No, I did not wear a mask when I stepped into the Goodman Theatre lobby Monday evening. Yes, I had read the explicit instructions in their email earlier that day.

“Remember that face coverings are required for all patrons attending the performance, regardless of vaccination status. We will provide a mask if someone in your party is in need.”

Why? The usual selfishness that greases our slide through life. I got my vaccination in April. So I’m OK. Besides, you never know how strict such instructions are. An actual, bar-you-at-the-door requirement, like the Lyric Opera’s iron rule that if you arrive 10 seconds past curtain you have to stand there like an idiot, watching a monitor? Or mere cover-your-butt legalese winked at by those in the know?

I grasped it was the former when a polite young man intercepted me three steps through the door, offering a basket of paper masks. I apologized, fumbling for the familiar lump in my pocket. I had brought my own, just in case.

Why not? I shovel the sidewalk in front of my house, use my turn signal, all the usual concessions to being part of a community. I can do a mask, too. Though I am human, and don’t like being inconvenienced. Sitting in the theater beforehand, it occurred to me that once the play started, I could slip my mask down in the darkness and nobody would be the wiser.

“All patrons must wear a mask before, during and after the performance,” a voice announced. Twice.

Darn, I thought.

I didn’t fear that if I slipped the mask under my nose, someone would hit me with a handheld spotlight, the way Blue Man Group shamed patrons slipping into the theater after the show began while a voice boomed “Late! LATE! LAAAAAAATE!!!”)

Associated Press

But I can take instruction. The theater is full of conventions. You must have a ticket and — this one I learned the hard way at Chicago Shakespeare — the date on the ticket must correspond with that day’s date. Joining the action onstage is generally frowned upon, as is turning to your neighbor and loudly commenting upon the performance (unless you are sitting behind me at the aforementioned Lyric. Then, heck, you can whip out a concertina and start playing “Lady of Spain” and it’s OK, apparently).

At the Goodman, as soon as “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” began, I completely forgot I was wearing a mask, lost in the laugh-out-loud funny doings at the Aburi Girls’ Secondary School.

As to why masks are such a huge honking deal in the old Confederacy, remember, these are the same people who felt the need to break away from the United States if staying meant they couldn’t keep slaves. They have odd notions of freedom. There is something in psychology called “compensation” where deficiency in one area prompts overemphasis in another. So if you, say, surrender all critical thought, sheeplike, to a jabbering fraud, you might turn around assert your independence by refusing to wear a strip of cotton over your face. Even if it means your kids could die.

They’re used to this. Sandy Hook didn’t prompt passage of even one common-sense gun ordinance to discourage such carnage. So don’t expect jammed ICUs and schools swept by COVID-19 to inspire many diehard anti-maskers to consider changing their minds. Following orders? That’s Communism!

Associated Press

Not to be mean. If there is an upside to this, it is a creeping sympathy. Supposedly we are so divided against one another. But seeing the ignorant, self-immolating pushback against masks, any scorn I once had has melted into genuine pity. Those stories of deathbed conversations. “I had no idea I could get sick; why didn’t somebody tell me?!”

Some people are just so stupid. And selfish. I would be ashamed to stand up in a public meeting and claim my liberty is being infringed because I have to mow my lawn. Others, obviously, not so much. I don’t hate them. I can’t. Not when this punishment, almost Biblical in scale, is bearing down, marching from home to home.

“Here neighbor,” I say, “smear this lamb’s blood over your doorway and the Angel of Death will pass your household by.”

“No, not me. Do you know how hard it is to get lamb’s blood off stucco?”

“Ah, well, OK. Suit yourself.”

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A Chicago police officer was released on her own recognizance Thursday for shooting and wounding a man while on-duty at the CTA Red Line’s Grand station.

Officer Melvina Bogard, 32, is facing aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct for the Feb. 28, 2020 shooting.

In her order, Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz said she neither found Bogard to be a danger to the community, nor at risk of not showing up for her court hearings.

The state’s attorneys office, which announced the charges against Bogard Thursday, has not filed charges against Officer Bernard Butler, who was with Bogard at the time of the shooting and was recorded by a bystander yelling “shoot him” before Bogard opened fire.

