Ohtani interpreter

[SyrNy1960]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I was a professional gambler for more than a decade. I know and/or have met hundreds of degenerate gamblers over the course of my life. They all fit a particular profile, though there are various flavors of them. I'd wager some damn good money that Ohtani is not a degenerate gambler. It's far more likely that he bailed out his friend or that his friend had access to his accounts somehow than it is that he's a degenerate gambler looking to launder millions of dollars worth of bets through him.

Travis, thanks for sharing this. Never heard of degenerate gambler, so I looked it up. Definitely opened my eyes.

https://gamblerspro.com/degenerate-gambler-are-you-one/

I've been collecting cards and sports memorabilia for 45 years, before recently selling everything off. At no point did I ever have the urge to spend money I didn't have, just to get that item I really wanted. It's just not in me.

I now know my Son is a degenerate gambler. I assume it started when he worked at a Casino right after high school. He worked there for a couple of years, but was later fired and banned from the Casino (I assume he stole from them). He had numerous jobs in which he stole from his employers to support his gambling habit. One business fired him for theft, then rehired him (owner was a friend of his mother), then he stole from them again. His only interaction with me over the last 15 years was when he was looking for money. He wasn't a good liar, so I didn't fall for his stories. I wouldn't hear from him for years at at time.

After not hearing from him for the past two years, he reached out to me. He told me that he was arrested for stealing from his employer and that they pressed charges (none of the other business filed charges, they just fired him). He said he was facing jail time and it scared him to death because he has a 6 year old son. I was able to check and verify that he was telling me the truth. He told me how he was going through counseling and how much he has learned from it, blah blah blah. Well, being that I was a legal officer in the military for 25 years, and I have seen many young Sailors turn themselves around after getting into trouble, I let my guard down. I believed and trusted him. I was proud of him for turning a corner to better his life. He was very convincing. He played me for about a month, before working his magic to get money out of me. I guess the father in me wanted to believe in him, more than I should have. He had a debt that he needed taken care, so I wanted to help him, so he could continue to get himself out of debt. Well, once he got the money (not a loan), he again pressed for money a few weeks later. That's when I knew he didn't learn a thing. Possible jail didn't scare him. When he wasn't going to get any more money from me, he got angry and turned back into his old nasty, hateful self again.

It's truly difficult for me to understand the mindset they have. But the above article did help somewhat. It's truly sad to see my Son ruin his life over gambling. And he's not even good at it.

Thanks, Tony

[frankbmd]

I confess.

I'm a degenerate collector.

[chalupacollects]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I confess.

I'm a degenerate collector.

Welcome to the group!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I confess.

I'm a degenerate collector.

Or just a degenerate.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Or just a degenerate.

Ex-degenerate!!!

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by SyrNy1960

Travis, thanks for sharing this. Never heard of degenerate gambler, so I looked it up. Definitely opened my eyes.

https://gamblerspro.com/degenerate-gambler-are-you-one/

I've been collecting cards and sports memorabilia for 45 years, before recently selling everything off. At no point did I ever have the urge to spend money I didn't have, just to get that item I really wanted. It's just not in me.

I now know my Son is a degenerate gambler. I assume it started when he worked at a Casino right after high school. He worked there for a couple of years, but was later fired and banned from the Casino (I assume he stole from them). He had numerous jobs in which he stole from his employers to support his gambling habit. One business fired him for theft, then rehired him (owner was a friend of his mother), then he stole from them again. His only interaction with me over the last 15 years was when he was looking for money. He wasn't a good liar, so I didn't fall for his stories. I wouldn't hear from him for years at at time.

After not hearing from him for the past two years, he reached out to me. He told me that he was arrested for stealing from his employer and that they pressed charges (none of the other business filed charges, they just fired him). He said he was facing jail time and it scared him to death because he has a 6 year old son. I was able to check and verify that he was telling me the truth. He told me how he was going through counseling and how much he has learned from it, blah blah blah. Well, being that I was a legal officer in the military for 25 years, and I have seen many young Sailors turn themselves around after getting into trouble, I let my guard down. I believed and trusted him. I was proud of him for turning a corner to better his life. He was very convincing. He played me for about a month, before working his magic to get money out of me. I guess the father in me wanted to believe in him, more than I should have. He had a debt that he needed taken care, so I wanted to help him, so he could continue to get himself out of debt. Well, once he got the money (not a loan), he again pressed for money a few weeks later. That's when I knew he didn't learn a thing. Possible jail didn't scare him. When he wasn't going to get any more money from me, he got angry and turned back into his old nasty, hateful self again.

It's truly difficult for me to understand the mindset they have. But the above article did help somewhat. It's truly sad to see my Son ruin his life over gambling. And he's not even good at it.

Thanks, Tony

Heartbreaking story Tony, thank you for sharing. Gambling is a particularly nasty addiction that not only ruins the life of the gambler but also has devastating effects of those around him as your story so poignantly points out.

I believe the consequences of major league sports embracing gambling will only produce more stories like that of your son in the years to come.

[SyrNy1960]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Heartbreaking story Tony, thank you for sharing. Gambling is a particularly nasty addiction that not only ruins the life of the gambler but also has devastating effects of those around him as your story so poignantly points out.

I believe the consequences of major league sports embracing gambling will only produce more stories like that of your son in the years to come.

