… nor am I a hater.  I see the good he has done as the owner of the Dodgers.  I see the mistakes he has made as well.  However, he seems to have learned each time he makes a mistake.   Overall, the Dodgers are in much better shape than when he took over.  His lifestyle seems excessive – in my business, I work with the rich and famous and don’t really care about all their “stuff.”  My “stuff” is fine.  If I had their money, I wouldn’t live the way they live… but that’s just me.  If they want to live excessively (my opinion) that’s their gig. 

However, I am sick of this Dodger Divorce.  It’s a soap opera and I will no longer talk about it until the case is decided.  I’ll take it a step further – I’ll delete any posts or comments on this issue.  I don’t want to hear about it.  It’s something I don’t care about.  I don’t care about “what if.”  I care about “what is.”  The Dodgers IS.

That’s what I want to focus on:  The Dodgers.  The baseball part of the business.  The players.  The coaches.  The minor leagues.  That’s all.  If I can’t do that, I’ll shut this blog down.

This is a Dodger blog – not a McCourt blog.  I don’t want it.  I won’t have it and I’m done with it.  “Frank, I don’t live for you, and hopefully you get that.”

This blog is about Matt Kemp, Jon Broxton, Eric Gagne, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Clayton Kershaw, Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and all the rest of the boys.

I am not against Frank McCourt… nor am I for him.

Whatever happens, happens – the Dodgers will thrive, or survive under Frank McCourt.

This is a Dodgers Zone!

Nothing else!

Lawrence Delevingne, a writer at  The Business Insider, sent me this link to his article The Nastiest Billionaire Divorce Ever: Jamie And Frank McCourt.  It deals with the facts and not the rampant speculation that some of you state as facts.  It’s a worthwhile read, if you want to know all the players in this process.

Dodger Stuff:

• Flash!  No Manny next year.  Who knew?  From Dylan Hernandez at THE LA TIMES  Manny is very adept at stating the obvious.
• Tony Jackson of ESPN/LosAngeles weighes in with more about Manny being Manny
• Andrew Lambo profiled

My 2 Cents:

• Jamie Carroll will be a utilityman this year – DeWitt or DeBelli will start.
• It’s possible that the Dodgers may carry only 4 outfielders as Carroll and Blake can both play OF.
• Most of the players on the 40-man roster are in camp.  That’s a good sign.

Baseball seems to put Spring in your step when Spring is in the air.  It’s been a long, cold winter here – I usually enjoy the winter, but my surgeon told me that the first winter would be rough on my hip and it has been a bear.  Stiff, sore and constantly aware of it, I am.  I am counting the days until Florida – March 7th, and then Camelback on March 20-27th.  I will have the Spring back in my step when the Boys of Summer start reporting tomorrow. 

“Pitchers & Catchers, Start Your Engines.”

 Here are a few things to chew on until then:

• Jon Weisman reports that Ned Colletti said he believed that Randy Wolf would have accepted the Dodgers offer of arbitration (which is something I have been telling you for some time now).  According to Jon, Ned offered the following:

“The reason (we didn’t offer arbitration) was we thought he would take it.  At $12-13 million a year, we weren’t prepared to do that. And you know what, the people I’ve talked to since, that are very close to him, say that ‘You know what, he would have taken it.’ And I wasn’t prepared to pay him $12-13 million for one year, nor was I prepared to pay him $8 or $9 million for three years.”

Now, I suppose if you have been in the camp where you have accused McCourtof being Cheap and now wanting to sign draft picks (which is absurd) you now have the options of choosing one of three responses in order to save face, especially after what happened with Orlando Hudson: 

1. “Ned is a liar.  He doesn’t really think that!”
2. “Ned doesn’t have a clue.  He doesn’t know of what he speaks.”
3. “Maybe Ned know more than me.  Maybe he’s closer to the situation than me and knows more than I do.”

You pick it! 

• Tony Jackson of ESPN/Los Angeles reports that the Dodgers have signed Eric Gagne to a minor league deal.  The question on the table, is not whether he is “Game Over” but whether his “Game is Over.”   You can speculate all you want, but we will see in the Spring or Summer.  It would be great to see him return to the mound in LA, but that seems like a long-shot.  In part, Tony writes:

Gagne received offers from the Dodgers and Colorado Rockiesafter separate throwing sessions in front of club officials, although multiple sources said his session for the Rockies was underwhelming. Not that it mattered, because Gagne had made it clear to the Dodgers that he preferred to pitch for them.

The move carries virtually no financial risk because it includes no guaranteed major league money unless Gagne makes the club in spring training, and it is difficult to envision him accepting a minor league assignment if he doesn’t. The deal contains an escape clause, allowing Gagne to again become a free agent if he doesn’t make the team, something that is fairly standard for minor league deals signed by major league veterans.

They say you can never go home again!  Who is “They?”

• What better option than to have Joe Torre hit Matt Kemp #2?   30 HR/30 SB/40 Doubles/10 Triples to go with a .300 BA and 100 RBI would be nice in the number two spot!
• There comes a time, when you have to just trust your minor league system to supply you with the answers you are seeking.  This is especially true with pitching and our #5 starter, in particular.  Starting this year, we have about 15-20 pitchers who will be “major league ready” by 2012.  They will start filtering in as soon as NOW.  I like Stults or Haeger for the #5 spot right now (subject to change).
• Whether the Dodgers contend for the Championship will depend a lot upon which Manny Ramirez we get.
• I believe the most OVERRATED team in baseball is the Colorado Rockies. 
• As your stomach turns:  Jamie McCourt has asked for about $1 mil a month in temporary support, according to Bill Shaikin of The LA Times.  Sounds about right to me. 
• If you pay players $25 mil a year and want to take $30 mil a year home, well that’s your business.  It is a business afterall…

… and nothing but the truth!  That’s why you come here, because I am going to tell you the truth.  God knows it’s not because I’m a writer.  At any rate, let’s consider the following and see if what is happening is true or false.

True or False:  Ned Colletti, Frank McCourt and Dennis Mannion have all been “singing out of the same hymnbook” that it’s business as usual for the Dodgers”?

