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“DODGERS-TRUTH-LIES”
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At first glance of the story, you did not know who to believe, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani or his Personal Aid Ippe Muzikara.

You know, the gambling addiction, the payoff of 4.5M to an illegal bookie in Orange County.

The ever shifting story of what was a gift, what was a loan from player to friend.

Now the story has shifted again, with Ohtani’s 16-minute press statement to a jam packed media on Monday.

Ohtani delivered a strong message in 2-languages.  It came in like a 101 mph fastball when he pitched; it left the yard with an exit velocity of a 107mph home run onto the Pavilion.

While the Dodgers 700M man was delivering a strong message, the man who started this has gone underground, his trail of lies left behind.l

Yes, so many unanswered questions, but that will be detailed when MLB and the IRS completes what will be a long-long investigation.

Here’s what Ohtani said:

..Sad-Shocked-Someone I Trusted would do this
..I never bet on baseball nor on any sport
..Never bet with a Bookmaker
..Never asked anyone to place a bet for me
..Ippe Mizuhara lied and stole money from my accounts
..I did not know of his gambling addictions and debtgs
..I never agreed to pay his debts to a bookmaker
..Ippe used my accounts to pay a bookie
..Ippe never told me about a media interview
..Ippe said it was to pay off debts-not gambling debts
..Everything he said was a complete lie
..Did not know about his gambling till a clubhouse meeting
..I am beyond shocked
..I will cooperate in all investigations.

There are lots more questions to be answered.

Muzikara lied to the Angels about having worked with the Red Sox
Lied about his education
Is being investigated for what he did or did not do with Nippon Ham Fighters?.
Did he have gambling debts in Japan?

Did he have pass word access to Ohtani’s accounts?
Did he access Ohtani’s Charity Fund accounts to pilfer money?
Did he lie to the Dodgers star about failed business transaction debts?
Did Ohtani allow him access to money to pay bills-make investments?

We’re not done with this story.
MLB is just getting started and now the IRS is involved too.

But for 16-minutes on a Monday, it was an impressive display of emotion and honesty by the Japanese pitcher, who has always been distant from his team and teammates when he is not in the stadium.

Truth-Lies..more to be found out.

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“MARCH MADNESS-MONDAY”
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There’s a big distance between San Diego and New Haven.

There’s a big different in spring weather-sunshine here-sleet there

There’s a big difference between the level of talent from the MWC to the Ivy League

The end result was a dominant performance by San Diego State, an overwhelming beatdown of Yale, and a ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney.

The Aztecs came out firing, Jaedon LeDee put on a dazzling show of complete basketball, and the SDSU bench bunch buried 3-point shot after 3-point shot in knocking out the Bulldogs.

SDSU hit 7-3’s in the first half.  LeDee went (6-for-7) shooting to start and swept the boards.  And the Aztecs roared to a (10-0) start and then added another (11-0) run to put the game away early.

LeDee finished with (26P)..his team a season high 13-3’s and did what SDSU always does, boards and beats you up on defense.

James Jones, the venerable Yale coach, knew it would be hard.  He knew he was not playing Harvard-Princeton nor Brown.  His players now know what a true 1st round draft pick looks like and plays like, in LeDee.

SDSU had the benefit of an easy schedule, putting away UAB and facing an undermanned Yale team, that had shocked Auburn.

On they go, and look who they play next, U-Conn, last year’s national champion, which will roll into Boston with a (33-3) record.  And it will be complicated with a short work week, and a Thursday early game. (4-30pm) against Dan Hurley’s Huskies.

This has been a successful weekend, next weekend will really be hard.

At least it was not like what happened other places in other regionals.

That’s how you explain 11-upsets in the first two rounds this weekend.

Gonzaga rocked Kansas.
Clemson sent Baylor home.
Grand Canyon eliminated St Marys
Oakland shocked Kentucky

And it went on and on, and included a couple of near upsets, that almost claimed #1-Houston, and a couple of 100-point shootout games.

Of course the stunning lst round wins for Yale-James Madison-Duquesne-Dayton and others came to a pretty fast crashing conclusion as the wheels fell off Cinderella’s carriage on Saturday and Sunday.  But it was exciting and the little guys got 15-minutes of fame.

It was hard to see 4-Mountain West teams get stomped in their opening games, but that’s what happens this time of the month.

Everyone loves March Madness, though it might be dangerous to a coaches health.

What a job SDSU has done in what could have been a rebuild year.

What a job Brian Dutcher has done taking a new breed of players to replace the team that got to the finals.

Good kids, good team, great leadership.  The Aztecs and March Madness, fun to watch.

