MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian joins the show and discusses the latest developments in the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal after Shohei’s press conference.
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How do you but but Tim you’ve got all sorts of stories like that where I I want to get into the Otani stuff with you and I want to get into um some of the elements here of how much was Otani relying on his translator as like an
Allpurpose person that he trusted with everything including his bank accounts uh but I want to talk to you about the difficulties players have in transitioning over here because the excuse on Otani can’t be as simple as he wasn’t familiar with gambling rules and he doesn’t know the difference between a
DraftKings and uh and a and a you know a guy named Manny who’s running a Syndicate like the the controversy is a weird one and I don’t think I totally understand what he might be guilty of here right and I’m with you too Dan I
Think we need to ask like a million more questions about this and it really hurt yesterday that no one was allowed to ask a question I will say however he was way more forth coming than I thought he was going to be he was angrier more emotional more passionate than I thought
I thought he was going to read a canned press release saying hey I can’t talk about this we’ll talk about it at the proper time there’s an in investigation going on instead there were times I felt like he looked up from his script and actually spoke to us and I think he
Deserves certainly a little bit of credit for doing that now however we still have a zillion questions like where did how could he not know that $4.5 million was taken from him how could he not know that his interpreter was doing something like this maybe rich
People do this all the time these are the questions I still need to know but I will tell you for the most part and maybe this is my nature I believed most of what he said yesterday and others have told me I am completely wrong about
That but I don’t know how he could not know what was going on and those are questions that need to be answered here’s the problem with you Kirin and your Eternal niess everyone can get away with everything because the whole steroid thing happened right under your nose you’re a journalist and the whole
Thing happened right under your nose you’re like I believe Otani the truth is I do too but they can get away with anything on your watch kirkin because you you love the sport too much look at him look how disappointed he is with me
He are you mad at me did I just actually enrage Tim Kirin no it happened under your nose too it happened under everyone’s nose the best investigative reporters in the game didn’t know this was going on look I’m not going to make any excuses for me I missed the story
Badly as we all did but you can’t just be covering the game asking a baseball question and then say oh are you doing steroids it just doesn’t work that way when they brought you know Mark fainer Rada in and he went undercover for two years that’s how you get the story
That’s how you figure this out no excuses I missed it I missed a lot of things that’s the way it works I’ve got a two-prong question though because you know more about history and perspective in this realm than a great many of the people who cover anything never mind
Just baseball the weirdness of what happened with an interview that then looked like a cover cover up that then becomes massive theft and makes all of this so much worse because you’ve got a disavowed interview can you please take me through where this ranks for you in
Terms of weird scandal at least in part because of that weird interview situation yeah this is the strangest most confusing most confounding story that I think I’ve seen in the 44 years that I have covered and mainly because a we’re talking about not just the biggest
Star in the game we’re talking about the biggest athletic star in sports today and one of the greatest stars in the history of baseball and Dan I have never seen a story change as quickly as it did in a 24hour period from this is what Shi did oh no it’s a
Massive theft that’s what confused me and that’s why we’re on this and why we need to get to the bottom of it with a million more questions but I know I have slapped my forehead a hundred times since this story came out uh what happened here who can explain this and
We still don’t have an explanation but I still think we got at least a little bit of clarity yesterday that we didn’t have the day before one of the big things Tim yesterday that confused me I guess was kind of when he was telling the story
And and if you go by the timeline of how things have been going on right because the fact is that it was going on in two different countries at the same time right in different time zones or whatever but I think at one point he said yesterday I didn’t really think
Anything was a Miss until after epe was talking to the entire Clubhouse he was saying it in English and I realized something’s off here the thing that I thought was a little strange about that is by the timeline unless I’m wrong at that point eay had already conducted the
Interview it had been disavowed and like I just don’t understand how no one else in sho’s Camp said anything to him like hey something’s going on here it took until after that conversation in the club house and then a one-on-one conversation the two of them allegedly
