While it was Pride Night this weekend with the San Diego Padres, a few NBA players had their pride injured over the weekend. Two owners lost their pride and joy horses at the Preakness and James Hinchcliffe is beaming with pride at Indy this week.
Bursting with pride,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS- Do we make you happy three times a week? If so, share us with others.
HORSE RACING
- Tough weekend. In the second leg of the Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist lost to Exaggerator in the Preakness, ending Nyquist’s quest for the Triple Crown. In sad news, two horses from the day’s earlier races died. Homeboykris collapsed after winning the first race of the day (believed to be a heart attack) and another horse, Pramedya, was euthanized on the track after breaking its leg.
INDYCAR RACING
- Courageous comeback. James Hinchcliffe almost died last year in a crash at the Indianapolis 500 and this year he has clinched the pole position (best position to start a race) for the biggest race of the year. Stay tuned for five things to know about the famed Indianapolis 500 on Wednesday.
MLB (MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL)
- An unfamiliar tune. As part of “Pride Night” at the San Diego Padres game on Saturday, 100 members of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus were set to sing the national anthem. But when they started singing a pre-recorded version of the anthem sung by a woman started playing over the loud speakers, not the men's voices. People are not happy about it. The team has since fired the contractor who, whether intentional or not, did not stop the recording and allow the men to sing. Billy Bean, former MLB player and current MLB vice president of social responsibility and inclusion (who is also gay) came out in defense of his former team saying that they love everyone. The team and the San Diego Attorney’s Office are still investigating.
- Watch your step. New York Yankees dugout toilet flooded before their game against the Oakland A’s in the A’s home stadium, the Coliseum. This isn’t the first time sewage has been an issue in the stadium, which was built in 1966. The stadium is shared with Oakland Raiders (NFL) who are considering a move to Las Vegas.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- First loss. Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland Cavaliers at home to bring the series to 2-1. The Raptors handed the Cavs their first loss of the playoffs. The two will play game four tonight at 8:30 pm (EST) on ESPN.
- Penalties. Raptors coach Dwane Casey received a $25,000 fine for criticizing officials and Cleveland Cavaliers' Dahntay Jones has been suspended for one game for his groin strike of Raptors’ Bismack Biyomb.
- Big win. Oklahoma City Thunder dominated Golden State Warriors at home, winning by 28 points. Thunder are up in the series 2-1 over the defending champions. The two will play game four on Tuesday (9 pm EST on TNT) where we’ll see if the Thunder can pull out another win against a Warriors’ team who have not lost back-to-back games all season.
NHL (National Hockey League)
- Almost there. Tampa Bay Lightning beat Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in triple overtime on Sunday. If the Penguins lose in Tuesday’s game, they will be eliminated from the race for the Stanley Cup.
- Play on. St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks are tied in their series 2-2 and play tonight at 8 pm on NBCSN.
Overtime
- New Orleans Saints (NFL) and Pelicans (NBA) owner Tom Benson revealed he wants his kids and grandkids out of his will. His kids called their attorneys. In a deposition Benson claims his family “tried to kill him” and instead wants to leave everything to his third wife. Let the legal battle commence.
Sideline stat
- Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Boston Red Sox has a 27-game hitting streak going. The Red Sox hit streak record (34 games) is held by Dom DiMaggio while the overall MLB record (56) is held by his brother Joe DiMaggio. Joe’s record is considered unbeatable by many.
Coaches’ Corner
- What is a hitting streak? A hitting streak in baseball refers to the number of consecutive games the player appears in a game and gets a hit. No hit, no streak.
