A's Owner Lew Wolff yesterday became "the first Major League Baseball owner to publicly urge" Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt to sell the team, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. Wolff said that he "believes owners are united behind" MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. He added that he "decided to speak out after attorneys for the Dodgers' owner argued in a divorce court filing that whatever money McCourt might have taken out of the Dodgers was exceeded by the money Selig took out of MLB." Wolff: "For anyone to seek to diminish Bud's accomplishments in order to rationalize their own actions is, in my opinion, ludicrous and hugely disingenuous. ... My hope is that the Dodgers will be sold to a party that will restart this great franchise, and that Frank and his family will benefit from a positive sale. But to try and equate or compare what Bud Selig has done with the administration of the current Dodger franchise is unsupportable." Wolff added, "I can't think of one owner that is not supportive of the actions taken by MLB." Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson on Saturday indicated that he "might be interested in buying the team," should it be put up for sale. Johnson said, "If the Dodgers ever came up for sale, would I take a look at it, with some other people? Of course you would look at it. The brand is so strong" (L.A. TIMES, 8/1). In L.A., Mark Medina wrote Johnson's legacy in L.A. "could be connected to Dodger blue, whom he recalled commanded more city and media attention that the Lakers did." Johnson on Saturday said, "It's never good to talk about an organization that already has an owner. But I will say this, the Dodger brand is amazing. What the O'Malley family used to do they were great owners." Medina noted Johnson's future also could be "connected to a future NFL team in Los Angeles, with plans to build Farmers Field near L.A. Live." Johnson said, "I am working hard with Tim Leiweke and AEG to bring football and the NFL back to our city. I'm hoping that will happen. I would love to be a part of the ownership group with Tim" (LATIMES.com, 7/31).
HE SAID, SHE SAID: The L.A. TIMES' Shaikin reported McCourt and ex-wife Jamie's divorce "might well be the costliest split in state history." L.A. County Superior Court filings indicate that the McCourts "could spend close to $35 million in legal fees and costs." Jamie's attorneys in a filing on Friday indicated that she has "incurred $11.2 million in legal fees and costs related to the divorce." Frank's attorneys on July 15 filed documents indicating that he has "incurred $9.4 million in legal bills, all unrelated to the Dodgers' bankruptcy case." Shaikin: "Could the Dodgers be better off if not for all this spending in divorce court? Yes, said an attorney for Jamie McCourt, blaming Frank McCourt. Yes, said an attorney for Frank McCourt, blaming Jamie McCourt." Michael Kump, an attorney for Jamie, said, "Frank's remarkable ability to waste money through frivolous legal actions mirrors his devastating decisions that have led to the Dodgers' bankruptcy." Ryan Kirkpatrick, an attorney for Frank, said, "She refuses to settle this. She just wants to inflict pain on Frank and, consequently, on Dodger fans. There is nothing Frank would like better than for the litigation to go away." Kump said, "The obvious solution to all these problems is for the team to be sold. That would end all the fighting" (L.A. TIMES, 7/30).
WE KNEW HIM WHEN: In Boston, Casey Ross wrote Frank McCourt's "life on the West Coast has been a study in excess and scandal" since buying the Dodgers. McCourt "bought several multimillion-dollar properties" and then became "enmeshed in one of the most expensive divorces in California history, splitting with his wife and longtime business partner." McCourt's former business associates in Boston said that the "Los Angeles image of McCourt contrasts sharply with the person they knew." While he was "a showman with big plans and posh offices in the Federal Reserve tower, McCourt also did a lot of things right: He courted South Boston politicians, donated money and time to neighborhood causes, and helped lay the groundwork for the Innovation District now taking shape" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/31).
