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?

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

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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.

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. 

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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.