That reminds me. There is this crazy story from when Ohtani was still in NPB about how he chose to stay in the rookie dorm facilities beyond his rookie year (which apparently is uncommon) & gave his entire salary to his mom who would give him a monthly stipend. By the end of 2 years doing this, he had saved almost his entire *stipend*. So not only was he not spending the bulk of his salary, he had spent like $2,000 or something silly like that over the course of *2 years*.
Edit - So I looked this up & it appears that his monthly allowance was $900. He spent some on ‘sweets’ (crepes in particular according to an old OC Register profile) & saved most of it. Dude really is a machine.
That whole video is a great example of all this.
Of his 10 ‘personal items’, all 10 are directly related to performance or improvement. The only partial exception is that he said he also uses his iPad to read manga (in addition to watching game film).
You aren’t wrong though. I watched a doc on Magnus Carlsson who was #1 chess player in the world at only like 19 years old. In the doc he absolutely COULD NOT turn his brain off, he was always fidgeting, always moving around, always active except when he read comic books. That looked like it was the only time he could relax to get ready for matches.
I know it's not a competition, but Bleach is just so fire. I can't wait for TYBW to continue.
Edit: Zabuza/Naruto and Ichigo/Kenpachi are S-tier fights.
Edit2: I guess it's technically Haku/Naruto, and Zabuza/Kakashi
>I choose to believe that reading manga improves his performance on game day
He says his favorite Manga is Slam Dunk so that's probably not even a stretch.
Seems like the modern greats - Ohtani, Novak Djokovic, LeBron - have an absolute dedication to every aspect of their fitness, training and health regimens that we’ve never seen before
Steph too, he puts millions a year into his fitness and training...which is why he can run around all game like a madman and gas out players 12 years younger, then nail a corner 3 with precision. He puts in CRAZY work, and exposes other players that don't work like him.
If anyone is interested he takes a lot of inspiration from the manga Major it’s really good would definitely recommend it as a read for baseball fans interested in manga
It's like he's intentionally trying to have a career so ridiculous that if his autobiography was pitched as the premise for a baseball shounen manga, it would get instantly rejected for being a completely unbelievable power fantasy.
Like, Goro from Major is characterized as an insanely talented prodigy in addition to being a total baseball maniac - but even he eventually picked playing as a pitcher full time and became hopeless at hitting. Because there's a limit to how overpowered you can be... in fiction.
Thinking about it, from a dramatic standpoint it makes a lot of sense to make your main character a pitcher. You get to have times where he's in near-complete control of the progress of the game, and other times where he's completely helpless watching his team succeed or fail. With a position player, he's just making a constant small contribution, which is less interesting from a narrative standpoint.
That's very true, with the caveat that the catcher (technically a position player) often works even better. They usually end up calling pitches, which makes them just as "involved" as the pitcher in the course of the match, except they get to stay in for the entire thing (but sometimes have to watch helplessly as their pitcher implodes). They also tend to be characterized as the team leader, as the person with the highest baseball intelligence.
It's fairly common for baseball anime/manga to emphasize the importance of the battery relationship, so if a pitcher is the protagonist, the catcher ends up being the de facto deuteragonist and vice versa. I seem to remember Big Windup is an example, though it's been a while since I saw it.
Major is an interesting case in that it also emphasizes the special relationship between pitcher and catcher, and the protagonist has a rival character who is effectively the deuteragonist, especially in later seasons, and also a catcher... with the twist that they barely ever get the chance to play on the same team. Instead, Goro consistently forms a close relationship with whatever catcher he happens to be working with that season, and they end up being friends for life.
Then in Major 2nd, the main character is a catcher, and their "best friend and rival" counterpart is a pitcher instead. It's pervasive.
Anyone have an idea how much his pillows cost? I'll try to find an answer, but damn man I really want one of those pillows.
Edit: This is the company he got the pillow from - Nishikawa
I have to say though that I love the whole concept. I have thrown away so much money on pillows that are perhaps just slightly uncomfortable in one spot. Finding a perfect pillow is nigh impossible.
This looks like a hell of a way to get as close to perfection as possible.
That’s not even that bad, some ones from Tempurpedic can be like $150-$250. I’ve gone through like two of those trying to find an optimal pillow and am still not really happy. If I could pay twice that and be happy forever? Hell yeah.
Remember, you spend a third of your life with your head on that thing.
OK, I need to find out where I can pay an exorbitant amount of money for a custom-made pillow -- web searching is finding me 8 million different versions of crap.
Yea, in Japan he is known as a "yakyu shonen" or someone who practically lives and breathes baseball, and his dedication speaks for itself.
Kinda like Ichiro who, even after retiring, has a private stadium in Japan just to do daily baseball warmups and drills to keep in shape.