Answer:  True and False!    It’s true that it is “business as usual,” but the “business model” has been changed, so that’s false.  Let me explain.  Ned has made some acquisitions the past few years which have not proven to be (how should I say it?) prudent (how’s that?).   Now, under some circumstances, he might be fired, but not in this case because Frank McCourt, as the new owner of the Dodgers was trying to make an impact and the signings of Pierre (I love Juan Pierre, but he was a bad signing),  Schmidt, Jones and Manny were all approved  (or even “pushed”) by Frank.  So, Ned does not bear all the culpability for those bad deals, and Frank and Ned have come to an understanding:  Frank will be an owner and Ned will be the GM.  Frank has also assured Ned that if he needs more funds to sign a player, he can feel free to come to Frank for more money.  Frank wants to keep the payroll at around $100,000,000 this year, but after the May hearing, he will have a better idea if the Dodgers can be buyers in August and he thinks they can. 

The truth is that the Dodgers have a very good team this year. Maybe it has escaped some of you, but they have some extremely good young players who have gotten better (much better) the past three years.  Even our oft-maligned catcher is rated 4th to 7th in most Fantasy Leagues.  If you can’t have Joe Mauer, the 4th to 7th best Catcher ain’t so bad!   We have some young pitchers who are suddenly just going to “get it.”  BANG!  Our aces-in-waiting will become our aces.  None of  this is lost on savvy baseball people, but it is lost on some of you. 

Forget the TOP 100 or TOP 50 Baseball Prospects.  Ethan Martin is in the Top 50, but I think we have 4 or 5 others who are better than him- Aaron Miller, Chris Withrow, Garrett Gould, Josh Lindblom, Alan Webster and Nate Eavoldi may be among them.   Think Andrew Lambo’s stock has dropped?  Keep thinking that!  Watch him rake this year.  Dee Gordon?  This kid has “star”written all over him! 

What about the big club?  Why did we sign Jamey Carroll only to sign Ronnie Belliard a few weeks later?  Simple – Ned had to make sure we had a veteran second-baseman, and Lopez, Belliard and Hudson were asking Big Bux.  Ned signed Jamey to make sure he had a fallback plan. Plan A is to give Blake DeWitt the opportunity to win the job (forget his season last year, as he bounced around like a yo-yo from the Ravine to Albaquacky 9 times).  The year before, he hit over .300 for 2 months and he has some decent power.  Unless he tanks, the job is his.  Carroll will be a “Dave Hansen Type” Pinch Hitter and Belly will be Belly. 

You naysayers are in for a surprise.  This team isn’t just “good”  – IT’S VERY GOOD! 

Dodger fans – you are in for the ride of your life, and in August, the Dodgers will probably be buyers because they haven’t blown their budget. 

 Like Dave Ramsey says “Live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else later.”

Recent debates here at LADodgerTalk have been heated and centered around how good the Dodgers will, or will not be. We have touched on whether Frank McCourt will, or will not, be able to hold on to his ownership. There is no shortage of opinion on this topic, and Joshua over at DodgerDivorce gives a lucid daily update on where that issue stands. Both Ken and Lawdog have weighed in on the legal minutia that surrounds the McCourts and it is still very much up in the air. California law has been clear in it’s position on division of property, especially in cases where the parties have been together for decades. Will the postnup that was signed late in the marriage be recognized by the courts? Personally, I cannot see how an agreement that grants one party about 90% of accrued assets can be honored, but, I am not a lawyer. I am only one of the many thousands who, in divorce court, got stripped by the law. We will see how that plays out in the McCourt case, but we will not know for months. In the mean time, what the impending divorce’s actual effect on the team will be is obvious to some, irrelevent to others.

This morning I would like to offer a first in a personal assessment of what lies ahead in the NL West. In reading about the other teams in our division, I can’t help but feel every team there will be better, but, is that actually possible?

The Arizona Diamondbacks. 2009 Results: Finished 70-92, last place in NL West. I think it is safe to say this won’t happen again.

Notable Additions: Edwin Jackson, Adam LaRoche, Kelly Johnson, Aaron Heilman, Bob Howry, and Ian Kennedy

Notable Departures: Eric Byrnes, Chad Tracy, Doug Davis, Scott Shoeneweis, Max Scherzer, and Daniel Schlereth

2009 was a mess of underperforming and injuries for the D-Backs. Like many teams, IF the team can remain uninjured, there is considerable hope for this club.

2010 promises to be a lot better with Brandon Webb returning from injury and the flurry of activity during this offseason. The D-Backs have thus far been the most active team in the division, adding several free agents and pulling off a big three-team trade with the Tigers and Yankees.

If healthy, the top of their rotation (Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Edwin Jackson) could be considered among the best in the division, but there are questions about the bottom of the rotation.

There is some serious young talent on this team, and it is time for all of them to step up. Stephen Drew, Chris Young, and Justin Upton are still looking to reach their full potential. Justin Upton has the tools to be a Super Star in this league. Is this the year his potential is realized? Mark Reynolds has proven he is the most powerful clean-up hitter in the division. Look for a repeat of his 40 home runs and 100+ rbi in 2010. Catcher Miguel Monterro is young and aggressive, look for him to hit .290 again with 20 home run potential. Adam LaRoche will fit nicely in this lineup at first base, with 20+ home runs. The Dbacks look for second baseman Kelly Johnson to return to his Atlanta form, with .280 avg. and 15 home runs. Conor Jackson is apparently ready to play, is a .300 hitter and he too has 20 home run power. The Dbacks bench could be one of the best in the league, with Snyder, Parra, Roberts and Abreu all scrappy, capable ballplayers.

The ability of this team to return to competing for the West title is tied to Webb’s return to form. All early reports say he is on schedule to be the Opening Day starter and that is great news for for Diamondback fans.

My prediction – easily a .500 team. If all goes right for them, they could win 90 games this coming year and give the Dodgers a run for the West title.

Some people are saying that the Dodgers are a .500 team (when I say “some people” I don’t mean “informed baseball people”), which I think is just plain delusional.  I think sometimes Dodger fans fail to take into consideration that change is inevitable, and often, it is good.  Will everything be OK?  Seth Godin summed it up today by saying:

It’s natural to seek reassurance. Most of us want to believe that the choices we make will work out, that everything will be okay.

Artists and those that launch the untested, the new and the emotional (and I’d put marketers into all of these categories) wrestle with this need all the time. How can we proceed knowing that there’s a good chance that our actions will fail, that things might get worse, that everything won’t end up okay? In search of solace, we seek reassurance.

