#Shohei Ohtani - Beyond the Dream
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Kitarou Tanjou Gegege no Nazo, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Special Edition Final The Cost of Freedom HD Remaster, In Love and Deep Water, Copo A Copo, Out, SUNRISE TO SUNSET, Shohei Ohtani - Beyond the Dream, Japanese Film Trailers
Welcome to the first of three trailer posts for this week
This is another busy week but not as busy as last week. I’m about midway through Project X Zone and looking to complete it in the first half of November.
This is a tactical RPG where players move teams of sprite-based characters around 3D environments to engage enemy forces. Once engaged, colourful anime artwork lights up the screen as…
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#Copo A Copo#In Love and Deep Water#Japanese Film Trailers.#Kitarou Tanjou Gegege no Nazo#Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Special Edition Final The Cost of Freedom HD Remaster#Out#Shohei Ohtani - Beyond the Dream#SUNRISE TO SUNSET
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our future lives - shohei ohtani soft au
trope: childhood best friends to strangers
word count: 5.9k words
author notes: (this will be a bit long so if you want to jump straight to the fic, go right ahead!)
I wrote this in retrospect to the days i spent with my high school newspaper publication team. Recently, an old friend and org mate from the school newspaper (who i have not spoken to in years) followed me on instagram and it took me down memory lane.
This was a time when a boy who (coincidentally enough, also played for a sports team) used to read drafts of my silly stories and poems of fictional heartbreak and would compliment my writing all the time. He was my best friend until he wasn’t.
This was when everything was awkward, confusing and unsettling; when I didn’t believe love could blossom beyond friendship. And when it was already right in front of me, I chose to run away.
With Shohei Ohtani as my current muse, I write this to close the what ifs our high school memories have left us. And when love finally visits us once again, instead of running away, maybe, just maybe, we’d be able to look at it straight in the face and say, "welcome, I hope you enjoy your stay."
Songs i listened to while writing: (repeatedly, repulsively, and obsessively)
Right where you left me - taylor swift (evermore)
Shouldn’t be - luke chiang
You are in love - taylor swift (1989)
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
==============================
I didn’t feel anything at first but when realization sank, I almost doubled over. A familiar feeling punctured somewhere on the middle of my chest, like a pounding, beating of a drum. While an economics faculty was waiting for me to check out her library card, she chatted animatedly with her colleague and I couldn’t help but eavesdrop. When the words “homecoming”, and “shohei ohtani” were mentioned in one sentence, I almost dropped the books on the professor’s feet.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation… Did you say Shohei Ohtani is coming back…?” I croaked.
“Yes! It’s on the news everywhere. He’s attending his former school’s foundation anniversary as a baseball alum.” She hushed excitedly. She almost looked like she was blushing.
“Professor, didn’t you graduate from Rosewood High School, too?”
She and her friend looked at me expectantly, like I’m some sort of Bingo announcer about to shout their magic winning number. I nodded slowly, a small smile formed my lips.
“Wow! You and Shohei Ohtani were schoolmates, then! Were you in the same year?”
“Has he always been so tall?”
“Did he have any girlfriends back then?”
The pair of them launched their questions like an automatic rifle, I swung albeit defensively, and yet I couldn’t duck myself for cover in time.
I shrugged and quietly said, “I didn’t really know him that much, he was always just playing baseball, I guess.”
Before they could respond, I pushed my thick-rimmed glasses back to the bridge of my nose and went back to my Excel spreadsheets. They said their thank yous and skipped their way out of the library.
Finally, quiet again.
Like every typical librarian, one glare from me could snap chatty visitors’ mouths at an instant. I reveled in the silence of my humble workplace, with shelves taller than any average person, filled with books old and new. I could spend hours in the silence, tapping on my computer archives, or shelving books from the returned pile. This is the job of my dreams. Customary, routine, familiar, comfort zone.
I realized that I have been tapping the letter Y key from the keyboard, lost in thought. I couldn’t believe the words I heard earlier could ever be strung in one sentence, not even in my wildest dreams. I tapped my legs restlessly. It couldn’t be true, could it?
How many popular Shohei Ohtanis could make girls this flustered?
There’s a one-hundred one percent chance that the result is, well, one.
To preserve my peace of mind, I decided to google him, and when the results showed the rumor to be true, I almost spiraled in my seat.
Did you know Shohei Ohtani in high school? The words from the two professors rang in my head.
I knew damn well who Shohei Ohtani is.
Shohei and I have been friends since the day we learned how to talk. We lived on the same block, sat together in class, shared snacks during recess, we’d bicker loudly and fight like the worst of all enemies. According to our mothers, when he pulled my hair after I had claimed his Spiderman lego toy, I screamed so loud it could be heard two houses down the block. He felt so guilty about it and rushed to peck me on the cheeks so I’d stop bawling. Not sure how accurate our mothers’ anecdotes are, if they had been exaggerated or not, but they said, after that fight, little Shohei had treated the little me sweeter after that.
On good days, we played swings in the playground. We walked home together and would visit each other’s houses to play board games and Bomberman until it was no longer comfortable to stay in each other’s bedrooms without getting weird ideas.
Upon reaching puberty, I had grown in breast size, started getting my periods and hormonal mood swings while Shohei had grown a foot taller and his shoulders stretched widely. He lost his baby fat and developed muscle definition after playing sports. It was a time in our lives when it was officially awkward to hold hands while crossing the street, or for him to playfully grab me by the neck. If we did, we would get notes from the schoolmaster for indecency.
It wasn’t only the skinship that changed. Shohei grew to be more popular with the girls when he performed well in high school baseball. He was tall, fit, respectful and most importantly, he had a kind smile that would make your heart do a tap dance. And so my heart wore dancing shoes everyday.
While Shohei was busy playing his ball games, I joined the school paper as a news writer. The club meetings took up most of my afternoons then when i used to spend it by waiting for Shohei. By the time he finished practice, I would still be in the school library, either my face buried in a stack of books, or fingers furiously tapping an article on my laptop.
“You can go first. I don’t think I can go home yet, not unless this article writes itself.” I said one afternoon, not looking up. I was preparing an article for the school sports festival, where Shohei was the third-year representative and captain. I heard him walk up to me and braced myself. Tap tap tap.
He set his gym bag and batting equipment on the table and sat on the chair beside me.
“I’ll wait.” He said calmly. He crossed his arms over the table and closed his eyes, as if to sleep. He sat there in silence, baking in the sounds of my keyboard smashing my unnerving thoughts and emotions.
Suffice to say, I didn’t get anything done after that. The smell of soap and cologne crept up to my nose and his broad shoulders lightly touched mine. Him sitting so innocently with his head on the table was enough of a distraction. It also didn’t help that on my periphery, I knew that he was facing my direction. In the next three minutes or so, I allowed myself to stare at his face: bags under his eyes were slowly showing, his well-defined nose, his mouth slightly agape, with evidence of picking and biting the lower lip skin.
When he startled awake, I scrambled to close the laptop monitor so loudly I thought I had cracked the screen. Embarrassed and face probably beet red, I stood up to leave. He carried all of my bags that day. When I offered to carry his gym bag, he refused.
In the last few weeks of that semester, I had become interim editor-in-chief. Shohei’s games had ended and our deadline for the year-end publication drew nearer. That meant I had made the library my second home like a bridge troll, only allowing brief, important conversations. My entire table was covered with mock newspaper clippings, sample layouts, glue, stacks and stacks of drafts that went through multiple, desperate, bloody revisions. This and the rest of my academic subjects I balanced gingerly on a thin line. Shohei would continue to visit and wait by the other corner of the library, pretending to read mystery thriller books he picked from the shelves. Most of the time, he slept. I never saw him study, even in the library. He didn’t need to as he aces all his subjects while hitting home runs on the field. I always suspected that he astral projects in his sleep and studies inside the realm of dreams. That’s probably why no matter how much he slept, he was still constantly tired.
In other words, Shohei always seemed like he never had to try. He was good at everything. And I always had to work hard just to be able to stand on the same playing field as he is, at least once or twice.
One particular day, when afternoon classes were canceled to give way to the club meetings, I was in my usual spot in the library with Zumi, our layout artist and a third-year from class B. We were finalizing the layout design before submitting it to the publishing house. Shohei was in baseball practice and had been MIA from the library all week.
A group of girls suddenly filled the library.
“He’s not here!” I heard one of them say. They noticed Zumi and I chatting quietly in the corner.
“Hey, you’re Y/N right?” A girl with jet black hair siad. Her skin was white as porcelain. She had retainers on, the ones that looked unfairly pretty on lucky pretty girls.
I nodded.
“Are you Ohtani’s girlfriend?”
“Excuse me?” I blurted out, eyes almost popping out of my eye sockets.
She chuckled. “Right? I couldn’t believe it myself too. I know Ohtani only sees you as his best friend.”
I couldn’t respond right away. It was true but why did it sting so much?
“But they’re always together, I saw her give him a lunchbox during breaks.” A petite girl with a wolf haircut emerged from the sides. She had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
The rest of the group murmured in unison.
“Our mothers are close friends, so it was natural for us to grow up being friends, too.” I said irritably. Not only was this irrelevant but it was so annoying that a bunch of girls would question her decade-long friendship.
“I don’t have to spell out the dynamics of our friendship to you.”
“If that bothers you so much, why don’t you personally tell Ohtani’s mother to stop asking me to bring his lunch boxes for him.”
It was quiet for a few seconds. I was afraid that it would escalate into a screaming match or a brawl that could result in us being kicked out–or worse, banned–from the library. The herd of girls glared at me and I glared right back.
“Um, a-as you can see, he is not here.” Zumi breaks the silence, clearly intimidated but she soldiers on. “And you’re disrupting our meeting.”
The first girl gives me a pointed look and spins on her heel and the rest follows.
Zumi sighed in relief. “Oh my god, Y/N, I thought I would experience my first visit to the schoolmaster’s office before graduation.” She rubbed her sweaty palms together.
I stifled a giggle, anger fading. Zumi’s gentle personality softened me right away. I couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Don’t worry, Zumi, we don’t start fights but we sure as hell can end them.”
Shohei and I met less and less after that. I had purposely avoided him as much as I could because I still felt upset and he didn’t even have a vague idea about other girls spreading rumors about us. Another reason was I didn’t want to be referred to as “Shohei’s female best friend” anymore. His growing popularity in school made me only slink back down to the pits of the social hierarchy.
I also wanted to take some time away and contemplate my feelings about our friendship. He’s only a friend I grew up with. We shared meals together and walked home together. He would hug me when I’m upset and I would console him when his anger skyrocketed. These are common best friend behaviors, right? So why else would it suddenly change? Why don’t we ever stay like this forever?
Weeks after my so-called Shohei blackout, I was left alone to clear the table I had claimed in the far corner of the library when Shohei popped in to visit.
