The Big Blue Wrecking Crew

jamesmir11 said:

Alright people, this is the thread that we've been waiting to have since 2004, well, since 2009...whatever...

I thought it'd be a good idea to have a single thread to speculate of all of the many people who will come out of the woodworks YOU want to have as owner of our beloved Dodgers. I'm going to list a few names, I have no idea who they are, their backgrounds, or anything about them, but here goes. 

According to Molly Knight's twitter the suitors are the following 

- Dennis Gilbert 

- Burt Sugarman 

- Garvey/Hershiser 

- Mark Cuban 

Am I forgetting anyone? Anyway, discuss! 

Tony Jackson and Tim Brown both mention Mark Attanasio, the owner of the Brewers and an LA resident, Alec Gores, an LA financier and Alan Casdan, who Nick tells me is a real estate magnate in LA.  I am sure there are others like Ron Burkle, Tom Werner and I would not be shocked if Phillip Anschutz throws his hat in the ring.  

How would Attanasio become the owner of the Dodgers, assuming he wins at the auction, and be the owner of the Brewers? 

Anyone but the a-hole we have works for me.

Since the Dodgers are going to auctioned in bankruptcy court, can't Cuban, assuming he wins the auction become the owner or would Selig still be able to handpick his person? 

jamesmir11 said:

How would Attanasio become the owner of the Dodgers, assuming he wins at the auction, and be the owner of the Brewers? 

I would think he would sell high.  The Brewers won their division, have a nice organization in place and a spanking new stadium.   It has happened before, Loria bought the Marlins while owning the Expos and I can see Bud facilitating such a move if it works for him.  

jamesmir11 said:

Since the Dodgers are going to auctioned in bankruptcy court, can't Cuban, assuming he wins the auction become the owner or would Selig still be able to handpick his person? 

The owners could refuse Cuban, but the lawsuit might scare the bejesus out of Bud and his cronies.  It all depends on if Cuban is willing to mix it up with other billionaires in this auction 

jamesmir11 said:

Since the Dodgers are going to auctioned in bankruptcy court, can't Cuban, assuming he wins the auction become the owner or would Selig still be able to handpick his person? 

The press release by MLB and he dodgers clearly says the auction will be done in a way to maximize value for McCourt and will be supervised by the court.  I think that means Selig will have to accept the highest bid.  I sure hope that's the case and believe it is.

I like Cuban because he can operate without a Cap which would essentially make the Dodgers on the level of the other major market spenders. The Dodgers are a cash cow for the right ownership group. I also like Gilbert.

I was a baseball player who idolized Garvey but he is a horrible businessman and I don't see his group being able to play in the major money arena.

This is more than just getting FA's and contracts. The Dodgers need to sink money into signing foreign players, ramp up their scouting money, retrofit the stadium and get their own players inked which won't be easy.

A new ownership group will need an epic amount of capital to fix everything.

FWIW, ESPN's Molly Knight said on Twitter that she thought Dennis Gilbert was the odds-on favorite to own the Dodgers.

He makes sense on a lot of levels, as pointed out by Blaster and others.

He could definitely put together a big investment group together to buy the Dodgers and I think he would put the money into the team necessary to rebuild the franchise.

I like Cuban, but we'll see if he's ready to step up to owning a franchise like the Dodgers. Its going to take significant capital investment to undo a lot of what the McBrokes did.

 

MSTI put it best: 

Shaikin tweeted that Time Warner could also be a bidder since buying the Dodgers is more feasible than paying $3 - $4Billion for the TV rights. 

Shaikin: 

jamesmir11 said:

Shaikin: 

Confirmed: Fox not interested in buying #Dodgers at this time.

I could kiss Shaikin hard on the mouth.  That said, the "at this time" is what scares me.

I assume, even though the sale of the team is through the court, that Selig and the other owners still have to approve the new owner, right? I would be pretty surprised if they agreed to sell to Fox, after the debacle that was Fox's ownership previously. Bud needs to save face on this one and a sale to Fox would be idiotic, in my opinion. Same goes for Time Warner. Selling to a corp. only interested in TV broadcast rights is without a doubt not in the best interest of the team or baseball. Though, if the simple truth is that they need to accept the highest bid, then let's just hope Fox and TW don't jump in on the bidding.

