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

Surprise! It's Monday

Unlike Sean Spicer’s appearance on the Emmys, it’s no surprise that Monday is here. Start your week and the conversation with Last Night’s Game.

#winning,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

• #HoustonStrong. Finally, some great news for Houston. For the first time in 16 years, the Houston Astros have won their division. The team will take the top spot for their division (American League West) in the playoffs, which starts in October.

NFL (National Football League)

• This town ain’t big enough. It’s been a rough start for Los Angeles and their two new NFL teams – the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. Lackluster game attendance has been the butt of many jokes and this weekend's games didn't help. The combined attendance for both the Rams and Chargers games was less than the total attendance for the USC (University of Southern California) game.

Overtime

• Supporting the “Drive for Teal & Gold” campaign, 29 NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) drivers will utilize teal and gold steering wheels during the month of September. Drivers will raise awareness and funds for ovarian and childhood cancers. The effort is spearheaded by driver Martin Truex Jr. (who won yesterday's race) and his partner Sherry, an ovarian cancer survivor.

Sideline stat

• For the third time ever, four quarterbacks from the same college started in the NFL on Sunday and they’re not from the big powerhouse school you might think. They all bleed red and blue as former players from North Carolina State.

Coaches’ corner

• The much-anticipated boxing match between Gennady Gennadyevich Glolovkin (aka GGG) and Canelo Alvarez lived up the hype with nonstop action for 12 rounds. It all came down to the judges to declare the winner. They took the easy way out and declared it a draw (i.e. a tie). The sports world lost its mind calling the fight fixed. Only time will tell.