The Rundown: Bare Necessities

Friday, we’ve been waiting for you all week. Thanks for coming. We hope you brought coffee and wine. 

 

Only the necessities,  

The Last Night’s Game Team

 

PS – Share The Rundown with a friend. Not simply because we make you happy in the mornings, but because there are prizes involved.

NFL (National Football League)

  • Welcome to Cleveland. As expected, defensive end Myles Garrett from Texas A&M was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the first pick in the draft. Garrett held to his word and did not attend the draft ceremony. He celebrated at home with friends and family.
  • Brotherly love. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted T.J. Watt (younger brother of Houston Texans’ heartthrob J.J. Watt). They join a rare group of NFL players with on-field family ties. The most notable brothers of the gridiron? Eli and Peyton Manning.
  • A great night for guys named T.J. Make-A-Wish granted T.J. Onwuanibe's wish when he announced the Baltimore Ravens' draft pick last night. The 14-year-old, whose cancer is thankfully in remission, punctuated his big announcement with an excited fist pump. The video will make you smile. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Friday night lights. The NBA playoffs are still rolling with the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Tonight the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz all have a chance to claim their spot in the next round tonight. Big night for shooting hoops.

Overtime

  • Mpho' “Gift” Ngoepe became the first ever African born player to play in the major leagues (MLB – Major League Baseball). Carrying the weight of his continent on his shoulders, the Pittsburgh Pirate had a hit at his first at bat.

Sideline stat

  • ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, had a rough week laying off 100 employees, including on air-talent. This is their second layoff in six months. Paying high prices for broadcast rights (we’re talking $1.4 B for their NBA TV deal) and a drop in cable subscriptions led to the layoffs. This is no longer the ESPN you grew up with. For an interesting article on their demise, click here.

Coaches’ corner

  • It’s tradition at the draft to boo the commissioner when he walks on stage at the draft. Philadelphia fans did such a good job, that at times you couldn’t hear commissioner Roger Goodell. The Commish is booed because most fans just don’t like him. He’s the party pooper – the guy who enforces the rules in football. Do not try this at home.

The Rundown - How ‘Bout Them Apples?

Dinner parties, a hot date, vacation getaway, farmer’s market…whatever your weekend has in store for you, we have what everyone’s talking about so you can enjoy a blissful, awkward moment-free weekend.

 

How ‘bout them apples?

The Last Night’s Game Team

PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)

  • Sad kitty. Tiger Woods announced he recently had his fourth back surgery to alleviate ongoing pain. With his last victory in 2013, it’s doubtful that we will ever see him dominate again but here’s to hoping.

NFL (National Football League)

Tennis

  • Acing pregnancy. Tennis star Serena Williams will soon have another title, Mom. She announced via snapchat that she is 20 weeks pregnant, meaning she won the Australian Open while roughly nine weeks pregnant. The record-breaking tennis player is taking the rest of the season off. Williams is engaged to the co-founder of the website Reddit.  

Overtime

  • Time Magazine released its list of the “Top 100 Most Influential People” but the list isn’t simply for tech company presidents and world leaders. There are quite a few athletes on the list including gold medal winning gymnast, Simone Biles, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback (NFL), Colin Kaepernick and UFC Champion (Ultimate Fighting Championship), Conor McGregor. For a complete list and to find out why they made the cut, click here.

Sideline stat

  • Yet another country crooner sings the national anthem before the Nashville Predators playoff game and yet another win for the Predators. Luke Bryan sang the Predators (#8) to a win over the Chicago Blackhawks (#1). Now they will advance to the next round of the playoffs.

For the first time in NHL history, a No. 8 seed swept a No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs. (FYI - Carrie Underwood’s husband Mike Fisher plays for the Predators).

Coaches’ corner

  • What does it mean for a team to “sweep” a series? Sadly no, that doesn’t mean the team learned how to clean. A sweep means one team won every game in the series. Fans are known to bring brooms to the game when their team is on the verge of a sweep. Finally a good use for that thing!

The Rundown – It’s Going To Be A Wild Ride

The NHL playoffs are in full swing and buckle up because the NBA playoffs start on Saturday. Don’t get too excited because the basketball playoffs are like a Power Point presentation, they go on forever. (Seriously, they’re over mid-June).

 

Here’s to brevity,

The Last Night’s Game Team

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Just the facts. The Golden State Warriors (Western conference) and Boston Celtics (Eastern conference) are the #1 seeds this year in the playoffs. Although you could have a case of déjà vu because the Warriors and LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers (who won last year) have met in two straight finals, will this be the third? Here’s the playoff schedule.
  • If you’re into great basketball. Watch the Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder series which features two MVP candidates in Russell Westbrook (Thunder) and James Harden (Rockets – who dated Khloe Kardashian).
  • Shoe snooze. Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry tops the NBA’s list of the most popular jersey sold for the second consecutive season. While fans may like his jersey, they don’t love his new shoes. One fan mocked the leather basketball shoes calling them “the La-Z-Boy 7s” for their couch-like look.  

Overtime

Sideline stat

  • 50/50 raffles are big fundraisers at sporting events. Of the money raised by selling tickets, 50% of the pot goes to a fan and 50% goes to a charity. Even though the Edmonton Oilers (NHL - National Hockey League) lost their playoff game, a couple left the game happy winning $254,000 in the raffle. The cherry on top of winning one of the largest 50/50 prizes in sports history? Canadians aren’t taxed on these winnings.

Coaches’ corner

  • Longtime chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney, passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Rooney had a huge impact on the NFL (National Football League) by helping settle labor disputes and pushing diversity. He will forever be known for the “Rooney Rule,” which states that a minority coach must be interviewed for all head coaching positions.
 

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