Al-Nassr and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo said he has no plans to play at Club World Cup, starting June 14 in the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he’s almost certain he will not be playing at the Club World Cup, dealing a blow to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s hopes of having one of football’s biggest attractions at the tournament.
The Portugal star confirmed on Saturday that he received “quite a few” offers from participating clubs to play for them at the tournament starting June 14, but had decided against accepting any of them.
“Some things make sense to talk about, other things don’t, and, as a person says, you can’t take part in everything,” Ronaldo said.
“You have to think about the short, medium and long term. It’s a decision practically made on my part not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had quite a few invitations to go.”
Ronaldo was speaking in Munich a day before Portugal’s UEFA Nations League final against Spain.
The 40-year-old scored his 137th international goal in a 2-1 semifinal victory against Germany on Wednesday to book Portugal’s spot in the final.
“This is irrelevant right now,” Ronaldo said when first asked about the FIFA Club World Cup. “It makes no sense to talk about anything other than the national team.”
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo scores the game-winning goal against Germany in the UEFA Nations League semifinal on June 4 in Munich, Germany [Annegret Hilse/Reuters]
Los Angeles is now a mere 12 months away from serving as primary host of the World Cup soccer championships, and three years away from taking the world stage as host of both the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Athletes and tourists by the tens of thousands will pour into the region from around the world, and I’m reminded of the classic film “Sunset Boulevard,” in which Gloria Swanson proclaimed, “I’m ready for my close-up.”
Will L.A. be ready for its close-up?
Steve Lopez
Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist.
That’s a question I intend to explore on a semi-regular basis, and you’re invited to worry and wonder along with me by sending your comments and questions to [email protected].
To let you know where I’m coming from, I’m a sports fan who watches the Olympics on television despite the politics, the doping scandals and the corporatization of the Games. But I’m also a professional skeptic, and my questions extend far beyond whether we’re ready for our close-up.
Here are just a few:
Will the benefits of hosting outweigh the burdens?
Will the average Southern Californian get anything out of the years-long buildup and staging of the Games?
And, will basic services and infrastructure near Olympic venues get upgrades at the expense of long-overdue improvements in other areas?
The answer to that question is a big “yes,” says L.A. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who represents the northeastern San Fernando Valley.
“What I’ve seen in [the latest] budget is that those areas that will be hosting some of the Olympic events will be prioritized,” she said, and that means her district is off the radar.
It’s worth noting that the city of Los Angeles is not running these Olympics (that’s the job of LA28, a private nonprofit working in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee), nor is it hosting all the events. Olympic sites will be scattered well beyond Los Angeles proper, with volleyball in Anaheim, for instance, cricket in Pomona, cycling in Carson and swimming in Long Beach. Softball and canoe slalom competitions will be held in Oklahoma City.
Competitors dive into the Seine river at the start of the men’s 10km, marathon swimming, at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
(David Goldman / Associated Press)
But as lead host and a partner in the staging of mega-events that will draw an international spotlight, the reputation of the city of Los Angeles is on the line.
One financial advantage the 2028 Games will enjoy over previous Olympics is that there’s no need to erect any massive, ridiculously expensive new stadiums or arenas. There’ll be soccer at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, track and field at the L.A. Coliseum and baseball at Dodger Stadium, for instance. All of which will keep the overall cost of the Games down.
But playing the part of primary Olympic host carries as many risks as opportunities.
“The Games have a history of damaging the cities and societies that host them,” according to an analysis last year in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, which cited “broken budgets that burden the public purse … the militarization of public spaces … and the expulsion of residents through sweeps, gentrifications and evictions.”
Even without all that, L.A. has a raft of problems on its hands, and the close-up at the moment is not a pretty portrait.
Tens of thousands of people are homeless, and the agency overseeing homelessness is in turmoil amid damning financial audits, so unless there’s a quick turnaround, the city will be draped in blue tarps for all the world to see. Meanwhile, planned transportation improvements are behind schedule, skyrocketing liability claim settlements are expected to cost $300 million this year, and on top of all that, it suddenly dawned on local leaders several weeks ago that the city was broke.
“Our budget situation is critical,” Mayor Karen Bass wrote in an April letter to the City Council, outlining a nearly $1-billion deficit and proposing numerous program cuts and layoffs.
The City Council restored some of those trims, but the outlook is still grim, with several hundred workers losing their jobs. Bass and other local leaders maintain that playing host to mega-events will help restock the treasury. But the opposite could be true, and if the $7-billion Games don’t break even, the already-strapped city will get slapped with a $270-million bailout tab.
For all the hand-wringing at City Hall, it’s not as if the current budget deficit should have come as a surprise. Revenue is down, the response to homelessness devours a big chunk of the budget (without transformational progress to show for the investment), and the bills keep coming due on the City Hall tradition of awarding public employee pay raises it can’t afford.
That’s why there’s a 10-year wait to get a ruptured sidewalk fixed (although the city is much quicker to pay millions in trip-and-fall cases), and there’s an estimated $2 billion in deferred maintenance at recreation and parks department facilities. At TorchedLA, journalist Alissa Walker reports that in an annual ranking of park systems in the largest 100 cities, L.A. has dropped to 90th, which she fairly called “a bad look for a city set to host the largest sporting events in the world.”
Babe Didrikson, right, clears the first hurdle on her way to winning the first heat of the women’s 80-meter hurdles during the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games at the Coliseum.
(Associated Press)
Michael Schneider, founder of the nonprofit Streets for All, said L.A.’s budget crisis “is coming at the worst possible time.” Not that the delivery of basic infrastructure needs should be tied to major sporting events, but he had hoped the Olympics would trigger a substantial investment in “bus rapid transit, a network of bike lanes, sidewalks that aren’t broken, curb ramps. Just the nuts and bolts of infrastructure.”
Jules Boykoff, a Pacific University professor and former professional soccer player who has studied the social and economic impacts of several recent Olympics, is not wowed by L.A.’s record so far.
“I thought Los Angeles was going to be in a lot better shape,” Boykoff said. “I’ve been taken aback by the problems that exist and how little has been done.”
The real goal isn’t just to host the Olympics, Boykoff said, but to do so in a way that delivers long-lasting improvements.
“Any smart city” uses the Games “to get gains for everybody in the city. Athens in 2004 got a subway system,” he said, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 got a transit link, and last year’s host, Paris, got a system of bike lanes.
