The Rundown: Working For The Weekend

Serving up bite-size pieces of sports for your weekend.

Bigger isn’t always better,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – While part of the U.S. is enjoying a snow day today, did you know that the Winter Olympics in South Korea are only 37 weeks away?

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NFL (National Football League)

• Blame it on the rain. The construction of the joint stadium for the Rams and the Chargers, who moved to Los Angeles to play in the $2.6 billion stadium, has been delayed. Excessive rain has pushed back the opening date by a year. Even NFL teams can’t get their home improvement project done on time.  

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Seeing stars. It’s the All-Star Race this weekend. Keep your eyes on Kevin Harvick in the Busch car. If he wins, one lucky fan will win $1 million through the Busch loyalty contest. That sounds easy but the format of the race itself is pretty complicated. Here's a great explanation of how drivers can take home the checkered flag.

Overtime

• Baltimore is buzzing this weekend - it’s time for The Preakness. Always Dreaming, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby, is the favorite to win as he takes the next step toward the ultimate horse racing title, the Triple Crown. (The Triple Crown is when a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes).

It’s a tough race for the Derby winner because it’s a two-week turnaround, as opposed to the usual month. Only five of the 10 horses racing participated in Derby, which means the other horses in the race are fresh.

Sideline stat

• The WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) inked a deal with Twitter to live stream their games. The first game on opening weekend drew 1.1 million viewers. Also a product of the partnership, a WNBA emoji when fans tweet #WNBA or #WNBALive.

Coaches’ corner

• Earlier this week playoff hockey brought us Keith Urban signing the national anthem which led to a victory for Mr. Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher, and his Nashville Predators. Last night Kelly Clarkson sang but the Anaheim Ducks beat the Predators in overtime to tie the series. While you may not be the biggest hockey fan, this series will get you excited to watch. The next game is Saturday night.

The Rundown: Team Mom

It’s Friday and that means it’s almost the weekend. It also means you have two days to pick up something for Mother’s Day. We're providing you with weekend conversation starters and life’s reminders.

One stop shop,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Into the rafters. The New York Yankees will retire Derek Jeter’s #2 jersey this Sunday. Jeter penned a heartfelt note thanking fans for their support of a young player who came up through the ranks to win five World Series rings during his 20-year career. It seems fitting that his number will be retired on Mother’s Day as Jeter and his wife, swimsuit model Hannah (Davis) Jeter, are expecting their first child.

PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)

• Big year. First he wins the Masters and now this. Sergio Garcia hit a hole-in-one at the famed 17th hole at the Players Championship yesterday.
• Beer me. Unfortunately for golf fans it wasn’t Brooks Koepka who hit the hole-in-one. Koepka has partnered with Michelob Ultra to give away 95 cases of its beer (95 calories = 95 cases...clever) to fans should he hit a hole-in-one.

Overtime

• Dedicated fan of Real Housewives and soon-to-be retired NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting a reality TV show of his own. When he retires at the end of the season, he and his wife, Amy, will restore a historic home as part of their own home renovation show.

Sideline stat

• Mitchell Trubisky, the #2 pick in the NFL (National Football League) draft, reported to his first day of Chicago Bears camp yesterday in his 1997 Toyota Camry with 170,000 miles. He promised the Bears’ general manager that he wouldn’t change and would drive his well-loved car that was passed down from his grandma to camp. Trubisky received a $19 million signing bonus but still stuck by his word.

Coaches’ corner

• Just in time for Mother’s Day, East Carolina University’s football coach delivered great news to one of their walk-on players. Instead of delivering it to the athlete, he went straight to his mom with the news that her son, Kiante Anderson, is a recipient of a full ride scholarship to play football. Here’s the precious video. 

The Rundown: Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! We love holidays where you can eat tacos and drink margaritas without judgement.

Best day ever,  

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – The Kentucky Derby is this weekend. Click here for our fast and fun Five Things to Know About the Kentucky Derby. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for live coverage of the Derby.

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NBA (National Basketball Association)

• For real? LaVar Ball is the father of UCLA basketball player Lonzo Ball, who is entering in this year’s NBA draft. Papa Ball is so demanding that he’s scared away any sponsor who might want to work with his son.

Drawing serious criticism, Ball released his son’s own signature shoe that you can buy for a cool $495. (Mind you he’s never played in an NBA game). Look out Kris Jenner, there’s a new sheriff in town.

Boxing

• Weight issues. This Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas features a matchup of Mexico’s two biggest fighters - Canelo Alvarez and Julio Chavez Jr. The fighting weight for each boxer is set at 164.5 pounds. If either goes over that weight, they will owe their competitor $1 million per pound. Don’t give Jenny Craig any ideas.

Overtime

• The Fertitta Brothers, who recently sold UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) for a hefty profit, are putting their money where their mouths are. They have started their own $500 million fund to invest in fast-growing companies in the media, entertainment and technology sectors.

Sideline stat

• The 143rd annual Kentucky Derby will run rain or shine. Saturday’s forecast calls for rain on race day which is not unusual as 46% of Derby days have seen rain. The race is at 6:34 pm EST on Saturday.

Coaches’ corner

• The day before the Derby is the Kentucky Oaks, which is a race for the fillies (female horses). The race started in 1875 and is the fourth highest attended horse race in the U.S. – following the Triple Crown of racing. All attendees are encouraged to wear pink because the day raises money for critical women’s health issues.  Here's more on the triple crown and the Kentucky Oaks.