So people lie to us. So we lie to ourselves.

No, everything is not going to be okay. It never is. It isn’t okay now. Change, by definition, changes things. It makes some things better and some things worse. But everything is never okay.

Finding the bravery to shun faux reassurance is a critical step in producing important change. Once you free yourself from the need for perfect acceptance, it’s a lot easier to launch work that matters.

Will the Dodgers be OK?  We are so much in the middle of the Forest that we can’t see the trees, or is it we can’t see the Forest for the trees?  I will leaf that alone.  What I will say is that we often look at how a player performed last year and extrapolate that into the next.  What we fail to factor in is that we have a very young team and these guys often get better by leaps and bounds.  In some cases you can count on it.  I think we forget how far some of our young player have come, how much they have matured and how they will almost certainly continue down that same path. 

In the middle of the long, cold winter, I usually pick-up a copy of Lindy’s Fantasy Baseball(I never play it myself), because over the years, I have found that their takes are pretty close to the reality.  I don’t know for sure, but I think that they use a variety of statistical analysis as well as scouting resources to reach their conclusions.  At any rate, I have read them for many years and their accuracy rate is exceptional when predicting what players might do.  I thought I’d share a few of their predictions:

• Russell Martin is the 7th Highest Ranked Catcher in Baseball behind Soto, Posada, Wieters, McCann, Martinez and Mauer – no surprise there. He is rated ahead of Suzuki, Bengie Molina, Ryan Doumit, Yadier Molina,  Chris Iannetta and Mike Napoli.  I caught a lot of heat from some of you for ranking him that high, but you can see I’m not the only one!   (Projection:  .269/9 HR/58 RBI/470 AB)  Comments:  “He inexplicably morphed into Jason  Kendall with slightly more pop, slipping even in stolen bases, a category he once dominated.  He’ll either return to fantasy relevance or fade into oblivion this season.”
• James Loneyis the 15th Highest Rated First Baseman is Baseball ranked ahead of Chris Davis, Paul Konerko, Adam LaRoche, Jorge Cantu, Todd Helton, Carlos Delgado, Casey Kotchman and Aubrey Huff (Projection:  .281/18 HR/30 DBL/92 RBI) Comments:  “There’s a lack of sizzle and a whole lot of Mark Grace going on here.  A more critical peek at his numbers reveals Loney is becoming more patient (70 walks last season), suggesting a brighter future.  He’s due for a spike … don’t bet on an explosion.”
• Of course, the Dodgers don’t have anyone rated at 2B, but I do hope they give Blake DeWitt the opportunity.  If he and Carroll can’t cut it, then we can make a deal.  Second-basemen are a dime a dozen and that All-Star you all wanted back (Orlando Hudson) is only the 16th rated at his position (and he wants $9 mil a year?  HA!).
• Casey Blake is ranked #17 at 3B, right ahead of Casey McGhee, Andy LaRoche, Garrett Atkins, Jhonny Peralta, Scott Rolen, Edwin Encarnacion, Ty Wigington and Kevin Kouzmanoff.  (Projection:  .276/18 HR/ 76 RBI).  The words they use as “consistent” and “solid.”  Certainly, he ’s no star, but we could do worse.  
• Raffy Furcal is ranked the #14 SS and Lindys calls him “No longer an elite fantasy option, as injuries have robbed him of his speed and power.”  (Projection: .283/10 HR/51 RBI/15 SB)  If he can put up those numbers with a .360 OB%, we will be fine. “Hurry up Dee Gordon!”
• Ryan Braun is rated the #1 outfielder, but #2 is none other than our Matt Kemp (Projection: .302/35 DBL/8 TRIP/31 HR/105 RBI/38 SB).  Those are “elite” numbers.  Andre Ethier is rated #16 (Projection: .293/36 DBL/30 HR/102 RBI) and Manny Ramirez is #18 (Projection: .302/26 HR/86 RBI).  They say that they still believe “Ethier will win a batting title” and that “Manny still has an elite batting eye and isn’t done being relevant in our game.”  If that prediction holds up for our outfielders, the Dodgers should be very good offensively.  In fact, that should be baseballs best offensive outfield.
• When it comes to pitching, Lindys has Clayton Kershaw at #16, just ahead of Cliff Lee!  Chris Carpenter was #15.  Other pitchers ranked behind Kershaw are:  Vazquez, Cain, Beckett, Jimenez, Webb, Peavy, Shields and Lackey who was rated #25, just ahead of Chad Billingsley at #26.  (Projections:  Kershaw- 16-6/2.88 ERA /198 IP/156 H/210 K/1.24 WHIP; Billingsley – 14-11/3.72 ERA/202 IP/180 H/188 K/1.29 WHIP).  Here’s what they say about Clayton:  “He’s a still a work in progress, last summer adding a slider to compliment his mid-90’s fastball and all-world curveball.  Check out Fangraphs.com for more on his slider and put a check next to his name on your cheatsheet.  He’s going to be unstoppable in the very near future.”  Yeah, like maybe in 2010?  Billingsley was rated ahead of the likes of Baker, Garza, Rodriguerz, Lilly, Weaver, Dempster, Nolasco, Anderson, Oswalt, Burnett, Bucholz, Jurrjens, Danks, Jackson and Harden.  They regards the 2nd half of 2009 as a “hiccup.”  Hiroki Kuroda was ranked #49, ahead of Hudson, Kazmir, Maine, Sherzer, Saunders, Pineiro, Zambrano and Randy Wolf (who was #65, and they predict 10 wins with an ERA over 4.00 for him).  They project Kuroda at 11-8 with a 3.63 ERA/182 IP and ad WHIP of 1.20.  Of Kuroda they said “his underlying numbers are solid and the injuries were not arm-related.“  Vicente Padilla weighed in at #96 (not bad for a #4), just behind Jon Garland at #95.  They project him at 12-10 with a 4.33 ERA and 169 IP with a 1.43 WHIP.
• Which brings us to Jon Broxton, ranked #5 as a closer.  Here’s the crux of what they say about him (sounds like what I say):  “Perhaps a visit with a sports psychologist is in order…”  ‘Nuff said!  George Sherrill is rated #40 and Lindys thinks he could close more on the road, especially against LH’ers (where Brox has his issues).

