Letters to Sports: When it comes to Shohei Ohtani, nobody knows the real story

This is Hollywood. $700 million, crooked interpreter, illegal gambling, innocent baseball player and large institutions investigating it all. Throw in a new bride and we have a great Tarantino movie. Kill Bill Volume 3.

Brad Clevinger
Tehachapi

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Can we please stop comparing Shohei Ohtani with Pete Rose! No one has alleged that he bet on baseball or any other athletic event. With Pete, the story was always he gambled/bet on sporting events and it was eventually proven that he bet on baseball and his own Cincinnati Reds.

Stan Shirai
Torrance

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The amount of work I have to do to wire money anywhere is absurd, yet Ohtani is going to tell us that several wire transfers at $500,000 each took place without your knowledge? Why would a translator have that kind of access to your account?

It doesn’t make any sense. You might not have placed the bets, but the story that you had no idea this money was flowing out of your account and to who is not believable.

George Sagadencky
Encino

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Having taught college courses on the subject, I know that one of the main reasons behind a news conference is to engage in two-way communication. Otherwise, you could just issue a statement. The wimpy L.A. media should have pushed back on the Dodgers and said, “If Ohtani won’t answer questions we won’t bother to send a reporter or film crew.” Shame on the media for going along with it and kudos to Dylan Hernández for his follow-up column. Where is Howard Cosell when you need him?

Ross Goldberg
Westlake Village

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Bill Plaschke’s column about believing Ohtani (or not) was spot-on. I’m a lifelong Dodger fan who wants to believe baseball’s Unicorn is simply naive, but there are still too many buts.

Jeff Green
Irvine

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I’ve been appalled and disgusted by the insulting comments made by a number of readers questioning Shohei Ohtani’s involvement in Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling. I listened to the statements by Ohtani on March 25 and found him sincere and credible. So the gist of this story so far is that Ohtani’s close friend betrayed him. There remain some questions we’d all like to have answered, but in the meantime I think Ohtani deserves our support and trust unless there’s credible evidence to challenge his account. The cynics, trolls and haters should refrain from their reckless speculation.

T.R. Jahns
Hemet

I disagree with Bill Plaschke and Jack Harris, who wrote that Dodgers have one season to secure their place in history and anything but a championship will be failure. They’ve got the next 10 years to secure their place in history, and if they win one or two championships during that time, who will be upset with that?

Richie Locasso
Hemet

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For once, Mr. Plaschke is spot-on by saying “This should be the best season in the L.A. Dodgers franchise history.” He’s also correct in claiming that, “Nothing can stop the Dodgers. Except these Dodgers.”

Somehow, I have confidence that Dave Roberts will screw it all up. He has had the best talent every year for the last 10 years, getting to the World Series three times and winning only once.

Martin Mangione
Arroyo Grande

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Here we go again. Another season with the greatest expectations for the Boys in Blue. Another season watching the so-called fans in the expensive seats behind the plate glued to their phones or taking selfies while the action takes place. Another season having to listen to Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser drone on and on by coming up with endless, meaningless statistics with nary a negative or controversial word about the Dodgers. Maybe I’ll just watch the Angels.

Steve Ebner
Thousand Oaks

The Angels’ season-opening game had a familiar look! There was only one true star in Mike Trout, inadequate pitching thanks to Arte Moreno, and Anthony Rendon, who can’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag.

Chuck Wenborne
San Dimas

I have attended hundreds of Trojans football games during the last 50 years, witnessing many incredible players — Anthony Davis, Marcus Allen, Reggie Bush and Caleb Williams, just to name just a few. Their feats pale in comparison to the electric atmosphere at the Galen Center created last weekend by the incomparable wunderkind JuJu Watkins.

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

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How exciting that USC and its star JuJu Watkins have advanced to the Sweet 16 in the women’s NCAA tournament. Given the coverage The Times has provided, I can only assume that the UCLA women’s team was eliminated.

Gary Bolen
Monterey

I know Jim Harbaugh is a quarterback guru, but who is Justin Herbert supposed to throw the ball to without Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler?

Steve Horn
Glendale

To execute the new NFL kickoff rules, special team coordinators will be required to have a PhD.

David Marshall
Santa Monica

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