On Friday morning, Robert Herjavec was monitoring to be on time for a 9 a.m. flight out of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., till his 5-year-old twins, Hudson and Haven, introduced within the automobile that they have been hungry.
Herjavec, a Canadian businessman and star of “Shark Tank” and “Dragons’ Den,” was touring solo with the twins. Not wanting to begin a four-and-a-half-hour flight on the unsuitable foot, Herjavec stopped for breakfast and texted the pilot that they’d be late. “That’s the great thing about having your personal aircraft,” Herjavec mentioned by telephone Monday. “You present up everytime you wish to go.”
Herjavec didn’t know on the time that the 40-minute delay had simply added gasoline to a rumor spreading quickly because the earlier evening, when an X user posted {that a} personal jet, tail quantity N616RH, was scheduled to fly from Santa Ana to Toronto within the morning. Novice web sleuths related dots — like flight trackers exhibiting the jet had been in Oakland when Ohtani met with the Giants in San Francisco; that Ohtani had signed on that day, Dec. 8, in his first free company; and that he’d flown on a Bombardier International 5000 earlier than — and decided that Shohei Ohtani, baseball unicorn, was flying personal to Toronto to signal with the Blue Jays.
The delay, the idea went, was Ohtani getting chilly ft.
Businessman and tv character Robert Herjavec discovered himself the surprising middle of worldwide consideration. (Gabriel Olsen / Getty Photographs)
Herjavec hadn’t adopted the frenzy surrounding Ohtani’s free company. He’d been in Australia for nearly a month along with his household. His spouse, Kym, remained in Australia for a funeral, in order Herjavec boarded the jet he was targeted on protecting the twins entertained. He broke out books, board video games and coloring worksheets, then turned off his telephone all through the flight.
As N616RH took to the air, the baseball world waited to see whether or not Shohei Ohtani would step onto the tarmac in Toronto. A crowd assembled exterior the personal terminal at Toronto Pearson Airport, and a far bigger one shaped on-line as tens of hundreds of individuals adopted on free flight trackers. Nevertheless it wasn’t Ohtani on board. It was a drained dad and his wired twins.
“Such a bizarre confluence of occasions,” Herjavec mentioned, “that the one time I’m utterly unplugged from the world, the world is plugged in to me.”
Even earlier than N616RH left the hangar in Santa Ana Friday morning, Ohtani hypothesis was flying at hyper pace. Baseball insider Jon Paul Morosi had reported a decision was “imminent.” In Toronto, former NHLer Carlo Colaiacovo, now a morning radio host with TSN 1050, learn on air a message from the present’s textual content line saying Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had made a Friday evening reservation for 50 individuals at a sushi restaurant close to Rogers Centre.
“I clearly acknowledged afterward, ‘Individuals, don’t (learn) something into this,’” Colaiacovo recalled. “‘This isn’t coming from a reputable supply. It’s one thing somebody is suggesting on our textual content line.’”
However, after the present, the present’s producer shared with Colaiacovo a tweet from Canadian opera singer Clarence Frazer that reported that same rumor as true.
“I’m like, you gotta be kidding me,” Colaiacovo mentioned.
Nonetheless, even when the sushi restaurant was a foul lead, Colaiacovo discovered himself believing for the primary time that Ohtani truly would signal with Toronto. “That was the closest I discovered myself invested on this,” he mentioned, “simply because I’d at all times thought it was a pipe dream.” He was monitoring the flight of N616RH together with everybody else.
Within the rush to attach dots, some apparent pink flags have been ignored. For one, N616RH’s flight log confirmed the jet flies continuously out of Toronto and previously two months went in every single place from London to Zagreb and, in Southern California, Van Nuys and Santa Ana. Additionally, the jet had been sitting for nearly a month on the Oakland airport. On Friday morning, Reddit user _jr56_ flagged that N616RH was Herjavec’s jet — RH within the tail quantity is for Robert Herjavec — however was accused of mendacity. “I’m saying this as a result of I simply requested the pilot and I do know everybody related to this aircraft on a private degree,” _jr56_ wrote.
When N616RH was over Colorado, the website Dodgers Nation stated that Ohtani had made his alternative: the Blue Jays. Later, the jet was crossing above Lake Huron when Morosi mentioned Ohtani was en path to Toronto. Each experiences have been refuted by different insiders, however Ohtani watch was at a full boil. There was no stopping it now. As N616RH entered Canadian airspace, Flightradar24, a web-based flight tracker, had 18,800 individuals following the flight, their most-tracked flight of the day. (One other tracker, Flight Conscious, declined to launch figures.)
Later, Herjavec noticed movies elated fans had filmed from the bottom as N616RH handed overhead. “They’re like, ‘Ohtani’s jet simply flew over my home,’” he mentioned. “I’m like, hey, that’s my jet!”
