Michael Hiltzik: It's not just Shohei — a massive scandal involving sports betting is just around the corner
Question for Major League Baseball: How do you like your sports betting partnerships now?
The question arises at this moment because the league faces what could be a historic scandal involving Shohei Ohtani, its historic superstar.
The Dodgers slugger has maintained that he had nothing to do with the allegedly illegal bets placed by his friend and former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who has been fired by the team.
Mizuhara originally asserted that Ohtani had covered his gambling losses; Ohtani's camp has subsequently maintained that Mizuhara covered those losses by stealing from the player. Ohtani says he has never gambled on sports.
At this point, there's no particular reason to doubt Ohtani's innocence, but if it turns out that he was involved in betting on baseball, hoo boy, the consequences are dire.
The league penalty for betting on games in which a player was uninvolved — including pro or amateur games going down as far as youth leagues — is a year's suspension. For betting on games in which the player is involved, the penalty is a permanent ban. For
