The Rundown: It's Super!

While we may not agree on the Patriots or Falcons, pizza or wings, man buns or beards (or neither), there’s one thing we can all agree on – puppies. The Super Bowl won’t be the only excitement happening this weekend.

Weekends are ruff,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – Since it’s our last Friday for Tailgate Treats until next football season, today we have the ultimate list of party favorites. Chow down!

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NFL (National Football League)

• Designated driver. You’ve probably heard about the revolutionary Tostitos bag with a breathalyzer built-in. Tostitos partnered with NFL player Delanie Walker whose Aunt and Uncle were killed by a drunk driver on the way home from watching him play with the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. The “party safe” bag produces a $10 Uber code if alcohol is detected.
• Be prepared. Did you miss Wednesday’s Five Things to Know About Super Bowl 51? Don’t worry we have all you need to know for this weekend’s celebrations. Tune into the game on Sunday at 6:30 pm (EST). 

PGA (Professional Golfers Association) 

• The Waste Management Open wraps up this weekend in Scottsdale, AZ. The Open is known for its 16th hole, the rowdiest hole in golf. The hole is enclosed with seating for over 16,000 intoxicated and wild fans. Watch the crowd celebrate Tiger Woods’ hole in one back in 1997. No golf claps here. 

Overtime

• It’s finally time for the biggest event of the year, the Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl, which airs on Sunday at 3 pm (EST). Teams Ruff and Fluff are armed with cuteness but the viewers are the true winners. Here’s the most adorable starting lineup you’ve ever seen.

Sideline stat

• The NFL Network is broadcasting 80 hours of live coverage leading up to the Super Bowl. Take that Oscar award red carpet coverage.

Coaches’ corner

• Quarterbacks are always the talk of the Super Bowl so here’s what you need to know for Sunday. (For more on the other stars of each team, click here).
  • Matt Ryan, Falcons – This is the first Super Bowl for “Matty Ice” (like Natty Ice – get it)? but he’s been anything but cold this year. He’s the top candidate for the NFL MVP.
  • Tom Brady, Patriots – Mr. Gisele Bündchen is appearing in his seventh Super Bowl and this year with his protection necklace. Brady lost his battle with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and sat out four games this year for “deflategate” at the beginning of the season. Hating Roger Goodell is one thing all Patriots fans can agree on. 

The Rundown: City of Stars

As if it being Friday wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, it’s also an all-star weekend in the world of sports.

You’re always an all-star in our eyes,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Tennis

• A family affair. Venus and Serena Williams will take their sibling rivalry to the Australian Open finals early Saturday morning (3:30 am EST). The sisters played each other in the 2003 Australian Open finals and Serena took home the win.
• Old guys rule. Roger Federer claimed his spot in the Australian Open finals on Sunday (also at 3:30 am EST). At age 35 he is the oldest player in the finals since 1974.

NHL (National Hockey League)

• Star struck. The NHL goes Hollywood with their all-star game in Los Angeles this Sunday. The all-stars will play in a three-on-three tournament (there are typically five players on the ice) with teams from the four different NHL divisions -  Pacific, Central, Metropolitan and Atlantic. The divisions will play each other to determine which one is the best. The winning team receives $1 million in prize money. 

Overtime

• Massachusetts is home to the Super Bowl bound New England Patriots and a Boston Globe reporter who called Atlanta a city with "absolutely zero enthusiasm for professional sports." The Atlanta Falcons are playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl and one of their fans is fighting back with enthusiasm. He will not sell any Boston made Sam Adams in his Georgia gas station until after the Super Bowl. Kick 'em where it counts.

Sideline stat

• Kraft Heinz has decided not to fork out the $5 million for a 30 second Super Bowl ad. Instead they started the “Smunday” campaign, a petition to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday. They’re putting their money where their mouth is by giving all full-time salaried U.S. employees that Monday off. They claim that 16 million people skip work the day after the Super Bowl anyway, resulting in $1 billion in losses. Care to sign the petition? Here’s the dotted line.

Coaches’ corner

• Is your life feeling incomplete without football? You can get your fix with the Pro Bowl on Sunday. The Pro Bowl is the NFL’s (National Football League) all-star game and takes place in Orlando, FL. The members of the winning team receive a $61,000 bonus and the losing team a mere $30,000. Here's the full roster in case you're interested.

The Rundown: Let's Fly Away

Take us with you on your weekend getaway – we make great road trip buddies.

We’ll bring the snacks and play DJ,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – With the Super Bowl just around the corner, here’s a tailgate treat that’s bound to be a fan favorite. It involves bacon and bacon makes everything better. 

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NFL (National Football League) 

• On Sunday four teams will battle it out to claim one of the spots in the Super Bowl in Houston on February 5th.
• Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons. Typically, they say defense wins championships but this is not the case in this game. Both offenses, led by Aaron Rodgers (Packers) and Matt Ryan (Falcons), rank toward the top and both defenses are sub-par. This is also last game in the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons.
• Pittsburgh Steelers vs New England Patriots. The game is a home game for the Patriots and they are virtually unbeatable at home during the playoffs. The Steelers have to play a perfect game after a week of distractions between Antonio Brown streaming locker room talk live on social media and the flu making its way through the team. 

Tennis

• Think before you speak. An ESPN broadcaster covering the Australian Open was fired after he compared Venus Williams (sister of Serena) to a gorilla. He insists he meant guerilla when he talked about her “guerilla effect” in a match. A poor choice in words because last time we checked they both sound the same when you mention them on TV.
• In other news. There was a huge upset in the second round of the Australian Open when unranked Denis Istomin beat Novak Djokovic (#2). Thanks for playing – see you next time.

Overtime

• The NFL Network released a promo video for this weekend’s games with all of the team’s starting quarterbacks, except New England Patriots’ Tom Brady. Brady and the league embarked on a bitter battle early this year when he was suspended for four games for deflategate. Apparently there’s still bad blood.

Sideline stat

• The Oakland Raiders (NFL) have officially filed relocation papers to move the team to Las Vegas. Their relocation must be approved by 3/4 of the NFL owners in March, but with the support of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (the big dogs on campus) it seems likely that the relocation will go through.

Coaches’ corner

• The starting lineups for the NBA (National Basketball Association) All-Star Game have been announced. The two conference teams are led by Golden State Warriors teammates Steph Curry and Kevin Durant (West) and the Cleveland Cavaliers duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving (East).