The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up - Medal Monday

We had Olympic fever all weekend and there’s no signs of it stopping.  While you might not believe it, there are other sports happening now as well. Don’t worry – we’ve got you. You’re going to be the hit of the water cooler this morning.

Chatty Cathy,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Summer Olympics

• Record shattered. Swimmer Katie Ledecky beat her own world record and won gold in the 400-meter freestyle swim. Previously, Ledecky dominated in the London Olympics winning her first gold medal at just 15-years-old.
• Badass bruising. With a win in yesterday’s relay race, Michael Phelps won his 19th career gold medal (23rd medal overall). If you were curious about the round bruises on his body, they're not crop circles. Phelps was simply channeling his inner Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow. Those bruises were from cupping, an ancient Chinese technique using suction to increase blood flow to relieve muscle tension.
• There’s a first time for everything. Serena and Venus Williams encountered an Olympic first. They we’re knocked out of medal contention with their first Olympic loss as a doubles team. The number one ranked duo lost to an unranked Czech Republic team.
• Cracking job. French gymnast Samir Ait Said left the crowd speechless but for all the wrong reasons. He literally snapped his lower leg in half on his vault landing. To add insult to injury, paramedics dropped his stretcher on the way out of the arena. Talk about kicking a man when he’s down.
• The deets. U.S.A leads medal count with 12. Click for the complete medal count and for a schedule of events.

MLB (Major League Baseball) 

• This used to be my playground. New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez announced he will play the last game of his career this Friday. Rodriguez has had a record career that was tainted by steroid use and was a tabloid regular for dating Hollywood starlets (think Madonna and Cameron Diaz). He will remain with the team through next year as a “special adviser” while bringing home the remainder of his $275 million paycheck. For the record, the Yankees are having one of their worst seasons in a long time.

NFL (National Football League) 

• The Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony went off without a hitch this weekend. The Hall of Fame Game scheduled to follow? Not so much. The game between Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts was cancelled due to field conditions. The paint used on the field for the midfield logo and end zones was too hard which threatened player safety. In a silver lining moment, the teams held a makeshift fan fest for those in attendance and their money will be refunded.  

Overtime

• Team Russia was banned from the 2016 Paralympic Games for allegedly violating international doping rules.  International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven said Russia has "catastrophically failed its para athletes. Their medals-over-morals mentality disgusts me."

Sideline stat

• Miami Marlins’ Ichiro Suzuki reached a career milestone this weekend hitting his 3,000th career hit. He is only the 30th player in baseball history to reach that milestone.

Coaches’ corner

• We were stumped while watching Team U.S.A. play in volleyball yesterday. Why? We weren’t sure why there was one team member in a different colored jersey (in this case a red shirt vs the team’s white ones).  Answer? That player is called the libero; a player that chosen specially for defense – they cannot serve or spike, but can play anywhere on the court.

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition

This weekend was full of sports action.  Here's a snapshot to impress your friends and family at holiday parties this week. They'll be so impressed. Just don't eat the fruitcake. 

Seasons Greetings, 

The LNG Team

PS - Give us some coaching tips. Let us know in the comments your likes, dislikes or if you want to learn something specific. 

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NCAA Football (National Collegate Athletic Association aka College Football)

• Ladies hide the remote. Capital One Bowl Mania began Saturday. There are 42 bowl games in all with the culmination in the National Championship Game on January 11 in Phoenix, AZ. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• All-Star Alert! Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving made his season debut Sunday vs 76ers. This was his first game back since breaking his knee in NBA Finals vs Warriors last year.
• Who you calling old? Kobe Bryant dunked for the first time this season against the Houston Rockets. Bryant will retire at the end of the season after a 20 year NBA career. 
• Solid Gold. The Golden State Warriors continue their hot streak with a 26-1 record.

NFL (National Football League)

• What's his secret? New England Patriots, led by quarterback Tom Brady, clinched a first round playoff bye for 6th season in a row. (Brady is married to Victoria's Secret model Gisele.) 
• Yet another reason to hide the remote. NFL playoffs start on January 9, 2016.
• Heading North? San Diego Chargers beat Miami Dolphins 30-14 in most likely last game in San Diego before inevitable move to Los Angeles.
• Perfection. Carolina Panthers hit a late field goal to stay undefeated against New York Giants 38-35. Only Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand in the Panthers' way of a perfect season. 

overtime

• University of Nebraska Cornhuskers' Women's Volleyball Team swept the University of Texas Longhorns to claim the National Championship in front of a record setting crowd of 17,561.

Sideline Stat

• The only NFL team to finish undefeated is the Miami Dolphins in 1972 (14-0)

coaches' corner

• What's a bye? A team receives a bye which means they don't have to play a game when most other teams have to play. In this instance, the Patriots finished in first place in their division and have earned a weekend off to rest and practice before they play their first playoff game.