Shortly after 4 p.m. that day, Bogard and Butler tried to arrest 34-year-old Ariel Roman after he was seen walking between cars on a northbound Red Line train.

The officers followed Roman when he got off the train and tried taking Roman into custody at the bottom of a set of stairs leading up to the station’s main concourse.

Roman struggled with Butler and was eventually able to stand up. Video footage showed two deployed stun guns on the station’s floor.

As Roman ran up the stairs, Butler repeatedly yelled for Bogard to fire, the video shows. Bogard shot once at Roman when he was a few feet away from her and then again when he neared the top of the stairs.

Roman was shot in the hip and buttocks, according to his attorneys Andrew M. Stroth and Greg Kulis, who filed a lawsuit against the city and both officers.

“Based on his injuries, his life will never be the same,” Stroth and Kulis said in a statement Thursday.

“The State’s Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI conducted a comprehensive investigation and today’s charges are consistent with the unjustified actions of these officers. Ariel Roman was unarmed, did not present a threat and was shot as he ran away,” the statement also said.

Roman was taken into custody after the shooting and faced resisting arrest and narcotics charges, which were later dropped by the state’s attorney’s office.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability submitted findings from its investigation to Supt. David Brown in October. The Chicago Police Department later moved to fire both officers.

Federal authorities also have opened a criminal investigation into the high-profile police shooting.

“The case is currently pending before the Chicago Police Board,” police spokesman Tom Ahern said in a statement. “The officer was relieved of police powers in March 2020.”

Bogard is expected back in court on Aug. 18.

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Variety is the spice of life, right?

French’s is hoping adding a little spice in celebration of National Mustard Day on Aug. 7 will be just the thing you need to pep up your summer.

In partnership with New England-based Piantedosi Baking Company, French’s is rolling out limited edition mustard buns, with the Classic Yellow Mustard baked right in.

The result? A golden yellow yeasty creation that the company says is perfect for a hot dog topped with extra mustard — or even grilled cheese or French toast. More on that in a second.

In years past, the company has released mustard ice cream and mustard beer to celebrate National Mustard Day.

“For over 115 years, French’s has delivered bold, all-American flavor to customers nationwide,” said Jill Pratt, chief marketing excellence officer for McCormick, French’s parent company.

“Year after year, we look forward to raising the French’s flag in celebration of National Mustard Day, by introducing exciting new ways to enjoy the bright, tangy taste of mustard.”

What do French’s mustard buns taste like?

So how do the mustard buns taste?

Surprisingly good.

Mustard seems a natural flavor to fold into the soft, chewy rolls. The yellow color takes a little getting used to, but the smell is heavenly (assuming you’re a mustard fan). Fresh-baked bread, with an aroma of mustard that is clear but not overpowering, invites you to dive in.

I tried the roll plain to get the full bread-y experience.

As promised, the tang of French’s mustard rang through, adding a slight bite to a flavor that was, still, largely bread. Careful not to overwhelm the palate, the flavors melded nicely. If anything, I’d prefer even a little more mustard taste.

How to try French’s mustard buns, including at-home recipes

You’ll need a little bit of luck to try French’s newest creation, with its release limited to landmarks and baseball stadiums in select cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore and Boston. In Chicago, you can sample the buns starting at noon on Aug. 7 (while supplies last) at The Lodge Tavern, 21 W. Division Street.

If you aren’t able to snag the French’s mustard buns , the company released two recipes to make your own treats at home — French’s Mustard Challah Bread and French’s Mustard Beer Bread, which they suggest may be perfect for French toast, grilled cheese, sandwiches and more.

You can find the recipes at Frenchs.com/MustardBuns.

If you get to try mustard buns or try your hand at a home-baked version, French’s encourages you to tag @Frenchs on social media, with the hashtag #MustardBuns.

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NEW YORK — John Oates of Hall & Oates, the multi-platinum soul-pop duo behind hits like ?Private Eyes,” ?Rich Girl” and “Maneater,” is eager to return to concert stages again and prepared for an extra loud reaction when he does.

