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Ohtani Addresses Gambling Scandal · The 3-0 Take

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Three O Take, where we talk
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all things Major League Baseball.
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Here's Kyle Corwin and Nate Reyes.
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It all starts right now. Welcome back to the Three O Take
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presented by C Kick. This is episode 419.
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I'll be your host, Kyle Corwin, and I'm here with my Co host,
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Nate Reyes. Nate.
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Howdy, last episode of the offseason.
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And I'll be honest with you our our it is wild.
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I really wanted to. My play in even before like a
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week ago, even before this whole Ohtani thing broke, was to have
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today be more of just like maybe like a Part B or like a follow
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up to our hot takes and predictions episode where we
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just, you know, kind of look ahead.
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Maybe just some something innocent.
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Yeah, something something innocent.
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Something that we could maybe spend some time having a couple
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laughs about. But we can't do that,
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unfortunately, because nonsense. We we have one of maybe one of
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the top scandals of baseball history unfolding.
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We're we're not there yet, but it could based on the
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developments. A lot a lot has happened since
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our last episode. Our last episode, we talked
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about really just what he was freshly fired.
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Yeah, yeah. What had unfolded while the team
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was in Korea for the For the Soul series.
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But I don't know, man, there's been, there's been some some
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updates, some developments. Shohei addressed the media
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today, this evening or this afternoon.
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If you're out West, you hit me up on text with maybe a a
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thought related to a conspiracy or two.
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There's a lot to lot to lot to go through here.
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Where, where, where do you want to start here?
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Let's start with the I. Don't the statement his
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statement as predictable as we could imagine, I think.
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Yes and no. Like I I I felt like going into
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it. I thought it was going to be
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even more brief than it was. I thought it was really just
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going to be. Unfortunately I cannot comment
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on an ongoing investigation. If the investigation is
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technically started yet, Are we at that stage yet?
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I think it started, yeah. OK, an ongoing investigation.
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Can't comment. This is unfortunate for my
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teammates, our fans. I hope that I I'm not a
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distraction moving forward, but he wouldn't.
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He didn't say anything. I feel like he went into a
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little bit of detail, so I don't know, little bit of a surprising
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statement, if you will. Not buying it, dude.
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I'm not buying any of this. None of it.
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There's just no way. Trying to full find the full
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statement here. There we go.
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Yeah, I I gotta. I gotta admit, I was watching
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it. I finally found it.
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OK, 'cause I know you reached out to me.
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You're like, hey, are you watching this?
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I said I'm, I'm looking for it. I can't find it because minutes
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earlier I had come across a post that said no cameras will be
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allowed for the statement, which was another thing.
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This is all a part of it. All all very strange.
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What did I what did I tweet out today?
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Like moments before the the media thing said one, he's
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reading a statement. Two, he's taking no questions.
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And three, there's no cameras allowed.
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This is fine, sure, we'll go with that.
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But I just assumed when they said no cameras allowed, I
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didn't know that they meant that these outlets were were able to
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have their equipment in there. They were more so referring to
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the cell phones of the reporters, so on and so forth.
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But there were some things as I was watching it, watching the
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replay or the live, the live stream after the fact, where I I
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kind of rolled my eyes a little bit.
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I'm like, that doesn't make sense.
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First of all, my initial thought when I saw them sat down, Shohei
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starts talking to the media. The interpreter that they have
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now replaced, he saw. I don't what my brother, what
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are you writing down? First of all, like, just stop.
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Like listen what he was writing before Shohei even started
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talking. Like I I don't want to I don't
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want to like get too nitpicky. But I I I genuinely wanted to
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know what he was writing down. Because I'm like, your job is
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literally to take what he's saying.
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And it's possible that maybe he's like jotting down notes as
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he's going, as Shohei's talking because some of his answers a
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little long winded and didn't didn't give this guy a a chance
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to step in and maybe, you know, break it up a little bit.
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So maybe maybe that's what was going on.
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But it led me to another question in that this statement
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was obviously prepared ahead of time.
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So why didn't they just give a translated version to the
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interpreter, or really anybody that spoke English for that
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matter, that could read a piece of paper of the statement
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translated to English so that we could avoid the whole lost in
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translation issue? Because that's partially what
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this whole thing revolved around.
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And honestly, like the translator's English wasn't even
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very good. Like it it he kind of struggled
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and I was I was expecting like I I I need you to be fluent in
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English moving forward. I don't like this guy.
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I don't like him. I don't know who he is, but I
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don't like him. I don't trust him.
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I. Don't.
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Was there was there anything that was there anything that
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stuck out to you? Because I I know, like I said,
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you you hit me with. Well, why is it?
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Why was it only on their mobile networks?
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What's that about? Well, I think there were.
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I mean, I found it from a replay of a live stream from some news
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outlet. I don't know if it was LA based
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or if it was some other channel that had flown in for the event.
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I don't know. But initially it was only on MLB
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Network Live. You could only catch it live on
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MLB Network, who owns MLB Network.
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Interesting. It's interesting there.
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I overall, I just, I'm not buying any of this.
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I'm not buying any of it MLB Network afterwards, which I mean
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we'll get into the statement and everything here.
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But like even afterwards, like it was Matt Baskirchen and Dan
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O'Dowd immediately. And like every person that came
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on to MLB Network for the after that with Dan O'Dowd.
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And then then what they did was they played the, the conference,
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the press conference, Matt Vasgersian, Dan O'Dowd had about
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5 minutes and then they just replayed that and then replayed
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the Matt Vasgersian thing again and then it went into MLB
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tonight or something. And then we had Mike Lowell and
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Dan Plesac, Every person, Dan Plesac, Mike Lowell, Dan O'Dowd.
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I think we could just tell how much raw emotion was coming out
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of Otani. You could just tell that that
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was what do you what, what emotion?
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I saw No emotion. I couldn't tell any emotion
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whatsoever. Sorry.
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This guy's been a robot for seven years that we've known
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him. But like, it looks the same to
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me. And even then this.
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There's no emotion coming out of the interpreter.
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I'm like, I don't what do you talk?
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It's just like this weird. Like let's make it exclusive to
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us so we can control what this is.
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I there's no doubt in my mind that MLB is a part of keeping
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this quick tight knit, and to me it sounds like we're trying to
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sweep it under the rug as as quickly as possible.
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As quickly and as efficiently as possible, I forgot to mention,
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speaking about MLB media, I saw I saw that Ken Rosenthal, on
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foul territory a handful of days ago, was quoted as saying,
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quote, Not a chance. Ohtani speaks publicly during
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the investigation, and I believe it was the next day that it was
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that the post was tweeted out. Shohei Ohtani will address the
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media on Monday, per multiple reports.
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Yeah. So I'm glad we're back to
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reporters not having a clue as to what they're freaking talking
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about. Because I missed it to be quite
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honest with you. But yeah, you know looking
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looking through the the transcript again, like I said, I
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think it was a little longer than I was anticipating.
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I thought this was gonna be very brief and I mean I guess for
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some press cut for depending upon how you view press
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conferences it maybe maybe was brief to you but I'd I thought
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it was gonna be much shorter. But he he went into it a little
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bit. You know the very, very cordial
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at the beginning as you would expect, he says obviously
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they're saying so I'm limited in being able to talk about I do
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have AI do I thought I like how he is very literal.
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He says I do have a document in front of me that I will refer
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to, that I will refer to that will deal, that will detail what
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has happened and then he just goes right into it.
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He says. So I never bet on baseball or
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any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my
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behalf. And I have never went through a
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bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago, I
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didn't know that this was happening just to kind of go
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over the result. In conclusion, IPE has been
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stealing money from my account and has told lies.
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So here's the deal. Personally, based on how I feel
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about Shohei, I would be I would be shocked to find out that
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Shohei was the one responsible for the betting on the flip
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side. On the flip side, I would be
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shocked to find out that he genuinely didn't know.
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There's. No way.
