We interrupt your regularly scheduled Fourth of July festivities to bring you the one thing you need for today’s BBQ. No it’s not potato chips, burgers or fireworks. It’s the ultimate icebreaker - today’s rundown.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of sports knowledge,
The Last Night’s Game Team
F1 (Formula One Racing)
Stop hitting your brother. Lewis Hamilton won in Austria after passing teammate Nico Rosberg on the last lap. On the final lap, Rosberg ran into Hamilton in an attempt to block him from winning. That’s not going to go over well at the family dinner table.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Thank you. Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins played the first ever regular season game on a military base yesterday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Marlins beat Braves in front of over 12,500 military personnel. The stadium, which was constructed for the game, will be converted postgame into a multipurpose recreational facility to be used by servicemen and their families.
No class. Tickets to the Fort Bragg game were awarded through a lottery only to active members of the military and their families. Somehow Zack Hampton, who’s notable for his ability to catch foul balls and home runs, made it into the stadium. “Ball Hawk,” as he’s known, went on to catch 11 balls during the game he wasn’t even supposed to be at. People found out and rightfully so, shamed the heck out of him on social media. Shamers included the 82nd Airborne Division which is headquartered on the base. Just plain wrong Ball Hawk.
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
Daytona domination. Brad Keselowski controlled the race at Daytona (Florida) on Saturday night, leading 115 of 161 laps, to take home the victory.
Olympics
Runs in the family. Vashti Cunningham, daughter of former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, will be representing the U.S. in the high jump. Cunningham, who just graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, is foregoing college to turn pro and recognize her dream of competing in the Olympics. At age 18, she is the youngest U.S. track and field Olympian in 36 years.
Soccer
No fairy tale ending here. The Euro 2016 semifinals are set and unfortunately underdog Iceland did not move on. Their historic run in the tournament came to an end this weekend against France when they lost 5-2. Click here for the semifinals schedule.
Wimbledon
Ousted. American Sam Querrey stunned the tennis world by taking down #1 Novak Djokovic on Saturday. Djokovic had won the previous four major tournaments.
Williams win. Looking to keep her title, Wimbledon defending champion Serena Williams won her 300th grand slam match at the tournament this weekend.
Overtime
In a “sport” that’s both painful and nauseating to watch, today marks the 100th anniversary of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. (12 pm EST on ESPN). Joey Chestnut is looking to regain his title after a loss last year to Matt Stonie. On the women’s side, Miki “The Black Widow” Sudo looks to win her third consecutive title.
Sideline stat
The goal of the contest, which is held in Coney Island, is to eat as many hot dogs (buns too) as possible in 10 minutes. Last year’s winner Matt Stonie ate 62 hot dogs. Stonie also holds other eating records including 200 Peeps in five minutes and 14.5 pounds of birthday cake in eight minutes. Don’t try this at home.
Coaches’ Corner
The field of hot dog eaters is comprised of 20 professional eaters. There is one spot in the famed contest called the “Plimpton Seat,” which is designated for a member of the media. This year Dan “Barstool Big Cat” Katz of Bartsool Sports will be filling that spot. He must have drawn the short straw.