“I think there’s definitely going to be an energy there that is very unique. No one’s ever experienced a time like this in our modern world,” he says. “Quite honestly, this is the longest I have not played live in my entire professional career.”

Hall & Oates had planned to tour in 2020 but only managed one stop at Madison Square Garden in late February before COVID-19 restrictions led to the nation’s concert venues being shuttered. The tour arrives Aug. 26 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, a rescheduled date from July 18, 2020.

“We really had a cool show planned. And so because we had invested time and energy into that show, we kind of just put it in mothballs, basically. And now we’re bringing it back up because no one’s really seen it,” said Oates.

The new tour kicks off Thursday in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and hits such cities as Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Denver, Los Angeles and Honolulu, before ending with a two-night stand Dec. 3-4 in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Squeeze and KT Tunstall will join the duo on certain concerts.

The tour kicks off just as the delta variant of the virus is spreading rapidly and Oates says he and the band will take it day-by-day. “Every day is going to be a new day,” he says. “You know, we don’t know what the world’s going to deliver to us in the next month. We’ll roll with it and take what we can get.”

Since the early ’70s, Oates and Daryl Hall’s brand of Philadelphia-born “blue-eyed soul” has scored six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Kiss on My List” and ?I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).” They also achieved six platinum albums and many more Top 10 singles like “Sara Smile” and ?She’s Gone.”

Fans can expect all the hits played live. Hall & Oates are not the kind of group that shrugs off their past work or distances themselves from commercial winners. They know what fills the venues.

“We have this incredibly good problem of having so many hits,” Oates says. “We love those songs. Believe me, it’s not a chore to play those songs because they are really great. And obviously they speak for themselves because they stood the test of time.”

He says he looks out at the audience at shows and sees more than grown-ups who grooved to his music decades ago. He sees teenagers and pre-teens, thirtysomethings and fortysomethings — people “straight across the board” — who come for the music.

“They’re well-crafted pop songs. They seem to have a connection that is not tied to a period of time. You know, they don’t sound old and nostalgic,” he says. “They seem to evoke the same response in young kids today as they did when they were new back in the ’70s and ’80s.”

And he jokes there’s one of their tunes that perfectly fits today’s COVID-19 mood. “We’ve got a song called ‘Out of Touch’ which I guess is totally appropriate.”

Read More

Chicago Bears: Sean Desai poised to restore the 2018 defense by Anish Puligilla

On “Get Up!” this morning with Mike Greenberg, Louis Riddick was asked to predict whether or not rookie Chicago Bears‘ quarterback Justin Fields will start less than or more than 10 games this upcoming season.

Normally, these predictions are meaningless but Louis Riddick is one of few in the national media that is very plugged into the Chicago Bears’ organization.

This is an extremely significant prediction because of how connected Louis Riddick is in Chicago. In fact, his connections to the organization made him a strong contender for the general manager position last offseason had ownership decided to clean house.

Before his appearance on “Get Up”, Riddick tweeted this out over the weekend:

Not going to say how crazy good some of things I have been told about Justin Fields the professional have been thus far. Don’t want to hear the “it’s only training camp” brigade puff up their chest and scream at the top of their lungs. BUT…it has been THAT good. Just sayin. ????

— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) August 2, 2021

Chicago Bears fans should be excited knowing that Louis Riddick loves Justin Fields.

Now, three days later, on national TV, Riddick is predicting that Justin Fields will start more than 10 games this season. Anyone who follows the Bears would also agree with the sentiments that Riddick has expressed about Fields. In four years with Trubisky, we heard a fraction of the positive feedback that we have heard about Justin Fields in just his first training camp.

The stories about Fields have been mesmerizing, to say the least, especially for a fan base comprised of fans – none of whom – have ever experienced this type of stability and promise at the quarterback position. Fields is always there working even when he doesn’t need to be.

Matt Nagy also believes that Fields has been amazing with the homework they have given him. He said Justin has already mastered calling the plays and has been so prepared that he’s been correcting players who are out of position in practice. All of this development in the span of rookie camp, minicamp, and OTAs has to be what people in Chicago (aka Matt Nagy) have raved about to Louis Riddick.