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There is no way. There's no way I can't we.
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Went over this, no. We went over this last week.
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He had checks. Written in 2021 with his name on
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it. Wire transfers with his name on
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it in 2021. Two of them for a half
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$1,000,000. So let me get this straight.
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You and Ipe are the only ones looking over your accounts.
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You don't have any financial managers, financial advisors.
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No one throwing up a red flag saying hey, where'd this Millie
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go? No one three years ago mentioned
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anything. What is why is it just now
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fraud. Why is it just now Theft
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shouldn't have been theft back then.
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Why does it pay? Have access to your stuff?
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Didn't answer that. Didn't.
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Do that translator. I don't care how close you are
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as friends, you're not gonna know my pin.
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You're not gonna be moving money around for me, shout.
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Out to our our good buddy Ryan Ripken.
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I was listening to his they went Live Today talk about the the
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presser and he made a good point.
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He he looked around the room to the guys that he does his show
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with and he's like, I think all of you are good kids.
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I love each and everyone of you, but I'm not giving you my
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banking info. And I said that's for me, that's
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where it starts and stops. Like I don't care that this guy
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lives with you. I don't care that you guys have
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been best friends since however long.
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The guy clearly is not straightforward because then you
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you bring into account all these other things that have developed
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in the last 244872 hours, find out that he didn't go to what
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was it, UC Riverside? They the the university came out
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and said yeah, there's no documentation that shows that he
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ever attended this place. Apparently he.
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Was on record or? I don't know if on record is the
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the right way to put it, but it was presented as fact that he
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was an interpreter for Hidekio Kojima for the Red Sox at one
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point. Also for the.
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Yankees that. Yeah, that was never So what are
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first of all, why is this information just coming out now?
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Two Is he that like is he that conniving to mislead Shohei that
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well for that long? I I have a hard time believing
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that there was no point in time. Which brings me back to my point
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that there's no way that Shohei didn't know that anything was
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going on. Which then makes you think that
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this is just an attempt to orchestrate some degree.
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To which degree I don't know, but some degree of a cover up.
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Some attempt to save some. Attempt to save face.
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Because there's no way that he was acting, that Ipe was acting
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alone. There's no way that Ohtani found
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out in Korea. Yeah, I agree.
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Either Otani was placing these bets himself, Ipe was placing
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them for him, or he paid off Ipe's debt, just like Ipe
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initially said. All three he knew for sure.
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Whatever route you want to go, Otani knew about this, and it's
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not like this press conference was underoath.
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But I I'm not buying it, dude. I don't buy it.
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So I think there's probably gonna be more details that come
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out to just try and overwhelm the evidence that it based some
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kind of con artist, you know what I mean?
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Like, there's gonna be more stuff that comes out that just
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says this is who we like. Someone, someone from Japan's
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gonna be like, he also owes me $3,000,000.
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There's gonna be some random bookkeeper, you know, like a
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different state. That's like he owes me 1.5.
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Like that's what this is gonna be.
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It's gonna be, let's just make it so over the top.
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Obvious that if they did this, that we're not even gonna have
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to look in Ohtani's direction anymore.
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That's why they gave him a wife and his wife.
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I'm not buying that either, dude.
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I told you before I called that before all this stuff came out.
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I'll give it to you. He did.
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Who doesn't like? Who doesn't announce an
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engagement? Who doesn't post something?
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Like, anywhere, anywhere. You're doing GQ shoots.
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You're doing New Balance shoots. No one.
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Like you're not going anywhere with this girlfriend of yours,
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with this fiance of yours. You're just suddenly married.
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It's let's make let's make Shohei a stand up guy and let's
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make Ipei super evil. And I'm sure Ipei knows about
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this. I'm sure he signed up for this.
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I'm sure he's like, hey Shohei, as long as you take care of my
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family, I'll take this for you. I'll take this bullet.
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I'll get buried. It's only gonna get worse on his
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side. Going back to your your point
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about these, these bookies are going to start popping up these
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these individuals tied to gambling in some way shape or
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form are going to start popping up some connection to show, hey,
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some connection to IPA or more so connection to IPA.
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I think you're right. I think they're they're more
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more of these things are going to start popping up.
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And I bet you if there was, if there was an individual, say, in
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Kansas, a bookie that pops up in Kansas, I guarantee if you
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checked his phone, there'd probably be a text sitting in
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his inbox from Rob Manfred saying, hey, thanks, buddy,
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thanks for doing us a solid, because you cannot tell me that
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Major League Baseball is doing everything in its power to put
19:10
blinders on this whole situation and to hustle it down the hall,
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get it out the door, before anything could even come close
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to touching show hands. Yep.
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Yep, Yep. The first interview that we
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caught after the Matty V and Dan O'Dowd stuff was a segment.
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I think it was like the Dodgers radio guy and he was standing in
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front of the dugout on the field talking about, again, the same
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thing. Each one of these guys talked
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about how emotional Otani sounded.
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Each one of them, they said the same thing.
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This reporter, this radio guy standing in front of the dugout
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is like, I've got, I've got team captain Austin Barnes in front
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of me. I've got.
20:04
Freddie Freeman in here, America's first baseman.
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They're just excited to play ball.
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I'm like, dude, all of you have been told.
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All of you have been told. That's why it was exclusive to
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MLB. Let's let's keep it on MLB
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Network. Like, all of this is to control,
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dude, I'm not buying any of this.
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I'm not buying any of it. I bet we're going to come out
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with something random. Like someone's going to create
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like some IPE's not really IPE. It's his name's something
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totally different. I do wonder where the heck this
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guy came from, though, if he didn't go to UC Riverside and
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didn't work for any of these team.
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Like, how did? But like, why was he boys with
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Shohei in Japan? And then how could he just forge
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the fact that he said he had a job with the Yankees and the Red
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Sox before you came over with Shohei, didn't he?
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I, I That's what I thought. Imagine, Yeah.
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A lot. A lot of.
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Weird stuff dude. What I don't understand is if
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the FBI is involved, as we've heard, or planning to get
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involved at some at some point along along the line.
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We've had authorities look into cold cases that are 506070 years
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old, and we're finding we're we're coming up with details
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that were in the dust for however many years.
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How is it that we why can't we just do a quick Google search
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and figure out where this guy was, where he came from, his
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background, the people that he hangs out with?
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Like, we're not this isn't the 1940s?
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How do we not know more about this guy?
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And why all of a sudden are these revelations being made
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about him not being there, him not having that role?
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It tells us that I'd I'd never even heard about him being a a
22:09
translator or interpreter, any other team until now.
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I never knew that. It's just random.
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It's just weird stuff, man. I I don't believe this stuff.
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I don't believe it. The story changed too many
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times. It's.
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Changed too many times. The thinking about going back to
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the the presser, the the part that raised some eyebrows for me
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at least, was when he was talking about the team meeting
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where Ipe addressed the Dodgers. This is what?
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This is a cop out for all. Intents and purposes.
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Oppressor. For oppressor's sake.
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It was going along pretty well, like he was saying the right
23:02
things. He was addressing the right
23:03
things that he needed to. But then he got to this point
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and I I I was like show. Hey, come on, guy.
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You gotta whoever and whoever on your legal team wanting to
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include this. They maybe should have thought
23:18
otherwise because this didn't make any sense, he said.
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He said. So IPA has been telling
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everybody around that IPA has been communicating with Shohei
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on all on all this account, to my representatives, to the team,
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and that hasn't been true. The first time I knew about this
23:36
gambling, IPA's gambling, was after the first game in Korea
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when he had the team meeting in the clubhouse.
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This is where it gets interesting, he says.
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So during the team meeting, obviously Ipe was speaking in
23:50
English and I didn't have a translator on my side.
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But even with that, I kind of understood what was going on and
23:58
started to feel that there was something amiss.
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What does that even mean, Chohei?
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Come on, man. Like, whether or not that's
24:08
true, you got to find a different way to present that
24:11
that that that you can poke holes in that all day.