Welcome to the @bluejays #ohtani Most tracked aircraft on #flightradar24 probably carrying scorching @mlb free agent @shoheiohtani #bombardierglobal5000 reg N616RH arriving at @torontopearson runway 5. 8.12.2023 @bluejays #espn #mlb #tsn #sports #baseball pic.twitter.com/zjUCyhc0EG
— plane_beaveryyz (@therealmikedoit) December 8, 2023
Evan Mitsui, a photographer for CBC Information, was on task elsewhere in Toronto on Friday afternoon when a reporter requested him to move to the airport. Mitsui drove in visitors for an hour, parked and located a spot with a view of Hangar 8, the place N616RH had stayed beforehand. Mitsui wasn’t the primary one on website. There have been Blue Jays followers, some movie star watchers and media members. There was additionally safety, Mitsui mentioned, “which felt like an excellent signal.”
Mitsui grew up a Mariners fan in Vancouver, and since his grandfather was Japanese their entire household adored Ichiro Suzuki. Mitsui has since adopted the Jays as his dwelling workforce, and he was thrilled concerning the concept of Ohtani enjoying there for the remainder of his profession.
At 4:23 p.m. in Toronto, N616RH taxied towards Hangar 8 and stopped simply out of sight of the cameras. Mitsui and his Reuters colleague, Carlos Osorio, jumped again within the automobile, turned a nook and encountered one other group of photographers and followers, with a greater vantage level. There, standing in a ditch between a concrete barrier and chainlink fence, Mitsui raised his Canon digital camera and skilled the 300 millimeter lens on the entrance door of N616RH.
Inside, Herjavec noticed Canadian customs brokers approaching.
“I’m getting the youngsters prepared,” he mentioned. “The airplane is a catastrophe, as you’ll be able to think about. I’m getting them dressed. I turned my telephone on, and it’s going loopy. I look out the window, and the customs guys are there. Usually if you land privately in Canada, you get cleared on-line. It’s fairly uncommon that customs comes on.”
Herjavec hadn’t been aware about the hours of anticipation for N616RH’s touchdown. He additionally hadn’t been aware about the radio call from Pearson floor management that had crackled into the pilot’s headset when the aircraft touched down in Toronto: “November 6-1-6 Romeo Lodge, floor, hey. A really heat welcome to all people which will, or could not, be on board to Toronto.” All Herjavec knew was that there have been customs brokers climbing the staircase into the jet.
“The place is he?” an agent requested.
“Who?” Herjavec requested.
“Ohtani.”
“Ohtani?”
As they began to type out the confusion, the customs agent talked about there have been lots of people ready exterior the airport. Herjavec scanned the fenceline and noticed photographers, videographers and safety personnel. He mentioned there was a helicopter circling, too.
“Now I anticipate that therapy each time I land,” Herjavec joked. “It was like one thing out of a film — which, in fact, makes you notice after 21 years on ‘Shark Tank’ and ‘Dragons’ Den’ that we actually aren’t that well-known. We have to exit and discover extra $700 million offers.”
Neither Mitsui nor the individuals standing beside him within the ditch observed that the tail of the jet had a shark fin brand and a reputation: Herjavec.
“You might have blinders on,” Mitsui mentioned. “I keep in mind sitting there within the ditch, eagle eyes on the door on the entrance of the aircraft like my life relied on it.”
Mitsui laughed.
“After which this man will get out,” he mentioned, “and it’s clearly not Ohtani.”
Shohei Ohtani was completely, positively not on N616RH. (Kyodo through AP Photographs)
As Herjavec and the twins stepped right into a ready Cadillac SUV, Mitsui and Osorio didn’t budge. They stayed there for a half hour, then waited within the automobile for an additional half hour simply in case Ohtani’s brokers deliberate to sneak him off the aircraft after the gang had dispersed. The photographers would by no means forgive themselves in the event that they left early. “How wild would that be if we have been the one two guys with an image of Ohtani setting foot on Canadian soil for the primary time as a Jay?” Mitsui mentioned. “That’s what we have been pondering: Don’t blow this shot.”
However Ohtani wasn’t on the jet. He wasn’t coming. The photographers packed up and headed dwelling. On the best way, CBC Information sports activities reporter Devin Heroux referred to as Mitsui and requested if he might affirm it was Herjavec. Mitsui might. He hadn’t realized anybody would care. Heroux tweeted the information. Greater than 4.2 million individuals have viewed that post since Friday. Then an editor on the information desk requested if Mitsui had any pictures. “I’ve acquired footage of a aircraft with a door open and a man who’s not Ohtani,” Mitsui instructed him, sitting in visitors. The editor mentioned to send one over.
“I used to be so targeted on getting an image that, when that image didn’t materialize, that was it. I misplaced curiosity,” Mitsui mentioned, laughing. “Had I been a greater journalist, I’d have realized that was info the remainder of the world cared about.”