Louis Riddick would not have said what he said or predicted that Fields will start 10-plus games without having an idea about what Nagy is thinking. Andy Dalton himself is having a good camp too but Riddick completely bypassed that because he knows just how highly the coaching staff and organization thinks of Justin Fields.

All in all, there is a lot of reason to be optimistic in The Windy City. Of all the analysts who make their predictions about Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears, no one’s opinion matters as much as Louis Riddick’s. It’s telling that he believes Fields will start more than 10 games this season and makes the Bears’ QB situation even more interesting to watch as the preseason gets underway next weekend.

Related Story: Sean Desai is working hard to restore the Bears defense

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Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Steele makes his case from promotion; Avelino and Rivas stay hot; Org debuts for three newly acquired pitchers; Pelicans bullpen dominates

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By Michael Ernst,
today at 11:54 am

AAA

Iowa 2, Indianapolis 1 (Game 1)

Iowa 6, Indianapolis 4 (Game 2)

Game Recap

Justin Steele continued his impressive conversion back to a starting pitcher. Right now, he is showing no fear attacking hitters. He believes in his stuff (and why shouldn’t he?). Though his control still wavers on occasion, leading to walks, it isn’t because he is trying to nibble at the edges of the zone. He used to have issues repeating his delivery, but Steele’s always been a good athlete, and now that he is stronger he seems to be putting that issue behind him. He reached 80 pitches over 5 innings (second consecutive 5 IP start), so if he takes any more turns in the Iowa rotation, I think it would be one at the most. But I think he is ready for a return to Chicago.

It’s been a while since a Cubs pitching prospect has taken the mound with as much confidence (and stuff) like Steele is doing right now. https://t.co/AwYhqx5MpS

— Michael Ernst (@mj_ernst)

August 4, 2021

At the start of the year many assumed Cory Abbott would be the young starter putting himself in position to take over a spot in the Chicago rotation. Although he was injured for most of the 2020 season at the South Bend alternate site, he was coming off a very good 2019, leading the Cubs organization in strikeouts, and earning Minor League Pitcher of the Year with AA Tennessee. He reported to spring training in great shape this season, but his season has just not gone as expected. Abbott has continued to strike batters out, but he’s also been hit harder than he’s ever been. Some of it is command related, but it also seems like batters are picking the ball up out of his hand better this year.

I’ll have to dig a little deeper in the near future on why things have gone sideways for him in 2021, but at least he didn’t give up any homers last night and the I-Cubs were able to overcome his struggles (4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 9 K) in game two. Ethan Roberts earned the win with 1.1 shutout innings in his AAA debut, and Scott Effross earned his first career AAA save.

The offense didn’t do much in game one, as Justin Steele actually drove home both runs with on a single in the 4th inning, but the bats came alive in game two. Abiatal Avelino continued his rebound after a slow June at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles. Alfonso Rivas walked walked three times and also drove in two on a double. Nick Martini tripled home two runs as well.

Top Performers

• Justin Steele: 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 8 K (W, 2-0, 1.32)
• Ryan Meisinger: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (S, 3, 4.08)
• Ethan Roberts: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (W, 1-0, 0.00)
• Scott Effross: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (S, 1, 4.88)
• Alfonso Rivas: 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB (.267)
• Abiatal Avelino: 3-5, 2 2B, R, RBI, BB (.284)
• Trayce Thompson: 2-4, R, RBI (.224)
• Ian Miller: 1-3, R, BB (.278)
• Greg Deichmann: 0-4, R, 3 BB, SB (1) (.200)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Abiatal Avelino (.284/.356/.405) got off to a solid start in May (.286) before falling off a cliff in June (.186), but he’s been on fire since the calendar turned to July (.357/.403/.529). He’s continued his hot streak into August (.364/.500/.636). His wRC+ over his last 25 games is 158. He’s also been a solid defender all across the infield.