The school year had finally come to a close, exams and ball games concluded, and the year-end paper was now distributed to everyone on campus: Shohei’s team pictured on the front page headline, declared as the year’s champions in inter-high school level.
He had a copy of the newspaper in his hand, grinning.
“Nice article, Y/N.”
“Is it nice because it had your winning face covering the entire spread?”
“I mean, you finally got an article on the front page!” He was waving the paper to you, pointing at the byline, as if you’ve never seen the layout more than a hundred times already. “Written by– your name! How cool is that!”
“My name is in a tiny font under your 32 font-size on the headline. I promise you, it’s not a big deal.”
“It is for me, though. I read it word for word. I loved it. You’re so good at words, Y/N” his eyes crinkled at the sides and I waved him off, blushing.
“I’ve seen enough of this newspaper, I think I’m going to be nauseous.” you faked a retching sound.
“I’ve started seeing that damn thing in my dreams, Sho.” You grimaced. “Please hide that from me. Or I will rip it into shreds.”
Shohei giggled boisterously. You immediately swiped your hands over his mouth.
“Sshh! The librarian will hear you!” You looked around nervously, relaxing after realizing the librarian was nowhere in sight. “I don’t want to get kicked out on our last day of school.”
He held your arms away and uncovered his mouth from your hands. “Seriously, though, I’m proud of you. You worked so hard for this all semester.”
“Well, the subject was interesting to write about.”
“Is that right?” he smiled, mischief glinted in his eyes.
“”Rosewood’s revival after years of being dormant in high school baseball” was a pretty cool angle to write.” I said. And it truly was. The moment I saw the efforts and hardwork of Shohei and his inspiring leadership setting a momentum into the games, I knew right away that I had to call dibs on the story.
“Uh-huh.” He was just looking at me, hands still wrapped around my arms, locking me in place.
“It was a story worthy to tell and I just happened to tell the story. It all just–” I tried to mash my hands together, demonstrating the words synonymous to merging, fusing, blending.
He pulls me close and rests his hand at the back of my neck. I could feel the snug of his embrace melting me into a puddle. He hesitates but leans in. It was soft, abrupt and merely testing the waters. He pulled back slightly to look at my reaction. I didn’t know what I looked like, but what I did know at that moment, my heart bounced uncontrollably like a basketball. I swear I thought it would burst my chest open.
When I didn’t react or push him back, he leaned in for another try, this time, with more intent, meaning, and weight on my lips. When we parted, he looked away sheepishly that all I had to do in response to the kiss was to pull him in a tight hug. We stayed like that for a few more minutes because neither of us knew when to let go, or even wanted to. We just stood there relishing our newfound warmth while concealed in between the quiet and that precious corner space that held us. I don’t know how to define this feeling yet… but I could get used to this.
Nothing further ever happened after that sweet library moment because the next day, we received news that Shohei Ohtani was granted a full scholarship overseas. Thanks to his impressive performance during the last game. Ohtani joked that it was mainly because my frontpage piece was so well-written, it moved the university scouts’ ice-cold hearts to tears.
“You’d be an idiot not to go.” I was at the kitchen counter of our home, setting the newly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven to cool down. It was a Saturday morning and Shohei visited, like any other day.
“I’d be alone, though.” he was wistfully eyeing the cookies on the wire rack. “I’m scared I might fail and be a disappointment to my dad.”
His arm slowly reached for the cookies but I immediately swatted him away.
“It’s still hot, dumbass.” I gave him the bowl where the cookie dough was originally mixed. He dutifully scooped the remains and popped a finger in his mouth, he grinned, satisfied.
“You won’t be alone because everybody likes you. And you won’t be a disappointment because you work twice as hard than everyone else. You’re Shohei Ohtani, for god’s sake.”
He doubted but I knew what he was thinking because I was trying not to think about it, too. If this was about the kiss, we can let it go. We can forget about it. It was just a kiss, this was our future and it shined brightly in front of him. It would make me a selfish person to try and block that from him.
“There won’t be a Y/N there, though.” he said, eyes trained to the cookie dough he held. “My best friend won’t be there.”
“I’ll be right here when you come back. Besides, we can always email each other, like we always did in computer class.”
I didn’t tell him this but it also broke my heart to say those words. I will definitely miss him, sure. He’s been a constant presence in my life that once he leaves, it would definitely leave a big hole in my life.
I wanted to tell him that whatever happened in the library that day will always be etched in my memory as long as I lived, that I wanted it as much as he did, and it hurt to say goodbye to a possibility, to something that had barely even started. If I had told him that, he would’ve turned down the offer right away.
So I didn’t, and so he left.
Ohtani and I would email constantly during our very first year in uni. He would send me pictures of the new places he visited, food he tasted, with little descriptions every now and then. You knew he was trying to include me in his new life as much as he could. In return, I showed him how I continued my simple, quiet life, how I met new friends at uni, how I ate at new hole-in-the-wall restaurants with the promise that we’d try them out when he returned back home.
Of course that didn’t last very long as life apparently came in between us. Long training hours for Shohei, and newer opportunities showed up in my doorstep as I got a partial scholarship and part-time job as a student assistant.
It went on like that for a very long time as we kept missing each other’s emails. I would already be asleep when he sends his messages and he’d be out in the field by the time I could reply. Sometimes I don’t receive anything at all at weeks’ a time.
One day, after two weeks of radio silence, I heard a girl in the washroom gush about Ohtani’s popularity overseas and how he has gotten a girlfriend. They were pretty serious, she would go on to say. She had long black hair with a pretty slender body, something like his type.
I stood there, hands dripping wet, listening to something I normally wouldn’t believe unless he confirmed it himself. The thing is, I haven’t heard from him in weeks, so I didn’t have a choice but to believe in the words from the grapevine.
I stopped waiting for his emails to come. If he sent me new ones, I didn’t check. I busied myself in the halls of the library studying, reading and writing, writing and writing my feelings away.
I wrote until my hands got tired, until I spilled everything I needed to forget into paper. Until I welcomed a new love into my life. He was also tall, kind, and cheerful. He respected my time and he loved going to new coffee shops with me. At that point, I was overfilled with joy and contentment that I barely thought about Shohei anymore. In the back of my mind, the chapter of Shohei Ohtani is now closed and my rosy high school life became a beloved, worn out book that I no longer revisited.
Later I learned in life that some things, despite making you undoubtedly happy, could still end horribly.
My relationships turned sour, some of my friendships fell out, but the worst part of it all was when my dad had a heart attack.
He died six months later.
It was pretty much autopilot after that. I could only ever handle so much, I don’t think I am as brave as Joan D’arc to handle ten, twenty more scars. Not when two of the best people I loved have left my life. Not when the person I want to run the most to is… no longer there to meet me.
I was a student intern at the archives section when the post for head librarian was vacated. I’ve already applied to multiple companies in the private and public sectors and kept getting waitlisted but the university hired me on the spot. A week after graduation, I had started my full-time job at the library, and it felt like I was somehow glued back together.
XXX
The cans of beer clinked together as I swayed the black plastic on my way home from the convenience store. Nothing beats a cold can of beer after a full meal. Also because “Shohei Ohtani” is a name I never thought I’d hear again in this lifetime. So much so, that a homecoming sounded so ridiculous that if someone ever suggested that idea to me before today, I would have laughed at their faces. It was an appropriate time to wallow in my drunken thoughts.
Four years was a long time for anyone to change. It was long enough to switch jobs, get promoted, to save up money and travel, to save up money and get married and have kids, or none at all, to study for a new degree, to meet new people and develop romantic feelings for them, to lose such romantic feelings, to forgive and move on, to develop new habits, and it is also long enough for character development if you think your personality needed an overhaul. Four years was a long time apart, a long time to forget each other to even be considered taboo. And yet.
And yet.
XXX
My phone buzzed against my jeans pocket. It was a text from Zumi. She now works freelance and designs her own stationery and stickers sold at mega discount stores all over the country.
“You wouldn’t believe what I just heard.” Zumi texted. Even before she could conjure a follow-up text, I responded right away.
Y/N: “Someone’s coming back to town?...”
Zumi: “WUT.”
Zumi: “U KNEW? AND DIDN'T TELL ME #betrayal”
Y/N: “I heard about it a couple of days ago and blacked out after 3 cans of beer. Sorry, Joomi-chan.”
Y/N: “I didn’t drink only because of the news, though. I ate almost 2 KGs of wagyu, too. It was the perfect drink to end the day.”
Y/N: “I ate ice cream, too."
Y/N: “I’m rambling. I”ve been restless since I heard about it.”
Y/N: “I’ll be okay, though. I always have been.”
I was about to put my phone down after the text blasts I sent to assure her when text bubbles appeared. Typing. I waited.
Zumi: “It’s alright to admit you’re not okay about this, Y/N”
Zumi: “He was a big part of your life, who ghosted you, asshole move btw, and his head’s probably gotten too big for his own good. I wonder how he walks around with that swollen head without toppling over.
Zumi: “Also, I’m only saying all of this because my role as Y/N’s only best friend is currently being threatened. I forgive you though!”
I had to laugh. Zumi was always fond of Ohtani and I even back in high school. Whenever she had time, she would join us on our katsu curry runs and hated matcha, while Ohtani and I loved it. She always preferred strawberry. She was the perfect balance in our little trio. And now, she is my voice of reason.
I paused to reread the text. Am I really okay about this? It’s a fairly small town, the chances of running into him are slim, but never zero. And what if I do meet him by chance, what should I do?
Zumi: “Text me when you feel like drinking again. I’ll sneak out and join you in solidarity!”
Before I could send the cutest peach butt sticker to Zumi, a message from an unregistered number popped up on my notifications.
“Hi, Y/N. It’s Shohei Ohtani. I got your number from your mom. I’m sorry for being abrupt like this but I just flew back from the States and will be spending a few days at home.
Do you want to meet up for some curry katsu for old time's sake?”
Holy hell, I stared at the messages in disbelief. Am I being punked right now? Where is the hidden camera? If the universe is listening right now, please, swallow me whole into the earth right now.
I clenched the phone hard, against my chest. You are better now. Don’t fumble.
Tap tap tap.
XXX
I don’t know what had gotten into my head that when I responded a few hours later, had agreed to meet up after work for curry and drinks. Future me would like to smack past me of five hours ago for making a decision like this.
But here I am now, just a few stores away from the curry place I had suggested for dinner.
Suddenly feeling conscious, I stopped by a convenience store that had a convex mirror on top of the corner shelves. I swiped lipstick on my lips and powdered my nose. I also bought mints just to play for time. I worked up the courage to text Zumi.
Y/N: So, please tell me I’m doing the wrong thing and I will turn back.
Zumi: What happened?
Y/N: After we texted earlier, Shohei texted me out of the blue and that he’s already in the town.
Zumi: He WHAT???