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That makes no sense. So we're OK.
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So then tell me this on the occasion.
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Ipe's not around because Ipe's around 24/7.
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It sounds like handling Chohey's finances, apparently.
24:36
I'm sure he cooks for him. Who knows on the occasion that
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he's not around? How are you making out without
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IPE? Yeah, I think.
24:48
This guy. I think this guy knows a little
24:50
bit more English than he lets on to.
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I agree. You've been here seven years,
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yeah. I'm gonna go ahead and say he
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knows more English than he lets on, but I I I will admit, I will
25:02
admit there is some sort of like.
25:06
There's like a. Boyish charm though to Shohei
25:10
like remove. Did you see him?
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Did you see him? Like, sit down and 1st like
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touch the mic and like, smile. I'm like, yeah, what are you?
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Doing so, pretend this pretend this gambling thing didn't
25:22
happen. Just think of Shohei as Shohei.
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You gotta admit, there's like a boyish charm there with the just
25:30
the grins, the picking up of the trash, which we talked about
25:33
last, or which I brought up last week, which I thought was just a
25:37
it's a funny layer to all of this.
25:40
It's the guy that has a montage on YouTube for picking up trash
25:43
at ballparks. Like I I just really have a hard
25:45
time wrapping my head around the fact that this guy was gambling
25:48
millions and millions of dollars away.
25:54
But with that with. The boy's charm element it it
26:01
kind of makes sense you know like he's he's going around
26:04
there's like a there's like a a blissful ignorance if you will
26:09
just show him a dope. No, not like a dope, but like
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it's very much like a, hey, I I kind of have like if he if he
26:18
was speaking to us in English, he'd probably like, yeah, I'm
26:21
like I kind of have an idea and I can kind of put the pieces
26:23
together, but I don't really know.
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So I just kind of go along with it.
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That's kind of how I envisioned show a like what his response to
26:30
that would be. But something like this that
26:35
kind of goes out the window for me.
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Like if if you know that your translator is addressing the
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team, like I wanna make sure I understand what's going on.
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Yeah, you're not just sitting back in the.
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Corner just being like at letting letting him finish.
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Then he comes back and like, hey, what was that all about?
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Yeah, like. You shouldn't be.
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Speaking to anybody, unless it's through me like I these are not.
27:03
I don't understand what IPE is dude.
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I he's something else. Like if there was something of
27:12
like. If he was like.
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Ipe has not just been, if he would have came out today, just
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been like Ipe's not just my interpreter, Ipe's also been
27:23
like a quasi manager for me in certain ways.
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You know what I mean? Like my liaison and he's been
27:32
able to, you know, get things done for me and and handle
27:37
negotiations or handle conversations.
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I've give him the the freedom to do that stuff like that would
27:42
have got me more bought in. I would have been like OK.
27:47
Right now you're just. Boys.
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And he's an interpreter, so it doesn't check those boxes.
27:53
As to why he has access to your stuff, it doesn't check those
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boxes as to why. His resume.
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Isn't up to date like what? Or even accurate or even.
28:06
What is that? I don't.
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How do you not vet this guy? Like, how do you not have
28:12
financial advisors looking into your account?
28:14
Like, I think the truest story we'll ever get was the story of
28:20
IPE going to ESPN and what he told everybody.
28:26
Maybe Shohei is not a gambler. Maybe he doesn't really care
28:30
about other sports. And I've seen all over Twitter,
28:32
they're like, oh, really? And he's rocking like a Lamar
28:34
Jackson jersey walking in pregame.
28:37
His wife played basketball over there and is like kind of a big
28:41
star over there. Like I would go ahead and and
28:45
presume you, you probably watch other sports.
28:50
I can. I speak to that point of not.
28:52
Gambling I get. That's fine.
28:54
That's I. Feel like that's exactly the and
28:56
you could probably speak to that based on the little or however
29:00
much I talked to you about like football or basketball or lack
29:03
thereof, but you could take it or leave it.
29:06
I keep up. Like, I'm.
29:07
I'm aware of what's going on in the NFL.
29:09
I'm aware of the headlines coming out of the NBA.
29:11
Like March Madness. I'm.
29:13
I'm obviously into this time of year.
29:15
So like I'm. I feel like it's hard.
29:18
For him like if he truly does not.
29:22
Gamble on other. Sports or like he wasn't
29:24
responsible for the bets that went out to the what was it?
29:27
The international soccer and and so on and so forth.
29:31
If he's truly not responsible for that, I feel like it is hard
29:36
to navigate the waters of saying.
29:39
I don't care. Or keep up with any other sport,
29:42
but also having to address hey, well show.
29:45
Hey, why were you at the Rams game when you got, when you got
29:47
sent to the Dodgers? Like what?
29:50
Why? What about your wife, who is a a
29:53
a star basketball player in Japan?
29:55
I I feel like I'm kind of there, 'cause I'm like, I, yes, I I'm
30:01
aware of what of the sports that are going on around me.
30:04
But I for me, it's just baseball.
30:06
Like I'll I'll watch football occasionally.
30:08
I'll watch some college basketball from time to time.
30:11
But like, I, it's baseball. So I I wasn't gonna.
30:15
I wasn't gonna for that. I'm not going to.
30:17
Either. And I'm, you know, to give him
30:19
the benefit of the doubt. Like I said, I think the truest
30:21
story was the fact that he probably knew.
30:23
If they was a gambler, he's probably known for years.
30:26
He's probably known for years and well, I was gonna add that.
30:32
I'm glad you brought that up. I was gonna ask you.
30:35
Going back to this. Boyish charm thing, do you
30:37
think? Honestly.
30:40
Do because I know. You have your thoughts about
30:42
Shohei as it as it stands right now, but do you honestly think
30:45
that there was any shot that he? Honest to God.
30:50
Had no idea the legality of what or what what's happening.
30:56
That's. What I think it is, that's
30:58
exactly what I think it is. I think he knew that Ipe was
31:02
gambling. I think he for years, I think he
31:04
knew that IPA was gambling. I think he knew that IPA went in
31:07
debt. I think he said IPA, I don't
31:11
trust you with this money. I'm going to pay your debt
31:13
directly. And then when IPA came out and
31:18
this is all coming out in this you know investigation happening
31:21
in California catches IPA notices show his name.
31:26
He I I would like to say that he probably went directly to EPA
31:30
and just said, hey like are you willing to take the fall for
31:33
being a gambler and like just saying like, hey, I, I, you know
31:38
I was helping a friend out and EPA's like cool, goes to ESPN
31:44
tells this 90 minute story interview.
31:48
And then? Well, it's Ohtani's attorneys.
31:51
Find out and they're like, hey, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
31:53
that's illegal, dude. Like your name is on that check.
31:57
Like, that's just as bad as betting yourself.
32:01
So we can't do that. So we need to call Ipe a liar
32:04
now because he's already obviously talked to a reporter.
32:08
That's what I think happened. I mean, Ipe's again, probably
32:13
there's there's gonna be stacks. I bet we're gonna have more
32:17
details trickle out about Ipe and the fraud and the Khan and
32:21
the and the, you know, mischievous background, whatever
32:24
it may be. To the point where it's.
32:27
Like all fingers obviously point his direction and it's gonna let
32:31
Ohtani out of the hook. Did you see Pete Rose?
32:36
Today, yeah. He said if I had a translator
32:40
out of gotten away Scott free, I do relax any.
32:44
Opportunity. That guy.
32:45
Gets, man, he's he's jumping at it.
32:47
So good also for Pete. I for me, there's there's record
32:51
of bets. Bookkeepers keep records of
32:56
bets. You have to.
32:59
You're setting your own odds. You that.
33:04
Guy can tell us exactly what these bets have been placed on.
33:09
And we can figure. Out what sports they are and not
33:16
to go down. I don't think I'm going to go as
33:18
far as this. This one account that I saw on
33:20
Twitter, what was like the. The.