Still just 26, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Cubs re-sign him in the offseason to provide depth in Iowa again next season. Avelino wasn’t overwhelmed at the plate in his limited MLB shots with San Francisco, he just ran out of options and couldn’t break through full-time before he became a Minor League free agent. As we’ve seen with Patrick Wisdom, and to a lesser extent with Sergio Alcantara, sometimes it clicks a little later and there may still be a breakthrough coming. The Cubs really did do an excellent job securing all three of these players last offseason. While the team did eventually fall out of the race, without Wisdom and Alcantara bolstering the infield in May/June when the Cubs encountered a swath of injuries, the Cubs could have been buried a lot earlier in the year.

Take out Alfonso Rivas‘s first seven games at the end of June when he was still shaking off some rust, and he’s been an absolute on-base machine for Iowa in his 30 games since (.300/.453/.490, 153 wRC+, 18.8 BB%/17.2 K%)

AA

Montgomery 13, Tennessee 1 (Game 1)

Montgomery, Tennessee PPD (Game 2)

Game Recap

A 2 hour and 39 minute rain delay ruined the Cubs debut of starting pitcher Caleb Kilian. A breakout prospect from the Giants system included in the Kris Bryant trade, Kilian dominated in High-A and AA before coming over to the Cubs, but after the rains began falling four batters into the 1st inning the Smokies did not send him back out after the layoff.

Once the game resumed… well, let’s not dwell on that. Brandon Hughes was really good in relief. That’s about it.

Top Performers

• Brandon Hughes: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K (2.19)
• Nelson Velazquez: 1-3, RBI (.333)
• Carlos Sepulveda: 1-3 (.237)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Nelson Velazquez and Jake Washer got bumped up to AA. Velazquez earned his promotion with an inconsistent but productive first half in South Bend. He’s been a lefty killer at the very least, and the Cubs are going to need to start moving some outfielders up from Mesa and Myrtle Beach soon. Washer got the nod, I assume, because Bryce Windham is nearing a return to South Bend.

High-A

Peoria 5, South Bend 2

Top Performers

• Yonathan Perlaza: 2-4, HR (9), R, RBI (.252)
• Jake Slaughter: 2-4, 3B, R, SB (11) (.271)
• Anderson Espinoza: 3 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 4 K (L, 0-2, 4.83)
• Alexander Vizcaíno: 0.2 IP, H, 2 R, 2 BB, K (27.00)
• Matteo Bocchi: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 HBP, 9 K (3.30)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

New acquisitions Anderson Espinoza and Alexander Vizcaíno made their organizational debuts. Espinoza is still working his way back (31.2 IP this year) from multiple injuries which have kept him off the mound since 2016 (!). He was once considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Still just 23 years old, there is arm strength and a very good changeup to work with, but Espinoza is already on the 40-man roster so he’ll need to stay healthy and make a jump next year. He’ll definitely be a guy to watch during instructs this fall (or maybe even in the AFL should the Cubs go that route).

Alexander Vizcaíno has been a slow developer in the Yankees system, whose stuff has always exceeded his results, but he seemed to be breaking through in 2019. Unfortunately the 2020 layoff came at an awkward time for him and potentially killed some developmental momentum for him. He opened 2021 on the shelf with a shoulder issue, but began getting back into action just prior to the Anthony Rizzo trade. Like Espinoza, Vizcaíno is already on the 40-man, and features an impressive fastball/changeup combo. It will be important for both to stay on the mound and refine their breaking pitches in 2022 in order to stay on track as potential starting pitchers.

Low-A

Myrtle Beach 4, Columbia 3

Game Recap

Matt Mervis and Ethan Hearn homered and the Pelicans got a tremendous relief effort by recently demoted Tyler Suellentrop and ascending prospect Danis Correa.

Suellentrop has good velo and movement on his breaking ball, but he battled command and control issues in South Bend. He was pretty dominant in his first go around with Myrtle Beach and was so again in his first performance back with the team last night (6 K in 3 IP).

The same kind of dominance was on display by new closer Danis Correa, who has now punched out 41 batters in his 24 innings this season. He’s always had a powerful arm, but health and inconsistent breaking ball held him back in previous years. The undersized righty has been healthy and throwing better secondaries this year.

