Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has advised Blues wonderkid Estevao Willian to "relax" amid comparisons with legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian teenager is off to a bright start in his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge, with his latest stellar display coming in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League.

• Getty
  

  Estevao outshined Yamal in battle of wonderkids

  Comparisons were also being drawn between Blaugrana sensation Lamine Yamal and Estevao ahead of the clash as two of the brightest prospects in European football came face to face.

  As the match ended at Stamford Bridge, Estevao emerged as the clear winner as he starred with a goal in the Premier League giants' massive 3-0 win over the La Liga club. The Brazilian teenager doubled his team's lead at the start of the second half after Jule Kounde's own goal handed them the lead. Liam Delap then scored a third to seal a memorable win for Maresca's team. Estevao had a terrific outing on the night as Yamal was kept silent. 

  The 18-year-old also matched Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe's record in Europe as he became the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Estevao needs to relax'

  The 18-year-old's mesmerising form for club and country has already prompted comparisons to football legends Messi and Ronaldo, but Maresca has issued a warning to the youngster. After the Barcelona clash, the Italian coach told reporters: "Estevao needs to relax. He needs to enjoy, he needs [training] sessions. He needs to play football. Him, Lamine, they are so young, 18, that if you start to talk about Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think it is too much pressure for young boys like them. They need to enjoy, arrive at the training ground, happy, session. When you start to compare with Messi or Ronaldo, I think it is too much for them."

  Reacting to his own performance, Estevao said: "I don't really have any words to sum up how I am feeling. It was all very quick for me. I found some space and wiggled my way through. I hope I keep scoring for many more years. It really was the perfect night. [My goal] was such a special moment for me in my career. From the moment I arrived here, I felt such a connection with the fans. I'm just so happy I could score for them and make them happy."

• 'Most important thing' for Estevao

  Maresca also shared some valuable advice for Estevao before the game, as he said: "Estevao is already playing a high level, starting already with Brazil. For sure, he is very young, for sure, he can do many things better, but we are very happy with him. Now, for me, it's more or less the same thing I said about Pedri, it is nice for people who love football to watch players like Estevao, Lamine Yamal, Pedri – this is the beauty of football. We are happy Estevao is with us and for sure he is going to do well. He is going to be an important player for sure for this club, no doubt. The most important thing for Estevao is that he has to enjoy fully, he has to be happy, and not think about being better than this player or another player, but only think about himself and try to be a better than himself day by day, try to work hard, improve and for sure he is going to be a top player for this club."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  Arsenal challenge in front of Blues

  Chelsea cannot afford to be complacent after the dominating performance in Europe as they next face Arsenal in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash. After City dropped points in their last game against Newcastle, Maresca's side climbed to second in the table. They will now aim to beat the Gunners at home to reduce their gap to the leaders to just three points.

Big picture – Bumrah returns

While ODI series had relatively little meaning other than both teams taking some early steps on the road to the 2027 World Cup, the five-match T20I series beginning in Canberra on Wednesday night is of far greater significance for the near term.The No. 1 and 2 teams in the world face off in the final throws of their preparations for February’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The conditions will bear no relevance, but the chance for each side to test themselves and their game style against each other so close to a World Cup will be highly beneficial to both teams.India are unequivocally the No.1 team in the world. The reigning World Cup winners stormed to the Asia Cup title without being defeated and they were only run close once by Sri Lanka in the Super Fours and to an extent by Pakistan in the final. They have lost just three matches since winning the World Cup in 2024 and have arguably become an even stronger and more dynamic group with an influx of young IPL talent under Suryakumar Yadav.Related

