Why Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is telling Lakers fans to keep 'hands off' Ohtani

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has a playful message for Lakers fans about Shohei Ohtani, now that the baseball and NBA teams will have the same majority owner.

“Hands off of Shohei,” he said, smiling. “They got enough superstars wearing the purple and gold. Leave him alone.”

Social media on Wednesday was rife with photos of the Japanese two-way superstar’s face and body in a Lakers jersey after news broke that Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is buying a majority interest in the Lakers from the Buss family for $10 billion.

Fox baseball analyst Ben Verlander posted on X: “We're really about to have Shohei Ohtani out here dropping 50 on Christmas Day for the Lakers. What a time to be alive.”

Another person suggested Ohtani could be a two-way player for the Lakers, while someone wondered if the Lakers would start Ohtani at the 2 or 3 position. Others thanked Ohtani for deferring most of his $700 million, 10-year contract and, as one person posted, “putting all that money in Mark Walters' pockets so he can buy and save the Lakers franchise.”

The Lakers already have a Japanese player in forward Rui Hachimura.

“I think Hachimura is taking care of the Japanese side of things,” Roberts said. “We’ll have Shohei on the baseball side.”

Last December, Ohtani and his wife attended a Lakers game and were presented personalized jerseys. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka played four seasons for the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women’s Japan Basketball League.

Roberts appeared to warm to the suggestion that he might be sitting in the celebrity-packed courtside seats at Lakers games this winter.

"I’m sure a lot of people have hit Mark up," he said, "but I might add myself to the list."

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani smiles during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A gas cylinder explosion early Sunday after a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital killed at least eight people, including the bride and groom, police and officials said.

The blast occurred as guests who had gathered to celebrate the couple were sleeping at the house, causing part of the house to collapse, according to the Islamabad police. Seven people were injured.

In a statement, police said the explosion occurred in a residential area in the heart of the city. A government administrator, Sahibzada Yousaf, said authorities were alerted about the blast early Sunday and officers are still investigating. He said some nearby homes were also damaged.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the victims’ families, according to a statement from his office. He directed health authorities to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment and ordered a full investigation.

Many Pakistani households rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure, and such cylinders have been linked to deadly accidents caused by gas leaks. Police said investigations were ongoing.

Government officials survey the damage of a home caused by a gas cylinder explosion hours after a wedding reception, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)