The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Full On Friday

You never thought we’d make it. No, we’re not talking about it being Friday at last, but the final weekend of regular season baseball. Finally, six months later. Which reminds us it’s time to head to the dentist.  

Time for your checkup,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - It's Friday of football season and today's tailgate treat is a recipe for spicy pretzels, courtesy of ultimate fan Robin. 

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Who says baseball is boring? While the battles for the two wild card spots in each league are hot and heavy heading into the last weekend of regular season baseball, the division winners have clinched their spots:

American League

• East: Boston Red Sox
• Central: Cleveland Indians
• West: Texas Rangers
• Wild card: ?

National League

• East: Washington Nationals
• Central: Chicago Cubs
• West: Los Angeles Dodgers
• Wild card: ?

Click here for the wild card standings.

NCAA Football (College)

• Dominating Death Valley. ESPN College GameDay is in South Carolina tomorrow for the Louisville Cardinals – Clemson Tigers game which features a matchup of two undefeated, top five teams. Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson (who has an amazing 25 touchdowns in four games) has a tough task ahead of him heading into “Death Valley” to face the Tigers.
• See the full college football schedule here. 

NFL (National Football League)

• Tea, crumpets and football? Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars are set to play in England this Sunday. With the time change, the teams will be playing while you’re making breakfast (9:30 am EST). The winless Jaguars have played in London the past four seasons but this is the Colts' first time. This is the first of three NFL games that will be played in London this season.
• Who is your team playing this weekend? Find out here.  

Ryder Cup (Golf) 

• You will miss this putt. During Ryder Cup practice, Team Europe’s Rory McIlroy was struggling to make a putt and a Happy Gilmore style heckler in the crowd was relentless during his failed attempts. McIlroy invited the heckling fan to attempt the putt. Teammate Justin Rose upped the stakes by throwing in $100. The cool, calm and collected American fan stepped up and nailed the putt. What like it was hard?
• The foursome parings have been revealed for today. See who will be representing Team U.S.A. here.

Hockey

• Victorious eh? Team Canada beat Team Europe to win the World Cup of Hockey.

Overtime

• Team U.S.A. visited the White House (minus Ryan Lochte and his gas station buddies) on Thursday. Coincidentally, their visit came on the same day the U.S. Senate passed legislation for a tax exemption on the “victory tax" associated with winning Olympic medals (excluding athletes who make more than $1 million). 

Sideline stat

• The Cleveland Cavaliers broke the city’s 52-year championship losing streak by winning the NBA (basketball) Championship earlier this year. They announced that over 1,000 part-time and full-time employees associated with the team will receive championship rings, a cost of over $1 million. Feeling generous, they will even send one to former head coach David Blatt, who was fired midseason. 

Coaches’ corner

• What is the wild card in baseball playoffs? In 2011, MLB added wild card spots to the postseason. There are two wild card winners from each league (National League and American League) who play each other in a one game playoff to advance into the postseason. Essentially, the playoff game is between the two best teams from each league who didn’t clinch their division title. Consider it the bonus spot in the playoffs. For more on the wild card, read here. 

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Pumpkin Fatigue

Fall is in the air and the flavor of pumpkin is everywhere. May your pumpkin spice latte bring you as much joy as today’s Rundown.

Non-fat please,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – This weekend’s tailgate treat is not made of pumpkin but liquid gold - Kristen’s chorizo queso. Pop that Lipitor and enjoy.  

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NCAA football (College)

• Don’t hold your breath. ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from Knoxville, TN ahead of the matchup between University of Florida Gators (#19) and Tennessee Volunteers (#14). Tennessee has been unsuccessful in beating Florida in their last 12 attempts. In sports, there’s always hope. Will this be the year the Vols beat the Gators?
• Beak not included. The University of Oregon Ducks are known for having a plethora of uniforms because of their close relationship with Nike. This weekend they’ll be sporting uniforms that look like their mascot, The Fighting Duck.  

Need to schedule your Saturday around your team? Here’s the schedule.

NFL (National Football League)

• I got this coach. New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick coached third-string rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett to a stellar shutout game last night against the Texans. Brissett replaces Tom Brady and back up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
• Viking strong. After losing their starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the preseason, the Minnesota Vikings have also lost their star Adrian Peterson to knee surgery. Peterson is likely out for the season. Although if anyone can return it is Peterson. He returned to the field nine months after ACL surgery (which typically requires a least a year recovery).  
• Rivalry. Bragging rights for the Keystone State are on the line this weekend when Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles face off. Both teams are undefeated this season. The matchup is led by two quarterbacks who are on opposite ends of their careers – Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger is a veteran with hall of fame-type credentials and Eagles’ quarterback is rookie Carson Wentz from North Dakota State who was the second pick in the NFL draft. 
• Commitment. What kind of dedication does it take to go from North Dakota State’s quarterback last season to the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles this year? Sacrifices have to be made. Carson Wentz’s girlfriend said she has caught him watching game film under the table on their dates. We’ll have the chicken with a side of touchdown.  

