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☆ Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter is in negotiations to plead guilty over theft and gambling, the NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Joe Sutton | Jason Hanna | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is in negotiations to plead guilty to federal crimes related to accusations he stole millions from Ohtani and used it for gambling, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Ippei Mizuhara was fired last month after Ohtani’s lawyers accused him of stealing from Ohtani and placing bets with a bookmaker who is under federal investigation. Ohtani later alleged Mizuhara stole the money from his bank account. “I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I’ve trusted has done this,” Ohtani, Major League Baseball’s only two-way player, said. ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, citing multiple unnamed sources, said on CNN’s “The Lead” last month at least $4.5 million was withdrawn via wire transfer from Ohtani’s bank accounts, though it was unclear who initiated the transfers.

Persons: CNN —, Shohei Ohtani, Mizuhara, Ohtani, Michael Freedman, “, ” Ohtani, I’ve, ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, gambles, CNN’s Raja Razek, De la Fuente, Steve Almasy, Dalia Faheid, Elizabeth Wolfe Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Times, Prosecutors, Dodgers, MLB, ESPN, Los Angeles Times, baseball’s, Dodger, League Baseball’s, Internal Revenue Service, Major League Baseball, American League Locations: Ohtani, South Korea, Seoul, Korea

☆ Can Minor League Baseball Survive Its Real Estate Problems?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Mary Pilon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ed Willson has a jar filled with dirt sitting on his desk. For more than 40 years, Mr. Willson has been a fan of the minor league baseball team in Eugene, Ore., the Emeralds, and a season-ticket holder for 22 seasons. “It was a serious heartbreak,” Mr. Willson said. After the fire, Mr. Willson made a pilgrimage to the scorched diamond, where he filled a plastic bag with dirt from the pitcher’s mound that he considered sacred. Nine years later, the dirt is still on Mr. Willson’s desk.

Persons: Ed Willson, Willson, ” Mr Organizations: Emeralds, Civic, Major League Baseball’s Locations: Eugene ,

☆ Why the Shohei Ohtani story is so concerning for baseball and sports
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —I can’t recall a recent baseball story that has captured the public imagination like the current one involving Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani, his former translator Ippei Mizuhara and gambling. That said, assuming Ohtani has done nothing wrong, America’s pastime will emerge from this situation mostly unscathed. Ohtani stalls at second base after hitting a double during the first inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Yes, one team is favored to win, but we don’t know that team will win for sure. And if it occurs involving someone as beloved as Ohtani, it could be a disaster for not just baseball, but sports around the globe.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, Ippei, –, Ohtani, Will Ireton, Kirby Lee, Reuters Ohtani, it’s, Mike Trout, didn’t, I’ll, won’t, Sean M, I’m, It’s, they’ve, We’ve, Brad Bohannon, Bohannon, Jontay Porter, bettors, Porter, ” Porter wasn’t, Stu Foster, Sandro Tonali, Phil Mickelson, Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson –, Rose, Jackson, Tyrese Haliburton, JB Bickerstaff, Charlie Baker, Ezra Shaw, Rob Manfred, David, Goliath Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League, Dodgers, USA, Sports, Reuters, League, Baseball, St, Louis Cardinals, American, NFL, Former University of Alabama, Alabama, Toronto Raptors, Italian Football Federation, England’s Football Association, Newcastle United, Major League Baseball, Cincinnati Reds, Black Sox, Chicago White Sox, Famers, Bettmann, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Getty Images, American Gaming Association, Census, MLB, MLB Network Locations: United States, Nevada, Bohannon, Italy, Tonaly, England

☆ Pro Sports in Las Vegas Aren’t Cheered by Everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Ken Belson | Jenny Vrentas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The history of Las Vegas has been marked by a relentless churn of hotels, casinos, theaters and restaurants. The Golden Knights of the National Hockey League were the first to start play here in 2017. The Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association started in 2018, and the National Football League’s Raiders arrived from Oakland in 2020. Last year, Major League Baseball’s Athletics were given the go-ahead to make the same Oakland-to-Las Vegas move, and the National Basketball Association is expected to add a team in the coming years. Las Vegas’s transformation into a pro sports town reflects not just the leagues’ interest in the city and their general embrace of sports betting, but also the power of the region’s primary economic driver, tourism.

Organizations: Golden Knights, National Hockey League, Aces, National Basketball Association, National Football League’s Raiders, Major League Baseball’s Athletics, Allegiant, Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers Locations: Vegas, Oakland, United States

Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a destroyed statue of Jackie Robinson on what would have been the 105th birthday of the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. Major League Baseball pledged support. “We have after school education, enrichment and tutoring.”One of the largest donations is a $10,000 pledge from an anonymous former Major League Baseball player who won a World Series. And, we make every effort to educate our kids about the role that Jackie Robinson played in life and civil rights, his life beyond sports. “We can’t imagine, being named League 42 without a Jackie Robinson statue in our park," he said.