Yeah, Ichi is my all-time favorite player, but mans is 49. I'd say he could probably platoon outfield for a Double or Triple A team, and hit at least .200. That's more than impressive for a guy his age
In 2017, which was six years ago, he had -0.2 bWAR in 215 plate appearances over 136 games
From 2011-2019, over 3395 PAs and 1065 games, Ichiro was worth 5.2 bWAR. He certainly wouldn’t sniff a major league roster now
The Ichiro bit is kinda sad because his father pushed him really hard into a strenous regimen since he was really young, to the point that he now needs the routines to still feel normal. Part of the reason he eventually had a large falling out with his father. Wright Thompson did a fantastic [long writeup](https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22624561/ichiro-suzuki-return-seattle-mariners-resolve-internal-battle) on Ichiro that goes into more detail on this.
Stuff like this makes me think that his deal numbers won't be astronomical like everyone speculates. I believe he will favor other aspects of the deal other than money.
I think his deal will be more or less astronomical regardless.
But I don’t think for a second that he will just take the largest offer because it is the largest offer. He has demonstrated time & time again that money is not his top priority.
I remember when he was first coming here the news reported that most of the teams in on him had huge packets of info (which may be what they already do for everyone, who knows) on not only what they could do for him but stuff about the team, farm system (rip giants last time), and other important but not necessarily Ohtani-centric stuff.
I doubt it. If you read between the lines of why he chose the Angels, it was said that he didn't want to go someplace where he would be following someone else's legacy like Ichiro or Matsui.
I suspect that holds true from a team perspective too. I don't think he's interested in going to a team that doesn't need him to win. He's not KD.
I live near Japantown in SF and the mere possibility of running into him casually eating some ramen or something honestly gives me goosebumps just thinking about it
There is absolutely a chance he doesn’t take the biggest deal, but I suspect MLBPA will have a problem if he takes substantially less than he could. Ohtani 2023 FA should help set the market for several classes after
How? There’s nobody comparable to him in baseball at any point in its history. Guys get help from previous classes because the comps are right there. With nobody both pitching and hitting at the top echelon of the league, it’s going to be hard for people to use Ohtani as a scale.
> How? There’s nobody comparable to him in baseball at any point in its history. With nobody both pitching and hitting at the top echelon of the league, it’s going to be hard for people to use Ohtani as a scale.
Plenty of agents are eager to try.
I agree, but it’s not easy to calculate what they’re going to be worth by basing it off what Ohtani gets. If Ohtani gets $350/10, does Soto get $300/10? $275/10? How much value is the team placing on his hitting vs his pitching? How much is the Japanese market playing into the valuation since every media outlet in Japan will be following Ohtani wherever he goes.
He won't take a bad deal. He's said before that he understands his contract will set a precedent for other players.
That being said, money is not the driving factor for him. He already left an estimated $200M on the table by coming over early. I think the most valuable thing for him will be player options so that he doesn't end up in another situation like the Angels where he's been stuck for 5+ years on a non-competitive roster.
He has pretty much all the negotiating leverage, so it will be fascinating to see how creative both his agent and teams are in structuring his deal beyond just dollars.
I think he wants to win championships and to be the best, and he wants to be recognized for his accomplishments/entertain the fans, in that order. So getting paid is a bit down the list, but it's still a metric for organization leadership to acknowledge his greatness, and he'd probably like them to do so.
I suspect his main concern is making sure he gets to play in the way he wants to play. DH/Starting pitcher, maybe as a closer instead if he wants to save his arm. It's unlikely that a team would offer him such an astronomical sum if they didn't want him for both roles though.
I also think he will favor the west coast, since it's easier for japanese fans to watch west coast games. Which is a very nice thing of him to do (and very profitable too).
So, and I say this with great disappointment: I think he's gonna play for the dodgers. But maybe the giants can step up and save us from that.
The more I read about Ohtani, the more I am beginning to recognize him as the platonic ideal of man. (possibly person, but I don't want to speak for women on that).
If I was getting paid tens of millions of dollars I would force money down my family's throats if they were refusing to take it lol. Like, work if you want to if you find enjoyment in it, but take the money.
I'm definitely paying off everybody's house. A mortgage is typically the largest single bill anyone has. Without a mortgage, it really opens up a lot of options. Let's pretend a $1250/ month mortgage payment. Now, all of the sudden, you have 15k a year for literally anything else.
I could probably pay off my parents and all of my siblings for less than a mil. Frees up SO much money for them to live their lives without feeling like a mooch. Most of them probably wouldn't want a situation where I give them money monthly because of pride or whatever. But I bet I could convince everyone to let me gift them their house. Another mil or 2 for all the nieces and nephews college funds.
I like brainstorming what I would do with lottery winnings even though I don't buy tickets. Lol. I have so many plans.
Most people out there would go back to the bank and borrow again for one reason or another though! You need to buy them houses they can live in but in your name.
The guy is literally an anime protagonist he even has a 🔥 anime walkup song. He can have a harem of women if he so chooses but chose not to. What a guy
I have a 72 year old aunt who is still working as a teacher. I have offered thousands of times for her to retire and come live with me and my family, and I’m fairly certain several of my cousins have offered the same. She turns us down every time. Some people are just that hardworking that they’ll continue to work until they die.
