Read his post here and watch the videos

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas

How does bankruptcy help McCourt and the Dodgers fend off what many are calling inevitable – the sale of the team?

Attorney Chris Ward told the Wall Street Journal that McCourt’s filing may eventually pave the way for a bankruptcy court to approve the Fox Sports deal previously rejected by MLB:

Given that Major League Baseball didn’t approve the TV contract, without that revenue they’re not going to be able to operate. They may have some more leverage to get the Fox TV transaction approved in bankruptcy court over the objections of Major League Baseball. That’s what really precipitated the bankruptcy filing.

McCourt will likely be able to stay in an ownership position while all of this plays out despite the fact that the MLB consitution gives Selig the right to strip McCourt of ownership should he file bankruptcy. That’s because, according to the Los Angeles Times, bankruptcy courts can overrule MLB rules while the actual bankruptcy proceedings play out. So while MLB will likely get its way in the end, McCourt has played the one card he had left after the rejection of the Fox deal and has graced the Dodger community with more antics as the ownership saga continues to unfold.

Attorney Chris Ward also agrees that the move was really the best one McCourt could make at this point:

Deal Journal: What do you think of what the Dodgers are trying to do?

Ward: It gives them an upper hand that they didn’t have before. Strategically it was probably the right move to make.

DodgerDivorce.com was kind enough to post the filing so you can read the details. Manny Ramirez is the largest creditor with over $20 million due (no surprise there) but lots of other current, former, and minor league players are on that list as well. Poor Vin Scully is stilll owed over $100k on his contract (here’s hoping he gets all of it) and the team apparently also has over $300k in unsecured credit card debt with Bank of America according to the filing.

Video summary courtesy of ESPN

Dear Frank McCourt,

I write to you as a friend. Please don’t snicker. Yes, I have been very hard on you as owner of the Dodgers. Tried to speak the truth when felt it necessary. That’s what friends do. I wonder if you have any of those. Not attorneys or Howard Sunkin or employees who tell you what you want to hear. But real friends who look you straight in the eye and speak honestly, however hard or painful it is to hear.

So I say this to you without animosity or hostility: It’s time to let the Dodgers go.

You say you love the Dodgers? Then do what’s best for the team and the franchise. Sell the club and move on.

I know it’s against your fighting nature. And that you can design a list of ways you believe you’ve been wronged or treated unfairly. That you have designed various scenarios to keep the battle alive.

And do what to the Dodgers in the meantime? Into just how many pieces do you have to tear the team and franchise before it’s enough?

I’m trying to visualize a scenario in which you think you actually come out victorious. You’re allowed to sue Major League Baseball and you actually win? Unlikely, but how long would that take and what would be left of the team by then? How many fans would still be at the Ravine? What would your relationship be with MLB and the other 29 owners?

You lost this city and its fans a long time ago and it’s only going to get worse if you dig in. Forget the convoluted schemes. Forget trying to keep control of some of your 26 entities or declaring bankruptcy or trying to find more Peters to pay Paul.

It’s over, and in truth, it has been since the day MLB took control in April. This should not be about ego or hubris or getting in a last uppercut.

This is no longer about you, it’s about what’s best for the Dodgers. And going through protracted legal maneuvers that would likely take years to unfold is not it.

You really, truly love the Dodgers? Then end this. Let them go. It’s the right thing to do.

Your friend,

Steve Dilbeck

Through June 1, home attendance at Dodger Stadium is down a total of 221,984 from last season, an average 7,161 fewer fans per game. This represents a 16.7 percent overall drop, which is by far the worst in baseball this season.

Attendance across MLB through Monday is down 381,786 from last season, an average of 426 fewer fans per game

The Dodgers organization continues to decline to discuss season ticket sales or overall attendance but it’s clear that the Dodgers are battling a double whammy of far fewer walk-up and single game advance ticket sales as well as a significant no-show rate that is plaguing baseball as a whole.

