When it comes to the Dodgers, I'm more of a box score follower, but I couldn't help but see the footage from the 10-hour wait to get into Dodger Stadium for...the bobblehead day featuring Ohtani...and his puppy? Who "threw" out the first pitch. With Ohtani as the catcher.
Can you imagine Nolan Ryan out there on the mound with a puppy? Or Ichiro?
Ohtani is like the dorkiest dude, but people absolutely love him. Maybe it's because he's so dorky that they love him. He's like the anti-celebrity sportsman.
And, to add to the dork factor, it seems like he's also a card collector -- perhaps from his NPB days. (Which suggests he's a collector of Japanese cards.)
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ard-deal-topps