Around Baseball 2024

[BTS]

Where is Mizuhara at the moment? Who's to say he even comes back from Asia. He'll just take his payout from Ohtani and live out his life of luxury in Japan.

 

Good point

[Laika]

Japan and the USA probably have a nice extradition agreement

 

He might be able to hide out in China or North Korea though

[Spanky__99]

Japan and the USA probably have a nice extradition agreement

 

He might be able to hide out in China or North Korea though

 

lol

[RotatorCuff]

That's a fair point. What bookie let's some interpreter rack up a $4.5M debt? He's probably end up with cement boots well before that.

 

My friend, you need to watch more Soprano's, of course the bookies knew who the interpreter was linked to and could pay the kind of money they could fish this guy for.

 

https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Juan-Capistrano/27321-Via-Priorato-92675/home/5960241

 

This was the bookies house in orange county supposedly. They clearly had big fish betting with them.

[Stangstag]

Where is Mizuhara at the moment? Who's to say he even comes back from Asia. He'll just take his payout from Ohtani and live out his life of luxury in Japan.

 

Yeah convenient timing

[The Cats Ass]

Japan and the USA probably have a nice extradition agreement

 

He might be able to hide out in China or North Korea though

 

Only thing I could find is... Even though the United States has an extradition treaty with Japan, most extraditions are not successful due to Japan's domestic laws. But ya, I don't see him coming back.

[The Cats Ass]

This is one of those white collar crimes that won't hurt MLB's image, they'd be crazy to investigate Ohtani. They have their scape goat, that's enough. Now if it were to happen again, that would be a little harder to hide. No way they want to suspend Ohtani for life.

[Daniel Labude]

This is one of those white collar crimes that won't hurt MLB's image, they'd be crazy to investigate Ohtani. They have their scape goat, that's enough. Now if it were to happen again, that would be a little harder to hide. No way they want to suspend Ohtani for life.

 

They may not want to but that means, Pete Rose is back!!!

[The Cats Ass]

It's not like it was just a one time thing either...

 

According to ESPN, at least $4.5m (£3.5m) was transferred from Ohtani's bank account to a bookmaker. ESPN has said it reviewed bank information showing Ohtani's name on two $500,000 payments, one sent in September and the other in October, to a bookmaking operation run by Mathew Bowyer.

 

Why would an interpreter have access to Ohtani's banking account? Their stories seem to have changed atleast once as well.

[wilko]

It's not like it was just a one time thing either...

 

According to ESPN, at least $4.5m (£3.5m) was transferred from Ohtani's bank account to a bookmaker. ESPN has said it reviewed bank information showing Ohtani's name on two $500,000 payments, one sent in September and the other in October, to a bookmaking operation run by Mathew Bowyer.

 

Why would an interpreter have access to Ohtani's banking account? Their stories seem to have changed atleast once as well.

 

Clearly, they are lovers.

[Terminator]

It's not like it was just a one time thing either...

 

According to ESPN, at least $4.5m (£3.5m) was transferred from Ohtani's bank account to a bookmaker. ESPN has said it reviewed bank information showing Ohtani's name on two $500,000 payments, one sent in September and the other in October, to a bookmaking operation run by Mathew Bowyer.

 

Why would an interpreter have access to Ohtani's banking account? Their stories seem to have changed atleast once as well.

 

I think it would make sense for this guy to have access to his accounts. He is his interpreter but that doesn't mean he's only his interpreter. He could also be his errand boy, pseudo-manager, lead entourage member, etc. He's also apparently Ohtani's fall guy.

[Nexii]

That's a fair point. What bookie let's some interpreter rack up a $4.5M debt? He's probably end up with cement boots well before that.

 

His interpreter is making 300-500k a year, which is a nice salary but not enough to cover that kind of bet

[Dick_Pole]

This is one of those white collar crimes that won't hurt MLB's image, they'd be crazy to investigate Ohtani. They have their scape goat, that's enough. Now if it were to happen again, that would be a little harder to hide. No way they want to suspend Ohtani for life.

 

It's not MLB that is going to drive the investigation. It'll be the Feds and/or IRS. I'm sure if the MLB had their choice, they would have swept whatever they could under the rug regarding Bonds and Clemens and we'd have a normal looking HOF instead of a generation of asterisks.

 

If Ohtani is found to be involved in illegal s***, we'll just have to see if the league will be consistent or hypocrites RE: Pete Rose. Could be also that he was involved in illegal gambling but that gambling didn't come close to MLB games. Maybe he's betting on dog fights.

[G-Snarls]

My friend, you need to watch more Soprano's, of course the bookies knew who the interpreter was linked to and could pay the kind of money they could fish this guy for.

 

https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Juan-Capistrano/27321-Via-Priorato-92675/home/5960241

 

This was the bookies house in orange county supposedly. They clearly had big fish betting with them.

 

So the Dodgers spent a BILLION DOLLARS on a supertar who could get banned from the sport and a pitcher who appears woefully inadequate at getting MLB batters out. OK then.

 

[/Extremely early and probajly wrong assesment with a very small but actual chance of being true]

[Abomination]

Neither version of the story really checks out.

