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FIELD OF DREAMS
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa will play Kansas in an exhibition baseball game at the Field of Dreams ballpark on Oct. 10, the Iowa athletic department announced Monday.
The field was one of the locations for the 1989 baseball movie classic starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones and Amy Madigan and has been site of several major and minor league games since 2021.
The third MLB at Field of Dreams is Aug. 13 and will match the Minnesota Twins against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Iowa Cubs host the St. Paul Saints in a Triple-A game at the field Aug. 11.
Kansas is coming off one of its best seasons in program history. The Jayhawks were 45-18, won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to an NCAA super regional. Iowa was 33-23 and appeared in its 11th straight Big Ten Tournament.
Division I baseball teams are allowed to play two fall exhibition games each year.
OHTANI WON’T PITCH
NEW YORK (AP) -- Shohei Ohtani won’t make his next scheduled start on the mound because of left knee irritation and isn’t expected back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation for a while.
The two-way superstar received a lubricant injection just before the All-Star break last week and had been expected to pitch Wednesday in Philadelphia against the Phillies.
Ohtani, however, still didn’t feel 100% while playing catch this weekend, so he and the Dodgers decided not to even test the knee with a bullpen session.
The four-time MVP hasn’t pitched since July 3, when he threw a season-high 110 pitches over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego. Now, it’s unclear when he’ll return to the mound.
“I would say that it’s going to be some time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before his team split a day-night doubleheader with the New York Yankees. “It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing.”
CHANGING OF CARD
New York (AP) -- Topps is creating a trading card of what became a famous photo during the World Cup of Argentina’s Lionel Messi holding Spain’s Lamine Yamal, the company said Monday.
Messi, whom many consider soccer’s greatest player, was photographed holding Yamal, then an infant and now a 19-year-old rising star. The two met in Sunday’s final, with Yamal and Spain defeating Messi and Argentina 1-0.
That game was a potential changing of the guard with the 39-year-old Messi perhaps playing in his final World Cup.
Playing for Barcelona at the time of the initial meeting with Yamal, Messi took part in a fundraising drive for UNICEF and wound up holding the player who could be the future face of the sport. Yamal has followed in Messi’s footsteps by becoming Barcelona’s standout player.
FIFA INVESTIGATES
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- FIFA opened an investigation Monday after Spain’s celebrations on beating Argentina in the World Cup final took an ugly turn when players briefly clashed on the field.
Video replays showed several players involved in a scuffle, including Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes.
He appeared to shove Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat. When Spain substitute Gavi jumped in to intervene, Paredes pushed him to the ground.
Spain captain Rodri also seemed to be hit in the stomach by Argentina defender Nahuel Molina as he ran past to join teammates celebrating the title win.
Molina later crowded Rodri, who was the target of a verbal confrontation by his former Manchester City teammate Nicolas Otamendi.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and other players rushed in to deescalate the situation.
FIFA said in a statement its “disciplinary committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the (FIFA disciplinary code) with regard to the post-match incidents.”
The brief statement gave no timetable for an investigation and did not name Paredes, who was not shown a red card after the game yet could face a suspension.
Spain needed extra time to win Sunday’s final 1-0 after Argentina was reduced to 10 men. Enzo Fernandez was sent off with a second yellow card in stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes.
The Argentina players stood facing their fans, with their backs to the podium, when Spain’s squad lifted the trophy. It was an unusual show of disrespect to the new champions, who had given their opponents a guard of honor to collect their medals.