Shohei Ohtani co-writes children's book starring his dog Decoy
Ohtani posted a photo of Decoy, a Dutch Kooikerhondje, sitting next to the book on his Instagram account on Thursday. The cover of 'Decoy Saves Opening Day' features a drawing of the pup with a ball in his mouth and Ohtani in his baseball jersey.
It tells the story of how Decoy is supposed to throw the first pitch on opening day but realizes he left his lucky baseball at home and scrambles to retrieve it in time.
The book will be released on Feb. 3, according to publisher HarperCollins.
Ohtani co-wrote the book with Michael Blank, and Fanny Liem did the illustrations.
Ohtani told The Associated Press last year that he hoped Decoy's popularity would increase the profile of the Kooikerhondje (pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che) breed.
'The number of the breed has kind of dwindled, so by him gaining a little bit of popularity hopefully that brings up the number of his breed,' Ohtani told the AP through a translator. 'I do feel like we were able to, in a small way, contribute to the popularity of the dog and I'm sure Decoy himself would be happy about that.'
Ohtani had his dog throw out a first pitch and he brought Decoy to the Dodgers' victory parade after the team's World Series win over the New York Yankees last year.
___
AP MLB:
https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
16 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Giant trolls built from trash want to save humans from themselves
WOODSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Nestled in forests around the world, a gentle army of giant wooden trolls want to show humans how to live better without destroying the planet. The Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo and his team have created 170 troll sculptures from discarded materials such as wooden pallets, old furniture and wine barrels. Twelve years after he started the 'Trail of a Thousand Trolls' project, his sculptures can be found in more than 20 countries and 21 U.S. states. Each year Dambo and his team make about 25 new trolls, which stand up to 40 feet (12 meters) tall. 'I believe that we can make anything out of anything,' said Dambo, speaking from his farm outside Copenhagen. 'We are drowning in trash. But we also know that one man's trash is another man's treasure.' An installation of six sculptures called 'Trolls Save the Humans' is on display at Filoli, a historic estate with 650 acres of forests and gardens in Woodside, California, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of San Francisco. 'They bring us back to be connected to the earth and to nature,' said Jeannette Weederman, who was visiting Filoli with her son in July. Dambo's trolls each have their own personality and story. At Filoli, the troll Ibbi Pip builds birdhouses, Rosa Sunfinger plants flowers and Kamma Can makes jewelry from people's garbage. 'Each of them has a story to tell,' said Filoli CEO Kara Newport. 'It inspires people to think of their own stories, what kind of creatures might live in their woods and make that connection to living beings in nature.' Dambo's trolls don't like humans because they waste nature's resources and pollute the planet. The mythical creatures have a long-term perspective because they live for thousands of years and have witnessed the destructive force of human civilizations. But the six young trolls at Filoli have a more optimistic view of human nature. They believe they can teach people how to protect the environment. 'They want to save the humans. So they do this by teaching them how to be better humans — be humans that don't destroy nature,' said Dambo, 45, a poet and former hip hop artist. 'They hope to save them from being eaten by the older trolls.' Dambo's trolls are hidden in forests, mountains, jungles and grasslands throughout Europe and North America as well as countries such as Australia, Chile and South Korea. Most were built with local materials and assembled on-site by his team of craftsmen and artists with help from local volunteers. 'My exhibition now has four and a half million visitors a year globally, and it's all made out of trash together with volunteers,' said Dambo, a poet and former rap artist. 'That is such a huge proof of concept of why we should not throw things out, but why we should recycle it.'