• Frustrated Short looks to make most of India opportunity

• Shreyas Iyer 'on the road to recovery' after laceration to spleen

Jasprit Bumrah returns after being rested for the ODI series and will likely enjoy the early season conditions in Australia given his exploits with the red and pink balls down under last summer. One challenge facing India will be how to best balance the XI in Australian conditions, something they struggled with in the ODIs, having won the Asia with a spin-heavy team in spin-friendly conditions.Meanwhile, Australia have turned over a new leaf since their disappointing exit from the 2024 World Cup at the hands of India. Back-to-back mediocre showings in the 2022 and 2024 editions force a rethink from Australia’s hierarchy about their approach. The results have been spectacular since going to an all-out power-hitting method of playing under Mitchell Marsh. They have lost just two of their last 20 T20Is on the back of some electric batting led by Marsh, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Tim David, Mitchell Owen and Glenn Maxwell. They are without Green against India as he prepares for the Ashes but Marcus Stoinis and Matt Short fill the breach.”There has been a shift,” coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday in Canberra.”We’re 11 games in now from the initial conversation. When we set out on this journey, we’d failed in a couple of World Cups previously, so we wanted to shift and stretch the boundaries on what we thought we could do.”So yeah, we have been more aggressive, we’ve played people in different positions. Tim David has batted a little bit higher than previously.”Our admission was that we haven’t been successful in a couple of campaigns. We’ve got to change things up. We’ve got to stretch ourselves.”Is it the style that can win a World Cup? We believe so. Will we have to pivot and nuance it slightly, depending on whether we’re in Colombo or Delhi or Kolkata? There’s no doubt about that.”In the short term they get to test their new style against the best team on the planet.”You’re playing against India, so it’s a really good test on whether this style will hold up,” McDonald said. “They’re the number-one ranked team in the world, I think we’re number two. We’re excited to test ourselves against the best.

Form guide

Australia WWWLW
India WWWWWSuryakumar Yadav’s form has been a worry•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Matthew Kuhnemann and Suryakumar Yadav

In any Australian white-ball team, Adam Zampa is the first name written on the team sheet and the rest are selected from there. For the first time since the 2023 tour of India, where Australia picked a second XI post their ODI World Cup triumph, Zampa won’t be in an Australian T20I XI having played every game in the past two years. He will miss the entire series for paternity reasons. It presents a great opportunity for Matthew Kuhnemann, who has played just one of Australia’s last 16 T20Is despite being in every squad. Australia want the option of playing two spinners in the same XI in the World Cup, particularly in Sri Lanka. Kuhnemann can lock himself into the final 15 with a good series against some of the best spin-hitters in the world that will put him under severe pressure.Suryakumar Yadav’s fall from being the No.1 ranked T20I batter in the world in the first half of 2024 to struggling for runs in 2025 has been startling. He has not scored a half-century in his last 14 innings and has averaged 10.50 and struck at just 100.80 in that time. How or why is somewhat of a mystery given he had an outstanding IPL earlier this year as the second leading runscorer across the tournament with five half-centuries at a strike rate of 167.91. It seems incomprehensible that he wouldn’t be a key pillar in India’s top four heading into the World Cup but he would love some runs against Australia to ease any pressure he might be feeling.

Team news: Inglis back, Short out, India to add pace options

Matthew Short’s hopes of bedding down his spot in the T20I side have taken another blow after he had surgery on the cut he sustained on his finger in the second ODI in Adelaide. He will remain with the squad but will be unavailable until the wound heals. Inglis missed the entire T20I tour of New Zealand and the ODI series against India with a calf strain that has taken some time to get right. He has been ramping up the intensity of his running since rejoining the squad in Sydney and looks set to return to the line-up. He will likely return at No.3 where he has had great success. How Australia structure their middle order remains to be seen as Glenn Maxwell does not return until game three. They are thin for options with backup keeper Josh Philippe set to play as a batter in Canberra while Ben McDermott has been called into the squad as extra cover. Australia do not have Ben Dwarshuis for the opening three T20Is due to a calf issue.Australia (possible): 1 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Tim David, 5 Josh Philippe, 6 Mitch Owen, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Sean Abbott/Xavier Bartlett, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Matt Kuhnemann, 11 Josh HazlewoodIndia had a spin-heavy line-up in their last T20I outing in the Asia Cup final but will likely add some pace to their attack for the five matches in Australia. Arshdeep Singh is almost certain to return alongside Jasprit Bumrah but Harshit Rana may also come into the mix after his career-best ODI performance in Sydney on Saturday. If those two are added, then Shivam Dube could miss out. Nitish Kumar Reddy is fit again after missing the final ODI with a left quad issue and could be an allround seam-bowling option if needed.India (possible): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shivam Dube/Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

It is expected to be cool in Canberra on Wednesday with a medium chance of showers during the day but the evening is expected to be clear and a full game is expected. Manuka Oval has tended to be a lower scoring ground in men’s T20I and BBL cricket with spin playing a role and the boundaries being large.

