Though he couldn’t attend the Field of Dreams Game on Thursday in Dyersville, Iowa, manager Tony La Russa was still able to watch with family. La Russa’s feelings about the event matched the sentiment across the rest of the country.

“Baseball really hit a grand slam,” La Russa said. “It turned out to be a game that you think would have been scripted on a Hollywood movie lot or something, it was amazing.”

The Field of Dreams game garnered close to 6 million television viewers, the highest for a regular season baseball game since 2005.

The dramatic finish with Tim Anderson’s walk-off home run into the corn and general energy at the game in Iowa provided a temporary shot of energy to the players. La Russa said they were overwhelmed by the excitement and buzz at the ballpark Thursday.

But coming back from that, La Russa wants his guys focusing on the rest of the series against the Yankees.

“It’s not going to help us today. If we’re still celebrating, we’ll probably lose an edge,” La Russa said. “Enjoy the moment and understand the goal is to win a series and we’re up one. Concentrate.”

Thursday night was not all positive. Liam Hendriks blew his sixth save of the season, giving up a pair of two-run homers to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Those brought his season total to 10 home runs allowed.

Hendriks has not given up 10 home runs in a season since 2013 with the Twins, but La Russa said the extra longballs are not a cause for concern.

“The facts are the facts, 10 home runs are 10 home runs, but usually there are times when he is challenging and the hitter won,” La Russa said. “The bigger the challenge, the more focused he is. Once in a while, maybe [he tries] to do too much, but he’s proven in clutch time he rises to the occasion.”

Vaughn handling full season

Andrew Vaughn was not in Saturday’s lineup, but his next appearance in a game will be his 100th of the season. That’s nearly twice as many as he played in 2019 in the minor leagues.

At the University of California, Vaughn played a total of 160 games across three seasons, so his workload this year is already far beyond anything he has done in college or the minors.

“He shows no signs of wearing down,” La Russa said. “His conditioning and his mind are so strong that he looks to me like opening day.”

La Russa said the decision to sit Vaughn Saturday was based on the fact that the Yankees had Jameson Taillon, a right-hander, on the mound Saturday. Vaughn has a 1.041 OPS against left-handed pitchers and a .679 against right-handers.

Sox homer leaders

Luis Robert’s first at-bat at Guaranteed Rate Field since his hip injury on May 2 came in the second inning Saturday, and he hit a 438 foot, game-tying blast to center field. That home run gave the White Sox 66 home runs since June 30, which leads baseball.

That’s a reversal from where they were the first three months of the season. From opening day to June 29, they had 72 home runs as a team, good for 28th in the league.

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Justin Fields was trending on Twitter the other day, and my duty as a Chicago sports columnist and as someone concerned with topics that most affect mankind compelled me to investigate further.

The first tweet, which included a video, read: Justin Fields completes a 5-yard out route. Bears fans: The footage was a riotous scene of fans storming a basketball court and mobbing the guy who had just hit a game-winning shot.

Nicely played. Possibly even totally accurate. But it’s very difficult to blame Bears fans for being out of control over the mere prospect of a talented rookie quarterback actually turning out to be, you know, good. And, truth be told, if there were a few media members rushing the court in our tweeter’s mocking video, it would have added further realism. There isn’t enough money in the world to make up for the pain and suffering sportswriters have endured while covering the Bears’ quarterback follies for the past 70 years.

So Saturday arrived, and to pretend that it was a day like any other would be silly. And I kind of feel silly writing that. But Fields, the Bears’ 2021 first-round draft pick, was making his NFL preseason debut. Would jubilant fans rush onto the Soldier Field grass to carry him off the field afterward?

It would have been hopeless. They never would have caught him.

The promise of Fields was on full display Saturday afternoon, even if it took awhile to arrive. One long run by the former Ohio State star was enough to further excite a fan base that, trust me, didn’t need any more caffeine. That run, a 21-yarder in the third quarter, had the effect of making the Dolphins’ defense very, very conscious of Fields’ ridiculous speed. And that awareness opened up the Bears’ pass game. Let him out the pocket at your own peril. Two plays later, Fields connected with a wide-open Jesse James on a 30-yard touchdown play.

And there it was. Everything every Bears fan had been living for since the April draft was right there. Two plays. It was more than enough.

Did it come against Miami’s second- and third-stringers? Listen, I know when to seek shelter from a tornado of hype and hope. What I can tell you, from the safety of my basement and far away from any windows, is that Fields looked good against the people on the other side of the line Saturday in a 20-13 victory.

By the way, putative Bears starting quarterback Andy Dalton also played in the game.

