By Jim McCarthy Apr 21, 2011 0 comments

Dodgers Taken Over by MLB

This is big news for me to be reporting not only because the Dodgers and MLB are Goldstar partners, but also because the Dodgers are one of our two home town teams, and the one with the longest history here (although we love our friends at the Angels too.)

Here’s a snippet from an LA Times analysis piece:

“It was a move that was as stunning as it was necessary, a franchise that was once baseball’s model of ownership stability being stripped of its ownership because baseball no longer trusts the guy. ‘I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers,” [Baseball Commissioner Bud] Selig said in a statement.”

This has happened before, most notably to the Montreal Expos, whose team was dismal in every way: bad on the field, bad on attendance, not exactly beloved by the people of hockey-loving Montreal, and without much of a history.

But this is the Dodgers.  This is the team that Branch Rickey ran, that brought Jackie Robinson into the majors, that the O’Malleys ran for decades in a way that was the envy of the league.  I’m not commenting at all on the management that is now on the way out, but I will say that there are so many things that the Dodgers do right: great attendance, good on-field product, decent stadium experience, solid fan base, great staff.  This is not a team in trouble for lack of interest.  It’s a fabulous draw, and Goldstar members are HUGE Dodgers fans in LA.

So MLB has taken control and will now try to find a healthier ownership group or owner to take over and right the ship. On balance, that’s a good thing, but it’s an excellent reminder that legacies can be squandered and the devil really is in the details.

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