Bialosky: The Destruction of an American Icon

Frank and Jamie McCourt, a couple of scalawags, came to the “Big City” thinking they were going to ride on the backs of the Dodgers to their personal stardom amongst the glitterati. We’ve seen others do this before, only to end up going home with their tails between their legs. The McCourt’s started hobnobbing with the stars and using the Dodgers to edge their way into the inner sanctums of Hollywood and local politics. They did not buy one very expensive home here – they bought four very expensive homes here (totaling approximately $70 million). This was despite the fact that Frank McCourt, commonly referred to as the “Parking Lot Attendant” (PLA), had to borrow money from Fox to buy the Dodgers and was rumored to be very short on cash.
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This messy divorce has brought out some ominous facts about the condition of the Dodgers. Yes, they made it to the 2009 National League Championship Series, but that has to do with players put in place years ago. From all accounts, money for player development has dried up, and their minor league system (that had for decades been a jewel) has now become a disaster. In addition, the amount of money spent for quality free agents is rapidly dwindling. A team that is in the second biggest market in the United States and draws either the largest or second-largest number of fans every season will be spending less than the Minnesota Twins for their major league roster this year. So where is all this money going?
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For the good of the game, Bud Selig needs to step in and order the sale of the team immediately. He has the right to do this in the best interest of baseball. There are plenty of local folk who would be delighted to own the franchise and return it to its proper place among the elite operations in professional sports. Then we can send these carpetbaggers back to the hole from which they came.