5 Things You Need To Know About An Unprecedented MLB Season
“Strike” up a conversation as the boys of summer head into the playoffs.
Major League Baseball was the first of the four major professional sports to return to play. Here are the important things you need to know about the return to the field for the boys of summer.
Step up to the plate,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Remind me what happened last year
The Washington Nationals won their first World Series and everyone in sports still hates the Houston Astros for stealing signs. And no, we’re not talking about billboards.
1. The biggest talk of this season is obviously COVID but unlike many other professional sports, MLB (Major League Baseball) isn’t requiring their players to live in a “bubble.” They will be playing 60 games instead of 162 games and only playing regional games. Then there’s the Toronto Blue Jays who aren’t allowed to play at home per the Canadian Government, because the government didn’t want players coming back and forth into the country from the COVID hotspot that is the U.S. HOWDY NEIGHBOR
2. There may be no bubble but that doesn’t mean there aren’t A LOT of safety rules to follow. Some include no spitting (um have you ever watched a game? They all spit), no brawls, no showers and no licking fingers (this is something most pitchers do). Because of social distancing rules, games will start with some players sitting in the stands instead of the dugout. CHEER SQUAD
3. Since there will be no fans at the games, the league has found an interesting way to fill the silence. Fans can boo or cheer on their team via the MLB app and ballpark staff will adjust the sound accordingly in the stadium for the live game. Unlike attending a game in person, fans can boo their rival team from the bathroom. FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME
4. Filling the stands with compliant, well behaved fans has never been so easy. A handful of teams are selling personalized cardboard cutouts that will be placed in the stands during home games. Some have taken it to another level by benefitting a charity with each sale and others will send you the ball if it hits your cutout. WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT?
5. The first game of the season will be on Thursday, July 23 when the Washington Nationals take on the New York Yankees. Tune in early to see Dr. Anthony Fauci throw out the first pitch for his beloved Nats and stay for the highly anticipated pitcher’s duel between the two teams. STRIKE OUT COVID
If you want more about the new rules of the game for this season or our frequently asked questions, check out our baseball 101.
True Crimes - Athletes Edition
They might be invincible on the field, but not in the eyes of the law.
True stories of real crimes.
You have the right to (not) remain silent,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. During his career, Chicago Bears (NFL – National Football League) wide receiver Sam Hurd was the head of a high-level, drug dealing operation and it appeared he thought he was invincible. How so? Long before he was arrested, one of his associates was pulled over with $88,000 in cash while driving Hurd’s car. Hurd had the guts to ask for the money back. He knew the cops were onto him but he refused to believe that cell phones that came from Mexico could be wiretapped. Needless to say he’s serving out a 15-year sentence in Texas. NEW PHONE WHO DIS?
2. Currently serving out his 25-year sentence in a Moroccan prison is former UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter Lee “Lightning” Murray. He was charged with being the mastermind in the largest bank heist in history - $100M. While the plan was flawlessly executed – the robbery took place without any injuries or even a bullet being fired – they weren’t so smart afterward where flubs like abandoned guns and cars and snitches were prevalent. Don’t think this half-Moroccan citizen has let the downtime go to waste, he tried to escape using tiny saws that were snuck in inside of biscuits. WHERE THERE’S A WILL
3. We’ve all stepped out of the house in our favorite outfit only to get something on it. The same happened to former NFL player Ray Lewis at a post-Super Bowl party. He and some friends got into a fight that left two people dead. Lewis was a suspect because had blood on his suit and in his limo. The cream-colored suit became the storyline of the trial. Lewis said his suit was too nice to have committed murder but the suit disappeared not long after the crime and is still M.I.A. today. No one was charged with the murder and Lewis ended up going to jail for obstruction of justice because he instructed his friends to not speak of the incident. SNITCHES GET STITCHES
4. We all know the story of former NFL player O.J. Simpson and his trial for the 1994 murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. From the white Bronco freeway chase, to the black leather glove that didn’t fit the story blazed across the headlines. While he was acquitted in that trial, exactly 13 years to the day of when he was famously acquitted, he wasn’t so lucky. He was sentenced to prison for kidnapping and robbery after he tried to take back his memorabilia. He served nine years in prison and was released last year. You can follow his post-prison adventures on his (slightly whacky) social media. IF THE GLOVE DON’T FIT
5. Lenny Dykstra went from the top of the world as World Series winner with the New York Mets (MLB - Major League Baseball) in 1986 to prison. Long story short, post-baseball he claimed to have a 100% hit rate at picking winning stocks and convinced people to jump on board his bandwagon, including the money man himself - Jim Cramer. Then he failed at starting a magazine, meanwhile pissing a lot of people off. Eventually he filed for bankruptcy, owing an obscene amount of money to creditors. Life finally caught up with him when he was arrested and served time in prison for bankruptcy fraud. He hid a bunch of assets during his bankruptcy filing and decided to sell them afterward for cash. Shocking, he got caught. THEY KNOW EVERYTHING
Our Favorite Sports Trivia Questions
Impress the best and be prepared to be bamboozled.
Whether you’re getting your social time in via Zoom or in person, these questions will stump even the biggest sports fan. And they’re sure to make you laugh out loud.
Leveling the playing field,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Q: In 1920, the University of Texas football players had their mascot (a longhorn cow) at the annual sports banquet under less than ideal circumstances. What were those circumstances?
A: He was dinner.
The university couldn’t afford the upkeep of Bevo so they fattened him up and slaughtered him before the banquet.
Q: What is the Westminster Dog Show is named after?
A: A bar.
The “sporting gentlemen” who came up with the famed dog show used to meet up at the Westminster Hotel to talk about their hunting dogs. So when they started the organization in 1877, they named it after their favorite place.
Q: The very first Wimbledon was in 1877 and was actually a fundraiser for England’s favorite sport at the time. What was that sport? (Hint: it’s not tennis)
A: Croquet
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was focused first on croquetbut then the good people of London began to fall in love with the new sport of tennis. The rest is history.
Q: This WWE wrestler holds the title for the most wishes (Make-A-Wish) granted by a single individual, with over 600 wishes.
A: John Cena.
The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) star is the most requested celebrityby kids for their Make-A-Wish.
Q: College GameDay mainstay Lee Corso played football in college at Florida State. Who was his football playing roommate who became a famous actor?
A: Burt Reynolds (RIP)
The two played together at Florida State in the 1950s and Corso is said to have been a catalyst in Reynolds’ acting career. Maybe his football experience is what drew him to the role in the 1974 version of “The Longest Yard.”
There’s more where that came from in our extended version of the Last Night’s Game trivia.