It’s Freaking Friday
A fiery plane crash, who’s playing like a girl and who lost their sh*t on the tennis court.
Hallelujah!
That’s all folks,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s plane caught on fire upon landing at a small airport in Tennessee yesterday. Luckily, Earnhardt, his wife Amy, their 1-year-old daughter, the family dog and the pilots all escaped without serious injuries. The racing family was in town for this weekend’s race at Bristol. The former driver will no longer be in the broadcast booth this weekend as he recovers with his family. TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Overtime
The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams (NFL - National Football League) are saying aloha to Honolulu, Hawaii this weekend where they will play their preseason game. The Cowboys star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, continues to train in Cabo San Lucas while he holds out for a contract. Meanwhile, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is using gross and confusing analogies to describe contract negotiations. (For more on Mr. Jones and other wacky team owners, check out our five guys to know). HE SAID WHAT?
Sideline stat
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend and in this case, it’s baseball diamonds. Maddy Freking is the starting second baseman (or woman) for her team from Coon Rapids-Andover, representing the Midwest region in the tournament. She is only the 19th female to ever play in the Little League World Series. PLAY LIKE A GIRL
Coaches’ corner
In an Olympic qualifying event, the assumed first and second place runners joined hands as they crossed the finish line as a show of unity and teamwork. The two were disqualified for violating the rule that states athletes must not "finish in a contrived tie situation where no effort to separate the finish times has been made." RULES WERE MEANT TO BE BROKEN
What to watch
The bad boy of tennis, Australian Nick Kyrgios had yet another melt down. You might remember his Wimbledon outburst from our five time sports imitated an episode of Real Housewives, but this time he destroyed a racket, used profanity to describe the chair referee and spit toward him. In addition to a significant fine, there could be a suspension looming for Kyrgios after this outburst. CLASSY
Let’s Party Like We’re On Vacation
The coach who asked his wife “you good?” after childbirth and left, why iced coffee is the gateway drug and the “Field of Dreams” is actually happening.
As the summer winds down, we prepare to say goodbye to the days of whimsical road trips and poolside conversations.
One can dream,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL)
The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox will play on the actual “Field of Dreams” in 2020. The first-ever MLB game in Iowa will be played in a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark constructed amongst the corn on the site where the classic Kevin Costner flick was shot. SCREEN ACTORS GUILD CARD NOT INCLUDED
Overtime
The list of coaches just now discovering the earth-shattering joy of iced coffee is growing. First, we had Nick Van Exel (NBA – National Basketball Association) and now the head football coach of the Syracuse Orange, who actually said “You guys ever try iced coffee? I don’t know why anybody would do illegal drugs when there’s iced coffee.” Dino Babers is known for his unconventional thoughts, but if this is him in preseason, we can’t wait until the season starts. THE GATEWAY DRUG
Sideline stat
What kind of NFL (National Football League) coach takes smelling salts before a preseason game? The same one who once asked his wife “you good?” right after childbirth before heading to a meeting with Peyton Manning (who, by the way, was shocked coach was there). The first-year New York Jets head coach, Adam Gase, has been keeping everyone guessing what’s next, including if he can turn this franchise that had a 4-12 record last season around. HENCE THE SMELLING SALTS
Coaches’ corner
We’re in the midst of the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru (an Olympic-style athletic competition for athletes all across the Americas). It was a rough ending for the Argentinian women’s basketball team who showed up in the wrong uniforms, were given 15 minutes to change (they couldn’t) so they had to forfeit and were eliminated from the competition for gold. NOT A FAIRYTALE ENDING
What to watch
Long gone are the days of the star-studded “Dream Team” of U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball. Team U.S.A. has struggled the past few years to pull it together and they’re hoping tonight’s game in Las Vegas is the start of something good. But who is actually playing for Team U.S.A.? There’s no Michael Jordan but this team has potential to make things happen in Tokyo in 2020. DREAMS OF OLYMPIC GOLD
New Beginnings
The list of the most tortured fan bases, whose wives are fast and furious and why you might need to get on the esports bandwagon?
Today’s sports stories all have a fresh start for the start of your weekend.
Things are looking up,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
The NFL Season kicked off last night with the first pre-season game, the Hall of Fame Game, between the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos. In honor of the start of another season, the list of teams with the “Most Tortured Fan Base” has been released. These are fans who remained loyal while suffering through “tanking, missed drafts, blundering coaching decisions and generational incompetence.” Rounding out the top three are the New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Redskins. NOT A LIST TO BE PROUD OF
Overtime
Move over Real Housewives, Racing Wives is coming in hot with the season debut tonight. The show spotlights the sisters-in-law Samantha Busch and Ashley Busch, wives of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) drivers Kyle and Kurt Busch, along with their friends/fellow race wives and an aspiring driver. FAST AND FURIOUS
Sideline stat
Arguably the most popular “Fortnite” player Tyler "Ninja" Blevins is switching streaming platforms from Twitch (Amazon owned) to Mixer (Microsoft owned). It’s a huge blow to the platform because Blevins, who made nearly $10 million for playing on Twitch, will take his 14.7 million followers with him. (If you’re confused by what streaming a video game means, think of it this way, fans tune in to watch their team play and in this case the team is one video game player). GET ON THE BANDWAGON
Want to know more about this booming industry of esports and the aforementioned streaming platforms, which are expected to generate $152 billion in revenue this year—50% more than the film industry? Click here for our five things to know.
Coaches’ corner
The Oakland Athletics (MLB – Major League Baseball) signed a fan, who happened to be a pitcher, that impressed the pants off of people while he was throwing at the in-stadium promotional radar booth. RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
What to watch
The newest class will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame tomorrow night and features greats like Champ Bailey and Tony Gonzalez, whose speeches are sure to be inspiring. STORIES OF GREATNESS