If you haven’t read Darren Rovell’s story entitled Does Major League Baseball Have an Attendance Problem then head over to CNBC right now and take a look (or watch the embedded video below). the number of people tweeting pictures with hashtags #emptystadium or #emptystadiums showing the disparity between reported attendance and actual butts-in-seats is surprising.

The D-backs have currently won 6 in a row and 9 out of their last 10 games. They are 14-2 since May 14.

Take a look at the striking difference between the turnaround the Diamondbacks have delivered

(as evidenced by the number and margin of their victories) since the beginning of the season:

Diamondbacks Game Results (source: baseball-reference.com)

Now, contrast that with the same data for the Dodgers

:

Dodgers game stats (source: baseball-reference.com)

I am no statistician, but the D-backs clearly have a strong trend going while the Dodgers have had a few peaks during specific series this season (ATL/CHC in April, PIT in May).

In fact, the D-backs performance is even more impressive when you note that 6 of the 8 losses the team has suffered since May 5 were by only one run each.

Can we clone Kershaw and get him active for every start? If not, the Dodgers likely have a long road ahead of them if they are going to snap their mediocre performance to-date.

Apparently, Tommy Lasorda just spent four days in the hospital for a bacterial infection. The Special Advisor to McCourt is expected to make a full recovery but spent four days at USC Medical Center and is now on bedrest at his home.

Get better soon, Tommy!

We all know that seats at Dodger Stadium are pretty easy to come across these days, but that doesn’t make the trip any less expensive with parking and concession costs being what they are. Fortunately, the Dodgers are giving everyone a break on Monday (and doing their best to come up with creative ways to spark attendance) by offering dollar Dodger Dogs for the Memorial Day game against the Rockies.

Looks like there will be a 4 Dodger Dog limit per transaction.

June 15th payroll appears to still be at risk, as the same LA Times blog report indicated that McCourt was still searching for funds to enable him to pay staff and players for June.

Late June becomes even more problematic for the team, as Manny Ramirez is owed more than $6 million in deferred compensation in addition to regular team payroll according to the Times.

Jon Wiseman of ESPN Los Angeles had, what I consider, one of the most thoughtful views on what has transpired over the past several weeks in this article posted yesterday evening. I’d encourage you to stop reading my post and click through to his assessment and then come back.

Wiseman makes the observation that this is more than the alleged mismanagement of the team’s finances – at the core is the horrific Bryan Stow beating and the shock of the initial reaction of McCourt who felt nothing could have been done to prevent that ruthless attack. Many fans simply decided making a trip to Dodger Stadium wasn’t worth it – whether it was for safety reasons, performance reasons (the team’s record), or financial reasons.

Wiseman also points out that, while this wasn’t an organized protest, it’s clear that many fans have simply thrown up their hands and turned their back on the organization:

The thing is, it hasn’t been an organized boycott, not on any widespread level. It’s been people on their own coming to the conclusion that life was too short to waste on a franchise in this condition.

This includes people like my father, who chose during the offseason not to renew my family’s season tickets for a 30th season. It also includes the people who typically would improvise their ticket purchases after the season was underway.

That’s not to say Dodger Stadium was or would be empty. Some still show up because they love the team through thick and decidedly thin. The game’s pull remains strong. I myself have been trying to figure out when to get my kids to their first game of 2011.

But things haven’t been this low at Dodger Stadium before, have they? I think back to 1992, the worst team in Los Angeles Dodger history playing against the backdrop of a city torn by riots, and there was not such bitterness over the state of ownership.

Dodgers fans have been wandering through a desert of uncertainty and dismay for well more than a year since the McCourts’ marital strife put control of the team in limbo. What the Bryan Stow incident did, besides put the life of a man in jeopardy, was amplify the fear that with McCourt in charge, there might be no bottom.

Selig’s actions yesterday have certainly limited how much further the team could tumble down the rabbit hole, but what now? Can McCourt really make a comeback from this? Does he have any supporters left? I can’t think of a way out of this other than a forced sale at this point, but perhaps I’m wrong on this one. I do hope, however, that Jon Wiseman and I are right – because that hope is what many of the remaining Dodger fans are clinging to at this point.