L.A. had gold-medal aspirations, and the city has made some transit improvements. It’s also got a wealth of signature natural wonders to show off, from the mountains to the sea, just as the Paris Games featured the Eiffel Tower and the magical evening skyline.
But three big hurdles now stand in the way of making it to the podium:
The budget limitations (which could get worse between now and 2028), the diversion of resources to the Palisades wildfire recovery, and the uncertainty of desperately needed federal financial support from President Trump, who would probably not put Los Angeles on his list of favorite cities.
Races are sometimes won by runners making a move from the back of the pack, and L.A. could still find its stride, show some pride, and avoid embarrassing itself.
That’s what I’m rooting for.
But just one year away from the World Cup and three from the Olympics, the clock is ticking, and it’s almost too late to be playing catchup.
EDMONTON, Canada — Brad Marchand scored on a breakaway in double overtime and the defending champion Florida Panthers punched back against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Final rematch, winning 5-4 on Friday night to even the series.
Marchand’s second goal of the night 8:04 into the second overtime allowed Florida to escape with a split after Corey Perry scored to tie it with 17.8 seconds left in the third period and Stuart Skinner pulled for an extra attacker. Each of the first two games in this final have gone to overtime, for the first time since 2014 and just the sixth time in NHL history.
Much like last year and the playoff run to this point, Sergei Bobrovsky was dialed in when he was needed the most, making some unreal saves while stopping 42 of the 46 shots he faced. His teammates provided the necessary goal support.
Along with Marchand, Sam Bennett scored his postseason-leading 13th goal and NHL record 12th on the road. Seth Jones scored into a wide-open net after some spectacular tic-tac-toe passing, and fellow defenseman Dmitry Kulikov tied it with a shot through traffic that Stuart Skinner almost certainly did not see.
Kulikov’s goal came after Florida controlled play for several minutes in the second, hemming Edmonton in its zone shift after shift and piling up a 34-13 advantage in shot attempts during the period. Marchand’s overtime goal was his 10th career goal in the final to lead all active players.
Game 3 is Monday night as the teams traverse the continent and play shifts to Sunrise.
The Panthers wrested home-ice advantage away from the Oilers by splitting the first two, rebounding from a Game 1 overtime loss and asserting they won’t go quietly against Draisaitl and Connor McDavid looking like they’ll do everything in their power to hoist the Cup for the first time.
Of course, those stars had their moments. They assisted on Evan Bouchard’s goal when coach Kris Knoblauch put them on the ice together, and McDavid stickhandled through multiple defenders in highlight-reel fashion to set up Draisaitl scoring on the power play.
There were a lot of those — 10 in total — after officials whistled 14 penalties, including three in the first four minutes. Each team had a few calls it was not happy with, though most of that evened out over the course of the game.
Normally, the running of the Belmont Stakes without a chance at a Triple Crown winner makes the third leg of the series about as interesting as a television procedural — the Chicagos, FBIs or Law & Orders — in the last two minutes after the culprit has been identified and prosecuted.
But not this year. The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes has about as many plot lines as a season of “The White Lotus.” It’s easily the best race of the year, and, yes, that includes the Kentucky Derby.
You’ve got your villain in Sovereignty, who kicked racing tradition in the teeth after winning the Kentucky Derby when his connections refused to enter him in the Preakness Stakes because of the short time frame — two weeks — between the first two legs of the Triple Crown. It killed any opportunity racing had to build a new fan base revolving around the Derby and a possible Triple Crown winner.
You’ve got your fresh-faced wannabe in Rodriguez, whose last race was a win in the Wood Memorial. He was scheduled to run in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but a sore hoof forced him to withdraw from both races. His early speed and front-running ability likely means he’ll be on the lead as the horses head down the backstretch. Add to that the fact that he is trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith, both Hall of Famers who know how to get a horse from gate to wire in winning form.
And finally, you’ve got a wiseguy (professional gamblers) horse in Baeza, whose talent far exceeds his early results. He finished a strong third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Santa Anita Derby behind Journalism. He is also trying to find a place in history for his mom, Puca, who has produced Kentucky Derby winner Mage and last year’s Belmont winner in Dornoch. If Baeza were to win, he would be the first horse who has a dam who has won three Classic races. That’s a record.
And that’s just half of the eight-horse field.
Whoever finishes first, the victory is likely to be remembered as having an asterisk next to it. The Belmont Stakes, considered the test of champions because of its normal 1 1/2-mile distance, is being run at the less interesting distance of 1 1/4 miles. The reason is the race has been moved from Long Island’s Belmont Park to Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga Springs, a suburb of the New York state capital of Albany, because of a massive rebuild at Belmont Park.
The reason the race was shortened is because to have a 1 1/2-mile race at Saratoga, the horses would have to start on a turn, something the organizers didn’t want to happen.
The starting positions add little clarity as to who might win. Sovereignty (post 2, 2-1 on morning line) should have no problem getting early running room, especially with Rodriguez on his immediate outside. Rodriguez (post 3, 6-1) and Crudo (post 5, 15-1) are expected to battle for the lead early. Crudo’s last win was his last outing with a 7 1/4-length win in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico.
Journalism will be breaking from post 7 at 8-5 morning line odds.
“He’s been kind of the same horse since July of last summer,” Michael McCarthy, trainer of Journalism, told NYRA publicity. “He does everything you ask a good horse to do — eats well, trains well, packs well. I thought the last six or seven weeks here, his energy has been the same throughout. Obviously, Saratoga is very good for horses. He seems reenergized up here. I’m looking forward to a wonderful renewal of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.”
If either Journalism or Sovereignty wins, they will be the first repeat winner of a Classic race since Justify in 2018, who won all three Triple Crown races. Since then, no horse has won more than one Classic race, making it a 21-race streak. Of course, Triple Crown races are only for 3-year-olds meaning trainers start every year fresh trying to find prospective winners.
Racing is in desperate need of stars and the chase for the Triple Crown is one way of getting them. It’s why there was such consternation when trainer Bill Mott and owner Godolphin, decided to skip the Preakness Stakes.
“You never know until they actually do it in a race,” said Michael Banahan, who heads Godolphin in the U.S. “He always gave us that indication that he’d like to go long. And we thought the Derby as well and then finished up, from the top of the stretch to the wire in very good fashion and galloped all the way through the wire.
Crudo is a 15-1 longshot to win the Belmont Stakes, which features an eight-horse field.
