Fight For Your Right

Small talk shouldn't be hard that's why we bring you the best of the best. 

All for you,

The Last Night’s Game 

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Tennis

It’s been a rough summer to be a tennis fan with the most popular athletes dropping out of tournaments left and right. Yesterday, Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, two of the world’s greatest players, announced they would not play in Wimbledon. But two-time Wimbledon champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal made a shocking announcement that he will not be participating in the Olympics this summer either. Osaka will still play in the Olympics for Japan. SUMMER BUMMER

Overtime

Jimmy Kimmel is making history, but not with his TV ratings. He will become the first human to have a college football bowl game named after him. The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl will debut on December 18. FUNNY GUY FOOTBALL

Sideline stat

The boys of summer are back in Omaha. After the Men’s College World Series was cancelled last year, eight teams will return to the tournament's home stadium to fight for the title in this double-elimination tournament. Stanford, NC State, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas and Mississippi State will take the field in the tournament that provides Omaha with an economic impactof $70 million. BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKERJACKS

Coaches’ corner

This weekend is the third of four major golf tournaments in the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) Tour. The U.S. Open has been criticized for its obscenely long beer lines (2+ hours), so watching it on TV is the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day. As you ponder whether or not the Brooks Koepka - Bryson DeChambeau rivalry is all for a cut of the PGA incentives fund, also remember there’s no better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with a midday nap with championship golf on in the background. ZZZ…I WAS WATCHING THAT

Ho, Ho, Holy College Football Bowl Games – The 5 Things You Need To Know

If football games are on your holiday wish list, then you must have been well behaved this year because there is an abundance of college football coming your way. Been naughty? Don’t worry, here are the five things you should know about bowl game season to put you back on the nice list.

Getting coal again this year,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five Things To Know About College Football Bowl Games

1. If the Oscars have the most coveted swag bags, bowl games are a close second. Players cannot be paid to play in the games but they can take home some great loot. Gifts this year include nice watches, rocking headphones and a PlayStation PS4.

2. There have been quite a few head coaching positions vacated and with the new coach not starting until next season, you’ll see a handful of teams playing with an interim coach. (Think Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska and Arizona State).

3. What’s in a name? Well for bowl games, it’s big money. The committees will do just about anything to please their title sponsors including naming the game itself something odd. The most memorable bowl game names this season roll off the tongue like the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, Taxslayer Bowl and the Potato Bowl. And yes, there used to be a game called the Salad Bowl.

4. If you want to put your name on it, it’s going to cost you. Collectively, companies spend around $100 million on the naming rights for bowl games. The money, it goes to the conference and they divvy it out amongst the teams in their conference but not before taking a little for themselves.

5. Not all teams are invited to a bowl game. A team has to have a .500-plus record to be considered bowl eligible. The top four teams in the country will play in either the Sugar Bowl or the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The winner of those two games will play each other in the National Championship Game on January 8th.

- Why does this matter? Once again football is going to dominate the conversation this month. There are 40 games between Sunday, December 16 and Monday, January 8 so there's no escaping the discussion. SCHEDULE

Keep the conversation going

Find out what Lindsey Vonn is doing with cheese that is upping her game, how basketball is overtaking football as the most popular sport in America and why a blizzard may have cost one player $500,000. READ

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Want to learn a little about college football with minimal effort? Join our college football bowl game pool where you can do just that. Simply pick the teams you think will win (or use the autofill function – we’re not judging). There are prizes for the winners (and even a few of the losers).  

Ps – Your picks need to be submitted by this Saturday.

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up - Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! We hope you’re enjoying candy for breakfast to kick off the day. We’re not judging because in our book M&M’s make a nutritious breakfast.

Trick or Treat,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Give your friends the treat of Last Night's Game. Share us! 

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MLB (MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL)

• Not so fast. Going into last night’s game the Chicago Cubs were on the verge of losing the World Series. They kept their season alive by winning game five at Wrigley Field.

• Down with the DH. The series shifts back to Cleveland Tuesday night, where the DH (designated hitter) will again be a factor because they’re playing by American League rules. Cubs' red hot hitter Kyle Schwarber will be in the lineup as a DH. 

NCAA FOOTBALL (COLLEGE)

• Upsets. The undefeated Baylor Bears (#8), West Virginia Mountaineers (#10), Boise State Broncos (#13) and Tennessee Volunteers (#18) all lost to unranked teams this weekend and that is not good for those ranking numbers behind their names.

• Let us judge you. The first official weekly “college football rankings” will be released Tuesday. The rankings you’ve seen before this are based on a poll put forth by the AP (Associated Press). These new rankings will be determined by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. These rankings matter because they determine playoff eligibility. 

NFL (NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE)

• What are the chances? The Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins gave the British fans something American fans rarely see. Not Prince Harry but a game that ended in a tie. The game, which was played in London, is the second game to end in a tie this season. There haven’t been two tie games in an NFL season in 19 years.

NBA (NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION)

• Bring it on. During the off-season Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. That left the team in the hands of Russell Westbrook, who has killed it so far this season. He’s had two triple-doubles to lead the Thunder to a 3-0 start. What’s a triple–double? Find out in our coaches’ corner.  

NASCAR (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING)

• I’ll take that. Jimmie Johnson secured his place in the final four of “The Chase for the Cup” with a win this weekend. Only two races remain for drivers to win to advance to the last and final race that will determine the season’s winner.  

OVERTIME

• It was a no good, very bad day in Cleveland yesterday. Not only did the Indians lose their World Series game but the Cleveland Browns lost. The Browns are halfway to joining an elite club of teams to go winless during an NFL season, sitting at 0-8. Their fans couldn’t even win when unfurling a banner. They misspelled “Go Dawg Pound” – “GPODAWUND.” Maybe they should all go home and start the day over.

SIDELINE STAT

• 621,000 – the number of subscribers ESPN lost in one month according to Nielsen. It's the worst month in the company's history and represents a revenue loss of $52 million. It’s not only ESPN, the decline of cable subscribers is hurting every cable network, sports or not.

COACHES’ CORNER

• How many baseballs are used in a typical MLB game? The average life of a baseball is seven pitches, with over 90 balls used in a game. Unlike your little league game, umpires will take the ball out of the game if it’s scuffed or dirty because it impacts the way the ball functions. Discarded baseballs are often used for batting practice or shipped down to the minor leagues.