The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Tailgate Treat
With an action packed weekend of sports and Labor Day BBQ’s ahead, we have all you need to know to celebrate the unofficial last weekend of the summer.
Pass the sunscreen please,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Ps - Every Friday during football season we’ll feature a favorite tailgate recipe to try over the weekend. Today’s is one that’ll be nice to your waistline - roasted red pepper hummus. Have a recipe you’d like us to feature? Submit it here.
NCAA Football (College)
- Controversial choice. Penn State is set to honor former head coach Joe Paterno on the 50-year anniversary of his coaching debut - September 17. Paterno's storied career ended because of his part in a vile scandal involving Jerry Sandusky. Paterno, who passed away in 2012, was the winningest coach in FBS (division one) history.
- Inspired for sure. Heading into the fourth quarter the Tennessee Volunteers (#9) were down against an unranked Appalachian State. Known for pulling off upset games, Appalachian State couldn’t hold on and the Vols took home the win. No doubt the team was inspired by the late, great Pat Summitt. The team is honoring the former Vols coach with a sticker on their helmets this season. Summitt, who passed away earlier this year, is the winningest coach in all of division one college basketball, men or women’s.
- For the full weekend schedule, click here.
NFL (National Football League)
- The need for speed. Reminiscent of when Goose and Maverick staged a tower flyby in Top Gun, four pilots buzzed the Carolina Panthers practice field. The pilots are under investigation for being awesome. Okay, not really but they are under investigation.
- Funny guy. Peyton Manning is staying busy in retirement. Manning is a roaster in “The Roast of Rob Lowe” on Comedy Central. You can see him burn Lowe on Monday, September 5th at 10 pm.
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
- Always a silver lining. The qualifying race leading into Sunday’s big race has been cancelled due to Hurricane Hermine. The good news is that the forecast looks clear for the race on Sunday, where the field will be set by points (since there was no qualifying). The even better news is that during the race NBC will be celebrating the 1975-1984 era of racing with old school race cars and the announcers’ will dress accordingly. Bring on the mullets, big mustaches and short shorts.
Overtime
- NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley recently had hip replacement surgery and was ordered not to travel. Barkley ignored those orders when he heard that NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager’s wife came down with the flu and could not be in the hospital during Sager’s third bone marrow transplant in his battle with leukemia. Barkley, not one to care what anyone thinks, flew to Houston to show support for the ailing Sager.
Sideline stat
- Sunday’s F1 race comes to us from the famed Monza racetrack in Italy, where the competition for the top driver has become a two-man race between leader Lewis Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg (who trails in the standings by nine points). Another driver to watch - Like most 18-year-old drivers, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has come under fire for his driving style after a collision on the first lap of last week’s race.
Coaches' corner
- Why are there so many coaches on the sideline during a football game? While it may look like a lot of people in polo shirts standing around watching a game, they all serve a purpose. All teams have a head coach and a coach for offense, defense and special teams. Some have one for every position on the field.
You’ll also see graduate assistants, trainers, analysts and strength coaches who all have a role in helping the team win. If you think there are a lot of people on the field, there are also coaches in the press box coordinating the game from above.
The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About College Football
Whether you like it or not this weekend is the first full-blown weekend of college football. Hence today’s five things to know about college football.
There goes the neighborhood,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About College Football
- The college football regular season consists of 12 games. There are 10 conferences that encompass most of the 128 of the top programs in college football. These 10 conferences and the four independent teams (don't belong to any league) are eligible for the national championship. The conference names are referred to in a bunch of acronyms - ACC, AAC, Big 10, Big 12, Conference USA, MWC, MAC, Pac 12, Sun Belt and SEC.
- The sport of college football is big business with some head coaches making as much if not more than NFL coaches. Sponsorships are a source of revenue and the University of Michigan recently inked a deal with Jordan, a Nike brand. The deal runs through 2027 with an option to go to 2031. If it runs its full course, the school will pocket a minimum of $173 million including $85 million in Nike apparel/products.
- The perfect cheer isn’t only reserved for Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri on Saturday Night Live. Plenty of icons once ran the sidelines. Samuel L. Jackson, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Meryl Streep and three former U.S.A. Presidents all had spirit. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the marching band. In college you would’ve found Halle Barry, Steven Spielberg, Alan Greenspan and Lionel Richie entertaining you in formation at halftime.
- You can watch a game with 100,000 of your closest friends at the biggest stadiums in college football. That’s a whole lot of foam fingers.
- University of Michigan (the Big House) 107,601
- Penn State (Beaver Stadium) 106,572
- Ohio State (The Horseshoe) 105,944
- The deep-seated passion for college football goes back generations, giving us some incredible rivalries. Rivalries are typically built on proximity and recruiting battles. Three of the biggest and longest lasting rivalries include:
- Michigan/Ohio State- The neighboring states have a fierce rivalry and two of the biggest stadiums in the country.
