Selig Will Have To Assert His Intention To Terminate The Dodgers
If Major League Baseball does indeed file a motion to seize control of the Dodgers, as the Associated Press is reporting, Commissioner Bud Selig will have to assert his intention to terminate the franchise.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: The Dodgers will not be terminated in the literal sense of the word. Baseball will continue to be played in Chavez Ravine for quite some time.
This is all legal wrangling going on behind the scenes and would serve to clear out Frank McCourt and the mess he has wrought. Still, "terminating a franchise" is quite the attention-grabber, and it is not the first time baseball has threatened to terminate a franchise.
As Biz of Baseball detailed yesterday in a history of recent bankrupties in baseball, the same threat was used against the Texas Rangers before it was eventually sold to a group with Chuck Greenberg (since departed) and Nolan Ryan at the head.
During a conference call with Judge Michael Lynn, a MLB lawyer said "If [Lynn] doesn't confirm the (bankruptcy) plan, we'll just terminate the franchise. We'll take over the g--damn franchise."
The judge later yelled at the lawyers in a hearing, but the threat obviously subsided. Baseball has only taken over a team once before, when the Montreal Expos became wards prior to the move to Washington.
Montreal owner Jeffrey Loria took over the Marlins, with John Henry moving to Boston.
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