When is your team playing? Here’s the schedule.

Overtime

• Former NBA player and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, was at a charity event when a protestor smashed a pie in his face. (It was coconut cream in case you were curious). Johnson reacted quickly and punched the pie thrower in the face. The pie assaulter ended up with stitches, a trip to the hospital and then to jail, where he faces a felony charge for assaulting a public official.  

Sideline stat

• The final stop on the PGA FedExCup Tour (i.e. the end of the PGA - golf - season) is this weekend in Georgia. The golfer with the most points at the end of the season wins bragging rights along with a $10 million check. Dustin Johnson is leading in FedExCup points and is currently tied in the Georgia tournament. Come Sunday Johnson could be in a higher tax bracket. (Johnson is also the husband of Paulina Gretzky, daughter of famed hockey player Wayne Gretzky).   

Coaches’ corner

• What do you mean by third-string? A player, such as Patriots’ Jacoby Brissett, is considered a third-string player for his position. That means there are two other players ahead of him who will play before he does. In the Patriots’ situation, starting quarterback Tom Brady is suspended and back up Jimmy Garoppolo is injured.

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Twerking for the Weekend

The decisions on Sunday are going to be tough – Wine or martini? White after Labor Day? Emmys or football? No matter your choice, we have what you need to know to join the weekend’s sports conversation.  

And the Emmy goes to,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - This Friday’s tailgate treat comes to us from Garnish Salt’s Chef Kate. Her delightful Gameday Guacamole goes great with any sport or the Emmys.

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NCAA football (College)

• Duking it out. Two football powerhouses face off this weekend when Ohio State (#3) heads to Norman, OK to play University of Oklahoma Sooners (#14). This is a must-win game for the Sooners to stay in the playoff picture.
• Well done Wildcats. University of Arizona is traveling to the Aloha State to play the University of Hawaii. Arizona’s uniforms will honor the U.S.S. Arizona which was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The teams will honor survivors from the ship at halftime.
• Enemy territory. Top dog University of Alabama (#1) heads to Oxford, MS to take on Ole Miss (#19 - University of Mississippi). Ole Miss has beaten a mighty Alabama team twice in the past two years.

For a complete listing of game times, click here.

NFL (National Football League)

• No Fun League. Unlike the gift of his presence, Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins received an actual gift from Kanye West. Adidas and West gave him “Yeezy cleats” for the home opener last week.  After the game, Hopkins received a gift from the NFL – a $6,000 fine for violating uniform policy. When asked if he would wear them again Hopkins said “only if Kanye pays the fine.” Fine then.
• Betting on the house. Moving the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas is becoming more of a reality. The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously to approve a hotel tax to help build a 65,000 seat domed stadium for the team. Bonus – UNLV (University of Nevada- Las Vegas) will also play their home games there. Head over to Vegas to contribute to the Raiders…at least someone wins when you lose.

Click here for this weekend's NFL scheudle. 

NHL (National Hockey League)

• The World Cup of Hockey begins this weekend with eight teams competing in Toronto. Over the next two weeks the teams will battle for the title of "Best in the World." For more information and for games times, here you go. 

Overtime

• Continuing the campaign to change the name to the No Fun League (NFL), Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown was fined for his post-touchdown celebration he calls “boomin” (aka twerking). Brown is no stranger to dancing in public; he made it to the semifinals in a previous season of Dancing with the Stars. 

Sideline stat

• Sunday’s F1 (Formula One) race comes to us all the way from Singapore. The two-man battle for the overall points lead between teammates Lewis Hamilton (ahead by two points) and Nico Rosberg, could be decided at this iconic night race. The overall points title has been won on this track in four out of the last five years.

Coaches’ corner

• The team with the best record in baseball, Chicago Cubs, clinched the National League Central Division for the first time since 2008. They are the first team to clinch a playoff spot. We’re guessing a lot of Chicagoans will be calling in sick this morning with the celebration flu.

Reminder – MLB has two leagues (National League and American League) and each of those have three divisions (West, East and Central). MLB playoffs begin on October 4th and of course we’ll bring you all you need to know.