Did Ohtani dodge the taxman?

Al Michaels unable to dodge broadcast reality

Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a terrific start.

Last week in this space, I wrote about the 10-year, $700 million contract signed by Shohei Ohtani. Little did I know that $680 million of it was being deferred, until after Ohtani’s playing days with the Dodgers are finished. The thought was taking just $2 million per year, while playing, would help the Dodgers with baseball’s luxury tax, a perfectly legal move. Now it is coming to light, Ohtani may have taken the huge deferment to avoid paying California’s onerous income tax.

California will have to wait 10 years, before collecting the taxes on the majority of the contract, according to the Associated Press, but the deficit-riddled state ($68 billion in the hole) might not even see that money. Should Ohtani retire and move out of the state, after those 10 years, he cannot be taxed by California for retirement income. The AP notes that federal law does not permit states from taxing income from retirement, if that person moves out of state.

As I wrote last week, I have nothing against Ohtani getting paid $700 million. You get paid what someone is willing to pay you. I also do not have a problem with how the contract was structured, as long as it is within the law, and that includes deferments and taxes.

What I find fascinating the more I read about Ohtani, however, is how he was able to call the shots, during his days with the Angels. According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, Ohtani only spoke to reporters after the games he pitched and not after games when he was the DH. He took batting practice, when he wanted to and where he wanted to. In other words, there were rules for the team and Ohtani’s rules.

In his latest contract with the Dodgers, he negotiated an opt out if Dodgers owner Mark Walter sells the team or president Andrew Friedman leaves. All this for a lifetime .274 hitter, who will only be a DH next season, because of recovering from elbow surgery, an operation he would not detail in his “Welcome to the Dodgers” news conference next week. Only the Dodgers know what they are getting for their return on investment and good for Ohtani’s agent to snag terms Ohtani wanted.

Ohtani has a great image and is good for the game. He negotiated what he could get and the Dodgers did not say “no.” Good for him. And with those demands, if I was a manager, I would be glad he was not on my team.

Welcome to broadcasting, Al Michaels

Not even the venerable Al Michaels can escape corporate, media suits. Michaels learned via the New York Post last week, that he was out at NBC, dismissed from calling any NFL playoff games, even though he said his contract included calling a playoff game.

From 2006 to 2021 Michaels called SNF on NBC. When his contract expired two years ago, NBC switched to Mike Tirico, while Michaels left to call TNF on Amazon Prime. To keep things amicable, however, NBC granted Michaels emeritus status, and that included calling an NFL playoff game for the network each season. He called one last year and was set to announce one this season, until the story leaked that he was out. No one at NBC told him. Several stories seemed to indicate that one person in particular, did not want Michaels calling games for the network. Other stories suggested some people were not happy that Michaels was cynical about the in-game coverage Taylor Swift was getting, during Kansas City Chiefs games. Whatever. Michaels experienced what others have; not being told you were out, when you were out.

And then there was Mel Allen

Coincidentally, the sportscasting world was abuzz 59 years ago, when the New York Yankees fired their beloved voice, Mel Allen, without ever making his dismissal public. Allen was the Al Michaels of his day, calling World Series, All-Star games, the Rose Bowl, college football and more on radio and television. He was also the voice of “Fox Movietone” reels, back when that was a big deal. But it was as the “Voice of the Yankees” how many knew him, as he broadcast their games from 1939 to 1964, with a break to serve in the Army during World War II.

When the Yankees made a late-season run to win the AL Pennant in 1964, the club did not select Allen to broadcast the World Series. (Back then teams would pick one of their broadcasters to broadcast the Series games on national radio and TV). Phil Rizzuto was the choice. His partner was ex-Cardinals broadcaster and player, turned network announcer Joe Garagiola.

The Yankees, who had been sold to CBS, were still being run by owners Dan Topping and Del Webb - the sale was still waiting league approval - who never told Allen directly that he was out. For weeks, as rumors swirled, Allen was left to dangle in the wind. Then on Dec. 17 the Yankees threw a big shindig at Toots Shor’s Restaurant in Manhattan to introduce Garagiola as their new voice. He would join Rizzuto, Red Barber and Jerry Coleman on the broadcast team. Coincidentally, Rizzuto was not at the event.

Allen was out. Some said he had lot something off his fastball, having been stretched too thin with all his broadcast assignments. Former presidential speech writer Curt Smith, who has written several books about baseball broadcasters, chronicled Allen’s career in “The Voice.” A few years back I interviewed Smith on my radio show. I also had the chance to be in Allen’s company a couple of times and he could not have been more gracious.

When George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees, he brought Allen back on a limited basis, remembering the time Allen spent more than an hour with him on a phone call, when Steinbrenner was a student at Williams College, picking Allen’s brain about pursuing a broadcast career. At age 51, however, Allen’s glory years at the microphone were behind him, though his sparse Yankees assignments and host of “This Week In Baseball” brought him notoriety, especially to audiences who had never heard him. At age 79, Michaels is still going strong, even though someone at NBC “forgot” to tell him he was no longer wanted.

That is going to do it for this week’s newsletter. I will be taking a break next week with the newsletter but will publish some podcast episodes you can subscribe to on this website or in any of the podcast directories. To those who celebrate, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Thank you for your support.

SPORTSCASTER DAN