The Rundown: That Friday Feeling

It happens…the topic of conversation shifts to sports. Unsure what to share with your co-workers or neighbor on the airplane? Don’t panic. We have all you need to know to drum up a conversation.

 

Let’s talk,

The Last Night’s Game

 

PS – It’s officially opening day of our Last Night’s Game online store where you can shop for clothes that start a conversation. Subscribe for exclusive reader discounts.

NHL (National Hockey League)

  • Home ice advantage is real. The Pittsburgh Penguins won game five of the Stanley Cup Finals, shutting out Mr. Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher, and his Nashville Predators. With that win they take the lead in the series in which home teams have won every game. You better believe that Nashville will be rocking on Sunday for game six but which superstar will sing the national anthem? Stay tuned.

Belmont Stakes

  • An eye on the prize. The third race of the Triple Crown is on Saturday. Kentucky Derby winner, Always Dreaming and Preakness Stakes winner, Cloud Computing will not be participating in the Belmont Stakes. With Horsey McHorseface not eligible to race, everyone’s cheering for their favorite one-eyed horse, Patch, to bring home the victory.

Overtime

  • Simona Halep (ranked #4 in the world) is in position to win her first grand slam tournament at the French Open on Saturday. What’s the key to her success on a clay court? Chocolate and specifically chocolate mousse, sometimes twice a day. A girl after our own hearts.

Sideline stat

  • The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers play again tonight in game four of the NBA Finals (National Basketball Association). The Warriors are one win away from sweeping the series, going undefeated in the playoffs.

We’ve talked previously about a sweep (when one team wins a series without any losses) but how much it would cost the Warriors to not play all seven games of the Finals series? The answer? $22 million. This hefty number takes into account ticket sales, average merchandise and concession sales and parking.

Coaches’ corner

  • NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) heads to Pocono Raceway (Pennsylvania) this weekend. Filling in for an injured Aric Almirola, Darrell Wallace Jr. will become the first African American driver to compete in a race since 2006.

The Rundown: Get To The Point

We love a short week. Here’s what you’ll need to keep the conversation going this first weekend in June.

 

School’s out for summer,

The Last Night’s Game Team

MLB (Major League Baseball) 

Worth the wait. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Albert Pujols is on the edge of greatness. Going into the weekend he has 599 home runs. Will he join the exclusive 600 home run club this weekend? He would be only the ninth player to accomplish this feat in baseball history.

NHL (National Hockey League)

Bring the heat. On Saturday night, the eyes of the nation will be on the Nashville Predators as they head to Nashville for game three in the Stanley Cup Finals. The underdog Predators are down 2-0 against the defending champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Overshadowed. The Predators have had a plethora of country music superstars sing the national anthem during the playoffs. (In case you missed it, Carrie Underwood’s husband plays for the Predators). Unfortunately, not everyone is excited about the star power. Dennis Morgan, the regular season anthem singer, is not thrilled about being upstaged. His disappointment will continue because rumor has it Martina McBride is slated to sing on Saturday.

Overtime

The road to the College Baseball World Series has begun for the 64 teams in the tournament, but #2 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels have a secret weapon. Remington, an adorable, morale-boosting 2-year-old golden retriever who can fist bump, has been a fixture in their dugout all season.

Sideline stat

The best matchup in last night's game one of the NBA Finals (National Basketball Association) was between Rihanna and Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant. After bowing to Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, she proceeded to heckle the Warriors from her courtside seats, prompting a game full of stare downs between the two.  

Durant and his Warriors proceeded to "Shut Up and Drive" and beat the Cavs by 22 points.  

Coaches’ corner

We’re in the thick of the French Open and instead of talking about the usual suspects like Rafael Nadal or Venus Williams, everyone is talking about Maxime Hamou. Hamou was expelled from the tournament after forcibly kissing a reporter when she was interviewing him live. It was as awkward as you'd expect.

The Rundown: Start Your Engines

As you’re racing towards a three-day weekend, some of the world’s top F1, NASCAR and Indy drivers are preparing for some of their own big races in the next few days. Here’s a speedy rundown to get your mental engine revvin’.

 

The checkered flag is near,

The Last Night’s Game Team

NBA (NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION)

  • Déjà vu. The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to the NBA finals after dominating the Boston Celtics last night. Now, for the third year in a row, it'll be the Cavs vs the Golden State Warriors in the finals. Each team has won once, so you could call this a tie breaker. Dun dun dunnn.

MLB (MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL)

  • An unlikely inductee. A whole slew of baseball legends will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday (find the full list here). Animated dad Homer Simpson also landed a spot in the Baseball HOF this year in honor of the 25th anniversary of the classic Simpsons' episode “Homer at the Bat.” Maybe ballparks will start opting for donuts instead of cracker jacks?

F1 RACING (FORMULA ONE)

  • Beautiful backdrop. F1 racers will take to the track in Monaco this weekend. This course is arguably one of the most stunning in the world. Let’s hope the racers don’t get distracted by the view.

INDIANAPOLIS 500

  • A man of many talents. The Indy 500 is also this Sunday, and all eyes will be on Fernando Alonso for this one. Alonso made an unprecedented mid-season jump from F1 to the Indy 500 (two totally different racing styles), and he did well enough in qualifying and to start in fifth place!

OVERTIME

SIDELINE STAT

  • America is falling head over heels for the Nashville Predators (NHL- National Hockey League). It could have something to do with the fact that Mr. Carrie Underwood, Mike Fischer, is on the team, OR it could be because the team was a #8 seed (meaning they had the worst record) and are now going to the Stanley Cup Final. This will be the first time for the Predators to ever go to the final round of the playoffs, and it could be a tough one. They’re going up against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defending NHL champs.  

COACHES’ CORNER

 

CONNECT WITH Us

 
Cart (0)