2024 MLB Season Corner

[JSngry]

This potentially becomes an immigration issue, correct? 

[Dan Gould]

20 minutes ago, JSngry said:

This potentially becomes an immigration issue, correct? 

Maybe if he was convicted of a crime.

[JSngry]

A federal crime. 

[ghost of miles]

Breaking down the Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara story

 

[ghost of miles]

From ESPN’s latest story—doubling down on insulting b.s. as they back the bus up over the interpreter:

>>Mizuhara on Tuesday evening told ESPN the same and laid out his story in great detail, including saying that Ohtani had sat with him, and the two transferred the money in $500,000 increments in several different settings. But as ESPN prepared to publish a story Wednesday, the spokesman disavowed Mizuhara's account.

In a subsequent interview with Mizuhara, he told ESPN he had not been truthful -- that Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling activities, debts or efforts to repay him.

On Thursday, a source close to Ohtani gave an explanation for the changing storylines: As Ohtani's handlers tried to determine what had happened, they initially relied solely on Mizuhara, who continued to translate for Ohtani.<<

[JSngry]

[ghost of miles]

… I mean, c’mon. So the new narrative is that Ohtani knew nothing about any of this, that Ippei concocted a whole story that implicated Ohtani in making illegal wire transfer payments on his behalf, then went on ESPN and told his b.s. story with the world’s most popular athlete at the center, and figured poor innocent, completely-in-the-dark Ohtani wouldn’t care once he “learned” the supposedly b.s. story his best friend and interpreter had just told to the media universe? Ffs. Whatever the outcome here, I’m already soured on Ohtani. Like most everybody else I’ve loved watching him as a player, but unless he steps up and gives an honest accounting of what went down and takes full accountability for whatever his role was in it (about as likely as the end of all global warfare and famine), I’ll be taking no pleasure in any of his accomplishments on the field.

Edited March 22 by ghost of miles

[Dan Gould]

4 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

… I mean, c’mon. So the new narrative is that Ohtani knew nothing about any of this, that Ippei concocted a whole story that implicated Ohtani in making illegal wire transfer payments on his behalf, then went on ESPN and told his b.s. story with the world’s most popular athlete at the center, and figured poor innocent, completely-in-the-dark Ohtani wouldn’t care once he “learned” the supposedly b.s. story his best friend and interpreter had just told to the media universe? Ffs. Whatever the outcome here, I’m already soured on Ohtani. Like most everybody else I’ve loved watching him as a player, but unless he steps up and gives an honest accounting of what went down and takes full accountability for whatever his role was in it (about as likely as the end of all global warfare and famine), I’ll be taking no pleasure in any of his accomplishments on the field.

I'm just poppin popcorn and wondering how it goes ... 

 

[ghost of miles]

4 minutes ago, JSngry said:

The “Say it ain’t so, Sho” and “Shoeless Sho” quips have been proliferating online since this story broke. Tawdry as this emerging scandal is, I appreciate baseball fans’ ability to invoke century-old historical references for new memes in 2024.

1 minute ago, Dan Gould said:

I'm just poppin popcorn and wondering how it goes ... 

 

Let me take a seat beside you!  

[Matthew]

Re Ohtani: MLB's version of "The Butler Did It!"

With how many layers there are between Mizuhara and Ohtani's money, this Ohtani didn't know strikes me as pure bs.

[GA Russell]

Orioles owner Peter Angelos has passed away at age 94 (msn.com)

[ghost of miles]

ESPN timeline of Ohtani story

“Stinks to high heaven” is the phrase that comes to mind. 

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

ESPN timeline of Ohtani story

“Stinks to high heaven” is the phrase that comes to mind. 

🧐😎 ....

[Dan Gould]

10 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

ESPN timeline of Ohtani story

“Stinks to high heaven” is the phrase that comes to mind. 

Thanks for that GoM because in all honesty, the sum total of my reading on this was what was detailed in this thread.

