Around Baseball 2024

[BTS]

Craziest think about the article is that Mizuhara's salary was only 85K. I've seen people guessing that he was making as much as much as 500k a year. Leveraging your employer's wealth to run up a 4.5M gambling debt to the Yakuza or whatever on a middle class income is some next level degeneracy.

[L54]

Craziest think about the article is that Mizuhara's salary was only 85K. I've seen people guessing that he was making as much as much as 500k a year. Leveraging your employer's wealth to run up a 4.5M gambling debt to the Yakuza or whatever on a middle class income is some next level degeneracy.

 

That’s what I thought too. And he had to “keep up” with the lifestyle of a guy tracking to be a billionaire

[L54]

Or at least felt the need to

[Stangstag]

If you read this, from the network that actually broke the stories, it seems to get Ohtani off the hook.

 

 

https://abc7.com/sports/shohei-ohtani-his-interpreter-and-wire-transfers-a-timeline/14559093/

 

5:30 p.m. ET Monday (6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): A crisis-communications spokesman for Ohtani, who had just been hired, responds to ESPN. Over the next several hours, he and an ESPN reporter talk at various times as the spokesman says he is getting up to speed on information from the Ohtani camp.

 

8:30 p.m. ET Monday (9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): The spokesman for the first time says Ohtani paid the debts on behalf of Mizuhara. He says Balelo, the agent, went to Mizuhara, who "finally came clean to him and said that was the truth," and that Ohtani told Balelo he had covered Mizuhara's debts in $500,000 increments. It's not clear whether the spokesman is saying Ohtani communicated with Balelo through Mizuhara.

 

The spokesman quotes Ohtani as saying: "'Yeah, I sent several large payments. That's the maximum amount I could send.'"

 

This part here points to Ohtani willfully sending money to the illegal betting company, which would mean he’s guilty of breaking that rule.

 

Whether MLB decides to consider INTENT remains to be seen.

[Stangstag]

Yep a suspension seems likely. If there was wrongdoing by Ohtani, MLB cannot do nothing.

 

They could try to sweep it under the rug. But this could hang over him and the Dodgers all season, so he should probably take a short suspension and move past it.

[Carlos Danger]

5:30 p.m. ET Monday (6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): A crisis-communications spokesman for Ohtani, who had just been hired, responds to ESPN. Over the next several hours, he and an ESPN reporter talk at various times as the spokesman says he is getting up to speed on information from the Ohtani camp.

 

8:30 p.m. ET Monday (9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): The spokesman for the first time says Ohtani paid the debts on behalf of Mizuhara. He says Balelo, the agent, went to Mizuhara, who "finally came clean to him and said that was the truth," and that Ohtani told Balelo he had covered Mizuhara's debts in $500,000 increments. It's not clear whether the spokesman is saying Ohtani communicated with Balelo through Mizuhara.

 

The spokesman quotes Ohtani as saying: "'Yeah, I sent several large payments. That's the maximum amount I could send.'"

 

This part here points to Ohtani willfully sending money to the illegal betting company, which would mean he’s guilty of breaking that rule.

 

Whether MLB decides to consider INTENT remains to be seen.

 

That is not the end of the sequence though.

 

It wasn’t until a 2nd Terp came into the picture that Ohtani knew what this was all about. The Terp had been fudging the translations.

 

Hence the story switched to theft.

[connorp]

The above just tracks with everything.

 

Ohtani literally did send the wires, from his personal online banking, with the interpreter there at this side.

 

But reasonably Ohtani didn't even know it was illegal so there is an argument the friend sort of duped him, lied to him so to speak.

 

Of course ignorance is seldom a defense when it comes to laws like this. You can't really just tell the cops you didn't do any due diligence on the $4.5M you wired.

 

Thank you lol. You typically can’t be like, I’m not an accessory to this crime because I didn’t know what was going on

[connorp]

Not sure!

 

The friend might go to jail here.

 

Ohtani might end up pleading guilty to being an accessory to wire fraud, and paying a fine.

 

MLB is actually in a tough spot. The story is WORSE than people are talking about I think because this bookie was at the Angels hotel, gambling and soliciting MLB players. So there might be more here! Arguably if MLB doesn't do something to Ohtani it sets a horrible example.

 

Than you again. Hopefully your underling BTS now understand the situation a little better.

[BTS]

Than you again. Hopefully your underling BTS now understand the situation a little better.

