Freaky Friday

It’s Friday the 13th and while you should avoid black cats and broken mirrors, knowing what’s happening this weekend in sports is bound to be good luck.

Don’t step on a crack,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Today's Tailgate Treat is said to bring good luck...cake! Take it a step further by baking a coin into it. 

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Look out for carnies. This weekend features one of the biggest rivalries in college football, the "Red River Rivalry.” The Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners (#12) will play on the grounds of the Texas State Fair in the famed Cotton Bowl, where bragging rights and the Golden Hat Trophy are at stake. 

MLB (MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL) 

Moving on. The next round of the MLB playoffs is set. In the American League, the New York Yankees will take on the Houston Astros. In the National League, it will be last season’s World Series champs, the Chicago Cubs, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. The two winners will meet in the World Series. SCHEDULE.

NFL (NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE)

Win some, lose some. This weekend the Kansas City Chiefs look to remain the only undefeated team in the NFL. On the other hand, the New York Giants are looking for their first win of the season.

OVERTIME

With wildfires devastating Northern California, air quality has become a concern for the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders game in Oakland on Sunday. Keep an eye out as the teams could call an audible and change the game’s location. 

SIDELINE STAT

The bay area’s professional sports teams have all teamed up to help. The Oakland Raiders (NFL), Oakland Athletics (MLB), San Jose Earthquakes (MLS – Major League Soccer), San Francisco Giants (MLB), Golden State Warriors (NBA – National Basketball Association) and San Jose Sharks (NHL – National Hockey League) together donated $450,000 to the victims of the North Bay wildfires.

COACHES’ CORNER

Since it’s Friday the 13th, we thought we’d leave you with one of our favorite sports superstitions. The golden thong was worn by former MLB player Jason Giambi to help him break out of hitting slumps. Rumor has it that said tiny undergarment was left in the lockers of his teammates and they all began to hit well when they wore it. For more hilarious sports superstitions, click here.

The Rundown: Happy Chrismukkah!

While the rest of the world is celebrating the holidays, we're working hard to cover the trending topics in sports. It’ll give you something else to talk about with your family besides your cousin who imbibed in a little too much spiked eggnog the night before.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Like the Jelly of the Month club, being a Last Night’s Game subscriber is the gift that keeps on giving. Share us with your family and friends.

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NCAA Basketball (College)

• Those are some big feet. Duke University’s Grayson Allen is considered one of the best basketball players in the nation but he’s tripping…quite literally. Allen intentionally tripped an opposing player on Wednesday and he has a checkered past of intentionally tripping opponents. Duke announced he will be suspended indefinitely until he’s mentally ready to play and act like an adult. 

NFL (National Football League)

• Best secret Santa ever. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (aka Ciara’s hubby) took care of the guys who take care of him. He bought his offensive line (the guys who protect him from the other team’s defense) brand new TV’s for the holidays. Don’t worry, he didn’t forget about the rest of his team. He bought each teammate first class plane tickets to anywhere they want to go. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Bringing their A game. Christmas Day is a big day for the NBA and typically features the best matchups. Sunday’s games include a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors vs the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as a game for citywide bragging rights when the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Overtime

• Tiger Woods let us know he is in the holiday spirit by sharing a picture of himself on Twitter as "Mac Daddy Santa.” Yep the photo is as weird and awkward as you think. This isn’t the mall Santa you used to visit as a child. 

Sideline stat

• Apparently the underwhelming University of Texas football season drove their fans to drink because stadium alcohol sales were up 70% this season compared to previous years. Alcohol sales at UT football games generated more than $3.1 million in revenue in only six home games.

Coaches’ corner

• Sunday’s Christmas Day game between the Clippers and the Lakers is a home game for both teams. How? The teams share the same home arena – the Staples Center.

The Rundown: Bored With Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday setting your credit card on fire? Give it a rest and catch up on the world of sports in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee. You’ll be back and on your way in no time.

Your credit card will thank us,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS -  Do you use Gmail and are tired of The Rundown landing in your “promotions” tab? Simply drag the email over to the “primary” tab. Simple as that! 

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NCAA Football (College) 

• Feels like the first time. The heated rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan lived up to the hype this weekend. For the first time in 113 meetings between these two teams, the game went into overtime. Ohio State won in double overtime. 
• Be like the cool kids. Everyone will be talking about the conference finals which start Friday. Check to see if your team made it.

F1 Racing (Formula One)

• On top of the world. The World Championship came down to the last lap in the last race on Sunday. Teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg duked it out until the end. Hamilton tried everything he could to claim the championship title (including defying team’s orders – a big no-no). Although it was a numbers game. Hamilton may have won the race but Rosberg still claimed the World Championship.  

Rosberg joined his father Keke, the 1982 champion, to become only the second father-son duo to win the overall World Championship.

NCAA Basketball (College)

• Battle of the beasts. Tonight kicks off a big week in college basketball as the battle for conference superiority starts.  The two historic powerhouse conferences, ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and Big 10, go head-to-head to determine who’s the best. See the schedule and the games to watch here.

Overtime

• Thanksgiving is known as a time for excessive eating and Buffalo Bills lineman (NFL) Richie Incognito took that to another level. He won his teammates’ Thanksgiving Day weight gain challenge for the second year in a row, gaining 9.4 pounds in one day. (He gained 15 last year). His secret? Eat everything. You think?  

Sideline stat

• Tom Brady tied an NFL record with his 200th career win on Sunday against the New York Jets. He is now tied with Peyton Manning and will surely break the record this year. 

Coaches’ Corner

• As the regular season of college football comes to a close, heads begin to roll. One of the coaching changes that everyone is buzzing about is University of Texas firing their head coach, Charlie Strong, and hiring the hottest coach on the market, University of Houston’s Tom Herman. Here’s the scoop on other coaching changes.