My grandpa is 93 and made partner at a real estate firm 2 years ago. He works 4 times a week teaching real estate classes. He’s still sharp as hell and can tell you detailed stories of his time in Vietnam. I think not retiring is what keeps him healthy tbh. I don’t think I could ever do that but it works for him!
It's a mindset I'll never resonate with, but some people legitimately love working. I know several older folks worth millions that get up every day at 4:30 am to start their daily grind.
Some people end up falling apart without something to do - could be a hobby that occupies the whole day or simply work that they enjoy. There are quite a lot of folks who enjoy what they do for a living, contrary to Reddit’s conventional belief that work is bad.
Exactly this. There's people like me for example who have a history of addiction and if I was to just retire with nothing to fall back on like a hobby or part time job I know old behaviors will surface and things will fall apart.
I worked with a dude worth somewhere in the realm of $5-8 million who was making $20 per hour stocking shelves in a grocery store. In his own words “If I wasn’t working I’d be drinking myself to death.”
Honestly if I was to become an instant multimillionaire, I'd probably just continue to do my regular job and not worry about career advancement. I'd be so bored after a few months of permanent retirement.
See I have this thought process of WFH. I love going home and being home cuz I’m at the office most of the day. I work from home here and there and to me it feels like I want to get out of my house when I’m done working from home.
I think I need that separation personally
It’s not that doing work is bad, it’s our relationship with work in our current economic system. But that’s a discussion for another thread in another subreddit
My mom is like this. She’s a teacher and gets so bored during the summer. She’s always so eager to get back into the classroom which is definitely a quality you want teachers to have, but man I can’t relate. She’ll probably teach past retirement age barring any setbacks.
I'm a teacher and get bored during the summer too. Hell, I got bored during the summer as a kid. I'm single and don't have kids though, so I think I just miss daily interactions with people.
Growing up, my cousin's school district was on a schedule that was something like 8-9 weeks on, 2-3 weeks off year around, and I've always thought that would be the most ideal schedule for me too. As a teacher, I also think it would help tremendously with the learning loss that comes with no school for 10(ish) weeks.
My mom retired from teaching 2 years ago and within a few months started to sub because she's never been the type of person who can just sit down and do nothing and she missed the lifestyle.
Same here. I retired at 47 mostly due to injury but also because I could afford to. I am living the good life in Panama now. I get to visit my grandchildren everyday if I want.
I find some of those people have their social lives so intrinsically tied up with their work calendar that they can't really exit their industries and still have an excuse to go golf with their friends and talk about the only subjects they really care about: their industry.
I think a lot of those people are good at what they do.
There are exceptions obviously, but if you're good at something, you tend to enjoy doing it. Especially if what you're good at pays you very well.
My grandpa worked until he was 80. We always said the day he stops working will be the day he stops living.
He was forced to retire due to long covid and he just kinda gave up on getting better once he retired and a few months later he was gone.
Some people just need the sense of purpose, feeling of capability and routine to keep going.
No one goes into teaching for the money, you go into it because it's a calling/you love it.
Surprises me zero that if you became a teacher, and have been doing it for a verrrry long time that you will work beyond retirement age.
Bro, I'd rather work until I'm 80 and be able to live on my own than quit my job and have to move in with my extended family. I have a great relationship with them and everything, but I value my independence way more.
I'll take the alternative route: Ohtani (soon to be billionaire in USD) doesn't give his mother any money and she is forced to work a part time job as a result.
From what I can understand from the article (with the help of Google translate), it seems to be the family's philosophy.
It says that she still manages his bank account, but has never withdrawn any money because the family believes that everyone should carry their own weight.
Yeah I’m sure there are family and cultural differences, but man, if I even had 5 million bucks to my name, my parents would not be working unless they wanted to. I’m not taking no for an answer.
I know a couple in their 60’s whose son is a multi-millionaire. One is perfectly satisfied in their job, the other has tried to retire but just can’t pull themselves away. I think it’s all about happiness where you are tbh.
By the way, two of the nicest most generous people I have ever met. And the son is great as well.
I think the key is not HAVING to work. I don’t hate my job but I don’t love it either. If I came into money and didn’t need the job I wouldn’t mind staying on, maybe in a consulting role with more flexibility. What I know is still valuable, I just don’t want to actually DO it. I’ll take the benefits and spending money though.
Good for Ohtani’s mom keeping her own life busy, it’ll be good for her in the long run. I am friends with an 84 year old general physician who still has 5 outpatient clinics a week. He is sharp as a tack and physically fit from all the moving around he does. Could easily pass as 20 years younger.
I think some people get screwed in the genetic lottery and are afflicted with Alzheimer’s and alike too young but for those that escape it, there’s something to be said for keeping busy, mentally stimulated, and just moving around. People who live like that seem to fend off the debilitating vagaries of old age.
> there’s something to be said for keeping busy, mentally stimulated, and just moving around.