33:25
Massive bets that were placed on days that Shohei pitched and.
33:34
It was like. Over unders on totals with the
33:37
with their competitor and he's pitching and then like he is up
33:40
five runs or six runs or whatever.
33:42
I'm not gonna go that far. I am curious to see if there's
33:46
been some giant anonymous donation to UC Riverside though.
33:55
Just a big. Old check you would.
33:58
You would never. That would.
33:59
That. Would never see the light of
34:01
day. That would never see the light.
34:02
Of day that's getting. Dropped off in a duffel bag in
34:06
cash under the darkness of night and that's gonna be used for
34:13
academic building construction. You're never gonna see that cash
34:17
if that were, if that were, if that were just curious to see.
34:20
What new library is gonna pop up at UC Riverside to go ahead and
34:26
just wash to wash away Tami's records of being a student
34:32
there? The Shohei Ohtani, I've seen
34:36
suits, actually, they put Mike. Ross into Harvard, so just
34:45
saying. Look, here's here's kind of.
34:52
And look, my opinion is going to evolve as more as more
34:56
information comes out it's going to evolve.
34:59
But I think for myself. As it stands, right?
35:02
Now. I'm going to.
35:05
Choose to believe it's a little muddy, but that Shohei is
35:15
genuinely a good dude. Made.
35:19
I won't in the eyes of the law the wrong decision or maybe a
35:25
couple wrong decisions, but I think it was just, it was more
35:30
so unwise Decisions they were he made decisions without the
35:39
opinion or clarification from counsel, whether it be legal or
35:45
otherwise, and that he was just genuinely trying to help out a
35:52
friend. I think that's what it.
35:53
Is too and I if. I If I had to.
35:57
If I had to bet, I would say that.
36:01
Maybe. If they are as as close to
36:05
buddies as has made has been made out to be that.
36:09
Maybe they just got. Together they went out for
36:12
drinks one night and we're like, look, we have a situation on our
36:16
hands as as you and I have come to learn more and more about
36:20
like how hot a water we're in here.
36:23
So let's do what we can to keep this under wraps.
36:28
And then I. My guess is that people around
36:31
people in Shohei's camp again, legal or otherwise.
36:35
They caught wind of. This finally, after they'd
36:39
attempted to keep it under wraps.
36:40
And they go, shohei, you gotta you gotta get out of this now.
36:43
Yeah, let's get you a wife. And then so and.
36:49
We'll get ahead. Of it I don't know, man.
36:51
So so. Honestly it when you when you
36:54
look at the whole MLB cover up element of it, I personally I
37:00
think it's less of an attempt to cover up show hey being some
37:04
sort of degenerate gambler and I don't think it is and.
37:07
More of a. Cover up to just keep his image
37:09
clean, even the like. Like I said, I think that he
37:14
just made some unwise decisions he he maybe didn't understand
37:18
the ramifications of or the consequences of the decisions he
37:21
was making to help out. A friend, not knowing that,
37:23
probably tried to do it on his own.
37:25
Right, paying off a bookie. Is illegal like this and related
37:30
decisions to that and probably lied.
37:33
To the financial advisor said, hey, I need a million.
37:36
I mean I need a million broken up into two payments.
37:39
It's for me. Pays it for it.
37:43
Pay himself, Yeah. And I bet.
37:45
And I'm. Sure that I'm sure the people,
37:47
if if that's how it went down, my guess is that the people in
37:50
in the ML BS front offices are going, I mean to us and to to
37:56
reasonable thinking people. This really isn't like.
38:00
No need to understand a. Guy's career ruined in a league,
38:04
Literally. I'm not gonna say shattered, but
38:08
it would be. It would be rough.
38:13
It would be quite. The, the black mark.
38:16
But yeah, they're probably sitting there going like, again,
38:18
if that's how it happened, they're probably going this it
38:20
like, for all intents and purposes, not the worst thing
38:23
that's come across our desk. But as with so many of these
38:27
other things like the Trevor Bauer thing that we I, I feel
38:29
like I made the same exact point on you have idiot baseball fans
38:33
out there. You have people that just choose
38:35
to be inflammatory on social media because they want to get
38:38
the clicks, They want to get the engagement.
38:40
You you have tabloids and just outlets who have who don't have
38:45
the best intentions for Shohei or the game and they're just
38:49
gonna run with it. So they're going, we have to
38:51
keep this as airtight as possible.
38:53
We have to keep his image as clean as possible.
38:56
So yeah, there probably is a a a a degree of cover up for Major
39:00
League Baseball and I think that's pretty transparent and it
39:04
makes sense whether you agree with it or not, that's one
39:07
thing. But it makes sense if you're the
39:09
league and you're trying to keep Shohei's image clean also.
39:14
How? Nice would it be to think like
39:16
for everyone around you. For them to think that.
39:22
You don't understand them. To have that cloak of built in
39:33
privacy, you've been here seven years.
39:37
There's stories of Ichiro having full on conversations with
39:41
people back in his playing days. Never once spoke English and
39:46
oppressor in an interview. I think he knows English.
39:53
Enough. Really enough.
39:56
I have a hard time believing that for the duration of time
40:01
that Shohei was with the Angels. And knowing that the microscope
40:06
that him and Trout were under for needing to get that team to
40:10
the postseason, forget the World Series, just get them to the
40:13
postseason. I would venture to say those
40:16
guys, they they went through it together.
40:18
Like we, I know we, we knock on the Angels, we knock on Trout,
40:21
we knock on Shohei for their inability to to get it done, if
40:26
you will. But I I would think that over
40:30
that stretch of time that they probably went out for a few
40:33
dinners and said, look, we need to let let's, let's get down to
40:37
the nitty gritty here. Like we need to figure out a
40:39
plan for this team to lead this team in the direction that it
40:43
needs to go. I just, I don't see Ipe.
40:47
I'm sure he was there, but I just don't see Ipe being there
40:51
translating that conversation verbatim.
40:53
I just don't see that. I see.
40:54
I see Shogh and Trott going out having a conversation say hey
40:58
man, like what do you think? Like here's, here's what I think
41:01
I can provide. Mike's going, here's what I
41:04
think I can provide. They they spit ball.
41:07
That had to have happened and forget team planning, just
41:12
day-to-day conversation like those all these guys go out on.
41:14
Road trips and they they go out to dinner together.
41:17
You tell me. Show his only eats with Ipe.
41:20
Exactly. The faces of.
41:24
Baseball. I I think.
41:27
I I think he. Knows more than he lets on to.
41:31
Mm hmm, so. Kind of wrapping it up here, at
41:34
least for this particular topic, Where where do you stand on
41:37
Shohei 'cause I think, I think following the The Soul series,
41:41
if I recall. I don't want to.
41:43
I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I think you were
41:45
of the belief that Shohei was the one that was responsible for
41:48
these bets. In that.
41:51
Not that he paid them, but that he was the one with the motive
41:55
to gamble. And there's.
41:59
Still, yes. I kind of still feel that way.
42:01
I still feel like it's slightly there because there is still
42:08
the. The unchecked.
42:11
Box of the fact of. No one if it pays.
42:15
Salaries getting that line of credit.
42:24
No one's getting that. Line of credit.
42:28
No one's letting. Millions of dollars roll over.
42:34
So I don't know, You give me a gift card to go buy something at
42:42
the store. Yeah, I'm buying it.
42:50
You gave me the gift. Card.
42:52
I don't know, man. Like, there's there's this Gray
42:56
area here and it just say blame it on the loss in translation.
43:01
Nonsense. I I I don't know.
43:10
Maybe. Maybe Ipe was placed in bets for
43:12
him. I still think it's a
43:14
possibility. I am less on that on that train.
43:17
I am more in the camp of. I do think Ohtani knew about
43:21
Ipe. I think he knew about the debts.
43:23
I think he's paid them himself. I think he's made those payments
43:26
for sure. I think that's where.
