The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up - Blame It On The Rain

Rain is the name of the blame game this weekend. Unless you’re Draymond Green and you were “hacked.”

A little rain won’t get in the way of our excitement for the Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday night. Tune in on Wednesday for an Olympic edition of our “Five Things to Know” that you won’t want to miss.

Carrying the torch,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - In honor of National Girlfriend Day, share us with yours!

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Summer Olympics

• Oops. Team U.S.A. men’s basketball and Golden State Warriors' player, Draymond Green, accidentally posted a very personal photo on Snapchat yesterday for all of his followers to see. The pic was up there for 10 minutes before he realized it and took it down. He first said he was hacked and then confessed he hit the wrong button. Green has also been in the news recently for an altercation in a Michigan bar.

NFL (National Football League)

• It’s almost here. This weekend was the last weekend of the year with no football games. Pre-season games start Sunday and the regular season begins on September 8th.

LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association)

• Girl power! 20-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn won the LPGA British Open. A big victory for the four-year LPGA veteran who was born in 1995. We have t-shirts that old.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Not moving on up. Jonathon Lucroy had been traded from the struggling Milwaukee Brewers to the first place Cleveland Indians, but he decided to evoke his “no-trade clause” to stay with the team citing lack of financial incentives as the factor. Lucroy said “short term gains are great but long term is more important for me and my family.”

PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)

• Putting in the extra hours. Jimmy Walker won the PGA Championship. Due to a rainout on Saturday, Walker was forced to play two days’ worth of golf on Sunday (36 holes) making it the longest final day of the tournament in 64 years. Walker held off the world’s #1 ranked men’s golfer, Jason Day, to win. All major tournaments this season were won by first-time winners.

F1 (Formula One Racing)

• Everyone wins. Lewis Hamilton took home his fourth win in a row this weekend in Germany and there’s great news to report out of Brazil. Last week we reported that Bernie Ecclestone’s mother-in-law (he's the head of F1) was kidnapped from her San Paulo home. The kidnappers we're demanding a reported ransom of $36 million. After a massive police effort, she was freed with apparently no ransom paid. Big wins all around.

Overtime

• NBA legend Michael Jordan continues to dominate. At his Flight School camp (a children’s basketball camp) he made a bet that if he missed more than three of six shots, the entire camp would receive free shoes. He then led by example and showed them how it’s done. Let’s just say the entire camp did not get free shoes. 

Sideline stat

• Due to rain the Pocono 400 NASCAR race will be held this morning, weather permitting. Always finding a silver lining, history was made with Sunday’s rainout. For the first time in NASCAR history, a race track had both races rained out. (There is always a Sprint Cup race the day before each NASCAR race. Intrigued? Click here for more on Sprint Cup). 

Coaches’ Corner

• What is a no-trade clause? In American sports a no-trade clause allows a player to veto a trade by his current team to any other team. Not all players have this in their contract. Every sport is a little different but often this clause is negotiated into the player’s contract when they sign with the team.

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Olympic Tensions Rise

The Summer Olympics are only 10 days away and things are heating up for Rio. By heating up we mean temperatures are rising as tensions build due to athlete kidnappings, doping scandals and threats of kangaroos.

We love marsupials,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Summer Olympics

• D’oh-ping. The Olympic Committee has decided against a ban on all Russian athletes in the upcoming Summer Olympics, instead leaving it up to each individual global sports federation to decide who can compete. The action by the committee stemmed from allegations of a highly complicated state run doping scandal of all Russian Olympic athletes. The committee did determine that any Russian athlete who previously tested positive for a banned substance will not be able to compete in Rio. This is on top of the fact that the Russian track and field team was already banned earlier this year from competing in the Summer Olympics.
• Home hospitality. Australia has announced their athletes will not stay in the Olympic Village but in a hotel for a few days while construction is finished. The Village is currently facing plumbing and electrical problems. A five-time Aussie Olympic athlete went as far to say, “I have never experienced a village in this state -- or lack of state -- of readiness at this point in time.”

Rio de Janeiro Mayor, Eduardo Paes, didn’t care for the relocation and said, "This is an incredible village, more beautiful and better than Sydney” (who hosted in 2000). He said he was tempted to put ‘a kangaroo jumping outside’ to make them happy. Burn.

• I’ll take that. New Zealand Olympian Jason Lee joined the club of athletes robbed in Rio. The Kiwi was kidnapped by uniformed men and forced to withdrawal money from an ATM.  
• Gold medal preview? The American men’s basketball team began their five game pre-Olympic exhibition series throughout the U.S. and total domination seemed to be theme. On Friday, they beat Argentina (111-74) and won big on Sunday over China (106-57).