(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
“So, I’m with the Belmont this year at Saratoga. He just has to do the same distance again. So, I would anticipate that’ll be fine for him. I suppose if it were a regular Belmont at Belmont Park, that’ll be another question to answer going that far. It certainly looks like a mile-and-a-quarter was well [within] his wheelhouse in the Derby and anticipate that it shouldn’t be any issue at Saratoga as well.”
The horse that is poised to pull the upset is Baeza, who has only won one race, a maiden at Santa Anita. His second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby would have normally been enough to get him in the Kentucky Derby. But Churchill Downs, in an obvious attack at West Coast races, lowered the point total because of a small field.
Trainer John Shirreffs did not want to bring the horse to Churchill Downs, hoping there were enough scratches to get him in the race. Shirreffs was overruled by the owners so he stood on the backside at Barn 41 while hoping for an entry to the world’s most famous race. The reprieve, and entry, came when Rodriguez was scratched because of a sore hoof.
Baeza more than proved his entry into the Derby with a strong third-place finish.
“I think Baeza, week by week, he’s developed a little bit more,” said Shirreffs. “He’s developed a little bit more. I see him, maybe, a little bit taller, a little ‘stretchier’ He seems to be holding his weight really well. And you can really get an image of him now is what he’ll look like as a 4-year-old. So, you’re starting to see him emerge.”
The most likely scenario is the winner of the Belmont Stakes will come from the four most prominent horses. It’s more than possible that the 21-race streak without a repeat winner will be over.
The Nintendo Switch 2 console has officially been released, as retailers opened their doors at midnight — 9 p.m. here on the West Coast — to welcome early adapters and die-hard fans. It’s the follow-up to Nintendo’s second-bestselling gaming device ever; with sales topping 150 million, the Switch is behind only the handheld Nintendo DS.
Thus, Switch 2 carries expectations.
Though it has a bigger, higher-resolution 1080p screen and more processing power than its predecessor to better run some of today’s most popular games, it’s not a wholesale re-imagining. It looks similar, albeit just a tad larger, and again comes with detachable controllers, which Nintendo dubs “Joy-Con,” only now they are magnetized. Switch owners will feel right at home with the new device.
And judging by lines at retailers yesterday — a social media friend of mine claims to have spent eight hours standing outside a Best Buy to get a Switch 2 on Day One — many have already made the plunge to buy the new console. Nintendo has stated that it expects to sell 15 million new consoles between now and the end of its fiscal year next March.
Yet a new video game console brings with it questions. What is worth playing? Is it easy to upgrade? And will it even be in stock?
Nintendo has stated it believes it has enough consoles to meet demand, but whether there will be shortages after the initial rush remains an unknown. I’m still getting to know my Switch 2, but have spent some time with its showcase game and transferred my data from my prior console, and here are some initial answers to basic queries.
The showcase game for the Nintendo Switch 2 is “Mario Kart World.”
(Nintendo)
There’s only one new marquee game at launch: “Mario Kart World.” How is it?
While it may seem odd to release a new console with only one potential blockbuster title, remember that the most recent game in the series, “Mario Kart 8,” is one of Nintendo’s top-selling games, selling more than 67 million units since its release about a decade ago. Therefore, it’s a pretty safe bet, as it’s a game that works for casual and hardcore players, and has cross-generational appeal. Nintendo has also made “Mario Kart” the centerpiece of its theme park lands, of which there is one here at Universal Studios Hollywood.
And there’s good news: It’s a winner.
While its feel and tone will be instantly familiar, it comes with a couple of new tricks. One of those is a new mode called “Knockout Tour,” in which you’ll need to maintain a certain placement throughout each of the race’s five checkpoints. It’s a fast play style that is constantly upping the tension, which is key for a game in which it’s always possible to go from first to last and vice versa at a moment’s notice. Another new option, and my early favorite, is the “free roam” setting. No racing here, just exploring.
At a preview session earlier this year, some of the most fun I had was when I wasn’t racing and was simply driving my kart off the track to see what hidden surprises awaited me in the world. I came across Toad characters fishing and ramshackle vehicles that encouraged me to follow them. It was play for play’s sake. This morning, I relaxed with coffee while pulling up to a cafe run by Yoshi, and then stumbled across some timed mini-challenges in the world. It adds a surprising sense of depth and presence to Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom.
Short answer: Early impressions are dazzling.
“Nintendo Switch Welcome Tour” is a delightful exploration of the Nintendo Switch 2 featuring a host of mini games.
(Nintendo)
Wait, there’s an add-on game that’s essentially a Switch 2 tutorial? What’s that about?
I was eager to get my hands on “Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour,” a $9.99 title game-as-tutorial in which we control a tiny human avatar who appears to live in a giant Switch 2. Only instead of tech bits, we see a sleek mall-meets-amusement park world full of mini-games designed to showcase various aspects of the Switch 2’s technology — a guessing game centered on frames per second or a dodging challenge that has us using the Joy-Con detachable controllers as mouse-like gadgets. The latter is one of the key differences between the Switch and Switch 2, and will be especially handy in games that require precision.
Some of the other games in “Welcome Tour” are essentially demos. One aims to show off modern television sets with 4K resolution. Another has us adjusting Switch settings to help convey the vibrancy of HDR via animated fireworks. They’re simple, quick ways to get to know new tech, and I had fun with a mini-game that tests out the rumbling of the controllers, challenging us to pinpoint the precise moment the vibrations are at their most intense. They’re good mini-games that won’t last more than a minute or two.
Yet it’s a game designed to teach players about the new fancy game console they just bought, and therefore should come bundled with it. I wonder if I’ll revisit it after my initial week with it.
Short answer: “Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour” is cute but should be free.
The Nintendo Switch 2 looks and feels familiar to the Switch.
(Nintendo)
How complicated is it to transfer data from my original Switch?
If you’re purchasing a Switch 2 and playing via cartridges rather than downloadable games, you can jump right in. But I’d recommend downloading the system update and transferring your saved game data and as many games as you’d like from your prior Switch. The Switch 2 is largely backward compatible, meaning the vast majority of older titles will work on it (Nintendo is maintaining a list).
While I opted not to download every game from my previous Switch, wanting to save space on the 256 GB internal storage of the new console, I was pleased to see that the more than 50 games I had on my older device were all ready to go. Better yet, this was all relatively simple to accomplish and extremely user intuitive. A QR code will have you log into your Nintendo account, and as long as your older Switch and Switch 2 are in the same room, everything should transfer within a couple hours, depending on how many games you want to port over.