Manny Rodriguez looks like he should be able to throw 99.
Danis Correa does not. But he’s got a helluva quick arm. https://t.co/PQngs1fPga

— Michael Ernst (@mj_ernst)

August 5, 2021

Top Performers

• Matt Mervis: 3-4, 2B, HR (9), 2 R, RBI (.209)
• Ethan Hearn: 1-2, HR (5), R, 2 RBI, BB (.191)
• Luis Verdugo: 1-4, 2B, RBI (.173)
• Tyler Suellentrop: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (W, 1-0, 1.15)
• Danis Correa: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K (S, 1, 1.88)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Manuel Espinoza has been placed on the developmental list. The Cubs are no doubt throttling the innings for the 20-year old righty. I’ll be curious to see who takes his place in the Pelicans rotation. They already placed Jeremiah Estrada on the IL earlier this week.

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Recent Comments

• 

  44slug

  3 hours, 51 minutes ago

  In reply to bleachercreature:

  Nice victory and pretty well played game by the Cubs last night. They had some good at bats before the…
  Read the story | Reply to this comment
• 

  44slug

  3 hours, 59 minutes ago

  In reply to Treebeard:

  Well, get ready to watch him again next year. Maybe, Heyward will have a better year, but he will be…
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  bleachercreature

  4 hours, 44 minutes ago

  This second half will be quite an audition for a large group. Wick, Hueur, Leeper, Rodriquez, Steele, Thompson, Alzolay, Schwindel,…
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  bleachercreature

  4 hours, 48 minutes ago

  In reply to Michael Ernst:

  Fun fact, only the dodgers, astros & bluejays are scoring more runs per game than the new cubs.
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  Michael Ernst

  12 hours, 12 minutes ago

  In reply to Treebeard:

  There was a 2+ hour rain delay
  Read the story | Reply to this comment

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Matt Gangl vividly remembers the first time he laid eyes on the Field of Dreams.

The lead director of Fox Sports’ MLB coverage was making the 4 1/2 – hour drive last year to Dyersville, Iowa, from his home in Minnesota. He saw on his GPS that the site of the beloved 1989 movie was just a bit farther.

“You take a corner, and all of a sudden you can see the light stanchions for the fields, and I literally got chills,” Gangl said. “I’m like, This is exactly why we’re doing this, to provide that moment of wow. You get those goosebumps. It’s like nothing I can fully explain as you drive up the first time.”

The fields Gangl referred to are the movie site, now a tourist attraction, and the nearby pop-up stadium that will host the “Field of Dreams” Game on Thursday between the White Sox and Yankees. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and other players from the 1919 Sox were featured in the movie. Hence, the Sox’ inclusion in the game. Fox will broadcast the game, and Gangl will direct.

“This game is not only gonna draw baseball fans, but fans of the movie and people who are just intrigued to see how they put a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield,” Gangl said.

Not just a baseball field, but a full-on TV production. Just as the stadium was built from scratch, the broadcast will be, too.

“There’s no obvious stadium infrastructure there. Everything’s being built,” said Judy Boyd, senior vice president of Fox Sports productions. “So you get some things as simple as how do we get a broadcast signal out of there. You’re working in a cornfield. It’s a testament to our tech side.”

Gangl said the broadcast was budgeted roughly to that of a division-series playoff game. The production crew will include just short of 30 manned cameras, a lot for a regular-season game. And because of the bare-bones stadium and remote location, Gangl said Fox will run thousands of feet of cables.

With only 8,000 seats available, the game is truly a made-for-TV event. Both Boyd and Gangl used the word “cinematic” to describe their plan for the broadcast. Gangl said he lost count of how many times he has watched “Field of Dreams,” trying to devise ways to incorporate the movie into the broadcast. The last time he was on site, Gangl visited the house where Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) lived.

“I’m thinking, What kind of shots could I use that take us the same paths that they did when [Kinsella] goes over and looks out the window to see the first time Ray Liotta, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson, is on the field,” Gangl said. “There’s fun stuff in the works.”

