L.A. superstar, Shohie Ohtani, loses his closest male friend, just after he marries a female (basketball player).

Everytime someone says it’s 2024, I’m reminded it’s still 1947

Admirable 39 year old “young” star wants to keep personal life . . . discreet.

I'd love it to be some gay drama OP but the friend was supposedly using Ohtani's millions to pay off gambling debts and continue to place high stakes bets in an illegal gambling ring. That's shady as fuck and Ohtani was justified in severing ties with him.

[quote]Admirable 39 year old “young” star wants to keep personal life . . . discreet.

Well, you're only ten years off. He's 29; she's 28.

I'm with OP.

I still think Ohtani is gay.

His new wife looks like a total lesbian.

And his wedding came as a shock to everyone, because no one even knew they were dating.

[quote] Ohtani is married to former professional basketball player Mamiko Tanaka. Ohtani announced in February 2024 that he had married but declined to disclose his wife's identity except to say, "She's a normal Japanese woman". The next month, he revealed her identity by posting a photograph of himself with Tanaka.

I think that his agent/manager told him to beard up because given the huge sum of money he is being paid in his new contract, they didn't want any gay rumors to mess it up.

That said, I do think that his former "best friend" was his lover. It just so happened that his lover was a shady thief.

It happens.

R5, she reminds me of Kim Jong Un's sister there.

In photos, he seems way more engaged with his interpreter.

He and his new wife look more like people forced to stand next to each other for a photo.

Incidentally, it was the Dodgers who fired the interpreter, and not Ohtani himself.

I think they might have gotten wind of a possible "relationship" with the interpreter.

So they made him marry a beard, and then fired the interpreter.

The whole situation stinks of a cover-up.

They are Orientals. No one cares.

r3 Where did the assistant get 4.5 mil to bet? Obviously and in fine Japanese tradition Ippai is falling on his sword to protect Shohei. As an Angels fan this affair couldnt make me happier. The only way it could make me happier is if Arte Moreno ratted him out to the FBI.

People wondered why Shohei signed a '700 mil' 10 year contract but will only receive 2 mil a year for the next 10 years with the rest deferred. The way Ohtanis people designed the deferred portion of the contract made it exempt from Cali state income taxes. 690 mil exempt. He is a piece of shit.

Actually he's very smart, R9. The only blame to place is squarely on the Angels owner and GM for failing to build a decent team around, arguably, the two best players in MLB, Ohtani and Trout. Angels are a joke.

I love Japanese names.. They’re fun to say.

From the Washington Post story

[quote]So it was not only stunning, but downright unmooring, when news reports surfaced Wednesday alleging that Mizuhara had accumulated millions in gambling debt that Ohtani helped him pay as Ohtani’s representatives, the West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler, claimed “massive theft” against their client.

His wife is a basketball player. Just sayin'

r10 The Angels signed Anthony Rendon as a FA and extended Trout. Both Rendon and Trout have missed significant time each of the last 3 seasons. Had they both been healthy the Angels would have had a lot more success.

R9 doesn’t understand how income tax works

Too bad Rendon's an unprofessional jerkoff.

Op unfortunately has gay on the brain.

Born that way, R17

R18 but why fabricate? You know there is no 🔥

[quote] How much did Shohei Ohtani's interpreter earn before being fired?

Attorneys for Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani are alleging that his longtime interpreter stole millions from the Los Angeles Dodgers player, despite earning a hefty salary himself.

Ippei Mizuhara, 39, who has been standing alongside Ohtani for the entirety of 29-year-old phenom's six years in MLB, was paid up to half a million dollars a year to serve as an English translator for the native Japanese speaker, before being fired Wednesday, according to ESPN.

Mizuhara told ESPN he has been paid between $300,000 and $500,000 annually, according to the sports outlet's report.

Born in Japan, Mizuhara was raised in Southern California and graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2007. Mizuhara did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch's request for comment on his salary.

While a new job listing has not been posted, prospective replacements for Mizuhara have already inundated the Dodgers with applications to fill the empty interpreter role, according to The Washington Post.

Neither the MLB nor the Dodgers could be reached for comment.

Interpreters have become increasingly necessary in MLB as teams recruit more players from Japan, who often don't have teammates or coaches they can communicate with in their native tongue. Interpreters can also double as personal assistants, carrying out duties that are unrelated to baseball or action on the field.

"I'm with him all offseason, too. I'm with him 365 days of the year, which I think is different than the other interpreters," Mizuhara once told The Athletic.

When he was employed, Mizuhara was more generously compensated than the average interpreter, including those who work in the hospitality and medical fields. The average pay for interpreters and translators in 2022 was $53,640 per year or $25.79 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

r15 you were saying?

Just like the income, tax is deferred not eliminated. It has nothing to do with him being in California. As you’d know if you read the article—call Congress and bitch at them. Deferred income is used everywhere, by all types of people, not just superstar athletes.

[quote]He and his new wife look more like people forced to stand next to each other for a photo.

They look like friends.

r22 didnt read carefully. As long as Ohtani moves out of California by 2034 he avoids all state taxes on the money.

"California has been known to change the law to send tax revenues its way, sometimes even retroactively, such as the 2023 law to retroactively tax certain trusts. But a change to get a piece of deferred pay deals like Ohtani’s would have to be made to federal tax law, not just California. The California Controller asked for Congress to step in over the $700 million Dodgers player contract that awards the start pitcher-slugger just $20 million for ten years of play. The whopping $680 million payout kicks in for 2034 through 2043 to nicely escape California tax, as long as Ohtani moves out by 2034."

R22 “As long as Ohtani moves out of California by 2034 he avoids all state taxes on the money.” That’s not correct; he will still pay tax in the jurisdiction where he resides or works.

And, fyi: His upfront salary is not even all taxable in California. For every game he plays outside of California, the pro rata income is taxable in that other locale (assuming they have an income tax and there’s no reciprocity with CA). He’s paying tax elsewhere already on away games not played against the Giants, As, Angels or Padres.

His wife Mamiko Tanaka is uber butch.

He's a good looking guy.

OP- Headline fail. This is a gambling scandal, maybe the biggest one we've ever seen, and they've already told at least 3 different versions about what happened.

It’s gay gossip !

It’s gambling gossip !

It’s a gay gossip !

STOP. You’re Both Right !

[quote][R10] The Angels signed Anthony Rendon as a FA and extended Trout. Both Rendon and Trout have missed significant time each of the last 3 seasons. Had they both been healthy the Angels would have had a lot more success.

Keep telling yourself that.

[quote]I love Japanese names.. They’re fun to say.

And generally easy to spell, as they look just like they sound. As opposed to, say, Polish names, which are my kryptonite.

Has the former translator/“friend” been reinterviewed?