VIDEO: MLB is preparing to suspend 20 players for 100 games including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun!

3 MINUTE UPDATE Football great David “Deacon” Jones has died at 74. Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius trial has been postponed. See which New York Giants defensive end just had surgery. Plus see who NBA Karl Malone’s all-time dream team!

Read more

VIDEO: Rosenthal: Kemp doesn’t deserve boos

Ken Rosenthal weighs in on Dodgers fans booing Matt Kemp.

Read more

VIDEO: Today in History for May 28th

Novelist Ian Fleming is born; Baseball’s National League approves moving the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles ; Duke of Windsor dies. (May 28)

Read more

VIDEO: Breaking News Headlines: Peres Says Israel Must Overcome Skepticism About Peace

Peres Says Israel Must Overcome Skepticism About Peace. Amanda Bynes Tweets Again, Accuses NYPD Officer of Sexual Harassment. Taylor Lautner Takes Zac Efron’s Rumored Lady Love Out To The Ball Game! New Couple Alert?!

Read more

VIDEO: Entertainment News Pop: Amanda Bynes — On the Loose!

Amanda Bynes — On the Loose!. Taylor Lautner Takes Zac Efron’s Rumored Lady Love Out To The Ball Game! New Couple Alert?!. Polanski laments leveling of sexes as ‘idiotic’

Read more

VIDEO: D’Backs solve Kershaw, blank Dodgers

Martin Prado on Arizona’s 3-0 win over the Dodgers.

Read more

VIDEO: Top News Headlines: John Kerry Visits S. Korea

More headlines: Twitter confirms acquisition of music service; verbal battle ensues after bench-clearing MLB brawl.

Read more

Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten and Mark Walter new LA Dodgers owners

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012 it was announced that the new Dodgers owners — primarily Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten and Mark Walter — are ready to roll.

“Stan will be president and CEO and my role will be what it’s been during the 30 years since I got to LA,” said Johnson, the biggest name in the group that will pay $2 billion to purchase the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium.

“I’ll be working with the city, making sure the fans enjoy themselves at the park,” Johnson said. “If the players need anything, my door is open to anything — not just baseball. They’ll get enough baseball from the manager, Don Mattingly, and I’m sure they can reach out to Stan too, and Mark, from the standpoint of selling the Dodgers brand and working with the sponsors. I’ll have an office there and I’ll be there every day.”

Johnson said he was enlisted by Kasten, their relationship dating to Johnson’s playing days with the Lakers when Kasten ran the Atlanta Hawks, along with the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Thrashers. Kasten also ran the Washington Nationals, and now he’ll be in charge of running the Dodgers. Walter will be the controlling partner.

“It’s beyond a dream come true for a guy who does what I do,” Kasten said. “The word that’s associated with Dodgers is ‘pride.’ There’s not any other franchise that has that history. Any opportunity to be associated with that franchise — I’ve been friends with Tom Lasorda and Vin Scully — and the thought of being co-workers with them is beyond belief.”

Kasten, who met with general manager Ned Colletti after touring the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch Spring Training facility two weeks ago, said he has no immediate changes planned.

“We’ll be coming in May 1, and I know a lot about an organization from the outside, but you can’t know everything and everybody until you get inside,” Kasten said. “I look forward to getting to know the people and helping them be more productive, and if we need more people or different people, we’ll do that.”

Walter, CEO of investment manager Guggenheim Partners, which is providing the primary funding for the purchase, was asked if there is any money left to acquire and pay players after the record-breaking purchase price for a North American sports franchise.

“There is,” Walter said. “I know Stan is an expert on this topic, as far as what should be done building a roster. My job is to help Stan and Magic accomplish all of our goals, and that’s not only on the field, but in the community and philanthropy.

“But winning is essential. When I met Magic the first time, we covered a lot of topics, but it was clear that if winning wasn’t the goal, there was no point in owning the franchise. We want to win. If that means we have to work harder on the business side to make that happen, we will.”

Other named partners in the Guggenheim Baseball Partnership LLC purchasing group are Peter Guber, Bobby Patton and Todd Boehly.

Guber is chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, which expanded its initial focus of movie production to include ownership of Minor League baseball teams and a stake in the Golden State Warriors NBA team.