Short answer: Don’t stress.
“Donkey Kong Bananza” is due next month for the Nintendo Switch 2.
(Nintendo)
Eek, the price! Will it increase?
Early headlines regarding the Switch 2 focused on the price. It’s high.
The base system sells for $449.99 and “Mario Kart World” carries a hefty $80 tag, the highest price Nintendo has given a game, and an atypical price for an industry that has long valued non-special editions of games at around $59.99. And just hours after announcing a price and pre-sale date, Nintendo pulled back its pre-order plan, stating that there was uncertainty due “the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” President Trump’s trade war remains an evolving situation, but the Japanese tech giant ultimately decided not to increase the price of the system. That being said, Nintendo did up the cost of some of the accessories for the Switch 2.
In recent interviews, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser said the company would continue to monitor the situation. For now, the price is set, but things seem to always be in flux in our current political climate. Nintendo’s gaming competitor Microsoft recently raised the prices on its Xbox consoles.
Short answer: It remains unknown, but if you’re in the market for a Switch 2, it may be advisable to buy when you can.
A purchaser of the Nintendo Switch 2 at a Target in Chicago.
(Kiichiro Sato / Associated Press)
So, should I buy it?
This is, of course, the No. 1 question I receive, and I’m being honest when I say it’s difficult to answer. I’ve had a Switch 2 in my home for only half a day, at the time of writing, and while I attended a preview event earlier this year, I still haven’t been able to put it through its paces. Additionally, it’s always difficult to tell someone to drop $500 — $600 or more, if you’re buying some games and a recommended Pro Controller — on a video game console, which is, of course, a luxury item.
That being said, I am a big proponent of the importance of play, and Nintendo tends to get this right. The company’s video game mantra since its Nintendo Entertainment System days has been to show gaming and play as a medium full of possibilities, using world-building, competition and puzzles to enchant. I believe some new additions to “Mario Kart World,” for instance, such as the free roam mode, accomplish this goal. You likely already know if you’re a fan of the worlds Nintendo creates, whether they involve Mario and his brother Luigi or are franchises such as “Zelda” and “Animal Crossing.” And Nintendo isn’t going to abandon its core franchises — a new “Donkey Kong” title arrives in July — and there are some abilities, such as using the detachable controllers as mice, that should add some fun twists to future gameplay.
Short answer: If you have the means, my early impression is that Switch 2 is a worthy successor. That being said, if you’re not a fan of “Mario Kart” or Nintendo’s main franchises, I think you’re safe to wait until there are more games to your liking, as the Switch has a robust catalog and Nintendo is going to continue to support it for the near future.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — USC baseball wanted to be aggressive knowing it was entering a hostile environment, playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,347 at Goss Stadium.
The Trojans tried to set the tone early.
Instead, it backfired, costing them early opportunities, early momentum and ultimately Sunday night’s matchup in a 14-1 loss to Oregon State in the Corvallis Regional final.
USC opened with two hard hits. Brayden Dowd singled and Ethan Hedges followed with a rocket to right-center field that came off the bat at 104 mph. It one-hopped the wall for an easy double that could have set the Trojans up with two runners in scoring position and no outs. But USC third base coach Travis Jewett was spinning his arm almost immediately, sending Dowd home.
Oregon State pitcher Kellan Oakes celebrates after striking out a batter to leave the bases loaded Sunday.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
Shortstop Aiva Arquette, an expected top 10 pick in next month’s MLB draft, fired a throw home that brought catcher Wilson Weber into the baseline where he applied the tag to Dowd while his knee collided with the head of the Trojans’ outfielder.
The play invigorated the home crowd and set the tone for the beatdown to follow that saw the No. 8 national seed Beavers thoroughly outplay the Trojans despite playing its second game of the day facing elimination. Oregon State pummeled Saint Mary’s, 20-3, Sunday afternoon to reach the final.
The next half inning, Oregon State attacked USC with four bunts that helped generate four runs. The Trojans’ aggressiveness again bit them.
Oregon State’s Wilson Weber, left, scores a run as USC third baseman Ethan Hedges misplays a bunt Sunday.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
After they took the out at first on an initial sacrifice attempt, the Trojans twice tried to cut down runners at home with ill-fated results. Third baseman Hedges muffed a barehand attempt when the ball bounced with funky spin on a hard bunt that one-hopped. The Beavers bunted again on the next pitch. First baseman Adrian Lopez tried to come home and was too late.
A base hit through the middle scored the next run before Oregon State went back to the bunt to score the fourth run, prompting the crowd to start chanting “Small Ball! Small Ball! Small Ball!”
Oregon State added two runs in the third inning to take a 6-1 lead. USC had a huge opportunity to get back in the game in the fifth inning, loading the bases with no outs and the heart of the lineup due up.
But the Beavers’ pitching staff had USC’s 3-4-5 hitters in a blender all night. Starter Wyatt Queen struck out Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek for the third time before turning the ball over to reliever Kellan Oakes, who struck out Lopez and Abbrie Covarrubias to escape the jam unscathed.
USC coach Andy Stankiewicz walks back to the dugout during a 14-1 loss to Oregon State on Sunday.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
Oregon State then piled on runs against the lesser-used arms in USC’s bullpen, scoring three runs in the sixth on Trent Caraway’s fourth home run in as many games.
USC has a chance for redemption Monday as Oregon State’s win forces a winner-take-all regional final at 3 p.m. PDT (ESPNU).
Beijing says the US is touting Cold War mentality after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls China a threat to the region.
China has warned the United States against “playing with fire” over Taiwan in response to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling the Asian power a “threat to the region” at a high-profile summit in Singapore.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Hegseth said China was “credibly preparing” for military action to shift Asia’s power balance, accusing Beijing of rehearsing a potential invasion of Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan, a separately governed island, to be a part of its territory and has vowed reunification by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Hegseth’s remarks provoked a swift rebuke from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stressed that Taiwan remains a domestic matter, warning foreign powers against using the issue as leverage. It described US actions in Asia Pacific as turning the region into a “powder keg”.
“The US should not entertain illusions about using the Taiwan question as a bargaining chip to contain China, nor should it play with fire,” it said.
