I feel compelled to crawl out of the woodwork and find my way back to this Dodger blog, if just for one more post.
I wish I was here to revel in a turn of phrase by our resident poet laureate, Vin Scully.
I wish I was here to exhult in another brilliant performance by our very own virtuoso in the making, Clayton Kershaw.
I wish I was here trying to capture with words the thrill of witnessing Matt Kemp blossom into the franchise player we all knew he could become, but didn't know whether he would become.
Heck, I even wish I was here just to vent about Juan Uribe's lack of productivity.
I might return yet to do all of that.
But right now that day feels very far away.
Because today, my focus is on anything but these things. Somehow the boys of summer are being overshadowed by off-field news and for that, we have to thank Frank and Jamie McCourt, the embattled owner(s?) of our beloved Dodgers.
It's ironic that the McCourts might really have gotten what they've wished for all along as owners of the Dodgers. The Dodgers, to them, have always been a means to an end. Rather than team ownership being about the players on the field, or the loyal fans that show up every year by the millions, or the pride, tradition and continuity of an iconic sports franchise, the McCourts have always wanted it to be about themselves.
Now they've got it. Headlines about their ugly divorce, gross mismanagement of the Dodgers, and recent filing for bankruptcy have all but relegated the team's day to day performance to footnote status as the media focus on the long-term ramifications of these off-field developments.
From Jamie naively referring to herself as the "face of the Dodger franchise" to Frank's mischaracterization of the McCourt era as one in which things "turned around" for the better, the McCourts have never demonstrated that they get it.
Get that the Dodgers are a civic treasure belonging to all Los Angelenos, never to any one or two individuals.
Get that Dodger fans value a winning product on the field, but not at the expense of long-term organizational continuity.
Get that there once was such a thing as the Dodger Way, built over many generations and modeled by sports franchises around the country, most notably by a team just south of the Dodgers along the 57.
Get that recognition and respect as owners result not from standing in front of the mic and cameras telling everyone how terrific you are, but by conducting business affairs behind the scenes with integrity and guided by sound principles.
No, the McCourts have never gotten it.
I no longer hold out hope that they will.
My only hope now is that the McCourts are replaced. It doesn't matter by whom -- I'm willing to accept the risk of the unknown at this point -- because anyone -- anyone -- figures to be a better fit to lead this once-proud franchise out of the woodwork.
Showing posts with label ownership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ownership. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, September 17, 2010
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.
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.
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