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The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition

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Channeling our inner Bryce Harper, we’re making sports fun again. You’re welcome.

Remember when you went to prom and all you got was a slow dance and some lemonade? A few professional athletes are bringing their A-game to add some excitement to prom.

Cummerbunds, corsages and all,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Share the fun of sports with others by using the buttons at the bottom.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

  • Pick me! All-Star voting has begun for the MLB All-Star Game on July 12th in the home of the San Diego Padres - Petco Park.

  • Think baseball is boring? So does Washington Nationals' all-star outfielder Bryce Harper. He wants to create a personality in baseball and become a single-name icon like LeBron or Beckham. "Endorsements, fashion -- it's something baseball doesn't see," he says. "In soccer, it's Beckham or Ronaldo. In basketball, it's Curry and LeBron. In football, it's Cam. Football and basketball have such good fashion." You can flaunt your style and show your support of Harper’s “Make Baseball Fun Again” campaign by buying your t-shirt here.

NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing)

  • Flipping out. Carl Edwards is doing a celebratory backflip for the second week in a row after winning the Toyota Owners 400 in Virginia. Edwards is the third driver to win back-to-back races this year.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • For the win! San Antonio Spurs swept Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers swept Detroit Pistons to move onto round two of the playoffs.

  • Injury prone. Golden State Warriors beat Houston Rockets to go up 3-1 in the series. Guard Steph Curry, who just returned to the court after an ankle injury caused him to miss two games, slipped on the court and injured his knee just before halftime. The team rallied without Curry to win the game by 27 points.  Early indications are that Curry has a knee sprain, possibly an MCL sprain. 
  • Franchise history. Charlotte Hornets beat Miami Heat to cut the Heat’s series lead to 2-1. This is the first playoff win in the 14-year franchise history. Basketball legend Michael Jordan is an owner of the Hornets.

NFL (National Football League)

  • Can I play? Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton gave some seventh graders a thrill of a lifetime when he decided to hop a fence and play football with them.  

  • That’s not good. A Dallas County grand jury will indict troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel on misdemeanor assault charges for a confrontation where he hit his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, so hard she temporarily lost hearing in her ear. The formal announcement of the indictment is expected today. A misdemeanor assault case carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. 

NHL (National Hockey League)

  • In playoff news. San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders have all advanced to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The last two teams to move onto round two will be decided by Wednesday.

PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)

  • What happens in the Bahamas doesn’t stay there. Top golfers Jordan Speith and Rickie Fowler took a spring break trip to the Bahamas. According to Rickie Fowler’s Snapchat they had a great time playing golf and diving off of buildings into the water. Rickie won the title of ‘shirt of the day’ with this gem. (He’s the one in the middle).

Overtime

  • We’re reminiscing about prom and apparently some athletes were feeling the magic of the dance as well. Houston Texans’ (NFL) JJ Watt proved he can do it all when he helped a high school senior ask a girl to prom via Snapchat. Not to be outdone, Los Angeles Dodgers' (MLB) outfielder Yasiel Puig crashed the Chatwood High School prom instead of going back to his hotel Saturday night after a game in Colorado.

Sideline stat

  • Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Byron Scott after two record breaking seasons. Although Scott’s Lakers career wasn’t record breaking for a good reason; he coached two of the worst seasons in Lakers history. Scott’s Lakers went 21-65 (wins-losses, a .256 winning percentage) and 17-65 (.207 winning percentage). The numbers don’t lie.

Coaches’ corner

  • What is a sweep? Most of us are used to hearing the word sweep when it comes to cleaning up. That’s exactly what it means in sports. A sweep is when the series’ winning team does so without giving up a win. For instance, Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons because they won their (best-of-seven) series with four wins (4-0). The Pistons didn’t win any games. The idea of a sweep applies to all sports where there are series – such as hockey playoffs and regular season baseball (teams play three game series against each other).

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The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition

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Monday already? Time flies when its NHL and NBA playoff season.

Good luck to the Boston Marathon runners today, we’ll be there right beside you for support. And by beside you, we mean cheering you on while watching it on TV. In our running shoes of course.

Same same but different,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Boston Marathon

  • Boston strong. The Boston Marathon turns 120-years-young today.  It all started in 1897 when a group of guys, fueled by steak and whiskey, went on a 24.5 mile run. (Clearly they didn’t have Uber). This year organizers are expecting 30,000 runners and 1 million spectators.                    

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • I got bad ankles. NBA superstar Steph Curry left the playoff game vs. Houston Rockets with a sprained ankle (if you remember his ankles are the only glitch in his armor). He didn’t practice with the team on Sunday and is questionable for game tonight.  
  • To tweet or not to tweet. There was speculation that LeBron James would break his trend of a social media blackout dubbed “Zero Dark - 23” during this year’s playoffs. LeBron kept up the tradition that has been alive since 2012 by tweeting out “Zero Dark Thirty -23 activated. #striveforgreatness” hours before the Cavs first playoff game. Expect LeBron to be off the grid until they win the championship (or are knocked out). 
  • Blowout games in the playoffs. These teams beat their opponents in game one by more than 20 points – San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. For all the round one playoff scores and standings, click here.