Stats and trivia

• There have been five men’s T20Is in Canberra, with the most recent in 2022, with the record split 2-2 between defending and chasing teams
• India won their only T20I in Canberra against Australia in 2020, defending 161
• Suryakumar’s streak of 14 T20Is without a half-century is the longest of his career
• Australia have not beaten India in a T20I series in Australia since 2008

Quotes

“The opportunity to play in front of sold out crowds in pretty much all three one-day games, and what’s looking like the next five T20 games, it’s fantastic. I think building into the World Cup, where there’s going to be big crowds and perceived pressure, it can only be beneficial for us.”
“I have had good few sessions back home, good two to three sessions here, so I am in a good space. I think that is really important. Runs… it will come eventually but I think working hard towards the team goal, it’s more important what team wants from you in different situations and I take it one game at a time. If it starts, then I think it will be a good thing.”

Both teams went through the Qualifier, and have a 2-2 record against each other in the last four matches

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Oct-20252:16

Will Pakistan improve their poor record at the World Cup?

Big picture: Bangladesh’s first ODI in five monthsIn the last four ODI meetings between Bangladesh and Pakistan, both sides have won two matches each. To underscore just how evenly matched they seem to be, one of those Bangladesh wins went into a Super Over. These teams also trod similar paths to this World Cup, having played in the World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan, earlier this year. When they met in Lahore, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin and Aliya Riyaz had all contributed in a successful chase of 179.And it is those three batters that shape as a significant strength for Pakistan, as they enter the World Cup proper. All three are in decent touch, having also contributed good scores in the series against South Africa – Amin hit two hundreds – over the past two weeks. Amin, in fact, is the fifth-highest scorer in ODIs this year, averaging 86.33 in this format, though at a relatively sedate strike rate of 70.95. Muneeba, meanwhile, averages 43 across eight innings this year, and Riaz 50 across seven. Many of those runs came against lower-ranked opposition in the Qualifier, however. Thus, they must now dust off similar performances at the pinnacle event.Bangladesh, meanwhile, enter the World Cup perhaps wondering if they are a little underdone. They have had no ODI cricket since that final in Lahore, more than five months ago, in April. Although they beat Ireland 3-0 at home at the end of last year, and comfortably saw off Scotland, Thailand and Ireland at the Qualifier, they lost two matches out of three against West Indies before that.Related

Devine lauds NZ's fighting spirit on 'physically and mentally draining' day

Gardner upstages Devine as Australia kick off with a win

Through loss and leadership, Fatima Sana finds her way forward

Bangladesh Women's coach suffers minor stroke at World Cup

Bangladesh’s traditional strength has been their bowling, but they also feel they have some batting depth this year. In addition to Nigar Sultana, who has been consistent for some time, they have also been getting contributions from top-order batter Sharmin Akhter, who averages 50.85 across eight innings this year.Sultana’s team does have an additional trial this World Cup, however. Their coach Sarwar Imran suffered a minor stroke in Colombo on Monday. Sultana said he was on the path to recovery, and that she had spoken to him on Tuesday. But his focus will be on recovery for the foreseeable future.Form guide
Pakistan: WLLWW
Bangladesh: LLWWW2:30

Sultana: Batting has been our main concern

In the spotlight: Nigar Sultana and Fatima SanaHer team has crept in under the radar into this World Cup, but Nigar Sultana is having a rich year with the bat so far. In eight innings in 2025, she has four fifty-plus scores, including a 101 off 80 balls against Thailand in the World Cup Qualifier. Sultana didn’t quite get going in the warm-up matches in Colombo, but Bangladesh will likely need runs from their captain if they are to make headway in this tournament.All things considered, Fatima Sana has a tough job over the next week in particular. But she has got one major thing going for her – bowling form. She has 12 wickets at an average of 23.75 in 2025, with an economy rate of 4.92. Sana had been modest in the series at home against South Africa, but bounced back strongly in the warm-ups in Colombo (where Pakistan play all their matches), returning figures of 1 for 30 and 1 for 21, in addition to hitting 64 against South Africa.Pitch and conditions: Expect moisture in the pitchThe match surfaces at Khettarama haven’t been tried yet. But given the amount of rain around in the week before this match – the monsoon might be starting – expect a little moisture in the surface early. Showers could interrupt, but the general trend in the last few weeks is that the rain passes quickly, which should allow for a match, however shortened, to take place.Against Bangladesh, Pakistan could promote Sidra Amin up the order•Associated Press

