The party was planned months ago to celebrate Mathew Bowyer’s 50th birthday Friday with 140 family members and friends who stuck by him during his troubled times, and only those he still wanted to remain in his life.
This was not only going to be a lavish five-hour affair at the Bottega Angelina restaurant in Laguna Niguel, California but also a celebration of life and bringing closure to a dark chapter in his life.
It was the day, April 4, Bowyer was also going to be sentenced by the federal government for running one of the largest illegal bookmaking operations in the country, captivating the nation and all of Japan, with the ugly involvement of Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Bowyer’s sentencing has instead been delayed to Oct. 3, giving him more time to get his life in order, but also adding six more months of stress while thinking about his fate.
“I would have preferred to get this over with, man,’ Bowyer told USA TODAY Sports. “I know people have told me that the longer the delay, the better for sentencing. It’s just the anxiety of the unknown that sucks.
“I feel like I’m in a pickle between second and third base, but closer to second base.’
Bowyer, who pleaded guilty last August to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and false tax returns, faces 18 years in prison, but says he expects receive a sentence of 17 to 37 months after cooperating with government officials. He’ll certainly receive a lighter penalty than the 57 months in prison that Mizuhara was sentenced for bank and tax fraud, and stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.
Mizuhara, one of more than 700 clients of Bowyer, placed at least 19,000 bets in excess of $300 million with Bowyer’s bookmaking operation from Sept. 2021 to Jan. 2024, gambling up to $100,000 a game.
It’s the Ohtani-Mizuhara relationship that has fascinated film producers and national media outlets. Bowyer says he has written a 87,000 word, 16-chapter book on his life called, “Recalibrate,’ that will also be published once he knows his fate.
“My life was like the ‘Wolf of Wall Street,’ but if Shohei’s name wasn’t involved in this,’’ Bowyer said, “nobody would give a [expletive] about me. You’re talking about the biggest athlete in the world. I don’t think we’ll ever see a player like this again in our lifetime.’
We may also spend the rest of Ohtani’s lifetime wondering just how much Ohtani knew about Mizuhara’s gambling addiction, and whether he had even the slightest involvement.
“I know the whole world wants to know,’ Bowyer says, “but to this day, I truly don’t know. They are the only two people in the world who really know the truth, Shohei and Ippei.
“I truly believe that Shohei doesn’t gamble, but I think he knew some area of demise with Ippei, just maybe not to that extent.’
The federal government and Major League Baseball believe Ohtani was nothing more than a victim of fraud. He was quickly cleared by federal investigators and MLB of having no knowledge that Mizuhara was stealing from his account, nor aware of any of the 19,000 bets Mizuhara placed with Bowyer for nearly 2 ½ years.
“It’s definitely possible Ohtani didn’t know anything, but plausible is a different answer,’ Bowyer says. “I gambled bigger than most. I hid my emotions better than most. But you can only hide so much when you’re in serious turmoil. And clearly, he was in serious turmoil.
“If this is true that Ippei was the guy, and gambling all by himself the whole time, I don’t know how you could hide that from your best friend, someone you were with almost 24 hours a day? They were inseparable.
“And if you really could hide that from his best friend for so long – then how could Shohei Ohtani not see $17 million gone from his account?’
While Mizuhara has been proven to be a degenerate gambler, there is not a shred of evidence he ever bet on baseball. Not a single bet involving was made with Bowyer involved baseball, Bowyer insists, which was supported by the federal government and MLB’s investigations.
Bowyer says MLB never interviewed him during its investigation, but a person with direct knowledge of the MLB investigation said an attempt to contact Bowyer was rebuffed by his attorney.
“My obligation was to the federal government,’ Bowyer says. “If we had wanted to talk, there was really no value in it for me.’
Considering the exorbitant amount of the wagers, Bowyer assumed all along that Ohtani was aware of Mizuhara’s gambling addiction, particularly with Ohtani’s name on multiple $500,000 wire transfers. Yet, he never met Ohtani. Never talked to Ohtani. Never once sought the truth.
“I never had a discission with Ippei directly on who’s making the bets,’ says Bowyer, who originally met Mizuhara at a private poker game in 2021 after an Angels-Padres game in San Diego. “People ask me all of the time, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’ I say, ‘Why would I?’ It’s not my business to pry into their business. How are they getting the money? Who’s betting for who? There comes a point where you don’t want the answer, and I was afraid of the truth.
“I didn’t do drugs. I didn’t harm people. I was just a businessman providing a service to people.’