So, while Lindy’s is not Bill James or Fangraphs, it’s still very useful, and I have found that their projections are quite accurate.  I think a lot of Dodger fans depreciate the value of a lot of our young players, as well as our role-players.  The 2010 Version of the LA Dodgers is destined to be VERY, VERY GOOD!  Now, depending upon what happens with the divorce, we could be buyers in August.  Get ready for a great season!  I see at leat 93 wins!

DODGER NEWS:

• Jon Weisman has an excellent post on the Dodgers lack of resources at this juncture.
• The Phillies have $130 million committed to 14 players in 2011, which means they may not be abale to sign Jason Werth.  Hummmm…
• The Dodgers could sign Noah Lowery as soon as NOW!

Since Frank stepped out of his Beverly Hills office this week and and has made some public statements, the fallout has been intense. 

Mostly negative, as you can imagine.  Right now, I am certainly in the minority in my belief that the Dodgers will be just fine.  Everyone is anticipating the May hearing scheduled for the purpose of determining the Dodger ownership.  I happen to believe that there is at least a 50-50 chance there will be no hearing and that this issue will be resolved between the parties.  Just my opinion – feel free to disagree…

In case you haven’t read the articles, here they are:

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jspymd=20100114&content_id=7918308&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers-fyi16-2010jan16,0,109198.story

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgerthoughts/2010/01/frank-mccourt-cant-stop-the-love-he-can-only-hope-to-contain-it.html

There’s more, but you get the picture.

The best one is written by my buddy, Tony Jackson:

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/columns/story?id=4830630

It’s good to see Tony back in the saddle and writing regularly for EspnLosAngeles.  I have a link to his column at the Top Right-Hand side of the page.

From Baseball Think Factory (check out their ZIPS predictions):

While the Phillies are possibly the most dangerous team in the NL with their front-line talent, I think the Dodgers are the superior team over the season itself, thanks to better depth.

One thing the Dodgers demonstrate is that who the GM is can be overrated – the organization itself is top-notch and a testament to the work that Dan Evans and to a lesser extent, Paul DePodesta kept the team running while it recovered from the Kevin Malone era.

Even with a lot of the names on the list here only because they haven’t signed yet, the Dodgers could trade the entire current bullpen and cobble together a fairly decent one from the remaining depth. Luckily, they don’t have to do that. Of the pitchers I’ve projected so far (I’ve done most of the pitchers for all but the Braves, A’s, and Angels), the Dodger bullpen sports 3 of the 6 lowest reliever ERA+s.

The team still could use another starter and they’ll probably add one (at last check, they’re still in the running to bring Jon Garland back).

Like I have been telling you, it’s not gloom and doom!  The 2010 Dodgers are contenders for the NL Title.  You naysayers are going to be really disappointed this season!

As the Dodgers make plans to go to Camelback Mountain, a mere 4 hour drive from Tombstone, we all wonder if this year will be the near death experience of the current Dodger ownership.  Just like Wyatt Earp, who had as many lives as a cat, Frank is desperately attempting to hang on to his gold mine, the LA Dodgers. One of the key players in this reality show is Kim Ng.  She is more than just Frank and Ned’s Huckleberry, she is the Daisy.

As Kim prepares her quantitative, qualitative, objective, subjective, player’s analysis, with more information than even a Boras Player’s Information Memorandum, you know that the players and their agents do not want the arbitrator to hear all of the negative information that Ng will present on behalf of the Dodger’s in their attempt to turn the player’s anticipated gold strike into mere pyrite.

As a result some of the Dodger players are contemplating accepting a 2 year contract.  This is actually to the benefit of both the players and the team.  The players are able to reduce their second year economic risk, should they fall to an injury, and the Dodgers will receive a discount and more importantly, payroll certainty. 

When the Dodgers have payroll certainty and are able to accurately budget their aggregate player salaries for 2010 and 2011 they simultaneously can (1) budget a higher level of player salaries, (2) appropriately sign free agent pitchers to 1 or 2 year contracts, and (3) not rush the potential future stars from Low A to the majors.  Additional positive consequences are (1) the increased stability observed by the fans will increase season ticket purchases, (2) increased stability will increase player productivity, (3) increased player productivity should increase the number of wins achieved during the season, (4) a higher probability of making the playoffs, and (5) the value of the Dodgers will not evaporate like the Padres.

It is time for the McBluffs to put their cards on the table and show the Dodger fans their actual business plan for the next two years in order to maintain true loyalty from the fans. Frank will probably win the Battle at OK Corral later this year; however, even if he does the consequence should not be a bankrupt team with Frank riding off into the sunset as broke and hopeless as Wyatt Earp.   Kim Ng is not just Frank’s Doc Holliday, she is the Daisy.  -  Ken

UPDATE FROM MARK:  This Just in:

Frank McCourt speaks  Here’s the crux of what Ken Gurnick quoted:

“When you talk about California, a community property state, and a divorce and sports teams, people might come to the conclusion that the team gets split and so forth, and perhaps that’s the situation in San Diego,” he said. “My situation is different. There were agreements signed and those agreements alter what is normally the case in a community property state. That’s my case. I have agreements, they are public record and they show very clearly I own the team, 100 percent of the team, and I have since I arrived. It’s a totally different situation.

“I own the team, it’s not for sale and my hope someday is that my four boys will own the team. When people process this situation, they go down a path that the team is owned 50/50 and one party has to buy out the other. That’s when you need a partner and that’s not this situation. I own 100 percent. There’s nothing to buy.”

So, if Jamie tries to wrestle the team from Frank, she could be stealing her “boys” legacy.  Does she really want to be the villian to her sons?

Los Angeles – In what has to be somewhat of a surprise, the Dodgers made two major announcements today.  The first announcement has to do with the divorce proceedings of Frank and Jamie McCourt who agreed to a continuance of their May hearing:

The McCourt’s announced that they have resolved their personal issues and that Jamie will keep all personal property, vehicles, art and personal items.  She also agreed to a $100,000,000.00 payment (payable over 5 years at 6% interest) from Frank McCourt, and assumes her role as CEO of the Dodgers Dream Foundation which will be funded by a $8 million a year grant from the Dodgers.  In return, Frank McCourt gets sole ownership of the Dodgers and has agreed to hire all their sons as club executives. 

