Dodger Exec Tom Schieffer Discusses His Role As Monitor

LOS ANGELES (CBS) —  New Dodgers Monitor Tom Schieffer talked about his role with the team Friday with KCAL9's Jaime Maggio.

Schieffer talked about meeting with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. "They were good meetings," said Schieffer, "it's obvious he would prefer we not be there. I understand that, but he promised cooperation. We had a series of meetings with the financial folks. They gave us a lot of information. At times I felt like I was drinking out of a fire hose."

Maggio asked the basic question ... who is in charge? "Well, Major League Baseball, the commissioner, has stepped in under the best interests of baseball clause, to take control of the franchise. I'm here as what baseball terms 'the monitor' and I'm still getting used to the title...but it really is that. The organization will function as it normally does and I sit there as a last opportunity to make sure things are going the way they should be."

Schieffer also explained, "I'm not the owner.  Mr. McCourt is the owner of the club. We haven't seized anything....the last thing we want to do is hurt the franchise."

Maggio also asked if MLB had an opinion about whether Jamie McCourt is a 50-50 co-owner of the team. "Well, I don't think that is an opinion we have," Schieffer said, "it's not for us to decide. It's for a court to decide."