Zumi: Are you telling me he asked to meet up and you said yes?
Y/N: You should switch careers and be a fortune teller instead.
Zumi: You WHAT???
Y/N: Pls, pls, pls tell me I’m wrong for doing this.
She didn’t respond right away. Her text bubbles went up and down infrequently. I stood outside of the restaurant, in the cold of the night waiting for her response.
Zumi: How do YOU feel about it?
Zumi: If I were you, I, who have witnessed all the carnage all these years, I would do it. I know if you turn your back now, you’d spend another four, five years wondering what would’ve happened if you chose differently.
Zumi: Don’t try to rationalize it, Y/N. You’re panicking now. But I know in your heart, you want answers. You want this. So suck it up and be a big gworl!
She resonated exactly how I felt about this. So why was I hesitating?
I walked up to the restaurant and scanned the room. It was almost empty after dinner hours, except for a few white collar workers catching up on late night meals.
And then I saw him. He sat at the back of the room, his back facing the front of the shop. I could recognize those wide shoulders anywhere in a heartbeat. I made a beeline towards him.
He wore a blue polo buttoned up to his chest, creasing at the shoulders as he slouched forward. He looked absolutely different from the memory of the boy who used to carry my bags. His hair grew into thick waves and his cheeks and jawline was chiseled and defined to the bone, revealing more of his handsome face.
He stood up, smiling widely and threw his hands around me, a whiff of his sandalwood perfume and the feel of his hair pressed to my cheek brought everything back: spending lazy days in the library, the night strolls on the way home from school, sharing twin popsicle ice creams, the warmth of his hands intertwined with mine, that last first kiss. I pulled away and he gestured to me to sit down. As we both sat down, I thought, You are always finding ways to get my hopes up.
We stared at each as I settled down on my seat. For a few moments, I felt the room was charged with cold air. His eyes traced my face making me more and more self-conscious, I had to break the ice.
“The chicken curry katsu is good here, you know.” I said, as a waiter approached and served us water. “But if you prefer pork, it’s heaven too.”
I sipped the cold water nervously and fidgeted the hem of my plaid skirt.
“It’s been a while.” I started.
“I’ve been busy.” He started to explain. I hate how he thinks this was his decision, how he didn’t even consider the fact that I’ve been busy, too. “How about you? I’ve stopped hearing about you since…”
“Things happened.” I simplified, but really, I wanted to give him a rundown of how things have more or less worked out okay for me–how I am doing well at my job, taking my Masters, thinking about traveling to Southeast Asia with Zumi, spending time with family on weekends, trying to do pilates at least thrice a month, and catching up with some old friends whenever we got to clear our schedules. How I am, despite his absence, was not entirely miserable. But I don’t want him to think that I am just doing this to prove a point, so I coated a response with the standard, “But I’ve been fine, thanks. How are you?”
“Same old, I’m here for business and something else. I finally got the courage to tell you this now.” He said, finishing up the last of his meal and downing his glass of water before speaking again.
I honestly don’t want to know, I want to order another glass of beer and fall asleep drunk. I want to crawl into my bed and waddle in self-pity at how I’ve spiraled back to square one, of how after all these years, I am still hopelessly in love with this unattainable man, who thinks we are still each other’s best friends after years of no contact. Instead I responded cautiously, “What is it?”
He inched forward and leaned his face on his right hand. “There’s this girl.”
I held my breath and braced myself for impact.
“There’s this girl. We almost always never stood on the same foot. She hated sports and hated standing in the sun to see me play, but watched regardless because she had to write an article about it.
“When we finally started realizing we liked each other, I received my scholarship grant and moved overseas. If she got mad about me going MIA, I could've explained better to her that I had an accident during Spring training and was in a hospital bed for almost a month. Had she checked her emails, she would know. But she never replied. Ever.
“After a few months, I heard from our friends that she finally got a boyfriend and was in a happy, healthy relationship. I thought, ‘Oh. Good for her! I'm happy for her. Someone near to take care of her.’ but was I really, though? I got myself a girlfriend, too and forgot about this girl for a while.
“But I heard about her dad’s passing and I tried to reach her but I couldn’t. Her home phone number was disconnected, my mom said they moved out of the block and she still won’t respond to my emails.
“I couldn’t be there for her but I thought, “she'd be with her boyfriend. She’ll have someone to lean on. But then her friends said they had broken up long before the incident. She carried all those baggage all by herself? Who did she have to lean on? Was she eating okay? Was she sleeping well? Does she still smile when she watches puppies run around bumping into things?
“It seemed like the timing was never on our side. She was available when I wasn’t, I was free on the days that she was occupied.
“I’ve always wondered if the universe played some practical joke on the two of us. If somehow, they'd ever allow me the chance to meet her again. I’ve been waiting for her for a long time now.
“Y/N, do you think if I ask her now, she’d finally be as ready as I am to meet her?”
I exhaled and felt my heart pounding. There is the thrum in my chest that felt all too familiar. Have we been missing each other’s chances all this time? Have I been getting on and off the wrong platform, just as much as he did, because we didn’t know what we wanted when we were barely twenty?
“I think you should ask her before it’s too late.” I said, catching myself, still staying on that third person narration. I mulled over the times we constantly missed each other like he had pointed out. He had been there for me when I was searching for myself and what I wanted to do, and I had watched him from afar when he was trying to meet his dreams, to the point of pushing him far away.
“I’m asking you now. I was always late, wasn’t I?”
His brown eyes bored into mine, expectant, hopeful. “Yes. You were...but you’re here now..." I trailed off, thinking how much shock I was to hear Shohei's speech. I wondered if responding to my real feelings was the right thing to do. He had his accident, my dad's funeral, the miscommunication between us. The sudden falling out. I wondered, if after all this time, someone like me would still be worth restarting over with.
"...and I think, you’re just in time, Sho.”
He smiled widely, showing the crinkles on the sides of his eyes, he exhaled as if he had been holding his breath all this time.
"Thank god. I was almost certain you'd say no and disappear on me again." he laughed.
Freckles that I've never seen before popped over his nose and cheeks. So much has changed in his appearance but it was the same smile of the boy I love since eighteen.
“I’m home,” he whispers.
“Welcome back,” I said, finally smiling at him, too.
Shohei stands up and offers his hand as we exit the restaurant; I take it and interlace our fingers. For the first time in a long time, the tap dancing of my calloused heart has returned ever so exhilarating, like a lost pulse bringing me back to life. We are catching up on lost time, and for whatever fragment of memory that may have escaped through the cracks, we’ll slowly string them together. It doesn’t matter how many possibilities we’ve missed in the last four years of being apart. The important thing is this possibility, the right here and right now.
#shohei ohtani#shohei ohtani au#shohei ohtani imagines#shohei ohtani pov#shohei ohtani soft hours#soft spot for#high school shohei#i'm not so confident about this one#but i hope everyone likes how it ended#thank you for reading! <3
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Wanted to share some musings on baseball and LGBTQ life as we head into the dog days of Pride Month.
One of my favorite things to do at ballparks is to make new friends. Baseball fans know all too well that our love for America's pastime is not shared by everyone in the country. Where some see a boring game where nothing happens, we take pleasure in the long haul knowing that those special moments where something truly amazing happens are the memories we'll keep with us long after we've left the park.
I met a heterosexual couple last night who semi-playfully bickered for much of the game, rooting for opposing teams. I couldn't help but laugh at some of the ways the woman was berating her boyfriend, quickly befriending them as I explained some of the statistics and more complex aspects of the game. The woman frequently referred to me as a "badass b**ch" as we talked baseball, boys, and life. A few times she told her boyfriend to stop pretending that he knew what was going on and that he should "listen to the lady who knows what she's talking about, you might learn something." I very much enjoyed chatting with them, though they were both pretty sloshed.
It dawned on me as I was leaving the stadium that in the three hours that I was in the proximity of these two colorful characters, being trans was never brought up once, though we did introduce ourselves and hug goodbye after the game. That invisible barrier of "other" that many of us know all too well, wasn't there in Angel Stadium.
Now, that's hardly a big revelation coming from someone like me, who's been out of the closet for a long time and live in big gay California, but the level with which I'm steeped in trans culture doesn't present too many extended periods of time where the subject doesn't surface in one way or another.
My own idea of community extends well beyond the LGBTQ space, from Long Beach to Boston College to baseball to nerdier subjects like Star Trek, Thomas the Tank Engine, or Big Brother. We have a community right here, bound by humor and a passion to find the good in life.
I'm reminded of James Earl Jones' iconic speech at the end of Field of Dreams, guaranteed to bring out the waterworks. "People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past."
I went to Angel Stadium to see Shohei Ohtani pitch, but my motives may have been a bit simpler. I just wanted to be there, on a summer night, watching the best game in the world.
Equality is vital for countless important reasons, but sometimes I like to think about the more trivial benefits of a life without the burden of "other," like embracing a stranger in a hug after the home team scores, not needing to worry about what they think about you as a trans person or a homosexual. It's a great feeling to let go of the angst that we all can carry with us, trans or otherwise, and open yourself up to what the world has to offer.
TL:DR baseball is good for the soul.
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Unravelling the Phenomenon of Shohei Ohtani: A Trailblazer in Baseball History
Introduction:
In the realm of baseball, where legends are forged and records set, one name shines brightly amidst the constellation of stars: Shohei Ohtani. From his humble beginnings in Japan to his meteoric rise in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ohtani's journey is nothing short of remarkable. This article delves deep into the life, career, and extraordinary talent of Shohei Ohtani, the player who has captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
Early Life and Beginnings:
Shohei Ohtani's story begins in the town of Oshu, Japan, where he was born on July 5, 1994. From a young age, Ohtani exhibited an innate passion for baseball, honing his skills on the diamond with unwavering dedication. Growing up in Japan, where baseball is akin to a religion, Ohtani dreamed of one day making it big in the sport he loved. Little did the world know, this young prodigy would soon revolutionize the game on a global scale.
Ohtani's Talent Takes Center Stage:
As Shohei Ohtani's prowess on the baseball field continued to grow, so did the buzz surrounding his name. Blessed with a rare combination of power and finesse, Ohtani's abilities transcended traditional labels, earning him the moniker of "The Japanese Babe Ruth." This comparison to the legendary baseball icon speaks volumes about Ohtani's unparalleled talent and versatility.
Shohei Ohtani's Rise to MLB Stardom:
In 2018, Shohei Ohtani made the groundbreaking decision to take his talents to the United States and join the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Major League Baseball. The move was met with widespread anticipation and excitement, as baseball fans eagerly awaited the arrival of this transcendent talent. Ohtani did not disappoint, making an immediate impact both as a pitcher and a hitter, captivating audiences with his electrifying performances.