Once Bowyer serves his time, he wants to prove a different type of service. He wants to help athletes avoid the gambling web that ensnared five minor league players last season, including Tucupita Marcano, a former San Diego Padres player who received a lifetime ban for placing more than $150,000 worth of bets on baseball games. Umpire Pat Hoberg, considered one of the game’s finest home plate umpires, was fired last season for his involvement with sports gambling. Atlanta minor leaguer David Fletcher, who placed smaller wagers on football games with Bowyer, still is being investigated by MLB.
“He never bet on baseball, he just bet on sports,’ Bowyer said of Fletcher, who was also a golfing buddy. “I feel bad for him. This tarnished him. He did nothing wrong in my opinion. He was just doing what I think more than half of the athletes are doing.’
MLB, which is trying to balance its partnerships with legal sports betting companies while maintaining the integrity of the game, permits its players to bet on other sports, but only if it’s done legally in states where sports betting is allowed. California remains one of 12 states that has not legalized gambling.
Bowyer believes that about 50% of athletes gamble on other sports. Most of the gambling is legal, but there, of course, are outliers in all sports with Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors receiving a lifetime ban last year after providing confidential information to sport gamblers.
“Athletes are always going to bet on sports,’ Bowyer says. “They are competitive people. But at the end of the day, how do they control it? It’s really sad to see some of these guys ruin their lives over this. There’s a big problem here, I don’t know what the exact answer is, but they have to figure it out fast.’
Bowyer, who went from a Chevy’s restaurant waiter to a stock broker to purchasing $550,000 cars and flying on private planes and staying in presidential suites, details his life story in his book. He also opened social media accounts six months ago on X and Instagram.
Bowyer says he ‘wants to be hired by the NFL or MLB to come sit down and talk to these kids and tell them how to avoid these mistakes … I want to make them aware of making better choices, better decisions and avoiding these things.
“I’d like to save other people from taking the same footsteps and falling in the same mistakes I made.’
In the meantime, Bowyer awaits his sentencing. His court case will be presided over by the same judge who sentenced Mizuhara: U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb.
Bowyer, who grew up a Boston Red Sox fan because of Roger Clemens, says he has cut all of the bad influences out of his life. He’s eager to see what lies ahead and says companies are vying to do a documentary. Video and podcast crews are already filming episodes with Bowyer to be released in the future.
“When you have $5 to $6 million on a football game,’ Bowyer says, “that adrenaline rush is really hard to replace. But you can still find it in something else, and in my case, its rebuilding my life. I have five kids to feed. I want to leave a legacy for them. I want them to see how their dad dealt with adversity.
“I don’t go hiding in a corner. I don’t resort to drugs and alcohol. I resort to rebuilding my life.’
Bowyer, who spoke for five minutes at his birthday party, thanking everyone for being part of his life, says he’s much more emotional than he’s ever been in his life. He no longer takes anything for granted. Not since that morning in October 2023 when federal agents raided his home.
“Everything is so heightened now,’ Bowyer says. “My freedom. Time with my family. Time with friends. I loved the gambling, the traveling, but sitting on a couch now, doing nothing, watching baseball games on my own, I’m enjoying it. I go to the beach now more than I have in 50 years, walking my dogs, watching my kids play volleyball, just enjoying life.
“I never wanted the FBI to raid my home, but you know, it’s been a blessing in a lot of ways.
“Truly, it gives me a chance to recalibrate.’
Around the basepaths
– While there was a rash of extensions this past week, no extension is more widely anticipated than the $500 million contract that Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is expected to receive, perhaps this week.
Despite Guerrero’s spring-training deadline of the start of spring training, the Blue Jays and Guerrero’s representatives continue to negotiate, exchanging figures and are expected to reach a resolution any day.
The deal will keep Guerrero in Toronto for at least 14 years, ending any ideas for the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, who were atop of Guerrero’s wish list if he became a free agent.
– The Chicago White Sox, despite all of the rumors and speculation, are NOT being sold.
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, 90, has made it perfectly clear to friends that he has zero interest in selling as long as he remains in good health.
He has rebuffed all of minority investor Justin Ishbia’s requests to purchase controlling interest of the team.
– In an informal survey of baseball executives and agents, Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet received the best extension for a player, five years, $170 million, despite having only one full season as a starter.
The best team-friendly extension: San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill’s nine-year, $135 million contract extension. The idea of Merrill averaging just $15 million a year had lawyers from the players union strongly advising him to reject the offer.
– Ketel Marte received the third extension of his career since being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing in $64 million in new money. Yet, not only is he deferring $46 million, but he has agreed to take a substantial paycut this season. He was scheduled to earn $19 million this year in his original contract, but has agreed to take a paycut to $14 million, while also deferring $5 million. It provides the D-backs $10 million in flexible spending after being stuck with starter Jordan Montgomery’s entire $22.5 million this season.
– The Minnesota Twins, who were asking interested parties to submit their bids by April 1, now are telling prospective owners they have another 45 days as they continue to seek $1.7 billion.