- Army/Navy- This game is the only game played in week 15 of the season and it is built more on tradition and respect than the other rivalries.
- Oklahoma/Texas- “Red River Rivalry” takes place in the historic Cotton Bowl during the Texas state fair. The Red River separates the two bordering states where apparently the rivalry was born.
NCAA Football (College)
- Didn’t bring their A game. ESPN made a huge deal about kicking off the college football season last week with Cal-Hawaii playing in Australia. Like Kevin in Home Alone, it appears they forgot someone. Oh yeah, the guys broadcasting the game. Turns out this isn’t the first time that ESPN didn’t fork out the dough to send the crew. They instead called the game from the ESPN HQ in Connecticut. Queue the controversy. Fans were disappointed with the broadcast’s lack of knowledge about the teams as well as the disconnect in the play-by-play.
NFL (National Football League)
- That's no good. Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a knee injury and initial reports say he’s out for the season. Hope he wasn’t on your fantasy football team.
Overtime
- The lineup for the next season of Dancing with the Stars has been announced and there is no shortage of high profile athletes who will be competing for the mirror ball trophy. They include:
- Laurie Hernandez aka the Human Emoji – U.S.A. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist and member of the “Final Five”
- Calvin Johnson - recently retired Detroit Lions receiver
- Ryan Lochte – U.S.A. Olympic swimming gold medalist (who allegedly agreed to do the show before the bathroom fiasco in Rio)
- James Hinchliffe – An IndyCar driver who was in a crash in May 2015 that almost killed him
The show starts on September 12 on ABC and in case those athletes didn’t entice you to watch, Vanilla Ice and Babyface are also in the lineup.
Sideline stat
- He may have held an impressive exhibition workout for 28 of 30 MLB teams but former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has zero MLB (Major League Baseball) contract offers. He does however have offers to play in an independent league and in Venezuela.
Coaches’ corner
- Former NBA superstar and hall of famer, Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal found a new coach - adventure and outdoor guru Bear Grylls. The two went into the wild and it was hilarious. The 7’ 1” star rappelled walls with his size 22 feet, slept under the cover of leaves and ate a very interesting dinner. If you didn’t see it, check out this clip for a Wednesday laugh.
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Start Your Week
Little League World Series
- Undefeated. If you thought global domination was only for the Olympics and Dr. Evil, think again. The United States won the Little League World Series yesterday defeating South Korea. The little league team from New York breezed through the United States bracket undefeated. Sunday, they defeated the winners of the international bracket, South Korea. They are the first American team to win the title since 2011.
NFL (National Football League)
- Bad break. Hopefully you saw this news before you drafted Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo to your fantasy football team. The injury prone quarterback broke a bone in his back during a preseason game. It will not require surgery but he is expected to miss significant time (8-10 weeks). Rookie (i.e. zero NFL experience) quarterback Dak Prescott will be forced to carry the weight of the All-American team while Romo is out. No pressure.
- Stirring up controversy. This weekend San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick (pronounced cap-er-nick) did not stand up for the pregame national anthem. He said “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." Social media exploded with people expressing their views, but the NFL and the 49ers both said they have to “respect the player’s decision. They are not required to stand.”
F1 Racing (Formula One)
- Waffles anyone? In the beautiful backdrop of Belgium, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took the lead on the first lap of the race and never looked back. His teammate and overall points leader, Lewis Hamilton, battled back from 21st place to finishing in third. The next race will be this weekend in Italy. It’s a shame they don’t let them race in better places.
Overtime
- Part of the “Final Five” U.S.A. women’s Olympic gymnastics team stole the show last night at the MTV VMA’s (MTV Video Music Awards). They were without one teammate, Gabby Douglas who was in hospital for a mouth infection. The four presented an award to Beyoncé, for which Laurie “Human Emoji” Hernandez was over the moon with excitement.
Sideline stat
- NASCAR's Kyle Larson, 24, made his first trip to victory lane in Michigan on Sunday. This win is long overdue for the talented racer with 99 career starts under his hood.
Coaches’ corner
- The U.S. Open starts today in New York. The Open is the fourth major of the tennis season. The usual suspects will be there but here’s who everyone is talking about:
- Fresh off her Olympic gold medal win in Rio, Monica Puig looks to carry that momentum into the Open.
- Serena Williams looks to win her record 23rd grand slam title, but an injury to her shoulder that led to her third round loss at the Olympics could make that a challenge.
- Men’s favorite, Novak Djokovic, is also nursing a wrist injury that he suffered playing in the Olympics.
- Roger Federer is sitting out this year’s U.S Open to nurse his bum knee.