Persons: Jackie Robinson, Robinson, Bob Lutz, Lutz, Leslie Rudd, We’re, ” Lutz, “, Joe Sullivan, ” Sullivan, John Parsons, ”, He’s Organizations: Major League Baseball, Wichita , Kansas . Police, McAdams, league, Brooklyn Dodgers, Fire, Little League, MLB, Leslie Rudd Learning Center, Wichita, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro Leagues Locations: Wichita , Kansas

Fire crews found the burned remnants Tuesday of a prized bronze statue of Jackie Robinson that was stolen last week from a public park in Kansas, authorities said. The statue, which was cut at the figure's ankles, went missing Thursday morning. Surveillance video shows two people hauling the sculpture away in the dark, to a truck that was later found abandoned. He said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement could be erected within a matter of months. “This now lets us know that we need a new statue,” he said of the destroyed remains.

Persons: Jackie Robinson, Andrew Ford, ”, Bob Lutz, “, it's, Joe Sullivan, ” Robinson, He’s, Lutz, John Parsons, “ I'm, McAdams, Brandon Johnson Organizations: Little League, ”, Robinson’s Dodgers, league, Wichita, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro Leagues, Brooklyn Dodgers Locations: Kansas, Wichita, Garvey, McAdams

☆ What the Big Ten’s Tony Petitti Learned From the Houston Astros
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jared Diamond | Laine Higgins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tony Petitti had a front-row seat to what had been the biggest sign-stealing scandal in American sports history. He was Major League Baseball’s deputy commissioner in late 2019, when his boss, Rob Manfred, began investigating the Houston Astros’ now infamous trash-can banging scheme. From his spot within the game’s inner circle, Petitti saw up close how Manfred’s probe unfolded, how he decided to impose discipline and how the public ultimately reacted afterward.

Persons: Tony Petitti, Rob Manfred, Houston Astros ’, Petitti Organizations: League Baseball’s, Houston Astros

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The first sign of discontent regarding Craig Counsell’s decision to leave the Milwaukee Brewers to manage the Chicago Cubs appeared in his hometown at the Little League field that bears his name. The sign was covered up Tuesday morning, one day after the Cubs landed Counsell with a five-year deal worth over $40 million. “I give Craig credit for helping to build that, and for adding all these coaches, all of whom have stayed. Counsell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday the opportunity for a new professional challenge and the proximity of Chicago made this opportunity appealing. Neitzel said he believed Attanasio would have received most of the criticism if Counsell had ended up managing any opponent other than the Cubs.

Persons: Craig Counsell’s, “, Mark Attanasio, Craig, ” Counsell, John Counsell, Counsell, Indiana Jones, Kay Kenealy, ’ “ Laura Hemming, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Favre, Gabe Neitzel, Brett, ” Neitzel, Attanasio, Terry Francona, David Ross, ” Attanasio, ” Kenealy, ” Hemming, ”, Hemming, Hunter Baumgardt, Baumgardt, he’d, Neitzel, “ Craig Counsell’s, ” Baumgardt Organizations: MILWAUKEE, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Little League, Cubs, Brewers, Major League Baseball’s, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brewers ’, ‘ Raiders, Wisconsin, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Packers Hall of Fame, Minnesota Vikings, Packers, ESPN, Vikings, MLB Locations: Whitefish, Milwaukee, Counsell, Chicago, Waukesha , Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Madison

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are hiring Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their manager, according to a person familiar with the decision. Mendoza spent the past four seasons across town as Aaron Boone's bench coach with the Yankees. He replaces Buck Showalter, fired by the Mets at the end of last season after holding the job for two years. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesMendoza becomes the fifth Mets manager since Terry Collins’ seven-year tenure ended in 2017. Showalter took over in December 2021 and led the Mets to a 101-61 record and a playoff berth in 2022, when he was voted NL Manager of the Year.

Persons: Carlos Mendoza, Mendoza, Aaron Boone's, Buck Showalter, David Stearns, Steve Cohen, Terry Collins ’, — Carlos Beltrán, Craig Counsell, Stearns, Counsell, David Ross, hadn't, Stephen Vogt, Terry Francona, Showalter, Cy Young, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, ___ Organizations: New York Mets, Yankees, Associated Press, Mets, Venezuelan Winter League, NL East, Major League, Houston Astros, hometown Brewers, NL Central, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, New Locations: Atlanta, . New York, Milwaukee, New York, San Diego

☆ Fenway Farms: On the roof of an iconic sports venue, this urban farm in Boston can grow 6,000 pounds of produce a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Samantha Bresnahan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Boston, Massachusetts CNN —Though home to the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park is known for being green. Spanning a section of what was once an empty black rubber roof, a farm is making Fenway green in a completely different way. “We can produce anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of fresh produce a year, depending on what we’re growing,” Grallert says. A little replica of Fenway Farms also opened at the Boston Children’s Museum last year. Green City estimates roughly 500,000 children and adults encounter Fenway Farms every year.