Hegseth had called on allies in the Asia Pacific region, including key security ally Australia, to spend more on defence after warning of the “real and potentially imminent” threat from China.
Calling the US a “true destabilising” force in the Asia Pacific, Beijing accused Washington of deploying offensive weapons in the South China Sea and aggravating regional tensions.
Beijing accused Hegseth of “vilifying China with defamatory allegations” and promoting a “Cold War mentality”.
“Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a threat,” the ministry said, adding that it had lodged a formal protest with the US over what it described as “inflammatory rhetoric”.
China and the Philippines contest sovereignty over some islands and atolls in the South China Sea, with growing maritime run-ins between their coastguards as both vie to patrol the waters.
Beijing also rejected US claims about threats to maritime navigation, insisting it has consistently promoted dialogue to resolve regional disputes and safeguarded its territorial rights within the bounds of international law.
“The US is the biggest factor undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the statement read.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun skipped the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security forum, with Beijing sending a delegation of lower-ranking representatives instead.
It was the first time since 2019 that China has not dispatched its defence minister to the high-level dialogue on regional defence, except when the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tensions are already high between China and the US – the world’s two biggest economic powers – over Trump’s ongoing trade war and tariff threats.
The NCAA Division I college baseball playoffs begin this week, and there are several graduates from Southern California high schools representing in the college ranks.
Freshman Dylan Volantis of Texas, a Westlake High graduate, has had an All-American season, going 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 12 saves as a closer in the SEC.
Freshman shortstop Nate Castellon, a Calabasas grad, helped Cal Poly win the Big West tournament. He’s batting .364.
Collin Clarke (Santa Margarita) is 5-2 with a 4.59 ERA for Oregon. Trent Caraway (JSerra) has 33 RBIs for Oregon State. Colin Yeaman (Saugus) is batting .342 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs for UC Irvine. Aiden Taurek (Foothill) is batting .336 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs for St. Mary’s.
Derek Curiel (Orange Lutheran) is the No. 2 hitter for LSU with a .336 average and 45 RBIs. Aidan Cremarosa, who once played for Burbank Burroughs until enrolling at IMG Academy, is 6-5 with a 4.13 ERA for Fresno State.
Dean Curley (Northview) is batting .313 with 12 home runs for Tennessee. Jimmy De Anda (Mater Dei) has a .281 average for Utah Valley.
For USC, Ethan Hedges (Mater Dei) leads the team with a .343 average and has nine saves. For UCLA, freshman Easton Hawk (Granada Hills) has been a late-season closer with five saves.
The Call brothers, Chase and Phoenix, play for UC Irvine and UCLA, respectively, and could face off in the Westwood regional.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
Before the start of the season, Dodgers first base and infield coach Chris Woodward pulled Mookie Betts aside one day, and had him envision the ultimate end result.
“You’re gonna be standing at shortstop when we win the World Series,” Woodward told Betts, the former Gold Glove right fielder in the midst of an almost unprecedented mid-career position switch. “That’s what the goal is.”
Two months into the season, the Dodgers believe he’s checking the requisite boxes on the path toward getting there.
“I would say, right now he’s playing above-average shortstop, Major League shortstop,” manager Dave Roberts said this week. “Which is amazing, considering he just took this position up.”
Betts has not only returned to shortstop this season after his unconvincing three-month stint at the position last year; but he has progressed so much that, unlike when he was moved back to right field for the stretch run of last fall’s championship march, the Dodgers have no plans for a similar late-season switch this time around.
“I don’t see us making a change [like] we did last year. I don’t see that happening,” Roberts said. “He’s a major league shortstop, on a championship club.”
“And,” the manager also added, “he’s only getting better.”
It means that now, Betts’ challenge has gone from proving he belongs at shortstop to proving he can master it by the end of the season. The goal Woodward laid out at the beginning of the year has suddenly become much more realistic now. And over the next four months, Betts’ ability to polish his shortstop play looms as one of the Dodgers’ biggest X-factors.
“Getting to that, even when he’s as good as he is now, there’s still a lot to learn,” Woodward said. “He’s done good up to this point. So how do we maintain that [progress]?”
In Year 1 of playing shortstop on a full-time basis last season, Betts’ initial experience was marked by trial and (mostly) error. He struggled to make accurate throws across the diamond. He lacked the instincts and confidence to cleanly field even many routine grounders. In his three-month cameo in the role — one cut short by a midseason broken hand — he committed nine errors and ranked below-league-average in several advanced metrics.
“Last year,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said when reflecting on Betts’ initial foray to the shortstop position, “it was like a crash course.”
In Year 2, on the other hand, Betts has graduated to something of a finishing school.
Unlike last year, when the former MVP slugger switched positions just weeks before opening day, Betts had the entire offseason to prepare his game. Over the winter, he improved the technique of his glovework while fielding balls. He trained on how to throw from lower arm slots than he had in the outfield. He focused on keeping a wider and more athletic base in order to adapt to funny hops and unexpected spins. He established a base of fundamentals that, last year, he simply didn’t have; providing renewed confidence and consistency he’s been able to lean on all season.
“Preparation,” Betts said recently about the biggest difference in his shortstop play this year. “[I have been able] to prepare, have an idea of what I’m doing, instead of just hoping that athleticism wins. At this level, it doesn’t work like that. So you have to have an idea of what you’re doing. And I work hard every day. I’m out there every day early. Doing what I can to be successful.”
Such strides have been illustrated in Betts’ defensive numbers. He currently ranks seventh among qualified MLB shortstops in fielding percentage, his three errors to this point tied for the fewest among those who have made at least 50 starts. His advanced metrics are equally encouraging, ranking top-five in outs above average and defensive runs saved.
“He looks like a major league shortstop right now,” Roberts said, “where last year there were many times I didn’t feel that way.”
A finished product, however, Betts is still not.
There are subtle intricacies he has yet to fully grasp, such as where to position on relay throws from the outfield. There are infrequent, higher-difficulty plays he’s yet to learn how to handle.
One important teaching moment came early in the season, when Betts’ inability to corral a hard hooking one-hopper in a game against the Washington Nationals led to him and the coaching staff adding more unpredictable fungo-bat fielding drills into his daily pregame routine.
“It just kind of prompted a conversation of, ‘You’re gonna get different types of balls, and those are pretty rare. But what’s the process of catching that ball? And what do we need to practice?’” Woodward recalled, leading to changes that were enacted the next day.