 

I understand the situation, I just think it’s stupid trolling to post about how mlb or the media would handle this any differently if it was like Mike Trout or Bryce Harper involved, for racial reasons.

[John_Havok]

I understand the situation, I just think it’s stupid trolling to post about how mlb or the media would handle this any differently if it was like Mike Trout or Bryce Harper involved, for racial reasons.

 

Yeah, and then lets pretend that accessory to wire-fraud while youre trying to help a friend pay off gambling debts is even remotely close to the same thing Pete Rose did, or even the same ballpark as wife-beaters.

 

Ignorance isnt a defense of course and he should be punished accordingly, but this doesnt appear to be a gambling issue with Ohtani himself. It does, however, seem to be a gambling issue with illegal books if the rest of that stuff about the bookie being at the team hotel taking bets on other sports from guys on the team turns out to be true. That's a far bigger issue than what Ohtani himself did.

[BTS]

Yeah, and then lets pretend that accessory to wire-fraud while youre trying to help a friend pay off gambling debts is even remotely close to the same thing Pete Rose did, or even the same ballpark as wife-beaters.

Ignorance isnt a defense of course and he should be punished accordingly, but this doesnt appear to be a gambling issue with Ohtani himself. It does, however, seem to be a gambling issue with illegal books if the rest of that stuff about the bookie being at the team hotel taking bets on other sports from guys on the team turns out to be true. That's a far bigger issue than what Ohtani himself did.

 

It's not. connorp knows its not. He knows that there's not going to be an appetite to see Ohtani ostracized from baseball over the situation as it currently appears, and he knows that the situation has nothing to do with race. His existence on this forum at this point is stopping in to bait people into stupid arguments that may or may not having anything to do with baseball.

[connorp]

It's not. connorp knows its not. He knows that there's no going to be an appetite to see Ohtani ostracized from baseball over the situation as it currently appears, and he knows that the situation has nothing to do with race. His existence on this forum at this point is stopping in to bait people into stupid arguments that may or may not having anything to do with baseball.

 

Lies. I found this story genuinely fascinating.

The race thing of course you could classify as some sort of bait, rather than substance to the debate. Can concede that

[connorp]

Also, I never suggested the end result would be anything like a ban from life for baseball. It’s all about what the suspension is going to look like. Or would/should look like.

[BTS]

Lies. I found this story genuinely fascinating.

The race thing of course you could classify as some sort of bait, rather than substance to the debate. Can concede that

 

The race part is the only part I consider bait. Please feel free to discuss the issue to your heart's content without trying to derail the thread with an argument about racial grievances.

[connorp]

Ohtani and his friend both seem to be f***ing idiots. But this story is going to blow over quickly.

 

This happened. Don’t claim it’s just the race line

[BTS]

This happened. Don’t claim it’s just the race line

 

What are you talking about?

[connorp]

What are you talking about?

 

Related to your first reply to me that it’s a non-story. It’s definitely a big story. And sorry, while I’ll slip in a troll, usually there’s some truth to it. In this case, a hesitancy to bring Ohtani down, in which race probably will play a factor, along with others. The media going after one person harder than the other is actually true. I will give you an example not related to racism:

 

Peyton Manning was dead to rights on HGH use and they let the story go really, rather than tarnish his legacy

[BTS]

Related to your first reply to me that it’s a non-story. It’s definitely a big story. And sorry, while I’ll slip in a troll, usually there’s some truth to it. In this case, a hesitancy to bring Ohtani down, in which race probably will play a factor, along with others. The media going after one person harder than the other is actually true. I will give you an example not related to racism:

 

Peyton Manning was dead to rights on HGH use and they let the story go really, rather than tarnish his legacy

 

I didn't call it a non-story, I said it will blow over quickly. You're free to disagree with me, and I don't consider it trolling.

 

I'm just telling you not to think out loud here about how he might get off easy because he's not white. That's bait, and will (already has) derail the thread. We don't even know what he did or what the repercussions are, so there's no reason whatsoever to guess about the role race will play.

[Stangstag]

Related to your first reply to me that it’s a non-story. It’s definitely a big story. And sorry, while I’ll slip in a troll, usually there’s some truth to it. In this case, a hesitancy to bring Ohtani down, in which race probably will play a factor, along with others. The media going after one person harder than the other is actually true. I will give you an example not related to racism:

 

Peyton Manning was dead to rights on HGH use and they let the story go really, rather than tarnish his legacy

 

Stop talking about comparisons to other sports. Its not the same thing.