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“PADRES-DODGERS-OHTANI

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A  turnaroud performance for the Padres, as they outslugged the Dodgers in the 2nd game in Korea (15-11).

it turned out to be a bullpen day..some good…some bad for both teams.

Dodgers big money rookie pitcher Yosh Yomamoto lasts one inning, throws 43-pitches in that ghastly first inning, gives up 5-runs, 4-hits, two extra base hits, 2-walks and a hit batsmen.

He did not have a strong spring and even worse first start.  They need patience with him.  He needs to find his confidence.

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Dave Roberts better be concerned about his defense.  For every play Mookie Betts made at shortstop, Max Muncy failed to make plays at 3rd base.  He failed to get to 4-ground balls that aided San Diego rallies.

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Everybody hit for the Friars.  Jake Cronenworth went (4-for-4) with 4-RBIs, maybe the best day in 3-years.  Now we see if this is a jumping off point to wash away 2-substandard years at the plate.  Manny Machasdo with a monster 3R-HR…Luis Campusano a couple of hits.  For one day the lineup looked dangerous.

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Joe Musgrove seems a long ways off, and it must be viewed this is a ‘process’, his comeback from shoulder capsule problems.  He last just (2.2 inn)..touched up for runs-hits-bases on balls.  This a day after Yu Darvish struggled to located his pitchers.  Will take time for both.

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Shohei Ohtani, what a stunning 24-hours.  Baseball celebrated the Japanese star on opening night, Korean and Japan fans did the same.  Overnight, all this damning evidence that led to the firing of his personal aide, for a gambling addiction.  And the mixed bag of stories of 1M being taken from Ohtani bank accounts to pay off the gaming debts of his personal aide.  MLB has now begun the probe.

Did Ohtani transfer the money.  Did his assistant get access to those accounts and steal the money.  No one is talking but this is a bad look for the so called ‘face of the franchise’. Thus the MLB probe underway.

Guess the only question, is Showtime stupid or naive?  Give personal access to your banking accounts to that guy?  Not think there was anything wrong to give your money to a gambling accountant to pay off debts?  How could he not consider what he was doing wrong?

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“PADRES OPENING DAY-MORE OF THE SAME”
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Observations from what I saw at 3am as the Padres opened the season with the Dodgers.

SAME OLD-SAME OLD…Another game with LA-same result, a loss.  It just never seems to end, this time a (5-2) setback on opening day.

BIG BATS-NO BATS…Flashback..heart of Padres order went (0-14)..Tatis-Machado-Cronenworth-Kim-Merrill.

BROKEN GLOVE..Keeping score at home the Dodgers scored a run on a hot 1-hopper that went thru the webbing of Jake Cronenworth’s glove, breaking the webbing triggering the 8th inning rally.

YU NOT YOU..Darvish had trouble locating his pitches for much of the early innings.  He labored just beyond the 3rd inning, finished with 107-pitches, just not dazzling.

DO NOT PASS GO…It was not Monoply, but the Padres pitchers issued all of 9 bases on balls.  If LA had a few more timely hits the game would have been more lopsided.

NOT PRESEASON ANYMORE…Jhony Brito-Adrian Morejon had been strong in the Cactus League, but got banged around in the 8th and 9th innings..giving up a combined 4-runs.

SHOWTIME…Ohtani was on camera 56-times in the 9 innings..in the field, at the plate, in the dugout.  He responded with two blistering hits. two weak swings in the field, and a long foul ball home run down the line.  Two observations, what a powerful-quick swing.  Can he fly down the basepaths.

TYLER WADE…A bad throwing error, then a diving ground ball he turned into a big defensive play

PADRES BATS…This makes you remember last year, bases loaded, no outs, and they score just 1-run.

MOOKIE CAN BALL…Betts handled a couple of hot shots and made big throws from the hole in short in his debut at that position.

HOLD YOUR BREATH…Gavin Lux nearly threw away an early inning ground ball but Freddie Freeman recovered it quickly…this might be an adventure watching him.

DAVE ROBERTS SNEER…All the talk about the LA defense in the infield, a bad sneer on Roberts face when Max Muncie and Glasnow failed to communicate on a bunt that wound up being a throwing error that loaded the bases.  Could have been a messy inning, but LA escaped big damage.

YUKI MATSUI..ignored all week in the Japanese storylines about the game, the Padres reliever showed strong stuff, low in the strike zone pitches, in an efficient 1-2-3 inning.

SUK GOO..The Korean reliever did not make the 31-man travel squad to Seoul…he was optioned to AAA-El Paso the night the Padres left for Seoul.  He was behind in pitching and not ready.

DE LOS SANTOS…The ex Cleveland Guardian showed electric stuff in his one inning of work, with ball movement and a strange delivery.

