The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - It's Finals Time

Congratulations – you’ve made it to Friday. For that achievement we give you permission to spend your Sunday in the air conditioning, on the couch (or in the nearest sports bar) watching Formula One, the Wimbledon finals and Euro 2016 finals.

A mimosa please,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

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Tennis

• One match away. Serena Williams has advanced to the Wimbledon Final on Saturday but she won't get a chance to face her sister, Venus, who lost in the semifinals. Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber have met in a final match before. Williams lost to Kerber in the Australian Open. If she wins on Saturday, Williams will tie the record for 22 major wins. (Match begins on Saturday at 9 am on ESPN).
• Playing with the boys. The men’s semifinals take place this morning and Roger Federer and Andy Murray are still vying for a place in the finals, which takes place on Sunday (9 am EST on ESPN). For a complete men’s schedule click here.

Soccer

• The finals for Euro 2016 are set. Host nation France will take on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal on Sunday in the finals to see who is the top team in European soccer. (Game time is Sunday at 3 pm EST on ESPN).

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

• Party pooper. UFC 200 was scheduled to be the biggest event in UFC history (Saturday on pay-per-view). On Wednesday, UFC announced that one of the fighters in the main event, former champion Jon Jones, had failed a drug test. Jones was immediately removed from the fight card, leaving champion Daniel Cormier without an opponent.
• Today’s your lucky day. UFC scrambled to find a replacement fighter on two days’ notice. Former middleweight champion and arguably the best second option ever, Anderson Silva has agreed to step up and fight Cormier. That’s like receiving a call to play in the Super Bowl on two days’ notice. Something tells us he wasn’t just sitting around eating donuts ala Homer Simpson.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Bulls bound. Fresh off his co-hosting duties on "Live with Kelly," the face of the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, has decided to leave the team for his hometown Chicago Bulls. Wade spent 13 years with the Heat where he won three NBA championships. Many felt the Heat didn’t treat him as a priority (Wade notably took pay cuts to help the team) and they didn’t offer him the most money when it came down to it. Let’s hope Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union, is ready to trade in swimsuits for winter coats.

F1 (Formula One Racing)

• Race on. As if there isn’t already enough excitement happening in Europe, the next stop on the F1 schedule is the British Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton looks to close the gap in the overall standings on Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. After last week's controversial finish, both drivers have received a 'final warning' from the Mercedes team ahead of this Sunday's race. You can catch all the racing excitement on Sunday at 8 am on CNBC.

Overtime

• In case his Super Bowl ring needed company, Seattle Seahawks’ Quarterback Russell Wilson added another ring to his jewelry collection. Wilson married bombshell pop star and Grammy Winner, Ciara, on Wednesday in a small wedding in England. The couple were engaged in March in the Seychelles. See their wedding photo here.

Sideline stat

• Football powerhouses, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and Michigan Wolverines have agreed to renew their 100-year college football rivalry that ended in 2014. In 2018, the teams will meet in the season opener and then again in 2019. This schedule change comes with a price as the Wolverines were already scheduled to play the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2018. The Wolverines will pay the Razorbacks $2 million for cancelling their originally scheduled games.

Coaches’ Corner

• We're all about planning ahead but Notre Dame and Michigan announcing their plans to meet up in 2019 seems a little far away. How many years out do college football teams plan their schedules? Athletic directors have been known to get a little ahead of themselves; there are some teams that have games on the schedule for 2028. The players who will play on those teams are still playing tetherball in elementary school. There’s big money in a strong schedule (aka great football schools) therefore many schools plan years out to secure one.

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Money Talks

If money is the root of all evil, then this edition of the Rundown is downright wicked. Between free agency, retirement and Wimbledon players threatening to sue the crowd it seems money is on everyone’s mind today.  

This weekend as you celebrate the birthday of our country with all things American – apple pie, BBQ and Michael Phelps - we hope The Rundown provides you with the conversation starters you need.  

It’s a win-win,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS: Share us – so all your friends can sound as smart as you this weekend.

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Formula One Racing (F1)

• Vroom. The F1 race takes place in Austria on Sunday (8 am EST on CNBC). Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has taken a significant point lead in the race for the championship. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who is in second place, will need to win this race to close the gap. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Big price tags. Free agency started this morning at 12:01 am. This is the period when teams can sign free agents (basketball players whose contracts have expired). Chaos (while carrying very large checkbooks) ensues. The biggest player on the market, Kevin Durant, is holding meetings with potential teams in the Hamptons, where he’s spending the weekend. NBD. Follow us on twitter for up-to-date information on the deals and steals. 

NCAA Baseball (College) 

• College World Series champions. In a best-of-three series Coastal Carolina Chanticleers fought back after losing game one and won the final two games beating The University of Arizona Wildcats to win the NCAA Baseball National Championship.

Soccer

• Portugal progresses. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal advanced to the Euro 2016 semifinals with a win over Poland in penalty kicks last night. 
• Things we never thought we’d hear. Grab some freedom fries and a spot on the couch because everyone’s favorite underdog Iceland takes on host country France on Sunday in the quarterfinals (3 pm EST on ESPN).