That includes keeping the aesthetics of the era. Boyd said Fox told MLB that it wanted hard advertising signage behind home plate as opposed to virtual or rotating signage. A crew will swap out the sign manually every inning. Fox also altered its graphics, which will have the appearance of an old-time scoreboard. But the network still will use the technology baseball viewers have become accustomed to.

“It is an interesting balance because everything we do as we move forward in sports television is advancing technology,” Gangl said. “More super slow-mo, more big lens, higher-speed camera. To me, it’s using those things in a way that is a little more cinematic than standard game coverage.

“As much as I love great tight shots, and we’ll find those emotion shots, but I think there’s gonna be a lot more resetting grander shots, sweeping motions, things that give us place and proximity of where this event is taking place.”

All that said, Fox knows there’s a game to cover. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. with a one-hour pregame show with host Kevin Burkhardt and analysts Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and White Sox Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. Tom Rinaldi also will be on site to deliver one of his fabled features. Joe Buck and John Smoltz will call the game, and Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will serve as reporters.

There will be surprises along the way, but Boyd said viewers can expect to see members of the “Field of Dreams” cast in some capacity, as well as Sox and Yankees players sharing their thoughts on the movie.

And if the last shot of the broadcast looks familiar, that’s because it probably will be.

“It’s that iconic shot,” Gangl said. “There’s the low shot where they’re in the field having a catch, and then it goes to that aerial where you see all the cars coming into the field. I think Dyersville in the background will be cool because I want to replicate that shot at the end of the night.

“There’s things that you want to pay homage to from the movie, and there are things that we can do that can bring some of those moments and memories from the movie to the game. I wanna try to take advantage of as many of those as you can.”

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Major League Baseball revealed the throwback-like custom uniforms the White Sox and Yankees will wear at next Thursday’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

The Sox will wear white jerseys with navy blue pinstripes and a throwback “SOX” logo on the front. The pinstriped caps will not have a logo on them.

The Yankees will sport gray jerseys with “New York” in navy blue lettering across the chest and the familiar “NY” logo on the caps.

The game will be played at 6:15 p.m. near the site where the famous Kevin Costner-James Earl Jones movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed. Fox-32 will broadcast the game.

MLB built a park with capacity for about 8,000 on the site. The game will be the first regular-season major-league game played in Iowa.

The game originally was scheduled for last year, but MLB postponed it to this season because of the coronavirus pandemic that shortened the 2020 season and limited travel for all teams.

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Rumor: Chicago Bulls may be in play for a Lamarcus Aldridge comeback by Ryan Heckman

Current Chicago Bears defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, was first hired as the defensive quality control coach in 2013 and then promoted to safeties coach in 2019. After eight seasons working as an assistant on the Bears coaching staff, Matt Nagy handed Desai the keys to the entire defense in what looks to be a make or break year for both Nagy and general manager, Ryan Pace. Ultimately, he was hired to restore the Chicago Bears defense back to its 2018 form.

To be frank, the offense and defense are on two different timetables going into this season. The offense simply needs to make progress. For Nagy and the offensive coaching staff, the goals are simple: not ranking in the bottom 10 for both passing and rushing, actually giving David Montgomery 20 carries a game, and developing Justin Fields.

However, Desai is under immense pressure to deliver an elite, top-5 defense in 2021. Ryan Pace has given him a surplus of talent at almost every position except in the secondary which has some young up-and-comers. If the Bears’ defense doesn’t play up to its potential, the blame will fall squarely on the shoulders of their defensive coordinator. Luckily, it seems that Desai is already on pace to deliver on the fans and front office’s high expectations.

Training camp is already showing why the Chicago Bears made an excellent hire in Sean Desai.

Bilal Nichols, an emerging star on the defensive line noted that under Desai the team has a whole new swagger about them, reminding him of the 2018 season (via Kevin Fishbain). This was great to hear from Nichols as the Bears need that 2018 magic to disrupt the NFC North and ruin the Packers’ “last dance.”

Other stories that we’ve heard come out of Halas Hall have highlighted that the defense definitely has their energy back. From the takeaway bucket to all the chirping they’re doing to the offense, and the whole crew coming back healthy, Sean Desai definitely has the respect of his guys. This was something that I could not always confidently say about his predecessor, Chuck Pagano.

