To believe baseball’s biggest star when he says that the sport hasn’t had the biggest gambling scandal since Pete Rose and perhaps since the 1919 Black Sox, you have to believe him on Clueless.
I’m going to consider the current explanation for Shohei Ohtani, which is basically that he’s a sucker and a fool. He was unaware that his interpreter and partner, Ippei Mizuhara, was making illegal bets and using money from Star’s account to cover large losses.He, Ohtani, said, “I have never bet on baseball or any other sport, nor have I ever asked anyone to bet on my behalf. [gone] Bet on sports through bookmakers. ”
But I haven’t gotten there yet.
It’s not enough for me for an athlete to defiantly declare something publicly. I grew up a Reds fan in Brooklyn because I loved Pete Rose, but he lied for years about his baseball bets. I was in Congress when Rafael Palmeiro waved his finger and said, “I’ve never used steroids.” Multiple players who were accused of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs lied to my face, and it turned out multiple times.
So when Ohtani gives a 10-minute speech — please don’t call it a “press conference” when reporters can’t ask questions — he portrayed himself as betrayed, hurt and innocent on Monday. You won’t be able to convince me. One day, a small child stopped begging the hero.
“Tell me that’s not true, Sho.”
At best, this was a first step. It only takes a moment to get asked a difficult question. But in reality, this is about more than Ohtani. About more than baseball. This is about sports. This is about the need for everyone involved in this to provide a roadmap, which unfortunately will be needed across all sports on how to deal with betting scandals.
Because the leagues have shown that they can never escape the big money bag. And gambling is a big problem. So the league, which for decades pretended as if the betting lines didn’t exist, now has neck-deep partnerships with gaming entities. As a result, fans believe that the action in a game is the essence of the game’s enjoyment.
Furthermore, there is growing distrust in the results not only from fans but also from players. It wasn’t the fifth-row Bob who was rubbing his finger over the money sign at the umpires earlier this month, hinting that they were in on the take. It was Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert.
What you need to know about Shohei Otani’s accusations against his former interpreter
A lawyer representing Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has accused former interpreter and longtime friend Ippei Mizuhara of “grand theft” in connection with a $4.5 million bombing.
After signing a 10-year, $700 million contract this offseason with the Angels, the two-time AL MVP reportedly had huge gambling debts that needed to be repaid.
Mizuhara initially said ESPN Ohtani had offered to repay the debt, but later changed his story and claimed he had no knowledge of the Eight-Nine wire transfer from Ohtani’s account to the alleged illegal bookmaker.
According to ESPN, the Ohtani camp “denied” Mizuhara’s initial story.
He was fired shortly after the Dodgers’ season opener against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, and while Ohtani’s camp is seeking a law enforcement investigation following an investigation by the National Tax Agency, Ohtani has not yet spoken publicly about the situation. .
“I’ve never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “That’s 100 percent. I knew that rule. … We’re going to have a meeting in spring training about it.”
Both sides maintain that Ohtani is not involved in any gambling.
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The only commissioner in sports is the 1919 scandal in baseball, when the tough Kennesaw Mountain Landis was hired by MLB as a way to restore faith in the integrity of the game. It was understood that if fans didn’t believe in the results, the death of the sport would come.
Of course, the other factor that saved baseball was the arrival of Babe Ruth. Now, Otani has a modern-day Ruth. Landis’ successor is Rob Manfred. We have the Dodgers and the MLB Players Association. All of them must do everything possible to achieve transparency, but in the case of Manfred and his office, if it means Ohtani being exposed as a liar and gambler; That’s fine.
Look, I understand that no matter how much evidence you bring to us, we live in a time where there are still people who believe that the Earth is flat. One of the joys of the internet (along with irony) is giving air to conspiracy theories. I love the combination of MLB being both incompetent and still able to mastermind a huge deception.
MLB is clearly in MLB’s best interest if Ohtani is as “in the dark” as he claims. They want this to go away. fast. That’s why they need to uncover everything with the help of the Dodgers, Ohtani, the organization, and perhaps the federal government, which has completed its investigation. You may not be able to convince conspiracy theorists. However, I think there are many people who, like me, would be satisfied if what should be shown is shown and what should be asked is asked. For example, why didn’t anyone in Ohtani’s camp, including Ohtani, know what was going on with that part of his body? money?
MLB could provide a blueprint on how to deal with this. Because there have already been multiple gambling scandals in various sports in recent years. And it doesn’t stop. Gambling addiction is huge, as is the number of people around the team who have inside information who can make deals with gamblers to, for example, forgive large debts. Vigilance and transparency are critical.
Because, ironically, the end of sports will come when no one believes what’s going on anymore and no one wants to bet.
