If Fickler is not a word, then I just invented it! If you haven’t been paying attention, relief pitchers are a fickle group. If you say that something is fickle, you mean that it often changes and is unreliable, and that would be the correct definition of relief pitchers… especially left-handed relief pitchers. Many Dodger fans wanted to trade the farm (Vargas, Pages, Busch, Frasso, et al) for David Bednar of the Pirates. The Pirates are doing very well with a 9-3 record. David Bednar has had four save opportunities and has blown three of them this season. He has a 12.46 ERA, and the league is hitting .300 off of him. Be careful what you wish for!
The Dodgers traded Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson to the Yankees, and both were LH. I do not want either of them back, but they are doing JUST OK as Yankees! As of today, the Dodgers have Ryan Yarbrough, Nick Ramirez, and Alex Vesia as LH relief pitchers. I do not count Yarbrough because he is an “opener” spot starter and long man out of the pen. That leaves Alex Vesia as the only LH Option in the Dodger Bullpen because Nick Ramirez is at AAA. The fact is, Nick Ramirez holds some promise, but the Dodger pitching instructors are working with him and probably need a few more weeks (they wish they had more time with Conner Brogden, but he is out of options).
Alex Vesia is maddening. We have seen this movie before! Alex has been in 7 games for the Dodgers and has a 4.05 ERA. He has walked six batters in 6 IP and struck out 7. The league is hitting .143 against him! If he didn’t walk batters, he would be amazing! But he does! Last season, he had 6.75 ERA before the All-Star Break and a 2.54 ERA after the break. In all fairness, last year, the league hit .361 against him the first half, so .143 is pretty dang good. He just needs to dispense with the walks.
Fans are already calling for Andrew Friedman and Josh Brynes to get another LH Reliever. Is that the solution? Maybe, but probably not! JP Feyereisen was very effective against LHP when healthy in the past. He is still rehabbing at OKC and may or may not ever get back to what he was. Treinen and Graterol are both very effective against LHP, but neither is ready. Ronan Kopp is a guy who could move quickly, but he is still in Arizona, trying to conquer his control (of all things). He is that situational lefty everyone dreams about. Kopp will allegedly join the Tulsa Drillers soon.
The Dodgers could convert Justin Wrobleski to a situation reliever… but I doubt it. Maybe Maddux Bruns could be converted to a lockdown reliever. Maybe not! Ok, if you are not part of the solution – you are part of the problem. Tell me: Who should the Dodgers get to be that lockdown guy in the bullpen? I want to know.
It’s possible that by the end of the season, the backend of the rotation could include, Stone, Hurt, and Kopp. Then the pen could Stone you, Hurt you and call the Kopp! Right about now… the Dodgers will wait…
The Show
- Bobby Miller wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t sharp. It was better than his last outing but not acceptable.
- Michael Grove was very good. That’s why the Dodgers have been keeping him around, and Joe Kelly did what he was supposed to do.
- When you only score two runs, you are not going to win a lot.
- It was a beautiful play involving five players to get Ohtani at the plate, which sealed the game.
Minor League Notes
- OKC played two… and lost two – 7-6 and 6-1. Landon Knack and Kevin Gowdy gave up all 6 runs in the second game.
- Vargas, Pages, and Lipcuis each went 1-3 in Game Two. Avans, Pagesm Sweeney, Vargas, and Lipcius are all hitting over .295. Actually, all are .300 and over except Pages (.295).
- Owings is as cold as he was hot in the Spring (.091).
- Game One was more competitive. Pages was 2-4 with a double and HR, and Vargas was 1-3 with a BB and 2 Runs scored.
- Kyle Hurt game up 3 hits and 2 ER in 2 IPs while striking out 3, and JF Feyereisen, who still is struggling, got the loss.
- Tulsa scored two touchdowns, winning 14-4. Beck, Rushing, and Young all homered.
- Brendon Davis was 2-5 with 2 RBI and is hitting .316.
- At Great Lakes, Thayron Liranzo is struggling after moving up to High-A – He is 0-12.
- Luis Rodriguez was 3-4.
- Great Lakes won 4-1 as Lucas Wepf pitched the final two shutout innings for the win. He struck out 4.
- Rancho won 4-0 as Swan, Emmett, and Gonzalez spun the shutout.
- Kendallk George is hitting just .111, but has a .529 OB% due to walking 8 times in 17 plate appearances. His strike zone is the size of a volleyball.
- Gelof was 2-4 and is hitting .316.
smorp
At first I took offense at your one word posts, but I like the use of non-words!
