MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Commissioner Bud Selig is taking away control of the Los Angeles Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt, whose troubled finances and unresolved divorce settlement have seemingly paralyzed the once-proud franchise.
Selig told McCourt on Wednesday he will appoint a MLB representative in a few days to oversee all aspects of the business and day-to-day operations of the club.
However, McCourt appeared to signal his intent to challenge Selig’s decision.
“Major League Baseball sets strict financial guidelines which all 30 teams must follow. The Dodgers are in compliance with these guidelines,” McCourt said in a statement issued late Wednesday night. “On this basis, it is hard to understand the Commissioner’s action.”
At the same time, McCourt was preparing to sue MLB, a baseball executive familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity before McCourt issued his statement.
“It’s hard to imagine it would happen somewhere like the Dodgers, but there’s crazy stuff going on everywhere. You’re seeing monster major banks going down, so obviously it can happen,” first-year manager Don Mattingly said before the team beat the Atlanta Braves 6-1 without McCourt in attendance.
The Dodgers have been mired in controversy since Jamie McCourt filed for divorce in October 2009 after 30 years of marriage and a week after her husband fired her as the team’s chief executive.
“I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the club,” Selig said in a statement.
A person familiar with Selig’s thinking said the commissioner may choose to force a sale. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because Selig’s statement did not mention that.
Baseball officials could not recall another instance in modern times when the commissioner seized control of a team from its owner. Before Tom Hicks sold the Texas Rangers last year, Selig appointed McHale to monitor the Rangers but technically left Hicks in charge of the franchise while McHale worked behind the scenes.
Even when suspending George Steinbrenner from the Yankees in 1990 and forcing Marge Schott to sell her controlling interest in the Cincinnati Reds in 1999, the commissioner’s office allowed the owners to choose their successors as the controlling executive.
“This is one of the great franchises. It’s hard to imagine a mess like this ever having happened,” former commissioner Fay Vincent said.
It’s a very sad situation. I feel very bad for baseball and for Bud.
Selig’s move came after the Los Angeles Times reported this week that Frank McCourt had arranged a $30 million loan from Fox, the team’s television partner. Selig has not approved a $200 million loan from Fox to the club, which was first proposed by the Dodgers last summer, and the Times said the money was needed to make payroll.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect us,” catcher Rod Barajas said. “They’re not going to break us up and sell guys because they can’t make payroll.”
McCourt and the team have been criticized for poor security since Giants fan Bryan Stow was beaten as he left Dodger Stadium following the season opener. Stow remains in a medically induced coma.
The Dodgers have not won a World Series since 1988, the longest barren stretch for the franchise since winning its first title as the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955.
– AP
