Handling the Truth About This Dodger Fan

Reading about Jamie McCourt facing off today against superstar attorney Stephen Susman made me wonder. It made me wonder how I might handle the pressure of being alone on the witness stand, being grilled by Susman.

With inspiration credited to A Few Good Men, here's how I think it might go...


Dodger fan (me): You want to investigate me, roll the dice and take your chances. I eat my Dodger Dogs 300 yards from 25 Dodgers who are trained to crush my morale, so don't think for one second that you can come down here, flash your badge, and make me nervous!

Susman: Did you order the ROAD RED (Angels jersey and wear it to a game at Dodger Stadium)?

Judge Gordon: You don't have to answer that question!

Dodger fan: I'll answer the question!


[to Susman]

Dodger fan: You want answers?


Susman: I think I'm entitled to them.


Dodger fan: You want answers?!


Susman: I WANT THE TRUTH!


Dodger fan: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!

Son, we live in a town that has two McCourts. And their team has to be supported by fans with deep pockets. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Larry King?!

I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Joe Torre and you curse Don Mattingly. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Manny's defection, while tragic, probably saved the team money. And my Dodger season ticket plan, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, helped save the team from bankruptcy.

You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me in those stands! You need me in the stands!

We purchase items like $15 parking, $12 beers, and $28 Los Doyers t-shirts. We purchase these items as the backbone to a life spent supporting something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps to the poetry of Vin Scully, announcer for the very Dodger team I help support, then questions the manner in which I support it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way.

Otherwise, I suggest you buy a ticket and sit through a Dodger game yourself. Either way, I don't give a (darn) what you think you're entitled to!

Susman: Did you order the ROAD RED (Angels jersey)?!

Dodger fan: I did the job you sent me to do!

[Susman approaches the stand.]

Susman: DID YOU ORDER THE ROAD RED (Angels jersey)?!?!

Dodger fan: YOU'RE (GOSHDARN) RIGHT I DID!!!

Action Moves From Field Back into Court

With today's improbable, comeback, walk off, 7-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies in the books, attention on Monday shifts from the playing field back into court.

Josh Fisher gives a detailed preview as to what we can expect this upcoming week in the McCourt trial. Among other things, Frank's attorney, Stephen Susman, gets his frist crack at cross-examining Jamie.

According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Larry Silverstein, the attorney responsible for drafting the six copies of the agreement under dispute, is tentatively scheduled to testify Tuesday. His testimony not only will help determine which McCourt wins the trial, but also how much of a liability claim -- current estimates are as high as nine figures -- he might face from the losing McCourt.

On the field, Monday's a day off for boys in blue. The Dodgers are back in action Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium against the San Diego Padres.

***

The eighth-inning Dodger Stadium rendition of "Don't Stop Believin" just isn't the same without Jameson Moss. He wasn't there for at least the second game in a row, by my count. Without him, is the song really worth playing anymore?

Getting Away From it All ... at Dodger Stadium

After a disappointing summer in which Dodger playoff hopes faded with each day, after one week's worth of mind-numbing court proceedings in which the Dodger owner was pitted against his wife, after the respected former Dodger owner issued some scathing remarks towards the current owner, after the venerable manager announced he would step aside and be replaced by someone whom we know little about, after the Dodgers traded away two of their brightest young talents for a 36-year-old pitcher whom they later traded away for a player to be named later, after all this, I desperately needed an escape.

So, I did what I often do in times like this:

I turned to baseball.

That's right. I went to Dodger Stadium to take in a game.

And guess what? It worked.

Sure, the Dodgers were crushed 12-2 by Colorado. But really, it was a meaningless game for Los Angeles. In fact, it might have been the unexpected spring-training feel of the entire day that made it feel like a getaway. Consider:

1) The Dodger starting lineup featured just three players who were projected to be starters at the beginning of the season. The rest of the guys were supposed to be reserves, in the minor leagues, or on other teams: Jamey Carroll, Ryan Theriot, Jay Gibbons, Russ Mitchell, A.J. Ellis, and John Ely.

2) The announced attendance was 40,191, but only a fraction of these ticket purchasers bothered even to show up. This meant getting in and out of the parking lot was a breeze and it meant short concession lines (!), despite the fact that not all concession stands were even open. The freedom to move around unimpeded made me feel like I was in a much smaller, more relaxed venue.

All of which somehow helped to rejuvenate me. Sure, none of the angst-inducing larger issues surrounding the Dodger franchise were resolved Saturday afternoon. In fact, Ely's ineffectiveness as starting pitcher only underscored just one more of the Dodger offseason concerns -- the shallow starting rotation. But that and other issues can wait until at least the offseason.

Because today, Clayton Kershaw pitches.

And today, I choose simply to enjoy the moment.

Two Things You Need to Know About Tomorrow's Dodger Game

1. Clayton Kershaw is pitching.
2. Literally hundreds of tickets can still be had on Stubhub for $3 apiece or less (plus applicable fees).

In other news, the Dodgers today traded Octavio Dotel for a player to be named later and on the field, they were squashed by the Colorado Rockies, 12-2. More on that later.

Plenty of Off-Field Dodger News, and the McCourt Trial is Still on Recess!

What a remarkable 24-hour period this has been.

First, we had Peter O'Malley's scathing words for Frank McCourt.
Not to be outdone, the Dodgers followed up within a day by announcing that Joe Torre would not return to manage the team next season and that Don Mattingly would be successor.

Times blogger Steve Dilbeck found it more than a little coincidental that the timing of the Dodgers' announcement effectively took media attention away from O'Malley's comments and minimized their damaging effects.

Mattingley's promotion ahead of the seemingly more qualified Tim Wallach, manager of the Dodgers triple-A affiliate Albuquerqee Isotopes, raised a bit of an uproar amongst some. But as Times' Dylan Hernandez reminded all of his Twitter followers earlier this evening, Mattingly had signed a contract with Dodgers prior to the start of this season in which he would essentially be guaranteed the Dodger managerial job should Torre should step down.

The Dodgers will miss the presence of Torre at the helm. He guided the Dodgers to consecutive National League Championship Series and along with his on-field success, Torre will be remembered  for the dignity and class with which he represented himself and the Dodger organization.

To its credit, the Dodger organization paid top dollar to lure Torre to Los Angeles three offseasons ago, and despite his tactical shortcomings (bullpen mismanagement, for one), it was money very well spent.

Wow, what a stroke of genius indeed for the Dodger PR team. I haven't mentioned the name "O'Malley" for four paragraphs.

In other news, the Dodgers fell to Colorado tonight at Dodger Stadium, 7-5.

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.

Peter O'Malley: McCourt Should Sell Dodgers

Longtime Dodger owner Peter O'Malley, whose family had owned the Dodgers for 47 years, broke his silence by suggesting that Frank McCourt should sell the Dodgers because "the current Dodger ownership has lost all credibility throughout the city," writes Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times.

***

Update: Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times explains why Peter O'Malley's decision to speak out against Frank McCourt is so damaging to the current Dodger owner. In short, McCourt has now officially lost in the court of public opinion with O'Malley's comments serving as the final knockout blow.