The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Monumental Moms

Happy belated Mother’s Day to all of our readers who are the unsung heroes we call mom. While your mom might not pick favorites, the Derby does. See how the favorite faired this weekend (we’re not talking about you).

We love our mamas,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – Know someone who would like to know more about sports? It’s easy to share today’s Rundown below by clicking the share button at the bottom of the page.


The Kentucky Derby

  • Running for the roses. The 146th Kentucky Derby was won by the favorite Nyquist, the fourth consecutive favorite to win. Over 167,000 people attended the race at Churchill Downs, the second highest attendance ever. That’s a lot of mint juleps.
  • Peaked too early. Danzing Candy, who was picked by our horse racing expert Case, led through the majority of the race but couldn’t hang on for the win.
  • The next race on the road to the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes on May 21st.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

  • Happy Mother’s Day. In an annual tradition, players and umpires honored their moms and raised awareness for the fight against breast cancer by wearing pink uniforms and using pink gear during Sunday’s games.  

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Pay your respects. Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade violated NBA rules and caused an uproar when he continued to take pregame warm-up shots during the Canadian national anthem.
  • Rolling on through the playoffs. Cleveland Cavaliers sweep Atlanta Hawks to advance to the conference semifinals, staying undefeated in the postseason. They will now await the winner of Heat/Raptors series.  
  • Making his mama proud. Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant tied his career record of 41 points as he led his team to a big victory over the San Antonio Spurs to tie the series 2-2. In case you were wondering, his mom there in the stands blowing her baby boy kisses during the game.

NHL (National Hockey League)

  • Lightning strike. Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the New York Islanders this weekend and will play the winner of Penguins/Capitals for Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boxing

  • Put ‘em up. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez knocked out Amir Khan in the sixth round of the title fight on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Alvarez win sets up a fight with superstar Gennady Golovkin or “GGG” in the fall. This fight could be the best match up in the last decade. 

Overtime

  • NASCAR’s Kyle Busch won the Sprint Cup race in Kansas City making it his third win of season. In other news, his brother and fellow NASCAR driver, Kurt Busch’s ex-girlfriend is under investigation for mishandling funds from a non-profit she runs. Patricia Driscoll, who previously accused Busch of assault, used funds to pay off her personal credit card and for vacations to Paris. During a previous court testimony Busch accused Driscoll of being a “trained assassin dispatched on covert missions around the world who once returned to him in a blood-splattered gown.” We can’t make this stuff up.

Sideline stat

Coaches’ corner

  • The 2016 Invictus Games started yesterday in Orlando, FL. This is the first time the games have taken place in the U.S. The Invictus Games are a worldwide sporting competition involving wounded, ill or injured military athletes. Prince Harry of England, who served in the British Army, is considered the founder of the event that features almost 500 athletes from 14 countries competing in 10 different sports. The competitions can be viewed on ESPN3 and for an Invictus Game rundown, click here.

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Derby Style

It’s Kentucky Derby Eve and we’re as enthusiastic as the makers of Advil on the morning after Cinco de Mayo. (No mas tequila por favor). Like a plate of nachos, we’ve got it all for you today including Derby insight from our horse racing expert.

We’re off to the races,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Don’t forget to tag us in your Derby party photos on Instagram (@lastnightsgame) for a chance to be featured. 


Kentucky Derby

  • We went straight to the source to provide our readers with an insight into the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby from the mind of our three-year-old horse expert. We asked Case, who is the same age as the horses racing, to help us answer our reader questions.
  • Q: What does a jockey do? A: He rides on race horses and tells them to go fast.
  • Q: Who should we pick to win the derby? A: Danzing Candy, because his last name is candy.
  • Q: What are you going to wear for the Kentucky Derby? A: My Arizona State University hat and a nice shirt.
  • Q: What's your favorite Kentucky Derby food? A: Carrots, because that’s what horses like to eat.
  • Q: How fast do the horses run around the track? A: Sooo fast! I can almost run as fast when I have my soccer shoes on. But sometimes they start off slow and then come from the outside to take the lead.
  • Q: How do horses get to Kentucky? A: My favorite horse, American Pharaoh (2015 Triple Crown winner, now retired), takes Air Horse One.

Click here for our post on Five Things to Know About the Kentucky Derby. You can watch the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at 6:34 pm (EST) on NBC.  

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • For the three. Cleveland Cavaliers hit an NBA record 25 three-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks. Cavaliers take 2-0 series lead (best of seven series). 
  • More NBA playoff excitement this weekend. You can find the schedule here

NFL (National Football League)

  • Doing good. It’s nice to hear of an athlete using their celebrity for good. Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson is donating $100,000 to his hometown of Palestine, Texas after floods destroyed homes and killed six. Beyond the initial donation, he will match donations made to the relief efforts in Palestine, TX though the Salvation Army.

NHL (National Hockey League)

  • Blown away. Mr. Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher, scored the winning goal for his Nashville Predators in the third overtime. He ended his 12-year overtime scoring drought to lead his team to a win over the San Jose Sharks and tie the playoff series 2-2.

