Thank you, Doug! I have been following you for years. It’s great to see someone with your baseball experience and knowledge of the game give your assessment of Shohei. As you said, we quickly run out of words to describe his greatness. Finally, you did. “Ohtanic”! A coinage that will stick.
Excellent piece, as ususal, BUT my first moment of critique. You knew it was coming. The irony of praising Ohtani so soon after the Pete Rose piece. I loved Pete. Same birthday. Wore the same number (also our birthday), and he was a guy us short kings could look up to! I also agreed with your piece. As someone who is duty bound, you cannot break rule number one. The sign on the wall. BUT, I cannot help thinking that MLB protected the best player in the game in Ohtani, in his prime, through what seems all too much smoke where there is fire. It was in MLB's best interest. Pete was nabbed for gambling as a manager. No longer their interest. His deed was done. He was not being marketed to infinity and beyond, like Ohtani, at the time. Ohtani's interpreter seems like a covenient Oliver North. There is no doubt that Ohtani is perhaps the best to ever do it, and I write that WHILE he is playing. I just think his gambling scenario is a sign of the times, where if the religion of Capitalism is at stake, we collectively look the other way. Would a lesser player have been given the same consideration?
Even more globally, sports have a more and more challenging line to walk with the gambling world. We have seen safety concerns rise to the forefront as we try and understand the direct or indirect correlation. Certainly the stakes are higher when there are high stakes on your performance individually. I also recognize there is so much we will not fully know. Who really took PEDs that just slid under the radar? For example. It is so hard to keep our enthusiasm for great performers solely based on the baseball field especially since those numbers have now been shown to have vulnerabilities. As does every player. I hope Ohtani can write a full story one day of his life inside of this bubble. So mysterious one on hand but so much impact on the other. I try to temper those worst case scenarios but they are still scenarios and our eyes must stay open. Fingers crossed. :)
Thank you, Doug! I have been following you for years. It’s great to see someone with your baseball experience and knowledge of the game give your assessment of Shohei. As you said, we quickly run out of words to describe his greatness. Finally, you did. “Ohtanic”! A coinage that will stick.
Hi, Sean! I suggested it to Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts and he gave a thoughtful and curious pose. Maybe it will stick! :)
Doug, you’re a great writer… but I still hate the dodgers.
Love the Dodgers! Love Ohtani, he is in a word “ohtanic”!
Thanks, Walter! :)
Excellent piece, as ususal, BUT my first moment of critique. You knew it was coming. The irony of praising Ohtani so soon after the Pete Rose piece. I loved Pete. Same birthday. Wore the same number (also our birthday), and he was a guy us short kings could look up to! I also agreed with your piece. As someone who is duty bound, you cannot break rule number one. The sign on the wall. BUT, I cannot help thinking that MLB protected the best player in the game in Ohtani, in his prime, through what seems all too much smoke where there is fire. It was in MLB's best interest. Pete was nabbed for gambling as a manager. No longer their interest. His deed was done. He was not being marketed to infinity and beyond, like Ohtani, at the time. Ohtani's interpreter seems like a covenient Oliver North. There is no doubt that Ohtani is perhaps the best to ever do it, and I write that WHILE he is playing. I just think his gambling scenario is a sign of the times, where if the religion of Capitalism is at stake, we collectively look the other way. Would a lesser player have been given the same consideration?
Even more globally, sports have a more and more challenging line to walk with the gambling world. We have seen safety concerns rise to the forefront as we try and understand the direct or indirect correlation. Certainly the stakes are higher when there are high stakes on your performance individually. I also recognize there is so much we will not fully know. Who really took PEDs that just slid under the radar? For example. It is so hard to keep our enthusiasm for great performers solely based on the baseball field especially since those numbers have now been shown to have vulnerabilities. As does every player. I hope Ohtani can write a full story one day of his life inside of this bubble. So mysterious one on hand but so much impact on the other. I try to temper those worst case scenarios but they are still scenarios and our eyes must stay open. Fingers crossed. :)
Really appreciate the reply. You certainly do not shy away from the tough stuff, and that is why I am glad I subscribed! Thank you.
By the laws of baseball, and the world for that matter, what Ohtani has done fits snugly with “when pigs fly”.