The 2023 NFL Week 14 Roundup | Sho-Time!
If you happen to be among the several million sports fans who have signed up for ESPN app baseball alerts, well then you’re well aware the Friday was simply beyond ridiculous. Never before had a ten year old Gulfstream G650 tail number (N161RH) caused such hysteria in the sports world. Coupled with wildly unsubstantiated rumors (from none other than noted Canadian opera singer Clarence Frazer) that Toronto blue Jays pitcher Yuseki Kikuchi had reserved — and bought out — sushi hotspot Akira Back, just steps from Rogers Centre, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes had reached a fever pitch and suburban Toronto was in the midst of a very public meltdown. Squeezing out every last ounce of purported circumstantial evidence available on the interwebs, innovative Canadian internet sleuths were convinced that a blockbuster deal to bring the all-star sensation to Hogtown was all but consummated and that a dramatic Friday night reveal was in the cards. In the who-doesn’t-like-a-record breaking-deal vein, beat reporters propagated the news, newswires and mainstream outfits (like ESPN, CBS Sports and the like) breathlessly ran with the scintillating tidbits resulting in your phone buzzing like the dickens throughout the day. As the world is well aware now nearly 96 hours later, Shohei was never on that Orange County, CA to Toronto PJ manifest; Robert Herjavec, of Shark Tank multi-millionaire fame, along with his children were. Yuseki’s buy-out of that Japanese restaurant? That was spot-on and went on as planned but Shohei was never an intended guest. As it turns out, Shohei’s sights were always trained just 30 miles north of Anaheim; drawn to Chavez Ravine where championships continue to be minted and legacies cemented. With a staggering and unprecedented $680M/10-year deal, meet LA’s newest juggernaut.
The Dodgers have made no secret of their desire to add Shohei to their clubhouse’s legendary roster in the short 11 years it’s taken Shohei to twist all those megawatt bulbs into his unmistakable marquee. The LA team lost him in 2012 (to the Nippon Ham Fighters) and 2017 when he famously signed with the Angels (due to the then NL-standard no Designated Hitter clause). This time around the Dodgers were certain their third chance at the phenom would be the charm. In the end, it wasn’t just an exercise of backing up a phalanx of Brinks truck. Certainly Shohei (and his CAA agent Nez Balelo) knew a deal commensurate with his worth was in the offing and that wherever the number landed, the headlines would go on to write themselves. But, adhering to Shohei’s homespun character, a consequential, in-person visit to Dodger Stadium just last week had team officials bowled over and completely convinced that the MVP’s values, ethos and warm, grounded relatability collected so synergistically that a deal had to be closed at any cost.
And what a charmed 11 years it’s been for Shohei. In the beginning, it wasn’t assured that Shohei would ever see the bright lights of MLB stateside. In 2012, as a high school senior in northern Japan with a 99 mph fastball, heads were already turning all across baseball. An appearance at that year’s IBAF 18U Baseball World Championship (16 strikeouts, 8 walks, 5 hits, 5 runs, 4.35 ERA across 10.3 innings) in South Korea personified the standout greatness of the then 18 year old. At this point the secret was out and scouts for the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Dodgers fell over themselves in extending overtures. Shohei extinguished the bright lights of those big-city teams and decided to sign with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, where his mentor/manger (Hideki Kuriyama) challenged him to travel down the path no one else dared because of its difficulty: to become a true so-called two-way player: pitch AND hitter. A la Babe Ruth. Over the course of the next five years, Shohei would go on to develop his fearsome two-way prowess throwing in shortstop and outfield for good measure. By 2014, he’d been invited to participate in the Suzuki All-Star Series and became only the second player out of of high school in NPB history to earn 100M yen. Another All-Star appearance in 2015 led into 2016 where he was featured as the top pitcher and Designated Hitter in the Pacific League and its MVP. At 22 years of age.