“The drills we do now, I don’t know if anybody else can make them look as easy as he now does,” Woodward added. “When he first started, you could tell, ‘Oh man, it’s uncomfortable.’ But now, I smoke balls at him … and he’s just so under control.”
Another moment of frustration came last Sunday in New York, when Betts athletically snared a bouncing ball on his forehand up the middle … but then airmailed a backhanded, off-balance flip throw to second base while trying to turn a potential double play.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts throws to first base during Monday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.
(David Dermer / Associated Press)
“That was the first time ever in my life I’ve had to do that,” Betts said days later, prompting him to seek out more advice from Woodward and veteran shortstop teammate Miguel Rojas. “Miggy was telling me I can’t stress about it, because he got to mess that play up in high-A [when he was first learning the position]. Woody told me he got to mess that play up in double-A. I’m messing this play up for the first time ever in my life — in the big leagues.”
For Betts, it can be a frustrating dynamic, having to endorse inevitable such struggles as he seeks his desired defensive progress.
“I definitely feel I’ve grown a lot, just from the routine perspective,” he said. “But I don’t want to hurt the team, man.”
Which is why, in the days immediately afterward, he then incorporated underhand flip drills into his pregame work as well.
“You’re going to have to go through those moments to learn, to understand,” said Rojas, who has been a sounding board for Betts since last year’s initial position switch. “I don’t consider that an error. I consider it a mistake that you’re gonna learn from. Because that play is gonna happen again.”
“It’s like life in general. It’s about learning from your mistakes,” Freeman echoed. “And not that that [flip play] was a mistake. But it’s like, ‘Now I know how to adjust off of that.’ If he was not even trying to attempt things, then you’ll never know what you can really achieve out there. I think he’s learning his limits of what he can do. And I think that’s the key to it.”
Such moments, of course, also underscore the inherent risk of entrusting Betts (who still has only 132 career MLB games at shortstop) with perhaps the sport’s most challenging position.
It’s one thing for such a blunder to happen in a forgettable late May contest. It’d be far less forgiving if they were to continue popping up in important games down the stretch.
There’s also a question about whether Betts’ focus on shortstop has started to have an impact on his bat, with the 32-year-old hitting just .254 on the season while suffering incremental dips in his underlying contact metrics.
The root of those struggles, Betts believes, stems more from bad habits he developed while recovering from a stomach virus at the start of the season that saw him lose almost 20 pounds. Then again, even though he has been able to better moderate his daily pregame workload compared with the hours he’d spend every day fielding grounders last season, he is still “learning a whole new position at the big-league level,” Freeman noted, “and all his focus has been on that.”
It all creates a relatively tight needle for Betts and the Dodgers to thread the rest of the year. Betts not only has to make continued strides on defense (and prove, at a bare minimum, he won’t be a downgrade from the team’s other in-house options, such as Rojas or Tommy Edman), but, he also needs to get his swing back in a place to be an impact presence at the top of the lineup.
“It’s a lot to take on, to be a shortstop in the big leagues,” Freeman said. “But once he gets everything under control, I think that’s when the hitting will pick right back up.”
It figures to be an ongoing process, one that could have season-defining implications for the Dodgers’ World Series title defense.
Still, in the span of two months, Betts has shown enough with his glove for the Dodgers not to move him — making what started as a seemingly dubious experiment into a potentially permanent solution.
“People around baseball should be paying a little more attention to the way he’s been playing short,” Rojas said.
“He’s had a lot of different plays that he’s been able to kind of see in games,” added Roberts. “He’s a guy that loves a challenge, and he’s really realized that challenge and keeps getting better each night.”
After an extensive search, HBO has officially found young wizards Harry, Ron and Hermione for its upcoming “Harry Potter” series.
Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton are the chosen ones to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively, of the more than 30,000 children who auditioned during the open casting call.
Filming begins this summer and the show premieres next year.
“The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen,” executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod said in a statement. “We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.” Gardiner will serve as showrunner and Mylod will direct multiple episodes of the series.
Author J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film & TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films will also executive produce.
Here’s everything we know about the reimagining of the classic franchise.
Who is Dominic McLaughlin?
Prior to nabbing the titular role in “Harry Potter,” McLaughlin studied at the Performance Academy Scotland for five years. He is set to appear in BBC’s upcoming series “Gifted,” about Scottish teens who discover they have superpowers, and the Sky film “Grow,” about a grumpy pumpkin farmer and her orphaned niece.
“The news is out and this one is MAGICAL!!” wrote the Performance Academy Scotland on Instagram. “We are not sure that this will ever feel real but we said from the start that Dominic was the perfect Harry & we are thrilled for everyone else to see this soon too.”
Who is Alastair Stout?
“Harry Potter” is Stout’s first major role. His only other credited appearance is a commercial for Albert Bartlett potatoes.
Who is Arabella Stanton?
Stanton starred as Matilda Wormwood in “Matilda the Musical” in London’s West End from 2023 to 2024. The English actress also played the narrator Control in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play “Starlight Express” in 2024.
Who else is in the cast?
Previously announced cast members include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
How will the show differ from the movies?
HBO has said the show will span a decade and remain faithful to Rowling’s books. The original films starred Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. In addition to the seven bestsellers and eight hit films, the franchise also spawned the “Fantastic Beasts” movie prequels, starring Eddie Redmayne, the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and themed areas at Universal parks.
UCLA is hosting the Los Angeles Regional that includes UC Irvine, while USC ends its postseason drought with a trip to the Corvallis Regional, the NCAA announced Monday.
The Bruins earned the No. 15 national seed and right to host a regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCLA will open play against Fresno State on Friday, while UC Irvine will face off with Arizona State to round out the UCLA regional pool. The Anteaters were coming off a strong season but on the bubble entering the selection show.
USC’s postseason fate was in doubt during the final weeks of the season, but the Trojans made the tournament field for the first time since 2015. USC will travel to Corvallis Regional and open play against TCU on Friday. Oregon State and Saint Mary’s round out the regional field.
For senior catcher Matthew Gonzalez of Banning, Saturday’s City Section Division I championship baseball game at Dodger Stadium ended in tears after a 3-1 defeat to Carson.
Few were more impressive on the field than Gonzalez, who hardly passes the eyeball test at 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds. Thank goodness players in high school usually earn spots by their ability and performance and not by physical measurements.
