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McCourt Declines To Discuss Dodgers Ownership In First Camp Appearance

Frank McCourt "declined to comment on the Dodgers' unsettled ownership situation" on Friday when he met with reporters "for the first time since spring training camp opened," according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. McCourt, who had not seen the Dodgers play this spring until Friday's game against the D'Backs, "specifically declined to explain how he could be so confident that he would retain sole ownership of the team amid significant legal and financial hurdles." He said that he "would address the ownership situation at a later date." Attorneys for McCourt and his ex-wife, Jamie, are "engaged in settlement discussions aimed at resolving a divorce that has left ownership of the Dodgers in dispute." It is "uncertain how McCourt could finance a divorce settlement and manage the Dodgers' stiff debt as well" (LATIMES.com, 3/25). An L.A. DOWNTOWN NEWS editorial stated, "Given this state of affairs, it is time for the McCourts to move on." It is time for the McCourts to "swallow their pride and to let someone who really cares about the team and the city, and someone with the resources to make the Dodgers competitive and the stadium experience enjoyable and efficient, take over" (LADOWNTOWNNEWS.com, 3/25).

RESTLESS NIGHTS FOR SELIG: In N.Y., Bill Madden wrote MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is "obsessed with his legacy, which, after the steroids scandal, is again being threatened by the serious debt problems" of the Mets and Dodgers. Forbes as part of its MLB valuations suggests that Selig "turned a blind eye to the growing financial woes" of the two NL clubs because McCourt and Mets Owner Fred Wilpon "have always been reliable big market allies for the commissioner." Madden noted it was "no surprise the day after the magazine hit newsstands came the report that Selig is planning on tightening up the MLB debt rule, which currently requires teams to maintain 60% assets to 40% liabilities, supposedly." This issue, "directly tied to Selig's legacy, will be coming to a head in the upcoming MLB labor negotiations with the players' union." One industry source noted that the failure of small-market franchises to "use their revenue-sharing booty on players has now become exacerbated by the debt-ridden situations of the large-market Mets and Dodgers" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/27). In Oakland, Monte Poole wrote, "If there is an owner Selig wants to dump, it's Frank McCourt, whose stewardship of the Dodgers has been by turns bizarre and inept, and whose messy divorce is both a financial beehive and an ongoing embarrassment to the, ahem, sanctity of the sport. If there is an owner whose predicament gnaws at Bud, it's Fred Wilpon." With McCourt as the "tack in Bud's loafers and the Wilpons as a constant case of heartburn, it's easy to imagine Selig nudging them toward the same door through which the minority owners of the old Expos were tossed." Poole: "Bud would be happier, healthier and more willing to embrace retirement when his term ends after the 2012 season" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 3/27).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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