Bmurph
F the Houston Astros
HIS BIGGEST HOMER OF THE YEAR. CONGRATULATIONS!!
I have a feeling that Elvis will make great dad
HIS BIGGEST HOMER OF THE YEAR. CONGRATULATIONS!!
But here’s the thing about Otani: money doesn’t motivate him. He’s earned millions playing ball in Japan, and by the looks of it he hasn’t spent a dime. He doesn’t own a car and he’s no connoisseur of high fashion. “Personally, I don’t care about money,” Otani says. “But this is not only my problem.”
Otani’s deeply aware his decision could affect future Japanese players who want to make a jump to MLB. “I don’t want to make a decision for me; I want to make a decision for them,” he says. “I want to be a role model.” He doesn’t want to come across as detached from Japanese baseball or as a player already looking beyond his time with the Fighters. He also doesn’t want to take a stand against the new rules or leverage his talent to lobby for a fairer deal, afraid it could hurt those who want to follow in his trail. Truly, he doesn’t want to let anybody down. The money is hardly a concern. “It’s going to be a tough decision for me—I’m going to be the first guy under the new system and new rules to go over there,” Otani says. “This is going to be for everybody who plays baseball in Japan. I can’t make a decision personally.”