Pros And Cons
The NBA player who is going back to college, football is back and the thief who found out the hard way not to mess with a UFC fighter.
Bad news - the Olympics are over and it’s still really hot.
Good news - football is back and the fall is around the corner. (At least that’s what the Halloween candy in stores tells us).
Filling the void,
The Last Night’s Game Team
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
A warning to all the criminals out there, be careful who you mess with. A thief made the mistake of attempting to steal the car of UFC fighter Jordan Williams and didn’t end well. Williams left his car running at a gas station he frequents, only to come out to find someone backing out in his car. He managed to land some punches and kicks before the would-be thief ran off. Williams posted the security footage on his Instagram in hopes of catching the thief. DON’T MESS WITH ME
Overtime
Another familiar face from the football field is headed morning television. Taking the chair next to Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil on “CBS This Morning" is former NFL player and current “NFL Today” (National Football League) analyst Nate Burleson. If the move sounds familiar, in 2012, Michael Strahan made a move from the field to co-hosting with Kelly Ripa and is now a mainstay on “Good Morning America.” IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY
Sideline stat
When the new name, image, likeness rules were announced, critics were worried it would bring out the worst in college sports. BYU had another plan. They’ve partnered with health food company Built Brands to compensate all 123 players on the Cougars football team, but they’ve taken it one step further. Build Brands will pay BYU’s walk-on players enough to cover their full tuition. Walk-ons are athletes that do not have a scholarship, so this is huge for these student-athletes.
If you’re wondering, NCAA rules say college football teams can have 125 players on their roster but only distribute scholarships to 85 athletes. GOOD GAME
Coaches’ corner
As a high schooler, J.R. Smith had committed to the University of North Carolina to play basketball. However, he went straight to the NBA (National Basketball Association) due to his success and was told he could always go back to school “whenever.” Well, after a 16-year NBA career, a retired Smith decided "whenever" is now. Beginning this semester, Smith will attend North Carolina A&T State University. But that’s not all. Smith wants to play on the school’s golf team and is awaiting the NCAA ruling on his eligibility. SECOND ACT
What to watch
Hold onto your hats - football is back! The NFL preseason is in full swing, with games starting last night through Sunday. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Trevor Lawrence, is expected to make his debut on Saturday for the Jacksonville Jaguars. HERE WE GO
The Breakfast Of Champions
Small talk doesn’t have to be painful, even on a Monday.
Small talk doesn’t have to be painful, even on a Monday.
Sports (and coffee) are always the right answer,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Tennis
When things don't go as planned. In a much anticipated showdown of two former #1 players in the world, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were supposed to meet this morning on the clay courts of the French Open. Just before the match was about to start, Williams withdrew from the tournament with an arm injury. This was Williams’ first grand slam tournament appearance since giving birth to daughter Olympia. GUNS BLAZIN'
Overtime
In auto racing, the job of the pace car is to keep the drivers at a reasonable speed before the race and during any incidents on the track. This weekend, the pace car in an IndyCar race became the incident, crashing on the track and delaying the start of the race. As if that wasn't bad enough, it was a $123,000 Corvette driven by a General Motors Vice President. YOU HAD ONE JOB
Sideline stat
Steph Curry had a record-setting night last night in the NBA (National Basketball Association) finals, with nine three-pointers. Curry and his Golden State Warriors have continued to rule the Cleveland Cavaliers, going up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Luckily for the Cavs, they will return home for game three where they can sleep in their own beds and hopefully pull off a win. TELL ME MORE
Coaches’ corner
Good guys alert. Their coaches taught them to “play selfless football and not selfish.” That’s what the Boise Black Knights youth football team told Good Morning America about their decision to stop and help accident victims on their drive home from a tournament in New Mexico. The 12 – 14 year olds worked together to lift an overturned car to safely rescue the trapped passengers. EATING THEIR WHEATIES
What to watch
The Washington Capitals (NHL – National Hockey League) attempted to match the celebrity filled pregame show of the Vegas Golden Knights but fell flat on Saturday with player intros from Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak. (One tweet described it as your school principal trying to be cool, but failing miserably).
Luckily for the Caps, their on-ice performance was superior, taking a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals. The teams will play again tonight in D.C. Let’s just hope they have something better up their pregame sleeve that doesn’t involve buying a vowel. A-E-I-O-U FAIL
The Rundown: Five Things to Know About the NFL Draft
The NFL draft is not unlike picking your kickball teams in grade school. Some players are chosen quickly but for the rest, it’s a slow, awkward and drawn out process. At the end of the day, most of us aren’t making millions with our athletic skills. Instead we’re putting them to use to give you today’s Rundown.
