The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Full On Friday
You never thought we’d make it. No, we’re not talking about it being Friday at last, but the final weekend of regular season baseball. Finally, six months later. Which reminds us it’s time to head to the dentist.
Time for your checkup,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS - It's Friday of football season and today's tailgate treat is a recipe for spicy pretzels, courtesy of ultimate fan Robin.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Who says baseball is boring? While the battles for the two wild card spots in each league are hot and heavy heading into the last weekend of regular season baseball, the division winners have clinched their spots:
American League
- East: Boston Red Sox
- Central: Cleveland Indians
- West: Texas Rangers
- Wild card: ?
National League
- East: Washington Nationals
- Central: Chicago Cubs
- West: Los Angeles Dodgers
- Wild card: ?
Click here for the wild card standings.
NCAA Football (College)
- Dominating Death Valley. ESPN College GameDay is in South Carolina tomorrow for the Louisville Cardinals – Clemson Tigers game which features a matchup of two undefeated, top five teams. Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson (who has an amazing 25 touchdowns in four games) has a tough task ahead of him heading into “Death Valley” to face the Tigers.
- See the full college football schedule here.
NFL (National Football League)
- Tea, crumpets and football? Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars are set to play in England this Sunday. With the time change, the teams will be playing while you’re making breakfast (9:30 am EST). The winless Jaguars have played in London the past four seasons but this is the Colts' first time. This is the first of three NFL games that will be played in London this season.
- Who is your team playing this weekend? Find out here.
Ryder Cup (Golf)
- You will miss this putt. During Ryder Cup practice, Team Europe’s Rory McIlroy was struggling to make a putt and a Happy Gilmore style heckler in the crowd was relentless during his failed attempts. McIlroy invited the heckling fan to attempt the putt. Teammate Justin Rose upped the stakes by throwing in $100. The cool, calm and collected American fan stepped up and nailed the putt. What like it was hard?
- The foursome parings have been revealed for today. See who will be representing Team U.S.A. here.
Hockey
- Victorious eh? Team Canada beat Team Europe to win the World Cup of Hockey.
Overtime
- Team U.S.A. visited the White House (minus Ryan Lochte and his gas station buddies) on Thursday. Coincidentally, their visit came on the same day the U.S. Senate passed legislation for a tax exemption on the “victory tax" associated with winning Olympic medals (excluding athletes who make more than $1 million).
Sideline stat
- The Cleveland Cavaliers broke the city’s 52-year championship losing streak by winning the NBA (basketball) Championship earlier this year. They announced that over 1,000 part-time and full-time employees associated with the team will receive championship rings, a cost of over $1 million. Feeling generous, they will even send one to former head coach David Blatt, who was fired midseason.
Coaches’ corner
- What is the wild card in baseball playoffs? In 2011, MLB added wild card spots to the postseason. There are two wild card winners from each league (National League and American League) who play each other in a one game playoff to advance into the postseason. Essentially, the playoff game is between the two best teams from each league who didn’t clinch their division title. Consider it the bonus spot in the playoffs. For more on the wild card, read here.
The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About The Ryder Cup
Don’t put your Team U.S.A. shirt away from the Olympics quite yet. Golf’s Ryder Cup starts tomorrow and Team U.S.A. could use your support. Just make sure you wash your America shirt from August first.
For the birdie,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About the Ryder Cup
- The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between 12-man teams from the U.S. and Europe. The location rotates every competition between a European and American course of the home team’s choice.
- Teams are made up of a captain, vice captains and players. The captains do not play in the competition, but act as coaches. Players collect an individual score each day but the overall team score is what matters.
- The U.S. players are chosen by points compiled by the PGA. European players are chosen in a similar fashion by the European Tour's World Points List. The team captains also have the honor of selecting four players (U.S.) or three players (European) of their choice to round out the roster.
- The competition started in 1927, but the first left-hander to play in the competition wasn’t until 1977 – Englishman Peter Danson.
- There have only been six holes-in-one in Ryder Cup history, and only one was by an American – Scott Verplank.
- Extra credit – The women of golf play in a similarly formatted competition, The Solheim Cup, in the off years of the Ryder Cup.
NFL (National Football League)
- Don’t rush it. Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt had back surgery in the off-season and miraculously came back to play in the season opener. After week three, Watt re-injured his back and will be placed on the IR (injured reserved). You know somewhere his mama is shaking her head and saying "I told you not to play. See what happens?"