I believe Gilbert and Sugarman are part of the same group at least that's what I recall. Cuban is a concern because he could flood the team with money win for a bit and the flip the team. He's not local and he pulls focus from the team. Time Warner can suck it and if Bud pull another Fox I'll kill him. MLB has to have some say in this and not just a straight auction. You know I'm all about Gilbert on so many levels.

Per Shaikin's Twitter, A's owner Lew Wolff is "not interested" in bidding for the Dodgers.

That's good news. Enough small market owners trying to own the Dodgers.

Put an ownership group in their with big money who are looking to do big things. The Dodgers are an iconic franchise and deserve to be run as such.

 

I'd feel a lot more comfortable if the new owners would come right out and say that they want to spend a lot of money on scouting and the farm.

I think that's a big deal for me.

Fred Claire now getting involved...  

Source: MLB has agreed to speed #Dodgers sale by pre-approving bidders before auction. No guaranteed minimum sale price for McCourt.

Matthew said:

Fred Claire now getting involved...  

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgers/2011/11/fred-claire-says-hes-involved-in-group-pursuing-dodgers.html  

I can just see it now: Fred Claire wins, he's been out of the team for a while.  Asks Tommy his opinion.  Tommy says the team's good but they're lacking a second baseman and Kershin kid looks too small to pitch successfully long term.  Then we see a trade of Sunshine for Delino Deshields Jr.

Actually Cuban did not out bid on the Rangers. He thought he had but at the last minute Ryan/ Greenberg suprised him with larger than expected jump over his offer.

 

 

My first choice is Dennis Gilbert.  Former baseball agent, local boy, lifelong Dodger fan.  He cares about the team AND the city and we haven't had that since O'Malley. Knows how the baseball business works and can tell agents to f off with outrageous demands, since he used to be one of them.

My second choice is Mark Cuban.  Has the bucks, passion to win, enough of a loose cannon to make it all fun.  I'm hoping he'll knee Bud Selig in the nuts at every opportunity.  It is for that reason, alone, that he probably won't wind up with the Dodgers (he failed in two other attempts to buy a team--the Cubs and the Rangers--alledgedly out bidding everyone else, both times.) Selig is scared to death of Cuban owning the Dodgers.  The good news is, so is the rest of the NL West.

Orel Hersheiser and Steve Garvey leading a conglomerate is interesting, but I doubt it'll happen.  Probably too hard to assemble and Garvey has a bad business history.  I'd hire Orel to run the team in a heartbeat, though.

Somebody suggested the Kardashians.  Plenty of guys to marry and ruin.

Peter O'Malley wants back in...  

Matthew said:

Peter O'Malley wants back in...  

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-peter-omalley-20111103,0,4549505.story  

Best news I've heard all decade. Bring back the O'Malleys...

If O'Malley has the financial backing, I would love to see him involved.  The one thing, though, is that the baseball landscape has changed immensely since he was an owner.  

O'Malley sounds great but he is not Bud Lite's best friend and our farm system went from fantastic (the eighties) to awful in the nineties because it seemed that O'Malley lost interest and didn't pay attention to who was running the store.   I would not mind O'Malley being the figurehead, but the game passed him by in the nineties, so I would hope that he (or his group) would hire strong baseball people to run the team. 

Beat me to it.

jamesmir11 said:

I'd feel a lot more comfortable if the new owners would come right out and say that they want to spend a lot of money on scouting and the farm.

I think that's a big deal for me.

Not likely to happen until a date for the auction is set and even then, it will likely be all cloak and dagger. 

So, why did O'Malley sell the team to Fox in the first place?

I'm not disagreeing with you SamAdams, just wondering why he sold.

jamesmir11 said:

So, why did O'Malley sell the team to Fox in the first place?

I'm not disagreeing with you SamAdams, just wondering why he sold.

Estate tax issues, butting heads with Bud Lite and when Peter wanted to build an NFL stadium and increase his income, Bud started to rally his cronies and pretty much forced O'Malley out.  

FWIW - Donald Trump on Fox News' van Sustern, said he's been approached by more than a couple of groups wanting him to be involved in a Dodger purchase. He mostly dismissed it, but did talk much about what a great investment it is for someone 'in a position to be a buyer in today's economy'. When pressed, he did npt totally rule out interest.