Patton is an oil and gas investor and Boehly is president of Guggenheim Partners.

About Earvin ”Magic” Johnson Jr:
Earvin ”Magic“ Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is a retired American professionalbasketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

Johnson’s career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finalsappearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBA’s all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2.^[3] Johnson was a member of the “Dream Team“, the U.S. basketball team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1992.

Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, and enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.^[4] He was rated the greatest NBA point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007.^[5] His friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics starLarry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, were well documented. Since his retirement, Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDSprevention and safe sex,^[4] as well as an entrepreneur,^[6] philanthropist,^[7] broadcaster andmotivational speaker.^[8] Johnson was a part-owner of the Lakers for several years, and was part of a group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.

Sources: Wikipedia, Ken Gurnick / MLB.com, http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com
Photos credit to: Francois Palais for Diversity News Magazine and  http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com

Breaking News: Major League Baseball Takes Over Los Angeles Dodgers Team

On Wednesday, April 20, 2011 MLB.com reported that the Major League Baseball has taken over operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Commissioner Bud Selig announced Wednesday.

“Pursuant to my authority as Commissioner, I informed Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt today that I will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the Club,” Selig said in a statement.

“I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball. My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt’s ownership. I will announce the name of my representative in the next several days.”


He concluded “The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future.”

In an email message sent to Dodgers employees on Wednesday, McCourt said, “In light of the Commissioner’s announcement today, I ask that you please continue to conduct business as usual with our complete dedication to the game and our loyal fans. Each of you has represented this organization with class, and while this is no doubt a challenging time for all of us, I truly appreciate your efforts.”

McCourt, owner and chairman of the Dodgers, bought the club from News Corp. on Jan. 29, 2004, and the club reached the postseason in four of his seven seasons as owner.

However, the club’s finances have come into question since his highly publicized divorce from Jamie McCourt, his wife of 29 years who also served as CEO of the club until 2009.

This season, while the club has struggled to reach .500 on the field, there have been media reports that McCourt’s request to accept a $200 million advance in broadcasting revenues from FOX was rejected by the Commissioner. Last week it was reported that FOX directly loaned McCourt $30 million, which apparently was needed to make payroll.

Meanwhile, the franchise has been under intense scrutiny since an assault in the the Dodger Stadium parking lot on Opening Day that left a San Francisco Giants fan hospitalized in a medically induced coma.

In the wake of that incident, attendance has been significantly down, while the Los Angeles Police Department has made a highly visible presence, essentially taking over security at the park.

On Tuesday, McCourt announced the hiring of Los Angeles civic leader and developer Steve Soboroff as a vice chairman, with responsibilities including the enhancement of fan experience and the strengthening of ties to the community.

This is the third time in recent Major League Baseball history that the Commissioner’s office has taken over operations of a club.

In the wake of contraction discussions after the 2001 season, MLB purchased the Montreal Expos from Jeffrey Loria and his partners for $120 million. In a three-way transaction, Loria purchased the Marlins from John Henry, and Henry led a group that bought the Red Sox from the Yawkey Estate.

At the time, MLB established a relocation committee with the express purpose of selling the Expos, moving the team from Montreal and negotiating the building of a new ballpark in the location city. MLB held ownership and operational control of the Expos for four and half years. The team was moved to Washington in 2005 and was sold to the Lerner Family in July 2006 for $450 million. The club moved into new Nationals Park in 2007.

The Texas Rangers were placed under operational control of MLB last year when Tom Hicks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to try to force an already-agreed sale to a group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan, the team’s president. In the interim, Ryan essentially oversaw the day-to-day operations of the club with then MLB president Bob DuPuy heading negotiations to satisfy Hicks’ creditors.

The situation was ultimately resolved in a bankruptcy court auction as Greenberg-Hicks outbid Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and bought the team for $550 million this past August.


Also TMZ.com reported that Jamie McCourt have made a statement saying: “As the 50% owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I welcome and support the Commissioner’s actions to provide the necessary transparency, guidance and direction for the franchise and for Dodgers fans everywhere.”"


Sources: MLB.com & TMZ.com

Photo credit to: Francois Palais for Diversity News Magazine