Golden Hour

While diving deep into sports may not be your thing (ours either), it’s a perfect foray into a conversation and making a connection.

Something for everyone,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Olympics

All eyes are again on Simone Biles, with the individual events (uneven bars, vault, floor, etc.) beginning on Sunday. In her Instagram stories, she said she is struggling with the 'twisties' – her "mind and body are simply not in sync." She has been very open about her struggle and even answered questions in her stories from fans about the twisties. There has been no word if she will compete in any of those events. HANG IN THERE

Overtime

Hearts broke all over Chicago last night when news that the Chicago Cubs (MLB – Major League Baseball) traded away fan-favorite Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo and his BFF, Kris Bryant, played together on the Cubs since 2015 and were part of the team that broke the Cubs' championship curse. The two, dubbed Bryzzo, are known for picking up fan's dinner tabs and being all-around good guys. They will now be rivals as Rizzo was traded to the Yankees ahead of the MLB trade deadline. WELCOME TO NEW YORK??

Sideline stat

History continues to be made in Tokyo. This time, San Marino claims the title as the least populated country to win an Olympic medal at the Summer or Winter Games, a record previously held by Lichtenstein. Alessandra Perilli won the bronze medal in women's trap shooting for San Marino, which is in Northern Italy. The microstate has a population of around 34,000. Their entire population wouldn't even fill Wrigley Field. SMALL COUNTRY, BIG DREAMS

Coaches’ corner

Yesterday, with her teammates, including Simone Biles, in the stands, American gymnast Suni Lee, 18, became the fifth straight gold medal winner for the US in the Women's Gymnastics All-Around. Lee has a great story herself. She is the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics. Her dad, who has since been paralyzed from a freak accident, built her a balance beam in their backyard so she could practice. 

FYI, track and field coverage continues to ramp up as swimming and gymnastics start to wrap up.

What to watch

The NBA (National Basketball Association) Draft was last night, and the new name, image, likeness (NIL) rules may have already made an impact as 88 early entry candidates (players who still have eligibility) withdrew from the 2021 draft. Cade Cunningham from Oklahoma State University was drafted in the No. 1 spot to Detroit Pistons. However, the headlines were the blockbuster trade of veteran Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook, like new teammate LeBron James, is involved in the Hollywood movie scene. The NBA pre-season begins in early October. HOOP DREAMS

5 Things To Know About MLB’s Young Superstars

A recent report revealed that current baseball players are not recognizable. With familiar faces like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez gone from the game, we thought you should get know to this group since you’ll be hearing a lot about them this summer.

On second thought, we should’ve made a boys of summer calendar instead,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five things to know about MLB’s (Major League Baseball’s) Young Superstars

1. Bryce Harper, 24, Washington Nationals outfielder The Las Vegas native first appeared on the scene on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16-years-old and was dubbed "The Chosen One." He’s known for talent, his hair and his temper.  
2. Mike Trout, 25, Anaheim Angels outfielder In his five-year career, the two-time MVP has become only the second player to have his own signature Nike shoe. He also popped the question to his high school sweetheart by hiring a sky writer.
3. Noah Syndergaard, 24, New York Mets pitcher Syndergaard (pronounced SIN-der-guard) is known as “Thor” because of his long flowing hair. His biggest rivalry isn’t with an opposing team but with the Mets’ mascot, Mr. Met, who was recently photographed with his mom.
4. Kris Bryant, 25, Chicago Cubs third baseman He played baseball in Vegas with Bryce Harper (see #1). A member of the Cubs' World Series teams, the Rookie of the Year and NL MVP likes shoes as much as you do (although he gets paid to wear them), signing a record-breaking shoe deal with Adidas reportedly worth $1M a year.
5. Carlos Correa, 22, Houston Astros shortstop The youngest one of the bunch began his MLB career in 2015 and was named Rookie of the Year. He was the first Puerto Rican born player to be drafted at number one. Rumor has it he has a tattoo of Food Network star Guy Fieri on his leg. Big fan or lost a bet?

Overtime

• Recently retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (NFL – National Football League) was honored by the Dallas Mavericks (NBA – National Basketball Association) last night. While he suited up and warmed up with the team, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver vetoed owner Mark Cuban’s idea to put Romo in the game. Party pooper.

Sideline stat

• Forbes released its annual valuation of MLB franchises. The average franchise is worth $1.54 billion, up 19% from last year. The top three franchises are:
  • New York Yankees, valued at $3.7 billion 
  • Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.75 billion 
  • Boston Red Sox, $2.7 billion

Coaches’ corner

• The NHL (National Hockey League) playoffs begin tonight. The pressure is on the Pittsburgh Penguins to repeat last year’s Stanley Cup win. (The Stanley Cup is the name of the trophy given to the NHL champions). Need a cheat sheet on the playoffs? Here you go.

The Rundown: Natural Selection

The big weekend is here. It’s time for Selection Sunday, which is when we find out the teams that make up the 68 teams in the March Madness bracket.

Try to contain yourselves,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – There’s still time to submit your questions as part of our March Madness 101 as well as join the Last Night’s Game Bracket Challenge. We promise you a good time. (You can also submit your questions in the comment section below). 

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World Baseball Classic

• Quest for glory. Team U.S.A. begins their quest for baseball world domination in Miami today against Columbia. Would you like to know more about World Baseball Classic? Round the bases of knowledge with our five things to know. (Click here for the full schedule).

NCAA Basketball (College)

• Plug the leak. Last year the March Madness bracket was leaked online before the exclusive selection show could reveal all of the matchups. Extra precautions are being taken this year for members of the selection committee. They’ll follow strict guidelines like a trial jury such as having all meals delivered by room service and security stationed on the committee members’ floor to ward off uninvited guests.
• Aborted takeoff. On Wednesday, the Michigan Wolverines’ plane slid off the runway on their way to the Big 10 basketball tournament. The team made it to the game but their uniforms did not. The team was forced to play in their practice jerseys because their game uniforms were stuck on the plane and are now considered evidence in the crash.

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Going all in. Heading into the big weekend in Las Vegas, NASCAR announced they will be adding one additional race to the Vegas track in 2018. The Vegas events will take place in March and September.

Overtime

• The Iditarod is one of the most grueling races in the world. The dog sled race is nearly 1,000 miles in the Alaskan wilderness. Yesterday one team of dogs showed up to the stage’s finish line without their musher, who fell asleep and fell off the sled. Good dogs.

Sideline stat

• National League MVP Kris Bryant, who plays for the Chicago Cubs, set a record with his new contract but it’s not nearly as much as you think. He signed a 1-year/$1.05 million deal, which makes him the highest-paid player in a second year of service time in MLB (Major League Baseball) history.

Coaches’ corner

• We talked about NFL (National Football League) free agency on Wednesday and some big moves were made yesterday. The most notable news includes Chicago Bears releasing their quarterback Jay Cutler (husband of shoe designer Kristin Cavallari) and the likely trade of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. For all the news, click here.