Team newsBangladesh tried various combinations in the warm-ups. If they decide they want a second frontline seamer, Fariha Trisna might be the option they go for.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Farqana Hoque, 2 Rubya Haider, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Sobhana Mostary, 5 Nigar Sultana (capt, wk), 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Sumaiya Akter, 8 Fahima Khatun, 9 Jannatul Ferdus, 10 Rabeya Khan, 11 Marufa AkterPakistan won their most recent ODI, against South Africa last week. They might go with the same XI, although there could be a promotion up the order for Sidra Amin.Pakistan (possible): 1 Muneeba Ali, 2 Omaima Sohail, 3 Sidra Amin, 4 Fatima Sana (capt), 5 Natalia Pervaiz, 6 Eyman Fatima, 7 Sidra Khan (wk), 8 Syeda Aroob Shah, 9 Diana Baig, 10 Rameen Shamim, 11 Nashra SandhuStats and trivia Nigar Sultana has played more ODIs against Pakistan (11) than against any other opposition aside from South Africa. She has two half-centuries in ten innings against Pakistan. Bangladesh and Pakistan have won exactly eight ODIs against each other. Sana has played 49 ODIs, but this will be her first in Sri Lanka.Quotes”Recently, our coach Junaid has worked on reverse swing with me and Diana Baig. We will try to stick to what worked at the Qualifiers for us. We were successful in the Qualifiers because we had picked up wickets in the middle overs.”
“For a long time, our batting has been the main concern. The bowlers have been spot on every game, and the fielders was also doing well. We talked about it. We have the potential – why aren’t we able to capitalise and go for big innings? We’ve been working hard as a batting unit. We’ve been focusing on the strike rates.”

The stage for the 2025 World Series is officially set after the Blue Jays took down the Mariners in an enthralling ALCS Game 7 at the Rogers Centre. Now, Toronto will host the Dodgers on Friday for Game 1 of the World Series, the first time the franchise has played in the Fall Classic since 1993.

The Blue Jays joined some rare company in MLB history after reaching the World Series despite losing the first two games at home in a best-of-seven series. Prior to the 2025 Jays, only three teams had ever accomplished that type of comeback––the Yankees in the 1996 World Series, the Mets in the '86 World Series, and the Royals in the '85 World Series.

Interestingly enough, Toronto and Los Angeles were the final two contenders in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes in the 2023 offseason. Now, just two years later, Ohtani will be looking to break the hearts of Blue Jays fans all over again.

There's star power on both teams. The Dodgers, of course, are loaded with talent, including four former MVPs in Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw. Their rotation has been outstanding in the postseason as the team looks to defend its title, and though the bullpen is a cause for concern, it's held its own thus far into the playoff run. Los Angeles is pretty heavily favored heading into the series, but it will have to be at its best to handle a Blue Jays team that has plenty of fight.

As for Toronto, there's perhaps no hotter hitter in baseball at present than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has already belted six home runs in the postseason while sporting a batting average over .400. He and Game 7 hero George Springer will lead the charge for the Blue Jays as they look to bring home the franchise's first World Series title since 1993.

Let's make some bold predictions for this year's World Series matchup.

Shohei Ohtani will become sixth player to win MVP and World Series MVP in same season

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras teve, pela primeira vez, uma escalação montada por Abel Ferreira com Endrick, Estêvão e Luis Guilherme atuando juntos. O trio começou como titular no empate diante do San Lorenzo, na quinta-feira (30), pela Libertadores.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

A escalação dos garotos da base juntos era algo muito desejado pela torcida alviverde. Segundo o treinador palmeirense, esse foi justamente o motivo de escalá-los, em vez de pensar no que seria melhor para o time.

