Throughout life there are many things that change: you move to a new place, you meet people, you lose contact with people you were once close with, and you end relationships you thought would last. But as my life has gone through these changes I’ve always had one thing that I could count on to stay the same: The Los Angeles Dodgers. People always say that being a Dodgers fan is genetic, that it gets passed down from generation to generation. That’s certainly the way I came into becoming a fan, as my father has never once wavered in his undying love for that team. One of his favorite adages is that the Dodgers are “Like a girl-they toy with you and toy with you, but they only break your heart in the end.” Through the good times and the bad he’s never once hesitated in being a Dodger fan.
Naturally, I picked up on his love of his team. I went through a stage of rebellion as I got older where I thought I would be a Boston Red Sox fan, but eventually I gave in and they became my team as well. When I came home from a long hard school day, I could always count on the Dodgers game to help me relax and enjoy my evening. The Dodgers quickly became the best way to spend a summer afternoon or a summer evening, and I considered Dodger Stadium heaven on earth.
So I make no secret that I am about as rabid a Dodger fan as they come. So naturally, as they have struggled on the diamond the past few seasons it has been hard for me to watch. So, when Major League baseball took over daily operations of the Dodgers recently from owner Frank McCourt, I was curious and hopeful.
I was hopeful because I knew the McCourt’s financial situation was hindering the team. Frank and Jamie McCourt had been going through a huge, costly divorce and were infamous for their lavish and expensive lifestyles, not leaving general manager Ned Coletti with enough to go out and sign a big name free agent. While I knew all about the well documented financial troubles, the question that I had was this:
How were these people allowed to buy a team in the first place?
Its not like they bought Rays or anything, these are the Dodgers! Baseball royalty with a long history of winning and great players. They showed no regard for the prestige of the team and treated it like their very own cash cow to fuel their ridiculously vain and lavish lifestyle, basically reducing the franchise's equity to dust. They used up all their money to buy the team, and it quickly ran out on them.
But in the end, I think this situation is probably what's best for everyone involved. The McCourts can go regroup their losses and Dodger fans have a light at the end of the tunnel.
(Picture courtesy of thelfp.com)
