The Dodgers have become the “new free-wheeling Yankees,” and the ownership group's “hubris does not sit well with rival owners, many of whom already were troubled by the Dodgers' driving up the price of talent,” according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. A comment indiciative of the sentiment is Dodgers Chair Mark Walter recently saying the Braves' run of 14 consecutive division championships would be repeated "on the West Coast." Former Dodgers Managing Partner Bob Daly said, "There were certainly people who resented the Yankees for spending so much money. I think everybody knows now that the No. 1 team in baseball, as far as spending money, is the Dodgers." Shaikin notes Dodgers President & CEO Stan Kasten is “not concerned with the opinions of rival owners.” He said, "The most important thing to me is how our fans feel. I think our fans feel really good about it." Kasten added that the team has “sold a record 31,000 season tickets.” Shaikin writes what would happen if the Dodgers “fail to reach the playoffs is anyone's guess.” MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said that he had “not felt a need to explain to the new owners that money does not assure success.” Selig said, "They're smart people" (L.A. TIMES, 3/28).
HEY JEALOUSY? Mets VP/Player Development & Amateur Scouting Paul DePodesta appeared on CNBC’s “Fast Money Halftime Report” yesterday and was asked whether he would rather have the financial flexibility of the Dodgers or the Mets' current fiscal approach. DePodesta, who served as Dodgers GM from '04-05, said he “was comfortable dealing with any framework we have, and then trying to be as creative as possible with what we have." DePodesta: "We have great resources in New York (and) we have tremendous support from ownership. ... The resources aren’t just about paying up for talent, but it’s also about paying up for resources in the front office” (“Fast Money Halftime Report,” CNBC, 3/27).
