Déjà Vu
Will it be a redux of “Grumpy Old Men” in the playoffs, a disgruntled fans’ last dig and the golfer who really doesn’t give a crap?
Does it feel like Groundhog Day, where you’re once again doing anything you can to avoid the disastrous political conversation?
Join the club,
The Last Night’s Game
NFL (National Football League)
We’re three weeks away from the Super Bowl and this week in the playoffs, everyone is buzzing about the battle of the old guys in the NFC (National Football Conference). Don’t expect a sequel of “Grumpy Old Men” (or maybe do?) when the New Orleans Saints and their quarterback Drew Brees, 42, take the field on Sunday against Tom Brady, 43, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rumor has it that this could be Brees’ last year, so you can bet he’ll come out swinging (his cane). The Saints are slight favorites.
The hilarious part is in the other division (the AFC - American Football Conference); their oldest quarterbacks in the playoffs are Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes, both 25. AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
Overtime
Disgruntled Houston Rockets (NBA – National Basketball Association) player James Harden was traded this week to the Brooklyn Nets in one of the biggest deals we’ve seen in a long time. Now the Nets have four of the best offensive players in the league. A Houston father and son aren’t happy about Harden giving up on their team, so they’re offering a free car wash to anyone who trades in their Harden Rockets jersey. BUT WILL THEY WASH YOUR CAR WITH HIS JERSEY?
Sideline stat
Look, we’ve all been there. Sometimes you show up to work, collect your paycheck and go home. PGA (Professional Golfers Association) golfer Kevin Kisner shared his competitive strategy. It went like this:
Q: You can win anywhere, can’t you?
Kisner: Probably not.
Q: Why show up?
Kisner: Because they give away a lot of money for 20th (place).
Touché.
Coaches’ corner
Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and his Baltimore Ravens (NFL) are headed to Buffalo to play the Bills in a Saturday playoff game. Unfortunately for Jackson, Buffalo has a 40 percent chance of snow, and he has no experience playing football in the snow. But don’t worry, Ravens fans, he has been in a snowball fight. CLOSE ENOUGH
What to watch
Something you’re bound to hear a lot of talk about over the weekend and into next week is Urban Meyer's hiring as the Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) head coach. Meyer killed it when coaching for Ohio State and then famously resigned for health reasons. (He had retired from his previous head coaching position to spend more time with his family). He has now resurfaced a few years later to try his hand at the NFL. The Jags have the No. 1 draft pick so that likely made the position more appealing. NEVER SAY NEVER
CTL + ALT + DEL
Good news for your Friday, Tom Brady vs. shots of Fireball and it’s time for the NFL Playoffs.
We made it through the first full week of 2021, and well, it looks like 2020 might be overreaching its’ boundaries. Here’s something not political to chat about.
Change the conversation,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
It’s time for the NFL playoffs and lucky for you, they come with googly eyes and SpongeBob SquarePants. The Sunday Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints game will be shown on Nickelodeon. There will be slime superimposed on endzones, googly eyes and other Snapchat-style filters layered over the game and the pregame show will be called "The SpongeBob SportsPants Countdown Special." The NFL's TV rights deals are expiring in 2022, and this is Viacom’s, Nickelodeon's parent company, innovative way of wooing a younger audience. Don’t worry, if you want to watch the name “normally,” you can find it on CBS. NFL playoff games will take place on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. SO MUCH TO SEE
Overtime
Tom Brady didn’t get to be one of the oldest and most successful players in NFL history without being a fine-tuned machine. So when his teammate Rob Gronkowski shared a story about Brady taking a rare whiskey shot at the Kentucky Derby, it made headlines. Brady apparently took a shot of Fireball and said, “Oh, how am I gonna throw next week?” FIREBALL WILL DO THAT TO YOU
Sideline stat
The new owner of the Utah Jazz (NBA - National Basketball Association) is already impacting his community. Ryan Smith has pledged a four-year scholarship for every Jazz win this season. The scholarship will be awarded to underrepresented or minority students to attend college. PAYING IT FORWARD
Coaches’ corner
The Cleveland Browns (NFL) finally broke their 18-year playoff drought, only for COVID to rear its ugly head. After multiple players and coaches tested positive for COVID, they haven’t been able to practice. Now that they’ve finally made it to the postseason, they’ll wing it with fewer players and no head coach when they take on their rival Pittsburgh Steelers. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU MADE IT
What to watch
The Buffalo Bills (NFL) are hosting their first home playoff game for the first time in 25 years. Bills fans will be allowed at a home game for the first time this season, with NY Governor Andrew Cuomo allowing 6,702 fans. But one person is not welcome according to a petition signed by 16,000+ Bills fans - Governor Cuomo himself. GO FIGURE
Starting 2021 Off On A High Note
College football semifinals are today, a huge win for women in sports to start the year and what you put on your LinkedIn will haunt you.
Happy New Year! We’re glad to start off the first morning of 2021 with you.
Here’s to a great year ahead,
The Last Night’s Game Team
College football
Today’s the day where you can recover from your champagne hangover on the couch and use college football as an excuse. Starting at 2 pm EST, four teams will duke it out for a spot in the College Football National Championship game on January 11. In the first game, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (No. 4) will try their best to defeat the unstoppable Alabama Crimson Tide (No.1). The two will meet up in the Rose Bowl, which was supposed to be in Pasadena but moved to Dallas to accommodate the players’ families. California would not allow any spectators and not having families in attendance was a huge issue amongst the coaches, hence the relocation. FAMILY FIRST (More on the second game of the day below).
Overtime
2021 is starting off right. The Boston Globe reported that the Boston Red Sox (MLB - Major League Baseball) have hired Bianca Smith as a minor league coach. Smith will become the first Black female coach in professional baseball. Smith, a college softball player, has spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and the Texas Rangers. Her role with the Sox will include instructing minor leaguers at the team's complex in Fort Myers, Florida. THINGS ARE LOOKING UP
Sideline stat
The second game of the day is Ohio State (No. 3) vs. Clemson (No. 2). Yes, you’ve seen this game before as it’s a rematch from last year’s semifinal game. This one features two of the best quarterbacks in college football, but this game isn’t without controversy. Ohio State didn’t play the necessary number of games to qualify for their conference championship game, but they got in anyway. (Their last game was cancelled due to COVID, and even if they would’ve played and lost, they still would’ve qualified for the conference championship. Now you know in case it comes up). MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN
Coaches’ corner
It’s the last weekend of the NFL (National Football League) regular season, and one story to follow is the Los Angeles Rams. They need to win Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals to make it into the playoffs. Their hopes and dreams now rest on the shoulders of their second-year backup quarterback, John Wolford, who has never started an NFL game. Until this week, his LinkedIn account said he was seeking a career in finance. Now it reads “Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams.” MOVING ON UP