– Please, enough with the talk of the ‘torpedo bats.’
When Cubs manager Craig Counsell was asked if he was surprised that it took this long to manufacture this type of bat, Counsell said: “I’m curious how it took you guys so long to figure out we were using it.’’
– The Major League Baseball Players Association have boosted their staff and compensation the past four years, according to the LM-2 reports filed.
Their total of employee disbursements has gone from $12.1 million in 2021 to $15.9 million to $16.4 million to $26.3 million this past season.
Executive director Tony Clark is the highest-paid executive with the union at $3.25 million, which is actually $840,000 less than a year ago. It’s a higher salary than NFL executive director Lloyd Howell (2.062 million), but pales in comparison to former NFL union chief DeMaurice Smith ($9.3 million).
– MLB still has not formulated any formal expansion plans, but one owner insists it won’t come until 2031, with Salt Lake City and Nashville the favorites.
– The Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs are the favorites to be selected as the three host cities for the MLB All-Star game the remainder of the decade after Atlanta this year and Philadelphia in 2026.
– Atlanta, who spent most of their money on outfielder Jurickson Profar this winter with a three-year, $42 million contract, now have to wonder if they were scammed.
Profar was popped for using PEDs, drawing an 80-game suspension while being banned from the playoffs.
The question now is how will he look when he returns. He hit .280 with a career-high 24 homers and an .839 OPS last season with the Padres, but was it simply a byproduct of PEDs?
– The Arizona Diamondbacks will face the San Diego Padres in a two-game series next year in Mexico City.
– It’s almost eerie how close Aaron Judge’s stats in his first 1,000 games is to Babe Ruth’s first 1,000 games with the Yankees.
Ruth: 321 HRs in 4,455 plate appearances: 1 HR every 13.88 plate appearances.
Judge: 321 HRs in 4,355 plate appearances: 1 HR every 13.57 plate appearances.
Ruth played his 1,000th game of his Yankee career in Pittsburgh.
Judge played his 1,000th game in Philadelphia.
Ruth was 32 years, 113 days old at the time of his 1,000th Yankee game.
Judge was 32 years, 343 days old.
– Just how surreal has Judge been in his last 162 games entering Saturday?
Batting average: .328
On-base percentage: .460
Slugging percentage: .731
HRs: 64
RBI: 161
Runs: 133
Walks: 134
And he comes at just half the price of Juan Soto with his 9-year, $360 million contract.
– In Terry Francona’s last season in Cleveland, the Guardians lost three, 1-0 games all year.
In Francona’s first week in Cincinnati, the Reds lost three 1-0 games in a row, going 34 innings without scoring, their longest drought since 1946.
– Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting was greeted by fans chanting “sell the Team!’ on opening day at gorgeous PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
– Fabulous response by Phillies All-Star Bryce Harper when asked about the Dodgers and their payroll: “I don’t know if people will like this, butt I feel like only losers complain about what they’re doing. I think they’re a great team. They’re a great organization.’’
– While all of the attention for Japanese pitchers has been on Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Rōki Sasaki of the Dodgers, let alone Shohei Ohtani, Cubs starter Shōta Imanaga continues to pitch better than all of them. Imanaga is 2-0 with a 0.98 ERA in his first three starts this season after going 4-0 with a 0.98 ERA through April last season.
– The Cactus League was without two of its biggest attractions for a bulk of March, but despite the absence of the Dodgers and Cubs, the Cactus League posted its highest attendance since 2019 with 1.695 million fans – averaging 7,200 – a fourth consecutive spring increase.
– While the Yankees were striking out 13 times against Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen, the front office was drooling. Gallen will be a free agent after the season, and loves life back East growing up in the Philadelphia area.
The Diamondbacks would love to have him back, but it’s unrealistic to believe they can afford two $200 million pitcher on their staff with Corbin Burnes signing a six-year, $210 million contract last winter.
– The Cleveland Guardians, which has had primarily a right-handed starting rotation over the past decade, have an all-lefty rotation at Triple-A Columbus.
– Remember when the Angels manager Ron Washington banned cell phones in their clubhouse during spring training.
Well, they’re back.
“I put it in; they police it,” Washington told the Orange County Register. “If I walk through that clubhouse and I see it’s out of control, I’ll bring it up again.”
– There are 66 players who will earn at least $20 million this year, including 15 earning at least $30 million.
– You want a true ace?
No need to any further than Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies.
He has now made 13 consecutive starts in which he has pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs. It’s the longest streak by a Phillies pitcher since 1912, and one only 19 pitchers to achieve the feat.
– The Dodgers have the oldest roster in baseball, while the Marlins are the youngest (and cheapest).
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