NHL (National Hockey League)  

  • It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. New York Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist was injured in their playoff game vs. Pittsburgh Penguins when a hockey stick went through his mask and hit him in the eye. Despite the multitude of sticks-to-the-face injuries in the league this year, goalies still agree that better eye protection is not the way to go, getting a better look at the puck is. Even though one goalie said his injury “felt like his eyeball was falling out.” Seems logical. 
  • On the road to the Stanley Cup. We’re still in the best-of-seven games in the first round of the NHL playoffs for the next week and a half (if necessary). For all the scores, schedules and the standings, click here. 

Overtime

  • For USC long snapper Jake Olson playing in the spring football game this weekend was a big deal. Not simply because he received a standing ovation from the crowd but because he is legally blind.  Olson was born with a rare form of cancer that rendered him legally blind by age 12. He is currently a redshirt freshman at USC and happy to be part of the Trojans team.

Sideline stat

  • Soccer powerhouse and Barcelona star Lionel Messi scored his 500th career goal on Sunday. The Argentinian has scored 406 of those goals with his left foot, 71 right foot, 21 with his head and two with “other.” Not bad for a less than 11-year career that began with a contract sketched out on a paper napkin.  

Coaches’ Corner

  • Detroit Pistons lost to Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Frustrated Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy said the referees were showing favoritism to Cavs’ star LeBron James stating, “He (LeBron) gets to do whatever he wants. (Pistons) got to understand that.” Later he backtracked saying that’s not the reason they lost. Mama told us it’s not nice to point. 
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The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition

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This weekend defending champion Jordan Spieth blew his lead to lose the Masters. To add insult to injury, he then had to put the esteemed green jacket on the winner, Danny Willett.

Speaking of bitter beer face, Kevin Durant is said to share the same sentiment in a farewell video to Kobe Bryant, whose last game of his career is on Wednesday.

Turn that frown upside down,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Boxing

  • Going out on top. Saturday night in Las Vegas Manny Pacquiao dominated his fight against Timothy Bradley, winning with a unanimous decision. This was said to be Pacquiao’s last fight but many questioned his retirement after Saturday’s stellar performance. 

MLB (Major League Baseball)

  • So close you can taste it. Los Angeles Dodgers’ rookie pitcher, Ross Stripling, almost had a dream come true on Friday night. Stripling was called up from the minor leagues and took advantage of his chance on the big league field. He pitched a shut out/no-hitter into the eighth inning when he was pulled by coach Dave Roberts. Unfortunately, the relief pitchers blew the game and the Dodgers lost to the San Francisco Giants.
  • Sweet start. Colorado Rockies' rookie shortstop Trevor Story is off to an unheard start to the season. Story has hit seven home runs in the team’s first six games. Story is the first player in baseball history to accomplish this.
  • Hello Herbert. Washington Nationals are adding a new face to their presidential race that is run on the field between innings. Former President Herbert Hoover has been nominated to join the race. Hoover joins the other racing presidents - George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. In case you were wondering, Hoover won his inaugural race.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Setting records. Golden State Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night to win their 72nd game of the season, tying the record set by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. This was the first home loss of the year for the Spurs. The Warriors have a chance to break the record with their last game of the regular season against the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Wednesday.
  • Bon voyage. Kobe Bryant’s last game of his storied career is on Wednesday. Nike put together a tribute featuring athletes saluting Bryant. (Some people are saying Kevin Durant comes off as bitter, you be the judge.)  

NCAA Basketball (College)

  • Totally inappropriate. Louisiana Tech women’s baseball team’s head coach Tyler Summit resigned last week. Summitt, 25, is the son of Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Tyler resigned due to an inappropriate relationship with a player which, according to rumors, resulted in the player’s pregnancy, 

NFL (National Football League)

  • Tragic loss. Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith and his wife were shot in an alleged road rage incident in New Orleans. Smith died from his injuries. Smith spent his career with the Saints and was part of their 2010 Super Bowl team and was to be inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame later this year.

PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)

  • On the back nine. Defending Masters champion Jordan Spieth led the tournament for the first three days and had a five shot lead going into the last nine holes on Sunday. In a span of three holes, Spieth went from leading by five strokes to losing by three. Danny Willett took advantage of Spieth’s struggles and took the lead and finished strong to win.
  • Baby daddy. Anticipating the birth of his first child whose due date was yesterday, Willett almost did not participate in the Masters. The baby was born a week early on March 30th, paving the way for him to play in the Masters. Although his child was not born on April 10th, it still turned out to be a very special day for Willett and his wife.

Overtime

  • With the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, around the corner, the U.S. men’s and women’s basketball teams announced that they plan to stay on a cruise ship instead of in the Olympic Village.

Sideline stat

  • Kyle Busch swept the NASCAR races for the second weekend in a row; a feat that had not been accomplished since 1991. Busch won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Friday night and then the Duck Commander 500 on Saturday.

Coaches’ Corner

  • What is a no-hitter in baseball? A no-hitter is a complete game in which the opposing team does not get on base from a hit. This doesn’t mean no one from the opposing team makes it to base (they can be walked or hit by a pitch) but no one from the opposing team actually gets to a base by hitting the ball. It’s a rare feat and only 292 pitchers have pitched a no hitter since 1876.

 

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