— Se calhar aí, fui mais a procura daquilo que era melhor para todos verem os três em campo, do que o melhor para a equipe. Sinceramente. Não há dúvida nenhuma da qualidade, todos gostam de jogar do lado esquerdo. O próprio Endrick, quando entra de centroavante, ele passa a ocupar a zona do Veiga. Tirei o Veiga para por um centroavante e ter o Endrick mais atrás para ter chegada. Acima de tudo, estou feliz em pertencer a uma equipe jovem, que luta com objetivos de ser campeão e formam jogadores. Não é fácil – afirmou.

continua após a publicidade

Abel Ferreira também explicou os pontos positivos e negativos de escalar Endrick, Estêvão e Luis Guilherme no Palmeiras. Ainda de acordo com o técnico, embora sejam avançados tecnicamente, eles ainda estão em processo de formação.

— Foi uma decisão difícil meter os três. Eles tem muita qualidade. Nos dão umas coisas, mas em determinado momento do jogo vão precisar dessa maturidade competitiva que ainda não têm. Mas entendi que deveria fazer. Ganhamos umas coisas, perdemos outras. São jogadores que nos dão irreverência, ainda estão no processo de formação competitiva e como homens. Dois deles ainda não têm idade adulta. Foi uma decisão difícil. Mas tinham muitas pessoas que queriam os ver juntos – disse.

continua após a publicidade

Os três são os expoentes do projeto de revelações de jogadores do Verdão e se destacaram nas categorias inferiores. Abel Ferreira, inclusive, foi quem subiu Endrick, Estêvão e Luis Guilherme para o time profissional do Palmeias.

Referência na base, Endrick se despediu no Allianz Parque, contra o San Lorenzo, e está a caminho do Real Madrid. Estêvão caminha para fechar negócio com o Chelsea e Luis Guilherme desperta interesse de europeus. Todas as transferências orbitam em valores muito acima da média em relação ao mercado brasileiro, e a eles chegaram a ser chamados de “Geração do bilhão”.

Tudo sobre

Abel FerreiraEndrickLibertadoresPalmeirasStar +

تقدم فريق الكرة بـ الزمالك بالهدفين الثاني والثالث أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الرابطة.

ويلعب الزمالك ضد كهرباء الإسماعيلية، اليوم ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية، على أرضية ملعب استاد المقاولون العرب.

طالع.. فيديو | عمرو ناصر يسجل هدف الزمالك الأول أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية

وتقام منافسات بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية في نسختها الخامسة، بعد أن أقيمت 4 نسخ من قبل، توج بها فيوتشر في المرة الأولى وسيراميكا كليوباترا حصل عليها 3 مرات متتالية.

وأحرز أحمد شريف هدف الزمالك الثاني في الدقيقة 46، من تصويبة قوية خارج منطقة جزاء كهرباء الإسماعيلية سكنت المرمى مباشرة. هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في كأس الرابطة

وأضاف آدم كايد الهدف الثالث لصالح الزمالك، بعد تصويبة داخل منطقة الجزاء وتستقر في الشباك. هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في كأس الرابطة

بينما جاء هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الأول بعد تمريرة طولية واستلام من محمد شيكا الذي سدد الكرة من داخل منطقة الجزاء وتسكن مرمى الزمالك. هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الأول أمام الزمالك في كأس الرابطة

The World Series opens Friday with an updated version of in play, the role of Roy Hobbs, the mysterious slugger-pitcher from somewhere in Middle America, being reprised by a muscular manchild from Japan. The mythic contours of the game—baseball as our spiritual sports obsession—have rarely been more in evidence than in the chimerical (one could almost say comical) versatility of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, who is scheduled to get at least one pitching start against the Toronto Blue Jays and expected to blast at least one seamed orb out of the confines of either Dodger Stadium or the Rogers Centre.

, from 1984, was just one of five baseball films—all successful and well-executed in their own ways—that emerged from the diamond-deep decade of the 1980s. Its mythic cousin is (1989), whose rewatches still have grown men weeping at the sight of long-dead ballplayers emerging from cornfields looking for a game of catch. (1988) and (1989) were somewhat polar opposites, the former a John Sayles-directed account (fairly accurate) of the World Series scandal of 1919, the latter a raucous comedy with a cover of the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” as its musical heartbeat and the voice of the immortal Bob Uecker intoning “Just a bit outside” after a pitch from Charlie Sheen’s character threatened to leave the zip code.

