Wednesday, June 22, 2011

MLB rejects Dodgers' TV deal

Updated: June 21, 2011, 12:55 PM ET

MLB rejects Dodgers' TV deal

ESPNLosAngeles.com

Selig Rejects Dodgers' TV Deal
Bud Selig rejects TV deal between Dodgers and FOX SportsTags: los angeles dodgers, frank mccourt
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Just days after Frank and Jamie McCourt agreed on a divorce settlement, Major League Baseball rejected a proposed television contract for the Los Angeles Dodgers that was a linchpin of the deal.

The TV deal has been reported to be worth $3 billion and Frank McCourt would receive $385 million upfront. That money was critical to the financial health of the Dodgers. MLB's action nullifies the divorce settlement, sending the McCourts back to the drawing table and thrusts the Dodgers into limbo.

MLB issued a statement explaining the decision.






"This decision was reached after a full and careful consideration of the terms of the proposed transaction and the club's current circumstances," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "It is my conclusion that this proposed transaction with FOX would not be in the best interests of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, the game of Baseball and the millions of loyal fans of this historic club."

Selig also said in his statement that he sent a letter to McCourt where "expansive analysis" for his rejection of the TV proposal was explained. The Dodgers' current TV deal with Fox expires in 2013.

Frank McCourt was disappointed with the league's ruling, according to a statement released by Steve Susman, senior partner of Susman Godfrey.

"We are extremely disappointed with the Commissioner's rejection of the proposed FOX transaction which would inject $235 million into the Los Angeles Dodgers," the statement read. "As Commissioner Selig well knows, this transaction would make the Dodgers financially secure for the long term and one of the best capitalized teams in Major League Baseball.

"Commissioner Selig's letter of rejection is not only a disappointment, but worse, is potentially destructive to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Major League Baseball. Accordingly, we plan to explore vigorously our options and remedies with respect to Commissioner Selig's rejection of the proposed FOX transaction and our commitment to protect the long-term best interests of the Los Angeles Dodgers."






MLB had taken control of the troubled franchise and was investigating the team's finances. Selig said he would not make a decision on the TV deal until that process was complete. But Selig indicated in Monday's statement that the terms of the divorce settlement in which a large chunk of the Fox upfront money would not go to the Dodgers led to his decision.

"Critically, the transaction is structured to facilitate the further diversion of Dodgers assets for the personal needs of Mr. McCourt," Selig said. "Given the magnitude of the transaction, such a diversion of assets would have the effect of mortgaging the future of the franchise to the long-term detriment of the club and its fans."

The statement on behalf of Frank McCourt and the Dodgers also notes that "all the requirements for the Commissioner to approve the FOX transaction were put in place by last Friday: Frank and Jamie McCourt entered into an agreement based on the proposed transaction; the Court ordered, among other things, that the FOX transaction is 'in the best interest of the Los Angeles Dodgers and should be consummated immediately;' and all information requested by Major League Baseball under its so-called investigation has been provided by the Dodgers."

Frank McCourt has struggled to make payroll. He now faces the prospect of failing to meet his obligations on June 30. That could lead to MLB taking over the team and forcing a sale. Sources told the Los Angeles Times, however, that the commissioner expects Frank McCourt to sue the league -- to challenge MLB's right to take over the team and/or to force Selig to approve the FOX deal.

Terms of the divorce settlement had set a one-day trial for Aug. 4 to decide if Frank McCourt owned the Dodgers outright or if it should be a marital asset to be split.

"As I have said before, we owe it to the legion of loyal Dodger fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future," Selig said. "This transaction would not accomplish these goals."






Jamie McCourt had requested that the courts demand an immediate sale of the Dodgers. She had rescinded that request as part of the settlement. Sources tell ESPN The Magazine's Molly Knight that she had wanted a more global settlement that did not rely on the FOX deal being approved by Selig because she is ready to move on from this nasty, nearly two year legal battle. A spokesman declined to say whether she will go back into court an request a Dodgers sale.

Terms of the settlement spelled out how the $385 million from FOX would be spent. Each party would receive $5 million for lawyers' fees. Each party would receive $5 million to use as they see fit. Approximately $235 million would be used for the Dodgers (including repayment to Frank McCourt money that was advanced to the team in 2011 but not exceeding $23.5 million). Another $80 million would be used to pay off indebtedness. And the remaining $50 million would be put in an account subject to the court's orders.

Frank McCourt had said all other issues in the divorce were settled, and a hearing set for last Wednesday where Jamie McCourt was expected to ask Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon to order the sale of the team was canceled.

Until ownership of the Dodgers is decided, the terms of settlement stipulated that Frank McCourt pay Jamie McCourt $650,000 monthly for support.

In April, former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer was appointed to monitor the team on behalf of Selig. Selig said he took the action because he was concerned about the team's finances and how the Dodgers are being run.

The former couple's lavish lifestyle was exposed in court documents, where it was revealed that they took out more than $100 million in loans from Dodgers-related businesses. Their spending habits were likened to using the money from the team as though it were their personal ATM or credit card.

