter breeze and no push ups.  

On Wednesdays we tackle something you’ve been asking about. Today's feature is five things to know about this weekend’s Pro Bowl in Hawaii. As always, reach out should you want to learn about sports. No egos here – just facts among friends.

Telling it how it is,

The LNG Team

Five things you should know about the Pro Bowl.  

  • The game is viewed as a kickoff to the Super Bowl as it’s played on the Sunday between the Conference Championship games (last week) and Super Bowl (Feb 7).
  • Any players who are members of the teams playing in the Super Bowl (Broncos/Panthers) cannot play in the Pro Bowl. Since they can’t play, they need to be replaced on the roster. The Panthers had 10 players nominated and the Broncos had four.
  • Hall of Fame wide receivers, Jerry Rice (former 49ers great) and Michael Irvin (former Cowboys legend), will serve as non-playing captains of each team. They will pick their teams through a draft today at 7:30 pm (EST) on ESPN2.
  • They may have lost but they won a spot in the Pro Bowl. The coaches whose teams lost in the divisional rounds of the playoffs are the Head Coaches for the game. Mike McCarthy of Green Bay Packers and Andy Reid of Kansas City Chiefs will try to lead their team to victory. 
  • Of the 86 players originally chosen, 36 of them have dropped out (14 due to the Super Bowl, others for injuries or personal reasons). Therefore 36 replacement players have been named. Here's the full roster (as of yesterday). 
  • Players on the winning team will receive a $55,000 bonus and the losing team a $28,000 bonus. Many players have big Pro Bowl bonuses in their contract. 

You can catch the Pro Bowl live from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI on Sunday, January 31st at 7 pm (EST) on ESPN.  

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Hands off. Over the weekend reports surfaced that Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin, had been sent home from a road trip with a hand injury sustained during a team activity. Then details began to surface with exactly what happened. Multiple reports say Griffin got into an argument with team assistant equipment manager, Matias Testi (who he is reportedly good friends with) while at dinner in Toronto. Griffin allegedly punched Testi in the face - twice. Both parties were sent home from the team road trip and Griffin has been diagnosed with a broken hand, out 4-6 weeks. Smooth move.

 NFL (National Football League)

Tennis

  • In the land down under. Serena Williams (#1) dominated Maria Sharapova (#5) in the Australian Open to reach the semifinals. She will play Agnieszka Radwanska (#4) next in the semifinals on Wednesday at 9:30 pm (EST) on ESPN2.

Overtime

  • Florida State agreed to settle with Erica Kinsman for $950,000. Kinsman accused then Florida State quarterback and number one draft pick, Jameis Winston, of rape in 2012.  As part of the settlement, the University also agreed to make a five-year commitment to awareness, prevention and training programs for sexual assault victims. The settlement does not affect an ongoing Title IX investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Winston is currently playing in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sideline Stat

  • Monday night the two best teams in the NBA played each other. With rappers Drake and Jay Z in attendance, Golden State Warriors thrashed San Antonio Spurs, 120-90. Warriors point guard and reigning NBA MVP, Stephen Curry, had 37 points in 28 minutes. No big deal.

Coaches’ Corner

  • How were players picked for the Pro Bowl roster? According to NFL.com, The Pro Bowl players were determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counted one-third toward determining the Pro Bowl selections. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. In 1995, the NFL became the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting. 
 

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