Next, Ned Colletti took the dais and said that this is a big burden off the Dodgers and made the following announcement:  “The Dodgers have just completed a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners, who have fallen 26 games below .500. whereby  Chris Withrow, Ethan Martin, Aaron Miller, Josh Lindblom, Scott Elbert, Casey Blake and  James McDonald have been traded to the Blue Jays for Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins and Felix Hernandez.  Hernandez has agreed to to a six-year/$125 million deal and Lee has agreed to a 4 year/$90 mil deal.  Our lineup will look like this right now:

1. Figgins  3B
2. Furcal SS
3. Kemp  CF
4. Manny  LF
5. Ethier  RF
6. Martin  C
7. Loney  1B
8. DeWitt 2B

Our Rotation now looks like this as we ready for the stretch run:

Hernandez, Lee, Billingsley, Kershaw, Kuroda.

Colletti continued:  “With the expiring contracts of Ramirez and Kuroda, we we able to take on more payroll since the ownership issue was resolved and our lenders opened their pockets again.  If we had made all the dope-fiend moves suggested on LaDodgerTalk.com, we would have never had the flexibility to pull this off.  Sure, we gave up a lot, but we are going to win this thing!   I’m glad I listened to Mark Timmons….”

Like it or not, Frank  McCourt is playing it by the book and playing to win.  He is not speaking and is keeping a low profile, which is absolutely the best way to prepare for a trial or hearing.  Let the other side play their cards. Jamie is saying that she wants to put together a group of investors, she was asking for $450,000.00 a month in temporary support and then has her driver (in more than one sense) act like a representative of the Dodgers overseas.  Jamie may be a lawyer (not a very good one by most accounts), but she has no clue – NO CLUE – about the Dodger finances.  Right now, her attorney is doing what many attorneys do:  throw crap against the wall to see if some can stick.  Believe it at your own peril!

I have read the filings and I read Dodger Divorce,  and as of right now, I have no opinion as to the outcome of the divorce.   I do root for Frank over Jamie, but will the court side with him and cut her out?  It doesn’t seem likely, but the Dodgers have drawn the wagons and everyone is spouting the company line – it’s business as usual and it is!  It’s just that the current usual business involves spending no money.  McCourt is silent and secluded.  Mannion is cryptic.  Colletti is a good soldier, and the rest of the staff are well-paid and told to shut-up.  Like it or not, it the posture of someone who is going to play their cards in court, not in the court of public opinion!

You may not like it now, but you could learn to love it later!

Look, it is apparent that the Dodgers are trying to stay around $100 mil in payroll.  The Angels are not spenders either, and I would not be surprised if their payroll was lower than the Dodgers.  While attendance was good, I think that other revenue streams in LA have receded.  It apparent from the (in)activity of both teams.  Frank McCourt is sitting on a Gold Mine with all the property around Chavez Ravine to be developed, an upcoming cable deal, and stadium naming rights. 

However, he may (or may not) be the owner of the Dodgers, and pending that resolution, very little money will be spent until the arbitration cases are settled.  Deal with it – it’s the way it is.  We aren’t the Padres with a $35 mil payroll and few scouts and farm system personnel.  The Los Angeles Dodgers have a FULLY STOCKED FRONT OFFICE, with more professional baseball people running it than any other team!  

The Dodgers recently hired Ken Bracey who was one of the top player development people within San Diego’s organization and also added Bruce Hines, who also has 25 years experience to our Minor League Staff.  They continue to have a deep instruction base in the minor leagues.  To say that McCourt just wants to plunder the team, brands you as a crackpot.  To think we didn’t offer arbitration to Wolf and Hudson because we didn’t want to pay a first round draft pick is borderline psychotic!  There may not have been much of a chance either would have accepted, but THERE WAS A CHANCE, and due to the Dodgers payroll limitations, they simply couldn’t take that chance.  If they were really intent upon pillaging the farms system, you get rid of all the suits with six-digit salaries first.  Then, you would quit spending on personnel and development at Camelback Ranch.  GET A GRIP ON REALITY!

The past few seasons, we have signed Jason Schmidt, Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones and Manny Ramirez.  By staying out of the game right now, we may be in a better position come Spring or July.  Big contracts haven’t gotten us much.  It is what it is and it isn’t the end of the Dodgers.  By July, they should have their ownership resolved.  McCourt will be in (or out) and then the Dodgers should have a direction.  Quit raving like lunatics – this too shall pass… and we might (JUST MIGHT) be better for it.

Sometimes you get better from within…

UPDATE:  SI’s Jon Heyman reports that the Dodgers may be interested in Adrian Beltre…

Here are a few facts:

• I think most of us here are Dodgers Fans;
• In fact, I think most here are “passionate” Dodger fans;

How am I doing, so far?  Here’s some more facts:

• Lots of Dodger fans are complaining about how bad our ownership is;
• Lots of fans want to replace Frank McCourt as Dodger owner because he is so bad.

So far, are you with me?  Here’s more:

• The Dodgers history traces back 126 years to 1884;
• Frank McCourt bought the Dodgers in 2004 for  $430 million;
• By April of 2009 the team and its related assets, in which McCourt had invested heavily in improvements, had increased in value to $722 million according to Forbes magazine;
• Unlike other owners, McCourt bought and still operates the Dodgers without any financial partners;
• Frank McCourt has owned the Dodgers for 6 seasons.

Disagree with anything so far?  Are you ready for more?

• In 120 years of Dodger History PRIOR to Frank McCourts’ ownership, the Dodgers made 20, COUNT ‘EM 20, playoff appearances;
• In the 6 years Frank McCourt has owned the Dodgers, they have made 4 playoff appearances;
• The Dodgers have NEVER made the playoffs in 3 consecutive years!  NEVER!
• If the Dodgers make it to the playoffs in 2010, it will be the FIRST TIME in their 127 year history that they have accomplished that feat.
• Before the Frank McCourt Era, the Dodgers averaged a playoff appearance every 6 years.  That’s 17% of the time,
• Since McCourt bought the team, the Dodgers have been in the playoffs 4 out of 6 years!  For the mathematically challenged, that means the Dodgers went to the playoffs 67% of the time under Frank McCourt!

And Frank McCourt is a bad owner?  Dodger fans have never had it so good, and yet you are more ungrateful than my spoiled brat kids!

Geeeezzzz!

By Mid-Season, it is possible that Frank McCourt may have to take on partners or even sell the team to pay his divorce settlement. 