It took me a while to figure out what SMORP means, but I finally did:
Smorps are a race of small cerulean colored creatures, about four peaches high, known for their vicious nature. They live in communities of mushroom-shaped houses. Each Smorp is named after the job he does within the community (Soldier Smorp, Cook Smorp, etc.). They were created at the beginning of time.
Smorpette
Smorpette (AKA the Smorp Queen) was the only female Smorp. She was much larger than other Smorps and was apparently responsible in some way for Smorp breeding. She looked somewhat like a giant slug and ate human orphans. Smorpette is thought to have been killed by Jak Vorpal.
Connection to Usidore
Usidore the Wizard has had several run-ins with the Smorps and considers them evil. Once, the Smorps broke into Usidore’s house and dressed him up like a Smorp, briefly fooling him into thinking he’d become one. On another occasion the Smorps made Usidore the size of his cat, and the cat the size of Usidore; this event was partially attributed to the rise of The Dark Lord.
Usidore wants to get enough Smorps to turn them into gold, though he doesn’t explain the details of this plan. He also speaks of sicking his cat on them.
After being prodded, Usidore admits that he created Smorpette (then a normal-sized Smorp) in an attempt to “trick” the Smorps by adding a female to their mix. This backfired, when the Smorps used their magic to turn her into the large and disgusting Smorp Queen.
Extermination
Jak Vorpal, Foon’s former Greatest Swordsman wiped out nearly the entire race of Smorps (sparing only the Smorplings) on a mission for Good Queen Elsinore. He regrets it and has retired from adventuring.
Notes
Smorps have razor sharp teeth and beady eyes.
Most Smorps wear white pants, but their leader, Father Smorp, wear’s red clothing, stained with the blood of Smorp enemies.
how long is the leash on taylor?? we know it’s killing him! but joey gallo looks like ted williams compared to Chris!! even when heyward comes back hes left handed, not ragging on barnes but yesterday he looked more like himself. top 5 need bottom 4 to contribute something. yeah barnes was on and mookie was up., but even mookie isn’t going to come through every time. hopefully miller gets hhis mojo back. mark, heard anything on Walker? 2outof 3 in minnesota was ok. the cubs getting pounded in san diego last night ! Cease looks sharp. we couldn’t have beat their package? i still believe pitching will be fine, left field is a very big concern right now early or not. haven’t seen any roster moves, is trammel still there? wish andrew benetendi was right handed! he could be the answer in left. hell if heyward is down for awhile why not call the sox and have a conversation? guy can hit! trust chris taylor on defense any where, painful watching him at the plate!! hurry back Bear!
According to Roberts, Buehler will get one more rehab start before further assessing his eventual status with the big club. This generally lines up with the original timetable the club had for the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher out of Kentucky.
How long do the Dodgers hang with CT3? His ABs look horrible now hitting .037, w/ 27 AB’s with 1 hit and 14 Ks, SLG .037, OPS .225 . I have to think a phantom injury is on the horizon and a long rehab at AAA to see if he can get it right.
He has no trade value right about now and still has a contract for this year and 2025. Don’t see a DFA but I also don’t see much value in his game right now.
(I was typing my comment at the same time Dodger Dad was posting his). It is indeed painful to watch him hit right now knowing it will almost always in a K.
A broken record here but Vesia has never been a strike thrower. Every ab(Kelly) seemingly ends with a 3-2 count. That is who he is no matter the era. In a playoff game do u really want Vesia in with the game on the line? We will make it through the season with Vesia, Kelly, grove, but playoffs nah. If we have the current bullpen with Graterol and Treinen no trade is vital just don’t use those guys after the 5/6 inning.
Buehler will be back sooner than later and that will push Stone to the bullpen. Hurt and Kopp are also bullpen candidates by year-end.
Right now, Vesia is averaging 8.1 walks per 9 IP and 9.5 SO per 9 innings pitched.
In the second half of last year, he averaged 9.5 K’s per 9 innings and 1.2 walks per 9 IP.
For the whole year, in 2023, he averaged 3.1 BB per 9.
For his career, he is at 4.4 walks per 9 IP.
8.1 is beyond ridiculous, but if he can get back to 3.1 like last year, he will be effective.
OJ Simpson died as a result of cancer. There is a special place in hell for that guy.
Welcome to the hot place dead dude.
Does anyone have experience or knowledge about Federal investigations like this one?
Why is Ippei being prosecuted? Obviously he broke the state law, but I have read the thrust of the investigation is the bookie. Is this generally done to compel a state witness? The translator obviously has cultural issues, I’m sure he wasn’t fully versed in California or state wire laws. I know ignorance is no excuse, but I don’t understand why he’s being charged.
