Shohei Ohtani needs to grow up in the wake of Ippei Mizuhara revelations
Dylan Hernndez March 21, 2024
When most baseball players are on the field, they look the way most of us do at our jobs.
They clench their jaws. They dont smile. They look like theyre working.
Shohei Ohtani is an exception.
He smiles. He laughs. He playfully gestures.
His talent affords him the luxury of treating the game like a game.
Hes Magic Johnson. Hes Manny Pacquiao. Hes Ronaldinho.
Startled Dodgers move on after Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter accused of theft, gambling
His youthful spirit is a major reason behind his widespread popularity, and he should do everything in his power to preserve it.
On the field, that is.
Off the field?
Ohtani has to grow up.
Longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuharas firing this week should be a warning to him.
Ohtani will be 30 in July. He has to start acting like it.
For too long, Ohtani has taken responsibility for little besides his on-field performance.
When he played in Japan, much was made about how he never moved out of his teams dorms or touched the money in his bank account. Outside of hitting or throwing a baseball, he relied on others to do things for him.
Which is how Ohtani found himself entirely dependent on Mizuhara when he moved to the United States in 2018.
Mizuhara became Ohtanis driver. He became his shopper. He became his best friend.
Ohtanis lawyers said
this week that
Mizuhara was stealing from Ohtani to
satisfy his gambling debtsfund his wagers
with an alleged illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation, a story first reported by The Times. If true, that would mean Mizuhara had access to Ohtanis money. It would also mean Ohtani was apathetic about his finances to the point where he didnt bother to hire a qualified accountant.
The plausibility of this account is now under question because of subsequent revelations. ESPN said it was preparing a report based on an assertion by Ohtanis spokesman that Ohtani transferred money to cover Mizuharas gambling debts. The same spokesman made Mizuhara available for a 90-minute interview on Tuesday, according to ESPN. The spokesman later recanted his initial claims about Ohtani paying down Mizuharas debts and disavowed Mizuharas version of the story, ESPN said.
Why did the story change?
At the very least, the conflicting narratives created a public relations problem. The appearances were bad enough that Oakland As broadcaster Dallas Braden wondered
aloud
on his X account if Ohtani was the person who was placing bets and made Mizuhara the fall guy.
Ohtanis silence has contributed to the speculation.
Hes often used people around him to keep the media at arms length, and everyone from agent Nez Balelo to Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen has enabled him.
After a 15-11 defeat to the San Diego Padres on Thursday, a crowd of reporters waited in the Dodgers clubhouse to hear Ohtani speak on Mizuharas firing. Two Dodgers staffers stood guard in front of Ohtanis locker as
heOhtani
dressed. Ohtani slipped on a backpack and was escorted to the dining room by Jon Weisman, the vice president of communications.
Ohtani wont tell his story, so his story is being told by people less articulate and charming than himself.
His public image is now in the custody of people who are hopeful this story will simply vanish.
It wont.
Team and league officials said there was nothing else to see here. They insisted Ohtani was a victim. They described the case as closed.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto battered by Padres in slugfest as Dodgers split series in Korea The crowd reacted to Ohtani on Thursday similarly to the way it did at the game before. He was cheered when he ran on the field
and he was cheered again when he singled to right field in the first inning. In the dugout, he was seen smiling and interacting with teammates as usual.
But this is the kind of story that could remain alive for years and years, revived every so often by the next development, the next revelation.
Ohtani has to address this situation, and he has to make sure something like this doesnt happen again. He has to be more careful about the company he keeps. He has to take more control over how he presents himself in public.
Because scandals can affect performance. To remain a child on the field, he will have to become an adult off it.