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Phillies Cristopher Sanchez shows he has come a long way with a complete-game victory
Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As recently as two years ago, Cristopher Sanchez was a pitcher in transition, earning some major league time yet frequently shuttling between the Phillies and their Triple-A affiliate in the Lehigh Valley. He was also trying to establish himself, at both levels, as a starting pitcher, one who has now not only has shown an affinity for pitching for length, but pitching as effectively as anyone in baseball. The 28-yeaer-old Sanchez showed his stuff again Tuesday night, pitching a complete game, 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. In the course of a 106-pitch gem, he allowed a fourth-inning home run to Rob Refsnyder and also struck out 12 batters and induced 13 ground ball outs. While only becoming a regular starter late in the 2023 season, Sanchez wiped away his early career inconsistency and became an All-Star last season, and probably should have been one this season. He is 9-2 with a 2.40 ERA, has gone six innings or more over his last nine consecutive outings. 'That just tells me that the work we've been doing since the offseason is working,' Sanchez said of his consistency. 'And that's something I take a lot of pride in.' With a vulnerable bullpen and usual second-starter Aaron Nola suffering a bad season start before going down with an injury, Sanchez's growth is something the Phillies desperately needed. He has responded with a cool demeanor and an arsenal that includes a high-90s fastball often tempered with a killer change-up. 'He has electric stuff,' Bryce Harper said of Sanchez after the Phillies improved to 58-43. 'He's done a great job for us. Just throws strikes. He's kind of evolved into an ace for us.' Sanchez also has an understanding with manager Rob Thomson ... he isn't usually a pitcher who asks to come out of a game. Hence, when Sanchez kicked into an unusual celebration after striking out Refsnyder for the second time in the game to end the eighth inning, it turned out this show still had an inning to go. 'No, I always wait for the manager to tell me I'm done,' Sanchez said. 'I wait for him to come to me.' Thomson went to his second ace starter after the eighth, 'just to see if he was OK. 'He said, 'No, I'm not tired, I'd tell you if I was tired,'' Thomson said. 'So we sent him back out.' It took only 10 pitches in the ninth for Sanchez to finish out his third career complete game. With it will come yet more recognition that this guy is on the list of potential National League Cy Young Award candidates. That's a long way from the hopeful pitcher splitting time between the minors and majors just a few seasons ago. 'That was very hard, but I never gave up,' Sanchez said. 'I was staying strong, both mentally and physically, and I was always ready for the opportunity whenever it came.' ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 2
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Colts make clear this isn't make-or-break season for Anthony Richardson
Colts management does not think this season will be the one that makes or breaks Anthony Richardson. Richardson is heading into his third season in the NFL, and during his first two, he's had plenty of ups and downs, inconsistencies and injuries, playing 15 games out of a possible 34 games. Even with this tumultuous beginning of Richardson's career, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said his young signal-caller doesn't necessarily have to have a breakout season. Advertisement 4 Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. AP 'Sometimes you got to have a little patience with a guy and let him grow through things.' Ballard told reporters Tuesday. 'If you think, 'Hey he's on the right trajectory,' why are you gonna flush him, just because people outside think you should flush him, I don't agree with that.' Though Ballard has backed his quarterback, the Colts brought in former Giant Daniel Jones this offseason to provide competition for the starting spot. Advertisement But the Indianapolis GM cited examples of teams giving up on their quarterbacks as a cautionary tale for what could happen if they punt on Richardson too quickly. 'Do you think people regret Baker Mayfield's timeline? Sam Darnold's timeline?' Ballard said. In the case of the two quarterbacks Ballard mentioned, both flourished outside of the teams that drafted them. Advertisement 4 Colts GM Chris Ballard talked about Anthony Richardson on Tuesday. AP The Browns moved on from Mayfield after four up-and-down seasons, and he's now become a solid leader on the Buccaneers. Darnold took multiple teams to find his mojo after getting drafted in 2018 by the Jets. Last year on the Vikings, his fourth NFL team, he led the team to the playoffs and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl for the first time, and he is now the starting quarterback for the Seahawks. 4 Anthony Richardson last season against the Jets. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Advertisement The comments come soon after owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said Richardson still has time to become a franchise QB. 'Where he is in his career and in his deal as a rookie, we still have time,' Irsay-Gordon told Monday. 4 Daniel Jones with the Colts during minicamp. AP 'He still has time to prove it. … Bring a sense of urgency. And nothing brings a sense of urgency more than competition.'
