LAST NIGHT'S GAME 11/30/16 LAST NIGHT'S GAME 11/30/16

The Rundown: Five Unusual Provisions In Athlete Contracts

Thinking about changing jobs this hump day? Don’t push your luck by trying to negotiate any of these oddities into your new contract.

Hey we’re happy with free coffee,

The Last Night’s Game

Five unusual provisions in athlete contracts

Sports contracts are iron clad agreements that protect an asset of the team, the athlete. There is a long list of things athletes are prohibited from participating in to ensure their health and safety. A few of the most popular banned activities include sky diving, driving motorcycles, auto racing, skateboarding and hot air balloons.
When the now retired A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) was negotiating with the New York Mets some of his demands included an office at the stadium, his own marketing staff, a private jet and maximum billboard exposure. The Mets didn’t work out but A-Rod signed with the New York Yankees. No word on whether or not a private jet was included.
Former Arizona Diamondbacks player Troy Glaus’ contract included $250,000 for his wife’s personal business - equestrian horses.
Other odd inclusions include a soccer player who wrote in his contract that his team needed to pay for cooking classes for his wife. (Was she a bad cook)? Or the coach who wanted an annual gift certificate to the local gun shop? Even more interesting – a newly built house for every year of the athlete’s contract.
When you hurt yourself while participating in a banned activity, why not simply lie about it? No one will know right? Wrong. Former San Francisco Giants infielder Jeff Kent said he broke his wrist while washing his truck. The team was suspicious because a man was cleaning. They found out he was popping wheelies on his motorcycle which was forbidden. Uh oh.

Extra credit – Which current head coach had the "Notre Dame clause" in his contract? Find out here.

Golf

Remember me? Do you know the golfer ranked 898th in the world? Yes, you do. It’s Tiger Woods. Woods, the former number one, looks to make his return to golf at this week’s tournament in the Bahamas after a 15-month break.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

Glamorous life. New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes signed the largest contract for an outfielder in MLB. There is certainly no anti-golf clause in his contract. He’s been known to play golf right before night games and even sparked controversy last season for playing golf while on the disabled list with quad injury. (You may recall the story about Cespedes rolling into spring training last season with a new fleet of over the top vehicles).

Overtime

Who doesn’t love a feel good story? The Los Angeles Lakers hosted a scrimmage game between the L.A.P.D. and local kids at their practice facility. The game wasn’t about recruiting, but to build the relationship between the two groups.

Sideline stat

23,924 - The number of teddy bears thrown on the ice by fans at the Calgary Hitmen “Teddy Bear Toss” game. The Teddy Bear Toss is when fans bring stuffed animals to donate to underprivileged children. They throw them on the ice after the home team scores its first goal. This video shows every child’s dream come true – it’s raining bears.

Coaches’ corner

With only one week of college football left, the next to last set of rankings has been released. The top four ranked teams will play each other in a tournament style format to become National Champions.

Alabama
Ohio State
Clemson
Washington

The Rundown: Bored With Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday setting your credit card on fire? Give it a rest and catch up on the world of sports in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee. You’ll be back and on your way in no time.

Your credit card will thank us,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Do you use Gmail and are tired of The Rundown landing in your “promotions” tab? Simply drag the email over to the “primary” tab. Simple as that!

NCAA Football (College)

Feels like the first time. The heated rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan lived up to the hype this weekend. For the first time in 113 meetings between these two teams, the game went into overtime. Ohio State won in double overtime.
Be like the cool kids. Everyone will be talking about the conference finals which start Friday. Check to see if your team made it.

F1 Racing (Formula One)

On top of the world. The World Championship came down to the last lap in the last race on Sunday. Teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg duked it out until the end. Hamilton tried everything he could to claim the championship title (including defying team’s orders – a big no-no). Although it was a numbers game. Hamilton may have won the race but Rosberg still claimed the World Championship.

Rosberg joined his father Keke, the 1982 champion, to become only the second father-son duo to win the overall World Championship.