43:28
I've settled for now. They just probably didn't
43:31
realize that it was. Legal or illegal, I think.
43:34
I think that's where I've I've settled.
43:35
I I just. I I know that a lot of it is
43:39
because of the league. Like there's that.
43:42
Like I'm looking at it. Through that lens, through the
43:44
through the Rose colored glasses that Major League Baseball has
43:47
handed us as baseball fans. To say hey, look.
43:50
How great this guy is. Mm hmm.
43:53
I have enough. Sense.
43:54
To be able to take those off and look at Shohei for who he is and
43:59
how he's always been, how he presents himself, he's always
44:02
been that. Guy, I just have a.
44:04
Really hard time think believing that.
44:07
That he would. Be some sort of mastermind to a
44:11
plan like this. I I genuinely think he just got
44:15
caught up in some he did something illegal.
44:19
He didn't know it was illegal and in reality he was doing it.
44:23
Probably a selfless way of helping his friend.
44:26
And didn't have. The counsel around him to guide
44:30
him out of the situation before it got to be too much.
44:34
Or he's like. I'm not continuing on with this
44:38
journey without my boy, so I'm ignoring counsel and I'm paying
44:43
this anyway. Also a.
44:47
Possibility. I don't know.
44:49
But that's that's basically what we got for now.
44:53
Again, I didn't. I I didn't think we'd be
44:56
spending basically an episode and a half on show.
44:59
Hey, gambling scandal. But here we are.
45:02
Obviously it's what what the entire baseball world's talking
45:05
about and for a good reason. Like, it's a big deal and we can
45:09
sit here and and make jokes about how certain fans are are
45:15
rooting for his downfall and everything.
45:17
But like this there, there are a lot of there.
45:22
There's a lot at stake here for baseball in general and talking
45:27
about a precedent being laid. And if you're rooting for his.
45:30
Downfall You're not a baseball fan.
45:34
You're a reality. TV fan or Yeah?
45:37
Or you're just a Padre or or Giants fan.
45:39
I don't know. Which just, I don't know.
45:42
Feels. Don't, Don't.
45:43
Even I'm not even. Please don't tell me that
45:47
baseball has not grown and gotten better since he's got
45:51
here. You're just you're wrong.
45:56
He's. The best thing that's happened
45:59
to baseball in a long time. So do I understand the cover up?
46:04
Yeah, I'm going to sit here and say there isn't a cover up.
46:09
No. So whoever's going.
46:13
To UC Riverside. Let me know if there's a new new
46:17
library that pops up next year. Giant anonymous donation.
46:25
I need that. Security footage of that that
46:28
duffel bag of cash being dropped dropped outside the dining hall
46:32
at 2:30. AM I'm gonna need that?
46:35
Let's let's talk about some some other baseball things here,
46:39
shall we? Let's switch gears.
46:41
We can we can run through some of these items 'cause I really
46:43
just wanted to wrap up talking a little bit about opening day,
46:47
opening week and and the excitement that surrounds that.
46:51
So let's start here at the top. Ross Rockies extend their
46:57
shortstop to Ezekiel Tovar. Yeah, to A.
47:02
Seven-year extension where 63 1/2 mil could be a total of 84
47:08
if the option is exercised according to L Extra Base, which
47:13
gotta love that name by the way. I feel like this is.
47:17
Quick this was a quick trigger. Not as.
47:21
Quick As was the Brewers that extended a minor leaguer over
47:28
the offseason. Remember that?
47:31
Yeah, the. Tigers did as well.
47:33
The Tigers. Tigers locked up.
47:37
What is it? What is his name?
47:40
Oh, it's right there, Colt Keith.
47:46
Is that who you're talking about?
47:47
Yeah. Not as this isn't as early as
47:50
that. I I don't know, man.
47:58
He's he's literally 162 games in played, 153 last year.
48:03
Nine games in in 2022. I'm in 70.
48:13
Six OP Plus guy. To his credit.
48:17
Rockies, albeit a young franchise, they've had some
48:20
dudes come through there and he's put his name up there with
48:24
the best of them as a rookie. Todd Todd Hilton's rookie record
48:31
for double S He broke Troy Tulowitzki's fielding percentage
48:40
by a rookie shortstop with a mark of 988, topping Tulow's 987
48:47
back in O7. He's the youngest player to
48:51
debut in club history at 21 years and 53 days.
48:58
So, I mean, you're. Getting ahead of the curve.
48:59
I I don't think it needed to happen this quickly.
49:03
I think you could have gone. One more year or even like half
49:07
a. Season.
49:08
Yeah. Maybe just a little breathe a
49:09
little bit. Yeah, I don't.
49:11
Know, I get. I mean, this is, this is how
49:15
teams like that are gonna have to operate.
49:18
You have to. You're gonna have to.
49:19
Strike gold with somebody and extend them young.
49:24
Hopefully it's. During a window.
49:28
Hopefully they all hit. Their prime fill in the gaps of
49:31
the vets. Make a run.
49:35
I feel like that's the. Blueprint.
49:37
Yeah, and. But a possible outcome of that
49:42
blueprint, and it it's the case for any team, no team is immune
49:45
to this. You're gonna take a chance on a
49:48
guy like this and it's gonna be a flop and it's gonna be
49:51
considered a bad contract. The the aim for these teams,
49:55
however, is minimizing. The amount of money, that's.
50:01
Coming out of their pocket, but maximizing the value or the deal
50:08
that they can, they can lock up as early as they can without it
50:12
being just yeah. An erratic.
50:15
Move like they you got to there. There's a a recipe there and I
50:20
think the Braves have done a a fabulous job of this.
50:23
We've we've talked about that all the time of.
50:27
Getting it early. Enough, but waiting long enough
50:31
and offering. The amount of money, that's.
50:34
Going to help the team out the most we've been, we've been on
50:37
record as saying before that we think there's a little element
50:40
of Hwy. robbery going on from the from the player's point of
50:43
view, but from a team point of view, the Braves are doing.
50:49
A fantastic. Job of that.
50:50
So I think you're right. I think this is the blueprint
50:53
that's continued to be laid out and and tried by these teams,
51:00
the Brewers, the Tigers, some others.
51:03
I think the Red Sox are even trying to dabble into that a
51:05
little bit with, you know, names like Brian Baio.
51:08
They're talking a little bit with Tristan Cassis.
51:10
This is a new thing. And I think this is probably
51:14
why. We've seen.
51:17
A weird market with free agency, I think.
51:22
I think teams are recognizing that.
51:24
Like you could probably piece that together with what you
51:27
already have in house and you can probably commit.
51:31
I'd rather the commitment to a younger player is going to is
51:36
going to just become more and more popular.
51:40
I'd rather pay you early and take a risk.
51:44
But not that big of. A risk instead of signing
51:47
someone that's 3132 multi year deal and paying them for what
51:53
they've done with a different organization.
51:56
This is going to be the. New the new thing.
52:02
Personally, I love. It I mean, I I I've sat on here
52:05
before. Yeah, I've sat on here before.
52:07
I like guys being around like I I just hate young, old in the
52:15
middle, in their prime. I just.
52:16
I like guys being able to be around for the long haul, guys
52:20
that that fans can latch on to. That's why with like a college
52:23
basketball model, I I love A-Team like UNC where you just
52:27
know that their guys majority of their guys are going to be
52:30
around. Compare that to the likes of
52:32
Duke. Not the same situation, but
52:35
bring it back to baseball. It's it's a pretty, I don't want
52:42
to say risk free blueprint, but. If you're able to get them.
52:47
Early enough for an amount of money that's so inconsequential
52:52
and will prove to be even more inconsequential as time goes on
52:58
and the average contract goes up.
53:00
That money that you're spending now, AAV, it's gonna be
53:03
different. So even up front you're going,
53:05
eh, it's not that much money. But even what I'm saying is down
53:08
the road you're gonna look at that and go like, yeah, we
53:10
missed, but we're not. Whatever, it's only for 60.