Perhaps tax evasion. He claims to be a graduate of UC Riverside so he may be more knowledgeable of US|Ca laws than you might think.
1. He allegedly took over $4.5 Million without Ohtani’s knowledge. That is called theft. If some of it was committed out of the State of California, it is a Federal Crime.
2. If it was over State Lines then the Feds have a much better record of winning prosecutions. You rarely beat the Federal Prosecutors.
3. Tax Evasion
I get point one, that just seems outside the scope of this Bookie investigation. Is that what happens? Scope just grows?
2. Same as above, this isn’t “in line” with the Bookie investigation.
The Bookies’ role could be both state and federal. If there is overlap, the feds usually show up.
It often becomes a fishing expedition. If they want you they will keep looking until they can fit the case to their facts.
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=109137484
This might provide some answers to Bluto
Yes. Thank you.
It echoes much of what Mark said, so thanks to both.
That link was very helpful.
For the Record: I predicted that OJ would be acquitted in his Murder Trial.
There wasn’t enough evidence, but in the Civil Suit it was a different story.
Jury nullification.
There was plenty of evidence such as blood evidence (Nicole and Goodman’s blood in the Bronco, shoe print impression (Bruno Magli shoes) bloody glove etc just off the top of my head
Of course, there was evidence, but evidently, but much of it was circumstantial. To the jury, it did not meet the threshold of “beyond a reasonable doubt!”
In the civil trial however, it was guilty by a “preponderance of the evidence.” That is a much lower threshold.
I am not trying to say he was a good guy, just discussing the facts of the trial.
I asked ChatGPT about it:
User
Why did OJ simpson win his criminal trial?
ChatGPT
O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the criminal charges of murder in the 1995 trial for the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Several factors contributed to his acquittal:
Reasonable Doubt: The defense team, led by Johnnie Cochran, successfully raised doubts about the prosecution’s evidence and narrative. They argued that the evidence was contaminated, mishandled, and potentially planted by the police.
Police Misconduct Allegations: The defense team highlighted instances of alleged misconduct by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), including racist remarks made by Detective Mark Fuhrman, which raised doubts about the integrity of the investigation and the evidence presented.
Defense Strategy: The defense team employed a strategy that focused on attacking the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, pointing out inconsistencies in their testimonies and suggesting alternative theories of the crime.
Celebrity Status: O.J. Simpson’s celebrity status and the high-profile nature of the case may have influenced the jury’s perception and decision-making process.
Prosecution Errors: The prosecution made several errors during the trial, including the handling of evidence and witnesses, which may have weakened their case.
These factors, along with others, contributed to the jury’s decision to acquit O.J. Simpson of the criminal charges. However, it’s important to note that the acquittal in the criminal trial does not imply innocence but rather that the prosecution did not meet the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
There were other factors at play in this case, based on the racial climate in LA after Rodney King.
True.
“There wasn’t enough evidence”
No. There was a fuck-ton of evidence.
Now, you can argue the defense strategy was very good, and successfully created the avenue for reasonable doubt, but under normal circumstances, in a non-racially charged, non jury nullifying, non post-Rodney King atmosphere, this would’ve been a slam dunk case.
The prosecution made some really stupid errors, too. Everyone knows that leather shrinks and gets stiff when it gets wet and subsequently dries. To try to put on a shrunken leather glove that’s already meant to be snug fitting – over a latex glove, which has a very high coefficient of friction – is an impossible task. They were stupid for allowing that stunt. Marcia Clark actually leveraged that failure into a cable TV talk show for a while.
The case was lost when the venue and the potential jury pool was moved out of Brentwood (for political reasons).
30+ years ago, I read this book (actually several times) and it changed my who outlook on evidence:
https://www.amazon.com/Evidentiary-Foundations-LATEST-Edward-Imwinkelried/dp/1663351384/ref=sr_1_6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._i-dgzDNTrydi1YED2ocBgtAb7HnMfrtT1V4mlXmkOS7MDNFKOEArO2wtQFJPWkLwDPNL1Q-qcfg5tp9k3DPVCyKbyXDTibgT9qOzQF8jGdgKuQWn_prgFEeHiVpgMbAeTcLAZe5wezFQod9vWjQSRQslSSkb_wTKXQDCuuo7zgtEEoXsxj_vQiNWMeOivfUijGRcQt4G89rD8IS7-5mDoUXdq_r1iXqJc686-O3ITs.ShFbgDdmzA1VU228oJxacLKjjRYELszgLTshwyz80JA&dib_tag=se&hvadid=580635331632&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9016116&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10507433742536377988&hvtargid=kwd-10066506017&hydadcr=22597_13493304&keywords=evidentiary+foundations+imwinkelried&qid=1712865637&sr=8-6
I’m not reading a $300/480 page book to get the point you’re trying to make. Just make the point.
