Worth Celebrating
Who’s part of the Fashionable 50, why one team is over the moon and why is a Tour rider drinking wine in a French vineyard right now?
Congratulations! You’ve made it to Friday.
Go forth and celebrate like it’s 1969,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
The Houston Astros are going all out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. The Astros will replace their logo on their caps the with the official emblem of Apollo 11, fans will be able to take photos with Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit and the Astros faithful can also pick up an Orbit Moon-Landing bobblehead. HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PARTY
Overtime
Move over Swimsuit Edition, there’s a new boss in town. Serena Williams is looking fierce as she graces the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “Fashionable 50.” Other athletes who made the cut include the NBA’s (National Basketball Association) Russell Westbrook and Dwyane Wade, tennis’ Maria Sharapova, driver Lewis Hamilton (F1 - Formula One Racing) and soccer’s Cristiano Ronaldo. THE WORLD IS THEIR RED CARPET
Sideline stat
Manny Pacquiao, 40, went from being one of the best in boxing, to a politician in his home country of the Philippines and will return to the ring to fight Keith Thurman on Saturday. Thurman, who is 10 years younger than Pacquiao, is undefeated but most experts are picking the “old guy” for his experience, speed and technique. LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE
Coaches’ corner
In a strange move, Australian rider Rohan Dennis quit the Tour de France mid-race and then went missing for a few hours. The World time-trial champion finally showed up at the team bus, said his peace and left. Rumor has it he’s tired of playing second fiddle on his team, but no one is saying anything about his abrupt exit. FIND ME AT THE VINEYARDS
Need more Tour? Check out our five things you need to know.
What to watch
The blustery weather of Northern Ireland certainly got the best of former British Open (aka The Open - golf) champ David Duvall. His play yesterday was a comedy of errors that led to "a very unique, awful situation" (his words not ours) as he recorded a score so high that mortals could actually achieve it. (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and others struggled yesterday too, but not quite as badly).
Channel the chilly conditions while sitting under a fan as you attempt to cool off from this weekend’s heat wave. The Open runs until Sunday. HERE’S HOW TO WATCH
Ace This - The 5 Things You Need To Know About Wimbledon
Because wearing your Wimbledon whites without the fear of bird poop is where it’s at.
Give yourself the upper hand when talking about summer whites, equal pay and grunting.
A jack of all trades,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon, starts on July 1. It’s the only Grand Slam Tournament (one of four during the season) that takes place on a grass court. GET OFF MY LAWN
2. While the tourney isn’t generous with their trophies, they are progressive when it comes to equal pay. For the eighth year in a row, the prize money has increased with both the men’s and women’s winner taking home a check for $3.06 million. Although they don’t get the keep the trophy – the winner receives a replica. WIN SOME, LOSE SOME
3. There’s a strict dress code at the prestigious tournament, requiring players to wear all white. And we all know that nothing ruins your summer whites like bird poop. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that at Wimbledon. Rufus is a specially trained hawk that keeps other birds off of the courts. (Seriously, have they thought of everything)? EYES LIKE A HAWK
4. The tennis balls are replaced every seven to nine games to make sure they’re kept in perfect shape. It’s no wonder more than 54,000 tennis balls are used during the two week tournament. But did you know that tennis balls used to be white or black, not yellow? They were changed to yellow to make it easier for the TV viewer to see the ball, but Wimbledon was a late adopter to the color change, waiting until the 80s. HOLY BALLS
5. Grunting is something no longer left to gremlins and grumpy old men. Even the classiest of tennis players vocalize their play. While you may think this is a new thing, Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are known as the original creators of the tennis grunt. The loudest one on the court? Russia’s Maria Sharapova at 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing next to an accelerating motorcycle. THAT’S NOT AWKWARD AT ALL
Want to be able to dive into the details? Here’s how to speak tennis like the pros and keep score.
Wednesday Wisdom
The office chatter never stops, so jump in by talking about how your dance moves could earn you a gold medal, the catfight between A-Rod and Kylie Jenner and why the lights are still on in Omaha. READ
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