Trump is full of it. He needs to feel he's involved with every major transaction. He's an NYC homer and will never be owner. He wants press.

Bud Selig is the Winner

Why would O'Malley be a good thing?  I don't see him having anywhere near the $$ that a bigger owner like Cuban has and let's be realistic here.   He hasn't had any experience whatsoever in the modern way clubs are being run.  He got out well before it became what it is today. 

It's a nice story but I really don't think these types of groups are what this team needs.  It needs a major, deep pockets owner who is willing to spend a lot of money.  I am not sure guys like Claire, O'Malley, Hersheiser, etc. are the ones who will back up the truck and take on the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies.

Give me the more non-traditional guy or group that has major financial resources over the "He's a baseball guy and people love him," owner.  That doesn't pay the bills.  They are going to get one shot at this so it needs to be a heavy hitter.

jamesmir11 said:

Shaikin tweeted that Time Warner could also be a bidder since buying the Dodgers is more feasible than paying $3 - $4Billion for the TV rights. 

I think that might very well be the second coming of FOX ownership.  I pray that does not happen.

saeldway said:

Matthew said:

Fred Claire now getting involved...  

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgers/2011/11/fred-claire-says-hes-involved-in-group-pursuing-dodgers.html  

I can just see it now: Fred Claire wins, he's been out of the team for a while.  Asks Tommy his opinion.  Tommy says the team's good but they're lacking a second baseman and Kershin kid looks too small to pitch successfully long term.  Then we see a trade of Sunshine for Delino Deshields Jr.

I don't know whether to laugh or vomit at that joke.

SamAdams said:

If O'Malley has the financial backing, I would love to see him involved.  The one thing, though, is that the baseball landscape has changed immensely since he was an owner.  

Still, if you talk to ANY ex-Dodger player or former employee, they will rave about the entire O'Malley family.  Having been around a lot of those folks, I can tell you that Peter O'Malley is a great human being.  He's almost the antithesis of Frank McCourt.  His employees were always of great importance to him and he amazingly knew the names of their spouses and children and always took time to ask about them.  This shows the attention to detail and a caring attitude that has been sorely lacking in the last six or seven years at 1000 Elysian Park Ave.

Don't forget that would mean ice cream for all the club employees after every win.

NewportDevil said:

Why would O'Malley be a good thing?  I don't see him having anywhere near the $$ that a bigger owner like Cuban has and let's be realistic here.   He hasn't had any experience whatsoever in the modern way clubs are being run.  He got out well before it became what it is today. 

It's a nice story but I really don't think these types of groups are what this team needs.  It needs a major, deep pockets owner who is willing to spend a lot of money.  I am not sure guys like Claire, O'Malley, Hersheiser, etc. are the ones who will back up the truck and take on the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies.

Give me the more non-traditional guy or group that has major financial resources over the "He's a baseball guy and people love him," owner.  That doesn't pay the bills.  They are going to get one shot at this so it needs to be a heavy hitter.

O'Malley would be the figurehead and likely President of Ops.  Eli Broad is his very good friend, and is rumored to be worth over $6B.  O'Malley will be starting his list of phone calls with Eli.

NewportDevil said:

Why would O'Malley be a good thing?  I don't see him having anywhere near the $$ that a bigger owner like Cuban has and let's be realistic here.   He hasn't had any experience whatsoever in the modern way clubs are being run.  He got out well before it became what it is today. 

It's a nice story but I really don't think these types of groups are what this team needs.  It needs a major, deep pockets owner who is willing to spend a lot of money.  I am not sure guys like Claire, O'Malley, Hersheiser, etc. are the ones who will back up the truck and take on the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies.

Give me the more non-traditional guy or group that has major financial resources over the "He's a baseball guy and people love him," owner.  That doesn't pay the bills.  They are going to get one shot at this so it needs to be a heavy hitter.

