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Stunning new detail in the Ohtani interpreter scandal, plus Kentucky picks Calipari replacement

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Good morning! Long golf day ahead.

Serious Matters: Ohtani saga reaches shocking ending

Three weeks ago, a potential betting scandal involving baseball’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, turned the sport upside down. Yesterday, in a shockingly fast turn of events, the matter has seemingly been resolved.

Federal prosecutors released a lengthy complaint against Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, accusing Mizuhara of stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to support the interpreter’s gambling addiction. Before yesterday, we only knew of $4.5 million.

Two sides to this proverbial coin:

For Ohtani, this looks like exoneration, as Ken Rosenthal writes. The complaint included stark evidence of Mizuhara’s malfeasance and supported Ohtani’s side of the story. The superstar lost some money and a previously dear friend, but both he and the game of baseball escape with no tarnish on their reputation. That’s as good as he can hope for. He can move on now, presumably mashing homers for baseball’s best team.
For Mizuhara, the pain is just beginning. The detail in the complaint against him was startling. He allegedly placed approximately 19,000 bets in a three-year span, ranging from $10 to $160,000. Investigators acquired messages between Mizuhara to the bookmaker in question, which included a text reading: “Technically I did steal from (Ohtani). It’s all over for me.” That’ll do it. Mizuhara is working out a plea deal.
Fabian Ardaya has a quality breakdown of the entire affidavit here, which includes a laundry list of regrettable texts from Mizuhara. A choice one: “I’m terrible at this sport betting thing huh? Lol.” Both sad and relatable at the same time.

The investigation also revealed an answer to the lingering question I had: How did Mizuhara attain such intimate access to Ohtani’s financials? Turns out the interpreter helped Ohtani set up the accounts, then eventually impersonated him on the phone with bank officials to authorize large transactions. Woof.

For now, we can all move on.

Feedback Loop: The best major runs over on Day 1

Let’s start with the most important thing: your votes from yesterday’s poll. I agree wholeheartedly with this tally, and love that we are all in disagreement with Gary Player. The Masters is awesome.

The first round of said awesome tournament got cut short by darkness yesterday after an early-morning weather delay. A few notes:

Current leader Bryson DeChambeau is no longer the guy boasting about Augusta being a par 67 for him, as Gabby Herzig noted. This is a smarter DeChambeau.
But Scottie Scheffler, the world’s best golfer, sits just one shot back, posting his first bogey-free Masters round. And, as the advanced stats show, he’s fully, ahem, mastering Augusta National with each round he plays. Everyone else should be scared. (He also could leave at any moment).
Watch out for “newbie” Ludvig Åberg. He’s 2-under through 11 holes right now. As Brody Miller highlighted, he’s playing in his first major, though it certainly doesn’t feel like it. Åberg has already helped secure a Ryder Cup win, won a PGA Tour event and swept every college achievement. He has been nails on the PGA Tour this year, too. He’s just 24. I might root for this guy now.

Oh, and Tiger Woods is 1-under through 13 holes. Not acknowledging any possibilities yet. The first round continues in less than an hour (7:50 a.m. ET). Keep up with results on our live blog here.

News to Know

Kentucky picks Pope
BYU Mark Pope is finalizing a deal to become Kentucky’s next basketball coach, a source confirmed to The Athletic. It would be a mildly surprising hire, as Pope hasn’t had the flashiest run at BYU. And yet he is a former Wildcat player who played for Rick Pitino and won a national title in 1996. The move comes hours after Baylor coach Scott Drew turned the job down.

Simpson dead at 76
Former NFL running back O.J. Simpson — famous for his football career and later his alleged role in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman — died yesterday of cancer, his family announced. He was 76. It’s an understatement to say Simpson’s legacy is extensive and tragic.

More news

Watch This Game

MLB: Brewers at Orioles (get tickets)
7:05 p.m. ET on Apple TV+
Milwaukee has been a nice surprise thus far this season, and Baltimore is one of the more talented rosters in the league. Also, get in your early scouting on Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect who debuted Wednesday night for the O’s.

NBA: Bucks at Thunder (get tickets)
8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Oklahoma City is still in play for the No. 1 seed in the West, though that feels increasingly like Denver’s place after the Nuggets’ big win against Minnesota on Wednesday. The Bucks, despite missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, have reeled off two impressive wins against the Celtics and Magic. This is big for both seeding and vibes.

Pulse Picks

There are so, so many athlete podcasts today. But what Charles Tillman and Roman Harper are doing on the “Second Acts” podcast has been really, really cool. Zak Keefer tried to figure out how these two former Panthers teammates are so good at helping fellow ex-players open up. Cool read.

NFL executives picked their top QBs in the draft. Ahem. Geaux Tigers.

The race for the NHL’s Hart Trophy is tight this year. The field is deeper than we’ve seen in years. Shayna Goldman has a really helpful breakdown of the leaders and who has the edge.

I loved Mo Dakhil’s breakdown of how NBA teams actually prepare for the playoffs, X’s and O’s-wise. Want to learn something? Always read Mo.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Coyotes might be moving to Salt Lake City — as soon as next season. Wild.

Most-read on the website yesterday: Our NBA playoffs live blog, which has up-to-the-minute info on how the postseason picture is shaping up. Extremely valuable.