Keep It Simple
The OOTD that you need to see, teeing up tomorrow’s “Match” and the Japanese player who is making all kinds of MLB history.
As you slowly assimilate back to society after what was surely an epic fourth, we’ve covered it all so you don’t even have to think.
Served up on a platter,
The Last Night’s Game Team
The Match
The fourth edition of “The Match,” a golf game that pits golfers and other athletes against each other all in the name of charity, takes place tomorrow in Big Sky, Montana. Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson will compete against Aaron Rodgers and golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Let’s hope Brady wears better pants as he ripped his in the last “Match” and that they have better weather (the last one was played in a downpour). Regardless, the crap talking has already started, it’s for a good cause (The Match II raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief), and it’ll be fun to see. GET YOUR GAME FACE ON
Overtime
The best story you might have missed over the weekend is the story behind Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB - Major League Baseball) pitcher Joe Kelly’s outfit that he wore to the White House. The Dodgers were the first team of the Biden era to visit the White House, and Kelly, whose mother is Mexican-American, wore a mariachi jacket. He acquired the jacket earlier in the week after asking a musician from a mariachi band that played at Dodgers Stadium if he’d trade for a jersey. THE REST IS HISTORY
For more on the tradition of championship teams visiting the White House, click here.
Sideline stat
Is it a holiday if you don’t overindulge? Ask Joey Chestnut, who broke his own record yesterday, eating 76 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. A new champion, Tucson native Michelle Lesco, was crowned after downing 30 and 3/4 hot dogs in 10 minutes on the women's side. FEELING A LITTLE QUEASY
Coaches’ corner
History has been made in the week before the MLB All-Star game. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels became the first player in baseball’s long history to be selected to the all-star game as both a pitcher and a position player. Ohtani, the first Japanese player selected to start the all-star game, will serve as a pitcher and designated hitter. (More on a designated hitter here). BATTER UP
What to watch
The NBA (National Basketball Association) Finals start tomorrow between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns have never won a championship, and the Bucks haven’t won since 1971. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lighting are looking for a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals (NHL - National Hockey League) against the Montreal Canadiens tonight. GAME ON
Your Moment In The Sun
All the BBQ fodder including too many hot dogs, a new meaning to "long drive” and athletes’ sad meals inside the bubble.
Happy 244th Birthday America. Here’s everything you need for your holiday weekend small talk.
Sunscreen required,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
Saturday brings us fireworks, cocktails and binge eating. Well maybe not you but the participants in the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest will be attempting to break the record of 74 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes set by 12-time champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut. In a move no one saw coming, yesterday it was announced that New Jersey, Colorado and New Hampshire have legalized betting on this competitive eating contest. The new indoor, air-conditioned environment is conducive to Chestnut beating his record but will he “chipmunk” or have a reverse of fortune? You can bet on it.
Want to be the hit of your BBQ, check out the five things you need to know about this Fourth of July tradition that might make you vomit. (Also, we explain chipmunking, etc. – don’t try this at home).
Overtime
The call for the Washington Redskins (NFL - National Football League) to change their team name, which has long been considered derogatory toward Native Americans, has been happening for as long as we can remember. Now the movement has more traction than ever with stadium naming rights sponsor FedEx and PepsiCo joining the long list of companies rallying for the team to change its name. Yesterday, Nike pulled all of its Redskins gear off its site. The team has also been in talks to relocate its stadium to a piece of federal land, which doesn’t look likely unless they change their name. IT’S A MATTER OF TIME
Sideline stat
Many Americans are hitting the road this holiday weekend because they felt flying commercial was a bit too risky. Due to COVID, the PGA Tour (Professional Golfers Association) has made private jets available for players to get from tournament to tournament, but then there’s golfer Viktor Hovland who is giving a new meaning to long drive. Fueled by as many as six Red Bulls and heavy metal music, Hovland has opted to drive between tournaments vs. fly – logging 3,000 miles over four different PGA Tour stops. PUT THE PEDDLE TO THE (HEAVY) METAL
Coaches’ corner
If they say a man’s stomach is the way to his heart, there’s about to be mutiny in Disney World. Ahead of the MLS is Back Tournament (Major League Soccer), the players’ have taken to social media to share their less than desirable and expensive meals from their Disney World bubble, comparing them to something from the Frye Festival. The NBA (National Basketball Association) will join MLS and finish their season on Disney World properties starting at the end of the month. YOUR KID’S CAFETERIA WANTS ITS FOOD BACK
What to watch
Drivers start your engines because F1 (Formula One) season begins on Sunday in picturesque Austria after the global sport was put on hold due to COVID. Team Mercedes, led by six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton - the only Black driver on the circuit - made a surprise announcement this week, announcing that it will debut an inclusive paint scheme. Also arriving this week ahead of the race, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, 89, welcomed his fourth child, Ace. WATCH FOR THE EUROPEAN SCENERY, STAY FOR THE RACING
The 4th Of July Tradition That'll Make You Want To Vomit
Downing 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes - what could go wrong?
Nothing says “Happy Birthday America” like sitting on your couch watching people down 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
This post will definitely make you the hit of the BBQ,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. In a tradition unlike any other, our nation will celebrate its birthday with the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Like our country, the contest’s roots run deep. According to Nathan’s, legend has it that on July 4, 1916, four immigrants gathered at the very first Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand on Coney Island and made eating contest history. As the story goes, they were competing to see who was the most patriotic. The winner was determined with a hot dog eating contest. BUT OF COURSE
2. Due to COVID rules, only five competitors will compete this year and they will compete indoors. Usually the contest has 15 dog-downing competitors and the competition takes place amidst stifling humidity and a massive crowd right in front of the first Nathan’s Hot Dog Stand in Coney Island. The indoor environment might prove to be just what 12-time champion Joey Chestnut needs to beat his record of 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. BTW in case you’re wondering those 74 hot dogs equal 22,200 calories and 1,332 grams of fat. IRON STOMACH
3. Don’t worry this sport isn’t only for the boys. On the women’s side, Miki Sudo has won for six straight years. For comparison sake, in 2019 she ate 31 hot dogs as compared to Chestnut’s 71. In case you’re wondering she also holds the records for 8.5 pounds of Kimchi in six minutes and 14 pounds of wild rice hotdish in 8 minutes. For the record, Chestnut holds the record for the most hard boiled eggs eaten in 10 minutes at 151. THIS COULD BE A TALENT YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD
4. Let’s talk about what everyone is thinking about – vomiting. An eater who has "a Roman incident" or “reversal of fortune,” as it is so delightfully called, will be disqualified if the result of that incident touches the plate or table. After the contest is over, eaters can dispose of the food however they’d like, although some contests have a post-binge wait period. And in case you’re wondering, contestants can eat the bun and dog separately and dunk the bun in water to help it go down better. “Chipmunking” is also allowed. That’s when contestants stuff their mouths full of food as time runs out. They have 30 seconds to swallow the food to have it count. MAKE SURE NOT TO SIT IN THE SPLASH ZONE
5. This isn't college, the competitors don't show up just for the food. The winner takes home $10,000. And this year’s event will honor and raise money for those essential workers who take care of us when we’re down and out. If that’s not enough, Nathan’s will also donate 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank of New York. EATING FOR GOOD
You can catch the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at noon EST on July 4 on ESPN.