One of baseball’s most famous franchises got a key save today from a relief pitcher no one expected: Bud Selig. The baseball commissioner moved swiftly to take over day-to-day control of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that’s been batted around like a ping pong ball in the epic divorce battle involving Frank McCourt and his soon to be ex-wife Jamie. The animosity, venom and legal bills have strangled the McCourts and put a choke hold on the Dodgers, who have seen season ticket sales plummet to 17,000 from 27,000 just 4 years ago. (See article below from L.A. Times)
With the financial future of the team in great doubt, Major League Baseball took over the reigns. The Dodgers have a storied past from their days in Brooklyn with Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella and other Hall of Famers – to their Los Angeles home in Chavez Ravine, where Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills brought excitement (and World Championships) to the ballpark in 1959, 1963 and 1965. In the 70s the Dodgers sputtered against the Yanks in back to back World Series (1977, 1978), but came back to beat the Bronx Bombers in 1981. The Dodgers also emerged on top in 1988 against the Oakland Athletics. Since then, its been a long drought for the Dodgers, who have been through many ownership changes.
The McCourts were too busy fighting in court to spend money on the team and it showed. They cut back on security and charged extra money to park at the Stadium – forcing fans to park offsite, much to the chagrin of their Chavez Ravine neighbors who didn’t like drunken hooligans relieving themselves on their lawns.
Having MLB in charge will be good for the Dodgers and good for baseball! And even if you dislike the Dodgers (or really hate them like Giants fans do), the league is better served by a competitive team from Los Angeles – a historic franchise featuring one of the most beloved baseball gems: Vin Scully, the fabled announcer who has inspired sports fans from coast to coast for half a century with his wonderful stories from the diamond.
