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When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking $700 million contract earlier this year, the last thing they envisioned for the opening of the regular season was their prized player standing before the media and denying he bet on baseball or any other sport.
The Dodgers want everyone’s attention to be on Ohtani hitting tremendous home runs and, later when he is totally recovered from Tommy John surgery, striking out batters and winning games. Ohtani is a generational talent capable of doing things that remind fans of the great Babe Ruth.
Generational talents attract the most public attention, though, so Ohtani’s 12-minute announcement on March 25 is by no means the end of him being under the microscope. It gave Ohtani the opportunity to say he was not aware of his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, having a gambling problem or moving money from Ohtani’s account to pay off gambling debts.
Ohtani stated that Mizuhara stole money from him and then lied about it. And it is Mizuhara who lost his interpreting job with the Dodgers and stands accused of stealing $4.5 million.
Ohtani took no questions from reporters, but his teammates and those in the front office, the ones who put up the big bucks to bring Shohei to the Dodgers, say Ohtani’s denial and explanation is good enough for them.
So, let’s get on with it and play ball. Not so fast. The pieces to this puzzle are not all in place. Are we to believe that Ohtani is so cavalier about his bank account that he could be unaware of such large sums of money missing?
Not everyone agrees with the Dodgers assessment. Social networks, sports bars, and fans in the stands are replete with personal opinions about Ohtani’s knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling and the possibility the interpreter may be covering for his friend.
It matters not that such claims may be ultimately determined as unfounded. We live in a think it, say it, share it with everyone world. Kind of a shoot off your mouth first and ask forgiveness later.
Ohtani and the Dodgers want this dark cloud to disappear as soon as possible, yet the investigation continues. So far, no evidence has been shared that Ohtani personally bet on sporting events, and MLB is hoping beyond hope that Ohtani is indeed nothing more than a victim in this mess.
Still, it is inevitable that many people will consider him guilty until he is proven innocent rather than the other way around. They will continue to search for holes in his story. Maybe Ohtani would have been better served to answer questions when he spoke to the media. At least he could have then been able to re-emphasize his innocence conversationally rather then relying solely upon a prepared statement. Even with an interpreter, a language barrier can at times be convenient.
All of this while the Dodgers, among the preseason favorites to win this year’s World Series, are trying to get off to a fast start.
Ohtani and his teammates better equip themselves with earplugs and their batting helmets with chinstraps. They will no doubt be taking plenty of grief until the investigation is completed and the legal case against Mizuhara runs its course.
You can bet fans at Dodgers away games, especially in rival San Francisco, will shower Ohtani and the team with all kinds of imaginative, unkind, and nasty comments.
Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader banned from major league baseball for life due to gambling, promptly made his voice heard about Ohtani and Mizuhara. If he only had a handy interpreter nearby back in the day, Rose mused, all his troubles would have been over a long time ago. Rose’s suspension began in 1989. Thirty-five years later it looks like his reprieve will never come.
You know the fans in Cincinnati, where Rose played many years for the Reds, will be more than ready when the Dodgers come to town. The fans in Philadelphia still appreciate Rose for leading the Phillies to the 1980 World Series Championship. It’s a sure thing they will be in loud voice when the Dodgers visit Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series beginning on July 9.
Major League Baseball’s longtime zero tolerance policy regarding gambling can also be problematic should the current situation worsen. The 1919 Black Sox scandal when certain players on the Chicago White Sox were accused of accepting bribes from gamblers to throw the Series happened more than 100 years ago. MLB suspended the players for life, including star player Shoeless Joe Jackson, even though the accused were later acquitted in a court of law.
Jackson could not read nor write and claimed he did not understand the confession he signed. His performance in the 1919 World Series did not reflect someone who was intentionally tanking in order to lose, as he hit an impressive .375. Similar to Rose, Jackson spent the rest of his life trying to get reinstated and be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He died in 1951 still waiting for his ban to be lifted.
Can you imagine the tremendous angst in MLB headquarters should the Ohtani situation morph into something more?
Our major professional sports leagues benefit significantly from contracts with legal gambling organizations, and the added fan interest that comes with them having wagers on the outcomes. The key word here is legal, but even so the leagues can’t help but avoid wanting to have things both ways.
The speculation, then, will continue, with fans certain it’s always been about the money. When you get right down to it, the fans know what they’re talking about.
David Jolley is a sports fan and historian, public relations and marketing communications consultant, writer, and the author of “A Good Cup of Coffee…Short-Time Major Leaguers and Their Claims to Fame.”