PITCHING CLOCK…Wandy Peralta was cited for 2-violations of the pitching clock, in fact the Padres hurler had 5-clock violations on opening day..must be some type of record

SNEAK PREVIEW…They ran out almost the entire bullpen, seven relievers in all and most did okay.

BREAKING GLASS…Tyler Glasnow’s debut, pretty impressive…5-innings..2-runs in one bad inning, and was clocked at 97mph.

SKYDOME…Their state of the art park seats only 17,000 which was surprising to me.

HOME TOWN HERO…Cool shot of fans in a theatre in Shohei’s home town watching the game on satellite feed.

JERSEYS..No Peter Seidler ‘love ‘ patch on the opening day of the Padres jerseys, replaced by a corporate sponsor ad and the Seoul Series logo.

MOMENT OF SILENCE…In reverence to the late Padres owner, a nice scoreboard salute just before the first pitch..

MISSING IN ACTION…The US-National Anthem but I thought they would salute the South Korean anthem too, but they did not.

THE FANS IN THE STANDS…Now it was a really different atmosphere during the game.  Cheerleaders on the top of the dugout?  Please.  Fans sat on their hands most of the night except for a big hit.  Enough with the continued banging of the drums and fans singing during the innings. Surely not like the crowds for Dodgers-Padres game at Petco.  No beat LA-beat LA…Heard Ha-Seong Kim chant just once.  Fans were polite as if they were at a concert.  Wouldn’t find that at Yankees Stadium or Philadelphia or Boston.

GAME GEAR…Hardly saw any Padres fans wearing their jerseys.  As expected every type of Dodgers gear, every type of Ohtani clothing was in full view all game long.

GOOD BROADCAST RUINED…Really disappointed in Karl Ravch-Eduardo Perez broadcast…Talked and talked like they were doing a talk show during the first five innings of so.  Let the game breathe will you.  The use of the Korean TV reporter on the sideline was okay., but the content was weak.  Think ESPN really missed a chance to do creative things, dugout interviews, fans in the stands, interviewing players’ families.  A John Smoltz-Buster Olney touch would have added alot.  Trash the features on Korean food-why is that important on opening day?  The bullpen shots, downstairs, off the field, was unique.  Show me the clubhouse too.  Show me a historical segment of the city of Seoul.  Tell me about North Korea-South Korea and that atmosphere.  Could have done more….And with Commissioner Rob Manfred in the booth, why all the softball questions for his half of the inning.  Do a real interview please.

SCANDAL CITY…The AP reported late after the game the Dodgers terminated Ohtani’s personal aide-interpreter Ipp Mizuhara because of his friendships with gamblers and allegation Mizuhara was stealing money from Ohtani during his years with the Angels.  Reports are investigators discovered (4.5M) in money transferred from Ohtani accounts to Mizuhara’s accounts to pay off gambling debts in Southern California and Japan.  Wow.

MISSING…It was opening day, and here I was clamoring for a Beer and a Dog..but it was 3am in my house, so I didn’t get that either.

Only counts as one game, one loss, so we see what Thursday brings us.

Yeah it felt like so many other Dodgers-Padres games, a loss.  At least it wasn’t an 8-run first inning like the opening day of Spring Training this year.  At least it wasn’t a 15-0 sweep on opening day years back with Andy Green’s debut.

Opening day.  Wasn’t a win.  Could have been better game.

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“MARCH MADNESS-WILD NIGHTS”
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Bring it on…college basketball in March, the NCAA tournament.

Bring it on…The big boys playing the little guy.

Bring it on…Some name team getting upset-shocked-sent home.

Bring it on..a #16-seed beating a #1.

That’s only happened twice in March Madness history, but with the landscape has changed so much in the last couple of years, that more of these bad nights for the big boys is likely to happen.

The transfer portal has brought us firepower players going anywhere-everywhere making teams really dangerous.

The 3-point shot is an integral part of the game now, because so many great athletes who can fire from the next area code.

The invasion of the best players from Europe, and now to a degree from Africa, have helped reshape rosters.

So don’t be stunned if we revisit shockers, especially the first weekend of the tourney.

Here’s a look at the biggest upsets in March Madness history, courtesy of the Sporting News archives:

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11. No. 14 Abilene Christian 53, No. 3 Texas 52 (2021)
Shaka Smart has produced his share of highlights as a head coach in March Madness. This upset ranks as the lowest point of Smart’s NCAA Tournament career when his Texas team spit the bit against Abilene Christian.

Joe Pleasant calmly sank two free throws with a little over a second remaining. He then picked off an errant pass to give the Wildcats their first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament. The nine-point underdog hailed from Abilene, Texas, making its win over the state’s flagship school even bigger.