Be careful of what you wish for – you may get a new owner -  just like the last ones.  

How would you like playoffs 17% of the time, instead of 67% of the time (if the Dodgers make it in 2010 it will be 71% of the time)?

The Good Times weren’t always good….

Check out Tony Jackson’s latest Column

Last off-season, I predicted that it would not be Manny who made the team better, but rather “the kids.” 

Little did I know what would happen to Manny and how he would later struggle.  If the Manny Ramirez of 2008 had played in 2009, the Dodgers might still be shaking the confetti out of their shoes, because the kids made huge strides. 

Well, some did (Kershaw, Kemp, Ethier), some stayed the same (Loney, Broxton) and some regressed (Martin and Billingsley).  I am here to once again submit that Randy Wolf or Orlando Hudson would not make us World Series Champs in 2010, but again, it on the kids – Kemp and Loney and Kershaw have to keep marching toward greatness.  Billingsley and Martin have to return to form and Broxton and Loney need to crank it up another notch. 

I believe we have at least four good starting pitchers on our team, but what might win it for us is a late spring or trade deadline deal.  Come July, we may have to decide if we want to trade Chris Withrow, Ivan DeJesus, Jr.  and Andrew Lambo for someones Ace!  Of course, that depends upon a lot of factors, including how those players are doing, but we have the horses to do a deal. 

The Dodgers didn’t want to pay Randy Wolf, who is a guy who averages 148 IP  a year and has a career 4.13 ERA, a long-term deal and they didn’t want to get stuck paying him even $9 mil a year.  There were time last year when Randy Wolf was our best pitcher, but in 2010, he could just as easily be our #5 or worse yet, injured!  If Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda and Haeger can pitch 800 innings, Randy Wolf will be a distant memory.

The Mets who are intent on spending money, recently had their GM recently say that their starting rotation would be Johan Santana, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, and Jonathon Niese.  Santana has arm issues and the rest hardly strike fear into anyone’s hearts.  I think WE can do better, by standing pat for the time being.  Dodger fans are crying “Wolf” but come July, they may find they have been out-foxed!  Sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don’t. 

MORE NEWS:

Interesting List of Top Dodger Prospects by John Sickels.  Here’s a quote from the post:

The Dodgers are strong on the pitching side: Martin and Miller could both be B+ guys a year from now, maybe even an A- if their command really sharpens up. Withrow could rank as the number one prospect ahead of Dee Gordon if you prefer pitching to hitting. His ceiling is terrific, although I’d like to see his walk rate come down. He has Homer Bailey-like risk if they rush him too fast. Elbert’s stuff is right up there with the other pitchers, but there are enough chinks in his armor (command, health history) to keep his grade slightly lower in my mind. I’m probably higher on Gould than some folks, but I see him in the same mold as the others if he develops properly. Other live arms such as Jansen, Eovaldi, Webster, and Wallach all have significant potential but enough doubts or lack of data right now to keep their ratings in the C+ range.

The hitters are led by the electric Dee Gordon, who will need some time to put his game together but has big upside. Possible comp: Rafael Furcal, circa 2000-2006. DeJesus doesn’t have the same ceiling but still has a chance to be a very useful player if his leg is OK. I haven’t given up on Lambo yet, not at age 21.

The hitting in beyond that is thin: there is a mixture of tools guys and polish guys, but they all have questionmarks of one sort of another. Adding some additional impact hitting depth for the system seems like a good idea; we’ll have to see if they address that in the 2010 draft.

Trades and graduations have thinned the system out, but overall I think Logan White and his staff do a fine job and the potential for a quick recharge seems good to me.

Over the past several weeks, I have seen the McCourt Saga gather momentum, like a rock rolling down a hill.  While the divorce is nasty and ugly, a lot of mis-information exists.  It starts with “McCourt might have to sell the team” (a possibility) to “McCourt has to sell the team” to “we want a new owner” to “McCourt won’t spend the money for young players” to “the young players will leave” to “McCourt will sell them off” to “Logan White and the coaches will leave” to “no player will want to play for the Dodgers.”  These are the ramblings of an overactive imagination.  There are several facts of which we can be sure:

1. The Courts are divorcing;
2. A hearing is scheduled for May to determine the ownership of the team – it is likely that it will not be decided until June or even later, depending upon many unknown factors;
3. The Dodgers have been cash strapped as they have been leveraged since McCourt bought the team;
4. This makes the Dodgers even more strapped for cash;
5. The payroll probably CANNOT go much above $100,000,000; and
6. At some point the Dodgers will solely be the property of Frank McCourt or they will be ruled as community property of the divorce.

That’s ALL we know.  You can think and imagine and conjecture, but that is all we KNOW!   You can assume the worst, if you are inclined to make yourself miserable, or you can face reality, which is listed above.  Every legal case is different.  Certain precedents may or may not apply in this case, as we do not have all the facts.  A $100 million payroll is not what any of us expect, but in any business,  certain years bring differing budget needs.  The Dodgers will still be in the TOP Thirty Percent in Baseball Payroll.  They are not the Padres.  Now, I would be unhappy if this were to go on forever, but all indications are that we can compete with a $100 million payroll THIS year. 

Also think about this:  The Boston RedSox had a payroll of $122.6 mil last year, while the Dodgers payroll was $109.1 mil.  So, the RedSox had $13.1 mil MORE payroll than the Dodgers, yet their income was about $30 mil more than the Dodgers!  When you consider that, the Dodgers payroll doesn’t look so bad.  Why doesn’t anyone bash John Henry for not spending more money?  If you put things into perspective,  it looks a lot different.  The sky is not falling and the end is not near!

Come June or July, if ownership of the Dodgers stays with Frank McCourt, then within a year or so, the payroll will creep back up and climb when a new cable deal is implemented.  If ownership is determined to be community property, then in all likelihood, the Dodgers will have to be sold.  Frank  McCourt  is reported to be working on developing land around Chavez Ravine, and I would guess he is also working on “Stadium Naming Rights.“  What role that will play in the divorce remains to be seen.  I have NO OPINION as to what the Court will do.  One can NEVER predict the outcome without all the facts and both sides are sandbagging and stalling discovery.  It is possible that this trial will not be held until after the season. 

