The Good Ones
Why Prince William is chastising the behavior of England’s fans, the MLB All-Star Game and Wimbledon download.
The best part about sports isn’t the scores; it’s the stories that allow you to connect with others and create conversation.
Monday for the win,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Today starts the beginning of the All-Star festivities in Denver. The home run derby is tonight, and all eyes are on slugger (and pitcher) Shohei Ohtani, who is the first-ever Japanese-born player to compete in the derby. Also, keep an eye on Baltimore Orioles player Trey Mancini who missed last season to fight (and win) a battle with cancer who is also participating in the derby. The game itself will be tomorrow night.
While the stars of the game are on the field, they’re not the only heroes. At an MLB game yesterday, the father of Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross saved a fan’s life, performing the Heimlich Maneuver. LIFESAVER
Overtime
Some of England’s biggest soccer fans including David Beckham, Prince William, Duchess Kate and Prince George attended yesterday’s Euro 2020 Final. England was vying for its first major title in 55 years. Sadly, the England fans will have to settle for second. Italy took home the win after a great game that was decided by penalty kicks at the end. The British Beer and Pub Association estimated that fans would buy nearly 13 million pints of beer yesterday in expectation of the event. That indulging may have led to the thousands of abusive tweets and racist messages directed at the three Black England players who missed their penalty kicks. SORE LOSERS
Sideline stat
There’s a new name to keep an eye on in women’s tennis – Australian Ash Barty. Yesterday Barty won her first Wimbledon, her second Grand Slam title of her career. Novak Djokovic won his sixth Wimbledon, his third major of the year. With the win, he tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most titles in history. He could break the record at the U.S. Open in August; the only Grand Slam tournament left this year. ON FIRE
Coaches’ corner
The MLB All-Star Game made headlines after a maid tipped off Denver police who seized guns, ammunition, narcotics and body armor from a hotel near Coors Field, home of the All-Star Game. They arrested four people. It was initially feared it was some sort of planned attack on the event, but it turns out it may be unrelated. The All-Star Game was scheduled to be in Atlanta, but the league pulled the game after the state passed new voting rights laws. SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING
Keep It Simple
The OOTD that you need to see, teeing up tomorrow’s “Match” and the Japanese player who is making all kinds of MLB history.
As you slowly assimilate back to society after what was surely an epic fourth, we’ve covered it all so you don’t even have to think.
Served up on a platter,
The Last Night’s Game Team
The Match
The fourth edition of “The Match,” a golf game that pits golfers and other athletes against each other all in the name of charity, takes place tomorrow in Big Sky, Montana. Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson will compete against Aaron Rodgers and golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Let’s hope Brady wears better pants as he ripped his in the last “Match” and that they have better weather (the last one was played in a downpour). Regardless, the crap talking has already started, it’s for a good cause (The Match II raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief), and it’ll be fun to see. GET YOUR GAME FACE ON
Overtime
The best story you might have missed over the weekend is the story behind Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB - Major League Baseball) pitcher Joe Kelly’s outfit that he wore to the White House. The Dodgers were the first team of the Biden era to visit the White House, and Kelly, whose mother is Mexican-American, wore a mariachi jacket. He acquired the jacket earlier in the week after asking a musician from a mariachi band that played at Dodgers Stadium if he’d trade for a jersey. THE REST IS HISTORY
For more on the tradition of championship teams visiting the White House, click here.
Sideline stat
Is it a holiday if you don’t overindulge? Ask Joey Chestnut, who broke his own record yesterday, eating 76 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. A new champion, Tucson native Michelle Lesco, was crowned after downing 30 and 3/4 hot dogs in 10 minutes on the women's side. FEELING A LITTLE QUEASY
Coaches’ corner
History has been made in the week before the MLB All-Star game. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels became the first player in baseball’s long history to be selected to the all-star game as both a pitcher and a position player. Ohtani, the first Japanese player selected to start the all-star game, will serve as a pitcher and designated hitter. (More on a designated hitter here). BATTER UP
What to watch
The NBA (National Basketball Association) Finals start tomorrow between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns have never won a championship, and the Bucks haven’t won since 1971. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lighting are looking for a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals (NHL - National Hockey League) against the Montreal Canadiens tonight. GAME ON
Rise And Shine
The college baseball player who barely escaped the Surfside building collapse, Biles heads to Tokyo and why Monday is must-see TV for sports.
Rise and shine; it’s small talk time.
Call us your favorite life hack,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Bigger Than Sports
We’ve all been watching the tragic story of the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, FL. While the professional sports teams in the area have stepped up, donating food and supplies to the volunteers and first responders, the most amazing story came from UConn pitcher Justin Willis. Willis, who was staying with his grandparents who live in the building, was watching TV with his sister on Thursday around 1 am when they saw dust and debris. They went into the hall, and the elevators were gone, as was the apartment next to them. They evacuated their family down 11 flights of stairs, stopping to help an elderly lady on the way down, and were about 15 feet away from the building when it collapsed. TERRIFYING
Overtime
Channel your inner Kate Middleton because it’s time for her favorite sporting event, Wimbledon. The biggest news from the weekend is that Venus Williams and tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios are teaming up in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. Sit back and enjoy a traditional glass of champagne and strawberries and cream; the Royals’ favorite tennis tournament is back today. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Sideline stat
We’re less than a month away from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the last few competitors have been announced. This weekend Simone Biles was officially selected for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team even though she had a rough night, by her standards, that left her in tears. She will be joined on the four-women team by Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum. MyKayla Skinner will compete in the "plus-1" specialist spot. GO GET ‘EM
Coaches’ corner
Tonight’s the night that the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens take the ice in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens hope to be the first Canadian NHL (National Hockey League) team to win a Stanley Cup since they won it in 1993. The teams can cross the Canadian border despite the country’s strict COVID rules, thanks to a special dispensation from the government. Although their fellow countrymen, the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB – Major League Baseball) did not make that cut; therefore, they’re still playing their home games in the U.S. EVERYONE LOVES A WINNER
What to watch
Tonight also marks game one of the Men’s College World Series finals between Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. How Vanderbilt made it to the finals is controversial after the NCAA forced NC State to drop out, blaming COVID. GAME ON