Hi friends-
First off, welcome to all our new readers! It’s been a… busy start to the season. We do two game chats in the Substack app every week: one for the Friday Dodger game and one for whatever two teams are playing on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The Friday chat is for paid subscribers only, while the Sunday chat is open to everyone.
We also have a Saturday Zoom at noon PT to talk baseball every week for paid subscribers. It’s really fun, and everyone is smart and considerate! If you would like to join these activities, you should upgrade your membership to paid now:
Our book club selection for this month is The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood, by Jane Leavy. I just finished reading it, and it’s one of the best baseball books I’ve ever read. We’ll have a Zoom discussion about the Mick for paid subscribers on Monday, May 5, from 5:30 PM PT to 6:30 PM PT.
I know a lot of you are still reeling from the truly insane situation surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, and with good reason. Ippei Mizuhara surrendered to authorities this morning in Los Angeles, was booked, and released on bond. We still don’t know if he will quickly plead guilty to bank fraud, as The New York Times suggested he might, and/or if he’s cooperating with the feds in their larger investigation into the alleged bookmaker in this gambling scandal, Matthew Bowyer. Mizuhara’s arraignment is scheduled for May 9.
However, over the last 24 hours since it became clear that Ohtani was a victim of massive theft by the person he trusted most in the world, I’ve been sitting here wondering how our perception of Ohtani might be different if Mizuhara had never entered his life. It was Mizuhara who inserted himself as the buffer between Ohtani and the media, his teammates, his fans, his coaches and even his own agent and business managers.
We now know at least one reason why Mizuhara wanted to isolate Ohtani: If anyone got too close, they might realize he was stealing from his friend. It’s textbook behavior from an abuser who prayed on someone young who was especially vulnerable because he lived and worked in the U.S. and could not speak English. It’s gross for Mizuhara, and probably humiliating for Ohtani.
But actually, we don’t know what Ohtani is thinking or feeling right now, because we don’t know anything about the man. His agent, Nez Balelo, told teams during Ohtani’s free agency that Ohtani was extremely sensitive to any kind of leaks, which produced a paranoia and hysteria that led to an absolute clown show of people tracking planes and stalking opera singers. But now we know that Balelo only ever communicated with Ohtani through Mizuhara, and that Mizuhara is a pathological liar. Was Mizuhara actually running Ohtani’s free agency by controlling the flow of information both ways?
Would Ohtani had been so closed-off to the world if Mizuhara had never latched onto him like the barnacle from hell? Was Ohtani not giving one single interview after he hurt his arm last August until he signed with the Dodgers in December his idea, or Mizuhara’s?
The Dodgers have said that in the two weeks since Mizuhara’s firing, Ohtani has been much more talkative and approachable with teammates and coaches than he ever was before. But after the revelations that he was shanked by the one person he trusted, to the tune of $16 million dollars, and with the way that some media members were certain—certain!!—that he was a degenerate gambler on par with Pete Rose, I don’t think it would surprise anyone if Ohtani becomes even more elusive and unknowable. And that’s such a shame for everyone who loves baseball.
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It wasn’t all bad news in baseball this week. After 10 dumb days of keeping Jackson Holliday down in Triple-A, the Orioles called up the game’s top prospect to make his major league debut at Fenway Park on Thursday. My Rookie of the Year pick started his big-league career 0-for-8 with 4 strikeouts, because baseball is hard. But he did score two runs and knock in another, and the O’s are undefeated with him in black and orange. (158-4 is still in play).
Here’s a fun little tidbit: Kenley Jansen faced Jackson’s dad, Matt Holliday, on May 13, 2016 when Holliday played for the Cardinals and Jansen the Dodgers. Jansen got him to ground into a double play to end the top of the ninth inning.
Jansen—now with the Red Sox— faced Jackson last night, and got him to strike out to… end the top of the ninth inning.
Does it make me feel old that Matt Holliday’s son is now a potential MLB star? No, it makes me feel like Holliday was absolutely insane for having a child at age 23 lol.
Anyway, we are now firmly in our Jackson era (Jacksonaissance?), as the three youngest players in the league—Holliday, Chourio and Merrill— all go by that name. I may have to start calling Holliday “Matt-son” to tell them apart.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Royals are playing great baseball, and Maikel Garcia is a guy you probably need to know about. Bobby Witt Jr. is probably going to win an MVP or two, and I may soon start talking myself into K.C. being the AL Central favorite.
The Red Sox are a disaster right now, due to injuries and incompetence. Boy, they could sure use Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts!
Fanatics is holding its first-ever fanfest this August in New York City. They announced this the day after Riley Greene’s Fanatics-made pants ripped in half as he slid into home plate.
All 10 of Mike Trout’s last homers have been solo shots.
Randy Johnson’s baby granddaughter is nicknamed the Lil Unit.
Only 18,311 fans showed up to Coors Field to watch the Rockies and D-Backs on Wednesday. It was the smallest (non-pandemic-affected) home crowd at Coors in 10 years.
The White Sox lost Yoan Moncada to a gruesome leg injury. He joins Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr. on the IL Aside from the bright spot of Garrett Crochet, this team has been absolutely brutal to watch.
Curt Schilling did not show up to the 20-year reunion that the 2004 Red Sox held at Fenway this week, which was probably a good idea, because it seems like Derek Lowe was ready to kick his ass over Schilling disclosing the late Tim Wakefield’s cancer diagnosis against his wishes.
Finally, this is so pure <3 <3 <3:
Great stuff. Are you also going to Graceland? Crazy on Kenley pitching to father and son. Lol on Fantatics timing and ref picture. Always good to have some laughs.
Dammit Molly, now that song’s in my head