Khalil Mack, the leader of the defense, also commented that Desai has some of those same qualities as his mentor, Vic Fangio. He added that Desai excels at understanding player strengths and knowing what positions he should be putting his players in to succeed (via Kevin Fishbain).

This would help explain why it was much easier for Desai to gain the respect of his players as they’ve not only gotten to know him as an assistant over the years but because they trust that he’ll be installing a system that every player on the defense will thrive playing in.

This was a sentiment that safety, Tashaun Gipson further echoed in his press conference, saying that Desai has been so trustworthy and accountable for the things he has preached and promises he’s made to put players in the right position. He added that his approach and attitude have energized the whole defense to play hard for him.

Related Story: Khalil Mack’s fiery take on his 2021 expectations

I am eager to see how this skill helps revitalize Robert Quinn this upcoming season. Robert Quinn is in a make-or-break year as the Bears could cut him without much penalty in 2022 if he doesn’t perform. He was better than the numbers showed last year but the Chicago Bears are going to need more than two sacks from their edge rusher opposite Khalil Mack.

Ultimately, 2021 is a big year for the Chicago Bears defense. With many aging veterans and emerging stars poised to seek large contract extensions next summer, the pressure on the defense to return to dominance is palpable. There was a lot of pressure on Matt Nagy to hire the right man to lead the charge on defense and so far it appears that he got it right with Sean Desai.

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TOKYO — Carl Lewis, the winner of nine gold medals in four Olympic Games, could not believe his eyes. He was at home Wednesday night in Houston watching the U.S. men’s 4×100-relay team melt down half a world away in the Olympic Stadium, and he simply could not contain his frustration.

“This was a football coach taking a team to the Super Bowl and losing 99-0 because they were completely ill-prepared,” Lewis said in a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports.

“It’s unacceptable. It’s so disheartening to see this because it’s people’s lives. We’re just playing games with people’s lives. That’s why I’m so upset. It’s totally avoidable. And America is sitting there rooting for the United States and then they have this clown show. I can’t take it anymore. It’s just unacceptable. It is not hard to do the relay.”

Moments after the Americans finished a stunning sixth in their preliminary heat in relay qualifying, failing to advance and eliminating their medal chances, Lewis took to Twitter:

“The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay,” he wrote. “The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership. It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw.”

Lewis, 60, the assistant track coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston, said he has been involved in recent years with U.S. relays due to the participation of UH athletes in the system.

“In track and field, the individualized part of it, every agent is down there, every person is down there talking (to the coaches), they want their guys to run, they’re all saying we’ve got to run six guys so they can all get a medal. The last thing they’re thinking about is coming across the line for the United States. It’s back to the same thing, selfish.”

After the American debacle, two members of the U.S. team spoke with the media in the mixed zone, according to USA TODAY Sport’s Tom Schad. Asked how much practice they had for the event as a group before the race, Fred Kerley, the second leg, said, “Don’t know,” and Ronnie Baker, the third leg, added, “Not much.”

Lewis focused on Baker, who had to run the turn in the track between the 200- and 300-meter mark, in his comments to USA TODAY Sports.

“I’ve never seen Ronnie Baker run a turn in my life,” Lewis said. “Go back and watch the third leg, look at him, he looks like he’s running on ice because he’s never run a turn. He doesn’t run the (individual) 200, so why is he running a turn when he never runs a turn?”

Said Lewis: “We’ve been talking about this forever. The relay program has been a disaster for years because there’s no leadership and no system. When I said everything is wrong, it is. If you break it down, people were in the wrong legs, obviously they were not taught how to pass the baton in those legs. Just simple things like that. I watched it. I’m not blaming the athletes so much. This was leadership.”

When asked if he’s ready to take over the U.S. relay program, Lewis laughed loudly. But he was not laughing about what he witnessed from Tokyo on his TV at home.

“I’m so frustrated because I’m so passionate about those three letters, USA,” Lewis said. “That’s why. I love my country. I love winning. That’s what gets me. How can we let the United States down so much in an unacceptable way like that?”

Read more at usatoday.com

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