53:14
We're not spending. 9 digits on the guy.
53:16
So I it's a pretty, I don't say foolproof, but I think it's a a
53:21
good approach and I I just hope it doesn't get abused.
53:25
Which I say. That I know it will.
53:28
This seems a. Little close.
53:33
Borderline. Yeah, but.
53:35
But maybe it is the? It is the projection of seeing
53:38
like, you know, like OK, how do we get, how do we get Ronald
53:43
Acuna to commit before he breaks into the scene as Ronald Acuna,
53:49
You know what I mean? And that comes down to scouting,
53:51
which I love, comes down to front office really knowing
53:56
their, their, their, their development and their group.
53:59
And I like that. I think that this is how teams.
54:06
Small market if you. Will will have to manage going
54:09
forward. Which I did see.
54:11
A lot of people going, why would you want to commit to the
54:14
Rockies for that long? I think this is just I I don't
54:18
know. I don't know the guy from Adam.
54:19
But I would venture to say this is just a an instance of a of a
54:23
kid, a young kid going, wow, that's life changing money.
54:28
The team that I'm. With is expressing faith in me,
54:32
I'm going to take it, and probably didn't think about it
54:35
much more than that also. He's.
54:41
How old? Last year was 21 and I mentioned
54:49
his his debut is 21 and 53 days. Yeah, that's why.
54:54
'Cause you're hitting the market again at 29.
54:58
Big whoop. Good for him.
55:05
Hope the Rockies are right. Get used to seeing.
55:09
This more often. Speaking of seeing things more
55:15
often, deja vu, I feel like we got the announcements,
55:21
ironically, that the Dodgers and Cubs are gonna be opening up the
55:27
2025 season in Japan. So, not quite Korea, but
55:32
essentially the same thing in terms of time zones, yeah.
55:39
Better get ready to. Wake up at 3:00 AM again.
55:42
I will not. Cubs.
55:44
Dodgers, Cubs. Dodgers.
55:46
Next year, it wasn't. Even it wasn't even.
55:48
The. Announcement it was, it was the.
55:51
The announcement. Of the announcement, if that
55:54
makes sense. It was reported by Bob
55:59
Nightingale that the Cubs and Dodgers were, quote, privately
56:05
informed. That they were.
56:08
Selected to open the 2025 season in Tokyo.
56:13
Cover up. So yeah.
56:21
Why? Let's give the Japanese market
56:25
something to talk about other than Shouhei.
56:30
Let's give them. Something else to play with.
56:33
Let's give them another toy. Let's give them another
56:36
distraction. Let's give you something to work
56:39
towards. Let's yeah.
56:42
Mm hmm. I don't.
56:43
Know how, I don't know how long. That dog will be.
56:48
Able to feed on that bone. It's, it's.
56:51
Just this is a this is a stop gap until you find something
56:54
else about IPA. IPA's.
56:58
Really Australian. And he broke out of prison.
57:02
Ten years ago. That's what we're gonna find
57:04
something out. That's just nuts.
57:08
IPA killed his whole family, changed his name, put on that
57:13
that wig that he calls Hare and started becoming an interpreter.
57:19
That hair's tough dude. It's a tough hair go, dude.
57:21
It's a tough hair. I mean you and I, you and I are
57:24
struggling with our our own hair issues, so this is a cover up.
57:30
Yeah, it's the it's all, it's so right in front of us.
57:37
MLB, just doing. Whatever they can.
57:39
Yeah. I mean I you.
57:40
And I and I think a lot of other people can acknowledge that yes,
57:43
there is some, there is some cover up happening.
57:48
It's just a matter of which side you believe is doing the
57:50
covering up and who it's covering up.
57:54
I think the the. Cover up aspect of it though, is
57:57
about as transparent as it could be, yeah.
58:00
That's with any of this. Stuff, Yeah.
58:03
But anyway, is it? Is it?
58:04
The same. I'm assuming the same dates go
58:07
there, come back for a week the report that I.
58:11
Read said that I got it right here, it says.
58:13
Nightingale added that since the Cubs have spring training in
58:17
Arizona, they would return to Arizona after their opening
58:20
series against the Dodgers and quote open their domestic season
58:24
on the West Coast before heading home to Chicago.
58:29
So. Based on that, it sounds like.
58:33
Yeah. Smart.
58:36
That's what I'm. That's what I'm gathering
58:38
smarter than this. If that is true, it is from
58:41
Nightingale. Enough said, We'll.
58:52
Leave it at that, just a couple more items here so it makes so
58:56
much. Sense.
58:57
It makes so much sense. It's all there.
58:59
How do we We have we have America controlled.
59:02
How do we control Japan? Let's give them the opening
59:06
series of next year. I gotta give Robbie Manfred some
59:12
credit. The dude gave us his ETA on when
59:18
he's out of here and then this falls in his lap and he's like,
59:22
I didn't want to deal with this. This is nuts.
59:29
Man, it's crazy. I don't want.
59:31
To talk about it anymore, though?
59:32
Me neither. I want to talk about.
59:34
Another conspiracy Trevor Bauer. He threw 3 scoreless right 3
59:43
scorers, allowed four hits, three KS and two walks against
59:46
the Yankees. The big, bad Bronx Bombers, who
59:49
featured probably like 98% minor leaguers.
59:54
No, I don't. I don't.
59:55
I didn't watch the outing. I think it was.
59:59
Stanton Volpe. Oh, so they they had some, had
1:00:04
some dudes in there. Was Waldo Cabrera?
1:00:07
Maybe that's about it. Everything else way down.
1:00:11
I was more excited to see Canogo.
1:00:12
Yeah, yeah, yeah. What was that?
1:00:14
About man, I didn't realize the guy was still playing.
1:00:16
I thought he was in the. I think this is the new.
1:00:18
Thing. I think you signed like a a week
1:00:21
contract or three day contract with these teams knowing that an
1:00:27
MLB team is going to be playing against you.
1:00:29
You know what I mean? There's little stuff like that.
1:00:34
I think this. This is going to be a thing
1:00:36
moving forward too, But wasn't he?
1:00:38
In that United league or whatever over in, this might be
1:00:43
the offseason. Oh, true.
1:00:46
Yeah, what do they call? That it's the United League.
1:00:51
Is it united? Or like United.
1:00:53
Baseball or something, Yeah. Yeah, I don't know.
1:00:59
Whatever. Bower's.
1:01:01
Bower's Bower Man. Baseball United.
1:01:03
Sorry. That's what it is.
1:01:08
And what we're talking about him?
1:01:09
Too. Let's talk Jackson Holiday it.
1:01:14
Was announced by the. Baltimore Orioles Dude, I feel
1:01:16
like with with Ryan Ripken and company that I follow on social.
1:01:23
I feel like I know you know about the.
1:01:25
I know more about the I've gotten more content about the
1:01:29
Baltimore Orioles. Yeah.
1:01:32
Even just this? Offseason that I think I have
1:01:34
into my entire life, Yeah, it's fair.
1:01:37
Probably about right as as have I so.
1:01:42
Related to that, it was announced that Jack's holiday
1:01:46
would be starting the 2024 season in AAA, much to the.
1:01:54
Displeasure. Of Orioles fans, and I think a
1:01:57
lot of baseball fans, too. I I don't.
1:02:02
I don't really. Know how to feel about it like I
1:02:04
think I think the easy I don't want to say lazy answers like oh
1:02:10
what's going on man he should be starting in he should be at
1:02:14
Camden Yards for opening day. I don't know if it's that easy
1:02:17
like yeah he he he tore it up this spring but I think if
1:02:21
you're if you're Mike Elias and he he commented on it saying
1:02:26
that basically like. Let's.
1:02:30
Chill, he's. Played like just over a dozen
1:02:32
games at AAA. Let's let's not.
1:02:36
Let's not rush to things here. Let him let.