Fields completed 14 of 20 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 7.1 yards an attempt. He had a passer rating of 106.7. He scrambled for a touchdown. He had no interceptions but he did fumble once. All of that might strike some as being reminiscent of a good Mitch Trubisky outing but … that third-quarter run. Fields made Miami defenders look like they were standing still, and he didn’t seem to be running all that hard. Trubisky couldn’t do that, nor could many other human beings.

What was the speed of an NFL game like, Justin?

“It was actually kind of slow to me, to be honest,” he said.

That sound? It’s the rest of the league gulping.

It’s only a matter of time before Fields is the starter. The question is when coach Matt Nagy caves in to the inevitable. I can’t explain why every national TV analyst so very much wants Fields to start the Bears’ first regular-season game. I only know that they do and that, if Nagy doesn’t have the kid in the lineup against the Rams on Sept. 12, there’s a good chance he’ll be relieved of a limb, possibly two.

“I totally, totally understand all the buzz, all the excitement, and we feel it, too,” Nagy said.

Just know that there could be rocky moments ahead. There certainly were in the first half Saturday. When Fields went into the game with 12 minutes, 11 seconds left in the second quarter, Bears fans gave him a standing ovation. Let the record show that his first completion was for 1 yard to Damiere Byrd. That was followed by two false starts by teammates, a 9-yard completion and a punt. If you were looking for rhythm, you were in for a tough slog.

On Fields’ second series, he had a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage and two others deflected by defenders.

The third series started with a botched snap out of the shotgun, a near interception after a receiver tripped and a Fields fumble out of bounds after a 6-yard scramble.

Right after that, I tweeted a very solemn um, which, translated, meant, Haven’t we seen this before? You know, nudge, nudge, from Trubisky? But that was negative thinking, perhaps brought on by the lugging of the past.

The fourth series was a hint of things to come. The Bears got the ball back with 40 seconds left in the first half, meaning Fields would be able to work on his two-minute skills. A pass completion got the Bears a first down on second-and-3, which is noteworthy only if you think an offense getting its initial first down of the game just before halftime is noteworthy. But Fields had two more completions, including a 15-yarder, to help set up a field goal. Pretty good stuff. And he seemed profoundly calm, probably because he was.

“I was calm as can be,” he said.

Eventually, there was a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, which included the 21-yard run that carried so much freight.

If star-struck fans thought they were gazing upon the Second Coming of John Elway, it’s understandable and predictable. Historically, the Bears and quarterbacks haven’t been what would be called “a good match.” Maybe things are changing.

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If there has been one common theme for the Cubs this season, it’s relatively unknown players coming up and making an impact on the major league roster. First, it was Patrick Wisdom’s insane power surge that started the trend and most recently Rafael Ortega’s post All-Star break offensive breakout. But there’s another veteran trying to make a name for himself.

Frank Schwindel had the tall task of being the player to replace longtime first baseman Anthony Rizzo after the trade deadline. Schwindel, who was claimed off waivers from the A’s on July 18, hasn’t looked fazed in his brief stint with the Cubs and has started to show something.

“Obviously, nobody can replace him,” Schwindel said before Saturday’s game. “He’s obviously an unbelievable player. Gold Glove, All-Star and obviously, he’s one of the most liked guys in the city.

“I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily replacing him by any means. But I’m here and they’re putting me in the lineup. So I’m gonna do the best I can and hopefully the fans like me even half as much as him someday.”

Schwindel has had high-level success at the plate since joining the Cubs and over the last week has had a strong approach at the plate. The Cubs’ first baseman is slashing .395/.439/.737 with three homers and nine RBIs in 13 games with the Cubs. Two of his homers have come in two of his last three games.

“He’s put the barrel on the ball, which is definitely been an emphasis for me and things that we’re going to try to continue to grow at,” manager David Ross said. “I thought he’s done a really nice job of knowing what he does well. Being ready to hit. Playing an ok first base and fitting right in. He’s been in the middle of the order and come off the bench to pinch-hit.

“I think he’s been a real bright spot since he’s come up. Pretty consistent at-bat of being able to touch the baseball.”

Alzolay out, Megill in

The Cubs recalled right-hander Trevor Megill from Triple-A Iowa as right-hander Adbert Alzolay went on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Megill has a 13.50 ERA in 12 games this season.

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The Bud Billiken Parade, a beloved end of summer and back-to-school tradition, returned to Bronzeville Saturday after one-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of Black Chicagoans of all ages lined a shortened parade route through the South Side neighborhood to watch the city’s youth put their talents on display under a scorching sun.

