Easy On Me
Was Aaron Rodgers Halloween costume worth the hair, why the discussion around mental health is more important than ever in sports and when moms text?
It's a Monday, the day after Halloween and the first of November - that's enough shock value for today so we're here to make the rest of the day easy.
Highest hopes,
The Last Night's Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
On the same day that Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson spoke out about his crippling battle with anxiety and depression, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons announced that he is stepping away from the game to focus on his mental health. Johnson opened up in an interview that he missed three games in October because he was "living in hell for a long time." His battle with his anxiety and depression gave him hand tremors and daily nausea, which resulted in him throwing up blood.
Johnson's interview and Ridley's announcement continue to contribute to the open discussion around mental health, including for athletes. MAY IT CONTINUE
Short and Sweet
Aaron Rodgers grew his hair out for his Halloween costume, but was it worth it?
The sports world mourns the loss of the son of broadcaster Ernie Johnson, who passed at the age of 33.
It's down to four in NASCAR's (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) Championship.
The Houston Astros (MLB - Major League Baseball) survive elimination by the Atlanta Braves and head back home for Game Six of the World Series tomorrow.
Before we go
Until yesterday, quarterback Trevor Siemian's career highlight might have been the Skittles-distributing parkas gifted during the holidays. In yesterday's game, he stepped in for an injured Jameis Winston to lead his New Orleans Saints (NFL) to a momentous victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He said he received 200+ congratulatory texts, and joked most were from his mom. LIFE'S MOMENTS
All Aboard
Brady’s big night, the cheerleader who splashed across the headlines and breaking down the NWSL scandal.
October is one of the sportiest months of the year, with action in every major professional sports league, college football, and the list goes on. You won’t be able to avoid it, so you might as well embrace it.
In it to win it,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
In a recent WSJ article, Tom Brady said, “You think people care what you think, and then you care less what people think, and then you realize no one cared, anyway.” He took that mantra of not caring to heart and went out secured a win against his former team, the New England Patriots, but he claimed a prominent spot in NFL history. Brady surpassed Drew Brees’ record to claim the title of the NFL’s all-time leading passer. JUST YOUR AVERAGE SUNDAY
Overtime
Hands down, the most impressive performance of the weekend was this Purdue cheerleader doing a belly flop into a giant puddle of mud on the sideline. Her Boilermakers lost to Minnesota along with four top 25 teams, including powerhouse Clemson. Clemson, which is out of the top 25 for the first time in seven years. ALL IN
Sideline stat
If you thought baseball was boring, here’s your chance to rethink that. The MLB (Major League Baseball) wild card games are Tuesday and Wednesday, and it’s a winner take all battle. The best rivalry in baseball will be renewed when the New York Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox for the American League Wild Card playoff spot. The St. Louis Cardinals, which have won 17 games straight to make it here, will play the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers to claim the wild card spot in the National League. IT’S GOING TO BE GOOD
Coaches’ corner
The NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) continues its triage after news broke last week of its sexual coercion scandal. The scandal resulted in the firing of a longtime coach and the resignation of its commissioner on Friday. The board of governors formed an executive committee to manage the oversight of the league’s front office operations and begin a global search for a permanent commissioner. Since there are many moving pieces to this one, we broke down the scandal in a quick read here. TURNING A BLIND EYE NO MORE
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