The next year in 2017, Shohei knew it was time to take his career to baseball’s birthplace. With no shortage of suitors this go-round, seven Teams went after the young Japanese star. The Angels famously signed the two-way player for a relative pittance (with an initial $12M/5 year rookie deal hemmed in by arcane International signing rules plus a final $30M/one year extension) and haven’t looked back since. In just the past three years alone, Shohei has emerged as among the best EVER in Baseball: a first-rate slugger (only Aaron Judge offers a higher slugging percentage), runner (second most triples of any player) and pitcher (third lowest ERA in all of baseball). His accolades since arriving stateside include three All-Star game appearances, two time MVP (2021, 2023), two time Silver Slugger Award recipient (2021, 2023) and three time Edgar Martinez Award winner (2021–2023). Oh yes, and he led the AL in home runs, On-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases in 2023. So as the 29-year old reaches out and quite literally touches stars he only dreamt of as a child, Shohei’s parabolic ascension dovetailed perfectly with his off-season free agency.
Which leads us to the past Fall when Shohei held a bake-off contest among a starry field of suitors including the Cubs, Angels, Giants, Blue Jays and Dodgers. Shohei’s quiet, deliberative negotiating style fomented a media blackout where that was virtually airtight and successful. Only a gasp-inducing, open-mouth-insert-foot admission at last week’s Owner meetings in Nashville from Dodger’s manager Dave Roberts were LA-Shohei conversations confirmed. After quickly realizing his transgression, Dave shifted his tune to ‘No Comment,’ neatly in line with the Team’s official public stance. Dave’s confidence stemmed from Shohei’s visit to LA days before. There, Shohei grilled team officials of THEIR commitment to baseball, their #6 ranked farm system, their philosophy. He wanted to know and see the sausage-making machinery. In the Team’s telling, no one EVER wanted to poke around behind the blue curtain much less talk about it. Further, NO Shohei-initiated talks of money, branding, star-power or other hallmarks of power player negotiating tactics. He just wanted to learn of the team’s commitment to the game, clubhouse harmony and winning. In return, the team became enamored with Shohei’s old-timey, romantic, pure vision of baseball. His adorable Beagle (conveniently named Dodger) waggy tail and all, along for the tour certainly didn’t hurt his brochure-quality image and appeal. The team found in Shohei an almost sepia-toned player who alone had two interests: playing baseball and training for baseball. A throwback-to-a-halcyon-era, simplistic, unalloyed professional uninterested in the bells, whistles and levers that came standard with the international brand and sensational status he had so rightly earned. Hence Dave Roberts’ public transgression in Nashville; such was the good will engendered.
But leading into this past weekend, while the Dodgers were climbing down the ladder from cloud 9, Shohei was fast-approaching a self-imposed deadline in choosing his future team. On the early December whistle stop tour was a much-chattered about tour of Toronto Blue Jays facilities including Rogers Centre (which is undergoing a $300M renovation) and their much ballyhooed, sparkling new $100M “development complex” aka training center in Dunedin, FL. Conversations with Jays ownership were thought to be productive and deep, the Toronto team, too, becoming enamored with Shohei’s folksy, genuine personality. This past Friday night, as the Twitterati poured forth onto phones around the world, Shohei’s agent garnered best-and-final offers from the final two contenders: LA and Toronto. Until the end Saturday morning, Toronto was very much in contention and was said to be in close proximity to LA’s outlandish $680M offer. In the end, close proximity to his longtime Orange County home and easy access to Tokyo flights won out. What role Toronto played in driving up the final invoice will never be known. Certainly, final — and-false — Friday night ruminations helped to sweeten the Dodgers offering, nervous they’d lose the future face of their franchise. In any event, Shohei played his cards close to his vest while knowing all along what he had to have: a Dodger uniform. And the LA team paid up to fund his dream come true. And in typical Shohei fashion, the $680M contract was structured in a Team-first manner where he’ll only be paid $2M/yr for the next 10 years; $660M paid out over 10 years beginning in 2034. This arrangement means the Dodgers can continue to build a blockbuster team around Shohei (a team that already features Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman), can afford to do so and still not get stung too deeply by the CBT (Competitive Balance Tax). It’s rumored Shohei’s contract allows so much wiggle room that they’re set to aggressively go after ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, yet another star player whose asking price is likely north of $300M.
