Dodger Unable to Dodge Drama

A new development was announced this week in the McCourt divorce drama. The McCourts bought the Los Angeles Dodgers years ago, but now the ownership of the team is in limbo. Here is the short story:

The McCourts bought the team in 2004 and shortly thereafter entered into an agreement that is now the subject of their divorce dispute. The agreement was allegedly created to separate the team from the McCourts other properties in case the team suffered financial hardship. The team was to be Frank McCourt's property, while the couple's real estate would become Jamie McCourt's property. Jamie adamantly denies this allegation, claiming that the team is community property, shared by the couple. The agreement was signed six times, three of which conform with Jamie's understanding of the agreement, and three of which are in line with Frank's opinion of what occurred. The couple was divorced in late 2009 and are still just revving up a lengthy divorce battle over control of the Dodgers.

Last week, Jamie rejected a mediator's decision regarding the divorce and instead proceeded to the first phase of a trial. This week the judge leading the trial ruled that the agreement signed between the couples does not give Frank sole ownership of the team. This is a huge victory for Jamie, but one that is going to draw out this battle for years into the future, unless the parties can agree on a settlement arrangement. A likely settlement would require the parties to sell the team outright and split the proceeds.

Unfortunately, at this point it is bad for baseball, the Dodgers, and L.A. if either of the McCourts continue to control the team. The team will not only be the subject of costly litigation, but also a casualty in an ugly divorce. Any other individual will bring a better image to the team and hope to Los Angeles.

McCourts - it is time to give it up. Take a check now, because otherwise your legal fees will continue to diminish your bottom line, publicly and financially.

New York State of Mind

Joe Torre may always be remembered as the legendary manager for the New York Yankees despite starting his reign there as "Clueless Joe." Torre led the Yankees to the post season in each of his 12 seasons with the team. Torre left the Yankees in 2007 after being an offered what he felt to be an insulting contract extension, and instead moved to Los Angeles to manage the Dodgers.

Well we all know what happened out west - the McCourts. The owners have driven the team into the ground leaving Torre with few resources with which to run the team. Torre has since decided to step down at the end of the 2010 season.

With news of his free agency, Torre has NYC back on his mind, yet this time with the NY Mets. The Mets are in the dumps and need a manager to get them back on track. Torre has said that he is "curious" about the position, but it is unclear if the Mets will be willing to pay the big bucks and whether an old settled veteran rather than a motivated rookie manager would be the right fit.

Nonetheless, it was recently reported that Torre never sold his house in Westchester leading his fans to believe that he has always intended to return to the Big Apple. Maybe he never intended to leave or his wife wears the pants in the relationship and just wasn't able to give up, or even rent out, her mansion outside the big city.

Dodgers Downfall

For those of you in the dark, the juiciest divorce scandal of the year is that of the McCourts, the family that owns the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. Despite the fact that the team made the playoffs four times in the six seasons the team was run by the McCourts, the divorce proceedings have revealed that the family squandered hundreds of millions of dollars from the team in order to live a lavish lifestyle. Moreover, the divorce proceedings continued to punish the team this season by hindering the management's ability to attract, sign, and pay much needed players.

Jamie McCourt, the now ex-wife of Frank, is claiming that she deserves control of the team upon the divorce. Frank thinks otherwise, of course.

Yet, regardless of what happens in the proceedings and which spouse ends up with the team, the fans and Angelenos are sick of the McCourts. The public perception of a money grubbing family is a PR nightmare and one that the family may not escape when this fight is over, regardless of who takes ownership. Even former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley has spoken out against the McCourts and is pleading for new ownership or someone to care for the team as he did.

The McCourts are not letting go of their troubled franchise and will continue to ignore its needs until their own selfish disputes are resolved. But if they do not hurry, they may lose the team forever, because an uprising is being fueled by their greed.

Where is the Man in Manny?

Manny Ramirez, slugger and left fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been acquired by the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox will be responsible for the $3.825 million left on Ramirez's contract. Ramirez will meet the White Sox in Cleveland for a game against the Indians tonight.

The Dodgers are happy to unload the remainder of the contract of the disappointing and expensive Ramirez. In Ramirez's last game as a Dodger, he failed to start and was ultimately ejected for arguing over a call with an umpire. Classy, right? Here is a guy who makes a $100,000 a day and he can't even manage to make it through a game! The White Sox will surely have their hands full managing Ramirez during their battle for a playoff spot.

Moreover, with all of the McCourt divorce drama over in Los Angeles (the McCourts, the owners of the Dodgers, are in an ugly divorce battle which includes a dispute over control of the team), it would have truly helped the organization to dump Ramirez awhile back and pocket that daily $100,000. Again, an additional sign of mismanagement by the organization due to the divorce hoopla - the Dodgers will have a real hole to dig out from in the future that even Rihanna's high-profile romance with player Matt Kemp cannot solve.

Maybe Ramirez is the lucky one to get out of LA and avoid more divorce repercussions? But, he should have left on a good note - one that showed some respect to the team that believed in him and paid him for it. It is Ramirez who will be looking for a new contract next year and with his childish behavior he is sure to lose some zeros on his next deal, unless he can fix his attitude and hit the ball out of the park.