He threw out two runners trying to steal second with throws that looked like they came out of a bazooka. Twice in the seventh inning he made plays at the plate, tagging runners with great expertise. The umpire ruled one runner safe (he looked out) and another runner out. Each time, Gonzalez moved on whether he agreed with the call or not.
Afterward, Gonzalez received hugs from teammates and coaches trying to console him. He said he believed the runner sliding the first time was out but accepted the decision. You can see how much people appreciate his presence and character.
Another view of sophomore RJ De La Rosa’s RBI triple for El Camino Real in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Was it the bat or the hair style that did it? pic.twitter.com/6U36mjrhav
Just like on the TV program “The Voice,” ignore your eyes and what you see from physical dimensions. Just watch his arm strength and ability to block pitches and make plays at the plate. He was a catcher extraordinaire on a major league field. Nobody can take that away and perhaps someone will recognize he might help them in the future.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
He laughed before saying: “Christmas is only in December. But if he came, you can’t say no to a star like that.
“I don’t know anything – I’m just answering the question. But, as I said, coaches always want the best. Ronaldo, even at his age, is still a goal-scoring machine. In a team that creates chance after chance, he would be good.”
Botafogo are owned by American businessman John Textor, who also holds a majority stake in Crystal Palace.
Ronaldo won the Champions League four times during nine seasons with Real Madrid before joining Juventus in 2018.
Real and Juve are among the 12 European clubs that have qualified, which includes Premier League teams Chelsea and Manchester City.
Between them either Ronaldo or Messi won the Ballon d’Or from 2008 to 2017, before Messi won it three more times to give the Argentine forward, 37, a record eight wins.
Messi’s Inter Miami are in the same group as Egypt’s Al Ahly, Portuguese side Porto and Brazilian club Palmeiras.
NFL owners have decided to keep the “Tush Push,” the signature short-yardage play of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, after a vote Wednesday at their spring meeting in Minneapolis.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that the vote was 22-10 in favor of the ban, falling short of the 24 votes it needed to go into effect.
The “Tush Push” is a version of a quarterback sneak in which two or three players line up behind the signal caller and help drive him forward in short-yardage situations.
The Eagles — who also call the play the “Brotherly Shove” — have been nearly flawless in executing the push since 2022, with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts carrying the ball. During that span, ESPN reports, the Eagles and Buffalo Bills have run the play more than the rest of the NFL combined, with a far greater success rate (87% for Philadelphia and Buffalo compared to 71% for the rest of the league).
Also during the past three seasons, the Eagles have scored 27 touchdowns and recorded 92 first downs using the play, according to ESPN.
“Push on,” the Eagles said in a graphic posted on X after the vote results came out. The team also posted a 26-minute video of “Tush Push” highlights on YouTube.
A proposal by the Green Bay Packers to ban the play was tabled at the NFL’s annual league meeting in April. The Packers submitted a revision this week to prohibit “an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.”
The initial proposal had called for those restrictions only to be in effect “immediately at the snap.”
The proposal cited “player safety” and “pace of play” as reasons for the ban, although many opponents of the play seem to focus on the former argument. Others have questioned the play’s place in football, suggesting it is more of a rugby move, and that its perceived automatic nature, at least when the Eagles run it, is bad for the game.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended his team’s use of the play while speaking with reporters in February.
“We work really, really hard, and our guys are talented at this play. And so it’s a little insulting to say just because we’re good at it, it’s automatic,” he said.
“The fact that it’s a successful play for the Eagles and people want to take that away, I think it’s a little unfair.”
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and retired Philadelphia center Jason Kelce addressed the team owners Wednesday before the vote. Kelce had explained on the most recent episode on his and brother Travis Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast that he was going to Minneapolis “to answer any questions people have” about the safety of the play.
“I’m just going to offer, if anybody has any questions about the tush push, or whether I retired because of the tush push, I’ll tell you, I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me, ‘All you gotta do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL,’” Kelce said. “I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world.”
NFL team owners approved the participation of NFL players in the 2028 L.A. Olympic flag football competition at the league’s owners meetings on Tuesday.
The resolution permits NFL players currently under contract to try out for flag football, but limits only one player per NFL team to play for each national team participating in the Olympics. An exception was made for each NFL team’s designated international player, who is allowed to play for his home country.
Injury protections and salary cap credit will cover any players injured during flag football activities, and Olympic flag football teams must implement minimum standards for medical staff and field surfaces to be eligible to have NFL players on their rosters.
Flag football is one of five new sports in the 2028 Olympics and will make its Olympic debut, along with squash. There are five players per team on the field and each team builds a 10-person roster. The U.S. men’s national team has won five consecutive world championships.
This is a developing story. The Times will have more soon on the NFL’s vote.
In “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” playwright Lucas Hnath cheekily proposes an answer to a question that has haunted the theater for more than a century: Whatever happened to Nora after she walked out on her marriage at the end of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 drama, “A Doll’s House”?
The door slam that concludes Ibsen’s play ushered in a revolution in modern drama. After Nora’s exit, anything was possible on the stages of respectable European playhouses. Conventional morality was no longer a choke hold on dramatic characters, who were allowed to set dangerous new precedents for audiences that may have been easily shocked but were by no means easily deterred.
Elizabeth Reaser and Jason Butler Harner in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at Pasadena Playhouse.
(Jeff Lorch)
“A Doll’s House, Part 2,” which opened Sunday at Pasadena Playhouse under the direction of Jennifer Chang, is a sequel with a puckish difference. Although ostensibly set 15 years after Nora stormed out on Torvald and her three children, the play takes place in a theatrical present that has one antique-looking shoe in the late 19th century and one whimsical sneaker in the early 21st.
The hybrid nature of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” isn’t just reflected in the costume design. The language of the play moves freely from the declamatory to the profane, with some of its funniest moments occurring when fury impels a character to unleash some naughty modern vernacular.
More crucially, comedy and tragedy are allowed to coexist as parallel realities. Hnath has constructed “A Doll’s House, Part 2” as a modern comedy of ideas, divided into a series of confrontations in which characters get to thrash out different perspectives on their shared history.
Elizabeth Reaser in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at Pasadena Playhouse.
(Jeff Lorch)
Chang stages the play like a courtroom drama, with a portion of the audience seated on the stage like a jury. The spare (if too dour) set by Wilson Chin, featuring the door that Nora made famous and a couple of rearranged chairs, allows for the brisk transit of testimony in a drama that lets all four characters have their say.