But , from 1988, was the best of the lot, smartly touching all the bases of the others—myth, low locker-room humor, superstition, baseball lore—and covering them with a layer of grit thanks to writer-director Ron Shelton, who lived the minor league life for five years, and, as a middle infielder for the Class A Stockton Ports, co-led the California League with 29 doubles in 1969. You can look it up.

And now has resurfaced as both a musical and a meta enterprise, trying to make it to The Show, in this case Broadway, just as Shelton’s protagonists were doing back in Durham, North Carolina. is in a one-month run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, N.J., a stop-off for shows that sometimes make it to the Great White Way. (The final performance is Nov. 2, a day after a scheduled Game 7 of the World Series.) The 80-year-old Shelton could be resting comfortably on the laurels (and royalties) of the movie version, as well as (1992) and (1996), among other films and shows he either wrote, directed or did both. But Shelton is no lollygagger. You can’t take the minor league ethos out of the man, the eternal battle to strive and succeed, to get to The Show, just as his fictional creations, Crash Davis and Eby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh, were doing in the movie version of .

”I never dreamed that 37 years after the movie, I’d be working on something related to ,” Shelton said by Zoom from an apartment near Los Angeles. (He and his wife, the actress Lolita Davidovich, lost their home in the Palisades Fire in January.) “But it’s an honor. There is something, of course, in the idea that baseball is at the heart of America, this collective Church of Baseball, [the title of both a song from the musical and a book Shelton wrote about getting to the screen] something that makes it timeless, mythic.”

Shelton has a perfect double-play partner in the person of Susan Werner, a multi-talented singer-songwriter (and guitar player and pianist) who wrote the music and lyrics. Werner’s fervid cult following does not come from baseball, but the producers reached out to her because she weaves a story with virtually every song she writes going back to her small-venue roots in the early 1990s. She is perfect for in that she’s a major league talent, who, in terms of general name recognition, still plays in the minors.

Plus, she has kind of background. Growing up on a farm in Iowa, “I was the girl throwing the tennis ball against the base of the barn,” says Werner. “I played softball with my cousins in the cornfield. It was about as wholesome as you could get, and when this opportunity came along it just felt to me like big, sloppy, honest American fun. It felt .”

From time to time Werner would reach out to Shelton for a brief outline she needed to complete a song. “I would ask Ron, ‘Hey, what would Nuke say in this situation,’ and I’d get back an email with language so specific that it was easy to transform it into lyrics,” says Werner. But much of the baseball namechecking came from her own knowledge of the game. “And by the end of the first week he’s giving in,” sings Annie Savoy, the Susan Sarandon character played charmingly in the musical by theater veteran Carmen (no relation to John) Cusack, “and by the end of September he’s Tony Gwynn.”

Several tweaks and updates keep the material fresh, such as Annie now embracing analytics and Bill James, along with Emily Dickinson, William Blake and in-season coitus. Still, making it to Broadway will be no base on balls in the park. The success of the movie ( made about $50 million on a budget of about $9 million) will help, of course, as will some of its still-familiar touchstones. (Alas, the bathtub scene between Annie and Crash is gone.) And if it won’t be an easy ride, well, Shelton is accustomed to bumpy ones, aside from those he took on buses as a minor league infielder trying to get promoted in an organization with players like Brooks Robinson, Davey Johnson, Mark Belanger and Bobby Grich in front of him. If there’s a villain in it’s The Organization, which strangles the dreams of players like Crash while wringing everything it can get out of them, but Shelton has mostly fond memories of the Orioles of the late 1960s. (“The best organization in baseball,” he says.) It took years off his life to get made and it never would’ve reached the screen, says Shelton, had Kevin Costner not been a smash in , which convinced Orion Studios that Costner, as Crash, could carry a movie. That’s Hollywood: A film about a Russian spy and a D.C. murder greenlights a film about minor league baseball.

The best thing that Durham has going for it is a certain timeless quality. If it ever leans toward sentimentality, there is Crash to say “Shut up” when the batboy tells him to get a hit. And if it ever gets too cynical, there is coach Larry Hockett visiting the mound to remind everyone that “Candlesticks always make a nice gift,” a moment preserved, needless to say, in the musical.