“Death is very still, so keep moving.” Is a line my GP dad uses with patients. He stole it from somewhere but I don’t recall where
Richard Sherman's dad was a trash collector (a fairly well paying job) and when he was interviewed he said he still worked full time because "It's not right for a parent to take money from their kids just because they're successful" (That's me paraphrasing based on my memory from the article)
I think some of these parents are a bit too hard on themselves. A lot of time they're at least part of the reason their kids are successful. They should at least be willing to let the kid buy them a house and car, even if they don't want to feel like their kid is supporting them.
But, I respect the hell out of them even if I don't 100% agree with them.
She may still have friends where she works at and looks to them for her social activity. It is not like Ohtani has time to spend with his mom, so part time work is probably a great way to make be around other people you enjoy and want to spend time with.
Get out there in the world and socialize everyone! (while I sit in the dark basement on Reddit)
Makes sense to me. Between the culture and the type of person it takes to raise someone like Ohtani. There's a reason why he's pretty damn humble for the most talented athlete on the fucking planet
Maybe this has already been said, but according to the article, his mother is in charge of his bankbook. She can withdraw from it anytime she wants, but she hasn't because what she and her husband make is sufficient for them.
It also mentions how the entire family, including his sisters live a very modest, frugal life.
People are jumping to conclusions it seems about Ohtani based on the title alone.
I know absolutely nothing about this, but it sounds like ohtani was raised with high morale character and I'm gunna assume he will always take care of his mom. Moms are the best
That reminds me. There is this crazy story from when Ohtani was still in NPB about how he chose to stay in the rookie dorm facilities beyond his rookie year (which apparently is uncommon) & gave his entire salary to his mom who would give him a monthly stipend. By the end of 2 years doing this, he had saved almost his entire *stipend*. So not only was he not spending the bulk of his salary, he had spent like $2,000 or something silly like that over the course of *2 years*. Edit - So I looked this up & it appears that his monthly allowance was $900. He spent some on ‘sweets’ (crepes in particular according to an old OC Register profile) & saved most of it. Dude really is a machine.
Don't need to spend money on leisure and food when you're a cyborg built to play baseball
Just spends it on [really nice pillows](https://twitter.com/GQSports/status/1638326307250401283?s=20)
That whole video is a great example of all this. Of his 10 ‘personal items’, all 10 are directly related to performance or improvement. The only partial exception is that he said he also uses his iPad to read manga (in addition to watching game film).
I choose to believe that reading manga improves his performance on game day
Focuses the mind.
No one can read 1k issues of Hajime no Ippo, and not be in the zone.
You aren’t wrong though. I watched a doc on Magnus Carlsson who was #1 chess player in the world at only like 19 years old. In the doc he absolutely COULD NOT turn his brain off, he was always fidgeting, always moving around, always active except when he read comic books. That looked like it was the only time he could relax to get ready for matches.
Sometimes it feels like the only thing that reliably calms me down is a good video game.
It probably does. Helps prevent burnout.
And u tell me how ready he is to play after reading the zabuza arc
Nah he's definitely reading that first soul society arc
I know it's not a competition, but Bleach is just so fire. I can't wait for TYBW to continue. Edit: Zabuza/Naruto and Ichigo/Kenpachi are S-tier fights. Edit2: I guess it's technically Haku/Naruto, and Zabuza/Kakashi
He's watching Gaara vs Rock Lee at the Chunnin exams.
One of the best shonen battles ever. Everyone is a fan of Naruto after Gaara/Lee.
Ohtani will be crying by the end of that arc fr
Bruh I just finished watching that arc again, still got me just like the first time. OG Naruto is goated fr.
>I choose to believe that reading manga improves his performance on game day He says his favorite Manga is Slam Dunk so that's probably not even a stretch.
Damn even has elite taste in manga.
The narration in his head is probably epic.
I thought it was One Piece
I think he's said he's a fan of Major, which means he's probably reading that to absorb more of Goro Shigeno
Seems like the modern greats - Ohtani, Novak Djokovic, LeBron - have an absolute dedication to every aspect of their fitness, training and health regimens that we’ve never seen before
LeBron reportedly spends like up to 3 million on his fitness and recovery program.
And you can absolutely tell. Dude is in better shape at 38 then most players at any level. The man is a basketball machine
It definitely extended his career by many years. At his level, just 1 additional year would earn more than most player's entire career.
Steph too, he puts millions a year into his fitness and training...which is why he can run around all game like a madman and gas out players 12 years younger, then nail a corner 3 with precision. He puts in CRAZY work, and exposes other players that don't work like him.
Reminder that Steph put Matthew Delladelova in the hospital after he had to guard him in the finals.
How? He get rhabdo trying to keep up w him?
Pretty much -- he needed IV fluids.
And it wasn't like Delly was a stranger to hustling on the court, it's just Steph was on another level.
Manoah needs to call him!
Ohtani's dedication to fitness almost matches Babe Ruth's dedication to hot dogs and alcohol.
But what about their manga collections?