I imagine it covers things like chain-of-custody issues with collecting physical evidence. Again, in attacking the way the evidence was handled, particularly the DNA evidence (which was new at the time), a defense team can craft a good reasonable doubt case.
I remember long, tedious testimony during that trial over PCR testing and false positives. PCR DNA testing was relatively new at the time, so protocols were probably still being established on collecting and processing samples. Even so, OJ’s DNA can’t just magically appear in the sample. You then have to argue that it was planted, which the defense did, too … and this played with the jury which was already suspicious of and had bias against the police.
There was PLENTY of evidence. The defense successfully made the case that there were enough doubts about how it was collected and the racist motivations of the police that they created reasonable (or unreasonable, depending on your perspective) doubt.
But don’t say there wasn’t enough evidence.
There was enough evidence in the Civil trial because the threshold is lower. It is just a preponderance of the evidence. “Preponderance of the evidence” is a legal standard used in civil trials to determine the verdict. It means that the evidence presented by one party is more convincing or has more weight than the evidence presented by the other party. In other words, if one side’s evidence is more likely true than not, then that side should prevail.
It’s often described as the tipping of the scales of justice slightly in favor of one party over the other. This standard is less demanding than “beyond a reasonable doubt,” which is the standard used in criminal trials.
However, in OJ’s Criminal Trial as well as every other criminal trial, the standard “Guilty Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” makes all the difference. No matter how much evidence there is, you have to ask, “Is there a Reasonable Doubt.” To me, that means there either was not enough evidence or the defense created doubt as to the evidence… probably both!
BTW, there is no one point to be made about the book. It’s just a fascinating learning experience to see how evidence is actually built, brick by brick.
Never forget:
https://twitter.com/TrungTPhan/status/1778446414034669957
This is how you do humor with controversial subjects. Pity this skill has been lost.
The single leather glove is an especially nice touch, here.
Over $16 Million Wow!
Shame OJ didn’t live long enough to find the real killers.
This is staggering:
Per the Ippei Mizuhara complaint:
– He made approximately 19,000 wagers between Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2024, around 25 per day
– Bets ranged from $10 to $160,000, averaging $12,800
– He lost $182,935,206.68
– He won $142,256,769.74
– Net loss: $40,678,436.95
– No bets on baseball
That is beyond staggering!
He must have been ahead quite a bit at times.
To parlay $16 Million into about $325 Million in wins and losses seems amazing!
… and to think this started out as a discussion on Vesia and CT3!
😉
I read the Ippei complaint. It goes into sufficient detail to end any speculation about Ohtani betting on anything.
But there are some interesting things that one can read between the lines.
1. Ippei is not very smart. The only reason this came to light was the fact that his contact in this bookmaking ring was raided by the FBI some time ago. Just as the FBI is not interested in prosecuting drug users over drug distributors, the FBI isn’t interested in going after degenerate gamblers. They want to take down the book making operation.
However, while reviewing tens of thousands of bank transactions associated with thousands of gamblers, you’ll take note of the name Ohtani. Had Ippei not sent money directly from Ohtani’s account to the bookmaker, it’s likely this wouldn’t have come to light. Af least not now.
2. This account was set up by Ippei and Ohtani in Arizona in 2018, per the complaint. I will make an assumption that this was done before spring training in Ohtani’s first year with the Angels. My guess would be that the angels needed an account for direct deposit of his payroll funds as he was going to begin being paid during spring training (the complaint states the only money that went into this account was payroll).
Ohtani got busy playing baseball and soon after he starting making big money from other sources. That money was handled by his agency’s financial advisors. In 2018 and 2019 Ohtani made a little more than $500k per year. Compared to his tens of millions of endorsements they was a pittance.
I was not until 2021 that Ohtani’s Angels salary went up. He made $3m in 2021, $5m in 2022. And $30m in 2023z When did Ippie start making big time bets? 2021. With the largest transfers being in 2023. When the account was getting fat.
In the complaint it states that at some point around 2021 his financial advisors contacted Ippei with regards to this account. Ippei told them that Ohtani wanted to keep that one account private. They apparently believed him.