The Ohtani Phenomenon Goes Global:
With each game, Shohei Ohtani's star continued to rise, captivating audiences not only in the United States but also across the globe. His unique ability to excel as both a pitcher and a hitter set him apart from his peers, earning him accolades and admiration from fans and fellow players alike. Ohtani's impact transcended the realm of sports, becoming a cultural icon whose influence extended far beyond the baseball diamond.
Challenges and Triumphs:
Despite his undeniable talent, Shohei Ohtani's journey has not been without its challenges. From overcoming injuries to adjusting to life in a new country, Ohtani has faced adversity head-on, emerging stronger and more determined each time. His resilience in the face of adversity serves as a testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence and his unyielding passion for the game of baseball.
Shohei Ohtani's Legacy:
As Shohei Ohtani continues to etch his name into the annals of baseball history, his legacy is already assured. Whether it's his awe-inspiring home runs, his blazing fastballs, or his infectious enthusiasm for the game, Ohtani has left an indelible mark on the sport and inspired generations of players to come. His impact extends far beyond the confines of the baseball diamond, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all who dare to dream.
Conclusion:
In the ever-evolving landscape of baseball, Shohei Ohtani stands tall as a beacon of excellence and innovation. His unique blend of talent, versatility, and passion has captivated audiences around the world, redefining what it means to be a true superstar in the sport. As we marvel at his feats on the diamond, let us also celebrate the remarkable journey of Shohei Ohtani, a once-in-a-generation talent whose legacy will endure for years to come.
#ShoheiOhtani#BaseballHistory#MLB#SportsLegend#Trailblazer#AthleteProfile#BaseballPhenomenon#TwoWayPlayer#JapaneseBaseball#AthleticAchievement#HomeRunKing#PitchingAce#SportsHistory#AthleticExcellence#OhtaniMania#BaseballStar#SportsInspiration
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Shohei Ohtani, a talented and dedicated baseball player known as the Japanese Babe Ruth. Discover his journey from Japan to the major leagues…
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Friday, November 17, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)
WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?:
MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (Apple TV+)
PLEASE DON'T DESTROY: THE TREASURE OF FOGGY MOUNTAIN (Amazon Prime Canada)
THE SECRET LIFE OF DANCING DOGS (Disney + Star)
SHOHEI OHTANI: BEYOND THE DREAM (Disney + Star)
THE HOLIDAY SHIFT (The Roku Channel)
NAVIGATING CHRISTMAS (W Network) 9:00pm
WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?
FILTHIEST FLIPS (TBD - HGTV Canada)
NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:
AMAZON PRIME CANADA
CELEBRITY HUNTED: CHASSE À L’HOMME (Season 3)
EXMAS
LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND
MAXINE’S BABY: THE TYLER PERRY STORY
PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING
PLEASE DON’T DESTROY: THE TREASURE OF FOGGY MOUNTAIN
TWIN LOVE
CBC GEM
PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES (starts today, goes until November 26th)
SIX WOMEN
SORT OF (Season 3)
SOUTERRAIN (Underground)
CRAVE TV
AWAY FROM HER
BROOKLYN
HOOK
THE HONEYMOON
THE KING’S DAUGHTER
JESUS REVOLUTION
MEDITATION PARK
MOMMY
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
UPSIDE DOWN
DISNEY + STAR
DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW
THE SECRET LIFE OF DANCING DOGS (Season 1)
SHOHEI OHTANI: BEYOND THE DREAM
NETFLIX CANADA
ALL-TIME HIGH (FR)
BELIEVER 2 (KR)
COCOMELON LANE
THE DADS
THE QUEENSTOWN KINGS (ZA)
RUSTIN
SAGRADA FAMILIA (SEASON 2) (ES)
SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF
STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING
2023 FIFA MEN'S U17 WORLD CUP
(TSN5) 3:48am: Poland vs. Argentina
(TSN5) 6:48am: England vs. Brazil
NHL HOCKEY
(TSN4) 2:00pm: Leafs vs. Red Wings
(TSN3) 8:00pm: Sabres vs. Jets
NCAA HOCKEY (TSN5) 7:00pm: Maine vs. Boston University
NBA BASKETBALL
(SN) 7:30pm: 76ers vs. Hawks
(SN Now) 7:30pm: Kings vs. Spurs
(TSN/TSN4) 7:30pm: Celtics vs. Raptors
(SN1) 8:00pm: Nuggets vs. Pelicans
(SN) 10:00pm: Lakers vs. Trail Blazers
(TSN/TSN5) 10:00pm: Suns vs. Jazz
(SN1) 10:30pm: Rockets vs. Clippers
AMPLIFY (APTN) 7:30pm: Haida and Cree singer Kristi Lane Sinclair shares her emotional journey of returning to Haida Gwaii to find love and forgiveness. In this episode dedicated to Kristi's late mother, Kristi connects with close friend and fellow creator Sara Roque.
7TH GEN (APTN) 8:00pm: Makaela Blake is a young Inuit-Punjabi woman originally from Gander, N.L. Witness how she is sparking big change and challenging institutional systems with her advocacy work, all while sharing her culture.
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF JERSEY (Slice) 8:00pm (SEASON 2 PREMIERE): New Friends and New Foes
PLANET WONDER (CBC) 8:30pm: How the changing jet stream is making weather more extreme; Johanna Wagstaffe gets brain freeze.
CHRISTMAS KEEPSAKE (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Following their move to a new city, a father bonds with his daughter and stumbles upon an unexpected romance while tracking down the original owner of a Christmas time capsule.
FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER (APTN) 8:30pm: Aaron Turkey's entire night is wild, starting with a heat race win, a top gun award and failed brakes as he narrowly misses people while speeding through the tech barn. It all ends in heartache when he makes one small error during the feature race.
THE FIFTH ESTATE (CBC) 9:00pm: A man convicted for his role in the 1975 coup and murder of the first family in Bangladesh lives in Canada; in an interview with Mark Kelley, prime minister Sheikh Wazed says she wants him brought to justice.
TRANSPLANT (CTV) 9:00pm: The York Memorial team deals with the life changing-surgery of one of their own.
BATMAN: THE DOOM THAT CAME TO GOTHAM (Cartoon Network Canada) 9:00pm: Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City and learns of a sinister doomsday cult planning its destruction. Bruce must don the mantle of Batman to fight against ancient magic foes and fiery demons while guarding his sanity against the Old Gods' corruption.
JESUS REVOLUTION (Crave) 9:00pm: A charismatic street preacher and a pastor open the doors to a church to a stream of wandering youth, sparking a counterculture movement that becomes the greatest spiritual awakening in American history.
STAND UP & SHOUT: SONGS FROM A PHILLY HIGH SCHOOL (HBO Canada) 9:00pm: Students at Philadelphia's Hill-Freedman World Academy work with local musicians to create an album of powerful, original songs that captures both the challenging times they're living in and the joy that music brings.
W5 (CTV) 10:00pm: A couple buys a historic house at auction and renovates it, but the local government says they don't own it.
CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm: Nothing is What it Seems: Part 2
PEOPLE MAGAZINE PRESENTS: CRIMES OF THE 2000S (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): When an exotic animal keeper vanishes on her way to work at San Diego's Wild Animal Park in the fall of 2000, investigators unearth several suspects, but only one who had ample opportunity to go in for the kill.
#cdntv#cancon#canadian tv#canadian tv listings#amplify#7th gen#the real housewives of jersey#planet wonder#friday night thunder#the fifth estate#transplant#W5#crime beat#fifa men's world cup#nhl hockey#ncaa hockey#nba basketball
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So, fellow jock, any Bauer thoughts?
https://youtu.be/B_fNeEqX_gw
I was pretty unenthusiastic about the guy before the he's-a-sex-nightmare stuff came out... So for me, everything since then has been just an angering situation because I never saw as much upside there as other people, not knowing anything about numbers or ERA's or moneyballing or "winning at baseball" or whatever.
Plus, it’s massively besides the point, but I just kinda think that guy might’ve been cheating at baseball. Pete Rose was just a gambler and they made him spend his Golden Years signing baseballs with “I’m sorry I bet on baseball, love Peter Rose” or some shit. But I think cheating at baseball just kind of stopped being frowned on...? They used to make John Cusack movies about how you shouldn’t cheat at baseball, but that was a different world, newspaper subscriptions cost $2 then, we all had laser swords, etc.
There was an LA Times story today that laid things out that just tried to super-casually throw in "Bauer would come with a cost beyond his salary. He had a history of harassing and bullying women online, mocking transgender people and spreading conspiracy theories." The next sentence starts with a "Still", surprising no one so... haha, here we are. (”He’s a horrible human being. Still, pitch go fast.” Good job with the “Still”, Mencken! Muy nuance).
Look, I'm not smart enough to say what they should've done instead or whether they made the right decision pursuing him or how “red flags” should get handled generally or any of that. I have no fucking idea how to “run a baseball team”. (A lot of women seemed to be saying “he’s bad vibes” at the very beginning, so part of me wants to say “just listen to hot people” because that’s sort of the extent of my belief system anymore, maybe too sincerely). I mean, I get sad when I see Joc Pederson and he’s not a Dodger, and I don’t get why he’s not-- he seems like a pretty lovable guy and they got rid of him (and Kike!!!) for this creep...
But all that said, putting in the rear view what has to go in the rear view? The team’s handling of the Bauer situation after-the-fact was completely dispiriting. I don't know what they felt like they had to do for contractual reasons-- I'm always willing to go "well, maybe there are contracts" but. But it felt like when they were saying "well we have to keep him in the lineup until we know more" in particular-- that was just ugly and stupid and avoidable and just seemed indefensible.
And not to get too hooky-spooky magical-thinking The Secret about it, but... everyone’s either on a cold streak or getting repeatedly injured, so the fact the team itself wants him out of there... I mean, yeah, no shit! It really feels like that dude offended the Baseball Gods and the team just needs a fucking exorcism now. The vibes were all fucked last week, so god only knows what it’s like at ground level. But if I’m Corké Sunshine or Kooky Bunyon or whoever sitting there, the Kookster, watching three straight ninth inning brain-hurting losses, while my teammates are flopping around like somebody’s sticking fucking pins into a voodoo doll and the new right fielder has never thrown a baseball before and home-run hitters can’t hit the ball with bases loaded in a tie game and no outs... I’m going to be sitting there thinking “karma’s a motherfucker, and the most likely culprit for fucking our vibes is *that motherfucker*.” The fact the team doesn’t have his back (a) speaks to why I like them (they’re good boys), but also (b) how fucking weird things feel right now, even though ... Chris Taylor and Walker Buehler and whoever else are still there, still performing, etc. Where they’re winning occasionally, but it’s somehow become a big deal for Cody Bellinger to hit a ball...? Call me superstitious but the vibes just feel fucked.
