The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Going Global

Congratulations! You’ve made it to Friday. Your reward? The Rundown - full of laughs and all the sports information you need to know. Go forth and conquer your weekend.

The world is your oyster,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Soccer

Global goals. Copa America Centenario begins Friday. Copa America is the battle of 16 of the best teams throughout the Americas. The tournament takes place every four years and coincides with the Olympics. The group stage of the tournament will take place from June 3-14 across 10 U.S. cities and it all starts with the U.S. vs. Columbia on Friday at Levi Stadium (Santa Clara, CA) at 9:30 pm EST. Click here for the full schedule.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

Warriors for the win. The whole Warriors team stepped up last night and brought home a win in game one of the finals against LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Game two is on Sunday at 7 pm EST on ABC.

Move over Kardashians. If you just can’t get enough of NBA MVP and Warriors’ guard Steph Curry, you can now download special emojis to use while texting about the NBA Finals. The emoji app features his show stealing little girl Riley, his wife Ayesha and even that mouthpiece he’s always chewing on. His emoji app, released on June 1st, surpassed Kim Kardashian’s similar app and sits at the top of the charts.

NHL (National Hockey League)

Stanley Cup slaying. Pittsburgh Penguins took a 2-0 series lead over the San Jose Sharks after winning game two in sudden death overtime. Will the Penguins extend their lead? Check out game three on Saturday at 8 pm EST on NBCSN to find out.

Tennis

Oui. The French Open will crown the men’s and women’s champions this weekend. The tournament hasn’t gone exactly as planned as the rain is the only one dominating the court. For the first time in 16 years, play has been stopped by the rain. Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Garbiñe Muguruza are a few notable players in the semifinals. Click here for the complete schedule. 

Overtime

The NFL Pro Bowl said aloha to Orlando and goodbye to Hawaii for the upcoming season. Sine 1980 the game has been played in Hawaii for all but two years. The NFL implied, like in retirement, this move to Florida is permanent.

Sideline stat

Boston Red Sox Slugger Mookie Betts hit three home runs on Tuesday and two home runs on Thursday – five home runs in two days. So many hits that Beyoncé would be proud.

Coaches’ Corner

Three crew chiefs (basically a head coach in NASCAR) have been suspended because of rule infractions during last week’s NASCAR race. 

Greg Biffle’s crew chief was suspended for two races for illegal body measurements. (Good thing match.com doesn’t penalize for that). And remember all that controversy about the lug nuts? (If not, read here). The crew chiefs for Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger were suspended for one race for not having the five lug nuts properly secured on the tires. This weekend’s race is on Sunday at the Pocono Motor Speedway. (1:18 pm EST on Fox Sports 1).

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Memorial Day Madness

While you've been taking in some R&R on your start-to-the-summer weekend; it’s been a busy weekend in the world of sports. 

Remember on this Memorial Day to thank those who have risked their lives to make our country great.

Hats off to you,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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F1 (Formula One)

• Mercedes takes Monaco. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (previously linked to singer Nicole Scherzinger) capitalized on numerous mistakes made by other teams to win the rain soaked race at Monaco. 

IndyCar

• Finished on fumes. Rookie Alexander Rossi, 24, won the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in front of a record crowd of 350,000 fans. Rossi took a risk and chose not to fuel up the last 90 laps. He crossed the finish line just as his car ran out of gas.

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Truex triumph. Martin Truex Jr dominated the Coca-Cola 600 where he led 392 of 400 laps and brought home his first win of the year.  In honor of those who have lost their lives for our country, the name of a fallen solider was painted on every car in the race.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Moving on. Cleveland Cavaliers secured a spot in the NBA finals with a series win over Toronto Raptors. Cavs superstar LeBron James has made six consecutive NBA Finals, but the Cavs have never won an NBA title. They will play the winner of Thunder/Warriors game for the championship.
• It’s all on the line. On Saturday, Golden State Warriors beat Oklahoma City Thunder on their home turf. Warriors were behind in the game but with a combined 70 points from Klay Thompson and Steph Curry they pulled out a miraculous win. With the win the Warriors force a decisive game seven tonight at Golden State (9 pm EST on TNT).

