The Rundown: Out Into The Real World

What do Oprah, Will Ferrell and President Trump have in common? They all spoke at college graduations this weekend. Even though they inspire our grads, they still need conversation starters just like you and me.

That’s why we’re serving up a side of sports,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Great balls of fire. NASCAR raced on Saturday night this week and Aric Almirola lit up the night sky. He was involved in a fiery crash with Danica Patrick and Joey Logano. After watching the video you’ll see how incredible it is that he only walked away with fractured vertebra.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• We’re getting there. In game one of the Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors overcame a huge deficit to pull off a win against the San Antonio Spurs. (This is the semifinal round – the finals start on June 1st).

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

• Overachiever. The fighter known as the “blue collar champion,” Stipe Miocic, set a record for title defenses by a heavyweight on Saturday. As if that’s not impressive enough, the Cleveland native also a firefighter when he’s not in the octagon. (FYI heavyweight classification is for fighters between 205 and 265 pounds).

Overtime

• MLB (Major League Baseball) teams proved that real men wear pink. All teams broke out the pink gear yesterday to celebrate Mother’s Day and raise money for the fight against breast cancer. The pink game used items are being auctioned off to benefit the cause, in case you forgot to buy mom a gift.

Sideline stat

• Yesterday the New York Yankees (MLB) celebrated Derek Jeter Day and retired his jersey. During his playing days Jeter wore the #2 jersey. Now all single-digit jersey numbers have been retired by the Yankees, which means no Yankee player can ever wear a single-digit jersey number again.

Coaches’ corner

• The NBA (National Basketball Association) Draft lottery is tomorrow. Like your grandma on Tuesdays at 10 am, the NBA uses a bingo-like ping pong ball system to determine the order in which the 14 non-playoff teams will pick in the draft. The worse your team was last season, the higher the odds of receiving a top spot in the draft. Want more? Read on.

The Rundown: Still Dreaming

We hope your weekend of betting on Derby ponies led to a Monday morning of sleeping in on your big pile of cash.

It’s off to work for the rest of us,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Kentucky Derby

• Day dreaming. Always Dreaming dominated in the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby, receiving $1.6 million in prize money. The horse can continue to dream of winning with the next stage of the Triple Crown around the corner. The Preakness is on May 20th. Click here for more on the Triple Crown.

NHL (National Hockey League)

• Moving on. The hockey playoffs are still happening but that’s great news for Mike Fisher (aka Mr. Carrie Underwood) and his Nashville Predators. They defeated the St. Louis Blues to advance to their first ever Western Conference finals.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Painting a picture with words. Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors look to sweep the Utah Jazz tonight to advance in the playoffs. Things became a little heated in the last game between the teams. It was so tense that Warriors’ Kevin Durant told the Jazz mascot to kindly get off the court using colorful language.  

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Persistence pays off. NASCAR power couple Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. entered the weekend with no NASCAR career wins between the two of them. In his 158th career start, Stenhouse brought home his first trophy for the mantle with a win at Talladega.

Overtime

• Former Green Bay Packer Eddie Lacy (NFL – National Football League) is moving to Seattle to play for the Seahawks. He did what every normal person would do before a move, he had a garage sale. Fans lined up around the block to buy game used items, furniture and even his used deodorant. (Hey maybe it was hot standing in line)? All proceeds went to charity.

Sideline stat

• Last year’s NBA champions, Cleveland Cavaliers, are having yet another great postseason. They swept the Toronto Raptors this weekend to start the playoffs with a perfect 8-0 (wins-losses) record. They’re the first team in NBA history to start the playoffs 8-0 in consecutive seasons.

Coaches’ corner

• While dressed as an American flag, John Daly won his first tournament since 2004. The 51-year-old Daly, who is known to enjoy adult beverage, was showered in champagne after his victory. You may have had a “John Daly” at the bar – a combo of lemonade, iced tea and vodka. Tastes like victory. 

The Rundown: Happy May Day

It’s May Day – the start of a new month. You have 31 days to conquer the world using sports to avoid awkward conversation.

You’re welcome,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Leaving it all on the floor. Boston Celtics’ Isiah Thomas channeled his inner hockey player, coming back to dominate the game after losing a tooth. Thomas helped his team win after returning to Boston at 4 am from attending the funeral of his sister who was killed in a car accident two weeks ago. 

Wondering when your team will play in the next round of the NBA playoffs? Here you go.

NFL (National Football League)

• Dreaming of success. This draft’s Mr. Irrelevant is Chad Kelly, nephew of football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. Kelly is very talented but has had some character issues that made teams uneasy. When he was finally chosen, he was asleep on the couch.

Mr. Irrelevant is the last man chosen in the draft – the 253rd pick. He’s considered irrelevant because the odds are against him to actually make the team.

F1 (Formula One)

• Everyone remembers their first time. It was a big day in Russia yesterday but this has nothing to do with politics. Driver Valtteri Bottas, who started racing in 2013, brought home his first career win in Sochi, Russia. 

Overtime

• The most heartwarming pick in the draft came from the Pittsburgh Steelers. They selected James Conner of the University of Pittsburgh in the third round. Conner came back after beating cancer to excel on the field in his senior college season.

Sideline stat

• In Sunday’s Washington Nationals game Anthony Rendon had three home runs and nine RBIs by the fifth inning. (That’s a lot). The last person to do that was Jennifer Lopez’ new boyfriend Alex Rodriguez 12 years ago.

Coaches’ corner

• What is an RBI in baseball? RBI stands for “Run Batted In.” When the batter produces a hit that scores a run, the batter gets an RBI.