Some news as the Dodgers start a weekend series in San Diego…
- Zach Lee, the Dodgers' first-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, made his pro debut tonight for the Class A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League, reports Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times. Lee allowed two hits and three walks in four scoreless innings for the Loons, striking out five. Lee was recently ranked as the 89th-best prospect in the game by Baseball America.
- From that same item, Dilbeck reports that the Dodgers have brought back Preston Mattingly, son of manager Don Mattingly. The younger Mattingly was drafted 31st overall by L.A. in the 2006 amateur draft, traded to the Indians in September and released by the Tribe last week.
- Major League Baseball has not yet reached a decision about Frank McCourt's proposed new TV deal with Fox, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. SI's Jon Heyman reported earlier that MLB wasn't going to approve a $200MM loan from the network to McCourt, but that was in reference to a seperate proposal that Bud Selig rejected last month.
- Tony Gwynn Jr. talks to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Tony Jackson about how he's enjoying playing for the Dodgers and how disappointed he was to be non-tendered by San Diego over the winter.
- Matt Kemp is off to a strong start, and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne looks at some of the little things the center fielder is doing to rebound from a disappointing 2010 season.
I think in general anyone who is non tendered is disappointed it means less of a pay day.
sometimes it’s pride
MLB Baseball: Don’t do anything for McCourt other than provide him a reduced-rate ticket back to Boston. That is all.
Thank you.
you’ve already said what I’m going to say using a ton more words, but I’m compelled to let loose and post my mini novel anyways.
Major League Baseball Baseball? The “B” in MLB stands for Baseball. It’s either ML Baseball or the more commonly used MLB, but not MLB Baseball. Just because that bothers me.
Since when is MLB considering letting owners get what is the equivalent of a car title or payday loan to keep a team alfoat? Owners this irresponsible with money should not be enabled to continue to own and operate a premier MLB franchise under these circumstances. The team’s finances should not be in this shape regardless of the mccourt’s marital discontent. I’m pretty sure the fact that the team’s finances are in the tank is the cause of the marital discontent.
mortgaging the tv rights to the dodgers for years and years for a few dollars more helps the franchise and the other franchises and owners how in the long term?
I wouldn’t be mad at you if you didn’t use your sports team like a gosh-darned personal ATM! I’ve waited a long time for the dodgers to be let off the heavy yoke of not having their own television rights in the 2’nd biggest media market and your inability to execute a proper pre-nuptial agreement, or manage your personal and financial matters shouldn’t ruin the experience for all the loyal fans that put up with all your garbage and vanity (and price hikes that we now know went not into the team but into your pocket) and still put their butts in your seats. You are a steward in addition to being an owner. You failed even worse at the former than the latter.
Just give up the team, go buy some Rhode Island parking lots, since you probably can’t get financed for Massachusetts parking lots anymore. Because if you do somehow worm your way into this payday loan with Fox you’ll still have your fans to deal with, or lack thereof. This is a worse failure than your marriage, mr. mccourt. And the fans, they won’t let you get away with this one no matter what b.s. press release or faux interview you give reiterating your commitment to winning. You have been disrobed publicly, now have the decency to run away and hide.
Right on man.
The Mets’ ownership got their “payday loan” from MLB to keep that team afloat. Not than any Dodger fan is rooting for either of the McCourts, but I think bashing them is just too simple. Bud Selig also bears a lot of the blame for this situation — for doing absolutely nothing to force ownership resolution. The moment the judge invalidated the prenup, Selig should have given them a strict deadline for settling the team ownership issue, or to actively seek a buyer. Probably that would have forced them to do the latter. Isn’t the Commissioner supposed to be looking out for the integrity of the game? But Selig does nothing and says nothing, even as one of the premiere franchises twists in the wind. Bash the McCourts, fine. They get no sympathy from me either. But let’s not forget, Selig is a big part of the problem.
“Selig does nothing and says nothing” because he was a supporter of the McCourt’s owning the Dodgers. To say or do anything would admit that he was wrong. He’ll sit back and let this issue linger until after he retires next year, leaving it in the hands of whomever takes over as Commissioner. Selig is a coward.
I can’t buy it. If Selig was somehow bound to support McCourt, he would have approved the media revenue advance from FOX. No, I think he wants the McCourts out, but he’s not willing to take decisive steps in that direction. So I agree he’s a coward, but not that it’s because he supports the McCourt ownership. He’s probably more afraid of being sued than anything else.
Oh, I don’t believe he supports the McCourt ownership NOW either, but he did when they were purchasing the Dodgers (I should have been more clear about that). I wholeheartedly agree with what you said, “I think he wants the McCourts out, but he’s not willing to take decisive steps in that direction.” That’s why I think he’ll sit it out, let it drag on until he’s out of office next year, and let his successor clean up the mess.
You are correct in what you say but as a fan you have very little power. As long as McCourt is the owner the Dodgers will go into a further decline every year. McCourt has shown what type of a man he is he spends 20 million in legal fees to try to destroy his wife. When the judge rules in the wifes favor he refuses to accept it and is going to spend millions more to try to destroy her. Nice going McCourt show your four children what a first rate as* hole you are. Meanwhile Russell Martin hit two homers today for the Yankees and the Dodgers have a catcher who cannot hit his weight. Oh and by the way, I know I tripled the price of tickets the last 5 years but you can now get a grilled dodger dog on every level.
Your Heyman Twitter link is broken (mlbtraderumors.com/2011/04/Twitter%20link). Or, more to the point, it was never edited from the template.