Overtime

  • National Pro Fastpitch League pitcher Monica Abbot signed the largest contract in league history. The pitcher for the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs signed a deal for six years, $1 million. Abbott will make the standard salary of $20,000 per year, with huge incentives built into her contract for attendance numbers. The bonus is in play for a small number of games, regardless if she’s pitching or not. Attendance at these games must reach more than 100 fans to qualify.

Sideline stat

  • Phoenix Coyotes hire 26-year-old GM (general manager), John Chayka. He is the youngest NHL GM by a long shot - the next closest in age is 42.

In other news of successful youth, Max Verstappen was the youngest Formula One driver in history at 17 and he will now replace Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat for the rest of the season. For the record we may have underwear older than these two superstars.

Coaches’ Corner

  • Derby hat? Check. Mint julep recipe? Check. Money to bet on the ponies? Check. We’re sending you off to your Derby party with all that you need so you will look like an expert when you place your bets.

You can pick a horse to -“win” which is a first place finish; “place” which is a second place finish; or “show” which is a third place finish.

You can also pick the “trifecta,” which is a popular bet where you pick the exact order of the top three horses.

  • In case you simply want to pick them by names (there are some great ones) here are the odds for each of the horses according to VegasInsider.com. Danzing Candy has 15-1 odds to win and favorite Nyquist (not to be confused with Nyquil) is at 3-1 odds.  
  • Want more? Here’s some additional horse racing terminology for your perusal.  

Five Things to Know About the Kentucky Derby

The ponies are “Running for the Roses” on Saturday and we’re bringing you a Kentucky Derby style five things to know (mint juleps not included). Not only will you be the life of the party with your fabulous Derby hat but with your newly found Derby knowledge.

Place your bets,

The Last Night’s Game Team


Five things to know about the Kentucky Derby

1. The Kentucky Derby, run at Churchill Downs Racetrack, is the first race of the Triple Crown. There are 20 horses, all three-years-old, running in the race. Nyquist is the current favorite with 3-1 odds.

2. The track is 1 ¼ miles long. The Derby is commonly referred to as the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” The winner after those quick two minutes, receives a garland of over 400 red roses, a tradition since 1932.

3. The most recent Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh, won the title in 2015. He is now living the good life, retired on a farm in Kentucky and commanding a $200,000 stud fee.

4. Mint juleps are the official drink of the Derby and are traditionally made with Kentucky bourbon, simple syrup, crushed ice, powered sugar and mint. Over 120,000 mint juleps are served at Churchill Downs. 

5. We’d be remiss if we didn’t discuss the hats. The long standing tradition started with Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.'s goal to have high-class folks attend the race. The Derby quickly became as much about the fashion as the racing. The Derby hat as we know it, didn’t come around until the 1960s when fashion norms loosened up and bright, big and festive were socially acceptable. (Here are some of the best celebrity sported hats over the years). 

Extra credit: We don’t claim to be the expert on everything so Friday you’ll hear from Last Night’s Game horse racing expert, three-year old Case, who will share his tips on Saturday’s race. Don’t miss is - he’s cute and full of insights.

You can watch the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7th at 6:34 pm (EST) on NBC.  

NBA (National Basketball Association)

What just happened? After losing by 32 points in the first game of the series, Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat San Antonio Spurs 98-97 in the second game of series. The NBA admits the referees missed a few calls in final 13 seconds of this close game. If you have 13 seconds, watch this circus.  

Marching to victory. The Golden State Warriors sailed into victory without their leader Steph Curry last night. The Warriors lead the series vs Trail Blazers 2-0.

Move over MJ. Star of Space Jam Two, LeBron James, and his Cleveland Cavaliers took a 1-0 series lead with a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Big win. Last night, Miami Heat stunned big fan, Canadian rapper Drake with a win in overtime against the Toronto Raptors.

NFL (National Football League) 

A beef with beef. NFL players are being warned that eating too much meat in Mexico or China could keep them off the field. No it’s not their cholesterol they’re worried about but clenbuterol, a banned performance-enhancing substance. The drug-testing program's independent administrator advised players that "consuming large quantities of meat while visiting those particular countries may result in a positive test." This warning was prompted by Houston Texans' player Duane Brown who had a positive PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) test overturned due to his meat consumption in Mexico. It would have been 10-game suspension.

Overtime

On Monday at the Met Gala, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and the Derby’s “First Lady of the Oaks” Kate Upton announced that she and Detroit Tigers' pitcher Justin Verlander are engaged. (She may need a Derby hat for her rock so it doesn’t blind people).

The Met Gala or “Oscars of the East Coast” isn’t just for the Hollywood elite. Check out these athletes who suited up to attend, including retired baseball player Derek Jeter, also engaged to a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. #trending  

Sideline stat

Leicester City (pronounced Lester) has clinched the Premier League championship. The team was an underdog from the start; the odds at the beginning of the season for them to clinch the title were 5000-1. If you need further proof, the entire team salary for the year is $54 million, as opposed to the $418 million this year for rival team Manchester City. 

Coaches’ Corner  

What is the Triple Crown in horse racing? The Triple Crown is a set of three races that include The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes and The Belmont Stakes. Triple Crown winners are horses that have one all three races. Until 2015, there was a 37-year drought in Triple Crown winners when American Pharaoh won (he was the 12th winner in history).