And I mean, jesus, who wants to be answering questions about that guy’s fucking creep shit when you’re losing games in the 9th inning and everything else. Those guys had to answer questions about that fucking asshole at the All-Star game. Those were hours they could’ve spent looking at Shohei Ohtani. He’s dreamy. If I were Max Muncy, and I had a baby on the way, and I just wanted to check out if Shohei Ohtani was dreamy in person like he is in my sexuality-challenging dreams, and someone starts asking me about a guy doing horror movie shit to a lady and their fucking text messages, I’d lose my fucking mind and even worse, my sexuality-challenged erection.
I don’t know how you atone to the Baseball Gods, but I’m hoping that it involves me getting free food at area restaurants, or some kind of bobble-head.
But the entire stadium is built on like a neighborhood they just violently, violently displaced, or whatever the right word is. And I only found out how they mistreated the gay guy who invented the high five this year (the look on my face reading that Wikipedia-- so help me god, it never fucking occurred to me that anyone *invented* the high five, let alone a persecuted gay Dodger, so. Or that could happen *in Los Angeles* and Hollywood wouldn’t make that into a movie 7 years ago starring Jake Gyllenhaal-- that’s insane). So I mean, maybe a mess of bad karma’s part of the team’s whole thing that I just didn’t know I was signing up for... Beats me. Having an outfielder that can’t throw a baseball though just feels like some Ari Aster-wrote-”the devil”-in-a-tiny-font A24 “our corn is trash” shit is happening though. Like, watching that little kid being unable to throw a baseball are some real “we upset the blair witch” hours.
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Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is trying something never before seen
Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/los-angeles-angels-star-shohei-ohtani-is-trying-something-never-before-seen/
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is trying something never before seen
Every baseball player who chooses Hanamaki Higashi High School is given a complete physical and an MRI when he arrives on campus. It is considered one of Japan’s better baseball schools, so the competition for a spot in the school, let alone on the team, is rigorous. The season is year-round, and each player must live in a team dormitory, regardless of how close to campus his family resides. The players are responsible for cleaning and maintaining the dorm. The coach, Sasaki, assigns the tasks. One of his rules is that pitchers must clean the toilets.
“The pitcher, especially in Shohei’s case, is literally and figuratively at the highest point on the field,” Sasaki says. “Once they get up there, they are at the pinnacle, so for the rest of the day I tell them, ‘You have to do the lowest job.’ Shohei never complained.”
Ohtani’s MRI showed growth plates so far apart it was obvious he was going to be tall, and therefore his potential far exceeded the already-developed 15-year-olds who entered Sasaki’s program with hair under their arms and closed growth plates. Sasaki does not claim to have predicted what Ohtani would become — by 19 a household name, by 21 the country’s best hitter and pitcher, by 23 the most sought-after international free agent in baseball history. He had no idea that those growth plates would remain ajar until Ohtani reached 6-foot-4, or that a major league international scouting director would tell me last spring that “Ohtani could be the best pitcher in the history of baseball, and I don’t say that lightly. He has equal if not better stuff than all of them.” Sasaki didn’t predict that Ohtani would quickly transform himself from a high school kid with an unreliable fastball and quick hands at the plate into an international sensation whose name was attached to Babe Ruth’s so reflexively that it seemed like a mandate. No, Sasaki knew only that Ohtani’s best days would not take place within his jurisdiction.
“Because of what we were seeing in those images, we knew Shohei’s goal was not to achieve success in high school but beyond,” Sasaki says. “Ohtani was someone who would peak at the end of his 20s, so that had to be the way we approached his training.”
The granular details of Ohtani’s childhood remain unknown; his parents are as elusive and private as their son. In one of his few interviews, Shohei’s father, Toru, emphasized his son’s normal childhood and says he indulged Shohei’s baseball dreams after long shifts at an auto assembly plant made it difficult for him to coach Shohei’s brother. “I’ve got to give Shohei what I couldn’t give his older brother,” Toru told the Mainichi newspaper. Sasaki says Ohtani’s parents are “nothing like the monster parents who are around these days. They are the most humble people you will meet in your life.”
America is an ongoing subplot to Ohtani’s career. With Sasaki’s blessing, Ohtani wanted to sign with a major league team when he graduated from high school in 2012, but Nippon Professional Baseball’s Nippon-Ham Fighters drafted him anyway, then put together a successful recruiting pitch that sought to enlighten the then-18-year-old and his family on the cultural rigors of the minor leagues. Last season the focus shifted: With MLB changing its rules regarding international players, Ohtani could have stayed in Japan and been a true free agent after two more seasons. Instead, he announced his decision to leave Japan in November 2017 and immediately became the most sought-after-and cheapest-arm and bat on the market. A frenzied and somewhat odd courtship ensued, with Ohtani and his agent narrowing the field to seven mostly West Coast teams before choosing the Angels.
Shohei Ohtani outside the baseball uniform is a mystery.
– Nippon-Ham Fighters pitching coach Masato Yoshii
Asked for his opinion on Ohtani’s decision to forgo potentially $200 million by joining MLB this year, Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler asks back, “What is he, 23? What’s he making, the minimum? Most everyone in here made the minimum at that age.” Kinsler shrugs and sends his lower lip forward with a that-settles-that finality. Ohtani’s new teammates keep their observations light, their words like stones skipping across a flat lake. The team has erected a fortress of positivity around Ohtani, and when he warms up in Oakland before his first start, the metaphor becomes literal: A total of eight teammates and coaches stand behind the bullpen mound.
General manager Billy Eppler recites a list of outings Ohtani embarked upon with teammates this spring — golf with Mike Trout, H-O-R-S-E with Andrew Heaney, a hockey game with Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs — as evidence that he is fitting in with his new teammates. “He is very simple,” Eppler says. “Very focused, very meticulous in everything he does.” Rangers reliever Chris Martin, Ohtani’s teammate for two years in Japan, doesn’t remember the two having a meaningful conversation. After Ohtani’s celebrated high school career and five years as a star in NPB, even the aggressive Japanese media failed to turn up anything worthy of headlines. “Yu Darvish and Ohtani are different personalities,” one tells me. “Darvish always had groupies after him. Ohtani is boring.”
Ohtani made several million dollars in Japan, and he lived in the team dormitory for all five years, which means this year is the first time he has ever lived outside of his family home or a team facility. He never bought a car or bothered to get a driver’s license. His mother handled his money, doling out a meager monthly stipend that her son rarely spent.
“There were times when I would ask him, ‘Don’t you want to go out and have a few drinks and loosen up?'” says Hideki Kuriyama, manager of the Fighters. His voice rises, and he waves his arms in front of him as he mimics Ohtani’s hurried response: “No, no, no. That’s not me. I’d rather go to the gym and work out because the only joy I can find is on the field.” The way Kuriyama tells it, with his arms wishing away the question, the thought itself embarrassed Ohtani.
I ask Masato Yoshii, a former major leaguer who was Ohtani’s pitching coach with the Fighters, a simple question: What are Ohtani’s interests outside of baseball?
Yoshii takes a deep breath followed by a long sigh. He tilts his head back as if he’s pondering something deeper than what’s been asked.
Finally, he says, “Shohei Ohtani outside of the baseball uniform is a mystery.”
Hiroshi Sasaki, Ohtani’s high school coach, knew he would be something special from the time he joined his program. Shiho Fukada for ESPN
After a long night game roughly halfway through the 2016 NPB season, Kuriyama called Ohtani into his office. Ohtani was scheduled to pitch and hit the next day, and his manager had a proposal to make. He’d noticed Ohtani’s struggles in the first inning of road games, and he attributed it to his hitting third or fourth in the batting order. The inning would end with Ohtani either on the bases or on deck, leaving him to rush to the mound with scattered thoughts, so Kuriyama looked across his office desk and said, “I want you to lead off tomorrow.”
Kuriyama stared and waited. This was as much a challenge as a strategy.
“He looked at me and nodded with fierce eyes,” Kuriyama says. “After a while he said, ‘I know what you’re telling me.’ It gave me goose bumps all over. Even for someone who has been in this game as long as I have, it was an awesome moment.”
The next night, in another chapter in the legend, Ohtani led off with a homer and pitched eight shutout innings in a 2-0 win. Martin pitched the ninth for the save, and as he stands in the Rangers’ spring training clubhouse he can recall the game as if it’s happening in front of him. “The first two months of the season his command was bad, and his off-speed was just OK,” Martin says. “I was like, ‘I’ve seen guys way better than this guy. Why is he such a big deal?’ After that game, I was like, ‘OK, this is why.'”
Kuriyama, like Sasaki, wanted Ohtani to leave for the States earlier. He felt he always had a good read on his best player, and even though his team would feel the loss, he believed Ohtani needed the challenge. There was the game four years ago when Ohtani got hit all over the park and had to be pulled in the second inning. When Kuriyama got home and logged on to his computer, he found an email from Ohtani. “I always know when he wants something,” Kuriyama says. “Everything is ‘Mr. Manager’ — so polite.” Ohtani wanted to hit the next day to rid himself of the metallic tang of the bad outing. “Please use me tomorrow because I can’t sleep, Mr. Manager,” he wrote. “I am so frustrated.”
He has thrown 102 mph from the mound and hit home runs of 500-plus feet, two facts that go a long way toward creating a myth but don’t guarantee success with the Angels. NPB is considered the world’s second-best league, but the gap is wide and the peculiarities notable. His talent, it seems, has always provided a layer of protection. One example: Ohtani is a right-handed thrower and a left-handed hitter, and his importance to his country’s baseball culture kept most pitchers from throwing inside and threatening his exposed pitching arm. Yoshii says one of the biggest adjustments between countries is the canyon that exists between the respective codes, a difference Martin describes by saying, “When you hit someone over there it’s a big deal. The pitcher bows to the hitter to apologize and make sure everyone knows it wasn’t intentional. Over here it’s not like that. Over here it’s: We’ll do it again.“
(During a spring training game for the Mets in 1998, Yoshii drilled a hitter one at-bat after the guy had homered off him. Afterward, veteran starter Al Leiter asked, “Did you hit that guy on purpose?” Yoshii hadn’t — “a mere accident,” he says –but he quickly told Leiter, “Oh, yeah.” Now Yoshii laughs and says, “I noticed I got immediate respect from the pitchers.”)
Ohtani is strong and broad, his physique at odds with his nearly prepubescent face, but his career in Japan was marked by injuries. Last season he pitched just 25 innings due to ankle and hamstring problems that lingered through August. “They babied him,” Martin says. “We were wondering why he wasn’t at least pitching. My ankle was blown up and they were trying to get me back in two weeks. You learn not to ask questions.” After Ohtani was activated but before the team was comfortable allowing him to hit or pitch, he would emerge from the dugout late in games and swing a bat in the on-deck circle. “Never seen anything like it,” Martin says. “Fifty thousand people cheering a guy standing in the on-deck circle like he’s Michael Jackson or Justin Timberlake.” There was never any intention of letting him pinch-hit, but Martin laughs and says, “I guarantee you the guy hitting got a few more pitches to hit because of it.”
