No Manny, But McCourts Have New $46 Million Homes

Public relations and timing are just not the strong suits of Frank and Jamie McCourt. No matter how many hard lessons they learn.

While the nation wallows in a recession, and while their baseball team balks at bringing in Manny Ramirez or a front line starting pitcher, the McCourts bought a new house. Actually, two new houses, adjacent ones in Malibu.

For $46 million.

Just before free agency opened, Jamie posed a question to Dodger fans (through an LA Times column): Would it be better to spend $50 million on a slugging outfielder or for baseball diamonds in the inner city? That’s a legitimate and serious question worth discussing.

But it’s hard to be serious when the McCourts then turn around and spend just about that much on their homes.

It’s America and the McCourts made their money on real estate investment (what, you thought they bought the Dodgers to own a baseball team and not valuable land?). They can and should own as many homes as they can afford. Good on them.

But like the Big Three auto executives flying private jets to Washington to ask for a bailout, the McCourts do not get to decry the economics of baseball while buying some of the richest property in California as a place to live part time. That is hypocritical, at best.