Battle Over The Dodgers Begins
Dodger owner Frank McCourt fired his wife as CEO of the team. And things will not get prettier as this divorce continues.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 15: Owner Frank McCourt,(center) with wife and Dodgers president, Jamie McCourt, far right, of the Los Angeles Dodgers take their separate seats during Game One of the NLCS agianst the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
If you thought the end of the Dodgers season on the field was ugly... Here comes Divorce Court, Dodgers style. The battle between Frank and Jamie McCourt for control of the team is already getting ugly, and it has just started.
Team owner Frank McCourt has fired his wife Jamie as the team’s CEO this week.
"Jamie is disappointed and saddened by her termination," attorney Dennis Wasser said this afternoon. "As co-owner of the Dodgers, she will address this and all other issues in the courtroom..."
TMZ obtained the "Notice of Termination" issued by Frank McCourt to his soon-to-be ex-wife, Jamie.
"Because your employment is held at-will, the Organization is not required to have cause to terminate your employment and may do so for any reason or no reason at all."
Although the letter stated there was no obligation to provide any reason for termination, Frank McCourt clearly shared his decision-process.
However, your actions, including, but not limited to, your insubordination, non-responsiveness, failure to follow procedures, and inappropriate behavior with regard to a direct subordinate, have made this decision necessary."
Jamie McCourt is believed to be lining up investors for a possible effort to buy out her husband and gain sole control of the team. In addition, she is believed to have started calling prominent baseball figures, with the intention of arranging meetings to discuss the direction of the team.
Frank McCourt’s attorney says papers will show he owns 100% of the team. Wasser counters that Jamie already owns half (so we're not exactly sure how he can fire her). There will be no "let's do what's best for the fans/franchise" here, this is not going to be settled with Frank having the team during the week and Jamie every other weekend. This is going to be a bare-knuckle fight for full custody.
Dodger fans had better get used to it — the firing and revelation about Jamie trying to buy the team are just the first salvos in what will be a divorce tried in part through the media. More than talking about how the Dodgers can swing a number one starter, the discussion this winter will be about control of the team.
It will also be about how the divorce impacts the team on the field. Can the Dodgers not get a big-time starter because of this fight over ownership? Will battle lines be drawn among front office staff? Will it keep free agents away? Will the bitterness of the divorce seep down into the locker room and make players want to move on from the franchise?
In San Diego, a bitter divorce forced the sale of the team, and that franchise has yet to recover from that turmoil. The Dodgers fans hope they just down end up like children used as pawns in another messy divorce.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the case as Frank McCourt locked Jamie out of her office and informed her that her keys no longer work, according to the TMZ Web site.
