To trust the words of the biggest star in baseball that the sport does not have its largest gambling scandal since Pete Rose, perhaps since the 1919 Black Sox, then I have to believe that he is Clueless Sho’.
I am willing to consider Shohei Ohtani’s current explanation, which basically is that he is a dupe and an idiot. That he had no idea his interpreter/sidekick Ippei Mizuhara was betting illegally and using money from the star’s account to fund steep losses. That he, Ohtani, has “never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked someone to do it on my behalf. I have never [gone] through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
But I am not there yet.
Just because an athlete proclaims something publicly and defiantly does not do enough for me. I grew up a Reds fan in Brooklyn because I loved Pete Rose, and he lied for years about betting on baseball. I was in Congress when Rafael Palmeiro wagged his finger and said, “I have never used steroids.” Multiple players accused of using illegal performance enhancers lied to my face — repeatedly, it turns out.
So Ohtani doing a 10-minute speech — please don’t call anything a “press conference” in which the press does not get to ask questions — Monday in which he depicted himself as betrayed, hurt and innocent is not going to convince me that one day a small child won’t plead to their hero:
“Say it ain’t so, Sho’.”
At best, this was a first step. Taking hard questions would be a second. But really, this is about more than Ohtani. About more than baseball. This is about sports. This is about the need for all involved in this to provide a roadmap that, unfortunately, is going to be needed for all sports on how to handle betting scandals.
Shohei OhtaniUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s gambling accusations response isn’t close to being enoughUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
For the leagues have shown they will never walk away from a big bag of money. And gambling is a big bag. So leagues that for decades pretended as if betting lines didn’t exist are now neck-deep partners with gambling entities. On one hand that is leading to fans believing that action on the game is intrinsic to its enjoyment.
And yet also to greater mistrust of the results by not just fans, but the players. That was not Bob in the fifth row rubbing his finger in the money signs toward the refs insinuating they were on the take earlier this month. That was Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert.
We only have commissioners in sports because baseball had the 1919 scandal and, as a way to try to restore belief in the integrity of the games, the draconian Kennesaw Mountain Landis was hired by MLB. It was understood the death of a sport comes if fans do not believe in the results.
The other item that saved baseball, of course, was that Babe Ruth emerged. Now, we have the modern day Ruth in Ohtani. We have an heir to Landis in Rob Manfred. We have the Dodgers and the MLB Players Association. All of them must do everything possible to deliver transparency and in the case of Manfred and his office, if that leads to unearthing that Ohtani is a liar and a gambler, so be it.
A view of a TV in the press box as Shohei Ohtani (right) speaks during a press event at Dodger Stadium on March 25.Getty Images
Look, I understand we live in an age when no matter how much proof you bring, some still believe the Earth is flat. One of the joys (sarcasm included) of the internet is to give air to conspiracy theories. I love the combination in which MLB both is incompetent and still able to mastermind huge deceptions.
MLB clearly is best served if Ohtani was what he claims: oblivious. They want this to go away. Fast. Which is why they need to show everything, hopefully with the aid of the Dodgers, Ohtani and the union — and perhaps even the federal government when it concludes investigating this. You may not be able to sway the conspiracy theorists. But I believe there are many like me who can be convinced if what needs to be shown is shown and what needs to be asked is asked, like why was nobody from Ohtani’s camp, including Ohtani, aware of what was going on with chunks of his money?
Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei MizuharaAP
MLB can provide a blueprint on how to handle this. Because there already have been multiple betting scandals in various sports in recent years. And it is not going to stop. Gambling addictions are voluminous, and so are the number of people around teams who have inside information that can be traded to gamblers to, say, forgive a large debt. Vigilance and transparency are vital.
Because — ironically — the death of sports will come when no one believes in what is taking place to a point at which no one would even want to bet on it.
