NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is taking the extraordinary step of assuming control of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team increasingly paralyzed by its owners' bitter divorce.Once among baseball's glamour franchises, the Dodgers have been consumed by infighting since Jamie McCourt filed for divorce after 30 years of marriage in October 2009, one week after her husband fired her as the team's chief executive. Frank McCourt accused Jamie of having an affair with her bodyguard-driver and performing poorly at work.Baseball commissioner Bud Selig told Frank McCourt on Wednesday he will appoint a trustee to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the club.
Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys At the same time, Frank McCourt was preparing to sue MLB, a baseball executive familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because McCourt had not made any statements."I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the club," Selig said in a statement.
A person familiar with Selig's thinking said the commissioner may choose to force a sale. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because Selig's statement did not mention t
hat.Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had his 50th birthday Wednesday. He said he saw the news on television and then Colletti talked to the team."It's hard to imagine it would happen somewhere like the Dodgers, but there's crazy stuff going on everywhere. You're seeing monster major banks going down, so obviously it can happen," Mattingly said before the game against Atlanta at Dodger Stadium.Baseball officials could not recall another instance in modern times when the commissioner seized control of a team from its owner. Before Tom Hicks sold the Texas Rangers last year, Selig appointed MLB executive John McHale Jr. to monitor the Rangers but technically left Hicks in charge of the franchise while McHale worked behind the scenes.Even when suspending George Steinbrenner from the Yankees in 1990 and forcing Marge Schott to sell her controlling interest in the Cincinnati Reds in 1999, the commissioner's office allowed the owners to choose their successors as the controlling executive.
Selig said he will appoint his representative within a few days. Former Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals chief executive Stan Kasten is a possible candidate, the person familiar with Selig's thinking said. Reached by telephone, Kasten declined comment.McHale is another possibility as is Corey Busch, the baseball team executive said.
Cheap MLB Jerseys From China Busch, a former San Francisco Giants executive vice president under Bob Lurie, helped negotiate the McCourts' acquisition of the Dodgers.Colletti said Wednesday he hasn't spoken with McCourt or anyone from MLB yet, but he expects to hear from someone in the league office soon. He added that while he didn't know whom he would report to, he didn't think the situation would negatively impact his ability to run the team."The Rangers last year went to the World Series and acquired Cliff Lee and Bengie Molina," Colletti said. "I don't think this is in place to hinder the Dodgers."In December, Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon in Los Angeles invalidated a March 2004 postnuptial agreement giving Frank McCourt sole ownership of the team, allowing Jamie to seek one half of the franchise.Selig's move came after The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Frank McCourt had arranged a $30 million loan from Fox,
Cheap Gucci Coat, the team's television partner. Selig has not approved a $200 million loan from Fox to the club, which was first proposed by the Dodgers last summer, and the Times said the money was needed to make payroll.
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