Kuriyama, who believes Ohtani’s personality is better suited to hitting (the id) than pitching (the ego), fought forces within his organization who wanted Ohtani to concentrate solely on pitching. Arms like his are rare, and any risk is seen as too great. But the first thing Kuriyama told Ohtani after the Fighters signed him directly out of high school was, “Let’s do something nobody’s done before.”
Through a meaningless spring training, Ohtani was halting and mechanical on the mound, jumpy and impatient at the plate. The Japanese baseball has higher seams and a velvety feel. Even straight out of the box it feels like it’s been through a few rounds of batting practice. The mound feels less steep in Japan, the dirt is softer, and Ohtani’s hesitance can be attributed to an inability to stride out and fully trust his body to follow. His spring training starts were broadcast live on national television at 5 a.m., and despite the language barrier, it was easy to detect the disappointment in the voices of the Japanese announcers when the Rockies scored seven runs in an inning.
But by his first regular-season start, with the ball jumping out of his hand and nearly 70 percent of his pitches thrown for strikes, nothing that came before mattered. It looked as if he’d arrived on the mound fully formed. In his first at-bat in Angel Stadium, he hit a three-run homer that cleared two walls: the one in right-center and the one that had been holding back Ohtani’s emotions. He entered a dugout that gave him the silent treatment and tried to play along, high-fiving the air, before his joy overwhelmed him and he hugged Ian Kinsler from behind, setting off a wild celebration. It was a late-arriving echo from the words Chris Martin spoke about his time in Japan: OK, this is why.
“For his sake, I want him to struggle for at least two years,” Sasaki says. “For his sake, as a person, for him to grow and further blossom, the struggles he will go through are something that is needed. That is why he is constantly smiling. He is definitely enjoying this struggle, and he will find the ability to overcome within himself.”
He senses that this is not the expected answer. He laughs, clearly enjoying the disconnect. He holds up his right hand as if requesting time. He needs a moment to think as he tries to come up with the precise metaphor to explain what he’s trying to say. “Right now, Shohei is crouched,” he says. “He must go down before he rises up.”
Ohtani is only the fourth player since 1920 with a win as a pitcher and two HRs as a hitter — including one in his first Angel Stadium at-bat — in his team’s first seven games. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Sasaki had been cut by his university’s baseball team and thrown out of the school’s dormitory, thinking life couldn’t get much lower, when he walked through a bookstore with a friend and picked up a book written in 1937 by the American self-help guru/huckster Napoleon Hill: Think and Grow Rich. Sasaki held the book up to his friend, pointed to the title and deadpanned, “Yeah, this’ll help me.” He bought it, mostly as a joke, and more than 20 years later his cheeks color and he smiles bashfully as he tries to explain the book’s impact on his life.
There’s one chapter in particular — “Auto-Suggestion: The Third Step Toward Riches,” about putting thoughts into action — that Sasaki has incorporated into his coaching philosophy. As one of their first tasks (presumably after the MRI), Sasaki’s players are told to write down their goals. The idea is to force them to transfer their dreams from the ephemeral to the tangible. He made a point to keep and share Ohtani’s list. Some of them are typically lofty musings of a teenager, but others reveal a self-awareness unusual in a high schooler.
Age 24: Throw a no-hitter and win 25 games.
Age 26: Win the World Series and get married.
Age 36: Break the strikeout record.
Age 37: First son starts baseball.
Age 38: Stats drop; start to think about retirement.
Age 40: Throw a no-hitter in my very last game.
Sasaki draws great significance from coincidence. In Japanese, the words “vision,” “target” and “achievement” all start with the same symbol. He is not just teaching his players to cover a base — he is teaching them to help one another, to care for one another, to not leave someone to fend for himself. He mentions the 2011 Japanese earthquake, which devastated Iwate and its neighboring cities, and wonders what Americans thought of the communal response by the Japanese people.
“I care about covering a base for your teammate and telling your teammate where the next play is going to happen,” he says. “These things aren’t just necessary in baseball but also in life and work. Salarymen have to care about each other. Families have to care about each other. I believe baseball is the perfect textbook to teach the ethics of society.”
Sasaki has one more coincidence he would like to note: Inazo Nitobe, the first man to bring the concept of Bushido to the English-speaking world, was from Iwate Prefecture. Back when Ohtani was in his final year at Hanamaki and thinking seriously about going directly to the United States instead of playing professionally in Japan, Sasaki told him the story of Nitobe as a way of encouraging him to chart his own course. Doing something nobody else has done, bringing a new way of thinking to America — Sasaki believes Ohtani is setting out to be a pioneer in much the same way. “I don’t know if Shohei feels it,” Sasaki says, “but there is a bond.”
The first syllable of Ohtani’s given name — Sho — is in honor of the Japanese military commander Minamoto no Yoshitsune, one of the most honored samurai from the area near Oshu, Ohtani’s hometown, and Hiraizumi. “Hei” comes from the first kanji symbol in the written form of Hiraizumi. It’s an indication of how intrinsic history is to the culture that Ohtani is named after a warrior who died in 1189.
Nitobe wrote, “Nurture men of character rather than mere talents.”
Sasaki says, “I believe it is my duty to teach these kinds of Bushido lessons through baseball.”
So take another look at Ohtani standing there, hands clasped behind his back, neck bowed, shoulders straight. Maybe it’s a posture designed not only to invite attacks but to withstand them.
“I would like everyone to perceive his success in the longer term, to have patience and understanding in what he is trying to achieve,” Sasaki says. “You must understand: He is searching for a way that does not yet exist.”
Nobility in the pursuit, joy in the pain: Much of this is taking place at a frequency we no longer possess the capacity to hear. The struggle, as Bushido demands, is a gift that must be honored. It will clear a path for whatever comes next.
Tim KeownKeown is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a columnist for ESPN.com.
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Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball
On Sunday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani pitched himself into the annals of baseball history. He became the only major leaguer since Babe Ruth to record 15 home runs and 50 innings pitched in a season. It was Ohtani’s first start since June, when he was first sidelined with a Grade II UCL sprain; the history-making nature of his return should have punctuated an already great day for baseball, the full-strength reinstatement of one of its must-watch players. The mood was, instead, one of vaguely sickening anticipation, an anxiety that mounted with each pitch, each location and velocity reading. Every small movement Ohtani made on the mound was scrutinized with the exacting eye you can only have when looking for a reason to be concerned.
Ohtani’s UCL issues were already a known concern prior to his signing with the Angels—he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in December for a Grade I UCL strain. When the issues resurfaced with greater severity after his start on June 6, Ohtani again received PRP treatment, and the general assumption was that Ohtani would need Tommy John, with the Angels taking the most cautious approach possible when it came to the health and protection of one of baseball’s most valuable players. A report surfaced that seemed to confirm surgery in Ohtani’s imminent future, even as the Angels maintained that they were "very optimistic" about his recovery. Eulogies for Ohtani’s incredible season of two-way mastery cut far too short were prepared. There was every expectation of not seeing him, or at the very least not seeing him on the mound, until 2020.
When Ohtani was re-evaluated a few weeks after he received the second PRP injection, though, the Angels’ medical staff concluded that he would not need surgery after all—that the treatment was progressing well, and that he wouldn’t even need to miss the rest of this season, let alone the next. He was cleared to start working toward hitting again; on the pitching side, he would be continually re-evaluated. On July 3rd, less than a month after the initial diagnosis of his elbow injury, Ohtani was cleared to return to the Angels’ lineup.
And here he was, on Sunday, September 2nd, pitching again, and pitching far sooner than most had expected. Ohtani’s first pitch to George Springer came in at 96.9 mph—a fastball outside for ball one. His second, another fastball at 95.7, was poked into right field for a base hit. Ohtani got out of the inning without allowing a run to score. But the second inning was more concerning. His average fastball velocity fell from 97.4 mph in the first to 95.5 in the second. In the third, it fell all the way to 91.4 mph; he recorded one out, gave up a two-run homer to Springer, and was pulled from the game. Both the Angels and Ohtani insisted that his elbow was fine.
Three days later, another MRI revealed further damage to Ohtani’s UCL. The doctors now recommended surgery. The dream of having a full-time two-way star in baseball has been put on hold.
The Angels had a difficult path to tread when it came to handling Ohtani’s injury. At the time the UCL sprain was diagnosed, while on a downward trajectory, they were still far from out of it—only four games out of the division lead, three games out of the second Wild Card. A competitive stretch run wasn’t yet out of the question, and if there was any chance of having Ohtani available to contribute on both sides of the plate for that possible meaningful stretch, they would certainly want to take it. There was also the fact that Ohtani, as this century’s first real two-way player, presented a unique set of concerns when it came to his rehab. Should they try to have him back in the lineup as soon as possible, making sure he continued to progress as a hitter? Would doing so jeopardize his recovery on the pitching side? It was a situation that no team has had to deal with before.
According to Angels GM Billy Eppler, there was no sign of further damage to Ohtani’s elbow throughout his months of recovery until Wednesday’s MRI, and no doctor had recommended Tommy John before then. The decision to have him pitch in a meaningless game now, as opposed to waiting for spring, makes sense: If the ligament had given out next March, Ohtani’s recovery would have been delayed into 2021. But Ohtani is now the latest in an unfortunate pattern of Angels pitching injuries. Per Jon Roegele’s Tommy John Surgery database, three Angels pitchers other than Ohtani have received PRP injections for UCL injuries over the past three years. All three eventually required surgery on the damaged ligaments. The Angels currently have four major-league pitchers on the DL recovering from Tommy John.
Tommy John surgeries have become more frequent across baseball, but the frequency with which Angels pitchers have been afflicted in recent seasons is exceptional, to the point where neither chronic mismanagement nor extremely bad luck seem like they could fully account for the phenomenon. The pitchers the Angels have had go down have been both young and old, developed in their system and acquired from elsewhere. Ohtani’s UCL issues didn’t start during his time with the Angels, but it’s with them that they’ve reached their breaking point. And with Ohtani sidelined at least as a pitcher, their chances of a competitive 2019 season have taken another hit, and with them their chances of keeping Mike Trout beyond 2020. A season that began with so much promise has ended about as sadly as it possibly could for the Angels. Baseball can be a cruel sport to love.
Ohtani hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll go ahead with surgery. If he does, it remains to be seen how he and the Angels will handle his recovery next season and beyond. But mere hours after receiving the news that his elbow had been damaged further, he was in the lineup at DH. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, which is certainly something no other major league pitcher can say they did on the day they found out they needed Tommy John. That he was still out there doing things never seen before, even on a day of crisis, was wonderful to behold. It also made the prospect of losing him for a full year all the more tragic. In only two months of Shohei Ohtani, two-way player, baseball fans got to experience a dazzling, generational talent in action, the thrill of a crazy experiment gone impossibly right. Now, something has gone wrong. We can only wait, and worry.
Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
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Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball
On Sunday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani pitched himself into the annals of baseball history. He became the only major leaguer since Babe Ruth to record 15 home runs and 50 innings pitched in a season. It was Ohtani’s first start since June, when he was first sidelined with a Grade II UCL sprain; the history-making nature of his return should have punctuated an already great day for baseball, the full-strength reinstatement of one of its must-watch players. The mood was, instead, one of vaguely sickening anticipation, an anxiety that mounted with each pitch, each location and velocity reading. Every small movement Ohtani made on the mound was scrutinized with the exacting eye you can only have when looking for a reason to be concerned.
Ohtani’s UCL issues were already a known concern prior to his signing with the Angels—he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in December for a Grade I UCL strain. When the issues resurfaced with greater severity after his start on June 6, Ohtani again received PRP treatment, and the general assumption was that Ohtani would need Tommy John, with the Angels taking the most cautious approach possible when it came to the health and protection of one of baseball’s most valuable players. A report surfaced that seemed to confirm surgery in Ohtani’s imminent future, even as the Angels maintained that they were “very optimistic” about his recovery. Eulogies for Ohtani’s incredible season of two-way mastery cut far too short were prepared. There was every expectation of not seeing him, or at the very least not seeing him on the mound, until 2020.
When Ohtani was re-evaluated a few weeks after he received the second PRP injection, though, the Angels’ medical staff concluded that he would not need surgery after all—that the treatment was progressing well, and that he wouldn’t even need to miss the rest of this season, let alone the next. He was cleared to start working toward hitting again; on the pitching side, he would be continually re-evaluated. On July 3rd, less than a month after the initial diagnosis of his elbow injury, Ohtani was cleared to return to the Angels’ lineup.
And here he was, on Sunday, September 2nd, pitching again, and pitching far sooner than most had expected. Ohtani’s first pitch to George Springer came in at 96.9 mph—a fastball outside for ball one. His second, another fastball at 95.7, was poked into right field for a base hit. Ohtani got out of the inning without allowing a run to score. But the second inning was more concerning. His average fastball velocity fell from 97.4 mph in the first to 95.5 in the second. In the third, it fell all the way to 91.4 mph; he recorded one out, gave up a two-run homer to Springer, and was pulled from the game. Both the Angels and Ohtani insisted that his elbow was fine.
Three days later, another MRI revealed further damage to Ohtani’s UCL. The doctors now recommended surgery. The dream of having a full-time two-way star in baseball has been put on hold.
The Angels had a difficult path to tread when it came to handling Ohtani’s injury. At the time the UCL sprain was diagnosed, while on a downward trajectory, they were still far from out of it—only four games out of the division lead, three games out of the second Wild Card. A competitive stretch run wasn’t yet out of the question, and if there was any chance of having Ohtani available to contribute on both sides of the plate for that possible meaningful stretch, they would certainly want to take it. There was also the fact that Ohtani, as this century’s first real two-way player, presented a unique set of concerns when it came to his rehab. Should they try to have him back in the lineup as soon as possible, making sure he continued to progress as a hitter? Would doing so jeopardize his recovery on the pitching side? It was a situation that no team has had to deal with before.
According to Angels GM Billy Eppler, there was no sign of further damage to Ohtani’s elbow throughout his months of recovery until Wednesday’s MRI, and no doctor had recommended Tommy John before then. The decision to have him pitch in a meaningless game now, as opposed to waiting for spring, makes sense: If the ligament had given out next March, Ohtani’s recovery would have been delayed into 2021. But Ohtani is now the latest in an unfortunate pattern of Angels pitching injuries. Per Jon Roegele’s Tommy John Surgery database, three Angels pitchers other than Ohtani have received PRP injections for UCL injuries over the past three years. All three eventually required surgery on the damaged ligaments. The Angels currently have four major-league pitchers on the DL recovering from Tommy John.
Tommy John surgeries have become more frequent across baseball, but the frequency with which Angels pitchers have been afflicted in recent seasons is exceptional, to the point where neither chronic mismanagement nor extremely bad luck seem like they could fully account for the phenomenon. The pitchers the Angels have had go down have been both young and old, developed in their system and acquired from elsewhere. Ohtani’s UCL issues didn’t start during his time with the Angels, but it’s with them that they’ve reached their breaking point. And with Ohtani sidelined at least as a pitcher, their chances of a competitive 2019 season have taken another hit, and with them their chances of keeping Mike Trout beyond 2020. A season that began with so much promise has ended about as sadly as it possibly could for the Angels. Baseball can be a cruel sport to love.
Ohtani hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll go ahead with surgery. If he does, it remains to be seen how he and the Angels will handle his recovery next season and beyond. But mere hours after receiving the news that his elbow had been damaged further, he was in the lineup at DH. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, which is certainly something no other major league pitcher can say they did on the day they found out they needed Tommy John. That he was still out there doing things never seen before, even on a day of crisis, was wonderful to behold. It also made the prospect of losing him for a full year all the more tragic. In only two months of Shohei Ohtani, two-way player, baseball fans got to experience a dazzling, generational talent in action, the thrill of a crazy experiment gone impossibly right. Now, something has gone wrong. We can only wait, and worry.
Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball syndicated from https://australiahoverboards.wordpress.com
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Father of MLB-bound Ohtani wants son to remain honest in baseball career and beyond
#koshien [毎日新聞]With Hanamaki Higashi’s background, Toru thought he might be able to live his dream through his son if Shohei got into the school, as Toru himself had never made it to the hallowed ground of Koshien stadium where the national championships are held.
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Elite Sports NY
https://elitesportsny.com/2017/12/09/yankees-and-stanton-the-poster-boy-for-a-team-sliding-back-to-their-old-ways/
Giancarlo Stanton is the poster boy for a Yankees team sliding back to its old ways
The Yankees addition of Giancarlo Stanton and his albatross of a contract means only one thing. It’s out with the new and in with the old.
Are the Yankees so desperate for a World Championship they would revert to 2008 when they bought their 27th (and last) title in 2009? Could it be the Yankees have already lost faith in the Baby Bombers movement, and they no longer trust the current roster to deliver? Because on the surface, at least, Giancarlo Stanton is the poster boy for days of old and the repetition of previous mistakes.
Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. Consider this: The Yankees are in the midst of erasing the board in 2018 by keeping payroll under the $197 million luxury tax threshold. Hal Steinbrenner insists on it, and Brian Cashman is on the cusp of delivering. This is a sound financial move for the franchise.
RELATED: Stanton anoints the Yankees. Bah, humbug!
Stanton, if acquired, may or may not tip the payroll over. Writers and probably Cashman himself are tripping over each other to come up with ways of “making it work.” Hold on; it’s already working. The Yankees are poised to stroll into the playoffs and beyond with a tweak here and there with the team they have. Giancarlo Stanton is not a tweak, he a tsunami.
Alex Rodriguez, A.J. Burnett, MarkTeixeira, CC Sabathia, Chase Headley, Jacoby Ellsbury…what do all these players have in common? You guessed it, substantial expensive contracts and one title to show for it. Are we gonna do this again?
With some argument due, it’s fair to say that along with Mike Trout and Jose Altuve, Stanton is one of the top position players on the planet. He will make the Yankees better. But I keep coming back to the same question. How much better do the Yankees need to be?
Does the need to add Stanton mean Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres, et al can’t do it by themselves? Or is it that the Yankees have reverted to the old days of shortsightedness and a win now or else mentality? Is Hal morphing into his dad?
CHECK OUT the New York Yankees Team Center: News, Stats, Standings
George Steinbrenner pulled out all the stops in 2008 for two reasons. One, his health was failing rapidly and he wanted one more taste, and two, the Yankees were opening a brand new venue in 2009, and George insisted that it be baptized properly. I’ll give him that, and it worked out – for one year.
Following that, though, all we heard every year (until now) was how the Yankees were strapped by overblown and far-reaching contracts which limited the team to a string of playoff appearances that went nowhere because the composition of the team was unbalanced. Cashman, for example, couldn’t do what he did last season, bringing in Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, Sonny Gray, and David Robertson because he didn’t have the chips to make it happen.
Look, as general managers go, Brian Cashman is everything but a gunslinger. He’s proven himself to be shrewd and calculating in every move he makes. There’s no calculating in the move for Stanton if he executes a trade with Derek Jeter and the Marlins. It’s pure greed. It’s reason for fans across America, once again, to gang up on the Yankees and their Evil Empire.
The team you love to hate has come a long way over the last eighteen months to rebuild, not only the roster but the Yankees brand. Judge personifies the new image of the team. In fact, the Yankees have a whole cast of Jeters now, and more on the way.
Cashman pulled the trigger. He’d been patient for all this time. We all have. He could have pulled a reverse Shohei Ohtani on Stanton. Told him thanks but no thanks. Your services are not needed in New York. We’re doing just fine.
In a way, the Yankees have taken all the fun out of the 2018 season. It’s no longer a season similar to last year, filled with mystery and surprises. Instead, we’ve reverted back to the old days when they were expected to win – or else.
I didn’t see this coming. George would have been happy. The Dream Team is born again in New York City.
NEXT: Yankees: What to expect at the Winter Meetings
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Shohei Ohtani’s path to MLB cleared after new posting agreement is reached before deadline
Ohtani comin’!
Well, thank goodness this all worked out, am I right?
For months, it looked like a lock that Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani would be transferring to MLB for 2018. Everybody was excited, we even started analyzing who would have the best shot at him and how his career might pan out in the US.
But then a snag occurred, and things started looking shaky. MLB’s posting system agreement with Nippon Professional Baseball expired and a new one wasn’t put in place. Which is still fine! In previous years that replacement didn’t get put in place until December, so the timeline still looked good for Ohtani’s transfer.
However, an open-ended timeline for a new posting system wasn’t to be because the MLBPA also needed to agree on the new system with Nippon Professional Baseball and they set an arbitrary cutoff for Monday, November 20th at 8pm EST.
Commissioner Manfred seemed unworried about the deadline and the possibility that Ohtani wouldn’t make it to an MLB team this year, which turns out was the right position to take, as an agreement is now in place and Ohtani will more than likely be in an MLB uniform next year.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports this agreement will last for three years, and will be ratified by the owners in 10 days. That means Ohtani can be posted by NPB as early as the end of next week. That means it’s time to get excited about Ohtani free agency for real. It’s time!
The new agreement, the rules of which will go into effect next offseason, will grant Japanese teams 20 percent of a player’s contract if they sign a deal for less than $25 million. That includes Ohtani’s upcoming contract since he isn’t eligible for free agency this years. If the contract is worth $25-50 million, that percentage drops to 17.5 percent, and if it’s between $50-100 million it goes down to 15 percent.