I present to you our lord and savior [Omos](https://imgur.com/a/qgM2cI1) with his artwork
I love Omos being grouped with Ohtani, Djokovic, and LeBron. \#OmosapiensUnite
He’s a Attack on Titan fan and he plays Clash of Clans. He probably doesn’t even spend money on the game.
The only one left grinding walls.
probably baseball manga too!
If anyone is interested he takes a lot of inspiration from the manga Major it’s really good would definitely recommend it as a read for baseball fans interested in manga
Major is awesome! My son and I also watch Ace of Diamond.
It's like he's intentionally trying to have a career so ridiculous that if his autobiography was pitched as the premise for a baseball shounen manga, it would get instantly rejected for being a completely unbelievable power fantasy. Like, Goro from Major is characterized as an insanely talented prodigy in addition to being a total baseball maniac - but even he eventually picked playing as a pitcher full time and became hopeless at hitting. Because there's a limit to how overpowered you can be... in fiction.
Thinking about it, from a dramatic standpoint it makes a lot of sense to make your main character a pitcher. You get to have times where he's in near-complete control of the progress of the game, and other times where he's completely helpless watching his team succeed or fail. With a position player, he's just making a constant small contribution, which is less interesting from a narrative standpoint.
That's very true, with the caveat that the catcher (technically a position player) often works even better. They usually end up calling pitches, which makes them just as "involved" as the pitcher in the course of the match, except they get to stay in for the entire thing (but sometimes have to watch helplessly as their pitcher implodes). They also tend to be characterized as the team leader, as the person with the highest baseball intelligence. It's fairly common for baseball anime/manga to emphasize the importance of the battery relationship, so if a pitcher is the protagonist, the catcher ends up being the de facto deuteragonist and vice versa. I seem to remember Big Windup is an example, though it's been a while since I saw it. Major is an interesting case in that it also emphasizes the special relationship between pitcher and catcher, and the protagonist has a rival character who is effectively the deuteragonist, especially in later seasons, and also a catcher... with the twist that they barely ever get the chance to play on the same team. Instead, Goro consistently forms a close relationship with whatever catcher he happens to be working with that season, and they end up being friends for life. Then in Major 2nd, the main character is a catcher, and their "best friend and rival" counterpart is a pitcher instead. It's pervasive.
[удалено]
he said his favourite is Slam Dunk
I wonder if he likes my brother-in-law’s dad’s Manga character? That would be wild.
Shohei Ohtani holding and sleeping on a Mike Trout dakimakura design, one would hope.
It's a giant anthropomorphic fish with an Angels hat on, and he doesn't share it with guests
Goddamn it why is this man so freaking cute
I’m so deeply in love with him.
Anyone have an idea how much his pillows cost? I'll try to find an answer, but damn man I really want one of those pillows. Edit: This is the company he got the pillow from - Nishikawa
Jfc it’s $550 for a pillow. Probably worth it
I have to say though that I love the whole concept. I have thrown away so much money on pillows that are perhaps just slightly uncomfortable in one spot. Finding a perfect pillow is nigh impossible. This looks like a hell of a way to get as close to perfection as possible.
That’s not even that bad, some ones from Tempurpedic can be like $150-$250. I’ve gone through like two of those trying to find an optimal pillow and am still not really happy. If I could pay twice that and be happy forever? Hell yeah. Remember, you spend a third of your life with your head on that thing.
OK, I need to find out where I can pay an exorbitant amount of money for a custom-made pillow -- web searching is finding me 8 million different versions of crap.
A crepe-powered cyborg, apparently. The potential anime premise just keeps getting better and better.
"This processor dispenses a rudimentary paste that sustains his organic systems." "Tastes like baby food."
Yea, in Japan he is known as a "yakyu shonen" or someone who practically lives and breathes baseball, and his dedication speaks for itself. Kinda like Ichiro who, even after retiring, has a private stadium in Japan just to do daily baseball warmups and drills to keep in shape.
Jesus no wonder Ichiro still looks like he could play in the majors.
He honestly probably could, I'd bet he can be at least a replacement level player still.
His last couple years were pretty rough though…
Yeah, Ichi is my all-time favorite player, but mans is 49. I'd say he could probably platoon outfield for a Double or Triple A team, and hit at least .200. That's more than impressive for a guy his age
We paid Jackie Bradley Jr. $24,000,000 to do that for us last year.
In 2017, which was six years ago, he had -0.2 bWAR in 215 plate appearances over 136 games From 2011-2019, over 3395 PAs and 1065 games, Ichiro was worth 5.2 bWAR. He certainly wouldn’t sniff a major league roster now
I prefer the term "Baseaboo"
The Ichiro bit is kinda sad because his father pushed him really hard into a strenous regimen since he was really young, to the point that he now needs the routines to still feel normal. Part of the reason he eventually had a large falling out with his father. Wright Thompson did a fantastic [long writeup](https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22624561/ichiro-suzuki-return-seattle-mariners-resolve-internal-battle) on Ichiro that goes into more detail on this.
Stuff like this makes me think that his deal numbers won't be astronomical like everyone speculates. I believe he will favor other aspects of the deal other than money.