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Making some alterations. The saying in sports is “Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good.” (We can’t help their grammar). Chicago White Sox star pitcher Chris Sale took that to heart. The White Sox were scheduled to wear 1976 throwback jerseys on Saturday. Sale, who was scheduled to start that day, thought the jerseys were uncomfortable and team was putting PR and profits above winning. In a mature move, during batting practice Sale went to the clubhouse and cut up everyone’s jerseys so they could not be worn. Management did not take kindly to his fashion redesign and Sale was sent home before the game started and the team suspended him for five games for violating team rules. 
• Enshrined. Major League Baseball inducted their newest members of the Hall of Fame over the weekend. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza were inducted to Cooperstown (where the Hall of Fame is located). Click here for more on their touching but funny speeches and photos of the festivities. 

F1 (Formula One Racing)

• Hungry in Hungary. Driver Lewis Hamilton won big at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. His win propelled him into the lead in overall driver standings for the first time this year; taking the lead from Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

Overtime

• Dancing with the stars. Former MLB pitcher Mark Mulder took home the win at the American Century Championship celebrity tournament this weekend. The ultimate trio of Justin Timberlake, Steph Curry (NBA) and Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air) gave fans a show when they broke out the ‘Carlton.’ 

Sideline stat

• Britain’s Chris Froome has won the 2016 Tour de France for his third overall Le Tour win. Froome is the first back-to-back winner in almost 20 years. 

Coaches’ Corner

• Why would a MLB pitcher throw such a fit about the uniform choice for a game? As a general rule of thumb, the starting pitcher picks the uniform that the team wears in the game. Since they’re such a key player in the game, they should be comfortable. Each team has a designated home jersey, away jersey and one or two alternate jerseys that are usually worn on Saturday or Sunday. As always there are exceptions, such as throwback nights. 

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up - Sweet As Pie

Monday is here again. Don’t worry, we’ll provide you with a ray of sunshine and a little something about the world of sports to sweeten your day.

Sweet as pie,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Only 18 days until the start of the Olympics! Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for all the Olympic excitement.

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Golf

• Age ain’t nothing but a number. The Open wrapped up yesterday in Scotland and age seemed to be the most important factor in a field of youngins. Phil Mickelson (46) and Henrik Stenson (40) went back and forth with the lead in what became a two-man race for the win. Stenson ultimately prevailed as the winner. He is the first Major winner from the country of Sweden. (The Majors are the four big tournaments in golf).  

NFL (National Football League) 

• Fight over football. After over 500 days of a legal battle concerning deflated footballs, New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady has given up his fight to have his four game suspension overturned by the next step in the legal system, the Supreme Court. Yes, the Supreme Court.  Brady will miss the first four games of the season.

But don’t worry ladies, Brady’s backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, will fill the void in your hearts. Although no word on his in-game skills as it’s the first time the Patriots will start a quarterback not named Tom Brady since 2008.  

NBA (National Basketball Association) 

• Shootin’ hoops. The NBA summer league final game is set for tonight and the Minnesota Timberwolves team will play the Chicago Bulls team for the championship. The summer league is a launching pad for NBA talent where first and second year players get a chance to show off their skills in hopes of becoming the next LeBron or Michael Jordan. 

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) 

• Breaking the law. Matt Kenseth won the race in New Hampshire this weekend. The high of victory didn’t last long as Kenseth’s car failed the post-race inspection. The team’s penalty will be announced on Wednesday after further review.  
• Don’t call it a comeback. Sunday’s race was missing one of NASCAR’s biggest stars, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was unable to race due to concussion-like symptoms. If Earnhardt is unable to race next weekend, retired legendary driver and current commentator, Jeff Gordon, will take over the driving responsibility for the Nationwide #88 (Earnhardt’s) team. 

Overtime

• Former NFL running back Jahvid Best, who had his football career cut short due to injuries, has reinvented himself and will be the first former NFL player to compete in the Olympics. Best will compete for St. Lucia in the 100-meter race.

Sideline stat

• Tom Brady’s financial team was prepared that Brady may have to serve out his four game suspension. In the offseason they renegotiated his contract adjusting his salary for this year to just $1 million, down from $9 million. This move will save him almost $2 million which would’ve been lost salary. (Players forfeit their prorated game salary if suspended). In case you were wondering, minimum salary for an NFL player with 10+ years experience (like Brady) is $985,000/year.  

Coaches’ corner

• What does it mean to fail NASCAR’s post-race inspections? All cars must face a post-race examination to ensure that the cars meet the standards set by NASCAR. Kenseth’s car did not meet the requirements in the laser inspection station. Another example, a team earlier in the year was found to have a rigged 22-gallon fuel tank that read full but only contained five gallons of gas during a qualifying race. NASCAR rules call for a car to have a full tank of gas. Less fuel makes the car lighter (i.e. faster) or allows the crew to put the weight in a more advantageous place for a faster race.