Hello Old Friend, It's Bittersweet to See You Again

Peter O'Malley probably prefers not to have had to say anything.

Certainly not after maintaining virtual silence in the 12 years since selling the Dodgers to NewsCorp in 1998.

Certainly not after his family ran the Dodgers with such professionalism, dignity and class -- the "Dodger Way" -- for 47 years.

No, to comment on current Dodger ownership after relinquishing control so long ago would be as unseeming as a former President weighing in on the current administration. Every leader deserves supportive silence from his predecessor.

So when O'Malley decided to speak with Times reporter Bill Shaikin Thursday -- calling on Frank McCourt to sell the Dodgers -- his words came with the kind of gravitas that probably neither Frank nor Jamie McCourt could ever command.

Unlike the hours of in-court testimony from either McCourt over a week ago, O'Malley's words were motivated not by greed nor personal gain, but from a profound understanding of the fractured relationship between the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles and a desire to help repair it.

"The Dodgers need to be owned by a small but diverse group of Los Angeles people who understand the culture of the organization and the importance of the Dodgers in this city," he said.

With the O'Malley family, Dodger ownership was always more than just about success on the field or profit on the balance sheets.

"The Dodgers are a jewel and earned that reputation not just based on winning games," O'Malley said, "but on how the franchise was managed."

It is the disastrous state in which the organization his family loved and nurtured now finds itself in that compelled O'Malley to break this code of silence. In his mind, it was the right thing to do.

It was the right thing to do, to publicly chastise the McCourts for abusing the public's trust and using the Los Angeles Dodgers -- our civic treasure -- for personal gain.

It was the right thing to do, to offer to play a "short-term" role in smoothing the potential transition of the Dodgers to new owners.

It was the right thing to do, Mr. O'Malley, what you did Thursday, what your family did for 47 years. And it's so good, as a lifeling baseball fan, to see you associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers once again.

I just wished it could be under happier circumstances.