Tourney time: March Madness longshots | How Vegas oddsmakers create NCAA Tournament betting lines

10. No. 13 Princeton 43, No. 4 UCLA 41 (1996)
The Daily Princetonian’s headline succinctly captured the essence of this upset: David 43 Goliath 41.

Princeton head coach Pete Carril and the Tigers literally back-doored their way to victory. The winning margin came on a back-door layup by freshman Gabe Lewullis with 3.9 second left.

Most observers thought this would be Carril’s final game after nearly three decades at the Ivy League school. As it turned out, he had one game remaining when Mississippi State knocked off Princeton 63-41 in the second round.

9. No. 15 Lehigh 75, No. 2 Duke 70 (2012)
Lightning-quick guard C.J. McCollum bedeviled Duke with 30 points to give Lehigh its One Shining Moment in this opening round game in Greensboro. This was a home game for Duke with its campus located just 55 miles away.

The Mountain Hawks haven’t been back to the NCAA Tournament since producing one of the biggest March Madness upsets.

8. No. 15 Richmond 73, No. 2 Syracuse 69 (1991)
This one stung if you were a kid from Upstate New York. Syracuse forever owns the distinction of being the first No. 2 seed to lose a No. 15.

Curtis Blair scored a team-high 18 points for Richmond, which knocked off a Syracuse team that ran roughshod in the Big East that season. Billy Owens scored 22 points in a losing cause for the Orangemen.

7. No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55 (2023)
Princeton makes another appearance on this list after last year’s shocking upset over Arizona. The Tigers took down their second Pac-12 powerhouse program by scoring the final nine points of the game.

Tosan Evbuomwan scored 15 points to lead Princeton, whose head coach Mitch Henderson played on Pete Carill’s 1996 team that beat UCLA.

6. No.15 Florida Gulf Coast 78, No. 2 Georgetown 68 (2013)
Florida Gulf Coast stunned Georgetown in its second year of NCAA Tournament eligibility.

Sherwood Brown had a game-high 24 points and Bernard Thompson added 23 as the Eagles made a remarkable debut in the NCAA Tournament. Florida Gulf Coast earned the moniker “Dunk City” for its high-flying ways.

The Eagles knocked off San Diego State 81-71 to advance to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Florida.

Make your picks: Who will win 2024 March Madness? | 2024 March Madness odds | Printable bracket | ATS picks

5. No. 15 Santa Clara 64, No. 2 Arizona 61 (1993)
Before he became an NBA star, Steve Nash led Santa Clara to an improbable win over Arizona. Santa Clara head coach Dick Davey didn’t like his chances and stated that things could get ugly heading into the game.

Nash, a freshman guard from Canada, came up clutch with 10 points in the win. Santa Clara somehow managed to overcome a 25-0 run by Arizona midway through the game to pull the upset.

4. No. 15 Coppin State 78, No. 2 South Carolina 65 (1997)
How big of an upset was this? South Carolina was a 30-point favorite to beat Coppin State!

Coppin State used a 38-13 run over the final 13 minutes to secure its first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament.

Danny Singletary led the Eagles with 22 points, and he put them ahead to stay with six minutes left in the game.

3. No. 15 St. Peter’s 85, No. 2 Kentucky 79 (2022)
St. Peter’s put on an incredible shooting display in this monumental upset over Kentucky and head coach John Calipari.

50.9% shooting percentage overall
52.9% 3-point shooting percentage
85.7% free-throw shooting percentage
Daryl Banks III scored a team-high 30 points for St. Peter’s, which won its first game ever in the NCAA Tournament. The Peacocks overcame an incredible performance from Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (30 points and 16 rebounds) to win in overtime.

St. Peter’s wasn’t done. The Peacocks advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Murray State and Purdue. The dream run ended with a 69-49 loss to North Carolina.

2. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58 (2023)
The shortest team in the country pulled off the biggest upset over Purdue and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey last year. FDU entered the game as a 25.5-point underdog.

The Knights became the second No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed. FDU had to beat Texas Southern in the First Four prior to knocking off Purdue. The Knights did it with a swarming defense and 19 points from guard Sean Moore.

1. No. 16 UMBC 74, No. 1 Virginia 54 (2018)
This is the biggest upset in March Madness history because it marked the first time a No. 16 seed beat a top seed. Virginia entered this game at 31-2 as the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed.

The Cavaliers collapsed by allowing UMBC to score 53 points in the second half. It was stunning as opponents barely managed to average 53 points in a full game versus Virginia that season.

No. 16 seeds had an 0-135 record against No. 1 seeds entering this game. The Retrievers (pictured above) made history and in dominant fashion. Virginia went on to win its first national champion the following year with an 85-77 OT victory over Texas Tech.

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Enjoy it, because it’s going to happen in the first and second round.

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