The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About the Indy 500

Is it too early to talk about the weekend? Never! This Memorial Day weekend features the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Dare to impress your BBQ buddies this Memorial Day weekend with your new found knowledge from today's five things to know.

You’re the hit of the party,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

---

Five things to know about the Indianapolis 500

1. The Indy 500, called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS or the “Brickyard”). Back in the day the track used to be made of paving bricks, which are still exposed under the current asphalt track at the start-finish line.
2. The 33 drivers and fans watching in 250+ countries will join in on the pre-race tradition of singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” alongside “The Voice” winner Josh Kaufman. Country star Darius Rucker (you may know him from “Hootie and the Blowfish”), will sing the national anthem.  
3. Move over Gatorade, milk is the drink of the winners at IMS. The tradition that involves the winner swigging milk began in 1936 with Louis Meyer, whose go to drink after a win was a refreshing glass of milk. The act was spotted by an overjoyed milk executive and the rest is history.  
4. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is considered one of the world’s largest spectator facilities with more than 250,000 permanent seats. The infield is 253 acres and includes a golf course. Churchill Downs, Yankees Stadium, Rose Bowl, Roman Colosseum and Vatican City can all fit inside the Speedway.
5. The race isn’t just for men. In it’s history 10 women have raced at Indy with Danica Patrick setting the record for the highest finishing position for a woman with a third place finish in 2005.

• Extra credit - The first Indianapolis 500 was held in 1911. It has been held every year since, except for during the two World Wars, hence why 2016 is the 100th running of the race. You can catch all the centennial excitement of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 22 at 4 pm (EST) on ABC.

Horse racing

• Nyquist no more. Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist has been pulled from the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes (June 11), due to a high white cell blood count. The quest for the Triple Crown is tough on the horses with three races in five weeks; most horses won’t race more than once a month. (Recap -Nyquist lost last weekend to Exaggerator in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.) 

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Taking on tobacco. The family of former MLB player Tony Gwynn, has filed a lawsuit against tobacco companies, saying they targeted and encouraged him to use smokeless tobacco and did not disclose the dangers of dipping. Gwynn dipped his entire career and died two years ago at the age of 54 from salivary cancer after 31 years of tobacco use. Cities are fighting back against tobacco companies as well - New York, Boston and Los Angeles are just a few cities to ban smokeless tobacco at ticketed sporting events this year.   

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Wrath of the Raptors. Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night to even the series 2-2. The home team has won every game so far. Game five is tonight from Cleveland at 8:30 pm (EST) on ESPN.
• Big win. Oklahoma City Thunder won again last night against the Golden State Warriors. Thunder lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. Game five will take place on Thursday at 8 pm (EST on TNT) in Sacramento.

NFL (National Football League)

• The story that refuses to go away. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has filed an appeal with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in regard to his four-game suspension for Deflategate. Brady is contesting a lower court’s decision to uphold his four-game suspension for his involvement.

Overtime

• On Dancing with the Stars, UFC fighter Paige VanZant may have put on a good show but was beat out for the esteemed mirrorball trophy by model Nyle DiMarco. (DiMarco is the first deaf winner on the show). VanZant used the show as a platform and hoped to inspire others by talking about being bullied in school. She was bullied so badly that her family had to moved from their town of Dayton, Oregon eight years ago.

Sideline stat

• Under Armour has signed the biggest deal in college sports history with UCLA - 15-years, $280 million. The school has been with Adidas since 1999.  

Coaches’ corner

• Yesterday the NFL announced their Super Bowl host cities through 2021. There has never been a Super Bowl host city whose home team has won it all in the same year they've hosted. 
  • 2017- Houston (Texans)
  • 2018- Minnesota (Vikings)
  • 2019- Atlanta (Falcons)
  • 2020- South Florida (Dolphins)
  • 2021- Los Angeles (Rams)

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Pride & Joy

While it was Pride Night this weekend with the San Diego Padres, a few NBA players had their pride injured over the weekend. Two owners lost their pride and joy horses at the Preakness and James Hinchcliffe is beaming with pride at Indy this week.

Bursting with pride,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS- Do we make you happy three times a week? If so, share us with others. 

---

HORSE RACING

• Tough weekend. In the second leg of the Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist lost to Exaggerator in the Preakness, ending Nyquist’s quest for the Triple Crown. In sad news, two horses from the day’s earlier races died. Homeboykris collapsed after winning the first race of the day (believed to be a heart attack) and another horse, Pramedya, was euthanized on the track after breaking its leg.

INDYCAR RACING

• Courageous comeback. James Hinchcliffe almost died last year in a crash at the Indianapolis 500 and this year he has clinched the pole position (best position to start a race) for the biggest race of the year. Stay tuned for five things to know about the famed Indianapolis 500 on Wednesday.  