On the drive dwelling, it began to click on for Herjavec that, from earlier than he’d even gone to mattress in Southern California the evening earlier than, his jet had been on the middle of the baseball universe.
“All my buddies have been texting me,” he mentioned. “The response went from, ‘Hey, are you shopping for the Blue Jays?’ to ‘Why didn’t you inform me you knew Ohtani?’ to ‘Are you negotiating this deal?’ I’m pondering the story is large information within the baseball world. However I get within the automobile, I’m driving dwelling, I activate the radio. It’s nationwide information in Canada. The Ohtani jet has simply landed, with my tail quantity on it.”
However then, being a Blue Jays fan who spent most of his childhood in Ontario and celebrated two World Sequence titles in his early 30s, Herjavec began to get sucked into the Ohtani rumors. He liked the concept of the Blue Jays beating out the opposite big-city ball golf equipment to land Ohtani. There needed to be some fact to all of the experiences, proper? “I acquired excited,” he mentioned. “I used to be like, oh, possibly they simply acquired the unsuitable flight. Possibly he’s behind me. Possibly there’s one other flight coming.”
Herjavec had some enjoyable with the Ohtani saga Friday evening, posting a Photoshopped photo of himself in a Blue Jays uniform, however since then he’s come to know concerning the theories swirling round his flight.
Just like the one Colaiacovo, the radio host, nonetheless finds fishy. Ohtani is represented by CAA. Herjavec is a CAA shopper, too. Colaiacovo believes the Blue Jays acquired performed. As a former professional athlete, he mentioned he applauds Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, for executing a plan to perfection with out unintended leaks. Colaiacovo feels Ohtani needed to signal with the Dodgers all alongside, and Ohtani’s camp made the Blue Jays chance appear actual in order to spook the Dodgers into caving.
And so they made that occur, Colaiacovo theorized, by sending Herjavec on a strategically timed flight to Toronto, going quiet and letting the baseball world imagine Ohtani was on N616RH.
“It makes you query,” Colaiacovo mentioned. “Why was Robert leaving from that airport to Toronto, on that day, at the moment, and is linked to the identical company?”
Herjavec has seen that concept. He’s had buddies ask about it.
“I assumed that was attention-grabbing,” Herjavec acknowledged earlier than dismissing it. “I’m certain Ohtani is aware of who his agent at CAA is, whereas I occasionally speak to my agent — possibly as a result of he’s not negotiating $700 million offers for me. I’ll must name him. Completely no fact to it. CAA is an enormous company. They only occur to rep each of us. However, joke. Pretend media is certainly an actual factor. Isn’t it unbelievable how only one little (element), and folks simply wish to join the dots?”
Herjavec has a house in Hidden Hills, Calif., however he mentioned he’s refusing to go to Dodger Stadium. They took Ohtani from the Jays, and for that motive, he’s out. “It pisses me off,” he mentioned. “I’m ready for the Blue Jays to ask me to the season opener to throw out the primary pitch.” He may be in luck. The Blue Jays reached out Monday morning. Earlier than calling them again, Herjavec mentioned he was hopeful he might get a $400 million deal for 5-year-old Hudson to pitch for the Jays.
“He’s acquired a fairly imply knuckleball,” Herjavec mentioned.
Ask Herjavec, a man who is aware of offers, concerning the 10-year, $700 million contract Ohtani has agreed to with the Dodgers, and he launches into his ideas. That form of cash impresses even a shark.
“Unimaginable,” he mentioned. “The biggest sports activities deal in historical past. I believe it goes to point out you ways the dynamics of sports activities has modified. I imply, have a look at what my good friend Mark Cuban simply did. He bought a share of the Mavs at a $3.5 billion valuation for a workforce he purchased for $285 million 23 years in the past. There’s little doubt that every little thing’s rising — cash, salaries, TV rights. Have we peaked? Or is that this about to go to a different degree?
“Is it like Method 1? Liberty Media purchased Method 1 for $4 billion. And now the market worth of Method 1 is $20 billion. So I believe plenty of sensible cash thinks that baseball and all dwell TV is heading in that path.
“Cuban and I purchased a pickleball membership a pair years in the past. I don’t know if we’re going to have the identical trajectory, however as Mark tells me, we’re going to make lots of of {dollars} on that.”
Ask Herjavec about his Friday flight on N616RH, although, and he simply laughs.
“Effectively, after 21 years on TV,” he mentioned, “it prolonged my quarter-hour of fame into the sixteenth minute.”
(Illustration of Bombardier International jet and Shohei Ohtani: Ohtani Photograph by Ezra Shaw / Getty Photographs; Bombardier photograph Mark Ralston / AFP through Getty Photographs)
