AP Sports

In Japan, Ohtani’s ‘perfect person’ image could take a hit with firing of interpreter over gambling

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is referred to in Japan as “kanpeki no hito” — the perfect person — because of his manners and impeccable behavior. That image may have taken a hit when the Dodgers fired his good friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara over allegations he gambled illegally and stole Ohtani’s money. The law firm representing Ohtani called it a “massive theft” in a statement.

Yamamoto chased after 1st inning of debut as Padres beat Dodgers 15-11 for 2-game South Korea split

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto was chased after one inning of a nightmarish major league debut and the San Diego Padres outlasted the Dodgers 15-11 after Los Angeles fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter following allegations of illegal gambling. Mookie Betts had four hits and six RBIs for the Dodgers, including the first home run of the major league season. Jake Cronenworth tied a career high with four hits and had four RBIs for San Diego, which gained a split in the opening two-games series, Major League Baseball’s first games in South Korea. Manny Machado hit a three-run homer in the ninth off J.P. Feyereisen.

Cavs coach Bickerstaff says he received threats from gamblers, feels sports betting ‘gone too far’

Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed he received threats from gamblers last season and reported it to the NBA. Speaking before the Cavs game against Miami, Bickerstaff said gamblers got his telephone number and sent him “crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff.” Bickerstaff said he told security and that the gambler was located. With sports gambling growing in the U.S., Bickerstaff, who is in his fourth full season with the Cavaliers, said his job has become more challenging. He said more should be done to protect players, coaches and others in the game.

Rubiales tells Spanish court he will return from Caribbean, cooperate with corruption probe

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales has told an investigating judge he will return to Spain to face a judicial probe into the business deal to hold the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Rubiales was in the Dominican Republic when police raided a property belonging to him as well as the federation offices on Wednesday in a corruption and money laundering investigation. Officers made seven arrests. Rubiales is under investigation. A court official tells The Associated Press that Rubiales’ lawyer says he is willing to cooperate with authorities and has plans to fly home next month.

If it seems like everyone can score in March Madness, there is a reason. Offense has evolved

Offensive efficiency is at its highest level in Division I men’s college basketball going back almost three decades. For coaches, it’s a sign of the expanding skillsets of players growing more versatile with the ability to play position-less basketball. And that’s allowed them to tweak their offensive approaches to look for new wrinkles. Coach Dan Hurley of reigning national champion Connecticut said offenses are more sophisticated. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo says he thinks the biggest change is players who have more ability to stress defenses. It will all be on display in March Madness.

Hamilton praises F1 Academy director Susie Wolff over legal action against FIA

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has criticized FIA while supporting Susie Wolff’s “bravery” for filing a criminal complaint against auto racing’s governing body in the French courts. Susie Wolff is married to Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff, and is director of the all-female junior racing series F1 Academy. She has begun legal action “in relation to statements made against me” by the FIA. The Wolffs were the subject of an investigation by FIA last December which sought to determine if the couple shared confidential information. The investigation began after allegations of a conflict of interest were published in BusinessF1 magazine. But FIA closed the investigation after just 48 hours.

Ohtani’s interpreter is fired by Dodgers after allegations of ‘massive theft’ from Japanese star

SEOUL, South Korea. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese star. Othani is playing in Seoul, South Korea, this week in a two-game series with the San Diego Padres to open the major league baseball season. Mizuhara was seen regularly chatting with Ohtani, who was the Dodgers’ designated hitter, seemingly discussing his at-bats over a tablet computer during Wednesday’s game. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said a different interpreter would be used and he said he did not know Mizuhara’s whereabouts.

Louisville women could get chance to again knock out Mulkey’s reigning champ in NCAA tourney

Coach Jeff Walz and Louisville have knocked a reigning national champion out of the women’s NCAA Tournament in the past. The Cardinals could soon get a chance to do it again. If both teams win their first-round games, Louisville would then face defending champ LSU, coach Kim Mulkey and former Cardinals’ three-year starter Hailey Van Lith. In the 2013 Sweet 16, Louisville upset reigning champion Baylor, then coached by Mulkey. Other intriguing potential second-round matchups include Ohio State guard Celeste Taylor against Duke, her team the past two seasons, and West Virginia maybe facing Caitlin Clark and Iowa after some viral comments.

Who is Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s interpreter?

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers amid allegations he stole money from baseball star Shohei Ohtani to service illegal gambling debts. But who is Mizuhara and how did he get in a position to carry out the alleged theft from his close friend? The 39-year-old Mizuhara is a familiar face to baseball fans as Ohtani’s companion, having interpreted for the star with mainly media since Ohtani moved to the United States in 2017. Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to the Los Angeles area in 1991. Mizuhara was hired by the Boston Red Sox as an interpreter. He returned to Japan in 2013 to translate for English-speaking players. That’s when he first met Ohtani, who joined the team that same year.

The four Grand Slams, the two tours and Saudi Arabia are all hoping to revamp tennis

Tennis could be on the verge of massive structural change if one of two separate proposals formulated by the four Grand Slam tournaments and the WTA and ATP professional tours ends up moving forward. There is plenty of discussion happening now behind closed doors about the sport’s future. Negotiations involve the various governing bodies, tournaments, players, agents and Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund. The idea set forth by the four majors would get rid of the current WTA-ATP structure and create a new Premier Tour for roughly 100 women and 100 men and a lower-level Contenders Tour for roughly 200 women and 200 men. All events would have women and men and pay equal prize money.