| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Aug 12, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Hearing, "You're on mute" during a Zoom call is embarrassing, but it's not nearly as bad as hearing, "You're not on mute." Today's word count: 1,642 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ The Field of Dreams game |  | | | White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez. Photo: Ron Vesely/Getty Images | | | | MLB built it, and tonight the White Sox, Yankees and 8,000 fans will come, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Driving the news: The town of Dyersville, Iowa, (population: 4,543) will host tonight's Field of Dreams Game at a newly-constructed field just steps away from the site of the iconic 1989 film. - First pitch: 7:15pm ET (Fox)
- Starters: CWS RHP Lance Lynn (10-3, 2.04 ERA) vs. NYY LHP Andrew Heaney (7-8, 5.45 ERA)
- Tickets: The average price was about $1,400, with some going for much as $4,000.
Courtesy: MLB Details: Construction began in 2019 for the planned (and later postponed) August 2020 game, with the ballpark connected to the original movie site by a corn maze in the shape of MLB's logo. - To enter the field, players will walk through a removable section of outfield fence hidden in the corn — just like in the movie.
- The design, down to the color of the grandstands and location of the bullpens, resembles Comiskey Park, where the White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. Same with the dimensions, which measure 335 feet down the lines, 380 feet to the alleys and 400 feet to center.
- The broadcast will be more like a playoff game, featuring countless cameras, microphones and drones, while various other flourishes — like hand-painted signage, a retro score bug and throwback uniforms — will give the game an old-school look and feel.
Photo: Quinn Harris/MLB Photos via Getty Images Between the lines: "We want to embrace what the movie 'Field of Dreams' is all about," said Fox Sports executive producer Brad Zager. To that end, it's not just baseball stars who'll make tonight special. - Kevin Costner and Dwier Brown, who played Costner's father, will be in attendance, and other cast members may join, as well.
- With that in mind: If Costner doesn't throw out the first pitch to Brown, à la their climactic catch in the movie, Rob Manfred must be fired on the spot.
Looking ahead: There are no plans yet for this to become a recurring event, but MLB would be wise to consider adding marquee games to its annual slate akin to the NHL's Winter Classic. - 162 games is a ton. The con is there are few must-see regular-season matchups. The pro is the abundance of inventory with which to work.
- As MLB searches for ways to attract a younger audience, events like this may be just the ticket. Not that movies must inspire every future one-off, but who wouldn't watch a "Sandlot" MLB game?
The bottom line: Tonight should be one to remember, and if you're fortunate enough to be able to watch with your father or son, might I suggest going outside to have a catch during the seventh-inning stretch? 🎥 Watch: Grand slam into the corn (Twitter) |     | | | | | | 2. ⚽️ U.S. enters FIFA top 10 |  | | | Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images | | | | The USMNT has broken into FIFA's top 10 after winning the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup this summer — their first appearance in the top 10 since the 2006 World Cup. - 🇧🇪 Belgium
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🏴 England
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇦🇷 Argentina
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇵🇹 Portugal
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇺🇸 USA
Looking ahead: If the U.S. can remain inside the top 10, they could be seeded for the 2022 World Cup and get a more favorable draw, avoiding other top 10 teams. | | | | | | | | 3. 🌇 Las Vegas: From Sin City to sports town | | Photo: Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images Las Vegas may never escape its Sin City moniker, but a new description is quickly becoming equally apt: sports town, Jeff writes. - Driving the news: Vegas has emerged as the most likely landing spot for the 30th MLS franchise, per Sportico (subscription), joining the clubs set to debut in Charlotte (28th) and St. Louis (29th) over the next two seasons.
- Why it matters: America's playground may soon become saturated with the one diversion it's always lacked.
The big picture: For decades, Vegas' standing as the U.S. betting capital made it as attractive to gamblers as it was unattractive to sports leagues, worried that proximity to such a vice may ruin the sanctity of sport. - But as sports betting becomes legal state by state, leagues are embracing it — and no longer shunning its native, desert land.
- The NHL was the first domino to fall, when the expansion Golden Knights debuted in Vegas in 2017. Since then, franchises in the WNBA (Aces, 2018) and NFL (Raiders, 2020) have relocated there.
Looking ahead: MLS isn't the only league with ties to Vegas. - MLB: The A's are embroiled in a stadium financing battle with the city of Oakland, and last month both A's president Dave Kaval and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred mentioned Vegas as a viable alternative.
- NBA: Summer League has been held in Vegas since 2004, and multiple reports suggest Vegas would be a logical expansion or relocation city.
- NLL (indoor lacrosse): An expansion franchise with a star-studded ownership group that includes Wayne Gretzky and Steve Nash will debut in Vegas in 2022.
The bottom line: Pro sports are finally happening in Vegas, and if tag lines are worth anything, that means they should be here to stay. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The podcast to power your day. | | |  | | | | Start your morning with Axios Today. Hear the latest scoops from the White House and Congress, analysis on the economy and insights into trends shaping your world. - In 10 minutes, you'll catch up on today's news that matters.
Listen for free. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Getty Images | | | - 📸 Pic du jour: A boat tows giant Olympic rings as they're removed from the Tokyo waterfront.