Persons: Boston , Massachusetts CNN —, Benjamin Moore, ”, Chris Grallert, ” Grallert, Bob Crowley, Grallert, Chef Ron Abell, Abell, he’s, lettuces, Danielle Morgan, Samantha Bresnahan, ” Abell, they’ve, Abell’s, Nature’s, we’ve, ” Read, Haley Bergeron, John Cumberland, “ Organizations: CNN, Boston , Massachusetts CNN, Boston Red Sox, Fenway, Green City Growers, Red Sox, Fenway Park, Green City, Major League, Sox, Coors, Oracle, Boston, Boston Children’s Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, Green, Fenway, Boston, reinvigorating, Massachusetts, Colorado, San Diego, San Francisco

☆ An American Phillies Fan in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Joe Queenan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When I got to Paris two weeks ago, I was seriously jet-lagged. So I started staying up late watching Phillies games on Major League Baseball’s streaming service. It was fun. It filled me with joie de vivre. So much so that even after the jet lag began to dissipate I continued my nocturnal revels.

Persons: joie Organizations: Phillies, Major League Locations: Paris

☆ Knocked Off Their Perch, the Rangers Hope to Climb Back Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Tyler Kepner | More About Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is the first season in Major League Baseball’s modern era in which all teams play each other. Consider the Mets’ current homestand, with series against the Los Angeles Angels, the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners. Sure, the Mets abandoned the pennant race a month ago, but the American League West version is flourishing in Flushing. “Hey, you’re past those dog days,” said Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy, who has seen a race or two. The Mariners, baseball’s hottest team since the start of July, overtook Texas for the division lead, with the defending champion Houston Astros close behind.

Persons: ”, Bruce Bochy Organizations: Major League, Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, American League, Rangers, ”, The Mariners, baseball’s, Texas, Houston Astros Locations: Flushing, “

☆ Speakeasies, Golf and a Pool: 5 Baseball Parks That Go Beyond Baseball
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Gerald Narciso | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Let’s go Mets,” Mr. Thompson, a resident of Manhattan, told the guard. The couple walked into the Cadillac Club to catch a game between the Mets and their crosstown rival Yankees. feel, but you are a little isolated from the normal ballpark,” said Mr. Thompson, who was given the tickets (membership cost: up to $25,000 each per season) through a friend. Hip lounges, inventive culinary offerings and original in-game vantage points are some of the ways M.L.B. teams are elevating the ballpark experience this summer.

Persons: Chad Thompson, Kitty, “ Let’s, ” Mr, Thompson, Starling Marte, ”, “, you’ve Organizations: Citi Field, New York Mets, League Baseball’s, Mets, Cadillac, Yankees Locations: Manhattan

☆ A Relationship That Transcends Analytics
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Matt Martell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The weeks leading up to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline are always tense. Every team has to evaluate where they are in the standings, what the organization’s long-term outlook is and how much could be changed by acquiring a few veterans. Along the way, players are left to ponder what moves their teams will make and whether they will soon be on the move. Not knowing which city they will be living in the following week can be overwhelming, even for professional ballplayers. Those challenges are universal, but they are heightened whenever a catcher is involved.

Organizations: Major League Baseball’s, Mets

☆ NHL joins MLB in advising teams to halt wearing ‘Pride’ jerseys
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said he has advised NHL teams to no longer wear specialty-themed jerseys during warm-ups, including Pride-theme jerseys. The decision follows Major League Baseball’s announcement last week that teams would not put Pride logos on players’ uniforms and after a handful of NHL players refused to wear Pride sweaters or participate in their teams’ Pride Nights due to their personal beliefs. Some hockey teams opted to forgo their planned Pride Night warmup jerseys altogether. “Thirty-two of our clubs did Pride nights, some do Heritage nights, everybody does Hockey Fights Cancer, some do military nights. Francois Lacasse/NHLI/Getty ImagesBettman also confirmed that NHL Pride jerseys will still be designed and sold and players are free to wear them when they are not on the ice.

