The Good Ones
Why Prince William is chastising the behavior of England’s fans, the MLB All-Star Game and Wimbledon download.
The best part about sports isn’t the scores; it’s the stories that allow you to connect with others and create conversation.
Monday for the win,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Today starts the beginning of the All-Star festivities in Denver. The home run derby is tonight, and all eyes are on slugger (and pitcher) Shohei Ohtani, who is the first-ever Japanese-born player to compete in the derby. Also, keep an eye on Baltimore Orioles player Trey Mancini who missed last season to fight (and win) a battle with cancer who is also participating in the derby. The game itself will be tomorrow night.
While the stars of the game are on the field, they’re not the only heroes. At an MLB game yesterday, the father of Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross saved a fan’s life, performing the Heimlich Maneuver. LIFESAVER
Overtime
Some of England’s biggest soccer fans including David Beckham, Prince William, Duchess Kate and Prince George attended yesterday’s Euro 2020 Final. England was vying for its first major title in 55 years. Sadly, the England fans will have to settle for second. Italy took home the win after a great game that was decided by penalty kicks at the end. The British Beer and Pub Association estimated that fans would buy nearly 13 million pints of beer yesterday in expectation of the event. That indulging may have led to the thousands of abusive tweets and racist messages directed at the three Black England players who missed their penalty kicks. SORE LOSERS
Sideline stat
There’s a new name to keep an eye on in women’s tennis – Australian Ash Barty. Yesterday Barty won her first Wimbledon, her second Grand Slam title of her career. Novak Djokovic won his sixth Wimbledon, his third major of the year. With the win, he tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most titles in history. He could break the record at the U.S. Open in August; the only Grand Slam tournament left this year. ON FIRE
Coaches’ corner
The MLB All-Star Game made headlines after a maid tipped off Denver police who seized guns, ammunition, narcotics and body armor from a hotel near Coors Field, home of the All-Star Game. They arrested four people. It was initially feared it was some sort of planned attack on the event, but it turns out it may be unrelated. The All-Star Game was scheduled to be in Atlanta, but the league pulled the game after the state passed new voting rights laws. SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING
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
Monday Mania
Rolling out of bed may have hurt a little this morning, but what doesn’t have to be painful today is the small talk.
Rolling out of bed may have hurt a little this morning, but what doesn’t have to be painful today is the small talk.
Who’s ready for a nap?
The Last Night’s Game Team
masters - (PGA - Professional Golfers Association)
If you’ve ever been green with envy. Patrick Reed, 27, won the Masters and took home the iconic green jacket yesterday. The Masters’ win was the first major win for Reed. He is a polarizing player, some love him some hate him, but it doesn’t matter because he’s laughing all the way to the bank with his $1.98 million winner’s check. WHY FANS HATE REED
When you realize you should just stop betting. Tiger Woods was the favorite to win the Masters according to the sports books but he didn’t quite get there. On the other hand, he did achieve a small victory. He finished the tournament for the first time since 2015 (he tied for 32nd place) and that equaled big numbers for TV and for sponsors. Always a silver lining.
Overtime
The spectacle in spandex and the Super Bowl of wrestling, WrestleMania 34, was last night. In her WWE (Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment) debut, Ronda Rousey beat the boss’s daughter and WWE exec, Stephanie McMahon. The best moment of the night? Wrestler Braun Strowman needed a tag team partner and in a made for TV moment, he plucked a boy named Nicholas from the crowd. Nicholas and Strowman then proceeded to win the tag team championship belt. Someone is going to have an awesome show and tell in school this week. BEST MOMENTS
Sideline stat
Minnesota Duluth won the college national championship in hockey this weekend, beating Notre Dame. The victory is bittersweet as the hockey world is mourning the bus crash of a Canadian junior hockey team that killed 15. Tributes poured in for the Humboldt Broncos and so did the money. The GoFundMe page has raised over $4 million so far to help the families with medical and expenses. MORE
Coaches’ corner
“Japan’s Babe Ruth,” Shohei Ohtani, was the most sought after player in the off-season and last night he showed why. He took a perfect game into the 7th inning for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (MLB – Major League Baseball). What is a perfect game? It’s when no member of the opposing team gets on base during the entire game.
Like Fight Club, we don’t talk about the perfect game…ever. Baseball fans are very superstitious so never mention a player is going for a perfect game until it’s over. That’s probably something Martha Stewart wished she knew before she tweeted this last season. And there you have it – you’re smarter than Martha Stewart.
