The Rundown: 5 Things To Know About The Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs is the place to be this weekend for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby.

 

We have this filly covered,

The Last Night’s Game

Five things about the Kentucky Derby

  1. The horses in the race are male and three years old. Not older, not younger. Three. Talk about child labor.
  2. Unlike previous years, there’s no clear-cut front runner in this year’s race. If you need an underdog to cheer for, there’s a one-eyed horse racing in this year’s Derby. He’s aptly named….Patch.
  3. The mint julep has been the official cocktail of the Derby since 1938. The drink is typically made with Early Times Whiskey and over 120,000 juleps are sold every year at the Derby.
  4. The Derby is the first race in the quest for the triple crown. Becoming a triple crown winner means that the horse won at the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes.
  5. We can’t talk Derby without talking fashion. The tradition of hats and colorful attire was started as a goal to attract high–class folks to the track. The tradition stuck and the hats have become bigger and bolder.

For live coverage from Churchill Downs (including how to bet on the race), make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Overtime

  • The Chicago Cubs (MLB – Major League Baseball) waited 108 years for a World Series trophy and it only took a concert going crowd a few minutes to damage it. The World Series trophy did some crowd surfing at a recent charity concert and didn’t come back all in one piece. Some people can’t have nice stuff.

Sideline stat

  • If you really want to sound like you know what’s happening on the race track, the race is measured in furlongs. There are eight furlongs in a mile and the Kentucky Derby is 10 furlongs long. (Say that five times fast). 

Coaches’ corner

  • With names like Danzing Candy, Ocho Ocho Ocho and My Wife Doesn’t Know it seems like anything goes for a race horse name. There are a lot of rules to abide by when naming a derby horse but some of them are:
    • The name can’t exceed 18 characters (including spaces).
    • The name can’t be all numbers.
    • The name may not end in any horse related terms such as filly or stallion.

For more info, check out this handy article.

The Rundown: 5 Things To Know About The NFL Draft

If you thought being drafted for fifth grade kickball was bad, try being a candidate for the NFL Draft where millions of people are watching and there's a boatload of cash on the line.

 

On second thought, kickball sounds like child’s play,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five things to know about the NFL (National Football League) Draft

  1. The NFL Draft takes place over the course of three days, beginning tomorrow evening. This year’s draft is in Philadelphia, PA and will draw roughly 200,000 visitors with an expected economic impact of about $80 million for the City of Brotherly Love.
  2. The draft was held exclusively in New York from 1956 – 2014. The NFL felt the need to expand their horizons and in 2015 and 2016 hosted the draft in Chicago. Moving forward the location will rotate annually.  
  3. Draft candidates must be three years removed from high school. The Cleveland Browns have the first pick of the aforementioned candidates because they were the worst team in football last year.
  4. In an unprecedented move, projected #1 draft pick from Texas A&M, Myles Garrett, will not be attending the actual draft ceremony. He chose to stay home to celebrate with family and friends.
  5. This year the Baltimore Ravens will grant the wish of a Make-A-Wish child. Instead of commissioner Roger Goodell making the announcement, TJ Onwuanibe will read the name of the Ravens first round pick.  
  • Curious when and where you can catch the draft? Here you go.

Overtime

  • Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., 42, announced he will retire at the completion of the NASCAR season (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). He cited health concerns after missing the majority of last season with concussion-like symptoms.  

Sideline stat

Coaches’ corner

  • The State of Oklahoma passed a bill to “allow its universities to sue sports boosters and agents who expose the schools to NCAA sanctions.” A sanction is a penalty divvied out by the governing body of college sports (NCAA) when their rules are broken. Sanctions can range from loss of scholarships to the “death penalty” – the cancellation of the sporting program (like SMU football – Southern Methodist University).

The Rundown - 5 Teams That Are Proving Going Green Is A Team Effort

This weekend people all over the world will celebrate Earth Day and continue the message of conservation. We wondered what some of the most influential figures in America, sports teams, are doing to lessen their carbon footprint.

 

Kermit said it wasn’t easy being green,

The Last Night’s Game Team

The Rundown - 5 Teams That Are Proving Going Green Is A Team Effort

  1. Ohio State University boasts one of the biggest stadiums in college football, seating roughly 105,000. It’s big and mighty and it’s a “zero waste” stadium which means 90% or more of the trash created avoids landfills through recycling, repurposing and composting. OSU sits at 95.45% waste free.
  2. The home of the Sacramento Kings (basketball) is 100% solar powered. When it opened in 2016 it was the first LEED Platinum arena in the world, representing the top three percent of buildings certified.
  3. CONSOL Energy Center, where the Pittsburgh Penguins call home, was the first NHL (National Hockey League) arena to achieve Gold LEED certification. The certification was awarded partly because of their use of local construction materials, low flow plumbing fixtures and a partnership to donate leftover concession food to local food banks.
  4. The Forest Green Rovers are a soccer team from Western England and they are leading the charge with the “Greening up Football” campaign. (Our soccer is their football). Not only do they set an example with solar panels, making the field organic and energy efficient lighting but they’ve stopped serving meat at the stadium. Yes, they are meat free. Literally putting the money where your mouth is.
  5. The Boston Red Sox home field advantage is an urban farm. The 5,000 square foot rooftop farm generates 4,000 pounds of produce annually to be used in the stadium.
  • There are over 400 teams from 15 different sports in 14 countries who members of the Green Sports Alliance. To find out more about their impact, click here. 

Overtime

  • Superstar Carrie Underwood surprised everyone when she brought down the house by singing the national anthem before the NHL playoff game between the Chicago Blackhawks and her husband’s Nashville Predators. Apparently, she was good luck because the Predators won to take a commanding lead in the series.

Sideline stat

  • Adidas is in hot water this morning for sending out a congratulatory email to runners of Monday’s race with the subject line “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon.” Critics say the poorly worded subject line is insensitive to the three people killed and 206 injured in the Boston Marathon bombing. Insert foot (or keyboard) in mouth.

Coaches’ corner

  • Former New England Patriots (NFL – National Football League) star Aaron Hernandez, who was serving out a life sentence in prison for murder, was found dead in his cell early this morning. Officials say he hung himself.
 

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