"I don't think we think about it," Los Angeles first baseman James Loney said. "It's not a part of our daily conversations among each other. I think the distraction is just hearing about something you can't really control and don't have any input in. It's a situation that's happened, and I think for us, we should just go out and play baseball."


Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Clemens seeks to limit teammates' testimony

Clemens seeks to limit teammates' testimony
WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens and the prosecutors who have accused him of lying about using performance-enhancing drugs submitted a flurry of motions Tuesday ahead of next month's criminal trial, with the baseball star trying to limit his former teammates' testimony about drug use and the government trying to block revelations about his chief accuser's investigation for sexual assault.
The filings revolved around the prosecution's leading witness — former Clemens trainer Brian McNamee, who says he injected the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens has steadfastly disavowed using drugs and is scheduled to go on trial July 6 on charges that he lied when he made those denials during congressional testimony.
Prosecutors expect to call about 45 witnesses, including officials from Congress, Major League Baseball and expert witnesses who will testify about scientific evidence.
Clemens said his former New York Yankee teammates Chuck Knoblauch and Mike Stanton and a former McNamee client named Anthony Corsco are on a list of potential witnesses that prosecutors provided to the defense team. Clemens' attorneys wrote that although the witnesses are expected to testify they got drugs from McNamee, none of them have any direct evidence regarding their client and never spoke to Clemens about drugs. They said McNamee's "third-party drug dealing" with those men would be "irrelevant and unduly prejudicial."
Meanwhile, prosecutors want to limit what Clemens' attorneys can ask McNamee about a sexual assault investigation that the government lawyers said could "inflame the jury." McNamee was questioned by Florida police as a suspect in a 2001 sexual assault. Clemens' attorneys have consistently raised the Florida investigation as evidence that McNamee is a troubled man who cannot be trusted. McNamee was never charged, but he admitted lying to police.
Elsewhere ...
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to postpone Barry Bonds' next court date by two months, until Aug. 26. Bonds' attorneys oppose the request. The government was expected to announce at a Friday hearing whether it intended to retry Bonds on three perjury charges a jury deadlocked on after a month-long trial in April.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig hasn't acted in good faith by rejecting a proposed television deal involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and appeared determined to run Frank McCourt out of the sport, an attorney representing the embattled owner said. Lawyer Robert Sacks warned that any potential takeover of the team by Major League Baseball would be met with resistance.
The Arizona Diamondbacks promoted Pacific Coast League home run leader Wily Mo Peña from Triple-A. Peña topped the PCL with 21 homers and a .726 slugging percentage at Reno. He was hitting .363.

College World Series 2011 Bracket Update: Florida, South Carolina In Control

College World Series 2011 Bracket Update: Florida, South Carolina In Control

We're down to crunch-time in the College World Series and two teams hold a distinct advantage. The South Carolina Gamecocks and Florida Gators survived the first four days without a loss and will be in the driver's seat on the road to the final road. Both teams must only win once more while the four other teams still in contention must win three times without losing.
In the top-half of the bracket, North Carolina and Vanderbilt will square-off in an elimination game on Wednesday. The winner of that game moves forward to face Florida and must beat the Gators twice in as many days. Vanderbilt dropped a rain-delayed game to the Gators on Tuesday morning to begin the fourth day of the College World Series.
On the bottom-half of the bracket, the news is worse for Virginia and California. The Cavaliers and Golden Bears will battle it out on Thursday in an elimination game, but the path to the final round of the College World Series is grueling for both teams. The winner of Thursday's game will have to come back Friday and beat South Carolina to stay alive, then must beat the Gamecocks again on Saturday to advance.
Texas and Texas A&M were both eliminated after dropping two-straight games to open the College World Series. The full bracket and schedule can be found here.
For the latest on the tournament, head College World Series hub. You can find recaps of the opening round matchups, as well as previews of each team in the tournament there
There are 8 more updates to this story. Read most recent updates »

College World Series 2011 TV Schedule: North Carolina, Vanderbilt In Elimination Game Wednesday Night

College World Series 2011 TV Schedule: North Carolina, Vanderbilt In Elimination Game Wednesday Night

North Carolina and Vanderbilt are the only show in town at the College World Series on Wednesday after four days with multiple games. The stakes are high for both the Commodores and Tar Heels as the winner keeps hope alive for a national championship and the loser heads home, falling just short. There is no early game on Wednesday, with North Carolina and Vanderbilt taking the field in prime-time at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
Coverage of Wednesday night's game begins at 7 p.m. EDT. ESPN2 will have the broadcast duties for the elimination game and ESPN3.com will handle the online stream.
The winner of the elimination game will advance to face the Florida Gators for the right to represent the top-half of the bracket in the final game of the College World Series. However, Florida must win just once to advance while either Vanderbilt or North Carolina must beat the Gators twice. Check out the full bracket here.
For the latest on the tournament, head College World Series hub. You can find recaps of the opening round matchups, as well as previews of each team in the tournament there. For more on this game, North Carolina fans should check out Carolina March and Vanderbilt fans should head over to Anchor of Gold.

