First, some background from Jon Weisman:
Marking an extraordinary and unprecedented moment in the history of the Dodgers, the office of Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has announced he will appoint a representative to take over day-to-day operations of the franchise. Frank McCourt seemingly has had the keys to the kingdom taken away, with Dodger employees answering to a representative of the commissioner to be named soon.
Cue all manner of Looney Tunes double takes, spit takes, and you know what, throw in a steam whistle too for good measure while you’re down there.
WHAT!
The Dodgers and their owner, Frank McCourt, have been in trouble financially for a while now. Things began to get rocky when McCourt and his wife Jamie began divorce proceedings during the 2009 post-season. As for why it’s taken this long for Selig to do something, Weisman, in a follow-up to the above article, talks a lot about the April 2011 beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow. I’m not sure the two events are linked in Selig’s mind myself (more likely, Selig is merely operating at his usual ineffectual, timid, plodding pace), but it certainly could not have helped matters for McCourt.
SBNation’s True Blue LA has a great rundown of reactions to the news, including speculation on what this means for MLB’s much prized antitrust exemption.