Bring It On

Woo your clients, carry on a great conversation with your happy hour date and make heads turn in a board meeting when you show off your sports know how.

Take that Monday,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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College basketball

When Sunday Funday has a whole new meaning. The luck of the Irish continued last night as Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team won the national championship on a shot, literally made at the last second. Their win over Mississippi State came 17 years to the day after their last national championship.

When nothing good happens after midnight. The clock struck midnight for the Cinderella story Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team. Sister Jean and her Ramblers lost to Michigan in the final four, setting up tonight’s big national championship game between Michigan and Villanova (9:19 pm EST). Remember how we told you to pick a team that sports the color blue to win your bracket? Once again, regardless of which team wins, the national champion will be blue.

Overtime

The “Babe Ruth of Japan,” Shohei Ohtani, made his MLB (Major League Baseball) pitching debut yesterday for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, picking up his first win. Even more impressive? The dad who was holding his child and caught a foul ball with his free hand. Sign him up. WATCH 

 

Sideline stat

The Vegas Golden Knights may have made history, clinching their spot in the NHL (National Hockey League) playoffs in their inaugural year as a team, but that wasn’t what was important to them on Saturday night. The team retired the #58, forever honoring the 58 victims that died in the October 1, 2017 shooting, which happened just days before the team started their season. (When a number is retired, no one on that team can ever wear that jersey number again).

Coaches’ corner

The most anticipated player to take the field in MLS (Major League Soccer) since David Beckham, scored two goals in his debut with the L.A. Galaxy (also Beckham’s former team). The 36-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed with the Galaxy from Manchester United and upon his arrival in the U.S., placed a rather ego driven newspaper ad. SEE IT

 

Stay Tuned

The greatest game on grass, the Master’s golf tournament, begins this week. Stay tuned for all the interesting and quirky traditions in our Five Things You Need To Know on Wednesday. Not into golf? It’s always a great sport to “watch” during your Sunday nap.

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Making It Happen

This is no early April Fool’s prank; here’s what’s happening in sports so you can create conversation all weekend long.

Like a boss,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

If your Thursday was a home run. By all accounts, Opening Day in baseball was a success. It started with a home run on the first pitch of the season and ended with a visit from Jennifer Lopez in the broadcast booth, where her former baseball player boyfriend, Alex Rodriguez, was broadcasting the Los Angeles Dodgers – San Francisco Giants game.

College Basketball 

If your mama taught you to respect your elders. The final four is Saturday night and it features Villanova (#1) vs. Kansas (#1) and Loyola Chicago (#11) vs. Michigan (#3). The teams may have met their match but so has Sister Jean. The 98-year-old nun and chaplain for Loyola has been challenged by Michigan’s “Fab Five” legend and former NBA (National Basketball Association) player Jalen Rose’s grandma. The 100-year-old Grandma Rose loves her some Michigan basketball and told Sister that “it’s been fun but Loyola’s time is up.” A little shade thrown from her elders.  

Overtime

The Los Angeles Rams (NFL – National Football League) have made a lot of noise in the offseason with on-field acquisitions but this one made history. The Rams hosted cheerleading tryouts this week and their new squad will feature the first two male cheerleaders ever in the NFL. You’ll see Quinton and Napoleon, both professional dancers, on the sideline this the fall. (Other teams have stuntmen, but not actual male cheerleaders/dancers).

Sideline stat

The NCAA (governing body of college sports) allocates $3,000 - $4,000 for players’ families to attend the final four and the national championship game. The money is for travel costs, hotel rooms and meals. The funds allow Kansas player Udoka Azubuike’s mom to see her son play for the first time. Her visa was approved for travel from Nigeria. Also on Kansas, Svi Mykhailiuk, whose parents travelled from the Ukraine to see him play on Saturday. MORE

Coaches’ corner

Zeke Upshaw of the Detroit Pistons G League developmental league collapsed on the court on Saturday and later died. Last night, the Detroit Pistons honored Upshaw posthumously with an honorary call-up. Being called up means he’ll officially be memorialized in the record books as a player for the Detroit Pistons.

What to watch

March Madness continues tonight with the final four in the women’s bracket.  Unlike the men’s bracket, all final four teams started off the tournament ranked #1 in their division – UConn, Notre Dame, Louisville and Mississippi State.  

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Sports - because you’re going to need something to chat about besides the unpredictable spring weather.

Don't even mention our winter white legs,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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College Basketball

When you’ve got to have faith. Sister Jean (pictured above) does it again! She may have not picked her own team in her bracket but the 98-year-old Chaplin for Loyola Chicago watched her #11 seeded team continue their Cinderella story by beating Nevada last night. The team will now move on to the elite eight this weekend. SCHEDULE

How are you doing in our bracket challenge? If you’re scraping yourself off the bottom, remember there are prizes for last place! RESULTS                 

F1 (Formula One)

If you believe speed limits are simply a suggestion. The first race of the F1 season gets the green light on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia at 1 am EST on ESPN2. Here are our Five Things To Know About The Global Phenomenon Of F1 Racing. No word if they’ll get you out of a speeding ticket for driving like one.

Overtime

Athletes are just like us in that they lose their luggage. American Airlines lost the clubs of LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) golfer In-Kyung Kim on a flight from Miami and simply couldn’t seem to locate them. The airline suggested she rent some replacement clubs in the meantime. As luck would have it, some fans found her clubs a few months later for sale for $69.99 in a Play It Again Sports in San Diego.

Sideline Stat

Buried in the government spending bill that you’ve heard so much about is a provision to exempt minor league baseball players from minimum wage laws. These players can make as little as $5,500 for the season (players do not receive a salary for spring training or postseason play). The exemption was lobbied for by MLB (Major League Baseball) and the reason? Some say without it, minor leagues would have to make cuts that could hurt the teams and the economy of the cities they play in. MORE

Coaches’ corner

If you don’t want to stay up for the F1 race, here’s another automotive spectacle for you. From the “not sure if this is a sport” file, we bring you Meat Fest. Drivers from all over the country will flock to Disney, Oklahoma this weekend to drive their off-road vehicles up rocks. (Yes it’s as dangerous and gravity defiant as it sounds).

Two of the biggest challenges of the weekend are rocks called Viagra Hill and Nasty Girl. Why Meat Fest? It has nothing to do with the mass quantity of imbibing men, it actually refers to the large width of the tires used on the vehicles. Overheard hundreds of times at the event, “Watch this. Hold my beer…”