NCAA Basketball (College)

Battle of the beasts. Tonight kicks off a big week in college basketball as the battle for conference superiority starts. The two historic powerhouse conferences, ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and Big 10, go head-to-head to determine who’s the best. See the schedule and the games to watch here.

Overtime

Thanksgiving is known as a time for excessive eating and Buffalo Bills lineman (NFL) Richie Incognito took that to another level. He won his teammates’ Thanksgiving Day weight gain challenge for the second year in a row, gaining 9.4 pounds in one day. (He gained 15 last year). His secret? Eat everything. You think?

Sideline stat

Tom Brady tied an NFL record with his 200th career win on Sunday against the New York Jets. He is now tied with Peyton Manning and will surely break the record this year.

Coaches’ Corner

As the regular season of college football comes to a close, heads begin to roll. One of the coaching changes that everyone is buzzing about is University of Texas firing their head coach, Charlie Strong, and hiring the hottest coach on the market, University of Houston’s Tom Herman. Here’s the scoop on other coaching changes.

The Rundown: Weekend Preview - Bah Humbug Black Friday

Happy Friday after Thanksgiving, or as it’s known in many households as “the day I swear I’ll never eat again.”

This weekend is full as well – full of college football rivalries. Like a black Friday sale, anything can happen in a rivalry game.

Flat screen TV with every dishwasher? We’re camping out,

The Last Night’s Game Team

NCAA Football (College)

Upset the whole apple cart. Normally the Apple Cup doesn't matter. (We say that about it in our diet too). This year’s Washington rivalry series is the first time since 1981 that this game has implications for the n ational championship. The victor between Washington (#5) and Washington State (#23) will claim the PAC-12 North (Pacific Conference) title and a spot in the PAC-12 championship. If Washington wins, it could bring them one step closer to a final four playoff berth.
A gift to you. ESPN College GameDay is heading to Columbus, OH to cover the long-standing hatred between Michigan (#4) and Ohio State (#2). The outcome of this year’s game will have such a significant impact on the college football playoffs that GameDay has been extended from three hours to five hours. The team that loses this game will lose their chance to play for a spot in the national championship.
Banjo battle. The fierce in-state rivals, Auburn (#11) vs #1 Alabama (#1) will play in the “Iron Bowl” on Saturday. (Yes Auburn is in Alabama). Alabama has already secured a spot in the SEC championship (Southeastern Conference) and has all but a lock on a final four spot in the playoffs, but Auburn would love nothing more than to spoil the party.

NFL (National Football League)

Round up. While you were eating turkey, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins for their franchise record 10th straight win. Lead by two stellar rookies, Dax Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys remain on fire.

F1 Racing (Formula One)

Let's go fast. The F1 season will be decided on Sunday during the final race of the season. Teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are competing to win the overall Drivers’ Championship. Rosberg sits in first place and Hamilton in second. For Hamilton to win the overall championship, he needs to win and have Rosberg finish outside the top three positions, which is like wishing for a black Friday sale with no pushing or shoving.

Overtime

The 15th Annual National Dog Show was yesterday and the winner was a greyhound named Gia. The commentary was as flavorful as your pecan pie using lines like “fast on her feet, gentle on the eyes and with a glowing personality to boot” and “she has a head like a snake and can really gallop.” Somewhere the actors from Best in Show are beaming with pride.

Sideline stat

4 minutes 35 seconds. That’s how long it took Aretha Franklin to soulfully belt out the national anthem at the Detroit Lions – Minnesota Vikings game yesterday. Listen and see the funny Twitter reactions here.

Coaches’ corner

If you’ve ever wondered what Thanksgiving is like over at supermodel Gisele Bündchen and NFL star Tom Brady’s house, we can tell you that it’s probably nothing like yours with nice salads and picking ingredients from the garden. Hopefully all that family and food will fuel Brady as he plays for his 200th career win this weekend.