That addition to the agreement was a major negotiating point for NPB, as they have argued teams should get money beyond the posting amount as a way to more fully compensate teams that are losing one of their top players to MLB.
The Players Association shifted their negotiating deadline by 24 hours to see if talks would progress in a meaningful way, and that made all the difference. According to Jon Morosi negotiations came down to the wire to nail down final details, with discussions continuing as the business day started in Japan.
The important part of all this, besides Ohtani not having to hold off on his MLB dreams for another calendar year, is that the rest of us will get to watch the multi-talented player stateside next year. As long as something else doesn’t go wrong along the way.
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Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball
On Sunday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani pitched himself into the annals of baseball history. He became the only major leaguer since Babe Ruth to record 15 home runs and 50 innings pitched in a season. It was Ohtani’s first start since June, when he was first sidelined with a Grade II UCL sprain; the history-making nature of his return should have punctuated an already great day for baseball, the full-strength reinstatement of one of its must-watch players. The mood was, instead, one of vaguely sickening anticipation, an anxiety that mounted with each pitch, each location and velocity reading. Every small movement Ohtani made on the mound was scrutinized with the exacting eye you can only have when looking for a reason to be concerned.
Ohtani’s UCL issues were already a known concern prior to his signing with the Angels—he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in December for a Grade I UCL strain. When the issues resurfaced with greater severity after his start on June 6, Ohtani again received PRP treatment, and the general assumption was that Ohtani would need Tommy John, with the Angels taking the most cautious approach possible when it came to the health and protection of one of baseball’s most valuable players. A report surfaced that seemed to confirm surgery in Ohtani’s imminent future, even as the Angels maintained that they were "very optimistic" about his recovery. Eulogies for Ohtani’s incredible season of two-way mastery cut far too short were prepared. There was every expectation of not seeing him, or at the very least not seeing him on the mound, until 2020.
When Ohtani was re-evaluated a few weeks after he received the second PRP injection, though, the Angels’ medical staff concluded that he would not need surgery after all—that the treatment was progressing well, and that he wouldn’t even need to miss the rest of this season, let alone the next. He was cleared to start working toward hitting again; on the pitching side, he would be continually re-evaluated. On July 3rd, less than a month after the initial diagnosis of his elbow injury, Ohtani was cleared to return to the Angels’ lineup.
And here he was, on Sunday, September 2nd, pitching again, and pitching far sooner than most had expected. Ohtani’s first pitch to George Springer came in at 96.9 mph—a fastball outside for ball one. His second, another fastball at 95.7, was poked into right field for a base hit. Ohtani got out of the inning without allowing a run to score. But the second inning was more concerning. His average fastball velocity fell from 97.4 mph in the first to 95.5 in the second. In the third, it fell all the way to 91.4 mph; he recorded one out, gave up a two-run homer to Springer, and was pulled from the game. Both the Angels and Ohtani insisted that his elbow was fine.
Three days later, another MRI revealed further damage to Ohtani’s UCL. The doctors now recommended surgery. The dream of having a full-time two-way star in baseball has been put on hold.
The Angels had a difficult path to tread when it came to handling Ohtani’s injury. At the time the UCL sprain was diagnosed, while on a downward trajectory, they were still far from out of it—only four games out of the division lead, three games out of the second Wild Card. A competitive stretch run wasn’t yet out of the question, and if there was any chance of having Ohtani available to contribute on both sides of the plate for that possible meaningful stretch, they would certainly want to take it. There was also the fact that Ohtani, as this century’s first real two-way player, presented a unique set of concerns when it came to his rehab. Should they try to have him back in the lineup as soon as possible, making sure he continued to progress as a hitter? Would doing so jeopardize his recovery on the pitching side? It was a situation that no team has had to deal with before.
According to Angels GM Billy Eppler, there was no sign of further damage to Ohtani’s elbow throughout his months of recovery until Wednesday’s MRI, and no doctor had recommended Tommy John before then. The decision to have him pitch in a meaningless game now, as opposed to waiting for spring, makes sense: If the ligament had given out next March, Ohtani’s recovery would have been delayed into 2021. But Ohtani is now the latest in an unfortunate pattern of Angels pitching injuries. Per Jon Roegele’s Tommy John Surgery database, three Angels pitchers other than Ohtani have received PRP injections for UCL injuries over the past three years. All three eventually required surgery on the damaged ligaments. The Angels currently have four major-league pitchers on the DL recovering from Tommy John.
Tommy John surgeries have become more frequent across baseball, but the frequency with which Angels pitchers have been afflicted in recent seasons is exceptional, to the point where neither chronic mismanagement nor extremely bad luck seem like they could fully account for the phenomenon. The pitchers the Angels have had go down have been both young and old, developed in their system and acquired from elsewhere. Ohtani’s UCL issues didn’t start during his time with the Angels, but it’s with them that they’ve reached their breaking point. And with Ohtani sidelined at least as a pitcher, their chances of a competitive 2019 season have taken another hit, and with them their chances of keeping Mike Trout beyond 2020. A season that began with so much promise has ended about as sadly as it possibly could for the Angels. Baseball can be a cruel sport to love.
Ohtani hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll go ahead with surgery. If he does, it remains to be seen how he and the Angels will handle his recovery next season and beyond. But mere hours after receiving the news that his elbow had been damaged further, he was in the lineup at DH. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, which is certainly something no other major league pitcher can say they did on the day they found out they needed Tommy John. That he was still out there doing things never seen before, even on a day of crisis, was wonderful to behold. It also made the prospect of losing him for a full year all the more tragic. In only two months of Shohei Ohtani, two-way player, baseball fans got to experience a dazzling, generational talent in action, the thrill of a crazy experiment gone impossibly right. Now, something has gone wrong. We can only wait, and worry.
Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
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Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball
On Sunday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani pitched himself into the annals of baseball history. He became the only major leaguer since Babe Ruth to record 15 home runs and 50 innings pitched in a season. It was Ohtani’s first start since June, when he was first sidelined with a Grade II UCL sprain; the history-making nature of his return should have punctuated an already great day for baseball, the full-strength reinstatement of one of its must-watch players. The mood was, instead, one of vaguely sickening anticipation, an anxiety that mounted with each pitch, each location and velocity reading. Every small movement Ohtani made on the mound was scrutinized with the exacting eye you can only have when looking for a reason to be concerned.
Ohtani’s UCL issues were already a known concern prior to his signing with the Angels—he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in December for a Grade I UCL strain. When the issues resurfaced with greater severity after his start on June 6, Ohtani again received PRP treatment, and the general assumption was that Ohtani would need Tommy John, with the Angels taking the most cautious approach possible when it came to the health and protection of one of baseball’s most valuable players. A report surfaced that seemed to confirm surgery in Ohtani’s imminent future, even as the Angels maintained that they were "very optimistic" about his recovery. Eulogies for Ohtani’s incredible season of two-way mastery cut far too short were prepared. There was every expectation of not seeing him, or at the very least not seeing him on the mound, until 2020.
When Ohtani was re-evaluated a few weeks after he received the second PRP injection, though, the Angels’ medical staff concluded that he would not need surgery after all—that the treatment was progressing well, and that he wouldn’t even need to miss the rest of this season, let alone the next. He was cleared to start working toward hitting again; on the pitching side, he would be continually re-evaluated. On July 3rd, less than a month after the initial diagnosis of his elbow injury, Ohtani was cleared to return to the Angels’ lineup.
And here he was, on Sunday, September 2nd, pitching again, and pitching far sooner than most had expected. Ohtani’s first pitch to George Springer came in at 96.9 mph—a fastball outside for ball one. His second, another fastball at 95.7, was poked into right field for a base hit. Ohtani got out of the inning without allowing a run to score. But the second inning was more concerning. His average fastball velocity fell from 97.4 mph in the first to 95.5 in the second. In the third, it fell all the way to 91.4 mph; he recorded one out, gave up a two-run homer to Springer, and was pulled from the game. Both the Angels and Ohtani insisted that his elbow was fine.
Three days later, another MRI revealed further damage to Ohtani’s UCL. The doctors now recommended surgery. The dream of having a full-time two-way star in baseball has been put on hold.
The Angels had a difficult path to tread when it came to handling Ohtani’s injury. At the time the UCL sprain was diagnosed, while on a downward trajectory, they were still far from out of it—only four games out of the division lead, three games out of the second Wild Card. A competitive stretch run wasn’t yet out of the question, and if there was any chance of having Ohtani available to contribute on both sides of the plate for that possible meaningful stretch, they would certainly want to take it. There was also the fact that Ohtani, as this century’s first real two-way player, presented a unique set of concerns when it came to his rehab. Should they try to have him back in the lineup as soon as possible, making sure he continued to progress as a hitter? Would doing so jeopardize his recovery on the pitching side? It was a situation that no team has had to deal with before.
According to Angels GM Billy Eppler, there was no sign of further damage to Ohtani’s elbow throughout his months of recovery until Wednesday’s MRI, and no doctor had recommended Tommy John before then. The decision to have him pitch in a meaningless game now, as opposed to waiting for spring, makes sense: If the ligament had given out next March, Ohtani’s recovery would have been delayed into 2021. But Ohtani is now the latest in an unfortunate pattern of Angels pitching injuries. Per Jon Roegele’s Tommy John Surgery database, three Angels pitchers other than Ohtani have received PRP injections for UCL injuries over the past three years. All three eventually required surgery on the damaged ligaments. The Angels currently have four major-league pitchers on the DL recovering from Tommy John.
Tommy John surgeries have become more frequent across baseball, but the frequency with which Angels pitchers have been afflicted in recent seasons is exceptional, to the point where neither chronic mismanagement nor extremely bad luck seem like they could fully account for the phenomenon. The pitchers the Angels have had go down have been both young and old, developed in their system and acquired from elsewhere. Ohtani’s UCL issues didn’t start during his time with the Angels, but it’s with them that they’ve reached their breaking point. And with Ohtani sidelined at least as a pitcher, their chances of a competitive 2019 season have taken another hit, and with them their chances of keeping Mike Trout beyond 2020. A season that began with so much promise has ended about as sadly as it possibly could for the Angels. Baseball can be a cruel sport to love.
Ohtani hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll go ahead with surgery. If he does, it remains to be seen how he and the Angels will handle his recovery next season and beyond. But mere hours after receiving the news that his elbow had been damaged further, he was in the lineup at DH. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, which is certainly something no other major league pitcher can say they did on the day they found out they needed Tommy John. That he was still out there doing things never seen before, even on a day of crisis, was wonderful to behold. It also made the prospect of losing him for a full year all the more tragic. In only two months of Shohei Ohtani, two-way player, baseball fans got to experience a dazzling, generational talent in action, the thrill of a crazy experiment gone impossibly right. Now, something has gone wrong. We can only wait, and worry.
Shohei Ohtani and the Cruelty of Baseball published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
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