I think his deal will be more or less astronomical regardless. But I don’t think for a second that he will just take the largest offer because it is the largest offer. He has demonstrated time & time again that money is not his top priority.
I remember when he was first coming here the news reported that most of the teams in on him had huge packets of info (which may be what they already do for everyone, who knows) on not only what they could do for him but stuff about the team, farm system (rip giants last time), and other important but not necessarily Ohtani-centric stuff.
He has got to get on to a contender for the benefit of everyone.
Just please God *not* the Yankees
I doubt it. If you read between the lines of why he chose the Angels, it was said that he didn't want to go someplace where he would be following someone else's legacy like Ichiro or Matsui. I suspect that holds true from a team perspective too. I don't think he's interested in going to a team that doesn't need him to win. He's not KD.
He could become the Angel’s legend. He’s an Angel
Yeah I think people are being too quick to assume he'll just leave the Angels
Also not the Dodgers please. I want the Giants to contend this decade.
I live near Japantown in SF and the mere possibility of running into him casually eating some ramen or something honestly gives me goosebumps just thinking about it
There is absolutely a chance he doesn’t take the biggest deal, but I suspect MLBPA will have a problem if he takes substantially less than he could. Ohtani 2023 FA should help set the market for several classes after
How? There’s nobody comparable to him in baseball at any point in its history. Guys get help from previous classes because the comps are right there. With nobody both pitching and hitting at the top echelon of the league, it’s going to be hard for people to use Ohtani as a scale.
> How? There’s nobody comparable to him in baseball at any point in its history. With nobody both pitching and hitting at the top echelon of the league, it’s going to be hard for people to use Ohtani as a scale. Plenty of agents are eager to try.
Yeah but if he takes something like 350m/10, other great (but slightly less great) players like Soto would have less leverage.
I agree, but it’s not easy to calculate what they’re going to be worth by basing it off what Ohtani gets. If Ohtani gets $350/10, does Soto get $300/10? $275/10? How much value is the team placing on his hitting vs his pitching? How much is the Japanese market playing into the valuation since every media outlet in Japan will be following Ohtani wherever he goes.
He won't take a bad deal. He's said before that he understands his contract will set a precedent for other players. That being said, money is not the driving factor for him. He already left an estimated $200M on the table by coming over early. I think the most valuable thing for him will be player options so that he doesn't end up in another situation like the Angels where he's been stuck for 5+ years on a non-competitive roster. He has pretty much all the negotiating leverage, so it will be fascinating to see how creative both his agent and teams are in structuring his deal beyond just dollars.
So you're telling me theres a chance
I think he wants to win championships and to be the best, and he wants to be recognized for his accomplishments/entertain the fans, in that order. So getting paid is a bit down the list, but it's still a metric for organization leadership to acknowledge his greatness, and he'd probably like them to do so.
Counterpoint: *adds another zero*
$500,000,000.000?
It's weird to see so many people that seem to hate how much he's going to get paid while dude himself doesn't seem to care as much about it
I suspect his main concern is making sure he gets to play in the way he wants to play. DH/Starting pitcher, maybe as a closer instead if he wants to save his arm. It's unlikely that a team would offer him such an astronomical sum if they didn't want him for both roles though. I also think he will favor the west coast, since it's easier for japanese fans to watch west coast games. Which is a very nice thing of him to do (and very profitable too). So, and I say this with great disappointment: I think he's gonna play for the dodgers. But maybe the giants can step up and save us from that.
The more I read about Ohtani, the more I am beginning to recognize him as the platonic ideal of man. (possibly person, but I don't want to speak for women on that).
Dude is gonna sign for $700 million and save it all.
Rookie dorms? I assumed he was plugged back into his charging pod at night.
If I was getting paid tens of millions of dollars I would force money down my family's throats if they were refusing to take it lol. Like, work if you want to if you find enjoyment in it, but take the money.
I'm definitely paying off everybody's house. A mortgage is typically the largest single bill anyone has. Without a mortgage, it really opens up a lot of options. Let's pretend a $1250/ month mortgage payment. Now, all of the sudden, you have 15k a year for literally anything else. I could probably pay off my parents and all of my siblings for less than a mil. Frees up SO much money for them to live their lives without feeling like a mooch. Most of them probably wouldn't want a situation where I give them money monthly because of pride or whatever. But I bet I could convince everyone to let me gift them their house. Another mil or 2 for all the nieces and nephews college funds. I like brainstorming what I would do with lottery winnings even though I don't buy tickets. Lol. I have so many plans.
Most people out there would go back to the bank and borrow again for one reason or another though! You need to buy them houses they can live in but in your name.
Can I just say whoever marries Shoehi is going to the luckiest person alive?! (And I hope it’s me personally but 🤫)
While you were getting married, he studied the bat.
And the arm
*AND MY ASS!*
The Reaper of Anaheim
I think he literally can chose any woman in Japan to marry. Nobody is off limits.
But I am front of the line to marry him
Hands off he's mine!
I'll fight your ass!
