Walk This Way

Don’t follow, lead the sports conversation right into the weekend.

Channel that Friday feeling,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

Express yourself. It’s Players' Weekend this weekend and that means it’s a chance for the players to express themselves using their nicknames on the back of their specially designed jerseys, wear individualized custom cleats and hot glue thank you patches to someone who has impacted their career on their jerseys. (Okay we made up the hot glue part). Joey "Pico de" Gallo and Shane "Not Justin" Bieber are just two of the winners in the nickname department to look forward to this weekend. CREATE YOUR OWN MLB NICKNAME  

 

Overtime

Oakland Raiders (NFL – National Football League) player Marshawn Lynch has long been obsessed with Skittles, eating them during games and even wearing custom Skittles cleats. This week, the candy company made Lynch the first athlete ever to be featured on a Skittles bag and subsequently shipped him a whole boatload of his special edition candy that he rolled around in gleefully. TASTE THE RAINBOW

 

Sideline stat

The prize money for the matchup between golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods is set. The veteran golfers will play each other Thanksgiving weekend in Las Vegas for a cool $9 million. As expected, the two have begun trash talking on Twitter, which Mickelson recently joined. GRUMPY OLD MEN

Coaches’ corner

In a sweet story that we never want to see, 11-year-old Caleb Hammond has terminal cancer. The big NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) fan took to Twitter to ask for racing stickers so he can decorate his casket. Race car drivers everywhere, including a slew of NASCAR drivers, have stepped up, shipping him autographed items, stickers, and even taking him for a ride in a race car. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP

What to watch

This weekend is all about the Little League Baseball World Series. Saturday, the teams from Georgia and Hawaii will face off to determine the winner of the U.S. bracket. The winner of that game will play the winner of the international bracket (Japan or South Korea) on Sunday for the title of the best in the world. BREAK OUT THE CRACKER JACKS

Wine Not?

It may be Friday morning but we’re already thinking ahead to happy hour and how these conversation starters are going to nicely pair with our glass of wine. It is National Pinot Noir Day after all.

We'll drink to that,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Role models. For the first time, the little leagues will get a taste of the big leagues on Sunday when the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates play at Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS). The LLBWS is in full swing and features teams that have traveled from all over the world to compete.

NFL (National Football League)

• Speaking out. Choosing not to stand for the national anthem is still very much a hot topic in the NFL with many players joining the protest to speak out against injustice after the events in Charlottesville, VA. The players hope the protest, started by former San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick last season, will lead to progress for equality. Here’s a more in depth look.  

Overtime

• The U.S.A will take on Europe in the LPGA’s (Ladies Professional Golfers Association) Solheim Cup starting today in Iowa. The players from Team U.S.A. hope to utilize home field advantage and win back-to-back cups. If all else fails, Michelle Wie (Team U.S.A. star) will blind her opponents with her sweet bedazzled cleats.

Sideline stat

• One – The number of games the highly anticipated Chick-fil-A in the brand-new Atlanta Falcons stadium will be open for business. The company will adhere to its policy of not being open on Sundays, despite being at an NFL stadium that has seven of its eight games on Sunday.

Former Top Chef contestant Kevin Gillespie pays homage to Chick-fil-A with his Closed on Sundays chicken sandwich, which will be served from his stand in the stadium to satisfy fans' need for poultry. 

Coaches’ corner

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) offensive line went to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and told the two rookies they were in charge of picking up the tab, per tradition. When the bill arrived, it was $26,000. Luckily for the two panicking rookies, it was a joke and the real bill was "only" $3,000, which their teammates paid for.

What’s the role of the offensive line? They’re the big guys who protect the quarterback and clearly can eat.