2024 MLB Season Thread

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by bluejays

It’s more than that. He gets to skip a lot of those media sessions and they make concessions that just wouldn’t be consistently afforded to other players. As a teammate it has nothing to do with them so I can’t see them getting too annoyed unless it’s day after day. But he often doesn’t have to talk to the media and that’s not fair.

Yeah, don't you just say "I don't know anything about it, I'm here to focus on baseball". Where does the interviewer go from there.

[bluejays]

PR people end interviews early all the time from what I understand (in the locker room if things get hairy). So to get some type of soundbite interviewers just play the game. I could see this sticking around for a long time unless Ohtani answers some questions. Like anything legal situation the devil is in the details but I have serious doubts that Ohtani is clean here. Worst case he's doing something illegal. To me best case is he was gambling through his friend. I'm not sure the bookie game but if the guy is making $500k a year which person is going to allow you to get into $4.5M in debt? If you can't pay you just claim bankruptcy and the bookie is out that money. Even if the bookie knew there's an affiliation with Ohtani there's no guarantee Ohtani will pay up for his friend. So it's either Ohtani gambling (which isn't a ton for his salary) or the bookies are using the debt to get a few favors thrown their way with insider info to even the score. The whole thing is shady. Imagine the #### hitting the ceiling if the Jays got him in the off-season?


Anyway, how MLB is not suspending him until further investigation, is crazy. They fire the bookie a few hours after the game, investigation wrapped up? The whole thing reeks of "fall guy".

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Wait......what?????????

https://twitter.com/user/status/1771192502567014833

[SuperMatt18]

Yeah...I don't get why they felt the need to change that rule.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Yeah...I don't get why they felt the need to change that rule.

You can’t block the bag. Lindor’s knee went down, forcing the runner to the OF side. That’s out.

They needed to change or better enforce the rule because ever since the rule not allowing players to slide in hard, SS/2B have been getting away with dropping their knee in an effort to field the throw.

[mrkajz44]

I don't think the rule changed, it's just being enforced much more strictly. This will likely fade into nothingness quite quickly, like the "rule" about the 3rd base coach needing to stay in the designated box.

[Barnes]

Rule hasn't changed, you have to be beside or straddling the bag obstructing no part of the entire side unless the ball path takes the defender into the baseline.

You could argue that the arm side run of a throwdown will always take a middle infielder into the base line especially on a short hop throwdown dart like this one. Dude was toast regardless and the rule should only be applied if it is egregious.

[Strange Brew]

So Ohtani gives a 12 minute soliloquy for a press conference, taking no questions. He’s claiming this guy stole millions from him. When is the arrest going to happen?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Maybe he's been truthful and I'll eat crow in the future, but I really don't believe anything the guy has to say. Extremely fishy.

Like you said, millions stolen.....I'm expecting an arrest in the near future. There has to be a lot of evidence to convict......if what he is saying is true.

[flamingred89]

Yeah I don't believe a single thing out of Ohtani's mouth right now. It's all PR. This isn't like a shady business partner who has his fingers in Ohtani's dealings skimming some off the top. Like we've seen a million times. This is a best friend allegedly stealing millions from under the nose of everyone in Ohtani's camp. What a joke.

Ohtani is a famous recluse who was attached at the hip with Ippei. Why not hang around home with your best buddy and throw around stacks on meaningless games?

[bluejays]

I'm kinda turning the other way. Culturally it seems he wouldn't easily accuse a friend of doing such a thing. He seemed very self assured. His story kinda connects a lot of dots of the so-called circumstances of the day. But there's still the issue of how he wouldn't realize that much money left his account. He has money managers and they wouldn't ask anything? Either he's the most naive person alive or something is still amiss. Even if he's your friend he still shouldn't have access to your account unless he unlocked your phone while sleeping. But even then would his bank allow him to transfer that much money without clearance? There's a lot of fishy angles. His story of "letting the proper authorities handle the investigation" seems like a lawyer driven line.



I still don't know how he's not suspended pending investigation.

[Inferno]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1772361577477366070

[browna]

Stealing may mean something different to Ohtani. In this case, it was given to the interpreter, under false pretenses.