Beer pong! Nick Hundley’s foul ball lands in fan’s drink

Beer pong! Nick Hundley’s foul ball lands in fan’s drink
It's not every day a fan pays for an overpriced beer at a ballpark and actually gets some added value out of the expensive transaction.
Then again, it's not every day that a baseball player fouls a pitch into the stands and it bounces off a railing and into your Solo cup of suds. Yet that's exactly the unexpected souvenir this lucky Boston Red Sox fan received on Tuesday night at Fenway Park after Nick Hundley(notes) of the San Diego Padres deposited a baseball into his drink.
Watch Hundley's beer bust below:

MLB Standings 2011

WLPCTGBL10STRKHOMEROADLAST GAMENEXT GAME
Boston4429.603-7-3L122-1522-146/21 vs SD, L 4-56/22 vs SD, 1:35 PM
NY Yankees4229.5921.08-2W323-1719-126/20 @ CIN, W 5-36/22 @ CIN, 12:35 PM
Tampa Bay4034.5414.56-4L118-1822-166/21 @ MIL, L 1-56/22 @ MIL, 2:10 PM
Toronto3638.4868.54-6L317-1819-206/21 @ ATL, L 1-56/22 @ ATL, 1:05 PM
Baltimore3338.46510.03-7L120-1813-206/21 @ PIT, L 3-96/22 @ PIT, 12:35 PM
CentralWLPCTGBL10STRKHOMEROADLAST GAMENEXT GAME
Cleveland3933.542-5-5L223-1416-196/21 vs COL, L 3-46/22 vs COL, 7:05 PM
Detroit3935.5271.04-6L222-1417-216/21 @ LAD, L 1-66/22 @ LAD, 3:10 PM
Chi White Sox3639.4804.55-5W117-1819-216/21 vs CHC, W 3-26/22 vs CHC, 8:10 PM
Minnesota3239.4516.59-1W814-1618-236/21 @ SF, W 9-26/22 @ SF, 10:15 PM
Kansas City3142.4258.54-6L321-2110-216/21 vs ARI, L 2-76/22 vs ARI, 8:10 PM
WestWLPCTGBL10STRKHOMEROADLAST GAMENEXT GAME
Texas4035.533-4-6W222-1318-226/21 vs HOU, W 5-46/22 vs HOU, 8:05 PM
Seattle3736.5072.05-5L121-1816-186/21 @ WSH, L 5-66/22 @ WSH, 7:05 PM
LA Angels3639.4804.06-4L115-2021-196/21 @ FLA, L 2-56/22 @ FLA, 7:10 PM
Oakland3440.4595.57-3W619-1615-246/21 @ NYM, W 7-36/22 @ NYM, 7:10 PM

National League
EastWLPCTGBL10STRKHOMEROADLAST GAMENEXT GAME
Philadelphia4628.622-8-2W128-1218-166/21 @ STL, W 10-26/22 @ STL, 8:15 PM
Atlanta4233.5604.55-5W321-1721-166/21 vs TOR, W 5-16/22 vs TOR, 1:05 PM
Washington3637.4939.59-1W120-1316-246/21 vs SEA, W 6-56/22 vs SEA, 7:05 PM
NY Mets3538.47910.54-6L216-2019-186/21 vs OAK, L 3-76/22 vs OAK, 7:10 PM
Florida3341.44613.01-9W116-2317-186/21 vs LAA, W 5-26/22 vs LAA, 7:10 PM
CentralWLPCTGBL10STRKHOMEROADLAST GAMENEXT GAME
Milwaukee4134.547-4-6W126-1015-246/21 vs TB, W 5-16/22 vs TB, 2:10 PM
St. Louis4034.5410.52-8L120-1420-206/21 vs PHI, L 2-106/22 vs PHI, 8:15 PM
Cincinnati3836.5142.55-5L121-1817-186/20 vs NYY, L 3-56/22 vs NYY, 12:35 PM
Pittsburgh3637.4934.05-5W116-1920-186/21 vs BAL, W 9-36/22 vs BAL, 12:35 PM
Chi Cubs3043.41110.05-5L116-2214-216/21 @ CWS, L 2-36/22 @ CWS, 8:10 PM
Houston2748.36014.03-7L313-2514-236/21 @ TEX, L 4-56/22 @ TEX, 8:05 PM
WestWLPCTGBL10STRKHOMEROADLAST GAMENEXT GAME
Arizona4034.541-6-4W122-1718-176/21 @ KC, W 7-26/22 @ KC, 8:10 PM
San Francisco3934.5340.54-6L519-1320-216/21 vs MIN, L 2-96/22 vs MIN, 10:15 PM
Colorado3736.5072.56-4W219-1918-176/21 @ CLE, W 4-36/22 @ CLE, 7:05 PM
LA Dodgers3441.4536.55-5W318-2116-206/21 vs DET, W 6-16/22 vs DET, 3:10 PM
San Diego3144.4139.52-8W114-2617-186/21 @ BOS, W 5-46/22 @ BOS, 1:35 PM