But for now, Shohei and his dog Dodger, can look back and smile. At age 29, Shohei is now the most highly paid athlete in the world (beating even Lionel Messi’s $674M) and has exemplified the parable we would all do well to live by: gracefully know your worth and seek not a penny less. Shohei, a true international brand and global superstar, remains humbled and flattered by all the attention as he recovers from his second hybrid-Tommy John surgery. He doesn’t car for all the adoration, flashing lights and fawning press coverage. Instead, he’ll be picking up his first bat in a Dodger uniform come Spring, just months from his 30th birthday in July. A cynic will look at all this hyperventilating news and point to the sports world in general, its athletes and the rich getting richer. While this might be true, with Shohei, a case could be made for the nice getting nicer as well. Refreshing qualities in a sports world populated with divas (no names, bro). A convincing, proven, generational two-way talent who is as appropriately monied as he is polite and laser-focused on the task at hand. Meet Shohei Ohtani, the planet’s newest sports megastar whose still-emerging legacy is to be enshrined for the ages in Los Angeles. Just as in Shohei’s childhood dreams.
AS we close in on the Playoffs, Week 14 is crystalizing around who will be participating and who will be spectating. Among the latter are the Pats who on Thursday snapped their horrible five-game losing skid against the once-mighty Steelers, 21–18. Uncharacteristically, NE was in control the entire game with QB Bailey Zappe a particular standout. The Steelers were shoved around the entire night and mounted a valiant — if ultimately unsuccessful 4th quarter comeback. The Pats are mired neck-deep in losses at 3–10 and are not going anywhere but home in January. It doesn’t mean they still can’t be successful at spoiling the playoff trajectory of others. Point, counterpoint. Check. Over in Chicago, watch out but the Lions are on the cusp of formalizing a backslide with two misses in the past three games. The scrappy, unconventional team had a rough go of it against the Bears who powerfully took command in the second half showcasing an offensive blitz paired with a suffocating secondary that snuffed out any DET QB Jared Goff wizardry Lions fans have become accustomed to this year. The showing from the Bears betrayed their lowly 3–8 record, at least for a week. Well, two weeks including their W against Minnesota last week.
At MetLife, looks of puzzlement as the hardy Texans arrived to do some damage in Jersey but instead were unexpectedly thrashed about by the punchline and punchy Jets. An unlikely 6–30 loss resulted. NYJ QB Zach Wilson reminded fans and the league why he was signed in the first place revealing powerful glimpses of inspiration and connective tissue with his receiving core. The team’s DEF also did quite the number on HOU’s typically-lucrative OFF. MVP candidate CJ Stroud had an OFF day and what’s worse, exited the game in the 4th under the protection of concussive protocols. Next ON Sunday, we all learned what a Chiefs temper tantrum looks like. KC racked up their second loss in two weeks against the Bills, 17–20, in a heartbreaker (for them) that pivoted on a last-minute offsides call negating a miraculous three-way play involving a lateral pass from Travis Kelce, breaking free of an attempted BUF traffic jam, to Kadarius Toney who zoomed in for the TD unencumbered. Except for a crucial offside call that then sent Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid marching for the gallows. It was an ugly look for the Super Bowl champs who pointed to officiating in hot blame for their loss instead of the mirror. True, it took a gameful of mistakes for them to be in a defensive, come-from-behind position in the first place. And the Bills, powered by yet another convincing outing, appear to have returned to form. But no matter, the Chiefs, are making excuses when they should be making victories. You’re losing the argument when there’s more of the former.
In our Round Robin, the Browns slid past the Jags, 31–27, with journeyman Joey Flacco at the helm (in for injured and troubled Deshaun Watson). NOLA hammered the pitiful 1–12 Panthers, 28–6 as the Ravens eeked out a nail-biting 37–31 OT WIN over the Rams at home that saw a miraculous punt TD return seal the deal. Shame on Los Angeles. Vikings overtaking the Raiders in Vegas, 3–0, had the dubious distinction of putting up the lowest scoring game in the League in 16 years; which tells you all you need to know about the also-rans. The Eagles are stringing together an odd two game losing streak as the team descends the Leaderboard amidst Jalen Hurts’ injured knee; the severe urgency clearly lacking. Not helping matters was a masterclass show-out from Dallas and QB Dak Prescott who forged a 33–13 victory convincingly at AT&T. The 49ers continue to cruise and have separated themselves from all others in contention as they ascend to 10–3; their latest victims the Hawks. And last night, the Fins lost embarrassingly to the not-good Titans by a measly point and Big Blue triumphed over Jordan Love and his Packers to the surprise of everyone, including hometown fans.