Persons: Gary Bettman, “ I’ve, it’s, ” Bettman, Bettman, ”, “, that’s, Nick Suzuki, Francois Lacasse, Rob Manfred, ” Manfred Organizations: CNN — National Hockey League, NHL, League, Sportsnet, Cancer, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Bell Centre, NHL Pride, MLB, CNN Locations: Canadian, Montreal

☆ Ball Doctoring: A History of Excuses, Denials and Knowing Winks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Benjamin Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For nearly as long as baseball has existed, pitchers have been using various methods, legal and otherwise, to doctor the ball. Some want the ball to spin more, some want it to spin less. Some are looking for more movement, and others are looking for more control. In this case, Scherzer, who was ejected from Wednesday’s win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, insists he was using rosin — which is legal — and nothing more. Scherzer made little in the way of excuses or denials about the stickiness of his hands when asked about his decision to drop his appeal and serve a 10-game suspension.

☆ The Oakland A’s Say They’re Leaving for Las Vegas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Oakland Athletics believe that a new ballpark in Las Vegas could be ready for use by the 2027 season. Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Associated PressThe Oakland A’s long and colorful residency in Oakland has generated dynastic World Series champions, some of baseball’s biggest personalities and a revolutionary roster-building strategy known as Moneyball. What it has mostly lacked, however, is what the team feels is the combination of fan and government support that would make it a business success, too. So the team said Thursday it has decided to leave the Bay Area for Las Vegas as soon as the end of the 2024 season—with Major League Baseball’s blessing.

☆ Oakland Athletics signal impending move to Las Vegas with agreement to purchase land near strip, per reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics have signed a binding purchase agreement for land near the Las Vegas Strip, where the team plans to construct a Major League ballpark, according to reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Athletic, citing Athletics team president Dave Kaval. A general view of play between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 6, 2020. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesMLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his support on the Athletics’ plans to relocate to Las Vegas. “Welcoming the A’s to Las Vegas would be great news for Southern Nevada as well as our entire state,” Lombardo said in a statement to the Review-Journal. “The prospect of bringing new jobs, more economic development and a historic MLB franchise to Las Vegas is exciting on many levels.

☆ Baseball’s Pitch Clock Has a Hidden Benefit for Players: More Rest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The primary goal of Major League Baseball’s new pitch clock is to shave 20 or 30 minutes off of the sport’s plodding three-plus-hour games. But the rollout of the clock this season raises an intriguing side question: What difference could a spare half-hour per night make in the life of a major-league ballplayer? The answer may be a clearer mind, fresher legs and the ability to play more—not fewer—games. That could make baseball’s drive to speed up its games a counteraction to the one of the creeping trends that has detracted from the competitive and entertainment value of the sport: load management.

☆ After Record Suspension, Trevor Bauer Returns to Baseball—in Japan, Not MLB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Lindsey Adler | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Trevor Bauer has agreed to a contract in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. Trevor Bauer, who served the longest-ever suspension for a player under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, is returning to the field—in Japan, not MLB. Bauer has agreed to a contract in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, it was announced on Monday.

☆ Trevor Bauer reinstated by MLB’s independent arbitrator
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Trevor Bauer was reinstated Thursday by Major League Baseball’s independent arbitrator, allowing the pitcher to resume his career at the start of the 2023 season. Bauer named the woman and one of her attorneys, Niranjan Fred Thiagarajah, as defendants in the lawsuit. After winning his first Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to join his hometown Dodgers. Bauer was placed on administrative leave on July 2, 2021, under the domestic violence policy, a leave extended 13 times. None of the players previously disciplined under the policy appear to have challenged the penalty before an arbitrator.

☆ The Mega Contract Is Back in Major League Baseball
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SAN DIEGO—Major League Baseball’s first in-person Winter Meetings since 2019 was a blazing reminder that there is big, big money in baseball. And some team owners are once again willing to spend it far, far into the future. The dizzying pace of deals this week sent a jarring message across the sport: After years of clubs behaving much more conservatively in free agency, the payroll pendulum has swung.

☆ Baseball’s Winter Battle to Acquire—or Keep—Aaron Judge and Jacob DeGrom
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAS VEGAS — Major League Baseball’s front offices began placing bets on their offseason roster-building moves, with some teams focused not on landing new talent, but hanging onto the stars they have—including Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and especially Aaron Judge. The league’s General Manager meetings here this week are the first of two official gatherings of club and league representatives this winter; the Winter Meetings, the industry-wide convention that takes place in December, will be the second.

☆ The Yankees Survive to Play the Astros in the American League Championship Series
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Tim Brown | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Baseball’s new postseason format has been rough on some of the regular season’s winningest teams. But the game’s biggest brand, the New York Yankees, on Tuesday survived their American League Division Series by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 at Yankee Stadium. In only their fifth game in 13 days, an unusually airy schedule that reflected Major League Baseball’s expanded playoff format and two rainouts, the Yankees got an early three-run home run from Giancarlo Stanton, another home run from Aaron Judge and five innings from starting pitcher Nestor Cortes.

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