Angels unlikely to trade Ohtani

The Angels are highly unlikely to trade Shohei Ohtani if they remain in playoff contention this summer, general manager Perry Minasian said. Minasian didn’t unequivocally vow he won’t trade Ohtani, who is scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency after the season. But the GM underlined his season-long stance on the issue while strongly indicating he still intends to do everything possible to end the Angels’ eight-year playoff drought — and that includes taking the massive risk of losing their two-way superstar in free agency. The second-place Angels are 41-34 entering Wednesday, holding one of the AL’s wild card playoff spots and trailing the AL West-leading Rangers by five games after being nine back only two weeks ago. Ohtani, who turns 29 next month, is the cornerstone of the Angels’ current success as he leads the major leagues in homers, RBIs, slugging percentage — and opponents’ batting average. Ohtani is hitting .300 with a 1.016 OPS, 24 homers and 58 RBIs. On the mound, he is 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 105 strikeouts while his opponents’ .178 average is the best in the majors.

Mourinho banned for berating ref

José Mourinho was banned by UEFA from four European games on Wednesday for verbally abusing the Europa League final referee in a stadium garage after Roma lost to Sevilla. Footage circulated after the May 31 final of the Roma coach approaching English referee Anthony Taylor in the garage in Budapest and calling him a “disgrace” with an expletive. Roma lost a penalty shootout to Sevilla after a 1-1 draw which was the Italian club’s last chance to qualify for the Champions League next season. Mourinho is set to serve the ban in the Europa League group stage starting in September, after being found guilty of “directing abusive language at a match official,” UEFA said in a statement announcing its disciplinary panel’s verdict. The ban is double the minimum two-game ban required by UEFA disciplinary rules. One day after the final, Taylor and his family were harassed by Roma fans at the airport in Budapest. UEFA also fined Roma 50,000 euros ($55,000) and will block the club selling tickets for its next away game in the Europa League.

Rodgers at psychedelics conference

Months after Colorado’s voters decided to join Oregon in decriminalizing psychedelic mushrooms, Denver is hosting a conference this week put on by a psychedelic advocacy group bringing together an unlikely cohort of speakers — including an NFL star, a former Republican governor and a rapper. The conference and the thousands attending is an indication of the creep, or perhaps leap, of cultural acceptance for psychedelic substances that proponents say may offer benefits for things like post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. Still, medical experts caution that more research is needed on the drugs’ efficacy and the extent of the risks of psychedelics, which can cause hallucinations. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’ll soon debut with the Jets after years with the Packers, will speak with a podcaster Wednesday about his ayahuasca experience and how he believes it helped his game. Rapper and actor Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith, and former Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry will also speak at the conference. — Associated Press