NHL (National Hockey League)

• Finally, the finals. San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice tonight in the first game of the best-of-seven series to determine who will win the Stanley Cup.

Soccer

• Champions! Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in a shootout to win the coveted Champions League title. After 120 minutes of regulation time and overtime, the game was still tied 1-1.  It all came down to a shootout where Real Madrid won the game. Cristiano Ronaldo nailed the fifth penalty kick to guarantee the win, wiping away his past struggles with high pressure penalty kicks

Overtime

• During his graduation speech at the Naval Academy, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced that former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds can defer his service commitment to play in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens. "I am truly excited to proudly serve my country while having the ability fulfill my dream of playing for the best organization in the NFL," said Reynolds.

Sideline stat

• Floor seats for tonight’s Western Conference Final game between Thunder and Warriors are going for a mere $29,000 a piece. 

Coaches’ Corner

• Unlike NASCAR, F1 and IndyCar (except on oval tracks) will race in the rain.

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Decisions, Decisions

Mountains or ocean? Wine or beer? Hamburger or hot dog? We hope that these are the toughest decisions you will have to make this Memorial Day weekend. The one thing you won’t have to think about is what to talk about at your good ‘ol American BBQ. We’ve got that covered for you.

Pass the ketchup please,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Soccer

It’s kind of a big deal. Atlético Madrid plays Real Madrid in the UEFA (Union of European Football Association) Champions League final on Saturday at 2:45 pm (EST) on FOX. The match takes place in Milan but only 12 miles separate these two teams’ home stadiums in Spain. This game is essentially the Super Bowl of UEFA. The Champions League consists of the 32 best teams in European club soccer. Need another reason to watch? Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Real Madrid. 

F1 Racing (Formula One)

Wish we were there. The Monaco Grand Prix is on Sunday (8 am EST on NBC). This is one of the prettiest tracks of the circuit as the cars race literally through the streets of Monaco. It’s like a real life game of Super Mario Cart. Driver Nico Rosberg holds a commanding lead in the standings with Kimi Räikkönen in second and Rosberg’s Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in third.  

NHL (National Hockey League)

The battle of the ocean dwellers. The final round of the NHL playoffs begins on Monday in Pittsburgh with San Jose Sharks taking on Pittsburgh Penguins for the Stanley Cup. The best-of-seven final series starts with game one at 8 pm (EST) on ESPN.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

Hanging on. Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors beat Oklahoma City Thunder last night to avoid elimination. The teams head back to Oklahoma City for game six on Saturday (9 pm EST on TNT), where it’s another must win for the Warriors who are down 3-2 in the series.

Cavs closeout? Cleveland Cavaliers play Toronto Raptors in Toronto tonight. (8:30 pm EST on ESPN) The Cavs can close out the series with a win. It could be tough as the home team has one each game so far in this series. Game seven (if necessary) will be on Sunday (8:30 pm EST on ESPN). 

Overtime

For the third year in the row, the Scripps National Spelling Bee ends in tie. This year’s co-winners are Nihar Janga, 11, and Jairam Hathaway, 13. The two were deadlocked after 39 grueling rounds. Jairam’s final word was “feldenkrais” and Nihar correctly spelled “gesellschaft.” Say that 10 times fast.

Sideline stat

The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday and it is completely sold out. Over 300,000 fans are expected to attend the race. For the first time since ABC began a live broadcast of the race in 1965, the local television blackout has been lifted because of the sellout. Read our five things to know about the Indy 500 and watch the race on ABC at Noon (EST) on Sunday.

Coaches’ Corner

Baylor University fired head football coach Art Briles after eight seasons due to his mishandling of cases of sexual assault by football players. "We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus. This investigation revealed the University's mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students," Richard Willis, chairman of the Baylor Board of Regents, said in a statement. Briles brought the Bears to national prominence in short period of time, but at what price?