What I cannot fathom and makes no sense  is that an interpreter/buddy who is on the payroll of the Dodgers supposedly had the ability to access Ohtani's financial accounts and send money to his bookie without authorization. 

Also that Ohtani and his people had absolutely zero controls in place to notice 4.5 million dollars out of his account(s) without any recognition or concern.  

Edited March 24 by Dan Gould

[soulpope]

The "Superstar" looks rather human nowadays ....

[JSngry]

Why an illegal bookie, though? Was there betting on baseball than needed to avoid leaving a trail? 

[Dan Gould]

11 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Why an illegal bookie, though? Was there betting on baseball than needed to avoid leaving a trail? 

DraftKings and other businesses don't extend credit of 4.5 million.

Which brings up another question, direct to the heart of who was really betting:  $85,000 yearly income from the Dodgers. Why  does any bookie allow such a debt to accumulate, unless it was really entered into by the player not the 'buddy'?

[JSngry]

Let's get imaginative and think about just because the money was paid to a bookie doesn't mean that it was for a gambling debt... 

[felser]

32 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Let's get imaginative and think about just because the money was paid to a bookie doesn't mean that it was for a gambling debt... 

Could have been $4.5 million what?  My imagination is only so good.

[JSngry]

Drug ring. Porno ring. Gun ring. Human trafficking ring. Or just plain money laundering. 

Use your imagination. 

[Dan Gould]

37 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Drug ring. Porno ring. Gun ring. Human trafficking ring. Or just plain money laundering. 

Use your imagination. 

This is foolish.

Bookies take bets. They aren't the old Money Store(tm) that Phil Rizzuto used to endorse.  They don't finance illicit activity. They take bets.

[JSngry]

The funds from a wire transfer are easily allocated elsewhere. 

Organized crime is more than adept at moving money around. Money laundering is easier than you might think. 

A bookie who receives $6.4 mil from just one customer is hardly your guy Sid who takes your $20 on Friendly Frankie in the 5th out of a back room. That much money goes to more than just fast cars and loose women. 

It behooves MLB to get this cleaned up quickly and transparently. Let the chips fall where they may. 

[Matthew]

On 3/24/2024 at 4:29 AM, Dan Gould said:

Thanks for that GoM because in all honesty, the sum total of my reading on this was what was detailed in this thread.

What I cannot fathom and makes no sense  is that an interpreter/buddy who is on the payroll of the Dodgers supposedly had the ability to access Ohtani's financial accounts and send money to his bookie without authorization. 

Also that Ohtani and his people had absolutely zero controls in place to notice 4.5 million dollars out of his account(s) without any recognition or concern.  

It is a strange story, and does stink to high heaven. One conclusion is that this is not the only payment to Bowyer because you would think a payment of that amount of money, for the first time, would be flagged either by the bank or the account firm of Ohtani. A lot of bad things follow if this is not a one time payment.

[Dan Gould]

29 minutes ago, Matthew said:

It is a strange story, and does stink to high heaven. One conclusion is that this is not the only payment to Bowyer because you would think a payment of that amount of money, for the first time, would be flagged either by the bank or the account firm of Ohtani. A lot of bad things follow if this is not a one time payment.

I thought I read that the interpreter stated that they were limited to $500,000 transfers at a time. That would make quite a few that went past everybody.  Didn't even make me think about how an accounting firm might question such a payment, let alone presumably at least nine of them.

[ghost of miles]

2 hours ago, Matthew said:

It is a strange story, and does stink to high heaven. One conclusion is that this is not the only payment to Bowyer because you would think a payment of that amount of money, for the first time, would be flagged either by the bank or the account firm of Ohtani. A lot of bad things follow if this is not a one time payment.

This is from the ESPN timeline story that I posted above:

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.'"

The ESPN reporter, knowing the spokesman worked for Ohtani, wants to hear it from Mizuhara. The spokesman says he will work on arranging that.