O'Malley wouldn't be showing up without money. This Cuban obsession the ciy has is not good. He's no ties to LA or the team. He is another temporary, albeit rich and motivated steward. He is not in it for the long haul. He wants to and would likely win but I doubt the team would hold his attention over time and it s back to musical owners. I want to win but don't want to be flipped. Not saying O'Malley is the answer but it's kinda his team still. If he buys it back the years the family didn't own the team is a blip on the screen. Seems to me he wants to come in, right the ship and hand it off to someone he trusts that can compete and thrive in today's baseball. Assuming we like his assebled team and their bank accounts there is no one who could fix this mess faster or better. Except towards the end of his reign the team was always cutting edge an innovative and led the league with the way it did its business so Id expect that to continue. Winning is something else entirely but the culture of the team we love would be restored and more importantly the restoration would be authentic.

Meh.  O'Malley is a feel-good story, made to feel even better after the disaster that was the McCourts, but I don't think he's the answer.  Remember, the team didn't win a single playoff game in the last 10 years that he owned the team.  And let's not forget who started this whole ownership mess when he sold the team to FOX in the first place.

Regarding Cuban, he has owned the Mavs for nearly 12 years now, and he seemingly does whatever it takes to build a winner.  He's obviously a sore loser, which is what the Dodgers need: a billionaire who knows how to market the team, create cashflow, and won't spare any expense to win championships.  Personally, I like the guy as a potential owner.   He's not the only choice out there, but he's definitely one of the top 2 or 3 as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with GenericFan on O'Malley 100%. Lest we forget that O'Malley's hands are not completely clean in all of this. He sold the team in the first place, starting this whole ownership debacle when he no longer had the stomach for it. He also hired Fred Claire, who traded Pedro Martinez away, a crime that will never be forgotten.
O'Malley had his chance and he bailed out, leaving us with Fox. Sorry buddy, your time is over.

Get somebody new, vibrant, with ties to LA unless it's Mark Cuban, who I like, deep pockets and a desire to win.

6--Number of World Championship titles won under the O'Malley family's ownership.

SamAdams said:

6--Number of World Championship titles won under the O'Malley family's ownership.

0--Number of World Chamionships won during the other 70-odd years of the franchise's existence.

15--Number of National League Pennants won under the O'Malleys

6--Number of NL Pennants won under the rest.

Just win, baby.

No one is denying that O'Malley is a great guy and would be good for the team, but in an ambassador type role.  I commend his loyalty and regard for his employees, but his loyalty sometimes blinded him to the fact that his employees were no longer up for the job.    Case in point, Al Campanis.  Al was a great GM, but even before he made the slip of a tongue on Nightline, he was getting shown up by younger GMs.  Even Peter was showing the game was passing him by, leaving a clown like Charlie Blaney in a position of power was ridiculous and giving Lasorda too much say in how the team was run was the focal reason we lost Pedro.   Plus, Fred Claire, another nice guy, was overwhelmed by a job he had little preparation for.   Yes, at the end O'Malley had younger people at the ready when he sold, but they are now managing in Milwaukee, Anaheim, etc...

Chin Music said:

NewportDevil said:

Why would O'Malley be a good thing?  I don't see him having anywhere near the $$ that a bigger owner like Cuban has and let's be realistic here.   He hasn't had any experience whatsoever in the modern way clubs are being run.  He got out well before it became what it is today. 

It's a nice story but I really don't think these types of groups are what this team needs.  It needs a major, deep pockets owner who is willing to spend a lot of money.  I am not sure guys like Claire, O'Malley, Hersheiser, etc. are the ones who will back up the truck and take on the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies.

Give me the more non-traditional guy or group that has major financial resources over the "He's a baseball guy and people love him," owner.  That doesn't pay the bills.  They are going to get one shot at this so it needs to be a heavy hitter.

O'Malley wouldn't be showing up without money. This Cuban obsession the ciy has is not good. He's no ties to LA or the team. He is another temporary, albeit rich and motivated steward. He is not in it for the long haul. He wants to and would likely win but I doubt the team would hold his attention over time and it s back to musical owners. I want to win but don't want to be flipped. Not saying O'Malley is the answer but it's kinda his team still. If he buys it back the years the family didn't own the team is a blip on the screen. Seems to me he wants to come in, right the ship and hand it off to someone he trusts that can compete and thrive in today's baseball. Assuming we like his assebled team and their bank accounts there is no one who could fix this mess faster or better. Except towards the end of his reign the team was always cutting edge an innovative and led the league with the way it did its business so Id expect that to continue. Winning is something else entirely but the culture of the team we love would be restored and more importantly the restoration would be authentic.