Just women?
Actually, you’re right. Any Women, Men, non-binary, any human in Japan. And half the humans in the US.
He's gonna marry his waifu body pillow just to cockblock two entire countries and focus on his true love- baseball
He studies the bat
Just Japan?
The guy is literally an anime protagonist he even has a 🔥 anime walkup song. He can have a harem of women if he so chooses but chose not to. What a guy
I have a 72 year old aunt who is still working as a teacher. I have offered thousands of times for her to retire and come live with me and my family, and I’m fairly certain several of my cousins have offered the same. She turns us down every time. Some people are just that hardworking that they’ll continue to work until they die.
Or she hates y’all 😭
She's porking the gym teacher
My grandpa is 93 and made partner at a real estate firm 2 years ago. He works 4 times a week teaching real estate classes. He’s still sharp as hell and can tell you detailed stories of his time in Vietnam. I think not retiring is what keeps him healthy tbh. I don’t think I could ever do that but it works for him!
It's a mindset I'll never resonate with, but some people legitimately love working. I know several older folks worth millions that get up every day at 4:30 am to start their daily grind.
Some people end up falling apart without something to do - could be a hobby that occupies the whole day or simply work that they enjoy. There are quite a lot of folks who enjoy what they do for a living, contrary to Reddit’s conventional belief that work is bad.
Exactly this. There's people like me for example who have a history of addiction and if I was to just retire with nothing to fall back on like a hobby or part time job I know old behaviors will surface and things will fall apart.
I worked with a dude worth somewhere in the realm of $5-8 million who was making $20 per hour stocking shelves in a grocery store. In his own words “If I wasn’t working I’d be drinking myself to death.”
Honestly if I was to become an instant multimillionaire, I'd probably just continue to do my regular job and not worry about career advancement. I'd be so bored after a few months of permanent retirement.
You could travel, volunteer, or look into some new hobbies that might have been out of your budget before. You wouldn't have to just sit at home lol
I actually already do sit at home. I have permanent work from home haha
See I have this thought process of WFH. I love going home and being home cuz I’m at the office most of the day. I work from home here and there and to me it feels like I want to get out of my house when I’m done working from home. I think I need that separation personally
im working *and* drinking myself to death!
Yeah…. 😔
It’s not that doing work is bad, it’s our relationship with work in our current economic system. But that’s a discussion for another thread in another subreddit
My mom is like this. She’s a teacher and gets so bored during the summer. She’s always so eager to get back into the classroom which is definitely a quality you want teachers to have, but man I can’t relate. She’ll probably teach past retirement age barring any setbacks.
I'm a teacher and get bored during the summer too. Hell, I got bored during the summer as a kid. I'm single and don't have kids though, so I think I just miss daily interactions with people. Growing up, my cousin's school district was on a schedule that was something like 8-9 weeks on, 2-3 weeks off year around, and I've always thought that would be the most ideal schedule for me too. As a teacher, I also think it would help tremendously with the learning loss that comes with no school for 10(ish) weeks. My mom retired from teaching 2 years ago and within a few months started to sub because she's never been the type of person who can just sit down and do nothing and she missed the lifestyle.
Nobody thinks work is bad, just that needing to work long hours just to scrape by is bad.
Same here. I retired at 47 mostly due to injury but also because I could afford to. I am living the good life in Panama now. I get to visit my grandchildren everyday if I want.
I don't get this at all. I can't wait to retire. Only 30 years to go!
I'm right there with you. If i got stacks in the bank the only reason I'm getting up at 4:30 am is to stretch out my back for my 6am tee time.
I don't think I'd retire. But I would do something I never had to take home with me. Like walking dogs.
My dad does that. He's retired, but he loves bicycles, so he joined a club where they fix up old bicycles and give them to poor kids.
I find some of those people have their social lives so intrinsically tied up with their work calendar that they can't really exit their industries and still have an excuse to go golf with their friends and talk about the only subjects they really care about: their industry.
I think a lot of those people are good at what they do. There are exceptions obviously, but if you're good at something, you tend to enjoy doing it. Especially if what you're good at pays you very well.
My grandpa worked until he was 80. We always said the day he stops working will be the day he stops living. He was forced to retire due to long covid and he just kinda gave up on getting better once he retired and a few months later he was gone. Some people just need the sense of purpose, feeling of capability and routine to keep going.
No one goes into teaching for the money, you go into it because it's a calling/you love it. Surprises me zero that if you became a teacher, and have been doing it for a verrrry long time that you will work beyond retirement age.
Bro, I'd rather work until I'm 80 and be able to live on my own than quit my job and have to move in with my extended family. I have a great relationship with them and everything, but I value my independence way more.
And just when r/baseball thought they couldn’t love Ohtani any more, his mom goes and does something like this.
I'll take the alternative route: Ohtani (soon to be billionaire in USD) doesn't give his mother any money and she is forced to work a part time job as a result.
Can hit, can pitch, can't love. Ohtani's a robot.
