Lived Up To The Hype

Whether you cheered for the commercials, a good game, halftime or the snacks, the Super Bowl continued its dynasty as the ultimate Sunday Funday.

The legend lives on,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Don't forget to set your Bachelor bracket picks for tonight's rose ceremony. Want to join? Everyone's doing it.

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NFL (National Football League)

The drought is over for the Kansas City Chiefs. In a great battle between two stellar teams, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes announced he’s going to Disney World to celebrate being named the youngest player, 24, in NFL history to win an MVP award (2018), Super Bowl MVP and a Super Bowl trophy. His head coach, Andy Reid, finally claimed his first Super Bowl title after 20 years as a head coach. Surely the Chiefs “flu” is decimating office attendance this morning. DANCING IN THE STREETS

Overtime

One duo you could bet on? Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. The two killed it in their halftime show in outfits that made us question our choice to consume so many snacks. Their secret special guest performer? Emme – JLo’s daughter, who proved that she has pipes.

Then there were the commercials. The experts all loved Bill Murray, his Jeep co-pilot Punxsutaweney Phil and the commercial that took fate to make it happen. Tom Brady teased us earlier in the week, but showed us how smart he is to get paid to tell us he’s not going anywhere. Let’s not forget Sam Elliott facing off with Lil Nas X and Post Malone. FORGET WORKING, WATCH THEM AGAIN

Sideline stat

Meanwhile, down under we have two new Australian Open champions (tennis). The 21-year-old American Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title (i.e winning one of the four major tournaments in tennis) but her proud dad and lifetime coach is the one who melted hearts. On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic won his eighth Australian Open title. WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION

Coaches’ corner

Don’t worry, we didn’t forget the most important part of yesterday’s excitement. In a game of adoptable puppy cuteness, Team Fluff beat Team Ruff in the 16th Annual Animal Planet Puppy Bowl. In the past, the Puppy Bowl has had a 100% adoption rate. (You can rewatch the game here if you need some levity in your Monday). THE HARD-HITTING REPORTING YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

What to watch

While you set your bracket picks for tonight’s rose ceremony, watch J.J. Watt’s “The Bachelor” spoof from Saturday Night Live. The Houston Texans (NFL) defensive end played ‘Pilot Pat’ during his first time hosting of SNL. TOO GOOD

5 Reasons You Should Be Excited About The World Series

This isn't your average list - this is what people actually want to talk about. 

Because who won the 1972 World Series isn't the key to a great conversation,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. The Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros are playing in the 115th World Series. The Nationals are hoping to win their first ever franchise World Series and the Astros are striving for their second title win after winning their franchise first in 2017. The Astros are favored to win but the Nationals were fighters all season, so it’s anyone’s guess. (At the time of publication the Nationals are up 1-0 in the series). YOU'LL NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST

2. There are a lot of good luck charms that have come into play for the Washington Nationals, who started off the season in the dumps (19-31 to be exact). Luck came in the form of the song "Baby Shark" and a four-legged friend. First, Gerardo Parra changed his walk-up song for his kids to the song we all love to hate, "Baby Shark." He broke out of a hitless slump and the song became a rally cry for the team. Then there’s Ryan Zimmerman, who adopted a rescue dog named Penny before the postseason and they went on to crush it after that. UNDERDOGS DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO

3. While the regular season saw balls fly out of the park at a record rate, this series is not likely to reflect that because these two teams boast some of the best pitchers in the league. When it comes to hitters at the plate, keep in mind that when the games are in an American League ballpark (Astros’ stadium) both teams will play with a designated hitter (DH), a batter specifically designated to hit in the place of the pitcher. When the teams play at the home of the Nationals, the designated hitter won’t exist as the National League does not play with a DH. A pitcher has to hit. WHO DOESN'T WANT TO CALL IN A SUBSTITUTE SOMETIMES? 

4. Your medical terminology for the day - Heterochromia iridis. That’s the condition that causes Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer to have two different color eyes. One is blue and the other is brown. THE EYES HAVE IT

5. Who says you have to be big and burly to be a professional athlete? Well, whoever did has never met Jose Altuve. Altuve is the Astros second baseman and has been the hero of the postseason. And he stands at 5’6.” Besides who needs to be big when your big, burly athlete friends in the Houston area have your back? The other Houston teams are in full support of their baseball team with players from the Houston Rockets (NBA – National Basketball Association) and Houston Texans (NFL – National Football League) supporting the team from the stands throughout the playoffs. Texans player J.J. Watt made the official “Play Ball!” call before last night’s game. STAND AS ONE

It Was A Run-By Fruiting

We love a short week with plenty of sports action to keep the conversation flowing through the weekend.

Right on target,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NBA (National Basketball Association)

When it’s good to see an old friend. We may have seen this matchup before (or for the fourth time in a row) but the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors did not disappoint in game one of the NBA finals last night. LeBron James had a record night, setting his team up for the win. In the last seconds, the Cavs' J.R. Smith thought his team was winning when they were tied and held the ball, sending the game into overtime. The Cavs eventually lost in overtime. GAME NOTES

When you're trying to be a trendsetter. If you thought the internet was hard on J.R. Smith for his late game blunder (see above), they were equally as harsh on King James, who arrived to the game in a suit jacket with shorts combo. That’s a whole lot of leg. PICS

Game two is on Sunday. SCHEDULE

Overtime

Some of football’s best (NFL – National Football League) now have new titles to put on the back of their jerseys – M.D. Both Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers (also dating Danica Patrick) and Houston Texans' J.J. Watt were awarded with honorary doctorates this week at separate college graduation ceremonies. Dr. Watt also gave a passionate commencement speech about what he learned from Hurricane Harvey, encouraging the grads to “be the positive light to make the world an even better place.” SPEECH

Sideline stat

What were you doing at age 14? Chances are none of us were spelling “koinonia." That’s the word 14-year-old Karthik Nemmani spelled correctly to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee last night.  An underdog at an early age, Nemmani didn’t win at the county or regional level, but a wild card program allowed him to compete for the national title. (For the record, koinonia means Christian fellowship or communion). SPELL THIS

Coaches’ corner  

There’s going to be chaos in the nation’s capital and we not talking about politics. The Vegas Golden Knights (NHL - National Hockey League) head to Washington, D.C. on Saturday night to face the Washington Capitals with the Stanley Cup finals series tied 1-1. The unlikely matchup has been nothing but golden for the TV ratings. EVERYONE’S WATCHING