Mizuhara was promptly fired by the Dodgers, and, at a Monday afternoon news conference during which he did not take questions, Ohtani repeated the claim that he was fleeced.

"He was stealing money from my bank account ... he was lying to everyone," Ohtani said in Japanese, later adding, "I of course have never had anything to do with sports betting and I absolutely have never sent money to a bookmaker. Honestly, I don't think shock is the right word. I've spent the last week in something beyond that, which I can't express in words. It's hard to put that into words right now."

I can put it into several words.

I am queasy with the notion that Mizuhara could mastermind a heist of at least $4.5 million without Ohtani or his accountants or his bankers or somebody noticing the money was missing.

I am skeptical at the idea that any bookie would extend $4.5 million in credit to an ordinary gambler, and then collect that money without confirming its source to ensure that the money was not being stolen.

Above all, I am incredulous at the notion Mizuhara could give a completely plausible Ohtani-approved explanation of the payments in one interview, then, seemingly hours later, be called a liar and accused of theft by the same Ohtani representatives.

It doesn't add up. Furthermore, it's amazing that Ohtani's crisis management teams — some of the same people who represented the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Danny Masterson — would not have realized it doesn't add up.

By the way, why does Ohtani still employ agent Nez Balelo? If Ohtani truly felt he had been robbed by his interpreter and was truly unaware of the missing money, he should have already fired the guy who is paid to protect him, no? Hmmm.

Somebody is lying somewhere. Somebody is hiding something. I don't know who is doing what, and I'm surely not alone.

Although sports gambling is still illegal in California, it's one of only 12 states where it's still a crime and that doesn't seem to be the biggest issue here.

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