In his last-ditch attempt to maintain control of the Dodgers, cash-strapped owner Frank McCourt threw the whole enterprise into bankruptcy.
Here is what the experts had to say about that:
Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports: “At dawn Monday, hours after they’d sent their fans home from Dodger Stadium with a walkoff win, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced they were bankrupt, forced into it by Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig. They are The Boys of Chapter 11, a once-glorious franchise and now collateral damage in standoffs between their owner Frank McCourt and the commissioner, between McCourt and his ex-wife Jamie, and, possibly, between a Delaware bankruptcy judge and baseball. Following months of maneuvering in the wake of his divorce and weeks of bickering over proposed television rights funding with Selig, McCourt chambered and fired his last live round, just days before Selig was poised to seize the Dodgers.”
Danny Knobler, CBSSports.com: “Frank McCourt has already lost in the court of Major League Baseball, and in the court of public opinion (if you don't believe that, check out the letters section in the Los Angeles Times). And Frank McCourt already lost once in divorce court. On to bankruptcy court. Isn't this fun?”
Dan Shaughnessy, SI.com: “Here in Southern California, Dodger fans are wondering if everything finally collapses this week when McCourt can't meet his payroll obligations. He needs to come up with $30 million by Thursday. The new debt includes a whopping deferred payment to (Manny) Ramirez, who still has a bundle coming on his two-year, $45 million pact. Dodgers vice chairman Steve Soboroff, hired by McCourt two months ago to reconnect the Dodgers with the Los Angeles community, resigned on Saturday. It's a complete disaster. Selig needs to untangle himself from the McCourts as fast as possible, but he's dealing with folks who love litigation as much as Charles Barkley loves cookies. Bet Frank sues MLB any day now.”
David Whitley, FanHouse: “The bankruptcy filing completes a triple crown for baseball. The three biggest markets are in financial and baseball ruin. Please take off your cap and observe a moment of silence for New York, Chicago and L.A. -- Larry, Curly and Moe. There are a million reasons why we’re here, but the explanation always starts at the top. Good franchises have good owners; bad ones have Frank McCourt.”
Ramona Shelburne, ESPN.com: “ ‘The Dodgers’ are bigger than Frank McCourt. They are a brand built by decades of great players, managers, executives and owners. They are a team with a storied history, having created memories a judge can never divide up. I've never been able to figure out whether McCourt just doesn't get that or whether he does and simply doesn't care.”
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times: “The Dodgers are not broke. Do not believe the message coming from Monday's legal maneuverings. Do not get sucked into the horror of the word ‘bankruptcy,’ or the doom associated with their owner declaring it. The Dodgers are not broke. It is Frank McCourt who is broke. His schemes are broke. His understanding of this franchise is broke. His ties to Los Angeles are broke. The Dodgers are not broke. The Dodgers are bigger than broke. The Dodgers pulse too deeply through a city's soul to ever be broke.”
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while wondering if David Freese can jump-start the Cardinals offense:
Will Mark Mulder find a way to injure himself while on Twitter?
Say, is that Whitey Bulger posing with Montreal Canadiens ruffian Chris Nilan with the Stanley Cup? Wasn't this guy supposed to be in hiding?
Is that beer in your pants or are you just glad to see me?
Will you watch women's World Cup soccer?
Who needs to buy a Joe Mauer replica jersey when you can shave his name and number out of your ample back hair?
AND SPEAKING OF HAIR
Prince William and new bride Kate took in Wimbledon matches from the Royal Box. Andy Murray wishes he had a heads up on that.
“If I’d known they were coming, I would have shaved,” Murray told reporters after greeting the couple. “I was thinking to myself as I came off I was sweaty and very hairy. I said to them, ‘I’m sorry, I’m a bit sweaty.’ But it was really nice.”
YOU WANT A BOUT? HERE'S YOUR BOUT
We all want to see Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight Manny Pacquiao. Fans want to see the best box the best.
But apparently Mayweather doesn’t want to field questions on this matter while out with his entourage at a Las Vegas casino.
Anthony Cliff, 21, filed suit against Mayweather, claiming that Floyd’s bodyguards pummeled him near a valet parking stand at the Palms Casino Resort on March 27, 2010.
It seems Cliff had the temerity to ask Floyd when he was going to fight Manny. Mayweather’s bodyguards took exception to Cliff pestering their guy with questions.
“At the end of the day there needs to be justice,” Afshin Tadayon, Cliff's lawyer, said according to The Association Press. “You can't have people out there who do this sort of thing.”
MEGAPHONE
“We got murdered. Everything we threw up there, pretty much from the beginning, found holes and were hits. We missed some plays early in the game that cost us a little bit. But more than anything, (25) hits. That’s a lot of hitting going on. And not a lot of swings on our side were very good.”
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, talking to reporters after his team’s 15-0 loss to the Dodgers.
