The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - #1 Dad
This Sunday we celebrate dad. You know, the guy who showed us how to make a perfect cheeseburger on the grill. Or the guy who effortlessly caught a foul ball barehanded without dropping his hot dog or baby. How do you repay him for all he’s done? Give him the gift he’s been waiting for – sports highlights in three minutes or less, three days a week. But of course!
Shout out to our Pops and dads everywhere,
The Last Night’s Game Team
F1 RACING (FORMULA ONE)
- Racing in Europe, kind of. The European Grand Prix is this Sunday in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. Nico Rosberg is in the points lead heading into the race, but his teammate Lewis Hamilton is only nine points behind after winning last week’s race. (Winning a race gets you 25 points). As always, there’s some controversy around this race but not because of the drivers. There isn’t a consensus that Azerbaijan is actually a part of Europe. NBCSN will have live coverage of the race from Baku starting at 8 am EST on Sunday.
NBA (NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION)
- Tying it up. Don’t worry about getting a gift for your dad on Father's Day, LeBron James and the Cavs are giving dads everywhere the gift of a game seven in the NBA Finals. Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State Warriors last night, tying up the series at 3-3. Steph Curry fouled out of the game and threw his mouthpiece in protest (which awarded him a technical foul). Game seven takes place on Sunday (8 pm EST on ABC). If the Cavs win on Sunday, they’ll be the first team in history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals. You’ll want to watch this one.
PGA (PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS' ASSOCIATION of America)
- Rain, rain, go away. Mother Nature disrupted the first round of the U.S. Open; only nine players were able to finish their round. Golfers will have to make up the holes today and then play their scheduled second round. This means some golfers will be facing 26 holes of golf today. Click here for scores.
SOCCER
- U.S.A! Team U.S.A beat Ecuador 2-1 in a physical and tension-filled Copa America Centenario quarterfinals match yesterday. U.S.A will play the winner of Argentina/Venezuela on Tuesday. (Argentina/Venezuela play on Saturday at 7 pm EST).
Overtime
- Basketball sideline reporter Craig Sager had never worked an NBA Finals game in his 34-year career because he’s employed by Turner Sports. Sager who has been battling leukemia was given an exemption by ESPN which allowed him to work last night’s game. Fans and players alike (especially LeBron) gave Sager a warm welcome in Cleveland.
Sideline stat
- Miami Marlins outfielder and 15-year MLB veteran Ichiro Suzuki passed an almost impossible milestone this week. He passed Pete Rose as the all-time hit leader. Although there’s an asterisk to this record. Not all of his hits were while playing for a Major League Baseball team (he started his professional career in Japan). Ichiro is also close to joining the prestigious 3000 hit club (currently has 2979 hits).
Coaches’ Corner
- It’s College World Series time! The tournament is in Omaha, Nebraska and has been held there since 1950. Eight teams make it into the World Series tournament, which starts on Saturday. The tournament is double elimination until the finals, where it’s best-of-three games. Unlike in professional baseball where they use wood bats, college baseball players use metal bats which makes the ball go further.
The eight teams in the World Series are:
- University of Arizona
- University of California - Santa Barbara
- Oklahoma State University
- University of Miami (#3)
- Texas Tech (#5)
- University of Florida (#1)
- Texas Christian University
- Coastal Carolina
The Rundown: Five Things to Know About the U.S. Open
We bet your office is buzzing with excitement about this weekend’s U.S. Open. While there is an U.S. Open in tennis, this weekend features the ultimate executive pastime, golf. Impress your boss and your dinner date with today’s five things to know about the U.S. Open.
Fore!
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five things to know about the U.S. Open
- The U.S. Open is the second of the four majors on the schedule (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, PGA championship). Last year’s U.S. Open champ Jordan Spieth is currently ranked #2 in the world, behind Jason Day (#1).
- The tournament location rotates every year. This year the course is Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania which has hosted the most U.S. Opens (18). The course is considered to be extremely difficult; it’s predicted the winner won’t break par. We don’t know about you but that’s a great golf day in our world. (Click here for more about keeping score in golf).
- The worst single hole score in a U.S. Open belongs to Ray Ainsley in 1938. The tragedy began when he hit his ball into the creek on a par four (means he had four swings to get the ball into the hole to make par). He kept swinging while his ball floated down the stream. When it was all said and done, the ball made it into the hole after 19 swings.
- A challenging course is the MO for the U.S. Open. In fact, former USGA competition committee chairman Sandy Tatum defended the challenging courses by saying the now famous line of "We're not trying to humiliate the best players in the world, we're simply trying to identify them."
- Technically, the tournament is open to all golfers rather than restricted to a certain group of golfers. Both amateurs and professionals can compete. Theoretically any golfer in the world is eligible. Hence why it’s an “open” tournament. Amateurs with handicaps of 1.4 or less can play in the Open if they make it through the lengthy qualifying process. So you’re saying there’s a chance?
