'Atomic bomb' remark for Shohei Ohtani's secret free agency meetings draws heat to radio legend
Shohei Ohtani greeted by fans, meets Kodai Senga pregame
LA Angels two-way megastar Shohei Ohtani gets greeted by fans during one of the batting practices at the 2023 MLB All-Star week. He also greeted fellow Japanese baseball star Kodai Senga, of the New York Mets, prior to the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby. Ohtani will not participate in Monday night's tournament, despite leading the league in homers.
Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo, a sports radio legend and ESPN personality, took some heat over a comment he made when talking about Shohei Ohtani’s free agency.
Ohtani has not chosen a team yet and reportedly has preferred to keep his meetings with baseball executives private as he goes through the process. The procedure has ruffled feathers in the media, and Russo was the latest to speak out on it Wednesday.
"The fact we’re even discussing this is a complete joke," Russo said on "First Take." "You know when he won the MVP, he wouldn’t even tell you what his dog’s name was? Anybody who pays Ohtani $600 million needs their heads examined anyway. He’s not gonna pitch next year. He’s a DH. And tell me this: with Ohtani, how many times were the Angels in the pennant race in the middle of September? They won 73 games last year; he missed the last 25 games."
"And what is the big secret? Jeez, he’s a free agent! He’s talked to six teams. … What is this, the atomic bomb? We’re not allowed to find out? This is baseball! He’s a celebrity! This is what it’s about! This is stupid that somehow, some way if you reveal that you had a breakfast with Ohtani, you should be basically thrown out with the bath water."
Russo’s "atomic bomb" remark appeared to refer to the shroud of secrecy around the Manhattan Project and the J. Robert Oppenheimer-led undertaking to design the bombs that were later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Ohtani is from Japan.
MLB fans seeing the clip on X called the remark "awful."
"Leave it to Chris Russo to use the analogy of the atomic bomb to a Japanese baseball player. My gawd, @ESPN, WTF?" AnglesWin.com wrote.
Ohtani has reportedly drawn interest from the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. He may make his final decision by the end of the week.