You should also know this:  If the team is adjudicated to be “joint property” and has to be sold, it will be worth much more if it is a viable concern and making money with good revenue streams.  Selling players and doing what many of you predict will not happen because both Frank and Jamie would end up with much less money and both are too greedy to do that.  If ownership of the team is awarded to both parties, then the odds are it will be sold – hopefully to someone with deeper pockets who does not have to pay for debt service out of operating income.  Even at that, it is not inevitable that the team will be sold – however I would expect that as long as the front office remains a strength (and it is), the Dodgers will do just fine.

Our prospects are still bright and we have a plethora of good young arms, led by Billingsley and Kershaw.  Not all will make it, but we only need a few to make it, and within this group are some outstanding prospects:

• Haegar
• Troncoso
• Elbert
• McDonald
• Martin
• Eovaldi
• Miller
• Withrow
• Lindblom
• Webster
• Guerra
• Redding
• Jansen
• Schlichting
• Leach

As many as eight on that above list could see time with the big club this year.  A real dark-horse who could grab a spot in the rotation is Josh Lindblom.  He will be 23 years-old next season, and while he has little starting experience, his 6′ 5″ – 240 lb. frame is what you would pick to be an ideal starter.    I think he would be “lights-out” in the pen, but he will be given an opportunity to start, along with Haegar, Elbert and possibly Troncoso.

Cheer up!  We are not rooting for the Padres!

I am sick of talking about the divorce proceedings, so you won’t find much about it here – you know where to look.  However, I do want to address the Free Pass Baseball Fans are giving Arte Moreno while castigating Frank McCourt.   The Angels lost two of their most important free agents – Figgins and Lackey – both of whom they wanted back.  Vlad is likely to walk and the Angels payroll is reported to need to stay around $100,000,000 and yet Moreno is hailed as a genius and McCourt is a miserly idiot. 

Here’s the long and short of it – From day one some people have had a bad opinion about Frank, and anything done by him was proof that he was a horrible owner.  It is sort of like doing your taxes by filling in the bottom line first.  By all accounts, the Dodgers payroll will be $100 million this year.  So will the Angels.   We have youngsters who I believe will step up even more than last year.  Contrary to what you think, the Dodgers prospects are as bright as the Angels. .. probably brighter!  Are the Dodgers cash strapped?  Yes!  Are other teams?  Absolutely!

Frank McCourt isn’t the second coming, but he’s not what many of you make him out to be.  However, due to their opinion of McCourt, some pile on due to the divorce.  Manny Ramirez was not the key to the Dodgers last year.  It was the youngsters.   The Dodgers were forced into signing Manny by their fans last year.  It was $25 mil wasted!  If we would have saved that $25 mil, we might be sitting on Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay right about now.  It is what it is – we have Manny and we don’t have Lee or Halladay, but we have more young power arms than any team in baseball.  We have Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loneyand Russ Martin – 4 young players who figure to get a lot better (yeah, I think Martin WILL bounce back – he’s too good).  How that plays out remains to be seen, but I think you will be surprised.  I also think that Blake DeWitt will surprise us.   I also believe Clayton and Chad will pitch like Aces. 

We won 94 games last year in the regular season after many fans said the Dodgers would be a sub-.500 team without Manny!  Then you say “Yeah, they won’t 94 games BUT….”  No buts!  The Dodgers won 94 games and I expect at least the same next year.  Watch and learn!  Remember on thing:  Frank McCourt knows that he has to put a good product on the field or he will lose more money than he could ever save by not paying players.  He is painfully aware of that – so is Dennis Mannion and the rest of the operations people.  If you think the Dodgers will try and put a crappy product on the field, you are sadly mistaken.  I understand why the Dodgers didn’t sign Wolf or Hudson and why they didn’t offer them arbitration.  It wasn’t the bonuses they had to pay to draft picks – it was because they were afraid the players would accept arbitration.  You may think otherwise, and you are free to do that, but I am one who thinks there was a good chance one or both players would have accepted.  Why?  It’s about the money!  I formed that opinion by talking to a lot of people close to the team, and it’s just my opinion.

You will see the Dodgers sign some players, but if you all hadn’t cried for Manny last year, we’d have our Ace!  Crying is not becoming to Dodger fans!   It’s downright nauseating to me.

UPDATE:

I researched Forbes rankings of the MLB teams and these are their numbers.

You can see that the Dodgers were operating with almost $20 mil negative operating income.  Frank McCourt paid more than $200 million MORE for the Dodgers than Moreno paid for the Angels, and yet the Dodgers are arguably better than the Angels under Franks watch.  Moreno has more than doubled the valve of the Angels, while McCourt has not quite doubled the value of the Dodgers.  It is easier to double a business the lower the initial income.  Their operating incomes are both near 3%, but McCourt has put tens of millions more into the stadium and spring training facilities than Moreno.

• It’s still about 14 degrees out – who was the genius who picked Indy for the Winter Meetings?  I’ll bet he’s fired!
  

  De Jon Watson

• We are editing the Logan White/De Jon Watson interview – I hope to have it up tomorrow.
• Hey, how come nobody says anything when the Dodgers have 2 other teams pick Rule 5 players for them and then the Dodgers purchase them for cash, but the Dodgers are unwilling to pay Hoffman?
• The last time the Yanks took a Rule 5 from us it was Bubba Crosby and they kept him all season. Maybe they will keep Hoffman, but I doubt it – he’ll be back!
• The Dodgers were blasted for trading Steve Johnson and Josh Bell to the Orioles for Georgous George Cheryl (Sherrill), but the O’s thought so little of Johnson they didn’t protect him in Rule 5 and the Giants took him.  Go figure!

It’s no secret that the McCourts are in the midst of a messy divorce, but would things be any different if Frank and Jamie were still together?

Would that have caused the Dodgers to offer arbitration to Randy Wolf and/or Orlando Hudson?  Would that have caused the Dodgers to sign Wolf?  Well, no one can be sure, but do you really want 3 years of Randy Wolf?  I mean, two years ago and even last year, many of you didn’t want him back. 

Yeah, the Randy Wolf of 2009 was pretty nice, so nice that he earned the Type A Free Agent Rating, but what are the odds that he stays healthy or continues his level of success in 2010, 2011 and 2012?  I would say the odds are not good.  That’s just my opinion, but I don’t see him as a workhorse.  I do see a guy who could say that he was a Type A Free Agent who had better stats that D-Lowe, and D-Lowe makes $15 mil a year.  That was the most that Wolf stood to make – $15 mil a year, but if he would have asked for, say $13 million a year, he would have had a decent shot at it, especially if the Dodgers offered less than $10 million. 

