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browna · 12-06-2023, 09:57 PM

While we are all waiting for disappointment, interesting read from the book about Ohtani.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=nNG...ohtani&f=false

He tried to dissuade the teams in the Japanese league to draft him back when because he wanted to play in MLB right out of high school. Japanese team that did draft him showed him clips of the ####ty part of minors in the US (where he would have to play at that time as was 19 or 20) long bus rides etc and how hard it would be to find a Japanese girl to date.

Edit: Talks too about the courting process back when he signed with Angels. Cubs, Dodgers,Giants, Mariners and Padres. How teams scrambled to make pool space (and Yankees had the most but were eliminated). How the Mariners were front runner until they weren't. How teams moved heaven and earth and got all their top player lined up to speak with him, especially the Dodgers... but again, all under a shroud of secrecey. Talk about how he wanted not to go to a large market. And money wasn't the driving force. How he wanted 27, but Trout has it (Vlad has it here). The Kickuchi relationship, him taking Kickuchi's number at the same high school after he left.
Really is fascinating.

12-06-2023, 09:57 PM	#613
browna Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Calgary Exp:	While we are all waiting for disappointment, interesting read from the book about Ohtani. https://books.google.ca/books?id=nNG...ohtani&f=false He tried to dissuade the teams in the Japanese league to draft him back when because he wanted to play in MLB right out of high school. Japanese team that did draft him showed him clips of the ####ty part of minors in the US (where he would have to play at that time as was 19 or 20) long bus rides etc and how hard it would be to find a Japanese girl to date. Edit: Talks too about the courting process back when he signed with Angels. Cubs, Dodgers,Giants, Mariners and Padres. How teams scrambled to make pool space (and Yankees had the most but were eliminated). How the Mariners were front runner until they weren't. How teams moved heaven and earth and got all their top player lined up to speak with him, especially the Dodgers... but again, all under a shroud of secrecey. Talk about how he wanted not to go to a large market. And money wasn't the driving force. How he wanted 27, but Trout has it (Vlad has it here). The Kickuchi relationship, him taking Kickuchi's number at the same high school after he left. Really is fascinating. Last edited by browna; 12-06-2023 at 10:14 PM.