McCourt's Woes Could Lead To Ethier's Departure
LOS ANGELES (CBS) - It's no secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the most storied and prestigious franchises in all of professional sports have fallen on hard times.
For the last two years, the Frank and Jamie McCourt media circus has been at the forefront of not only Major League Baseball, but American sport headlines - a sad chapter in what has been a difficult time for baseball.
The Mitchell Report, the BALCO scandal, contract disputes, and the realization that some of the greatest and most respected baseball players of our time are nothing more than a group of cheaters has thrown a shroud of chaos and dissonance over Major League Baseball, but who suffers most? The fans, of course.
Two years removed from the nationwide claim that a savvy commercial real estate developer had seemingly restored the Dodgers to glory following nearly twenty years of misery, Frank McCourt's name is steadfastly climbing the notorious ranks of "Worst Owner in Baseball History" lists.
ESPN's David Schoenfield has already listed McCourt as the second worst owner in baseball history above even, the likes of George Argyros, Eddie Chiles, and The Tribune Company - an ownership group that seemingly only owned the Cubs for profit, purchasing the team and Wrigley Field for $20.5 million in 1981 and selling both in 2009 for $845 million plus 5% interest.
The only owner on Schoenfield's list that McCourt could not top for all time worst was Harry Frazee, who in 1916 purchased the Boston Red Sox, then subsequently sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 and secured a $300,000 loan from his rivals to mortgage Fenway Park, making the Bronx Bombers the perennial owners of Fenway. Frazee's dubious dealings in his five year tenure as the Red Sox owner dug the team into a hole so deep, it took an additional ten years for the team to achieve a winning season.
Business Insider listed McCourt as the third worst sitting owner in all of professional sports, topping even, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, and Redskins owner Dan Snyder. However, I'm not here to discuss Frazee, Chilles, Loria, or even Bobcats owner His Airness: Michael Jordan, it's McCourt who is under the microscope.
From 1989 until McCourt's purchase of the Dodgers in 2004, the team had not won a single playoff series, a stat that McCourt vehemently promised the Dodger faithful he would turn around. After an understandable four years of rebuilding, dem Bums reached the NLCS in consecutive years, falling to the Phillies in both attempts except there was one fact that was innately held near and dear to the hearts both the city of Los Angeles and Dodger fans worldwide, the team that once featured the talents of Koufax, Drysdale, Campanella, Piazza, Valenzuela, Hersheiser, and Karros was back in business.
With up the up and coming talents of Kershaw, Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Billingsly, and Broxton, the Dodgers had the look of a long term powerhouse. So what happened? One measly divorce cast the franchise into a tailspin, thrusting LA and its fans into a chasm that seemingly has no return to the light - until, that is, McCourt steps aside and sells the team. Charles de Gaulle, the legendary general that kept the spirit and voices of the French people alive during the German Occupation of World War II once said: "I predict you will sink step by step into a bottomless quagmire, however much you spend in men and money." That's just thing, though: the money is gone and the men are contemplating desertion.
McCourt's failed ownership has led to heavy speculation on the growing frustrations of the franchise' state by Andre Ethier. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated writes that Ethier has been plagued by this bankruptcy business far more than he has let on, and has already allowed himself to be wooed by a former Arizona State teammate, off-season workout partner, and close friend. Who is this mystery chum? None other than Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
With outfielder J.D. Drew's tenure in Boston seeming grim, Pedroia has been painting a more than darling picture of Boston, the team, and its fans, and it is looking more and more likely that Ethier who can become a free agent after the 2012 season, might take flight to the east.
Along with Ethier, Matt Kemp (who is also eligible for free agency after next year) has been irked by Dodgers management, and sources say that his contentious relationship with certain above-the-line Dodgers might influence him in a decision that can take him from L.A.
Let's also take a moment to realize that both Kemp and Ethier made the All-Star game, the Dodgers will have to come to terms with the fact that they will not be able to keep both players. Although Kemp and his first-half-MVP caliber season may lead the Dodgers to focus on him primarily, there is no denying that Kemp and Ethier will be excruciatingly difficult for Colletti to re-sign, considering the number of free agents and arbitration eligible players the team will face following this year.
Hiroki Kuroda, Jonathan Broxton, Jamey Carroll, and Rod Barajas headline a list of unrestricted free-agents, with Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake and Jon Garland having player options. Kershaw, Tony Gwynn Jr., Ethier, Kemp, Loney, and Hong-Chih Kuo headline a list of arbitration eligible players in the Dodgers franchise, all of whom at this point are vital to the Dodgers success.