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Bigger than sports. Fallen teammate Jose Fernandez was scheduled to pitch Monday for the Miami Marlins but tragically lost his life Sunday morning in a boating accident. After canceling Sunday’s game to deal with the tragic loss, Marlins played the Mets in a highly emotional game on Monday. The Marlins held a touching tribute to Fernandez and all wore the #16 in honor of him. Leadoff hitter Dee Gordon hit his first home run of the season into the upper deck. In an interview Gordon said “I’ve never hit a ball that far....I don’t have kids, so that’s the best moment of my life to hit a home run for him.” Marlins won the game.
- Lovable losers no more. The Chicago Cubs continue to show their dominance, winning their 100th game of the season for the first time since 1935. (The season is 162 games). They also clinched home-field advantage for the National League playoffs.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- New York state of mind. Now that MMA is legalized in New York State, UFC is looking to make a huge splash with UFC 205 on November 12th at Madison Square Garden. They announced that the fight card will feature three championship fights, including top draw Conor McGregor (he was one the fighters involved in the water bottle throwing press conference) vs Eddie Alvarez.
Overtime
- During the Red Sox-Yankees (MLB) game, a Yankees fan was set to propose to his girlfriend but when they appeared on the big screen for the proposal, he realized he lost the ring. Through a panicked group effort the ring was found and the proposal went on as planned. Don’t worry she said “yes!”
Sideline stat
- While the U.S. leads the overall win total (25-13) in the Ryder Cup, they haven’t won the competition since 2008.
Coaches’ corner
- What is the injured reserve list? The term injured reserve list or “IR” is an official designation used by the NFL for players with a major injury who temporarily cannot play. This allows a team to open up a spot on the active roster (guys who are eligible to play) to fill with a replacement player. Being on the “IR” means the player cannot return to the active roster for at least eight weeks.
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up - A Tough Weekend in Sports
It was a tough weekend in sports. There were some big wins but also some big losses that will leave a gaping hole in the sports world.
Happy trails,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PGA (Professional Golfer’s Association)
- A trailblazer. Legendary golfer and creator of your favorite lunchtime beverage, Arnold Palmer, passed away Sunday at the age of 87. Dominant on and off the course, Palmer was known as the “father of modern-day sports marketing” by starting what we now know as endorsements, including this great ESPN commercial. Thank you Mr. Palmer.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Tragic loss. Early Sunday morning Miami Marlins’ young superstar pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident. At only 24, Fernandez had the potential to end up in the hall of fame. Fernandez, a soon-to-be father, defected from Cuba four times before successfully making it at the age of 15. The Marlins cancelled yesterday’s game.
- Thanks for the memories. Sunday was Los Angeles Dodgers’ longtime broadcaster, Vin Scully’s last home game after 67 years with the team. He couldn’t have scripted it any better if he tried. Dodgers won the game on a walk-off home run and clinched the NL (National League) West Division, securing a spot in the playoffs.
NCAA Football (College)
- See ya. LSU Tigers (Louisiana State University) fired head coach of 12 years, Les Miles. Miles had a winning career record with LSU but some say this play was 10 months in the making. Tigers lost their season opener to unranked Wisconsin and then to unranked Auburn on Saturday.
- Remember this name. University of Louisville sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson is leading the pack in the race for the Heisman Trophy. He alone scored seven touchdowns on Saturday. He has 25 touchdowns in four games. Unreal.
- Did your team win? Check all the scores here.
NFL (National Football League)
- Victorious. We’ve wrapped up week three and there are a handful of undefeated teams in the league. The Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings are all without a loss.
- A little help here? Conversely, there are three teams who haven’t won a game - Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears.
- Catch the scores from the weekend here.
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
- Next! Kevin Harvick won yesterday’s race in New Hampshire. Harvick earned himself a spot in the next round of the “Chase for the Cup” (NASCAR playoffs), joining Martin Truex Jr.
Overtime
- Kevin Garnett announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA (National Basketball Association). Garnett was drafted straight out of high school and made the most money of any player in NBA history, over $330 million. The MVP spent his career playing for Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves, who he helped put on the map.
Sideline stat
- Rory McIlroy was three shots behind the leader with three holes to go in yesterday’s final round of the PGA season. Rory caught up and forced a playoff round, where he won after four holes. McIlroy not only won the tour but the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. Take that to the bank.
Coaches’ Corner
- Can you be drafted to the NBA out of high school? Once upon a time this was true, but not any longer. Kevin Garnett was the leader of the influx of high schoolers drafted (Kobe Bryant and LeBron James among them), prompting the league to add the "one year out of high school" requirement that effectively requires players to play at least one year of college basketball. This is so scouts can see players perform against higher competition before they are considered draft picks.