First round draft picks in our minds,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS - Be a teammate. Share us with your friends!
Five things to know about the NFL draft
There are only 31 picks in the first round this year because Patriots lost their pick in the first round due to the “Deflategate” scandal (see below). Expect for 255 players to be drafted over the course of three days.
College players must be at least three years out of high school to be eligible for NFL draft
USC has the most players ever drafted from their football program at 493 with Notre Dame closely behind with 486 players drafted.
The last pick of the draft is dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant.” He is dubbed this as the odds are against him that he’ll actually make the team’s roster. Broncos have the distinguished pick this year.
Extra credit. The ones to watch:
Baylor tight end LaQuan McGowan could be the heaviest player ever drafted at 405 pounds.
Newly relocated Los Angeles Rams have the number one pick in this year’s draft. They claim to know who they are picking but will not reveal their choice until Thursday night. It will likely be either Cal quarterback Jared Goff or North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.
A unicorn? Literally. Draft prospect, Moritz Boehringer, from the Swäbisch Hall Unicorns could be the first player drafted straight from Europe to the NFL. Boehringer (nicknamed Silence for his quiet demeanor) was introduced to football by watching clips on YouTube.
The first round starts on Thursday at 8 pm (EST) on ESPN or NFL Network. Teams receive 10 minutes for each pick. For the rest of the schedule click here.
Here is the draft order (excluding any trades between now and then) and list of players scheduled to attend NFL draft. For those not selected in first round it’s a long and unpleasant wait.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- Ouch. With round one of the playoffs still in full swing injuries are changing the face of the playoffs. Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry will miss two weeks with a sprained MCL. Warriors currently lead series 3-1 against Rockets.
- Clipped by the injury bug. Clippers’ starting point guard Chris Paul is out for the playoffs with a broken hand and Blake Griffin (missed 47 regular season games with quad and hand injuries) is also out for the playoffs after re-injuring his quad. Clippers play the Blazers in Los Angeles with series tied 2-2 tonight on NBC at 10 pm (EST).
- Congrats. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr won the “Coach of the Year” award despite missing 43 games this season due back surgery. Warriors set all-time season win mark at 73.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
I salute you. Detroit Tigers’ outfielder Tyler Collins will not face discipline charges after flipping off the heckling crowd after he misplayed a fly ball.
NFL (National Football League)
Flattened. On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled to overturn a lower court’s decision in the "Deflategate" scandal. New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady will have to sit out four games to start the 2016 season. Brady is being penalized for allegedly playing with a purposefully deflated the football in order to give his team an advantage.
NHL (National Hockey League)
Ding! Round two of the playoffs starts today with Islanders vs Lightning at 7 pm (EST) on NBCSN.
- Almost there. Game seven between Predators and Ducks is also today at 10 pm (EST) on NBCSN.
- Simply the best. Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals have advanced to the second round and will play each other on Thursday (8 pm EST on NBCSN). This series features two of the biggest NHL superstars pitted against each other, Sydney Crosby of the Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- Don’t change the channel. UFC is taking over the set of Good Morning America today from 7 – 9 am (ABC). UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, current Dancing With the Stars participant Paige VanZant and UFC President Dana White are just a few of the familiar faces you’ll see to start your morning.
Overtime
Move over Oprah because Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has started a book club. Luck went to Stanford and was the number one draft pick in 2012. He will be choosing books for “rookies” and “veterans. A “rookie” book is one that Luck liked when he was younger. His “veteran” book will be one he is currently reading. For more information or to join the book club, click here.
Sideline stat
3,500 miles. That was the goal of runner Reza Baluch who was attempting to run from Florida around the Bermuda Triangle in an inflatable bubble. He made it 70 miles before he was exhausted and picked up by the Coast Guard, again. Yes, this isn’t Baluch’s first attempt at this voyage, which he expected to last for five months. His human hamster wheel was stocked with protein bars, water and a hammock for sleeping. You have to see it to believe it.
Coaches’ corner
- Social media allows people to hide behind their phones and say some pretty dastardly and obscene things. Esquire Magazine asked real men to read some of the mean tweets sent to two women sportscasters. The result is what you expected. Keep up the good work ladies – we’re rooting for you.