You might say that the Brewers offered him about $30 mil over 3 years, but what makes you so sure they would have offered the contract if they had to give up compensation?  You don’t know, and there is no way to ever know, but it’s circular thinking to think it would have happened the same way.   I think the Dodgers decided (change that – I know that the Dodgers decided that they did not want to give Randy Wolf a multi-year deal in the $10 mil per year range and they felt he would accept arbitration because (1) he knew he could get $11-15 mil in arbitration ($15 mil is probably too high, but maybe not); and (2) they did not want to commit to a multi-year deal with him.  This is all conjecture, but offering arbitration would have changed the whole dynamic. 

For similar reasons, Orlando Hudson, who did not want to come back to LA, would have jumped at a chance for a $10 million payday.  He was an All-Star and Gold Glove 2B on multiple occasions, and again – a case could be made that he could command up to $10 million a year.  Likely?  MAYBE NOT, BUT POSSIBLE!   It is an extreme example, but it’s possible that the Dodgers could have had 25% of their $100 million payroll tied up with two players.  Again, it may not have been likely, but it was a scenario that the Dodgers had to consider as possible.  If that had happened it would have crippled the Dodgers ability give raises to their youngsters.

Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson made us better in 2009, but I have reason to believe that one of our youngsters can step in and fill their shoes.   McDonald, Troncoso, Elbert, Lindblom and Haeger are in the mix for the first 2 spots behind Billingsley, Kershaw and Kuroda.  Again, come July, more arms will be on the market at a cheaper price.  I see nothing wrong with trying the youngsters and then shopping in July, if necessary.  Should Ned tell you that?  Why play your cards?  This team is going to be very good next year, if only because our players are another year older and more mature.  Blake DeWitt is a “Ballplayer” at 2B, and I would not even sniff at Belliard or Carroll, unless it’s as a utility-man.

Manny Ramirez will also be playing for a new contract and I think he will return with a vengeance.  I also don’t see the Dodgers buying-down Pierre’s contract.  They will keep him or trade him for a pitcher with a “bad contract.”  I still hope for Harang (because I think he has a higher upside than Arroyo), but who knows?  The Dodgers still need bench help, but we already have Xavier Paul, Jason Repko, Juan Pierre and Chin-lung Hu.  Brad Ausmus is a strong possibility again,  and so all we need is another RH infield bat – not Craig Counsell who is LH.

So, back to the question first propounded – would things be any different if the McCourts were a couple?  I can’t answer that, but I will ask, should things be any different if the McCourts were a couple?  This is a business and is it prudent to sign players like Jason Schmidt, Andruw Jones or, for that matter, Manny Ramirez?  I say no.  I am on record this time last year as saying the Dodgers should not sign Manny (something for which I was castigated), but Manny was mostly a “non-factor.”  Go after “Blue Chip” Players, not “cow chip” players.  If we had went after C.C. Sabathia instead of Manny, we would be talking right now about Hudson or Wolf, and we might have won the Series last year. 

I say that when it comes to Free Agents – Go BIG or Stay Home!  Think about it!  There are no “BIG” ones this year, so we should stay home.  Quit trying to “make a silk purse out of a sows ear.”  So, if you are one of the naysayers who say “The Dodgers Won’t Win With The Pitchers They Have,”  You are probably the same ones who told me the Dodgers wouldn’t win without Manny. They didn’t win WITH him.

• There’s not a lot of movement, so far – Just the D-Backs trade with the Tigers and Yankees.   I find it curious that the D-Backs gave away “Mad-Max” so easily.
• Jamie and Frank have allegedly agreed on her monthly stipend so the hearing is cancelled the 15th!
• Ned is kicking the tires of Pinero and other starters, but he’s not going to be the first to sign someone – and I agree!
• I have did a 180 on the arbitration to Hudson and Wolf – no way the Dodgers  should have offered it.  All the fans say YES they should have, and all the baseball people say NO WAY!
• I am supposed to interview Logan White and De Jon Watson together today.  I have a camera crew ready and will hopefully have it for you tomorrow.  Stay tuned

INDIANAPOLIS – Los Angeles Dodgers President Dennis Mannion, who has overseen day-to-day business operations since January 2008, will assume greater responsibility that includes the club’s baseball operations.

To date, Mannion has had responsibility for business operations, including marketing, sponsorships, finance, ticket sales, human resources, communications and legal affairs. In his new role, Mannion will also oversee General Manager Ned Colletti, who manages the team’s baseball operations.

Mannion is one of the most tenured executives in professional sports. He first joined the Dodgers in 2007 following 27 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Baltimore Ravens.

“Dennis is a seasoned sports executive who has done a great job since arriving at the Dodgers,” said Dodger Owner Frank McCourt. “He has already begun integrating baseball operations with the rest of the organization, and today’s announcement formalizes that transition.”

“Connecting the baseball operation to the rest of the organization is a smart move that is good for the team,” said Colletti. “I have long believed that both sides of the operation will function better as one – both understanding the challenges each has and working together to celebrate the triumphs as one group. This move acknowledges that and I embrace it wholeheartedly.”

“We are all extremely proud of the team’s results on the field and the direction of the organization,” said Mannion. “Our talented staff on both the baseball and business sides of the organization are committed to making the Dodgers a world championship team and a world class operation.”

From the Dodgers:

1. The new EspnLosAngeles.com network has interviewed 3 former and current Dodger “beat writers” for the job:  Dylan Hernandez (LA Times), Tony Jackson (formerly of the Daily News), and Ken Gurnick (Dodgers.com) – we should know who they hire in a day or two.  My money is on Tony Jackson!
2. Dennis Mannion is a stabalizing influence for the Dodgers and is currently running them and doing a “great job.”
3. After Jamies McCourt and Dr. Charles Stienberg (a Jamie Hire) along with all their people were fired, things are running much more smoothly in the Dodgers Front Office – the Brass is presenting a “unified and undivided front.”  “There’s a lot less tension, but there will still be some as long as any possibility exists that Jamie McCourt could possibly run the team.”
4. There were several MLB events tonight – nothing more to report.