1:02:41
Him cook a little longer, man. Let him grow up.
1:02:44
Yeah, yeah. And.
1:02:47
I think I was. Was it that he struggled
1:02:51
against? Was it?
1:02:56
Lefties. I'm guessing it was lefties.
1:02:58
He had 15 strikeouts. I don't know how many, what the
1:03:02
what the breakdown of that was. I think they did.
1:03:06
Say somebody on on Ryan's show said that like six of those
1:03:16
strikeouts were in his first seven at bats or something like
1:03:19
that. Yeah, so.
1:03:20
It wasn't, like a lot of. Early struggle.
1:03:23
But like, I don't know, man. Why?
1:03:26
Like, why rush it? I don't think there's any need.
1:03:31
The Orioles are in prime position.
1:03:33
They're in great shape. Plenty to work.
1:03:37
With. No need to rush.
1:03:39
Anything. Let him cook.
1:03:43
Let him. Let him get comfortable because
1:03:46
the the alternate is you bring him up too early and then you
1:03:49
rock his confidence because he struggles.
1:03:51
You know what I mean? And then?
1:03:53
Send it back down. Like I Well, I think we fall in
1:03:56
love. There's there's an anxiety of
1:03:59
like this season starting, but we're so in love with.
1:04:04
Making. The MLB roster out of camp.
1:04:07
We're so in love with the Opening Day starter.
1:04:11
We're so in love with these things.
1:04:13
We're like, we quickly forget and are quickly reminded that
1:04:17
it's a marathon and not a Sprint.
1:04:21
And I I think that's the difference between like
1:04:23
overreaction overreactionary fans versus, you know, people in
1:04:29
the league or around the league that understand that's like,
1:04:31
dude, just, it's fine, it's March.
1:04:35
The kids 12. Like, give him a freaking
1:04:38
chance. Just let him settle in for a
1:04:42
SEC. He'll be fine.
1:04:45
In the meantime, we're gonna go bang and probably win some ball
1:04:49
games without him. So what's the big deal?
1:04:54
There's no need to rush it. Well, that brings.
1:04:59
Us to our last topic of discussion.
1:05:02
I just wanted to you know preview, preview the start of
1:05:07
the season here a little bit. I wanted to get your take
1:05:10
specifically. I know last, I think it was last
1:05:13
episode where I mentioned to you, and I know you would you
1:05:17
would you have seen the tweet? Where I just.
1:05:21
Put out a list of it was I think I titled it players that I'm
1:05:26
that I believe in in 2024. I wanted to get your take on
1:05:30
some guys that you're 'cause I know I know for the predictions
1:05:34
and or the hot takes and predictions episode we just we
1:05:39
tapped into some awards and things like that.
1:05:41
But I wanted to get your take on maybe some guys that maybe you
1:05:46
don't necessarily think are gonna bring home any hardware
1:05:49
or? Or light the league.
1:05:51
On fire, but just guys that you know you're excited about.
1:05:56
As we. Approach Opening Day.
1:05:58
Just prime. Doesn't matter anybody.
1:06:01
Yeah. Guys, you may think.
1:06:03
Have a might have a resurgence some young guys that you believe
1:06:08
in. I can.
1:06:11
I'll just to one buy you some time, but also to refresh maybe
1:06:17
some people who didn't recall me sharing my list and just to kind
1:06:23
of show you the variety that I feel like I was working with
1:06:26
like I wasn't just going for. All Star after all. * but my
1:06:31
list of guys that I'm that I'm a believer in, like it literally
1:06:36
says. It says I'm a believer, says
1:06:40
Gunnar Henderson, Trevor Story, Hassan Kim, Bryson Stott,
1:06:45
Brandon Fought, Galebre Torres. And like I said, that list can
1:06:50
expand. These are just gut.
1:06:51
React like gut feelings, just just firing from the hip.
1:06:55
Just guys that I have a good feeling about in 2024, yeah.
1:07:04
I I. The first one that comes off the
1:07:06
top of my head, I I would say, I think Ryan McMahon of the
1:07:11
Rockies. Seems to.
1:07:13
Be in this position where like he he could play well in the
1:07:18
first half and. And and.
1:07:21
Find himself. Making.
1:07:25
An impact somewhere if they don't extend him and if he moves
1:07:30
on into a new, a new spot, 'cause I mean, he plays multiple
1:07:34
positions, a lefty bat, I I don't know, there's something
1:07:38
there. A little.
1:07:44
Maybe possible resurgence out of Jack Flaherty being in Detroit.
1:07:49
Like just having like. You know, out of the.
1:07:53
Spotlight out of the pressure, having a full offseason, you
1:07:57
know, I do think that there's some weird stuff going on in
1:08:00
Saint Louis. So like, maybe it was just good
1:08:02
for him to fresh start, new faces, you know, just get
1:08:07
something out of there. Glaber is definitely on my list.
1:08:15
Just going to play for, you know.
1:08:19
He wants to be a. Yankee for life and I think he's
1:08:21
going to play for an extension, think he's going to have a good
1:08:24
year. He's, I think he's settled into
1:08:26
who he is as a hitter defender. He's very good at second base.
1:08:34
Give me Wilson Contreras coming back a little bit, shaking off
1:08:38
some of the the weirdness of last year.
1:08:42
Honestly, I don't know. Maybe like a?
1:08:46
Tyler O'Neill going to Boston and like having an opportunity
1:08:50
to have the, you know, the monster that you can just pepper
1:08:53
all day. He's got a lot of juice, man.
1:08:56
And. Just just.
1:08:59
Again, not hardware, but like you know kind of coming back
1:09:03
onto the scene a little bit, you think of pitcher wise, pitcher
1:09:09
wise. I'm pretty big on Gavin Stone
1:09:14
being the 5th starter with LA. I I think, I think they really
1:09:19
know, I think the Dodgers know what they're doing, man.
1:09:22
And I don't know if he's going to do as well as Bobby Miller
1:09:25
did say last year, but. I think you're gonna see.
1:09:30
Some production there. Luis Heel coming in as the 5th
1:09:35
starter with the Yankees. Like a full.
1:09:39
Offseason off of TJ He's got crazy, crazy stuff.
1:09:44
Believed in him so much he added him in fantasy.
1:09:47
I saw that. I sure did.
1:09:48
I sure did. Trying to work my way.
1:09:53
Around the league as much as I can.
1:09:56
Some more comprehensive lists than I put together.
1:09:59
I'm just. Firing from the hip for real,
1:10:01
dude. That's literally.
1:10:02
What I did and like I said, my these lists, these lists can
1:10:05
change throughout the season, yeah.
1:10:09
Yeah. What do we got?
1:10:13
I don't know. Maybe Jared?
1:10:20
Kalnick being in a in a Braves uniform.
1:10:23
Being in a super deep lineup. Rough spring, though, but Tay
1:10:28
Oscar came out. And said he didn't see things
1:10:31
well in Seattle. He just didn't pick up the ball
1:10:34
well there and maybe some something similar for Kelnick,
1:10:39
you know then being in a lineup of just pure hitters.
1:10:44
Maybe. Maybe there's.
1:10:45
Some, you know, some resurgence there.
1:10:47
And like, I think that's probably why the Braves made
1:10:50
that move. It's a super high ceiling.
1:10:55
Yeah. How am I doing?
1:10:57
I'm. Doing good, that's fantastic.
1:11:01
You can bouncing around a little bit.
1:11:03
You can pause it there if you'd like, or you can keep going if
1:11:06
you got more. There was no.
1:11:08
There's no expectation for how long this list needed to be.
1:11:12
But I feel like you reeled off some.
1:11:13
Great names like again, not guys that you're expecting to have
1:11:17
MVP caliber seasons, maybe not even All Stars.
1:11:20
Yeah, but not even All Stars. But guys that you're just
1:11:22
excited about, and I would, I would challenge you, the
1:11:25
listener, to come to compile your own list.