So how? Again, based on the info in the indictment Ippei help Ohtani open this account. I’m assuming sitting with him and filling out the paperwork on his half. Ohtani spoke zero English in 2018. So this gave him all the info he needed. Account details, security questions, PIN number ect. In the complaint it states at some point around 2021 Ippei changed the phone number, email and address on that account to his own. Ohtani no longer was going to get any statements or emails for that account.
As Ohtani began making massive money in 2019 and beyond, I’m sure his financial assets and investments became more complicated. Lots of statements, investments going up and down in value, money going in and money going out. Total value being well over $100-$200m by 2021. And yet there was this little account that he opened in Arizona in 2018. Which for a few years only had a few hundred thousand dollars in it.
I’m will to get by 2021 Ohtani has complete forgotten that account existed and just assumed all his money was going to his advisors. So Ippei had control of an account that was now accumulating millions of dollars. By 2023 it was accumulating somewhere around $5m per month. And only he knew about what was going on in that account. The complaint states that he pretended to be Ohtani on phone calls to the bank. He knew everything they could have asked to verify his identity.
So how do you steal $16m from a pro athlete? That’s how.
I believe Ohtani’s financial advisors may bear some liability is this case. I can’t fathom why they didn’t hire somebody who speaks Japanese for a client the size of Ohtani. They apparently utilized Ippei as the only contact for Ohtani. They had no way to verify that Ippei was passing on correct information to Ohtani. And had nobody on staff who could speak with Ohtani. The complaint does not state that Ippei had power of attorney, and there would be no logical reason he would have been given that power. That is quite a breach of fiduciary responsibility by Ohtani’s financial managers. On a level I kind of find shocking.
Ippei was the total gate keeper. For seemingly everything. He needs to go to jail for a long time. And if I were Ohtani, I’d be looking into suing his advisors. Even if he encouraged people go through Ippei, they should have set things up where an independent, arms length member of their staff could communicate with Ohtani directly.
This complaint should put this all to rest. I’m sure there will be many of the more “unhinged” who will still blather on about Ippei being a patsy and the FBI covering for MLB. But those people are lead paint as children and/or were dropped on their head repeatedly as infants: so they have my sympathy.
Sorry for the typos. I hacked that out on my phone. And I think I need new glasses.
Excellent analysis Jayne.
I can see it playing out exactly as you have surmised.
His financial advisors should immediately be fired and sued.
With regard to your new glasses, I’ll be happy to take care of that for you. I just need your bank account number and password.
Appreciate it. I’ll send you my mothers Madden name, where my grandfather was born too. Just to expedite the process.
She’s related to Madden?
Holy cow!
Refer back to my comment about typos.
That said, yes she’s related to John Madden. Turkey legs an all. 🙂
Thanks for the analysis. Play Ball!
I see Jordon Montgomery fired Scott Borass!
Hummmm….
I would not be surprised if Borass turned down a Aaron Nola type deal for Montgomery early is Free Agency.
Every dog has his day and Borass may have had his.
His bottom line was unaffected.
Borass or Montgomery?
Well, that’s not true for either one.
Guess I wasn’t clear with Will Smith. Smith is an all star catcher. His bat is as good as any catcher in MLB. The reason I suggested Smith getting reps at 3rd in spring training and possibly play third one game a week. This way he sits one day week and plays third one day a week. The stress on his legs and back would be reduced. As playing make believe front office, I’d see on our top ten prospects, three our catchers. Of course they are prospects. In our top 30 there isn’t any third basemen. Of course we could trade those prospects to go get a third baseman. Muncy has at most two years left in the tank. So in my being a front office, I’d be looking down the road three years. If one of our catching prospects turns out, we have a great hitting third baseman and a good young catcher. If none of the prospects turns out or Muncy continues to play well down the road, Smith continues to catch. I believe a good front office has depth charts for three or four years down the road. It is a loose depth chart and be willing to change if warranted. When I posted about this yesterday it wasn’t to sit Smith it was actually to get more quality years from Smith. Just looked we have a third baseman ranked 22 for the Quakes.
Stick with CT3, he’s gonna be fine….
Vesia can be frustrating as hell, but I am not going to dump on the guy. The offense lost that game, not the pitching. They left 8 runners on base, had a man thrown out at the plate, were 1-7 with runners in scoring position, and once again, struck out in double digits. And yes, all the usual suspects struck out. Max and Teoscar twice. Not getting a run when you have a runner in scoring position with less than 2 outs is bad enough, but stranding a leadoff hitter who is in scoring position, well , that is worse. They had Paddock on the ropes in the first and scored once. Taylor looks totally lost.