5 Things To Know About MLB’s Young Superstars

A recent report revealed that current baseball players are not recognizable. With familiar faces like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez gone from the game, we thought you should get know to this group since you’ll be hearing a lot about them this summer.

 

On second thought, we should’ve made a boys of summer calendar instead,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five things to know about MLB’s (Major League Baseball’s) Young Superstars

  1. Bryce Harper, 24, Washington Nationals outfielder The Las Vegas native first appeared on the scene on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16-years-old and was dubbed "The Chosen One." He’s known for talent, his hair and his temper.  
  2. Mike Trout, 25, Anaheim Angels outfielder In his five-year career, the two-time MVP has become only the second player to have his own signature Nike shoe. He also popped the question to his high school sweetheart by hiring a sky writer.
  3. Noah Syndergaard, 24, New York Mets pitcher Syndergaard (pronounced SIN-der-guard) is known as “Thor” because of his long flowing hair. His biggest rivalry isn’t with an opposing team but with the Mets’ mascot, Mr. Met, who was recently photographed with his mom.
  4. Kris Bryant, 25, Chicago Cubs third baseman He played baseball in Vegas with Bryce Harper (see #1). A member of the Cubs' World Series teams, the Rookie of the Year and NL MVP likes shoes as much as you do (although he gets paid to wear them), signing a record-breaking shoe deal with Adidas reportedly worth $1M a year.
  5. Carlos Correa, 22, Houston Astros shortstop The youngest one of the bunch began his MLB career in 2015 and was named Rookie of the Year. He was the first Puerto Rican born player to be drafted at number one. Rumor has it he has a tattoo of Food Network star Guy Fieri on his leg. Big fan or lost a bet?

Overtime

  • Recently retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (NFL – National Football League) was honored by the Dallas Mavericks (NBA – National Basketball Association) last night. While he suited up and warmed up with the team, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver vetoed owner Mark Cuban’s idea to put Romo in the game. Party pooper.

Sideline stat

  • Forbes released its annual valuation of MLB franchises. The average franchise is worth $1.54 billion, up 19% from last year. The top three franchises are:
    • New York Yankees, valued at $3.7 billion 
    • Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.75 billion 
    • Boston Red Sox, $2.7 billion

Coaches’ corner

  • The NHL (National Hockey League) playoffs begin tonight. The pressure is on the Pittsburgh Penguins to repeat last year’s Stanley Cup win. (The Stanley Cup is the name of the trophy given to the NHL champions). Need a cheat sheet on the playoffs? Here you go.

The Rundown- Five Things to Know About Golf’s Greatest Tradition, The Masters

The Masters is a tradition in golf. There’s a talent in holding your own in the conversation with a golfer about The Masters. That’s what we’re here for. Who says all business deals happen on the golf course?

Slow golf clap,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five things to know about The Masters

  1. Over 94 golfers from 22 different countries will compete in this year’s Masters (Thursday – Sunday). This is the first of the four “major” golf tournaments during the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) season. 
  2. The winner receives the iconic green jacket that is only worn by members of Augusta National, the home of The Masters. The winner is allowed to have the jacket for a calendar year. After that year, they’re only permitted to wear the jacket on the grounds of Augusta.
  3. Longtime broadcast partner of the tournament, CBS, admits they edit in melodic bird sounds during the telecast to enhance the programming to feel like a “natural paradise.” Although there's no actual tweeting at The Masters because there's a very strict no cell phone policy at the course. 
  4. Besides the sweet jacket, another perk of winning is picking the menu of the champions dinner the following year during Masters’ week. This year’s meal, chosen by last year’s winner Englishman Danny Willett, featured dishes from a traditional Sunday roast including cottage pie, English cheese and biscuits.
  5. For a tournament where the ticket prices can be through the roof, the concession prices are unusually low with drinks and sandwiches under $3 (including their famous pimento cheese sandwich). A beer will run you between $4 - $5, although it’s not available after 4 pm. What like they’re hooligans?

Overtime

  • Monday Night featured the culmination of March Madness in Phoenix as North Carolina (#1) and Gonzaga (#1) battled it out for the national championship. North Carolina prevailed in a game plagued by a surplus of fouls and bad shooting by both teams. Shout out to our bracket challenge winner, Clueless Newbie, who has never filled out a March Madness bracket before.

Sideline stat

  • Membership at Augusta National is strictly by invite only and the winner of the tournament automatically becomes a member. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore became the first women members in 2012, 80 years after the course opened.

Coaches’ corner

  • In an unpopular decision with the players, the NHL (National Hockey League) announced it will not take a break in its season to allow its players to participate in next year’s Winter Olympics. NHL players have played in the previous five Winter Olympics.

The Rundown: Five Things To Know About Major League Baseball

The boys of summer are back! That’s right, baseball season begins on Sunday. With summer and grand slams around the corner, here are five things to know so you can hit a home run in the baseball conversation.

 

Batter up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

 

PS – Do you have burning questions about baseball? Check out our Major League Baseball FAQs. Want more? Tweet or email us with your questions. 

Five Things To Know About MLB (Major League Baseball)

  1. Baseball players are called the boys of summer, but why? Baseball is the only major professional sport that spans the summer and starts and finishes the season in the same calendar year. It’s also the longest regular season in professional sports with 162 games.
  2. MLB is divided into two leagues – NL (National League) and AL (American League). What’s the difference? In the NL pitchers bat for themselves. In the AL, pitchers don’t hit. They have a designated hitter (a player who only hits, doesn’t play a field position) to hit for them.
  3. Strikeouts are measured by “K’s” on the game broadcast and throughout stadium. A forward-facing K means the player struck out swinging (they missed the ball on the third strike). A backwards K means a strikeout looking (i.e. they didn’t swing and were called out by the umpire). Photo. 
  4. MLB does not have a salary cap like other professional leagues. Instead they have a competitive balance tax or “luxury tax.” Once a team’s annual player payroll hits a certain number (this year it’s $195 million), they are taxed. The tax was put in place so big market teams (think: New York Yankees) wouldn’t sign all of the best players, leaving the small market teams at a competitive disadvantage. Where does the tax money go? Find out here.
  5. Ones to watch – The defending champions are the Chicago Cubs. (Remember that epic World Series where they beat the Cleveland Indians and broke their 108-year losing streak)? Sports Illustrated predicts a Houston Astros – Chicago Cubs World Series.

Overtime

  • After threatening a boycott, the U.S.A.’s women’s hockey team will report to the World Championships on Friday. The team was protesting U.S.A. Hockey’s compensation for women’s hockey. The two agreed on new terms that include salary raises, performance bonuses and increased efforts to support girls' developmental teams to further the sport.

Sideline stat

  • NFL (National Football League) owners voted a resounding 31 - 1 to approve the relocation of the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas. It’s going to be a long, awkward breakup because the Vegas stadium won’t be done until 2020. With no new home, the Raiders will have to play the next few seasons in Oakland.

Coaches’ Corner

  • What is a grand slam? Yes, a grand slam is a meal at Denny’s but in baseball it’s when there are runners on all three bases (first, second and third) and the batter hits a home run which equals four runs scored.
 

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