I'm no fan of Cuban in general but I disagree that if he bought the team it would be for a flip.  He has made his fortune and right now he is clearly more interested in being in the limelight than anything else. He is certainly big in Dallas but if he brought a championship(s) to LA he would be HUGE on an infinitely larger stage.  If what you want to do with your money is to become a superstar of the popular culture there are few better ways open to Cuban.  I have no doubts that if he bought the team you'd see him on TV in the stands at the games screaming for the team on and trying to be as big a part of the team as he tries to seem to be for the Mavs.  Purely from a fan's perspective I think he would be an absolutely ideal owner as I have zero doubt he would spend every cent he thought he needed to to win a championship as often as possible.  I also have no doubts he is smart enough to look at the Yankees vs. Mets model (in the same market) to see how much extra return he could get from more investment in the team.  The Yankees have a higher payroll but make MUCH more money than the Mets every single year.

You can't use those older stats now with the O'Mally family. They are not applicable in this day. He is in his 70's, he was successful in an era of loyalty and cannot relate to today's athlete. He got out in part because he hated the way the game was going. It's worse now by 1000%.

Cuban may not be a native but everything he touches turns to gold and he is a marketing genius. This isn't about the good old Dodger days of the past. It is about competing head on with major money franchises.

If you had a tumor, would you go back to your old family doctor of 30 years and have him treat it because it's a comfort zone? No, you go to someone who is currently trained in that field, is the best you can afford and you would care less if he was a friend or a person from the other side of the world. We have a tumor here. A massive tumor and I want the best surgeon.

Baseball has that thing that keeps holding it back and a lot of it involves the fear or change or wanting to sit in the past. Cuban isn't some vagabond like McCourt. He is a guy who demands and will spend for excellence.

I still want Dennis Gilbert over O'Malley or Cuban.  Reasons stated previously all still outweigh the stuff I'm reading over the last couple days about any other prospective ownership groups.

If this thread is still about speculation over who will be the new Dodger owner, then let me be the first to say that we have a dangerous Trojan horse in our midst....

... And that person, and our new owner is, Chris Grabarkewitz! (Do I get some kind of reward for this revelation?)

I don't think anyone can discount the symbolic importance of having O'Malley at the helm, if nothing else as an ambassador and feel good figurehead. There is obviously the baseball operations side of things, but for me, the biggest travesty of the McCourt era has been public perception of the Dodgers around the country. Throughout the O'Malley family ownership we were always considered the benchmark of how a baseball organization should be run. Now, we are a laughingstock and seen by many as a second-class organization. Not to mention the fact that across the baseball world people now perceive Dodger stadium as having been overrun with thugs...which is patently untrue. To me, a Dodgers fan of 30 years (and I am 34 years old), this is beyond sad and unacceptable. I don't care if O'Malley didn't win any championships during the last ten years of his previous ownership. No ownership group can promise a steady stream of championships. And any talk of friction between him and Selig is meaningless now. After McCourt, Selig would probably fly to L.A. and personally drive O'Malley to his new office at the stadium. And O'Malley will not come in without a well capitalized group of investors behind him. The money will be there. I don't necessarily buy the notion that the game has passed him by, either. He will be the owner/President, not the scouting director, GM and First Base Coach. He's a smart person and would presumably surround himself with smart capable people, and this would be a HUGE first step in restoring the Dodgers brand around baseball and reconnecting the team with the fans and the community.

ItTakesFaith said:

If this thread is still about speculation over who will be the new Dodger owner, then let me be the first to say that we have a dangerous Trojan horse in our midst....

... And that person, and our new owner is, Chris Grabarkewitz! (Do I get some kind of reward for this revelation?)

No wonder he was playing devil's advocate with O'Malley's ownership.  He's competing with him.   :-))

I've not followed him closely, but has anyone ever complained about playing or working under Mark Cuban? Just from watching playoff basketball - not just this past season - I've always had the impression his players love him. A change from a guy no one wants to work for, to one that's on every FA's wish list would be kinda cool.