- Grab the remote and prepare to take a nap because TV coverage begins Thursday on Fox Sports. See the full schedule here.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- Cavs for the win. The Cleveland Cavaliers went into Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors, and made a statement by beating them by 15. Cavs teammates Kyrie Irving and LeBron James lead the charge by scoring 41 points each. Warriors Draymond Green, who was suspended for exceeding the NBA’s playoffs flagrant fouls limit and therefore wasn’t allowed in the arena, watched his team lose from the Oakland A’s game next door with NFL pal Marshawn Lynch. The two teams will face off in game six on Thursday (9 pm EST on ABC). The Warriors lead the series 3-2.
Soccer
- In Euro 2016 news. UEFA (governing body of European soccer) has fined Russia 150,000 Euros and has told the team they will be disqualified if their fans do not stop their vicious antics. France has already deported groups of violent Russian fans. Russia plays rivals Slovakia today.
- Pep talk. The Copa America Centenario quarterfinals are set and the United States plays Ecuador on Thursday (9:30 pm EST on Fox Sports 1). U.S. head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, has told the team to stop playing the underdog role and “go for it!”
Overtime
- In Iceland’s first appearance in a major soccer tournament (Euro 2016) they managed to tie Portugal. This is a big deal since Team Portugal is pretty good and has arguably one of the best players in the world on its team – Cristiano Ronaldo. Being a good sport, Ronaldo took to Twitter after the match to slam Iceland’s play and the Twittersphere wasn’t happy about it. For what it's worth, Iceland has a population of 330,000 and Ronaldo has 41 million Twitter followers.
Sideline stat
- The Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) signed a player to the highest non-quarterback contract ever. Defensive lineman Fletcher Cox signed a six-year, $103 million deal. Pay day.
Coaches’ Corner
- There is already a lot of controversy heading into the Olympics in Brazil this summer. Adding fuel to the fire, Brazil has fired their head soccer coach after the team’s early exit from the Copa America Centenario tournament. The search for a new coach is already underway.
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - March of the Penguins
Much like the movie Madagascar, the Penguins dominated the world this weekend. We’ll find out if the Warriors can do the same and wrap up another NBA title tonight. Although Steph Curry dominated the news for another reason and seniors around the world are excited about it.
Enjoying the blue plate special,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NHL (NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE)
Taking it all. Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup last night, beating San Jose Sharks. This is Pittsburgh’s fourth Stanley Cup. Despite not scoring a goal in the finals, Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy (postseason MVP) for his overall play throughout the playoffs.
Legendary. The sports world lost another legend on Friday. Gordie Howe passed away at the age of 88. Many consider Howe to be the best player in NHL history with a career spanning over 26 years. Read more about the stellar career of Howe here.
COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO (SOCCER)
U.S. win. United States beat Paraguay 1-0 on a Clint Dempsey goal. U.S. held on to win even after being forced to play with 10 men after the 48th minute. (A full team on the field is 11 players and a game is 90 minutes total). American DeAndre Yedlin was ejected from the game after receiving two yellow cards. With this victory the U.S. moves on to the quarterfinals against Ecuador on Thursday in Seattle.
Copa controversy. Brazil was eliminated from the tournament after a controversial loss to Peru. The lone goal came on what appeared to be a handball by Peru.
F1 (Formula One Racing)
Fast finish. For the fifth time in his career, Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix, gaining ground on overall leader and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
It all comes down to this. Warriors took a 3-1 series lead over Cavaliers winning in Cleveland on Friday night. Tonight, Warriors return home and look to close out the series and win another NBA Championship. (9 pm EST on ABC). Warriors will be without one of their key players Draymond Green. Green received a flagrant foul in game four for a scuffle with LeBron James. Before heading into the finals, Green had reached the limit of flagrant fouls allowed in the playoffs, therefore this one resulted in his game five suspension.
Hot flash. Under Armour released Warriors’ Steph Curry’s new shoe, Curry 2 Low “Chef,” and the internet blew up with geriatric jokes about their plain white look. Under Armour said “the shoes are inspired by how Curry ‘starts cooking’ like a ‘master chef’ when he goes on hot shooting streaks.” Hot or homely? You be the judge.
Overtime
England and Russia played to a 1-1 draw (tie) on Saturday in Euro 2016. The match was marred by fan violence and forced UEFA (governing body of European soccer) to warn both countries that they will not hesitate to disqualify either team if their fans’ violence continues. UEFA is already dealing with heightened security over terrorist threats at other Euro 2016 events.
Sideline stat
For his first win of the year, NASCAR driver Joey Logano won the pole (best starting position) for the race and then took home the win in Michigan.
Coaches’ corner
The Stanley Cup visits every player on the winning team for one day in the off-season. The trophy will travel to seven different countries this off-season.