As if Ethier and Kemp were not already a primary contractual concern for the team, Kershaw could potentially top Jered Weaver's first-time record for an arbitration settlement should the Dodgers not come to an agreement on a contract extension. The team's payroll is roughly $83 million, which is $37 million less than 2010, a figure which does not factor in the minimum salaries of role-players, utility men, and relievers.
Either way, the franchise is losing money at an alarming late, and with ticket sales and attendance plummeting exponentially, the future for this beleaguered franchise is not looking so bright. According to Jerry Beach of TicketNews.com, the Dodgers are responsible for the largest drop in attendance in all of baseball. As of June 22, 2011, the Dodgers attendance has dropped by a staggering 9,110 fans per game from last season, a statistic that is certainly jaw dropping considering the team's attendance since 2008. In the '08 season, the Dodgers were third in all of baseball, averaging 46,056 fans per game (82.2% of capacity), in 2009, the climbed to number one in baseball, averaging 46,440 per game (82.9%), in 2010, they averaged 43,979 (78.5%), which was still good for third. This season, attendance is down to 36,743, a meager 65.6% of capacity.
In two years, the Dodgers dropped 17%, largely in part due to the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow (an unspeakable act of violence that has frightened some from attending games), as well as a less than mediocre on field performance (last place), and of course, McCourt's financial troubles. The situation has become so dire, that Gary Lee, the director of marketing for Los Angeles-based VIP Tickets has compared the team to the Cleveland Indians from the film "Major League." For those of you unfamiliar with the film, the owner of the team in the film attempts to put together a team of rejects, nobodies, and wash-ups in an effort to tank the team so she can move the franchise to Florida. Don't worry though, the Dodgers aren't going anywhere, although McCourt on the other hand might have met his end in L.A.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has recently filed paperwork with the league that could give him emergency powers to remove McCourt from Dodgers ownership and force a sale, an event that would be more than welcome by not only Dodger fans, but fans of baseball. Lifelong Dodger fan Greg MacDonald recently told KNX 1070′s Diane Thompson and Chris Sedens that he has not attended a Dodger game in nearly two years, largely in protest of McCourt's ownership. MacDonald stated that his abstinence from Dodger Stadium is fueled by his drive to not fund Frank and Jamie McCourt's lavish and luxurious lifestyle. Once McCourt filed for bankruptcy, however, MacDonald decided to act; he wrote an emotional and heartfelt letter to the judge presiding over the case, only to discover that his humble, yet unwavering opinion on the toils and turmoil that the McCourt's had caused his lifelong team had been entered as evidence into the case file as official record.
However you want to look at it, Frank McCourt ruined the Dodgers. Yes, he increased the team's value to $727 million with real estate developments and renovations to the stadium according to Forbes, but the root of the problem lies in the fact that he did it similarly to how he purchased the team in 2004, in debt. He counted on the team's performance and the marketing the franchise as a brand to finance his expenses, although what he did not take into account was the depth of his debt.
He even used his Boston based commercial parking lot as collateral to NewsCorp as a means of canceling his debt, except his luck ran out. McCourt also recently attempted to strike a multi-billion dollar 17-year television deal with FOX that he promised would serve as a recovery for his struggling franchise, a deal that Selig firmly struck down, citing the deal was "structured to facilitate the further diversion of Dodgers assets for the personal needs of Mr. McCourt."
For Frank McCourt, the devil is in the details, and his failed foray into professional sports team ownership has failed miserably, taking its toll on players and fans alike. For many, the single saving grace of this entire tedious, yet nerve crushing ordeal is for McCourt to step down and/or sell the team to someone who will purchase it for the sole purpose of winning and glory (will Mark Cuban please stand up?) Unfortunately, though, McCourt's handling of the team has destroyed the trust and love that many Dodger faithful have had for the Blues, and it is with inherent sadness that I feel that the Los Angeles Dodgers, similar to the post Frazee Red Sox, have a long and tumultuous uphill battle in their pursuit of reclaiming the glory, prestige, and legend that had previously embodied the franchise. When that day comes I'll be there right there along side of you at Dodger Stadium with a smile on my face and the thought in my mind that baseball in Los Angeles is like the first snow at Big Bear Lake, fresh and ready for the magic to come.
Now let us all bow our heads and pray to the Baseball Gods for their benevolence and mercy in this difficult time. Let us pick up our morning newspaper and turn to the sports page and read about Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Chad Billingsly, and Clayton Kershaw's successes, because as Earl Warren once said: "I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures." Frank McCourt may be front page news, but as of now, all we can do is wait. After all, our faith in baseball and the eternal thought that 'for love of the game' will keep us on the edge of our bleachers is a guiding light to Dodger fans everywhere.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