1:11:27
Maybe. Maybe heck even pull up the
1:11:31
notes app on your phone and and compile a list and that way you
1:11:34
can have some names. We're always we're always
1:11:37
promoting like yes follow your team like we believe in that
1:11:41
that's what you should do as a as a baseball fan as and as a
1:11:44
fan of the team that you follow. But we're we also always promote
1:11:48
like tapping in around the league a little bit and so as we
1:11:54
come up on opening day maybe take the next couple days to to
1:12:00
think about some some guys, some teams that you want to follow
1:12:03
this year as as the season progresses and I'm telling you
1:12:06
it, it makes for a more enjoyable.
1:12:09
Baseball viewing. Experience because when your
1:12:12
team is out of it by may. It's nice to.
1:12:18
Not that you necessarily got to jump ship, but it's nice to have
1:12:20
something to tune into it at different times of the year.
1:12:23
So how about getting past? Quentino Oh, that's a great.
1:12:29
Pick. That's a That's a good pick.
1:12:31
I think we forgot how. Much pop that guy has you you
1:12:34
gave him. Some love in the In the Hot text
1:12:36
and predictions episode, so I I can vouch that you were a
1:12:39
believer in him. That's it.
1:12:42
But but looking ahead to Opening Day, opening weekend.
1:12:48
Just. A a refresher for those who
1:12:52
maybe don't know what's going on around the league.
1:12:54
We've got the Brewers at the Mets.
1:12:56
We've got the Angels at the OS. We've got the Braves at the
1:13:01
Phillies. Oh yeah.
1:13:02
Buckle up for that one. We've got the.
1:13:04
Gnats at the Reds. We've got the Giants at the
1:13:07
Padres, Cardinals at the Dodgers, Blue Jays, at the Rays,
1:13:14
Twins at the Royals, Tigers at the White Sox.
1:13:19
Pirates at the. Marlins, Yankees in Houston,
1:13:23
Cubs in Texas, Guardians in Oakland.
1:13:28
Rockies. In Arizona and the Red Sox in
1:13:32
Seattle. Love it so that's.
1:13:35
What we had to look forward to, I'm going.
1:13:38
To need some. Fireworks right out of the gate
1:13:42
in in Philly. I'm going to need that, yeah.
1:13:46
I know, I know. Not.
1:13:48
I was going to say, have we seen?
1:13:49
Soto in Houston since I mean I of course we have, but have we
1:13:55
seen like on that stage with that many eyes like that could
1:13:58
be interesting. I mean, that's not since the
1:14:03
World Series, right? Yeah.
1:14:07
I'm sure they I'm. I don't know.
1:14:11
That could be interesting. But yeah, Philly is going to be
1:14:14
It's in Philly. Yeah, who?
1:14:20
I'm sure they remember Soto in in Houston very well.
1:14:24
Yeah, yeah, have. You been Have you been eyeing
1:14:28
any Any tickets? Any games anywhere?
1:14:31
Not Opening Day, but following I'd I.
1:14:36
I think I mentioned on here, I did take a peek at Philly just
1:14:39
because of the like that match up and I think that's one of the
1:14:42
better match ups in baseball. And I I thought more.
1:14:46
About it, I don't know. If I've been to an opening day,
1:14:50
I don't think I. Was old enough to.
1:14:51
Remember I I may Dad may have taken me as a kid.
1:14:54
I honestly can't remember. But.
1:14:57
May have been to an Orioles one back in the day, yeah.
1:15:00
That's kind of what? I was thinking.
1:15:02
If I had been, but yeah, afternoon.
1:15:05
Baseball, though, on a Thursday that The Jets flying over.
1:15:11
All the, all the. The banner things out.
1:15:14
Yeah. Oh yeah, The.
1:15:15
Bunting. Love that, man.
1:15:18
Take the day off from work. I'm about it.
1:15:23
But yeah, haven't haven't poked around any tickets yet.
1:15:28
Which reminds me a. Little, nice little.
1:15:30
There you go. Plug for Siki.
1:15:33
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1:15:40
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1:15:46
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1:15:50
There you go, probably. One hot dog, probably 1 hot dog,
1:15:55
souvenir soda or souvenir soda. Not both.
1:16:00
Well, maybe both. Maybe you get a good deal
1:16:02
somewhere. I don't know.
1:16:02
They're some ballparks still still operate with reason.
1:16:07
Not all of them, but some. I will be.
1:16:10
I won't be obviously Opening Day, but I will be catching the
1:16:14
Yankees here in in Phoenix next week.
1:16:18
Week from. Tomorrow.
1:16:23
That one over, really. Well, didn't it?
1:16:26
With the brand new. Wife.
1:16:28
Yeah. No.
1:16:30
Yeah. No, it sure didn't.
1:16:31
Yeah, it's all right. Not great.
1:16:37
What a what a heck of a stretch, though.
1:16:41
I'll be golfing. Before my wedding, getting
1:16:43
married on Saturday. That little mini honeymoon for
1:16:47
two days, Yankees the day after. And a bad stretch.
1:16:54
For the kid, not a bad. Stretch for the kid.
1:16:57
Gotta love that. That's coming up, man.
1:17:01
It it that's a life changing experience coming up for you, my
1:17:05
friend. That's exciting.
1:17:08
Those of you listening? Send your Send your love.
1:17:11
Send your support to old old Knight Reyes and I don't know
1:17:14
maybe ready to check out the registry while you're at it?
1:17:17
Who knows? There you go.
1:17:19
Truck down the link. Or maybe hit me up.
1:17:21
I I can send you the link. Maybe.
1:17:23
Maybe we help the kid out, huh. How about it?
1:17:27
Anything else about opening Day, opening week you wanted to touch
1:17:30
on before we get out of here? That's it, man.
1:17:34
That's all I got. Obviously the the first time my
1:17:37
my Opening Day weekend is jam packed with wedding stuff.
1:17:42
I think the Yankees go seven straight games without a day off
1:17:47
and I'm like do they really? Well, that'd be nice.
1:17:49
Do they not get? The I don't think they get the
1:17:53
Friday off. I don't think they do.
1:17:58
That's tough, man. It's, it's quite a stretch,
1:18:01
right? It's kind of cool, yeah.
1:18:02
And then of course, I'm busy. Yeah, they go Thursday, Friday,
1:18:06
Saturday, Sunday. Monday, Tuesday.
1:18:10
Wednesday. Houston and.
1:18:14
Then and then Arizona. I like that though.
1:18:18
I like the I'm an anti Friday off day kind of guy.
1:18:23
Don't get me hyped up for for opening day and then give me
1:18:27
four teams to watch. Stop doing that.
1:18:31
Yeah, let's. Let's not do that, yeah.
1:18:34
Yeah, that's it, man. Other than that.
1:18:40
Please don't. Judge me for how uneducated I'll
1:18:45
be for the next month or so. I'll do my best.
1:18:50
It's got. A lot going on.
1:18:52
Yeah, which reminds me last thing before we get out of here,
1:18:54
what update on what what we can expect from from old Nate Reyes
1:19:00
for the next are, are we maybe getting you getting one more
1:19:02
from you or you think you think at least one maybe?
1:19:05
Two. OK.
1:19:07
I won't push you to two, but one.
1:19:09
One would be nice. But I don't want to.
1:19:10
I don't want to get in you any more trouble than you already
1:19:13
are for the Yankees game. So yeah, that.
1:19:16
Still smoothing that over. Gotta do what you gotta do,
1:19:21
right? We'll figure it out.
1:19:24
We'll figure. Out a schedule, but other than
1:19:27
that, I think, I think that's all we got, yes.
1:19:30
That's it. Enjoy opening day everybody, for
1:19:35
my fellow father wears Happy Easter and don't go chasing
1:19:40
curveballs. Love you all and as.
1:19:42
Always looking forward to talking more baseball with you
1:19:44
guys soon. Until next time, stay filthy.