Rise And Shine
The college baseball player who barely escaped the Surfside building collapse, Biles heads to Tokyo and why Monday is must-see TV for sports.
Rise and shine; it’s small talk time.
Call us your favorite life hack,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Bigger Than Sports
We’ve all been watching the tragic story of the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, FL. While the professional sports teams in the area have stepped up, donating food and supplies to the volunteers and first responders, the most amazing story came from UConn pitcher Justin Willis. Willis, who was staying with his grandparents who live in the building, was watching TV with his sister on Thursday around 1 am when they saw dust and debris. They went into the hall, and the elevators were gone, as was the apartment next to them. They evacuated their family down 11 flights of stairs, stopping to help an elderly lady on the way down, and were about 15 feet away from the building when it collapsed. TERRIFYING
Overtime
Channel your inner Kate Middleton because it’s time for her favorite sporting event, Wimbledon. The biggest news from the weekend is that Venus Williams and tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios are teaming up in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. Sit back and enjoy a traditional glass of champagne and strawberries and cream; the Royals’ favorite tennis tournament is back today. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Sideline stat
We’re less than a month away from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the last few competitors have been announced. This weekend Simone Biles was officially selected for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team even though she had a rough night, by her standards, that left her in tears. She will be joined on the four-women team by Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum. MyKayla Skinner will compete in the "plus-1" specialist spot. GO GET ‘EM
Coaches’ corner
Tonight’s the night that the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens take the ice in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens hope to be the first Canadian NHL (National Hockey League) team to win a Stanley Cup since they won it in 1993. The teams can cross the Canadian border despite the country’s strict COVID rules, thanks to a special dispensation from the government. Although their fellow countrymen, the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB – Major League Baseball) did not make that cut; therefore, they’re still playing their home games in the U.S. EVERYONE LOVES A WINNER
What to watch
Tonight also marks game one of the Men’s College World Series finals between Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. How Vanderbilt made it to the finals is controversial after the NCAA forced NC State to drop out, blaming COVID. GAME ON
Do I Know You From Somewhere?
No Tinder dates in the NBA bubble, why LeBron and the Dodgers are teaming up and college championships are cancelled.
There’s something so satisfying about being the one who knows just what to say to get the weekend conversation started.
Did you hear the story about….
The Last Night’s Game Team
College Sports
With a handful of conferences cancelling their fall sports, the NCAA (the governing body for college sports) had no choice but to cancel fall championships. This includes championships for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s field hockey and women’s volleyball. The Board of Governors has a requirement that states that 50% of schools need to play to hold the postseason. There’s hope to revisit the championships in the spring. UNPREDICTABLE
Overtime
We all know that leagues have implemented the “bubble” scenario to keep players and staff safe. While the NFL (National Football League) doesn’t have an official bubble, some teams are putting their players and staff up in a hotel to create one. Enter in Seattle Seahawks rookie Kemah Siverand, who was cut from the team after he snuck a woman into the team hotel. She was dressed in Seahawks gear in an attempt to look like a member of the team. (Aren’t you curious to know if she was wearing a helmet, jersey and shoulder pads? Us too). The NFL season is scheduled start on time on September 10. TIME TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB
Sideline stat
The biggest story out of the NBA (National Basketball Association) bubble isn’t the fact that the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for the first time in 22 years or the play-in games happening this weekend for the final two spots in the playoffs. It’s that family will be able to join players in the bubble after the first round of the playoffs. The NBA made the rules very clear on who can enter the bubble. Yes – up to four family/longstanding friends (exceptions made on this number for children). No – Your Tinder date (rules specifically state it can’t be someone you’re meeting for the first time), massage therapist, personal chef or tattoo artist. Regardless, everyone new will need to quarantine for approximately seven days before entering the bubble. FAMILY FRIENDLY
Coaches’ corner
They may compete in different sports but the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB - Major League Baseball) and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James (NBA) will play together in November. The two teamed up, along with James’ organization “More Than A Vote,” to use Dodgers stadium as a polling location. It will be the first time a Major League Baseball team has offered its facility as a voting center. REGISTER TO VOTE
What to watch
The St. Louis Cardinals (MLB) haven’t played a game since July 29 due to positive COVID tests amongst the team. Fingers crossed; they should return to the field on Saturday. They won’t be able to make up all the games they’ve missed because there are only 45 days left of the regular season. FULL ON FALL
The Rundown - Let's Do This
Need a little Monday motivation to get your day started? As Michael Jackson said, “you are not alone.” Grab that cup of coffee and let’s get the day started off with a little sports savviness.
You’ve got this,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Wimbledon
- Greatest of all time? Roger Federer broke the record, winning his eighth Wimbledon Championship without losing a set. If that wasn’t enough, he also took home the title of the oldest man, 35, to win Wimbledon in the Open era. Even after all that, the ‘old man's’ two sets of twins (yes two) stole the show on Sunday.
- Youth prevails. Venus Williams was hoping to secure the similar title of oldest woman to win Wimbledon, a title every 37-year-old seeks, but Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, 23, had other plans. She became the first person to beat both of the Williams sisters in a Grand Slam final. (She beat Serena in the 2016 French Open). Now that’s an accomplishment.
Golf
- The American Century Championship is known for its celebrity antics. Held in Lake Tahoe, those antics featured quarterback Aaron Rodgers (NFL – National Football League), Steph Curry (NBA – National Basketball Association), Justin Timberlake and former NFL player Jerry Rice, to name a few. Former MLB (Major League Baseball) pitcher Mark Mulder won for the third consecutive year.
Overtime
- Driver Denny Hamlin won his first NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) race of the year at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Unfortunately for Hamlin, the winner’s bounty included a 44-pound live lobster. No, he doesn’t have a shellfish allergy but a previously undisclosed lobster phobia. His next sponsor? Not Red Lobster.
Sideline stat
- In case you needed some additional Monday motivation, here’s Julia Hawkins. On Saturday, the 101-year-old Hawkins missed her naptime to run the 100-meter dash in 40.12 seconds at the U.S.A. Track and Field Outdoors Masters Championships, setting the record for a woman 100 or older. To think, we were just happy to get out of bed.
Coaches’ corner
- It was all about slime, including golden slime for Michael Phelps, on last night’s Nickelodeon Kids Sports Choice Awards. The next generation of sports fans showed some love for Team U.S.A. gymnastics’ ‘Final Five’ with the women taking home a boat load of awards. New dad and Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson was once again the host of the show. See the full list of winners.