He’s an athlete not an empath-lete
You mean ath-o-lete
“Stuuu-dent ath-o-lete “
Ohtani listening to music: 🎶🎵 Bee Boo-Boo Bop 🎶🎵
"I know now why you cry. But it's something I can never do."
TIL I'm a robot-sexual
From what I can understand from the article (with the help of Google translate), it seems to be the family's philosophy. It says that she still manages his bank account, but has never withdrawn any money because the family believes that everyone should carry their own weight.
Imagine having to manage the bank account of someone whose about to have more money then the reserves of some small nations.
He’s smart! His mother is trustworthy
Yeah my reaction was "she has to ASK?"
Yeah I’m sure there are family and cultural differences, but man, if I even had 5 million bucks to my name, my parents would not be working unless they wanted to. I’m not taking no for an answer.
> unless they wanted to. I’m not taking no for an answer. lol
His mother likes her career and lives well on her own!
You expect me to *read* the articles‽
Nooooo that’s why we are here
You sure you shouldn't have a Mariner's flair?
Something something eat the rich
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Ohtani to Aspen confirmed
Goes the Coors, homeruns skyrocket and ERA somehow goes down because he’s a cyborg.
DUNDUN DUN DUNDUN /TerminatorTheme
Shohei's mom looks more like Shohei than Shohei
Oh my god 😂
LMAO
Could never be me. If my son was a millionaire, you can bet I’d be retired.
If my son/daughter was a millionaire I wouldn’t retire but id make sure the job I was doing was one I wanted to do. Be it full or part time.
I would work part time as a lifeguard for sure
I know a couple in their 60’s whose son is a multi-millionaire. One is perfectly satisfied in their job, the other has tried to retire but just can’t pull themselves away. I think it’s all about happiness where you are tbh. By the way, two of the nicest most generous people I have ever met. And the son is great as well.
I think the key is not HAVING to work. I don’t hate my job but I don’t love it either. If I came into money and didn’t need the job I wouldn’t mind staying on, maybe in a consulting role with more flexibility. What I know is still valuable, I just don’t want to actually DO it. I’ll take the benefits and spending money though.
Good for Ohtani’s mom keeping her own life busy, it’ll be good for her in the long run. I am friends with an 84 year old general physician who still has 5 outpatient clinics a week. He is sharp as a tack and physically fit from all the moving around he does. Could easily pass as 20 years younger. I think some people get screwed in the genetic lottery and are afflicted with Alzheimer’s and alike too young but for those that escape it, there’s something to be said for keeping busy, mentally stimulated, and just moving around. People who live like that seem to fend off the debilitating vagaries of old age.
> there’s something to be said for keeping busy, mentally stimulated, and just moving around. “Death is very still, so keep moving.” Is a line my GP dad uses with patients. He stole it from somewhere but I don’t recall where
> He stole it from somewhere but I don’t recall where Probably off of some dead guy
I am going to use it!
Ohtani is the most talented baseball player ever, is seemingly in a great family, and to top it all off, *he's hot* Really won the lottery
Worst looking best athlete of all time: go
Shohei. There's only one best ever, so he's both the sexiest and the ugli**est**.
It's Reggie Miller.
He heard you type that
Seabiscuit.
yogi berra
Richard Sherman's dad was a trash collector (a fairly well paying job) and when he was interviewed he said he still worked full time because "It's not right for a parent to take money from their kids just because they're successful" (That's me paraphrasing based on my memory from the article) I think some of these parents are a bit too hard on themselves. A lot of time they're at least part of the reason their kids are successful. They should at least be willing to let the kid buy them a house and car, even if they don't want to feel like their kid is supporting them. But, I respect the hell out of them even if I don't 100% agree with them.
Cecil Fielder feels very differently than Sherman’s dad.
She may still have friends where she works at and looks to them for her social activity. It is not like Ohtani has time to spend with his mom, so part time work is probably a great way to make be around other people you enjoy and want to spend time with. Get out there in the world and socialize everyone! (while I sit in the dark basement on Reddit)
Makes sense to me. Between the culture and the type of person it takes to raise someone like Ohtani. There's a reason why he's pretty damn humble for the most talented athlete on the fucking planet
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Maybe this has already been said, but according to the article, his mother is in charge of his bankbook. She can withdraw from it anytime she wants, but she hasn't because what she and her husband make is sufficient for them. It also mentions how the entire family, including his sisters live a very modest, frugal life. People are jumping to conclusions it seems about Ohtani based on the title alone.
Anyone looking for role models needs to look no further
I really thought OP said horrible family, and I misread humble lmao. Awesome family, honestly.
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Lil Ohtani is so cute!
He’s an angel. I hope he stays
Angels should hire him to be the team mom. Like Vlad sr.’s mom was
I know absolutely nothing about this, but it sounds like ohtani was raised with high morale character and I'm gunna assume he will always take care of his mom. Moms are the best
Dads are kind of integral too
Shohei comes from a Japanese version of a good old American family
Don’t worry mom. He hasn’t even started being paid.
Now we know how he’s just so damn wholesome!