Ad Disclosure
Do Baseball Writers Really Want to Give the NL MVP to a Monster?
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Shohei Ohtani is back in legal trouble. Maybe this guy isn’t just ‘aw shucks’ and smiles and actually a pretty shitbag of a human. His latest offense is that he allegedly tanked a multi-million dollar Hawaiian real estate deal with his agent. What an asshole! I hope the baseball writers think of the victims when they cast their MVP votes in a couple months. Imagine the poor millionaires affected on the other end, who were in it for the lush sandy beaches and the warm and earthy kitchen tones. Now they have to go back to their wives and kids and tell them that the Hawaiian oasis they so badly wanted isn’t going to happen because of Ohtani. If integrity isn’t the main characteristic we’re looking for in an MVP, then why are we even doing this in the first place? Voters have an obligation to hold up the standard they’ve set over time. Are they going to turn their backs on the rich history of electing squeaky-clean MVPs that children can look up to, like this guy? –
What is more likable than a chubby guy who hits home runs that scrape the moon? Answer: Nothing. When Francis Scott Key wrote the line, “bombs bursting in air” he was referencing Schwarbombs. There’s a rumor the wood Schwarbs uses for his bat was whittled down from the mightiest oak at Independence Hall that stood when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. He’s been a part of so many moments that shaped America. Are we really going to forget he also single-handedly saved the All-Star Game ?
Shohei, on the other hand, is the MVP of forcing guys to take the fall for him (allegedly):
A Hawaii real estate investor and broker are suing Shohei Ohtani, claiming the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his agent got them fired from a $240 million luxury housing development on the Big Island’s coveted Hapuna Coast that they brought him in to endorse.
According to the lawsuit filed in Hawaii Circuit Court on Friday, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, increasingly demanded concessions from developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto before demanding that their business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, drop them from the deal.
The suit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of tortious interference and unjust enrichment. Hayes, a developer with 40 years of experience, and Matsumoto, who was to be the listing agent for the houses averaging $17.3 million each, say that Ohtani and Balelo also tried to undermine their interests in a second, neighboring venture.
This is a classic case of rich guys want to get richer. If Ohtani needed more M’s in the bank account, he shouldn’t have deferred his contract until next century. Speaking of contracts Shwarbs could’ve walked into Dave Dombrowski’s office and demanded a deal for all of King Midas’ silver and what did he do when he didn’t think the Phillies offer was good enough? He put his head down, grabbed his lunch pail, and slugged an NL-leading 42 home runs. He never complained. He never was a distraction. He’s never been taken to court for a traffic ticket. On the other hand,at least Ohtani can add another row to his MVP head-to-head:
Shohei’s interpreter when he needs a guy to do a bid for him again:
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com