Had in a hotel where he said okay like something’s actually on like how did how was no one else and his team kind of telling him hey something’s happening here you should be paying attention to this yes I I’m with you Billy someone should have prepped him before The
Interpreter addressed the team and said here’s what he’s planning on saying in English we will translate for you if you don’t understand but you know shoh understands more English than most people think that goes for rro and a lot of other guys who’ve come over they just
Choose not to speak because it can get them in more trouble than good but I’m with you on that I that that’s one of many things that I can’t comprehend how is he hearing this for the first time when they’re having this club out meeting and he’s standing there
Listening to what the guy is saying someone should have prepped Him in Advance Tim I’m I’m from the hood and this is a simple case to me I see it with my eyes closed I got a home boy he took a charge from my homeboy he has a
Lot of money he said if I ever get messed up will you take this charge from me and he took the charge on the chin he got two years left on this sentence I think that epe is just a standup friend and he’s getting too much piled on him
Right now and they had this already planned out but this is the road he signed up for what do you say to that brother Tim allegedly allegedly well as we know in the NBA which I love by the way there’s the the difference between a block and a charge
Is really difficult to ascertain I think this was a block this wasn’t necessarily a charge we have to believe one of these two guys at this point and I am inclined to believe shohi now do I believe everything that he said well I find that hard to believe everything when he came
Out and said this is an absolute lie um he better be right about that I never bet on baseball I never placed a bet look the federal government knows all about about this inquiry or they will if he lied his career is going to be over
One way or another so I just can’t believe he would come out and tell a bald-faced lie when already the feds are on this that’s the way it was explained to me yesterday by a lawyer who didn’t necessarily believe everything that show said but said he was well prepared for
That interview or that that statement that he made that’s the part of this Tim that I think is confusing right because like I do not believe that an MLB investigation is going to turn up anything that’s going to have actual implications for shohi just because I
Think that this is a different time than Pete Rose for example right where like baseball is now a business and if your biggest star is putting your business in a position are you going to decide with business or Integrity right so like they can say oh we looked nothing turned up
But when you start lying in a federal investigation you need to see it through like he has to now say this man stole $4.5 million from me and he has to send his friend to jail or he’s going to be in trouble it felt like what happened
Was and this is just a theory hey you’re in trouble here you know I got you oh wait no that might be illegal what you’re doing we’re flipping it on you but now he has to kind of ride this entire thing out correct allegedly alleged allegedly million $4 million is
Nothing for me uh Tim you could speak to this part of it as well because you have the history of knowing what these translators do do while otani’s life is the the strangest in all of baseball uh in terms of what surrounds him media members just following him everywhere
And the translator acting in some cases as a 24-hour concierge who introduces you to a different culture so that you can concentrate on your business can you speak to what how unique this relationship is and whether or not a a friend would just take the hit on something like that
Just talking about traffic cones a person sent they over the oer no coner Li all right Dan I’ll attempt to answer this Daniel Kim used to be a translator for the Mets and he has come out and said as a translator he did virtually everything for his players he he opened
Up bank accounts for them he handled their utility bills he went to the cleaners for them these guys come over here and they need help on everything and the FAS of the world help in every single way and but I still don’t understand how someone could be this
Helpful and still take allegedly take this kind of money and no one knows about it it that’s the the part that I need questions answered Tim what if in my most utopian naive form I was to present to you the following the following idea it’s really hard for
Otani to be great at baseball and transition culturally wow he did both of those things well is his translator somebody like a legion of people in his economy who exists who simply help him with everything so that he doesn’t have to be a grown adult who learns America
But just gets to be sports star who knows baseball is it possible that sh Otani only crime here is being super super trusting of somebody who had a gambling problem and just covered in $4 million because currency doesn’t even matter to him he makes so much
Money right he made a $100 million last year Dan with endorsements and salary and yes I think that’s his biggest mistake here is he was too trusting and he was too naive and he didn’t know what was going on when he should have but I think the way I think you presented it
