Dodgers Had “Healer” on Payroll for 5 Years

Really Frank & Jamie?  Really?  This story has got to rank as one of the great WTF moments in professional sports this year.

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get to the story of the Dodgers and self-described scientist and healer Vladimir Shpunt, but honestly, I find the whole situation so incredibly bizarre that it undercuts a lot of the faith that I want to have in the ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  I refuse to believe that Ned Colletti knew anything about this.

Per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times:

Frank and Jamie McCourt paid him to help the team win by sending positive energy over great distances.

Shpunt says he is a scientist and a healer, not a magician. His method could not guarantee the Dodgers would win, he says, but it could make a difference.

According to Shpunt’s representative, this could increase the team’s chances of winning by 10 to 15%.  Sigh.  And how much does this service cost?  According to the article, Jamie McCourt’s lawyer says that Shpunt received “certainly six figures and even higher.”

But here’s my favorite part of Shaikin’s article:

Grossman [the Dodgers' attorney] said Shpunt had been “introduced to the Dodger organization as someone who had the ability to observe the team, observe opposing teams and provide evaluations of performance of areas and strength and weakness.”

Hey Frank and Jamie: I meet the above qualifications.  Give me a call…my rates are reasonable.

Photo Credit: Tom Plant/activerain.com