You Make My Dreams Come True

Every week we hear your testimonials of how Last Night’s Game helped you connect on a first date or close a sale at work, and we couldn’t be more proud of you, our fantastic and talented readers.

Stay on fire,

The Last Night’s Game Team

---

Little League World Series

Baseball players might be known as ‘Boys of Summer,’ but don’t tell that to Ella Bruning. She’s the only girl playing in the Little League World Series. The starting catcher for her Abilene, Texas team was an integral part of her team’s first LLWS win over the weekend. Bruning is the 20th girl to play at the LLWS in its history. You can catch her team play today at 1 pm ET on ESPN. SHOW THEM HOW IT’S DONE

Overtime

And we thought Carrie Bradshaw getting dumped via Post-It note was rough. A minor league baseball game fan took it a step further, breaking up with his lady via scoreboard message. Those messages are usually reserved for well wishes and professions of love, but instead, it read, “Alyssa, this relationship is OVER. – Tim” Maybe it’s a stunt by the team, but that goes down as being more embarrassing than an actual scoreboard proposal. FOUL BALL

Sideline Stat

The Seattle Storm will visit the White House today – the first championship WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) or NBA (National Basketball Association) team to do so since 2016. Leading the WNBA at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are five-time gold medalist Sue Bird and recent gold medalist Breanna Stewart. ROLL OUT THE WELCOME MAT

Coaches’ corner

We’ve all wanted to run from the office, and this racehorse is living our dreams. In her first-ever race, the horse, aptly named Bold and Bossy, broke loose on her way to the starting gate and then led both the sheriff and police departments along with a group of trainers on a 30-minute chase down a highway. PEACE OUT

What to watch

Things got a little (okay, a lot) out of control at the Nice-Marseille soccer game after a fan threw a bottle at a player. The player threw it back at the fan. After that, fans poured out of the stands and fought with players and opposing players were fighting each other. To say it was total chaos is an understatement. MORE ZEN PLEASE

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Ever struggle talking to that one coworker? Well, sports are a great conversation starter and serves as a brilliant bridge to a fabulous conversation. 

You heard it here first, 

The Last Night’s Game Team 

---

College Basketball

This weekend in the men’s March Madness tournament, the underdogs went home and the teams you expected to be in the Elite Eight are there. Oral Roberts, Loyola Chicago (hi Sister Jean) and Syracuse were all sent packing but three of the No. 1 ranked teams are still in it. The Elite Eight play takes place today and tomorrow. PREDICTABLE

On the women’s side, the first No. 1 seed lost with Indiana upsetting North Carolina State. NFL (National Football League) quarterback Russell Wilson was spotted cheering on his sister Anna and her No. 1 ranked Stanford team. Keep your eye on the University of Arizona, whose team is on fire heading into the Elite Eight, which runs today and tomorrow. YAS GIRLS

Overtime

A mere days after U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team star Megan Rapinoe spoke in D.C. on Equal Pay Day, the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team failed to qualify (again) for the Olympics. The U.S. men’s team has not qualified for the Olympic games since 2008, yet the women’s team is still having to fight for similar paychecks and working conditions as the men’s team. For the record, the women’s soccer team has more Olympic golds than any other participating country. (Note, the men’s team is working with primarily amateur players as some MLS – Major League Soccer – teams refused to release players to play on the U.S. team). THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMM

Sideline Stat

The NFL (National Football League) is expected to announce this week that the next NFL season will be a 17-game season, one more than previous years. Owners are ecstatic over the option of more time to make money, and fans are excited about more regular-season games, but players aren’t happy about it. The collective bargaining agreement gave the league the option to expand the season. The league has paired down the preseason from four games to three but players are still concerned about injuries. Why? Let us explain. JUST THE BEGINNING

Coaches’ corner

The MLB (Major League Baseball) season kicks off on Thursday. And while you might think everyone sat around during the off-season eating bonbons, think again. Over 1 million vaccinations were distributed at MLB ballparks during the off-season. There are 11 ballparks across the league that have been converted into mass vaccination centers, and some will continue to be vaccination centers, even with the start of the season. Some teams will be allowing fans when the season opens up this Thursday. For more on the MLB season, stay tuned for Wednesday's podcast. THAT’S A HOME RUN

Five Unwritten Rules of Sports

If you didn’t know, then now you know.

1. Don’t walk across the green. Have you ever seen golfers squat behind the ball before they putt? They’re lining up their shot - imagine an actual line from the ball to the hole. That’s why you NEVER EVER walk across the green. If you walk across the green and end up walking through another golfer’s line, their ball could rollover your footprint and possibly change direction. While walking through someone’s line is disrespectful and annoying, it’s best to stay off the green as much as possible. Better to be safe than sorry! 

2. Kick the ball out of bounds if an opposing player is hurt. This is one of the more sincere and compassionate unwritten rules of sports. In soccer, when a player gets hurt, the referee usually blows the whistle to stop play. However, the ref doesn’t always see it, therefore it is customary to kick the ball out of bounds. (This is assuming the player who hurt is actually down and not faking one of those Academy Award-winning performances we sometimes associate with soccer). Most of the time, the team that kicked the ball out will get it back, but even if your team doesn’t, it’s the right thing to do and you can pat yourself on the back for being a respectful opponent. 

3. Don’t bunt during a no-hitter. It’s no secret that being on the opposite side of a no-hitter in baseball sucks. It’s pretty dang embarrassing for the other team. But for the pitcher, it’s a feat unlike any other. The first thought for the team up against the pitcher would be to bunt -just an easy little tap and then an all-out sprint to first base. Simple, right? Just one hit, and the frustration ends? No. Nope. Can’t do it. Why? Well, even though there’s no written rule for it, it’s a respect thing, so don’t do it.

4. Don’t shoot a last-second basket when your team is up. This one might seem like a no-brainer when your basketball team is up by a lot, and the other team is dragging a bit because they know they’re not going to win. It would be super easy to run the length of the court and hit the most impressive slam dunk of all time. Don’t do it. There’s no reason to do it except to embarrass yourself and the losing team. It’s disrespectful and adds nothing to the game itself. Although nobody can technically stop you, an earful from your coach and some snide remarks from opposing players will be sure to follow.

5. Don’t even think about an onside kick if you’re demolishing the other team. This unwritten rule in football is similar to not shooting a last-second basket when you’re up by a lot. An onside kick is a kickoff strategy that involves the kicking team kicking the ball more laterally and a shorter distance so their team can more easily retrieve the ball. When you’re up by a lot in football, an onside kick is flashy, obnoxious, and there’s really no reason for your team to need the ball back when they’re not receiving. Not onside kicking when you’re up by a lot is just a respect thing. Just like running up the score a bunch just because you can is disrespectful, so is this. Be a good sport.