All Ball: Say it ain’t so, Shohei
by Paul Teetor When the famous slugger “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was caught up in the 1919 “Black Sox” World Series game-fixing scandal, a little kid confronted him on the courthouse steps and uttered these immortal words: “Say it ain’t so, Joe.” That’s how All Ball is feeling these days about Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about Ohtani’s story of massive theft, personal betrayal and a language barrier that made the seemingly impossible very possible. Something about it just doesn’t feel right, sound right or smell right. But I really hope that it is right, and that I’m wrong to have such a queasy feeling, because I’m excited to see what the greatest ball player in history is going to do now that he’s signed with the Dodgers. We’ve already seen him hit in a Dodger’s uniform, and he’s been amazing so far. Two hits and a walk in their home opener Thursday, a 7-1 laugher over the St. Louis Cardinals. Now I want to see him pitch in a Dodgers uniform, showing off the form that earned him two American League Most Valuable Player awards in his last three seasons with the Angels. Unfortunately, he will not be able to pitch until next season when…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com