Perfectly he comes here and says I’m going to be the most remarkable baseball player ever but the only way to do that is to be completely regimented when I get to the ballpark and have everything already done for me when I get here so I can be the most disciplined player in
The world so I can pitch and hit like nobody else in the history of baseball I think he gave it to his interpreter and said you need to handle the rest of this I don’t have time for this I have to sleep 10 hours a day I have to get to
The ballpark I have to hit I got to throw a bullpen and and I think that’s what happened here that’s my guess we’re all guessing still but yes is that plausible yes I think it is not only that though Tim you’re uniquely qualified to talk about this part of it
And this is where I think you can offer an insight to how it is something this uh strange and stupid can happen Tim you’re the only person that I know who has the words and the respect of History who can explain to us how hard it is to
Do what Otani is doing the greatness of that how it is you can’t do that part-time because you’re just really good at baseball that that how hard it is for him to master and Excel at that must require a regimen that us have that we have no understanding of and would
Require a team of people to make him a baseball playing toddler who is great but might not know how to exist in this country around Fame and Temptation right Dan you’re right he throws a baseball 100 miles an hour he hits baseballs thrown at him at 100
Miles an hour and his exit velocity not my favorite term is well over 100 miles an hour when he really swings the bat well and he can fly on the bases so he recognizes that nobody else can do this but the only way that he can do all of
Those things is to give everything else in his life to somebody else and it it you know it angered some of the Angel writers in his six years there that he rarely spoke to them he would only speak after games in which he pitches well he
Did that because he needed to keep his Focus I’m certainly not defending him but if you’re going to do something that no one else in the history of baseball has done you’re gonna have to go out about things a little differently you can’t just do everything by yourself you
Need someone to do virtually everything for you away from the field but we’re also like infantilizing him right like we’re kind of like we like him so we’re giving him passes on a lot of things he’s he had a wife that no one knew existed he had a dog that he just
Refused to tell anyone of the dogs like he likes to be secretive too like it’s capable he just likes to be a private guy not he can’t focus on anything but baseball he could just be really good at baseball well what’s most probable here what is most probable is it your your
Theory that there’s total innocence or Billy’s cynicism that stop making this a child who doesn’t know anything I’m just speaking to how hard I’d have it in Japan like if you put me in Japan right now I’m 55 I I couldn’t get something out of a
Vending machine like I I’d be Mike Mike what I like if you put me at J in Japan I’m I’m 30 years older than Otani and I’m not great at things that he’s great at you’ve got enough problems in this country you don’t speak Japanese does shi need Major League Baseball because
It feels like major league baseball needs Shi more than he needs Major League Baseball bar uh look Shi needs Major League Baseball all he’s ever wanted to do is be the greatest player who’s ever played and he needs Major League Baseball to do that
28 Comments
I go through months without looking at my 401k account. Rich people have multiple accounts for different purposes. Not everyone pours over each of their accounts everyday. Shohei is not Scrooge McDuck.
a lie detector would tell who is lying or not
I don't get my "truth" from a guy sitting in front of a fake room on a screen. 5:45
His career is over??????
About you be over labalard!!!!
The bottom line is that Ohtani must be the dumbest person alive for using his own name on the transaction NINE TIMES.
It’s funny how Trevor Bauer was accused of something and because he’s not liked or the golden boy they sat his ass down and now he’s blackballed but since it’s the dude everyone loves he gets to play while it’s sorted out .
What is sad is the fact that people who cover sports think they have all the info. Steroid use started with Reggie Jackson and no one has ever said anything about it. Because it was held close and secret. His workout partner when he was with Oakland was Mr Universe runner up to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nathan LeBlanc was Reggie workout partner at Walt gym in Hayward. Reggie had huge gains in one year working out with Nathan. Changed his career path. But all Reggie does is point his finger at Barry Bonds……
There are few players pitching/ hitting and playing as an everyday player because of coaches. Coaches want so much control over players for their safety it’s gotten to where we are are. Pitchers are not allowed to even pitch complete games yet alone hit, run for themselves. They have been coddled the past 20 years to not be athletic. Just play a simple role and not develop into a complete player like you are allowed to do in little league 8-12 years of age. Today at 13 years of age you start getting pigeon holed into roles.