I still think someone was extorting the interpreter, the interpreter told Ohtani he needs $1M, lies as to why. Ohanti or his business manager gives it to him without much more question, and then finds out it was for gambling debt.

That's the angle I think Ohtani will argue. And because he's loyal, even though was lied to for the reason for the money, and basically it was stolen from him, but, he won't press charges in the end.

That the angle I think they are trying to set up, whether it passes the smell test or not remains to be seen.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by browna

Stealing may mean something different to Ohtani. In this case, it was given to the interpreter, under false pretenses.

I still think someone was extorting the interpreter, the interpreter told Ohtani he needs $1M, lies as to why. Ohanti or his business manager gives it to him without much more question, and then finds out it was for gambling debt.

That's the angle I think Ohtani will argue. And because he's loyal, even though was lied to for the reason for the money, and basically it was stolen from him, but, he won't press charges in the end.

That the angle I think they are trying to set up, whether it passes the smell test or not remains to be seen.

Could very well be. Connects a lot of dots. The bookie is the wild card. He has little reason to implicate Ohtani if Ohtani had nothing to do with it, despite himself being a criminal. Why I believe Ohtani suddenly is it’s unlikely he emphatically accuses a friend without a guilty look. He knows the FBI is likely to play prisoners dilemma with the interpreter and the bookie. So to accuse a friend probably means he means it truthfully as the friend could easily implicate him. I hope the fbi does a thorough investigation with texts and emails and all. I do believe Ohtani because of his demeanor and coming right out. But I still don’t understand how he’s not suspended with pay given any other player with those circumstances would be.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by browna

Stealing may mean something different to Ohtani. In this case, it was given to the interpreter, under false pretenses.

I still think someone was extorting the interpreter, the interpreter told Ohtani he needs $1M, lies as to why. Ohanti or his business manager gives it to him without much more question, and then finds out it was for gambling debt.

That's the angle I think Ohtani will argue. And because he's loyal, even though was lied to for the reason for the money, and basically it was stolen from him, but, he won't press charges in the end.

That the angle I think they are trying to set up, whether it passes the smell test or not remains to be seen.

Ohtani “pressing charges” is kind of a Hollywood construct. He and his handlers have now said a few times that a massive theft occurred. They won’t answer any questions but question is whether anyone has filed a police report and if the crime is being investigated. He doesn’t really get to decide whether the alleged thief is punished.

I get what you are describing but a no strings gift sure doesn’t seem like stealing. If what you are saying is true, Ohtani is outright lying.

[Strange Brew]

Per ESPN:

'Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's representatives declined again Tuesday to answer ESPN's questions about which authorities they have contacted to report their allegation of theft against Ohtani's former interpreter. ESPN has been asking repeatedly for the information since Ohtani's lawyers first issued a statement last week alleging that "Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities."

When asked Tuesday to provide proof that Ohtani or his representatives have reported the theft to an investigating agency, a spokesperson for Ohtani declined to comment. ESPN received no confirmation from any of the likely local, state or federal agencies that could investigate allegations of theft that they received a report from Ohtani's camp."

I guess they think the questions will go away?

[Kasi]

Doing avoidance like that is just going to make members of the press and internet detectives delve deeper into this. This whole situation reeks of dishonesty.

[Jason14h]

If it was a gift isn’t the tax man coming a knocking in the US ?

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by bluejays

I'm kinda turning the other way. Culturally it seems he wouldn't easily accuse a friend of doing such a thing. He seemed very self assured. His story kinda connects a lot of dots of the so-called circumstances of the day. But there's still the issue of how he wouldn't realize that much money left his account. He has money managers and they wouldn't ask anything? Either he's the most naive person alive or something is still amiss. Even if he's your friend he still shouldn't have access to your account unless he unlocked your phone while sleeping. But even then would his bank allow him to transfer that much money without clearance? There's a lot of fishy angles. His story of "letting the proper authorities handle the investigation" seems like a lawyer driven line.



I still don't know how he's not suspended pending investigation.

Because the MLB can suspend them only if the player is obstructing the investigation or it's domestic violence related allegations.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Because the MLB can suspend them only if the player is obstructing the investigation or it's domestic violence related allegations.

Didn’t know that