Nora (played with a touch too much comic affectation by Elizabeth Reaser) has become a successful author of controversial women’s books espousing radical ideas about the trap of conventional marriage. She has returned to the scene of her domestic crime out of necessity.
Torvald (portrayed with compelling inwardness by Jason Butler Harner), her stolid former husband, never filed the divorce papers. She’s now in legal jeopardy, having conducted business as an unmarried woman. And her militant feminist views have won her enemies who would like nothing more than to send her to prison.
Kahyun Kim in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at Pasadena Playhouse.
(Jeff Lorch)
Nora needs Torvald to do what he was supposed to have done years ago: officially end their marriage. But not knowing how he might react to her reemergence, she makes arrangements to strategize privately with Anne Marie (Kimberly Scott), the old nanny who raised Nora’s children in her absence and isn’t particularly inclined to do her any favors.
After Torvald and Anne Marie both refuse to cooperate with her, Nora has no choice but to turn to her daughter, Emmy (crisply played by Kahyun Kim). Recently engaged to a young banker, Emmy has chosen the road that her mother abandoned, a distressing realization for Nora, who had hoped that her example would have inaugurated a new era of possibility for women.
Hnath works out the puzzle of Nora’s dilemma as though it were a dramatic Rubik’s Cube. The play hasn’t any ax to grind. If there’s one prevailing truth, it’s that relationships are murkier and messier than ideological arguments.
Jason Butler Harner in “A Doll’s House Part 2” at Pasadena Playhouse.
(Jeff Lorch)
Nora restates why she left her marriage and explains as best she can the reasons she stayed away from her children all these years. But her actions, however necessary, left behind a tonnage of human wreckage. “A Doll’s House, Part 2” offers a complex moral accounting. As each character’s forcefully held view is added to the ledger sheet, suspense builds over how the playwright will balance the books.
Each new production of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” works out the math in a slightly different way. The play had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory in 2017 in an elegant production that was somewhat more somber than the Broadway production that opened shortly after and earned Laurie Metcalf a well-deserved Tony for her performance.
The play found its voice through the Broadway developmental process, and Metcalf’s imprint is unmistakable in the rhythms of Nora’s whirligig monologues and bracing retorts. Metcalf is the rare actor who can lunge after comedy without sacrificing the raw poignancy of her character.
Elizabeth Reaser, left, and Kimberly Scott in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at Pasadena Playhouse.
(Jeff Lorch)
Reaser adopts a humorous mode but it feels forced. More damagingly, it doesn’t seem as if Hnath’s Nora has evolved all that much from the skittishly coquettish wife of Ibsen’s play. The intellectual arc of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” suffers from the mincing way Reaser introduces the character, with little conviction for Nora’s feminist principles and only a superficial sense of the long, exhausting road of being born before your time.
The early moments with Scott’s Anne Marie are unsteady. Reaser’s Nora comes off as a shallow woman oblivious of her privilege, which is true but only partly so. Scott has a wonderful earthy quality, but I missed the impeccable timing of Jayne Houdyshell’s Anne Marie, who could stop the show with an anachronistic F-bomb. Chang’s staging initially seems like a work-in-progress.
The production is galvanized by the excellent performances of Harner and Kim. Harner reveals a Torvald changed by time and self-doubt. Years of solitude, sharpened by intimations of mortality, have cracked the banker’s sense of certainty. He blames Nora for the hurt he’ll never get over, but he doesn’t want to go down as the paragon of bad husbands. He too would like a chance to redeem himself, even if (as Harner’s canny performance illustrates) character is not infinitely malleable. Bad habits endure.
Kimberly Scott in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at Pasadena Playhouse.
(Jeff Lorch)
Kim’s Emmy holds her own against Nora even as her proposed solution to her mother’s dilemma involves some questionable ethics. Nora may be disappointed that her daughter is making such conformist choices, but Emmy sees no reason why the mother she never knew should feel entitled to shape her life. The brusquely controlled way Kim’s Emmy speaks to Nora hints at the ocean of unresolved feelings between them.
The production is somewhat hampered by Anthony Tran’s cumbersome costumes and Chin’s grimly rational scenic design. Elizabeth Harper’s lighting enlivens the dull palette, but I missed the surreal notes of the South Coast Repertory and Broadway stagings. Hnath creates his own universe, and the design choices should reflect this wonderland quality to a jauntier degree.
But Chang realizes the play’s full power in the final scene between Nora and Torvald. Reaser poignantly plunges the depths of her character, as estranged husband and wife share what the last 15 years have been like for them.
“A Doll’s House” was considered in its time to be politically incendiary. Hnath’s sequel, without squelching the politics, picks up the forgotten human story of Ibsen’s indelible classic.
‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’
Where: Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 7 p.m. Thursdays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays (check for exceptions); ends June 8
Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth all have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe – but need Chelsea to win the Conference League and finish seventh in the Premier League.
The final matches in the Premier League take place on Sunday and there is still a scenario in which 10 of the teams, external would be playing in European competition in 2025-26.
Six English clubs will be in the Champions League – Liverpool and Arsenal have already secured their spots and will be joined by three of Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United play Tottenham in the final of the Europa League in Bilbao, Spain on Wednesday and the winner of that match will also be in next season’s Champions League.
Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final has taken the Eagles into the 2025-26 Europa League, where they will be joined by whichever team finishes sixth in the Premier League.
The complication comes with Newcastle, whose Carabao Cup victory has ensured themselves a Conference League place at least. But if they finish sixth they would go into the Europa League instead, while a top-five place for Eddie Howe’s team would move them into the Champions League instead.
Chelsea play Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday, 28 May, with the winner qualifying for the Europa League. But Enzo Maresca’s Blues also could still claim Champions League football with a top-five Premier League finish.
If Chelsea win the Conference League and come seventh, that would open up their Conference League place to the Premier League team which finishes eighth – with Brighton, who beat Liverpool 3-2 on Monday, in that spot, although Brentford and Bournemouth could still overtake them.
It is a similar situation if Chelsea win the Conference League and come sixth, with Newcastle seventh, meaning eighth in the Premier League would again be enough for European competition.
If Chelsea lose the Conference League final or finish in a Champions League place, the picture becomes much clearer.
The top five plus the Europa League winners would be in the Champions League, Crystal Palace and the sixth-placed team would be in the Europa League and the side that finishes seventh in the Premier League would be in the Conference League.