Summer Olympics

• Phelps fever. Michael Phelps, the United States’ most decorated Olympian, has qualified for his fifth Olympics. The 22-time medalist qualified for the 200-meter butterfly event and will most likely qualify for more. 

Tennis

• I’m calling my attorney. Rain has been the name of the game in Wimbledon with no major upsets to report other then mother nature delaying matches. One player, Gilles Simon, was not happy with the drizzle he had to play through. He was afraid of injuring himself and threatened to sue the judge if he was to get injured. He also said (we can’t make this up) "I feel the day I'm going to get injured on slippery grass, I'm going to sue everyone in the stadium.” Let’s hope your attorney likes to attend tennis matches.

Overtime

• The "NikeCourt Premier Slam" white Wimbledon dress made for Nike’s sponsored athletes has been causing quite a stir for being a little too see through and a bit short. Nike’s players have gone as far as pairing it with white leggings because we all know that tennis skirts are known for their modesty. Others athletes don’t mind. 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard calls them “cool and modern,” while Serena Williams doesn’t care because she wears a Nike dress specifically designed for her. 

Sideline Stat

• Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has signed the biggest contract in NFL history - six years for $140 million. With his new fortune, the founder of the Andrew Luck Book Club (Andrew Luck), revealed that he has his eyes not on leather bound books but on a robotic ping pong machine. Chick magnet.

Coaches’ Corner

• The changing of the guards doesn’t only happen in London but in Oregon too. Nike announced that co-founder Phil Knight has official retired as Chairman. The company has made Knight a wealthy man with a net worth of $24.4 billion. Current Nike President, Mike Parker, will step in. In a move where no one seems to understand the job description, Nike has appointed current board member Apple CEO Tim Cook as "lead independent director."
  

The Rundown: 5 Things To Know About Team Iceland

If you looked up the definition of an underdog in the dictionary there would be a photo of Iceland’s Euro 2016 soccer team next to it. In their first appearance ever in a major tournament, the team has impressed even the toughest critics with their win in an elimination game this week over soccer royalty England.

Making their own Northern Lights,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – We are very excited to announce that Last Night’s Game will be a weekly contributor to Stilettos on the Glass Ceiling, a website that unites, empowers, supports and promotes women in business. Every Wednesday we’ll share with their readers how to use the highlights of this week in sports to join the conversation. Check them out on Twitter, Facebook or read today's post. 

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Five things to know about Team Iceland

1. Iceland is the smallest country ever to have qualified for a major international soccer tournament. (Total population 330,000)
2. The team’s manager is also a part-time dentist. For comparison sake, England’s manager (who resigned immediately following the loss to Iceland) makes £3.5 million (approximately $3.9 million USD).  
3. Iceland’s supporters are called “Tólfan” (The Twelve), as they are the “twelfth man on the field.” They’re a well traveled fan club - 8% of Iceland’s population traveled to France to cheer on their team in this tournament. 
4. 10 of the 11 players who started in Iceland’s first Euro 2016 game had last names that ended in "son." The one who didn’t - Eidur Gudjonsen. So close.
5. There are more volcanoes than professional soccer players in Iceland. There are 120 professional players, while there are 126 volcanoes.

Iceland will now look to upset host country France in their quarterfinal game this Sunday.

NCAA Baseball (College)

• Don’t let the mascot fool you. Last night the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina tied up the best-of-three series in the finals of the College World Series. The University of Arizona Wildcats were ahead in the series 1-0 but it all comes down to tonight’s game (8 pm EST on ESPN) to see who takes home the title of college baseball champs.

NCAA Basketball (College)

• Lasting legacy. Legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt passed away yesterday at the age of 64. Summitt suffered from Alzheimer’s disease which caused her to step down as head coach in 2012. A Hall of Fame coach, Summitt wrote the book on women’s college basketball. She still holds the record for the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history (men or women). While the statistics and titles may try to show it, her impact on sports is immeasurable.

Overtime

• U.S.A Basketball announced their roster for the Summer Olympics. Although many of the top NBA stars have passed on the opportunity to play in Rio the United States is well represented with this roster that includes:
  • Kyrie Irving, 2016 NBA Champions Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

See the complete roster here. You can catch the team in action when they play five exhibition games in Las Vegas starting July 22nd.  

 

Sideline stat

• Chicago Cubs third baseman Chris Bryant had a historic night on Monday. In five at bats, Bryant hit three home runs and two doubles. No player has ever managed three home runs and two doubles in a single game.

 

Coaches’ Corner

• He clearly listened to his coach about being a good person. Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow was on a flight this weekend when a fellow passenger suffered an apparent heart attack during the flight. Tebow came to aide of the family, leading them in prayer. Once the flight landed, the man was transported to the hospital. Tebow helped the family with their luggage, accompanied them to the hospital and was with them when they received word that their loved one had passed away.