LAST NIGHT'S GAME 10/26/16 LAST NIGHT'S GAME 10/26/16

The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About the 2016-17 NBA Season

Right when you think you have a handle on the football season and the World Series, the NBA season tipped off yesterday. We’re bringing you exactly what you need to know to slam dunk the sports conversation.

For the three,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five things to know about the 2016-17 NBA Season

A quick overview of the NBA:

There are 30 teams in the NBA. The League is broken down into two conferences, Western and Eastern.
A regular season consists of 82 games. The games have four 12-minute quarters with a halftime break.
The Cleveland Cavaliers broke the city’s 52-year championship drought (for all major sports) by winning the NBA title last season.

This season will have a different feel as a few star players are no longer on the court. Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett all retired after last season.
The Golden State Warriors are heavily favored to win it all, with the Cavaliers in a distant second. Interestingly, the majority of bets made have been placed on the New York Knicks whose odds are roughly 80-1 to win the championship.
The NBA is the first of the four major professional sports to begin selling ad space on player jerseys. StubHub is paying $5 million a year for a 2.5-inch patch on the Philadelphia 76ers jerseys. Only $800,000 a square inch. We’ll take two.
The NBA is going global. This season there are a record 113 players from 41 countries or territories on opening game rosters. Mexico City will host regular season games for the first time ever in January with the Phoenix Suns playing the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.
There are quite a few players in the NBA with their own signature shoe - Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade to name a few. The rest of the league slums it in name brand shoes - 68% of the league wears Nike, 15% Adidas, 6% Jordan (Michael Jordan’s signature brand) and 3.8% Under Armour.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

World Series win. The Cleveland Indians continued their postseason dominance and shut out the Chicago Cubs in Game One of the World Series last night. Game Two will be played tonight. (It has been moved up to a 6 pm EST start time due to weather).
I bet you. The Governors of Ohio and Illinois kept the tradition of betting on the World Series. Although they’re not wagering moving state lines or changing city names, they’re betting beer and pizza. Boring.

Overtime

Singer Ciara and her husband, Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson, announced they’re pregnant. The two famously spoke of their abstinence before marriage, but were wed three months ago. That’s going to be one good looking baby.

Sideline stat

While the Denver Broncos were playing in Houston, Broncos' DeMarcus Ware’s house was robbed. Among the items stolen were his recently received Super Bowl ring. We’re pretty sure someone will notice the newest addition to the thieves’ jewelry collection – a giant five karat Super Bowl ring featuring 212 diamonds.

Coaches' corner

Why did Cubs’ catcher David Ross have green fingernails in last night’s game? No, it wasn’t a manicure gone bad. Catchers are responsible for relaying the in-game strategy – which pitch the pitcher should throw, if the infield should go for a double play, etc. They use bright stickers on their nails so it’s easier for the pitcher to see the signs the catcher flashes.

The Rundown: Special Edition - 5 Things to Know About the World Series

The World Series begins tonight in Cleveland with the Chicago Cubs taking on the hometown Cleveland Indians. This series is a true battle of teams and cities who have been waiting a long time for a World Series title.

Batter up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS- We will still have our regularly scheduled "Five Things to Know" tomorrow morning. Twice in one week - try to contain your excitement.

Five things to know about the world series

This is a best-of-seven series that will start with Game One and Two in Cleveland, the next three in Chicago and the final two in Cleveland, if necessary. The Cubs represent the National League and the Cleveland Indians the American League. (Full schedule here).
The Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 (108-year drought) and the Cleveland Indians since 1948 (68-year drought).
Many consider the Cubs the best thing since sliced bread, although the last time the Cubs won the World Series sliced bread hadn’t even been invented. There were also only 46 states, the Titanic had not been built and the NFL (National Football League), NBA (National Basketball League) and the NHL (National Hockey League) did not exist.
The Chicago Cubs had the best record in baseball this season but the Cleveland Indians have home-field advantage because the American League won the All-Star Game.
Budweiser is the official beer of the MLB (Major League Baseball) postgame celebration, no other is beer allowed. Per MLB postgame celebration rules, only two bottles of champagne are permitted per player during locker room celebrations (which no one actually adheres to) and should be used mostly for spraying and not drinking. Blasphemy!

Overtime

Both teams have their own hellion. One is Charlie Sheen and the other a goat. If you remember the movie Major League, Sheen played the “Wild Thing” who pitched for the Indians. Sheen offered to channel his old character and throw out the first pitch at one of the World Series games. The Indians declined saying "we’ve chosen people who actually played baseball." #winning. The Cubs story involves the curse of a goat. Yes, a smelly goat was the reason behind the curse on the team. To read the infamous billy goat story click here.

Sideline stat

The team that hosts Game One has won the World Series 57% of the time.

Coaches’ corner

While in Cleveland the two teams will play by American League rules using a designated hitter (that means pitchers don't bat - another player bats in their place). When the games are played in Chicago the teams will play by National League rules where the pitcher will hit. Pitchers dedicate so much time to practicing pitching that they're not known for being great batters. You can read more about the designated hitter here.

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Monumental Monday

It was an exciting weekend. Find out who is headed to the World Series, which team is no longer undefeated and who made an appearance at the F1 race in Austin this weekend.

Working it,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – Stay tuned for a special edition of Five Things to Know About the World Series tomorrow. You won’t want to miss it.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

At last. Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the World Series. This is the Cubs' first trip to the World Series since 1945. The overwhelming emotion of fans waiting their entire life to see this moment could be felt throughout the city. Then there’s 90-year-old Dorothy planned to party it up.
Game One of the World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs is tomorrow night.

NCAA Football (College)

Whiteout win. In a home game, unranked Penn State upset Ohio State (#2). Fans, who supported the “whiteout game” by wearing white, rushed the field to celebrate the nearly impossible victory. See a cool photo of the white out crowd here.

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

Next please. On Sunday, 12 drivers entered the race looking to advance to the next round of the elimination-style playoffs. Joey Logano won the race, guaranteeing himself a spot in the next round of eight drivers. Who else made it? See for yourself.

NFL (National Football League)

Undefeated no more. The injury prone Minnesota Vikings were the last remaining undefeated team this season. Yesterday they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles. We guess all good things must come to an end.
Desert duel. For just the fourth time since 2000, an NFL game ended in a tie. The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals game resulted in a tie after both teams’ kickers missed seemingly automatic field goals in overtime.

F1 Racing (Formula One)

Party on. Lewis Hamilton dominated the Circuit of the Americas in Austin this weekend, taking home h is 50th career win. Post-race interviewer, actor Gerard Butler, continued a newly established, gross tradition, the “Shoey.” He drank Red Bull out of the freshly worn and sweaty shoe of driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Overtime

Last season's NBA (National Basketball Association) champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers were scheduled to open their season and receive their championship rings tomorrow night at 8 pm EST. The Cleveland Indians are scheduled to throw out the first pitch of the World Series at the same time in Cleveland. The NBA agreed to move the start time of the game so Cleveland fans could witness both monumental occasions.

Sideline stat

It was a Texas-sized shoot-out on Saturday night when the University of Oklahoma Sooners beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders 66-59. (That’s a really high score). Amongst the seven offensive records broken or tied, the two teams combined for the most yards in a game in college football history.

Coaches’ Corner

Celebrities flocked to the F1 race in Austin this weekend to channel their inner crew chief. Athletes Lindsey Vonn and Venus Williams and actors Gerard Butler and Christoph Waltz we’re just a few of the pretty people looking to satisfy their need for speed.