- ⚾️ Burnes ties record: Brewers starter Corbin Burnes tied an MLB record by striking out 10 consecutive batters Wednesday night.
- 🏈 Baylor scandal: Baylor did not break NCAA rules when it failed to report rampant sexual assault accusations made against students, including football players, the association ruled on Wednesday.
Plus... - 🎓 Back to school: Former NBA player J.R. Smith has enrolled at North Carolina A&T and has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play golf.
- ❤️ Worth a watch: Turner Sports' Ernie Johnson spoke to the Alabama football team — and absolutely nailed it. I cried.
- 🏀 Murder charges: Two high school basketball coaches in Georgia have been charged with murder in connection with the death of a teenager who collapsed at practice.
| | | | |  | | | | If you like this newsletter, your friends may, too! Refer your friends and get free Axios swag when they sign up. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏈 NFL preseason has arrived |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | The 2021 NFL preseason gets underway tonight, kicking off the six-month stretch of the American sports calendar dominated by football. Weekend slate: - Tonight: Washington at Patriots (7:30pm ET); Steelers at Eagles (7:30pm)
- Friday: Titans at Falcons (7pm); Bills at Lions (7pm); Cowboys at Cardinals (10pm)
- Saturday: Dolphins at Bears (1pm); Broncos at Vikings (4pm); Saints at Ravens (7pm); Browns at Jaguars (7pm); Jets at Giants (7:30pm); Bengals at Bucs (7:30pm); Texans at Packers (8pm); Chiefs at 49ers (8:30pm); Seahawks at Raiders (9pm); Chargers at Rams (10pm)
- Sunday: Panthers at Colts (1pm)
| | | | | | | | 6. ⛳️ PGA Tour on eve of playoffs |  | | | Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images | | | | The PGA Tour's regular season concludes this week at the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, Jeff writes. Why it matters: Some golfers are fighting not only to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which begin next week, but to retain their PGA Tour cards going forward. How it works: The current playoff format began in 2007, with the top 125 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings making the playoffs, which comprises three tournaments: The Northern Trust (Aug. 19–22), the BMW Championship (Aug. 26–29) and the Tour Championship (Sept. 2–5). - The Wyndham Championship is the last chance for golfers to earn their way into that field.
- From there, points keep accumulating, and the field is whittled down to 70 for the BMW and 30 for the Tour Championship.
The state of play: Making the playoffs is the easiest way to guarantee PGA Tour status for the following season, meaning certain players still have work to do to ensure they aren't playing elsewhere next year. Go deeper: Best bets for the Wyndham Championship (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 7. ⚾️ In photos: Baseball across America | | Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images ATLANTA — Ozzie Albies hit his second career walk-off home run — both coming in the 11th inning against the Reds — as the Braves moved into a tie with the Phillies for first place in the NL East. Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images BALTIMORE — Miguel Cabrera hit his 499th career dinger in the Tigers' 5-2 win over the Orioles. He's now one shy of becoming the 28th player — and first Venezuelan — to join the 500 HR club. Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images SEATTLE — Luis Torrens hit a walk-off single to lift the Mariners past the Rangers, 2-1. It was the Seattle's MLB-leading 38th one-run game, 24 of them wins. | | | | | | | | 8. 📆 Aug. 12, 1994: The NFL on Fox era begins |  | | | Photo: Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images | | | | 27 years ago today, Fox broadcast its first NFL game — a preseason matchup between the Steve Young-led 49ers and John Elway-led Broncos. The big picture: Fox has since become synonymous with the NFL. The modern pregame show, the on-screen scoreboard, Joe Buck's hair-plugs — these are all courtesy of Fox. The backdrop: In the early 1990s, the three major networks owned the rights to the NFL. CBS had the NFC, NBC had the AFC, and ABC had "Monday Night Football." - Fox, created in 1986, "was the Big Three networks' bratty half-brother," writes The Ringer's Bryan Curtis. It found early success with shows like "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files," but it was the network's NFL entrance that launched a TV empire.
- In December 1993, Rupert Murdoch stole the NFC from CBS thanks to an astonishing four year, $1.6 billion bid — half a billion more than CBS had paid. A few weeks later, Murdoch paid a smaller but still huge sum to hire CBS' John Madden.
Go deeper: The great NFL heist (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | 9. 🇺🇸 State capitals trivia | | Question: Can you name the four U.S. states where the capital city begins with the same letter as the state? - Hint: Only two of the states have a "Big Four" sports team (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).
- Submitted by: Austin G. (San Francisco). Submit a question.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎬 Baseball scenes to go | | Source: Giphy Whether through tear-jerking sentiment, humor or the full range of emotions that fill the space between, baseball movies tend to over-index on moments that just make you smile. Seven of our favorites: | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The podcast to power your day. | | | | | | | | Start your morning with Axios Today. Hear the latest scoops from the White House and Congress, analysis on the economy and insights into trends shaping your world. - In 10 minutes, you'll catch up on today's news that matters.
Listen for free. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Be a better human" Baker Trivia answer: Indianapolis, Indiana; Dover, Delaware; Honolulu, Hawaii; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 🙏 Thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter: @thekendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. |  | | It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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