4/27 – Dodgers’ McCourt Will Fight MLB

Putting himself on a collision course with Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said he would fight any attempt to take over his team and wouldn’t relinquish control of his business despite baseball’s takeover of its day-to-day operations. Last week Mr. Selig, citing the broad powers to act “in the best interests of baseball,” said he was taking control of the Dodgers’ day-to-day operations after growing concerned about the club’s financial stability and security issues arising from the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan on opening day in Los Angeles that left the fan in a coma. Mr. Selig has appointed Tom Schieffer, a former U.S. ambassador to Australia, to oversee the team and investigate its operations. Mr. McCourt said he presented Major League Baseball with a plan to make the Dodgers one of the highest earning teams by revenue. The central part of the plan is a 20-year, $3 billion deal with News Corp.‘s Fox unit, licensing the team’s media rights to the regional sports network Prime Ticket, which he said Mr. Selig vetoed. News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal, according to WSJ.com.

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