MLB Seizes Control of the Dodgers

By - Brian Harrington

In an unprecedented move on Wednesday, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig told Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Frank McCourt that Selig's office will be appointing someone to oversee financial and day-to-day operations of the storied franchise.

The organization has been in turmoil since the nasty divorce of it's owners, McCourt and his wife Jamie, after 30 years of marriage.

Photo from: businessinsider.com

The move comes after McCourt reportedly tried to get a $30 million loan from Fox, the team's television partner, but Selig had yet to approve a $200 million loan the team had already made to Fox last summer. McCourt said the loan was needed to make payroll.

The Dodgers have been slowly deteriorating under the control of McCourt since the divorce proceedings started leading some to believe he was losing control of the team.

This comes on the heels of Giants fan Bryan Stow being beaten as he left Dodger Stadium following the season opener. Stow remains in a medically induced coma.

What makes this move so strange is that baseball officials couldn't find another instance where the MLB seized total control of a team. Even when suspending George Steinbrenner from the Yankees in 1990 and forcing Marge Schott to sell her controlling interest in the Cincinnati Reds in 1999, the commissioner’s office allowed the owners to choose their successors as the controlling executive.

Some see this move as Bus Selig trying to set a precedent should the New York Mets have additional financial problems of their own after being tied to the Bernie Madoff scheme and borrowing $30 million from the MLB last year.