[BatFlip]

Related to your first reply to me that it’s a non-story. It’s definitely a big story. And sorry, while I’ll slip in a troll, usually there’s some truth to it. In this case, a hesitancy to bring Ohtani down, in which race probably will play a factor, along with others. The media going after one person harder than the other is actually true. I will give you an example not related to racism:

 

Peyton Manning was dead to rights on HGH use and they let the story go really, rather than tarnish his legacy

 

 

When you throw race into everything it's really tiring man. What is more likely to play a factor in all this is the size of his stardom, not his ethnicity.

[L54]

Yeah, and then lets pretend that accessory to wire-fraud while youre trying to help a friend pay off gambling debts is even remotely close to the same thing Pete Rose did, or even the same ballpark as wife-beaters.

 

Ignorance isnt a defense of course and he should be punished accordingly, but this doesnt appear to be a gambling issue with Ohtani himself. It does, however, seem to be a gambling issue with illegal books if the rest of that stuff about the bookie being at the team hotel taking bets on other sports from guys on the team turns out to be true. That's a far bigger issue than what Ohtani himself did.

 

Punished for what? Are you assuming his guilt?

[connorp]

When you throw race into everything it's really tiring man. What is more likely to play a factor in all this is the size of his stardom, not his ethnicity.

 

I think there’s a myriad of factors that will go into it. It’s not conspiracy theory to suggest the AP will sometimes communicate on how aggressive to handle a storyline.

[connorp]

Stop talking about comparisons to other sports. Its not the same thing.

 

Apples to apples, eh? Riddle me this:

 

How come Ortiz is in Hall of Fame? I’m not suggestiing it’s bc of race either

[Spanky99]

The bigot never grows tired.

[Dick_Pole]

Apples to apples, eh? Riddle me this:

 

How come Ortiz is in Hall of Fame? I’m not suggestiing it’s bc of race either

 

I get that there is hypocrisy. I called that out too. It's not along racial lines. Bonds is tarred and feathered the worst of them all and is black.

 

Ohtani is Asian so he only gets a half-point for "racial advantages" the way you see them existing in society. Plus his situation has less to do with race and more to do with international appeal. Yeah the two are correlated because Ohtani looks more similar to other people who live east and southeast of Russia than Mike Trout does. But it's not explicitly about race.

 

Take it from the guy who would be more likely to see eye to eye with you on "conservative values" than most here. The race baiting thing you're doing is on the same level of insufferable as what a Harvard social studies professor would do on the opposite end. Not everything needs to be seen through a racial lens.

 

Ohtani would get special treatment the same way Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan or Tom Brady might. Due to name brand not due to race. Focus on that bit of hypocrisy instead.

[connorp]

The bigot never grows tired.

 

I can’t help that you sensitive Nancies have to crumble like chicks if the topic or race gets involved. Try to get over the woke “color of skin” stuff and think more about how far along Japan and mlb have come in the last decade or whatever. If you don’t think race is playing a part behind the scenes with all this, in terms on mlb kind of gauging the media situation and wondering how their investigation and possible suspension might not land well with fans of said race, you’re not being realistic

[Jimcanuck]

I can’t help that you sensitive Nancies have to crumble like chicks if the topic or race gets involved. Try to get over the woke “color of skin” stuff and think more about how far along Japan and mlb have come in the last decade or whatever. If you don’t think race is playing a part behind the scenes with all this, in terms on mlb kind of gauging the media situation and wondering how their investigation and possible suspension might not land well with fans of said race, you’re not being realistic

 

Sure MLB gives consideration to the PR fallout, but race would be a minor factor in this consideration, if any.

 

A fixation on race is for small minds.

[Spanky99]

I can’t help that you sensitive Nancies have to crumble like chicks if the topic or race gets involved. Try to get over the woke “color of skin” stuff and think more about how far along Japan and mlb have come in the last decade or whatever. If you don’t think race is playing a part behind the scenes with all this, in terms on mlb kind of gauging the media situation and wondering how their investigation and possible suspension might not land well with fans of said race, you’re not being realistic

 

lol... dumbass.

[Laika]

7 year ext for Tovar, lmao

 

It's like the Rockies don't even use WAR or any similar measurements of value

[BTS]

7 year ext for Tovar, lmao

 

It's like the Rockies don't even use WAR or any similar measurements of value

 

I'll never understand the Rockies' tendency to keep all of the players who keep leading them to 65-win seasons.