Adults tried to beat the summer heat by lounging in lawn chairs under shady trees, umbrellas and tents, while children slurped their snow cones out of styrofoam cups as the sound of drums, music and the crowd’s cheers echoed down the streets.

“For me, it’s just the music, the bands, the groove,” Stephanie Hall said as she bounced to the beat. “… [Some people] might be from 79th [street], they might be from 87th, from 51st — we don’t know each other. We all are here to have a good time. That’s what I like.”

The Bud Billiken Parade, the oldest and largest African American parade in the nation which has been going on for more than 90 years, is a must-attend event for many Black Chicagoans, who have passed the tradition down from generation to generation.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a baby, and I just keep the family tradition going,” Tiny Reed said. “This means a lot to me.”

Similar to Reed, Darren Mayo said he’s been coming to the annual parade for as long as he can remember.

“I still try to come for my nephew to try to show them the tradition that my grandparents showed me,” Mayo said.

His favorite “Bud” memory took place in the 1980s as a kid living in the nearby Robert Taylor Homes, a former public housing project. He recalled seeing then-Mayor Harold Washington waving, smiling and pointing while sitting in a convertible.

“As a young kid, we very rarely got to see certain people until things like this, and that’s what made it very special,” Mayo said. “That’s why I still come now today… I’m glad they still do it as well, ’cause without this, there wouldn’t be nothing.”

On his 15th year attending the parade, Michael Strong said “the environment, the music, the dancing, and the kids” is what keeps him coming back.

“Everybody’s happy out here it seems,” he said alongside his 3-year-old son. “It’s beautiful, it’s a good thing.”

Some people staked out their spots more than five hours before the event, with several groups using paper streamers or string to rope off their space out of an abundance of caution with the Delta variant of the coronavirus raging on.

Parade goers cheer during the Bud Billiken Parade in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Even with the social distancing, many still felt an overwhelming sense of community.

“I’m just happy to see everybody together like this and it’s all love, with no drama — that’s what it’s all about,” said Keke Burch, who came from Lake County with Strong and their son. “When everybody comes together like this, and it’s all love, good vibes, good energy, everyone vibrating at a great, higher frequency.”

Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker, the grand marshal of this year’s parade and festival, rode on a Wintrust Bank float for most of the parade, though she had to duck out early for practice, parade president and CEO Myiti Sengstacke-Rice said.

Other notable attendees included Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois.

The 74-year-old congressman, who first marched in the “Bud” as part of the Boy Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps when he was 11, said the parade remains as exciting as it was when he was a youngster.

“I’m just as thrilled to be a part of Bud Billiken today as I was then,” Rush said.

Everyone rejoiced for the parade and festival’s return after the pandemic canceled it last year, though some were disappointed in the decision to shorten the route, with some putting the blame on Lightfoot.

“They cut it 10 blocks, but they didn’t cut Lollapalooza,” Reed said. “They let it go for [four] damn days.”

Sengstacke-Rice said she understood the frustrations over the condensed event by some, but chose to look at the bright side: “At least we had an event because a lot of people had to cancel, but we were able to still have an event,” she said.

Overall, she considered the day a success.

“We had a great time, I’m OK with it,” Sengstacke-Rice said. “And we’ll come back bigger and better next year.”

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Good thing for Bears coach Matt Nagy that he already declared his Week 1 starter two months ago. Otherwise, it’d be awfully stressful trying to figure out what to do with rookie Justin Fields after a sensational preseason debut in which ran and threw all over the place. And made football fun again in Chicago.

Picture a delay-of-game flag on the first play of the opener as he keeps wrestling with whether it should be Fields or Andy Dalton.

But Nagy says he’ll stick with Dalton regardless of Fields completing 14 of 20 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown pass and racing for an 8-yard score against the Dolphins. He stumbled by being a little too loose with ball security on a scramble and firing a near-interception over the middle, but there was more than enough good to suggest he could be ready by Sept. 12 against the Rams.

And the truth is, the Bears need him to be. Given their ongoing offensive line problems, escaping from a collapsing pocket is a critical part of the job description of Bears starting quarterback. Fields has that ability. It’s hard to see how Dalton can function in that setting.

Fields’ touchdown run with 9:45 left in the third quarter was the materialization of everything the Bears imagined when they traded up to draft him No. 11 overall. As the blocking faltered on his blindside, Fields scanned the secondary right to left, sensed the pressure and calmly maneuvered through it — rather than panic and run away from it — for a clear path to the end zone.

Getting a glimpse of that talent and then waiting indefinitely to see it in a real game is going to be excruciating. All the excitement of finally seeing world-class athleticism at quarterback for the Bears is doused by the reality that Nagy won’t reconsider. With nearly a month for Fields to keep progressing, it’s not even on the table for him to start the opener.

