McCourt Really Messing up the Dodgers

One of the great baseball franchises of all time is in a real mess.  The Los Angeles Dodgers were allowed to be purchased by Major League Baseball a few years back by Frank McCourt.  That has turned out to be a major mistake.  Not only did McCourt (and his wife) apparently use franchise funds for personal matters, but now that the pair are divorced the decisions over who gets what has put the team in peril.

Major League Baseball feels it has the right to take the franchise away and put it up for sale to the highest bidder.  But what will they be bidding on?   McCourt has divided the franchise into separate entities.  That originally was done to help him move money around with some of it going into personal accounts.  But it also is causing a problem with just what Major League Baseball can take over.

For instance, McCourt claims even if baseball takes the team he still owns the parking lots and maybe even the ballpark itself.  Baseball will counter that when he bought the team he bought all of that too and thus it is part of the team, regardless what he may have done when he re-organized.

The fight will be messy and a terrible shame.  The Dodgers were once one of the franchises everyone looked up to as one doing things the right way.  That is no longer the case.  They can't even pay the bills.

Lesson for baseball is to be sure you know who you are selling your teams to.  It may be a "good old boy" fraternity, but not just anyone with money should be let in.  What one owner does can seriously affect others and the whole sport, too.

Here I Go Again... Why the Concern over What Dallas Does?

I have lived in Texas since 1980.  I am a native of Indiana, but have worked and lived in Illinois, Hawaii, and New York as well as Texas.  I STILL cannot understand why Texas is so provincial as a state. In most parts of the country cities over-ride states.  For instance, I am well aware of what the Texas state flag looks like.  It is everywhere.  Try to find the Indiana, Illinois or New York state flags when in those states.  It is very hard to do.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are some things intriguing about the loyalty to the state that Texans have.  But why does that extend to individual cities that may be 200 to 500 miles apart?  Why does anyone worry about what Dallas does in sports any more than what Ohioans in Cincinnati care about what goes on in Cleveland?  Yes, the Dallas Cowboys were once very good.  But that was years ago and might have some importance in cities that do not have NFL teams like San Antonio or Austin, but why should it matter in Houston?  Same goes for Houston.  Why should anyone begrudge the fact the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship?  Why does it matter in Houston?  The Rockets did not.  Why should Dallas' win be of any more signficance than had New Orleans or Oklahoma City or San Antonio, for that matter, had won?

During my career I have worked regularly in the Dallas-FW market, San Antonio and Houston.  I am very happy where I am.  If I am here I only care about what is going on here in Houston.  I am not envious or jealous of any other Texas city that may be having more success.  I am a Houstonian and only am concerned about what my teams are doing.

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks.  Congratulations to Arlington's Texas Rangers or Dallas Cowboys.  I don't begrudge any of them success.  I just want to see success in Houston.  That is where I live.  That is who I care about.  Just because there are other teams within the same state means nothing.  Houston is what does matter.