MLB (MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL)

• An unfamiliar tune. As part of “Pride Night” at the San Diego Padres game on Saturday, 100 members of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus were set to sing the national anthem. But when they started singing a pre-recorded version of the anthem sung by a woman started playing over the loud speakers, not the men's voices. People are not happy about it. The team has since fired the contractor who, whether intentional or not, did not stop the recording and allow the men to sing. Billy Bean, former MLB player and current MLB vice president of social responsibility and inclusion (who is also gay) came out in defense of his former team saying that they love everyone. The team and the San Diego Attorney’s Office are still investigating.
• Watch your step. New York Yankees dugout toilet flooded before their game against the Oakland A’s in the A’s home stadium, the Coliseum. This isn’t the first time sewage has been an issue in the stadium, which was built in 1966. The stadium is shared with Oakland Raiders (NFL) who are considering a move to Las Vegas. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• First loss. Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland Cavaliers at home to bring the series to 2-1. The Raptors handed the Cavs their first loss of the playoffs. The two will play game four tonight at 8:30 pm (EST) on ESPN.
• Penalties. Raptors coach Dwane Casey received a $25,000 fine for criticizing officials and Cleveland Cavaliers' Dahntay Jones has been suspended for one game for his groin strike of Raptors’ Bismack Biyomb.
• Big win. Oklahoma City Thunder dominated Golden State Warriors at home, winning by 28 points. Thunder are up in the series 2-1 over the defending champions. The two will play game four on Tuesday (9 pm EST on TNT) where we’ll see if the Thunder can pull out another win against a Warriors’ team who have not lost back-to-back games all season.  

NHL (National Hockey League)

• Almost there. Tampa Bay Lightning beat Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in triple overtime on Sunday. If the Penguins lose in Tuesday’s game, they will be eliminated from the race for the Stanley Cup.
• Play on. St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks are tied in their series 2-2 and play tonight at 8 pm on NBCSN.

Overtime

• New Orleans Saints (NFL) and Pelicans (NBA) owner Tom Benson revealed he wants his kids and grandkids out of his will. His kids called their attorneys. In a deposition Benson claims his family “tried to kill him” and instead wants to leave everything to his third wife. Let the legal battle commence.

Sideline stat

• Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Boston Red Sox has a 27-game hitting streak going. The Red Sox hit streak record (34 games) is held by Dom DiMaggio while the overall MLB record (56) is held by his brother Joe DiMaggio. Joe’s record is considered unbeatable by many.

Coaches’ Corner

• What is a hitting streak? A hitting streak in baseball refers to the number of consecutive games the player appears in a game and gets a hit. No hit, no streak.

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - It's a Gentleman's Sport

On Wednesday we covered the WNBA as they begin their 20th season as a league. In a complete 180, today we cover a backslide in women’s rights as one PGA golf course seeks to keep golf a gentleman’s game and are willing to risk their wallets to do so.

Don’t try this at home,

The Last Night’s Game Team

---

PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)

• Stepping up. The PGA has removed Muirfield in Scotland as a potential host site for The Open. The club has been removed because its members have voted to not to allow women as members of the golf course. Apparently some members of The Honourable Company (seems ironic doesn’t it) of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, ran a 'no' campaign encouraging members to keep with tradition. Kudos PGA. 
• A course for charity. Finding the positive in golf, this weekend the PGA tour stops at the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas, Texas. The Byron Nelson Classic is the largest single tournament charity contributor on the PGA tour, raising nearly $117 million since 1968. For more information on the beneficiary charity and the tournament, click here. 

Horse Racing

• Rainy race. On Saturday Kentucky Derby Champion Nyqvist looks to win the second leg of the Triple Crown at The Preakness in Maryland. Although it’s predicted to be a soggy and rainy race, Nyquist is slated to start from the favorable third slot out the 11 spots. If you’re betting then you should know that Nyquist’s odds are 3-5, the favorite to win. 

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Available for dinner? Texas Rangers Rougned Odor has been suspended eight games for his perfect punch to the face of Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista that caused a bench clearing brawl. Don’t worry Odor will be eating well as Heim BBQ in Dallas has offered him free food for life for hitting the Blue Jays outfielder.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Still undefeated. The Cleveland Cavaliers steam rolled Toronto Raptors again last night winning by almost 30 points. The Cavs are undefeated in the playoffs and have the 2-0 lead in the series going into game three on Saturday in Toronto.
• No thunder from down under. Golden State Warriors won big against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, bringing their series to 1-1. Battered, bruised but not broken, league MVP Steph Curry was on fire and scored 15 points in two minutes. The two teams will play game three on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
• Hacked. A Milwaukee Bucks employee fell victim to a scam and released W-2 forms for all players to what they thought was Bucks’ president Peter Feigin. Psych! The scammer got away with the the players’ addresses, Social Security numbers and compensation. Don't worry, the team has offered free credit monitoring to the players. Crisis averted. 

Overtime

• The NFL will repay over $700,000 in revenue it received for “paid patriotism,” as revealed by an audit. Paid patriotism is money that came out of the armed forces’ budget for a variety of public recognitions during games such on-field flag ceremonies and tributes to welcome home veterans. The NFL has been criticized for making money on these ceremonies. That being said, the Department of Defense does spend legitimate funds to sponsor numerous professional teams in hopes to increase recruit numbers.  

Sideline stat

• The SEC has ordered pro golfer Phil Mickelson to pay back nearly $1 million in profits earned with insider trading tips. (FYI - Mickelson earned $48 million in 2015 from golf). By paying back profits Mickelson will not face further charges. These charges stem from conversations Mickelson had with renowned sports gambler Billy Walter, who is currently facing federal charges. 

Coaches’ corner

• What is PGA’s "The Open"? The Open Championship, aka The Open, is one of golf’s four major tournaments (i.e. very important hence why they're called "the Majors") and it takes place in the United Kingdom and rotates between 10 golf courses. The Open is often referred to as the “British Open.” This tournament is the third major of the calendar year, following The Masters and the U.S. Open but prior to the PGA Championship.