 

1) A bookie allowed an interpreter to rack up a 4.5M debt for some reason and then Ohtani was good enough to pay it off, but realized that was illegal and then lied about it.

2) The interpreter had access to 4.5M of Ohtani's cash, stole it, gambled on it, and Ohtani only learned about this after laughing it up with his pal after yesterday's game.

 

Didn't the interpreter also say that Ohtani had no knowledge of it, and the interpreter claimed he didn't know he'd done anything wrong? Nothing about the stories makes any sense at all right now. MLB not being interested in it suggests to me that they knew about this well ahead of time and the betting didn't break any MLB rules (so Ohtani's probably safe on that front).

 

It feels like Ohtani probably made the bets, didn't realize they were potentially illegal, and he got caught in the investigation. The interpreter (who probably did the legwork) takes the fall, scuttles off to Japan where it's unlikely he's extradited for an offense like that, and probably keeps getting paid by Ohtani for looking after the house or something.

[Jimcanuck]

It would not surprise me in the least if an unwritten part of the deal is Ohtani had to marry a girl, ie. a marriage of convenience. Like Rock Hudson's marriage to his agent's secretary Phyllis Gates.

 

Dodgers must be hyper sensitive to image issues after the Bauer incident.

[Grant77]

Ohtani's true character is really being exposed this offseason. Obviously we all know he's an absolute piece of s*** human being based on the way he handled his contract negotiations, but this brings it to a whole new level.

 

Both sides came out and said that he was aware that the money was to cover gambling debts and then both sides came out and said he knew nothing about it. Does anyone actually buy that? What a PR disaster.

[Jays24]

How are you making a billion dollars and still feel the need to gamble illegally. I just can't see it man lol.

[G-Snarls]

How are you making a billion dollars and still feel the need to gamble illegally. I just can't see it man lol.

 

IDK

 

Ask Michael Jordan. He knows.

[Jimcanuck]

IDK

 

Ask Michael Jordan. He knows.

 

Or Phil Mickelson

 

But that's legal gambling

 

Who knows if Ohtani gambled contrary to MLB policy

[John_Havok]

So the Dodgers spent a BILLION DOLLARS on a supertar who could get banned from the sport and a pitcher who appears woefully inadequate at getting MLB batters out. OK then.

 

[/Extremely early and probajly wrong assesment with a very small but actual chance of being true]

 

Lol, exactly.

 

I think the first explanation given is probably correct in that his interpreter ended up with debts and told Ohtani who, because he's a nice guy, said he would help him out and sent some money to cover some losses, not realizing what a potential shitstorm it could end up causing him.

 

I still allow for the possibility that Ohtani is a gambler, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. If it was, ALL the wire transfers would have his name on them instead of 2.

 

The theft thing is a weak cover though, there's more holes in that theory than a deanmike post about anything related to baseball.

[John_Havok]

Ohtani's true character is really being exposed this offseason. Obviously we all know he's an absolute piece of s*** human being based on the way he handled his contract negotiations,

 

That's some amazing hyperbole, even from you lol

[G-Snarls]

Or Phil Mickelson

 

But that's legal gambling

 

Who knows if Ohtani gambled contrary to MLB policy

 

They could have just gone to Nevada where's it's all legal

 

In California for some reason it's not

Edited March 21, 2024 by G-Snarls

[Jimcanuck]

They could have gone to Nevada where's it's all legal

 

In California for some reason it's not

 

Hmmmm I did not know that. Thought California was a liberal place.

[L54]

Hmmmm I did not know that. Thought California was a liberal place.

 

No it’s very conservative

[Jays24]

IDK

 

Ask Michael Jordan. He knows.

 

Go look up what Michael Jordan was earning up until his 1st retirement when all those gambling rumours came about. Hint, it was like 3M/season. Like I'm not crying poor for him but it's nowhere near what he should have earned and what he came to earn afterwards.

 

Ohtani just signed generational wealth money. Again, it would be really odd if he was illegally gambling.

Edited March 21, 2024 by Jays24

[M.E.]

No it’s very conservative

 

its the most liberal place in the States. The gambling is weird, but if you follow the money on it. the Indian and Vegas Casinos opposed the vote heavily and put a ton of money in to opposing. Gov Newsom opposed which means his liberal LA and SF base will vote it down. he likely opposed it because of the funding coming against it.

[G-Snarls]

Hmmmm I did not know that. Thought California was a liberal place.

 

https://www.legalsportsreport.com/california/#:~:text=Sports%20betting%20is%20illegal%20in,sports%20betting%20in%20the%20state.

[G-Snarls]

Go look up what Michael Jordan was earning up until his 1st retirement when all those gambling rumours came about. Hint, it was like 3M/season. Like I'm not crying poor for him but it's nowhere near what he should have earned and what he came to earn afterwards.

 

Ohtani just signed generalitonal wealth money. Again, it would be really odd if he was illegally gambling.

 

Like Ohtani though he made a s*** ton of money through endorsements

[deanmike]

 

JDM to the Mets