The better Fields performs, the more it feels like the Bears are just waiting for waiting’s sake.

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Justin Fields rolled right, looked back across the field and saw Jesse James with no one around him. The Bears’ rookie quarterback stopped and flicked the ball 24 yards in the air toward the tight end, who was so open when he caught the ball that he moonwalked six yards into the end zone.

Bears fans, watching a game at Soldier Field for the first time since the end of the 2019 season, roared with approval at the 30-yard touchdown.

So did LeBron James.

“Justin Fields is so SPECIAL man!!” the Lakers star tweeted a minute later. “Keep going young [king].”

The world’s greatest basketball player — a lifelong fan of Ohio State, where Fields shined before the Bears drafted him — used a crown emoji instead of the word king. Saturday’s exhibition game wasn’t a coronation — it was merely a 20-13 exhibition win against the Dolphins at Soldier Field. But Fields made the Bears relevant on a live NFL Network broadcast that was only put in place because of national interest in the young quarterback.

It was enough to dream on — even if it was against the Dolphins’ second- and third-stringers.

The touchdown pass will lead the Fields highlight reel, followed closely by the nine-yard touchdown run in which Fields looked left, saw his tight end fall down, stepped behind rushing linebacker Tyshun Render like a boxer avoiding a punch and sprinted left for a score.

What will be forgotten — but shouldn’t — is his struggles up to that point. In Fields’ first nine plays at quarterback, the Bears gained a total of one yard.

Fields’ first drive was short-circuited by back-to-back false start penalties — welcome to the Bears, kid — and his second featured three-straight incompletions.

The third possession was borderline disastrous. On first down, center Sam Mustipher snapped a ground ball to Fields for a loss of two. After Fields threw an incompletion, he decided to roll left on third-and-12. Rather than run out of bounds, Fields ran toward cornerback Nik Needham and, just before he was hit, turned his back. Fields fumbled. The Bears were lucky it rolled out of bounds. The play was similar to the Clemson hit that Fields took in the national semifinal and lamented during training camp. He vowed not to take a hit like that again.

When the Bears got the ball back at their own 23 with 45 seconds left in the first half, they decided to let Fields throw against a prevent defense. That did the trick to get him unlocked. After getting, alarmingly, the Bears’ first first down of the game, Fields marched a total of 42 yards over seven plays to set up a 53-yard Cairo Santos field goal.

That momentum lasted throughout the halftime break. It took Fields eight plays to go 77 yards and score to start the second half — a drive capped by his touchdown run. The next drive — which went 70 yards over seven plays — ended in his touchdown pass to Jesse James,

His final drive began at the Bears’ 2-yard line. It ended three plays and eight yards later, 14 seconds into the fourth quarter. Fields sat down after completing 14-of-20 passes for 142 yards and running five times for 33 yards.

Andy Dalton, whom coach Matt Nagy anointed the starter months ago, was uninspiring. He completed 2-of-4 passes for 18 yards and handed off twice during two possessions.

Fields took the Field early in the second quarter after DeAndre Houston-Carson intercepted Tua Tagovailoa’s pass intended for former Bears tight end Adam Shaheen at the 1. Bears fans welcomed Fields with a standing ovation. Two plays later, as the Bears walked to the line of scrimmage on third down, they chanted “Let’s go, Feeee-ulds!” By the end,

After replacing Fields, third-stringer Nick Foles was booed after his second play and again after his third — both incompletions — by fans who didn’t have the chance to do so last year.

The Bears trailed 13-0 in the second quarter but scored the game’s final 20 points.

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With their season now focused on learning and development, the final two months of the 2020 season were going to be important for players like right-hander Adbert Alzolay. But the latest news was not what the Cubs wanted to hear.

The Cubs put Alzolay on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a left hamstring strain he suffered in Friday’s loss to the Marlins. The Cubs’ starter felt the discomfort in the second inning and after throwing a pitch, he called for the team’s training staff.

While Alzolay ran the bases in the half inning prior to him getting injured, manager David Ross says the injury occurred while he was pitching. The team is calling Alzolay’s hamstring strain mild, but there is no timeline line for his return to the team’s rotation at this point.

Alzolay’s injury is a disappointing event in what is a big season for both him and the Cubs. The right-hander has had some ups-and-downs this season, but has shown flashes of success throughout. He is 4-13 with a 5.16 ERA this season.

The team recalled right-hander Trevor Megill from Triple-A to take Alzolay’s place on the 26-man roster.

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