Back in the real world, the 2025 World Series may well be defined by the Ruthian presence of Ohtani, who need only tear the cover off a ball to reach the mythical status of Roy Hobbs. But we can also expect those other moments that tie us to the past. Photos and videos of 3-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr., now the Blue Jays starting first baseman, for example, playing ball with his Hall of Fame father. Or comparisons of Toronto’s DH/outfielder George Springer’s hitting heroics to those of Joe Carter Jr., who 32 Octobers past sent a pitch from Philadelphia’s Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams into the left field bleachers, a three-run walkoff dinger that gave the Blue Jays their second straight World Series title.

They haven’t been back since and now they’re here, staring into the smiling face and terrifying batting stance and pitching arm of Ohtani. We like the idea of baseball as a continuum, a preserver of our history, and here’s hoping that , with its pitch-perfect sense of the sublime and the ridiculous, can make it to The Show.

Michael Neser has been added to the squad, and Brendan Doggett could be closing in on a Test debut in Perth

Andrew McGlashan15-Nov-2025Australia have suffered a huge blow ahead of the Ashes, with Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the opening Test in Perth with a hamstring injury three days after initially being cleared when he left the field during New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game against Victoria at the SCG.Hazlewood will not travel to Perth this weekend, and Queensland seamer Michael Neser has been added to the squad, which has also lost Sean Abbott to a hamstring injury.Related

Hazlewood suffers Achilles soreness during hamstring rehab

Doggett awaits his day as Perth Test debut looms into view

Pope hopes No.3 scrutiny can bring out his best for Ashes

Will Australia's pitches be juicy for the Ashes?

England's Ashes squad have pace in abundance, but do they have the miles?

Pat Cummins had already been ruled out of at least the opening Test as he recovers from a back injury.”Initial scans Wednesday were clear of muscle strain, however follow-up imaging today has confirmed the injury,” a CA statement on Saturday said. “Early imaging can occasionally underestimate low-grade muscle injuries.”The latest injury means that Brendan Doggett could be closing in a Test debut with even more onus now on Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.The news of Hazlewood follows England having a scare around Mark Wood who went for a scan after reporting hamstring tightness of the first day of the warm-up game against the Lions in Perth although on Saturday the ECB said he had been cleared.Hazlewood, who sits on 295 Test wickets, had bowled superbly in the white-ball matches against India last month and again looked in good rhythm in his Shield outing. However, after completing his spell on the third morning, he told Steven Smith, who was captaining NSW and will lead Australia in Perth, that he was feeling some tightness in his hamstring and Smith told him to leave the field immediately.He walked to a clinic next door to the SCG to have a scan which, before the match had ended, came back clear. Cummins, who had been at the ground to see the physios before speaking at a commercial engagement, said Hazlewood had been in good spirits after the result.Last season, Hazlewood missed three of the five Tests against India, firstly because of a side strain and then a calf injury.Since 2014, Australia have only twice played a Test at home without Cummins and Hazlewood, but won on both occasions – against England in 2021 and West Indies in 2022 – which are also the two Tests Neser has played.Doggett, the South Australia quick, has been in excellent form since return from his own hamstring problem with 13 wickets in two matches. He was a traveling reserve for the World Test Championship final earlier this year and had been due to tour West Indies before injury ruled him out. If Doggett makes a debut in Perth he would become Australia’s third Indigenous men’s player and it would be the first time a men’s Test XI featured two Indigenous players, alongside Boland.Cummins has recently increased the intensity of his return to bowling with an eye on a potential return in Brisbane although that remains a race against time. He said he was operating around 90% during a spell in the SCG nets last week.”[The Gabba] is what we’re building towards,” Cummins said. “Hopefully by Perth, I’m up there near 100%, and then see where we’re at. It’s still pretty aggressive, going from nothing to trying to get ready for a Test match in four weeks. But we’re going to give it a good shot.”Australia’s pace-bowling depth is already being severely tested and further injuries would leave them scrambling for more options. Jhye Richardson has been named in the Cricket Australia XI to face England Lions and there is hope he could become an option later in the series as he returns from shoulder surgery. Xavier Bartlett is another who could come into contention.