Judge orders Mizuhara to gambling treatment
LOS ANGELES >> A federal judge on Friday ordered the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani released on $25,000 bond and mandated he undergo gambling addiction treatment.
Ippei Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder $16 million from the two-way player's bank account for years, prosecutors said, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers so he could cover his bets and debts.
Mizuhara only spoke on Friday to answer the judge's questions, saying “yes” when she asked if he understood several parts of the case and his bond conditions.
Mizuhara, wearing a dark suit and a white collared shirt, entered the courtroom with his ankles shackled, but was not handcuffed. The judge approved his attorney's request to remove the shackles.
Mizuhara turned himself in Friday ahead of his initial court appearance. He is charged with one count of bank fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
MONGTOMERY SWITCHES AGENTS >> Jordan Montgomery switched agents from Scott Boras to Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media
Group after his drawn out free agency ended with a $25 million, one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks rather than a long-term deal.
The 31-year-old lefthander's contract was finalized on March 29, a day after opening day, and he cannot be given a qualifying offer by the Diamondbacks after the World Series. AGENT CERTIFICATION REVOKED >> A baseball agent at Bad Bunny's Rimas Sports firm has lost his certification with the Major League Baseball Players Association.
The union declined to comment on the reason for its decision.
“At Rimas Sports, we uphold the highest standards
of professionalism and integrity of our industry,” the agency said in a statement Friday. “Out of respect for an ongoing process within the context of the MLBPA agent regulations, we will refrain from making any comments at this time. We remain committed to continue serving our clients with excellence.”
Rimas' clients include New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and infielder Ronny Mauricio, New York Yankees infielder Oswald Peraza, Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and Washington outfielder Eddie Rosario.
Pro football
RICE SURRENDERS TO POLICE >> Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice surrendered to police Thursday on charges including aggravated assault after he and another driver of a speeding sports car allegedly caused a crash involving a halfdozen vehicles on a Dallas highway last month.
Rice is being represented by Texas state Sen. Royce West. Rice was booked into the Regional Jail in DeSoto, and West said he was released on bond Thursday night.
College basketball
KENTUCKY HIRES BYU'S MARK POPE >> Kentucky has hired BYU's Mark Pope as men's basketball coach, bringing home a member of the Wildcats' 1996 national championship team to succeed John Calipari.
The school announced the 51-year-old Pope's hiring in a release but did not mention any contract details.
Pope replaces Calipari, a Hall of Famer who took Kentucky to its eighth NCAA title in 2012 among four Final Four appearances in 15 years. Calipari stepped down on Tuesday and was introduced as Arkansas coach the next day.
Pope was 110-52 in five seasons with the Cougars and went 23-11 in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. BYU is also coming off a second NCAA Tournament appearance in four years under Pope.
CLINGAN IS LEAVING UCONN FOR THE NBA >> Donovan Clingan is leaving UConn after two seasons and entering the NBA draft, the 7-foot-2 center announced, four days after he helped lead the Huskies to a second straight national title.
Clingan, a sophomore from Bristol, Connecticut, posted his decision on social media, saying that playing in the NBA has been a “lifelong dream.”
His decision did not come as a surprise. Huskies coach Dan Hurley has consistently referred to both Clingan and freshman guard Stephon Castle as NBA lottery picks. Castle has yet to announce his future plans. DUKE'S TOP TWO SCORERS DECLARE FOR DRAFT >> Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, Duke's top two scorers, are both off the NBA.
Filipowski, a 7-foot sophomore from Westtown, N.Y., was named a second-team AP All-American after averaging a team-high 16.4 points. He also led the Blue Devils in rebounds (8.3 per game) and in blocked shots with 54.
Filipowski thanked the school, its fans, his teammates and coaches. “This has been a lifelong dream of mine,” he said in his post. “And I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to pursue it.”
McCain, a 6-3 freshman from Sacramento, averaged 14.3 points.
College football
ODOM TO REMAIN AT UNLV >> UNLV signed second-year football coach Barry Odom to a five-year contract after he led the Rebels to one of the most successful seasons in program history.
Odom led the Rebels to a 9-5 record last season, the most victories in the program since 1984. UNLV played in the Mountain West championship for the first time and competed in its first bowl in 10 years, losing 49-36 to Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix.
The Mountain West named Odom its Coach of the Year, the first time a UNLV coach has received that honor since John Robinson, in 2000, led the Rebels to the Las Vegas Bowl.
Hockey
SMITH SCORES >> Freshman Will Smith had two goals, Cutter Gauthier scored his nation-leading 38th of the season and No. 1 overall seed Boston College beat Michigan 4-0 on Thursday night in the Eagles' first Frozen Four appearance since 2016.
Boston College (34-5-1) will look to avenge an October loss to Denver when the two teams square off on Saturday for the national championship.