OT: MLB Thread 2024

[Elvis P]

Shohei Ohtani's interpreter accused of stealing millions from Dodgers superstar to gamble, per report

The interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has reportedly been fired by the Dodgers

www.cbssports.com

 

[Kane One]

Big yikes for Ohtani. Looks kind of suspicious.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Big yikes for Ohtani. Looks kind of suspicious.

Its going to be interesting to follow. How can someone send a wire for $500k from someone elses account? Even if the buddy takes the blame thats where Ohtani has a major isdue nevermind the two completely different explanations.

 

[KennyWu]

Everyone dogs on the NHL, but have they ever opened up the season at 3am local time with their biggest stars?

 

[Crease]

Story is that Ohtani paid off his interpreter’s gambling debt and told him to knock it off. They’re old friends. Interpreter was gambling on other sports, which is normally fine, except he used an illegal bookie for some bets.

Again, that’s just the story. MLB has an enormous financial interest in protecting Ohtani’s brand, so who knows what the truth is. Doesn’t sound like the MLB did much investigating. Somewhere Pete Rose is punching air right now.

 

[Bob Richards]

Big yikes for Ohtani. Looks kind of suspicious.

Incredibly funny that the original story was Ohtani helping a friend pay off his gambling debt and then presumably one of their lawyers called the Ohtani camp furiously demanding they stop admitting to wire fraud lol.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Story is that Ohtani paid off his interpreter’s gambling debt and told him to knock it off. They’re old friends. Interpreter was gambling on other sports, which is normally fine, except he used an illegal bookie for some bets.

Again, that’s just the story. MLB has an enormous financial interest in protecting Ohtani’s brand, so who knows what the truth is. Doesn’t sound like the MLB did much investigating. Somewhere Pete Rose is punching air right now.

If there’s anything else, it will come out.

Just because the MLB won’t dig further doesn’t mean that others won’t.

 

[Machinehead]

Ohtani heel turn

 

[NYR94]

Rough start for Yamamoto....Dodgers losing 12-11 but Betts has 6 RBI

 

[LeetchisGod]

I really hope the Dodgers fail miserably.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Story is that Ohtani paid off his interpreter’s gambling debt and told him to knock it off. They’re old friends. Interpreter was gambling on other sports, which is normally fine, except he used an illegal bookie for some bets.

Again, that’s just the story. MLB has an enormous financial interest in protecting Ohtani’s brand, so who knows what the truth is. Doesn’t sound like the MLB did much investigating. Somewhere Pete Rose is punching air right now.

That was the original story which would be breaking MLB betting rules and then they changed the story to the friend stealing money from Ohtani. The second story would not explain how bank wires were sent to the bookie from Ohtani.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Now Ohtani can move to Macao and be the Pete Rose of Asia.

 

[CTTribe73]

MLB will be best served keeping its mouth shut and letting the Feds/DOJ work their magic.

I think what this will come down to is how aggressively the eventual assigned prosecutor wants to pursue Ohtani. I don't buy the second version of the story for a second. Even if his motives were purely altruistic there is no doubt in my mind that he initiated the wire transfers and inscribed them as 'loan repayment'. That by any construction constitutes wire fraud and is subject to
serious prison time-and he'd be on the hook for multiple counts (each payment).

Good. I'm sick and tired of seeing his face plastered everywhere and his employer held up as some sort of paragon of organizational virtue. They cannot crash fast and hard enough to suit me. The bonus is his buddy Yo-Yo got absolutely destroyed in his first opportunity to start a game against real Major League talent.

 

[NickyFotiu]

MLB will be best served keeping its mouth shut and letting the Feds/DOJ work their magic.

I think what this will come down to is how aggressively the eventual assigned prosecutor wants to pursue Ohtani. I don't buy the second version of the story for a second. Even if his motives were purely altruistic there is no doubt in my mind that he initiated the wire transfers and inscribed them as 'loan repayment'. That by any construction constitutes wire fraud and is subject to
serious prison time-and he'd be on the hook for multiple counts (each payment).

Good. I'm sick and tired of seeing his face plastered everywhere and his employer held up as some sort of paragon of organizational virtue. They cannot crash fast and hard enough to suit me. The bonus is his buddy Yo-Yo got absolutely destroyed in his first opportunity to start a game against real Major League talent.

I do not want Ohani treated any better nor any worse than any other player. I'm not surprised that gambling is an issue. There will probably be others.

 

[Elvis P]

... I'm not surprised that gambling is an issue. There will probably be others.

NBA coach says he's been threatened by gamblers

Gambling has changed everything about sports.

www.nbcsports.com

Agreed. This is just the start of pro sports gambling problems. I don't care if people bet on sports. Leagues associating too closely with gambling creates problems.

 

[NickyFotiu]

NBA coach says he's been threatened by gamblers

Gambling has changed everything about sports.

www.nbcsports.com

Agreed. This is just the start of pro sports gambling problems. I don't care if people bet on sports. Leagues associating too closely with gambling creates problems.

My amatuer assumption is that a percetage of the public will become gambling addicts and that percentage is likely to include some pro athletes that will bet on their own sports. For years pro leagues did not want to have franchises in Vegas because of gambling concerns. I think some of those concerns may turn out to be valid. Hopefully it is limited to a small percentage.

 

[nyr2k2]

 

[SA16]

My amatuer assumption is that a percetage of the public will become gambling addicts and that percentage is likely to include some pro athletes that will bet on their own sports. For years pro leagues did not want to have franchises in Vegas because of gambling concerns. I think some of those concerns may turn out to be valid. Hopefully it is limited to a small percentage.

It’s harder to bet on sports in Vegas these days than it is New York.

 

[NickyFotiu]

It’s harder to bet on sports in Vegas these days than it is New York.

2024 may be the next version of the movie "Escape From NY"

 

[Crease]

NBA coach says he's been threatened by gamblers

Gambling has changed everything about sports.

www.nbcsports.com

Agreed. This is just the start of pro sports gambling problems. I don't care if people bet on sports. Leagues associating too closely with gambling creates problems.

Gambling in the US went from ostracized to glorified in the blink of an eye.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Yeah, uh, so this Ohtani thing is going to be huge.

 

[ElLeetch]

Gambling in the US went from ostracized to glorified in the blink of an eye.

because sports betting went from seedy casinos and Uncle 'Bag-o-donuts' Tony, to 'internet nerds with IPOs'

 

[Gordon Bombay]

Yeah, uh, so this Ohtani thing is going to be huge.

Thank god this isn't happening in NY

 

[I Eat Crow]

Thank god this isn't happening in NY

What a circus. The Dodgers deserve every ounce of this too.

 

[Elvis P]

MLB opens investigation into Shohei Ohtani interpreter allegations

Shohei Ohtani's lawyers have accused fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of a "massive theft."

sports.yahoo.com