Phil,

Thanks! What’s more frustrating is that he’s to the point where I can’t help him anymore. He only lashes out and says very nasty and hateful things. I have to continue to watch him spiral his life out of control. He’s owes $20,000 in back child support and just continues to dig himself in a deeper hole. My worry and fear is that if he goes too deep down the hole, and he feels he has no way out, he will end his life. My worst nightmare! Before gambling, he was a great kid with a good heart.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by SyrNy1960

Phil,

Thanks! What’s more frustrating is that he’s to the point where I can’t help him anymore. He only lashes out and says very nasty and hateful things. I have to continue to watch him spiral his life out of control. He’s owes $20,000 in back child support and just continues to dig himself in a deeper hole. My worry and fear is that if he goes too deep down the hole, and he feels he has no way out, he will end his life. My worst nightmare! Before gambling, he was a great kid with a good heart.

I'm sorry to hear about your son's struggle with his gambling addiction. I've witnessed similar behavior from numerous friends over the years as well. It's more common than most people realize, and as you're currently experiencing, it can tear apart families. If I can offer any advice, the most important thing to remember is that this truly is like a disease. It's actually a cognitive disorder. It's similar to an adrenaline junkie. It's not just about getting money, it's about the dopamine rush that they experience when they win. He physically can't help himself. There are free programs out there that can help though, if he's willing to put in the work. The best thing you can do as a father is to have an open and honest conversation with him. Read more about the disease and tell him you're trying to understanding what he's going through and that you want to be there to support him. But you also have to tell him that because of his addiction, you have to draw a hard line in the sand when it comes to money, and make it clear that he won't be getting any from you. But be sure he knows that you love him, that you understand what he's going through, and that you're there for support. Take him fishing, if that's your thing. Get him away from that environment, and encourage him to find help. People in his position often feel immense shame. They get down on themselves because they think they've failed everyone who placed their trust in them, and they lose hope. They lose friends over borrowing money. I have several friends from my former life as a professional gambler who owe me money. I know they'll never pay me back, and I'm at peace with it. I had dinner with one of my friends who owed me money after a couple of years of not seeing or talking with each other, and the shame was written all over his face the moment I saw him. He couldn't even look me in the eye. We were good friends too. I knew he couldn't afford to pay me back and that I'd never see that money, but I didn't care. He was hoping I would just avoid the topic, but I told him right out of the gate that I didn't care about the money and that I wanted him to keep it and that I just wanted to catch up on life. I told him I didn't want him to carry that burden anymore. His eyes welled up with tears. He's not someone who experiences forgiveness or empathy from others very often. Any amount of love, empathy, forgiveness, and patience that you can give to your son will go a long way. Make sure he knows that you understand what he's going through and that you refuse to let it ruin your relationship.

[SyrNy1960]

Travis, thank you very much for the advice. Much appreciated! Sorry everyone for injecting my personal life into this thread.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by SyrNy1960

Travis, thank you very much for the advice. Much appreciated! Sorry everyone for injecting my personal life into this thread.

No need to apologize.

We all have fun with our kids driving us nuts sometimes. But this definitely gives us perspective to count our many blessings, because it could always be worse.

[jayshum]

Report now is that Ohtani will read a prepared statement sometime this afternoon and take no questions so seems unlikely there will be many answers to the questions that are still out there about what happened.

[Yoda]

I know from personal experience the torment Japanese go through trying to learn foreign languages; still, I think, Ohtani would have been better served if had started an intensive English course when he decided to jump baseball countries.
If he could handle simple press conference questions in English, without the need for a interpreter with whom he formed an intimate relationship, I wonder if this situation would have arisen.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

So the more I read the more, the odd progression of the story actually seems to make sense.

As weird as the story is, along with the weird change in the story very early on; It actually makes perfect sense. The first statement by Ohtani's reps WAS TRANSLATED BY THE INTERPRETER. When Ohtani found out that what was said was NOT the truth, the story changed TO THE TRUTH almost immediately and they realized that he'd been robbed. That's what made it seem like the story oddly changed almost immediately, because they caught the thief lying about the problem and realized that he stole the money and then issued a fabricated statement that made it seem like the money was actually given to him.

Also, people say, Ohtani had to give him permission to wire the money, but as a business owner who receives wires all the time, I can tell you that many banks allow wires to be sent completely online and all you need is the bank log in and account # information, which a man who was "like a brother" to Ohtani certainly could've finagled access to.

Finally Ohtani is vociferously anti-gambling. He refuses to go to casinos with teammates etc. There's almost no chance he is somehow gambling and blaming the interpreter.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Also, people say, Ohtani had to give him permission to wire the money, but as a business owner who receives wires all the time, I can tell you that many banks allow wires to be sent completely online and all you need is the bank log in and account # information, which a man who was "like a brother" to Ohtani certainly could've finagled access to.

Online wires are typically limited as to how much you can send even for very high net worth clients. Even if in this case the wire was not limited from Ohtani's account, the wire would require log in info to a bank account, which most people would not hand off even to a best friend, third party verification (typically a multi digit numeric code that is texted to the account holder's cellphone). Lastly I cannot imagine any banking institution not also requiring verbal confirmation with the account holder that the wire was authorized and that would include asking for other personal info to verify the person they are speaking with is the account holder.

If Mizuhara had all of that info on Ohtani, then Ohtani's people had better examine his bank accounts for additional possible other transactions that Mizuhara helped himself to. They have known one another since 2013.