I would swear that few of you have ever heard of Onésimo Balelo jr. He's not the president, congressman, or senator of any country, or an actor in art-house movies that escaped you, or an obscure Nobel laureate in literature, or the CEO of a Silicon Valley tech company, nor the founder of an oenagé, nor a member of the Judicial Power Council, nor the mediator between Junts and the PSOE. But, depending on how you look at it, today he is the most important man in the world.
Onésimo Nez Balelo is the son of a Portuguese fisherman from Madeira who has in his hands the crucial decision that has fascinated the world of sports in North America, Japan and parts of the Caribbean and Latin America: which will be the next team of Shohei Ohtani, the Babe Ruth of the 21st century, the 29-year-old Japanese with the body of a Marvel superhero and the joy of a child, who on the same day can throw the ball from the mound 100 miles for hour and send it into the stratosphere, at 180, more than the speed allowed on many stretches of German autobahns (note: in baseball it is extraordinary for the same player to be a pitcher and a batter).
In the Major Leagues, you become a free agent when you complete six years of contract with the same club, or the organization dispenses with your services before that. Ohtani came to the Angels of Anaheim, California's Orange County team, in 2017 (with whom he has won two MVP titles but never made the playoffs), and now faces the decision of what will be his next destination: the Dodgers of Los Angeles, with which he would not have to pack his bags or change his address? The almighty Yankees? A classic like the Boston Red Sox or the Chicago Cubs? The Mets, whose owner is flush with money? The San Francisco Giants? That maybe he will be excited to change the country and go to the Toronto Blue Jays? Or will he prioritize loyalty and stay where he is?
Few questions have so hung over America since 83 million Americans watched the Dallas episode in November 1980 that revealed who shot J.R. All options have pros and cons, but what is clear is that Ohtani will become very rich, with a record contract that will exceed 500 million dollars (455 million euros), befitting a sports star at the level at least from Michael Jordan, Maradona and Messi. And that Nez, as his agent, will influence the decision and will take a very important pinch.
Balelo was born in San Diego and, at the age of 13, he went fishing for tuna with his father on the boat (sometimes weeks-long voyages, in which they reached the Ivory Coast and the Congo). On one of the trips he exchanged a T-shirt and several bars of soap for some figurines engraved in wood, and the progenitor predicted a remarkable future for him as a businessman.
A good athlete, he played for the Vermont affiliate of the Seattle Mariners as a second baseman and shortstop, but his chances of reaching the first team were cut short when, working on a construction project to supplement his income, he suffered a fall ten meters through the hole intended to install an elevator, and broke his pelvis and several ribs. He had just gotten married. He never recovered the necessary level, but – cheerful and positive – he had the generosity of spirit to help the Venezuelan Omar Vizquel, who was his competitor for the place and did not speak a word of English (he even played almost 3,000 games and accumulated 2,877 hits in the Big Leagues).
Now Balelo has an office on the Avenue of the Stars in Los Angeles and for many he counts more than Biden or Trump. Millions of dreams depend on him.
