Is Ohtani worth a half-billion?

ESPN layoffs and July 4th

Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a great start.  For those in the United States happy Independence Day.

Let me set the record straight; Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball; not Aaron Judge; not any of the eight Atlanta Braves all-stars; not Mookie Betts.  No one.  Ohtani is the best and his teammate Mike Trout, when healthy, is a pretty close second.

Sunday, as the Los Angeles Angels salvaged the finale of a three-game set against the much-improved Arizona Diamondbacks, Ohtani provided some much needed insurance with a mammoth eighth inning home run into the right field seats.  Trout had homered earlier.

Who could have predicted Ohtani would dominate the game both as a hitter and pitcher, but he has.  He is also a free agent, after this season. It is not outlandish to think he could command a half-billion dollar contract.  I hope it’s the Angels who give it to him.

There is something special going on in Anaheim.  The Angels have a chance to make the playoffs, as they finally seem to be heading in the right direction.  If nothing else, I hope the Angels do not trade him this season just to remind the universe the baseball world does not revolve around New York and Boston.

It is not so much the teams in those cities, as much as the media covering those clubs, repeatedly writing stories on why the Angels should throw in the towel and trade Ohtani to the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets.  It’s as if the people who cover those clubs believe other teams exist just to keep the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets in contention.  The arrogance is palpable.  The Angels are in contention in their division and the wild card.  No way should they trade Ohtani, free agent or not.

As for Ohtani, whether it is Angels owner Arte Moreno or any owner, they will be faced with a decision, as to his future.  Ohtani will be given the contract the market demands and then some.  My guess is a half-billion dollars.  (I cannot believe I’m writing that number.) The reality, however, is that his contract, much like Judge’s with the Yankees, will be a loss leader.  There is no way Ohtani will be the player he is now, halfway through his next contract.  But the team who signs Ohtani can market its franchise around him. I just hope it’s the Angels. They have a loyal fanbase, keeping Ohtani gives the Dodgers a run for attention and it would serve as a reminder to some in the eastern media the west coast teams are not in existence for the benefit of the east coast clubs.

ESPN lays off on-air talent

The worldwide sports leader generated headlines on Friday and Saturday with layoffs of high profile on-air talent.  The media was quick to pounce on the story, which I find ironic (some would call it hypocritical), considering those outlets reporting the story rarely report their own massive job cuts.

The bottom line is the bottom line.  ESPN, companies that seemed to take glee in reporting Friday’s layoffs or even your local newspaper or radio station are bleeding money. The younger generation rarely listens to radio or subscribes to cable TV.  Newspapers? Forget it.

The paradigm has changed. Dependent on subscribers, ESPN is seeing that revenue dip, as younger generations cut the cord.  The seismic shift in how we consume and produce information is changing before our very eyes.  If you are reading this newsletter, you know what I mean.  I am composing it on my iPad.  No newsroom, no newsprint, no delivery truck was required to deliver this newsletter to you.  The demise of the legacy media, mind you, is not sudden. It’s more like death by a thousand cuts.

The point is times have changed.  A podcast (Yes, another way we now consume information.) I listened to noted that a Canadian broadcast outlet just shuttered six of its AM radio station last week.  They tried selling them for a dollar each and found no takers.  This is no exaggeration.  I also know someone in my neck of the woods who was offered an AM station for a dollar and turned it down.

So the ESPN layoffs should come as no surprise.  Here is hoping those who lost their jobs can bounce back. I’ve been there.  It’s not easy.  The best advice may sound trite but it is true; keep plugging away.

Baseball and the 4th of July

It is the 4th of July, which used to mean automatic doubleheaders for Major League Baseball.  I remember attending the Yankees-Red Sox doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1973. The Yankees were in first place but Boston won both games, 2-1 and 1-0, to pull within 4 games.  It was one of four twinbills that day.  It was not a doubleheader but 10 years later the Yankees Dave Righetti no-hit the Red Sox.

The most famous 4th of July may have been in 1939, when Lou Gehrig gave his famous “The luckiest man …” speech in front of 61,008, in between games of a doubleheader, featuring the Yankees and Senators at Yankee Stadium.

Like we wrote earlier, times change.  For baseball, the 4th of July now means night games and fireworks, if a team even is scheduled on that date. However you celebrate, enjoy!

That is it for this week’s newsletter.  There will not be a newsletter next week, but I will return on July 18.  As always, thank you for your support and have a terrific week.

SPORTSCASTER DAN