It happens all the time. None of these athletes and celebrities has SMS messages coming all the time to their phones like usual people who dosent have that kind of economie transactions.
Accounts are checking annually but according to K.Kojima, interpreter for Mets/Giants says it’s plausible because he too handled all the finances for the players.
Why was Shohei not informed and when he asked what it was about (when Ippei announced in Korea to the team) Ippei refused to translate on the spot and said “I will explain everything later”
Why explain later? Why not explain there?
It was after the talk at the hotel Shohei alerted Nez Balelo.
Ippei has long history of gambling which the Fighters staff knew well in Japan. Ippei will join poker nights with Angels teammates which Shohei always declined to join and went home to sleep.
And it’s in one of these poker nights Ippei met this bookie 2021.
Addiction is a disease. They need to lie to cover other lies. It’s tragic. Ippei has lied and changed story several times. Not Ohtani.
Ippei has lied about his background, Ippei first lie and said it’s a friends debt to the management then changed to it was his own…but still Ohtani was kept in the dark and nobody said anything to Shohei.
Poor interpreter has no idea what is going on…
Ohtani…all of sudden doesn’t understand English and Math ..C’mon
4.5 million to Ohtani is like 45 bucks to me. I would let my buddy bet 45 dollars. 🤷♂️
He's a Cancer. Apparently that sign is secretive.
That's because ESPN never talked to Shohei. They all just talked to Mitzuhara. As far as the feds investigation, it will show the money came from Ohtani's account. The question is did Ohtani authorize paying it for illegal betting? Ohtani trusted Mitzuhara, who it turns out lied about his credentials as a UCR grad and former employee of Boston Red Sox or NY Yankees to get the job with Ohtani. It's easy to believe Mitzuhara lied in this situation.
You can commit crimes in the USA as long as you’re rich
I think his wife tipped him off.
MJS Banks would tell you if 4.5 Million went out of you account , his accountant would also tell him.
Ohtani has the best lawyers money can buy. It's incredibly doubtful they'd have him issue a statement that could easily be disproved. My guess is they have Ippei on tape admitting to everything Ohtani accused him of. If this is you or me, we're probably in a world of trouble. It's very unlikely Ohtani has anything to worry about.
Dan is such a Biden Boy, hopefully Michelle T lost his number.
Dan’s the kind of guy that gets off on busting people for not wearing masks 4 years later.
The idea that someone would have access to my bank account seems odd to me, but if this was in fact the case, then it gives a plausible explanation as to how this money was stolen without his knowledge. I can't imagine any ballplayer agreeing to pay off anyone's gambling debt given baseball's relationship with gambling from within the sport. Additionally, IF this relationship between Ohtani and Ippie was so close that he was given access to Ohtani's accounts, you would think that Ohtani would be aware of his gambling activities and put some distance between himself and this person. It would be a real shame if Ohtani's career is put in the dumpster because it turns out he crossed those lines. We just have to wait and see what the investigation reveals.
All U need to know is that the 4.5 was wired from his account ….. it wasn’t stolen by no one , Ohtani bet the money and he lied about the whole thing. Body language tells all.
U r completely wrong ….. Ohtani flat out lied !
You literally have to be dumber than rocks to think 9 wires of $500k went out under his account and the bank never contacted him. 9 wires to the same person 😂😂😂. God people are idiots. Thanks not how banks works and certainly not under the patriot act.
The video cutoff was crazy
If you moved to Japan, would you rather have someone handle all the yens for you if you were rich because it's confusing with the conversion rate so you can focus on baseball?
If he changes his name, too Oratani, he could be, a movie theatre!
The best damage control I’ve heard came from Japan. Saying that the money came from an account for charity that his interpreter had sole control over.